KR100793207B1 - Apparatus and method for recording a broadcasting signal in portable computer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for storing broadcast signals in a portable computer. When the TV broadcast reception request is made, the portable computer system checks whether the system of the portable computer is booted, and if the system is not booted, the composite of the television broadcast (Composite) ) The signal can be converted into a signal of a predetermined format that can be directly received by a liquid crystal display, signal processed, and displayed, and when a TV broadcast storage request is made, the composite signal of the TV broadcast can be accommodated in storage within the device. By converting and storing the data into a predetermined format, a TV broadcast signal can be viewed more efficiently without booting a system of a portable computer such as a notebook computer, and of course, without executing the BIOS. By using only, it is possible to easily record and store TV broadcast signals to storage such as a hard disk (HDD). It is a useful invention.

Portable Computer, TV Broadcasting, LVDS Controllers, BIOS, Hard Disk, System Boot Status, System Management Controller

Description

Apparatus and method for recording a broadcasting signal in portable computer}             

1 illustrates some configurations of a typical portable computer,

2 illustrates a configuration of a portable computer to which the broadcast signal storage device and method according to the present invention are applied.

3 illustrates an embodiment in which a TV on / off button and a TV storage on / off button are provided in a portable computer to which the present invention is applied.

4 and 5 illustrate an operation flowchart of a method for storing broadcast signals in a portable computer according to the present invention.

6 shows a screen window output by the broadcast signal storage method in the portable computer according to the present invention.

※ Explanation of code for main part of drawing

10,30: tuner section 11,31: digital TV demodulation section

12,32: analog TV demodulator 13,33: PCI / USB controller

14,34: video controller 15,35: audio codec

16,36: liquid crystal display 37: power management unit

38: system management controller 39: microcomputer

40: hard disk 41: Ypyrom

The present invention relates to a broadcast signal storage device and method in a portable computer, for example, even when the system of a portable computer such as a notebook computer is not booted, the TV (TV) broadcast signal is received and displayed on the screen, or A broadcast signal storage device and method for a portable computer for recording and storing a hard disk or the like.

Recently, various portable computers such as a notebook computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA) are widely used and commercialized. For example, in a notebook computer capable of watching TV broadcasts, as shown in FIG. ), A digital TV demodulator 11, an analog TV demodulator 12, a PCI / USB controller 13, a video controller 14, a liquid crystal display 16, an audio codec 15, and the like.

On the other hand, in the tuner unit 10, the digital TV broadcast signal or the analog TV broadcast signal is tuned and output to the digital TV demodulator 11 or the analog TV demodulator 12, and the digital TV demodulator ( 11) or the analog TV demodulator 12 demodulates the TV broadcast signal into a composite signal and outputs it to the PCI / USB controller 13.

The PCI / USB controller 13 converts the composite signal into a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) signal or a universal serial bus (USB) signal that can be accommodated by the video controller 14, thereby converting the composite signal into the video controller. 14).

The video controller 14 processes the video signal of a TV broadcast, which is converted into a PCI signal or a USB signal through the above-described process, into a graphic signal, and then the liquid crystal display unit 16. The audio signal of the TV broadcast output through the PCI / USB controller 13 is signal-processed by the audio codec 15 and then output as sound through a speaker or earphone.

Accordingly, a user equipped with a portable computer such as the notebook computer can easily watch a TV broadcast program desired by the portable computer without using a separate general television.

However, in a portable computer equipped with a general TV broadcast reception function, since the TV broadcast reception function is finally performed after the system boot operation is normally performed, in order for a user to watch TV broadcast, the user boots the system of the portable computer. After that, the TV broadcast reception function must be selected and operated. Therefore, it takes a long time to actually watch TV broadcast, or power is supplied during the system booting process to components not related to TV broadcast reception. There is a problem that battery power is inefficiently wasted.

Accordingly, the present invention has been created to solve the above problems, and can more efficiently receive and watch TV broadcast signals without booting a system of a portable computer such as a notebook computer. According to a user's request, the TV broadcast signal can be recorded and stored in the device, thereby reducing the time required for watching and storing TV broadcasts and minimizing battery power consumption. And to provide a method, which has a purpose.

Broadcast signal storage method in a portable computer according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a step of confirming that the system of the portable computer is booted when the TV broadcast reception request; A second step of converting and signal processing a composite signal of a TV broadcast into a signal of a predetermined format that can be directly accommodated by a liquid crystal display when the system is not booted as a result of the confirmation; Displaying a signal of the predetermined format on a liquid crystal display and outputting an audio signal of the TV broadcast as a sound; And in response to the TV broadcast storage request, converting the composite signal of the TV broadcast into data of a predetermined format that can be accommodated in storage in the device, and recording and storing the data.

