KR101686837B1 - Method and apparatus for minimizing vod selection time of iptv program - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for improving menu selection speed are provided. The apparatus for improving the menu selection speed includes a mapping data storage unit for storing numbers mapped to respective fields included in a content selection menu for each layer, and when mapped numbers are input in the fields, And a function execution unit for displaying the submenu when there is a submenu corresponding to the searched field and for reproducing the content when the corresponding content exists in the searched field The combined number is sequentially combined with a number mapped to a field included in a menu of an upper layer and a number mapped to a field included in a menu of a lower layer.

Description

[0001] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MINIMIZING VOD SELECTION TIME OF IPTV PROGRAM [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for improving menu selection speed, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for improving selection speed of VOD contents of IPTV.

IPTV is a system that provides digital television services using Internet protocols in packet switched network environments such as the Internet and broadband.

Since existing TV broadcasting uses a method of pushing a program according to a predetermined schedule, users have inconvenience to watch TV in accordance with the schedule of the schedule in order to watch desired broadcasting, but IPTV And a pull method for requesting to select a desired broadcast is used, so that it is possible to freely watch a desired broadcast at any time.

However, the VOD contents of the IPTV are gradually increased over time, and accordingly, in order to select and use a desired service conveniently and quickly, it is essential to change the method of selecting the corresponding menu.

Accordingly, in the related art, a technology has been disclosed in which, when a menu is selected by using a remote controller, a number key, a character key, or a symbol key of the remote controller is assigned to each menu so that the key operation can be simplified.

However, in order to select one specific VOD content, there is still a selection process of inputting the numbers or characters assigned to the respective menus and re-entering the numbers or letters for the submenus of the menus.

In addition, even after selecting a menu using a number or a letter, a delay time until a sub-menu of the corresponding menu appears is generated, thereby increasing the overall selection time. If an incorrect menu is selected, There are still inconveniences of selecting a large number of 'back' buttons to input a number or a button of a desired menu again, which further increases the user's menu selection time.

In order to solve the problems of the related art, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for mapping a number to each menu and selecting a desired VOD content by combining each number mapped to a menu.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned can be clearly understood from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for improving menu selection speed, the apparatus comprising: a mapping data storage unit for storing a number mapped to each field included in a hierarchical content selection menu; An input information analysis unit for searching for a field corresponding to the combined number when the mapped numbers are input in combination; and a display unit for displaying the submenu corresponding to the searched field, A number mapped to a field included in a menu of a higher layer and a number mapped to a field included in a menu of a lower layer are sequentially .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for improving menu selection speed, comprising: (a) storing a number mapped to each field included in a content selection menu for each layer; (b) (C) searching for a field corresponding to the combined number, (d) searching for a field corresponding to the combined number, Displaying the submenu when there is a submenu corresponding to the searched field, and (e) playing the content when the corresponding content exists in the searched field.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It is provided to fully inform the owner of the scope of the invention.

According to one of the methods for improving the menu selection speed and the task resolution means of the apparatus of the present invention described above,

Numbers are mapped to each menu, making it easy to select the desired menu.

Furthermore, the menus or VOD contents corresponding to the combined numbers can be immediately selected and executed by combining the numbers mapped to the respective menus.

In addition, when the menu or VOD contents are selected, the operation of the remote controller is minimized, thereby maximizing the user's convenience.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a general IPTV broadcasting service system.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for improving menu selection speed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A through 3C are flowcharts illustrating a process of improving menu selection speed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of improving menu selection speed according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5A is a diagram illustrating a menu selection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a menu selection method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention.

The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are denoted by like reference characters throughout the specification.

For reference, throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, it is understood that it is not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" .

Also, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without departing from the other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a general IPTV broadcasting service system.

Referring to FIG. 1, an IPTV broadcasting system includes a broadcasting company 1000, a headend system 2000, a network 3000, and a user terminal 4000.

The head end system 2000 includes a baseband system 2010, a compression multiplexing system 2020, a CAS 2030, a back office system 2040, a monitoring system 2050, A Media Management Core (MOC) 2060, a subscriber management system 2070, a data broadcasting system 2080, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) system 2090, and a return path server system 2100.

The broadcasting company 1000 is responsible for producing, editing, and modifying broadcasting contents and providing them to the head end system 2000. Broadcasting company 1000 may include a program provider (PP), terrestrial or content provider (CP). In addition, the broadcasting contents provided by the broadcasting company 1000 may include existing broadcasting contents and rich contents on the Internet.

The head-end system 2000 receives and manages broadcast content from the broadcasting company 1000 and distributes the content to the user terminal 4000 to provide a broadcasting / recording / playback service. The received broadcast content may include related additional information and an EPG for the additional information.

The headend system 2000 transmits EPG information (PSIP / PSI / PSTN) including broadcast video and audio signals, data for data broadcasting, and program recommendation service menu via a subscriber aggregation device, a subscriber switch, and the like via a router supporting a multicast routing protocol. SI information) can be multicasted to a plurality of subscribers' IP set-top boxes.

The baseband system 2010 receives an MPEG2 broadcast signal or an analog broadcast signal from a terrestrial wave from an external program provider PP and converts the received source broadcast signal into an SDI And distributes broadcasting video and audio signals of a plurality of broadcasting channels (for example, 100 channels) through a routine switcher. The broadcasting video and audio signals are distributed to a subtitle generator CG and an automatic program controller APC (Signal editing and processing) to the compression multiplexing system 2020 by inserting at least one of an advertisement, a logo, and a caption into the broadcast video and audio signal.

The SDI (Serial Digital Interface) signal is, for example, a digital signal standard having a transmission rate of 270 Mbps, and a composite digital image and four channels of digital audio signals may be mixed.

The baseband system 2010 basically includes a receiving device (for example, a DS-3 terminal, a Yagi antenna, a tuner for receiving an analog broadcast signal in an IRD) receiving a broadcasting signal such as a program provider (PP) A frame synchronizer for converting and correcting the source signal received from the receiving device into an SDI signal and synchronizing the frames, a frame synchronizer for connecting / concentrating all the broadcasting signal channels for operation management, / V router, and a character generator for editing and processing signals by inserting advertisements, logos, and subtitles into the SDI signal.

The compression multiplexing system 2020 multiplexes broadcast video and audio signals (Video and Audio) received from the baseband system 2010 into A / V encoders ) To compress an SDI (Serial Digital Interface) video signal to H.264, compress the audio signal to MPEG-2 AAC to generate an MPEG-2 TS (Transport Stream) -2 TS signal, data for broadcasting and EPG information (PSIP / PSI / SI information) generated by a data encoder and a PSI / SI generator (PSI / SI Generator) are multiplexed, When a reception restriction technique is used, the MPEG-2 TS signal is input to a scrambler to be encrypted, and finally, IP packetization is performed to transmit a TS (Transport Stream) broadcast signal.

Optionally, a receive restriction system 2030 can also be used to prevent illegal viewing and piracy of program recommendation content.

The reception restriction system 2030 encrypts the real-time channel and performs pre-encryption of the VOD contents, and controls the viewing right so that the channel and contents can be used only for the authenticated user. A digital rights management (DRM) method may be used in place of the reception restriction system 2030 in order to prevent illegal copying of IPTV contents.

The back office system 2040 is a provisioning system and provides a billing function for using IPTV program service for each subscriber.

The monitoring system 2050 is a control system, and can monitor reception failure, subtitle confirmation, and the like by monitoring transmission failure of an A / V broadcasting signal for IPTV broadcasting and downlink of an IPTV head end system.

The media management system 2060 manages various business process information (program organization information, material information, contract information, product information, and the like) for operating the broadcasting service. The media management system 2060 integrally manages the information flow through the organic combination with each system at the center of the broadcasting center.

The media management system 2060 manages broadcast program information, content and media management information, contract information of the program provider (PP), contract information of the content provider (CP), and product information, And can act as a coordinator for integrated management of information flow through organic combination.

In addition, the media management system 2060 is capable of real-time broadcasting and VOD (Video Broadcasting) in terms of contract management, media and content meta data management, EPG information acquisition / Provides marketing management and reporting of marketing activities such as settlement with CP / CA and propensity to subscribers, analysis management, channel management, agent management, VOD catalog creation management and various merchandise management. Side video broadcast monitoring, video server transmission management, VOD subscriber authentication, recording / management of transmission result for settlement with CP / CA, and data synchronization with each linked subsystem.

The subscriber management system 2070 provides member registration and termination for the IPTV service, and member information management function.

The data broadcasting system 2080 authorizes, verifies, prepares, and transmits the data for data broadcasting.