In addition, the apparatus for storing broadcast signals in a portable computer according to the present invention comprises: means for receiving a TV broadcast signal and demodulating it into a composite signal; Means for converting the composite signal into a signal of a first format and outputting it directly to a liquid crystal display, or outputting a signal of a second format to a video controller according to whether a portable computer system is booted; Means for selectively limiting powered means according to whether the system is booted; And means for converting the composite signal into data of a predetermined format that can be accommodated in storage in the apparatus and then recording and storing the composite signal.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of a broadcast signal storage device and method in a portable computer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 shows a configuration of a portable computer to which the broadcast signal storage device and method according to the present invention are applied. For example, a laptop computer having a TV broadcast receiving function includes a tuner unit 30 and a digital TV copy. A grandfather 31, an analog TV demodulator 32, an LVDS / PCI / USB controller 33, a video controller 34, an audio codec 35, and a liquid crystal display 36 are included. 37), the system management controller 38, the microcomputer 39, the hard disk 40, Y pyrom 41 and the like.

On the other hand, the microcomputer 39, for example, as shown in Figure 3, TV on / off button, channel up / down button, volume up / down disposed adjacent to the liquid crystal display of the portable computer to which the present invention is applied A keyboard controller may be used to monitor whether the buttons, and the TV save on / off button, are entered in the user selection.

In addition, in the Y pyrom 41, a system BIOS may be stored and managed, and in the system management controller 38, a user may select a specific key adjacent to the liquid crystal display, for example, a TV on / off. In the case of selecting and inputting a button, this is confirmed through an interface with the microcomputer 39.

When the TV on / off button is pushed in a state where the system of the portable computer is not booted, the power management unit 37 is provided to receive and watch TV broadcasts through an interface with the system management controller 38. Limited supply of power to only the necessary means of construction is provided.

In addition, in the LVDS / PCI / USB controller 33, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, a composite signal of a TV broadcast received through a tuner unit and a demodulator may be directly received by the liquid crystal display unit 36. FIG. After converting into a low voltage differential signal (LVDS) signal and signal processing, it is output to the liquid crystal display.

On the other hand, when the TV broadcast reception operation is directly performed while the system of the portable computer is not booted as described above, since the power supply is cut off to the video controller 34, unnecessary battery power is wasted. Prevent it.

Then, when the user selects and inputs the TV storage on / off button, power is supplied to the video controller, and in the BIOS executed by the system management controller 38, a predetermined screen window is output and displayed. Allows the user to select and designate arbitrary drives and folders for recording and storing TV broadcasts.

In the BIOS, an encoder (not shown) included in the video controller 34 or separately configured may be operated to convert a composite signal of a TV broadcast into a digital video and audio data stream. After the conversion and signal processing, a series of operations for recording and storing as a file is performed in a hard disk (HDD) or the like, which will be described in detail as follows.

4 and 5 illustrate an operation flowchart of a method for storing broadcast signals in a portable computer according to the present invention. For example, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, a TV disposed adjacent to a liquid crystal display of a portable computer is described. When the user selects and inputs an on / off button, the system management controller 38 detects and confirms a corresponding key value through an interface with the microcomputer 39, indicating that the TV on button has been received. It is determined (S10).

When the system of the portable computer is booted up, for example, when the system is not booted up (S11), the system management controller 38, the LDVS / PCI / USB controller 33 Through the interface, the operation mode to the LVDS controller is set (S11).

In addition, the power management unit 37, through the interface with the system management controller 38, in order to enable the TV broadcast reception and viewing without system booting, the tuner unit 30 and demodulators 31, 32 and power is supplied only to the liquid crystal display 36, the audio codec 35, and the LVDS controller 33, and does not apply power to the video controller 34.

That is, when the system of the portable computer is not booted, the video controller 34 is maintained in the power-off state (S13), and the battery having a limited capacity only for the components necessary for receiving and watching TV broadcasts. By applying power, the power consumption is minimized.

In the LVDS controller 33, when the TV signal is received through the tuner unit 30 and the demodulators 31 and 32 (S15), the composite signal of the TV broadcast is received by the liquid crystal. The display unit 36 converts the signal into a low voltage differential signal (LVDS) signal that can be directly received, and processes the signal. The liquid crystal display unit 36 displays the LVDS signal as a video image of a TV broadcast (S16). ).

On the other hand, the audio signal of the TV broadcast output through the LVDS controller 33, the signal is processed by the audio codec 15, and then output as a sound through a speaker or earphone, etc., by the user, When the TV on button is input, when the system is booted, the power-on state of the video controller is maintained as it is (S17) and the LVDS / PCI / USB controller 33 operates as a PCI / USB controller. It is made (S18).