The data broadcasting system 2080 includes a data agent manager for managing data encoding, a PSI / SI generator for generating program specific information / SI (Service Information) A data server / data encoder for encoding data broadcasting data into broadcast video and audio signals, a multiplexer manager (multiplexer / multiplexer) for managing the multiplexing function of data in the broadcast video and audio signals, Manager), and a scheduler UI (Scheduler UI).

In addition, the data broadcasting system 2080 may convert A / V data provided from an A / V server into an A / V encoder according to a terrestrial ACAP (Data Acquisition Protocol) And compresses the compressed video and audio signals by an authoring tool into a data server / data encoder and program specific information / service information (PSI / SI) ) Multiplexed by a multiplexer together with data for broadcasting and EPG information (PSIP / SI information) generated by a generator, so as to encode and transmit broadcasting program data and related information from the collection and storage of data broadcasting programs .

The EPG system 2090 includes an EPG server and provides an electronic program guide (EPG) service to the user terminal 4000.

The return path server system 2100 processes bi-directional data by a data provider (DP) and provides an online bill transfer from the user terminal 4000, a utilization / billing interlocking process of bidirectional data, , And bidirectional data for the program recommendation service, and transmits the corresponding response data to the user terminal 4000 through unicasting.

The network 3000 receives the broadcast content from the head end system 2000 and transmits the received broadcast content to the user terminal 4000. The network 3000 includes a backbone network and an access network. The access network includes Ethernet, xDSL (ADSL, VDSL), HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coaxial Ca), FTTC Curb, and FTTH (Fiber To The Home) structures.

The user terminal 4000 is an apparatus for using an Internet broadcasting service, and generally includes an IPTV, a set top box (STB), and a remote controller. The IPTV outputs the broadcast content received from the headend system 2000 and delivers the user response signal received through the remote controller to the headend system 2000 through the return channel of the settop box.

The user terminal may use either a display device (TV) having an IP set-top box (hereinafter referred to as a set-top box) or a set-top box connected to the user's TV, a computer, a notebook, or a personal portable terminal.

The set-top box includes a hardware layer composed of a set-top box hardware such as a CPU, a media processor, a flash RAM, and an Ethernet module, a system software layer including system software such as a device driver and an operating system, a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) MPEG2, MPEG4, MPEG7, H.264, WMV-1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MPEG2, and MPEG-4 are equipped with a conditional access system (CAS) module and a digital rights management (DRM) interface module and a streaming protocol (RTP, RTSP) 9, etc., and an application program layer (EPG) for selecting an IPTV service channel. At this time, the subscriber's set-top box may be assigned an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for improving menu selection speed according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus shown in FIG. 2 may be included in a set-top box.

The apparatus 100 for improving menu selection speed according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a mapping data storage unit 110, an interface providing unit 120, an input information analyzing unit 130, and a function performing unit 140 do.

For reference, each menu of the upper layer configured hierarchically, that is, in the form of a tree, for selecting VOD contents includes a plurality of fields, and each field may include a lower layer menu.

In addition, each menu of the lower layer may include a plurality of fields again, and if there is no more submenu in each field, the corresponding field corresponds to the VOD content.

The mapping data storage unit 110 stores the information about the node and the number mapped to the field included in each menu in association with each other.

Here, the information about each menu may include the ID and menu name of the menu, and the ID of the menu may include a 'code' form or a series of numbers.

In addition, the plurality of fields included in each menu may also include a field ID and a field name, respectively, and the ID of the field may include a code form or a series of numbers.

The mapping data storage unit 110 stores information on each video-on-demand type (hereinafter referred to as VOD content), for example, a number mapped to the VOD content, an ID, a title, a genre, Image information related to the VOD content, and the like.

For reference, the numbers mapped to the respective menus and fields and the numbers mapped to the VOD contents can be accumulated and displayed in the fields mapped to the fields of the upper layer.

For example, the 'TV replay' field of the initial menu is' 1 ', the' MBC broadcast 'field of the broadcast station selection menu is' 0', the 'end drama' field of the content type selection menu is' In the case where the 'Seondeok queen' field of the drima type selection menu is '3' and the '3 times contents' of the repeat selection menu is displayed on the TV screen respectively, each field stored in the mapping data storage unit 110 The numbers mapped to the VOD contents and the numbers mapped to the VOD contents can be displayed by accumulating the numbers as shown below.

TV viewing '-'1', 'MBC broadcasting -' 10 ',' End drama '-' 102 ',' Seondeok queen '-' 1023 ',' 3 times content '-' 10232 'times.

On the other hand, the interface providing unit 120 displays a first area including a 'menu search window' in which a user can input a number and select a field included in the menu, a field corresponding to the inputted number, And a second area to which the second area is connected.

At this time, the interface providing unit 120 may divide the area of the interface into the upper and lower areas, and display the first area in the upper area of the interface and the second area in the lower area of the interface, respectively.

For reference, the 'menu search window' described above may be used to input a number for searching a desired field or contents, but when a user selects a field of a menu displayed in the second area, The number may be displayed.

On the other hand, the input information analysis unit 130 parses the number input in the menu search window, and searches the mapping data storage unit 110 for a field or a content corresponding to the input number.

Then, the input information analysis unit 130 transmits information on the searched field or contents to the function execution unit 140 so that the function of the field corresponding to the number input in the search window can be executed.

That is, if there is a submenu in the field, the submenu can be displayed in the second area, and if there is no submenu and no VOD content exists in the field, the VOD content can be played back.

For reference, the number input to the menu search window is a number mapped to each field as described above, and at least one number for field selection may be input to the menu search window.

That is, in the hierarchically structured menu, when the fields of the respective menus and the numbers mapped to the menus are combined and input into the menu search window, the input information analysis unit 130 analyzes the inputted numbers, Or search for a field or content.

For example, if the 'TV replay' field of the initial menu is '1', the 'MBC broadcast' field of the broadcast station selection menu is '0' The user selects the number corresponding to each of the above-mentioned fields from the menu search window 2, and the user selects the number corresponding to each field, , But if the number sequentially input for selecting 'three times of contents', that is, '10232', is inputted consecutively, the input information analysis unit ( 130 can search the mapping data storage unit 110 for the 'TV view again> MBC broadcast> end drama> Queen Seondeok> three times content' corresponding to the input '10232' by analyzing the corresponding number.

At this time, the input information analyzing unit 130 can determine the combined number based on the input time interval of the numbers mapped in the respective fields.

For example, if no other number is input within '0.5 second' after the number is entered in the menu search window, the input information analyzing unit 130 stores the field or content corresponding to the corresponding number currently input in the menu search window You can search.

The above example will be described again. After inputting '1' in the menu search window and inputting '0' continuously again within 0.5 seconds, and inputting '2' continuously within 0.5 second, The input information analyzing unit 130 determines 102 as a combined number to search for a submenu of the 'end drama' field corresponding to 102, and searches for a sub menu of the 'end drama' It is possible to retrieve the star content information from the mapping data storage unit 110.

Of course, the above-mentioned 0.5 second is a time interval for the embodiment of the present invention, and it can be changed by any amount.

Then, the input information analysis unit 130 may transmit to the function execution unit 140 information on a field or content corresponding to the number input in the menu search window.

The input information analysis unit 130 may search contents corresponding to the numbers input in the menu search window and transmit the IDs of the retrieved contents to the function execution unit 140. [

When the information input from the user (remote controller) is not a single number or a combination of numbers but is a 'direction key' or an 'OK key', the input information analyzing unit 130 selects the input key Field or a number mapped to the content may be retrieved from the mapping data storage unit 110. [

If the information input from the user (remote controller) is information on the 'erase key', the input information analyzing unit 130 may correspond to the changed number when the number input in the menu search window is changed by the input of the erase key Field or content from the mapping data storage unit 110. [0050] FIG.

For example, in the initial menu screen, when the cursor moves to a specific field of a specific menu using the direction key of the remote controller, the input information analyzer 130 stores the field ID of the corresponding field in which the cursor is located in the mapping data storage 110 ), And retrieve a number corresponding to the retrieved ID (i.e., a combined number).

At this time, if there is a lower menu of the corresponding field, the input information analyzing unit 130 transmits the information of the lower menu to the function performing unit 140 so that the lower menu of the corresponding field is displayed in the second area of the interface can do.

For reference, when the cursor is positioned in a specific field of a specific menu using the direction key of the remote controller, the number corresponding to the field (i.e., the combined number) is displayed in the first area (menu search window) A sub menu of the field may be displayed in the second area of the interface. However, only when the cursor due to the direction key of the remote controller is located in a specific field of the specific menu and the OK key is selected, And a sub menu of the corresponding field may be respectively displayed in the first area and the second area of the interface.

If the information input from the user (remote controller) is information on the erasing key, that is, if the number entered in the menu search window is deleted by the erasing key, the input information analyzing unit 130 deletes the remaining number Field from the mapping data storage unit 110. [0064] FIG.