In the PCI / USB controller 33, when a TV signal is received through the tuner unit 30 and the demodulators 31 and 32, the composite signal of the TV broadcast is converted into PCI or USB. After converting the signal into a signal and outputting the signal to a video controller, the video controller processes the PCI or USB signal into a graphic signal and displays the screen on the liquid crystal display 16. The audio signal of the TV broadcast output through the PCI / USB controller 13 is signal-processed by the audio codec 15 and then output as a sound through a speaker or earphone.

Meanwhile, as described above, while the system is not booted, the user selects the TV storage on / off button while converting the composite signal of the TV broadcast into an LVDS signal and processing the signal to display the LCD on the liquid crystal display. In the case of S20, the system management controller 38 executes the BIOS without executing the OS and delivers the corresponding key value to the BIOS.

In the BIOS, a drive setting display routine is executed to output and display a screen window having a predetermined size. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a user selects a drive for recording and storing a TV broadcast. After outputting and displaying a screen window for designation, the drive selected and designated through the screen window is set as a drive for storing a TV broadcast signal (S21).

In addition, after the drive is set through the above process, the BIOS executes a folder setting display routine to output and display a screen window of a predetermined size. For example, as shown in FIG. After outputting and displaying a screen window for allowing a user to select and designate an arbitrary folder, the folder selected and designated through the screen window is set as a folder for storing a TV broadcast signal (S22).

Meanwhile, the drive and folder setting operation as described above may be automatically set to a predetermined drive and folder, for example, 'C: Drive' and 'MyTV001', and the change of the automatically set drive and folder is requested. In case (S23), the BIOS executes the drive and folder setting routine again, so that the user can set the desired drive and folder.

In the BIOS, when a Set key is input by the user or when the drive and folder are preset, an encoder (not shown) may be included in the video controller or separately configured. Operation control to perform a series of signal processing operations for converting the TV broadcast signal into a digital video and audio data stream such as a predetermined format, for example, an MPEG transport stream (S24).

In addition, the digital video and audio data stream converted and signal-processed as described above are recorded and stored as a file in a specific folder of the hard disk (S25). When the storage is requested to terminate, the BIOS stops the operation of recording and storing the TV broadcast signal on the hard disk.

As described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those of ordinary skill in the art can further various other embodiments within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention disclosed in the appended claims. Improvements, changes, substitutions or additions will be possible.

The apparatus and method for storing broadcast signals in a portable computer according to the present invention constructed and configured as described above, when the TV broadcast reception request is made, checks whether the system of the portable computer is booted, and when the system is not booted, the TV broadcast is performed. Displays a composite signal of a predetermined format that can be directly accommodated by a liquid crystal display, converts the signal into a signal of a predetermined format, and displays the composite signal of the TV broadcast. By converting and recording and storing data in a predetermined format that can be accommodated by a user, it is possible to watch TV broadcast signals more efficiently without booting a system of a portable computer such as a notebook computer, and also without executing OS. By simply using the BIOS, TV broadcast signals can be easily stored in storage such as a hard disk (HDD). Very useful inventions that are able to save.

Claims (9)

A first step of confirming whether a system of the portable computer is booted when a broadcast reception request is made; If the system is not booted, powering the broadcast reception related block and converting the broadcast signal into a signal of a predetermined format that can be directly accommodated by the system; Displaying the signal of the predetermined format on a display unit and outputting an audio signal; At the broadcast storage request, converting the broadcast signal into a digital video and audio data stream that can be accommodated in a hard disk in a device, and then recording and storing the broadcast signal on the hard disk; And And during the recording and storing of the digital video and audio data streams, when the broadcast reception is terminated, the step of automatically stopping the recording operation of the data streams or stopping by a user's key input. Broadcast signal storage method in a portable computer. The method of claim 1, The broadcast receiving and storing operation is requested by a broadcast receiving on / off button and a broadcasting storing on / off button installed adjacent to a liquid crystal display of the portable computer. delete The method of claim 1, And the digital video and audio data streams are recorded and stored as an arbitrary file in a specific folder set on the hard disk. delete Means for demodulating a broadcast signal; Means for converting the demodulated signal into a signal of a first format and outputting the demodulated signal directly to a display after converting the signal into a first format or to a video controller after converting the demodulated signal into a signal of a second format; Means for selectively limiting powered means according to whether the system is booted; And And means for converting the demodulated signal into data in a predetermined format that can be accommodated in a storage device in the device, and for storing the recorded signal. The method of claim 6, The storage device is a hard disk provided in a portable computer, and the demodulation signal is converted into a digital video and audio data stream that can be accommodated in the hard disk and stored in a broadcast signal storage device in a portable computer. . The method of claim 6, The signal of the first format is an LVDS signal that can be directly accommodated in a liquid crystal display, and the signal of the second format is a PCI or USB signal that can be accommodated in a video controller. Storage. The method of claim 8, And an on / off button for requesting broadcast reception and a storage on / off button for requesting broadcast storage are disposed in an adjacent portion of the liquid crystal display.

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