Meanwhile, the function execution unit 140 performs a function corresponding to the selected field.

The function performing unit 140 displays the submenu in the second area of the interface when there is a submenu in the field searched by the input information analyzing unit 130, If it exists, the corresponding VOD content can be reproduced.

The function execution unit 140 may include a content request unit 140a and a content playback unit 140a. Since the embodiment of the present invention relates to menu selection of VOD content, The content reproducing unit 140a will be described.

The content request unit 140a receives the content ID from the input information analysis unit 130 and transmits the content ID to the VOD providing server (not shown).

On the other hand, the content reproducing unit 140b receives the content corresponding to the content ID transmitted from the content requesting unit 140a from the VOD providing server (not shown) and displays it on the TV screen.

2 refers to a hardware component such as software or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and performs predetermined roles .

However, 'components' are not meant to be limited to software or hardware, and each component may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium and configured to play one or more processors.

Thus, by way of example, an element may comprise components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, Routines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

The components and functions provided within those components may be combined into a smaller number of components or further separated into additional components.

FIGS. 3A through 3C are flowcharts illustrating a process of improving menu selection speed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 may be performed in a set-top box. Referring to FIG. 2, the flow chart of FIG. 3 will be described by performing the following process in a set-top box.

Also, in the process shown in FIG. 3, the mapping data storage unit 110 described above with reference to FIG. 2 already exists.

First, the set-top box displays a top menu for selecting VOD contents on the TV screen (S301).

If an input is received from the user (remote controller) after step S301 (S302), the set-top box determines whether the input information is a number (number) (S303).

As a result of step S302, if it is a number, the set-top box searches the mapping data storage unit 110 for a field matching the corresponding number (S304).

That is, it is checked whether the number is assigned to each field in each layer.

In this case, the number input in step S303 may be a single number mapped to each field of the layer or a number combined with each field mapped to each field.

After step S304, the set-top box displays the inputted number in the menu search window and searches for a sub-menu in the field corresponding to the number (S305).

As a result of the search in step S305, if a sub-menu exists in the corresponding field, the set-top box displays a sub-menu of the corresponding field on the TV screen (S306).

If it is determined in step S305 that the submenu is no longer present and the VOD content exists, the set-top box searches for the ID of the VOD content corresponding to the number input in step S303 (S307).

After step S307, the set-top box transmits the ID of the retrieved VOD contents to the VOD providing server (not shown), receives the contents from the VOD providing server (not shown), and displays the received contents on the TV screen (S308).

At this time, the retrieved VOD content may be immediately reproduced, information about the retrieved VOD content may be displayed on the TV screen, and the VOD content may be reproduced after receiving a request for reproducing the corresponding VOD content from the user.

If it is determined in step S303 that the information input in the menu search window is not a number, it is checked whether the information is a direction key (S309).

If it is determined that information about the direction key is input, the set-top box moves the selected item in the corresponding direction (S310).

At this time, since the corresponding field is not yet selected, the number (combined number) corresponding to the corresponding field may not be displayed in the menu search window.

If it is determined in step S309 that the key is not a direction key, the set-top box confirms whether the information input in the menu search window is a confirmation key (S311).

If it is determined in step S311 that the information about the confirmation key is input, the set-top box displays the number (combined number) corresponding to the selected field on the menu search window and displays the sub-menu of the selected field on the TV screen ).

If it is determined in step S311 that the key is not an OK key, the set-top box confirms whether the information input in the menu search window is the erase key (S313).

As a result of the checking, if the erase key is selected, the set-top box deletes the numbers displayed in the menu search window corresponding to the number of times the erase key is input in the menu search window and displays the menu corresponding to the remaining numbers (S314).

If it is determined in step S313 that the erase key is not the erase key, the set-top box may perform a function corresponding to the input information (S315).

As a result, the menu can not be displayed on the screen if the menu is not selected as one digit of the inputted number, or if the wrong number is inputted, so that only the number is displayed in the menu search window and the menu screen is kept unchanged .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of improving menu selection speed according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 can also be performed in a set-top box. Referring to FIG. 2, the flow chart of FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

Also, in the process shown in FIG. 4, the mapping data storage unit 110 described above with reference to FIG. 2 already exists.

The top level menu is displayed in the second area of the interface (S401), and the number mapped to the field from the user (remote controller) is input (S402).

When the first number is input into the menu search window of the interface, the set-top box determines whether the second number is continuously inputted within a predetermined time (hereinafter, referred to as 0.5 second) (S403).

After step S403, when the second number is input within 0.5 second, the set-top box determines whether the third number is continuously input within 0.5 second (S404).

If the third number is not input within 0.5 seconds after step S404, the set-top box sequentially combines the first number and the second number, and sets the combined number (the number obtained by sequentially combining the first number and the second number) Based on this, a field corresponding to the combined number is retrieved (S405).

After step S405, the set-top box displays information about the searched field in the second area of the interface (S406).

5A is a diagram illustrating a menu selection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user wants to watch 'MBC Broadcasting's Seondeok Queen 3' among drama which is finally finished.

A menu search window exists in the upper area of the TV screen and a menu corresponding to the number entered in the menu search window is displayed in the lower area.

When the initial menu (a) is displayed on the screen, the user selects the 'MBC broadcast' field '0' from the broadcasting station selection menu (b) 'From the contents type selection menu (c), which is a submenu of the corresponding field, and the' Drama Type 'field' 2 ' , The '3 times content' field '2' in the order menu (e), which is a submenu of the corresponding field, can be sequentially selected, and '3 times of Seondeok Queen of MBC broadcasting' can be watched.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a menu selection method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

When the initial menu (a) is displayed on the screen, if the combined number '10232' corresponding to '3 times of Seondeok of MBC Broadcaster' is input in the menu search window, content of Seongdeok Wang 3 times can be selected and played, Three times of Seondeok Wang three times' is displayed in the bottom area of the TV screen, and when the user selects the direct view button, three times of Seondeok Wang may be displayed on the TV screen.

When a user inputs '1023' into the menu search window, a menu including a plurality of fields for selecting a Seongdeok royal figure is displayed on the TV screen, and a user selects a specific turn as a direction key from the menu You can watch the desired turn.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only and that those of ordinary skill in the art can readily understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. will be.

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

110: mapping data storage unit
120: interface provisioning
130: input information analyzing unit
140:
140a:
140b:

Claims (7)

An apparatus for improving menu selection speed,
A mapping data storage unit for storing a number mapped to each field included in the hierarchical content selection menu,
When the numbers mapped to the fields are combined and inputted, an input information analyzing unit for searching a field corresponding to the combined number,
A function execution unit for displaying the submenu when there is a submenu corresponding to the searched field and for playing back the content if the corresponding content exists in the searched field;
And an interface providing unit for providing an interface including a first area in which the combined number is displayed and a second area in which a lower menu corresponding to the retrieved field is displayed,
Wherein the input information analyzing unit searches for a combined number corresponding to the selected field in the first area when a field included in the menu displayed in the second area is selected,
The combined number is a combination of a number mapped to a field included in a menu of an upper layer and a number mapped to a field included in a menu of a lower layer,
The input information analysis unit checks whether the direction key is input when the combined number is not input,
If it is determined that the direction key is input, the function performing unit moves the selected item in a direction corresponding to the direction key,
Wherein the interface providing unit does not display a combined number corresponding to the field based on a result of the checking by the input information analyzing unit.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the input information analyzing unit searches for a field corresponding to the remaining number excluding the last number from the combined number when the last number of the combined number is deleted.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the input information analyzing unit determines the combined number based on an input time interval of a number mapped to each field and searches a field corresponding to the combined number based on the determined number, .
A method for improving menu selection speed,
(a) storing a number mapped to each field included in a content selection menu for each layer,
(b) if the mapped numbers are sequentially input, determining whether to combine the input numbers based on input time intervals of the inputted numbers,
(c) retrieving a field corresponding to the combined number,
(d) if the submenu corresponding to the searched field exists, displaying the submenu; and
(e) if there is a content corresponding to the searched field, reproducing the content
, ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the step (d) displays the combined number in a first area of a display and a sub-menu corresponding to the searched field in a second area,
When a field included in the menu displayed in the second area is selected, searching for a combined number corresponding to the selected field and displaying the combined number in the first area,
In the step (b), if the combined number is not input,
Wherein if it is determined that the direction key is input, the step (d) moves the selected item in the direction corresponding to the direction key, and does not display the combined number corresponding to the field based on the result of the check. How to speed up.
The method according to claim 6,
The step (b)
And determines whether to include the sequentially numbered numbers in the combined number based on the input time interval.

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