KR19990066517A - How to Display Program Guide Screen of Composite Broadcast Receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, the program guide screen of the composite broadcast receiver can be configured as a separate guide screen for CATV broadcast program information and satellite broadcast program information on the program guide screen of the composite broadcast receiver, and can be adaptively displayed according to a user's request signal. The method relates to a first method of reading program information for the satellite broadcasting mode and displaying a program guide screen based on the read satellite broadcasting program information when a key signal for displaying a program guide screen for each channel is input. step; A second step of turning off a program guide screen and tuning and displaying the selected satellite broadcast channel when a broadcast channel of a plurality of satellite broadcast channels included in the program guide screen is selected; When a key signal for switching the displayed program guide screen to a cable broadcast mode is input, a third channel for reading each channel information for the cable broadcast mode and displaying the channel guide screen based on the read cable broadcast channel information; step; And if a broadcast channel is selected from a plurality of cable broadcast channels included in the channel guide screen, turning off the channel guide screen and tuning and displaying the selected cable channel.

Description

How to Display Program Guide Screen of Composite Broadcast Receiver

The present invention relates to a composite broadcast receiver, and more particularly, to a method for displaying a program guide screen of a composite broadcast receiver suitable for constructing a program guide screen provided by the composite broadcast receiver more efficiently.

The general broadcast method using satellites is to provide a broadcast signal to a wider area by using a satellite (communication satellite) located at an altitude of about tens to hundreds of kilos on the surface of the earth. In such a satellite broadcast method, for example, 11.7 Ku band RF signals having a frequency band of GHz to 12.0 GHz are used.

To this end, the antenna for satellite broadcasting reception is provided with a low noise blockdown converter for converting a radio frequency (RF) signal of a very high frequency into an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, and the low noise converter converts an ultra high frequency RF signal. It converts into an IF (intermediate frequency) signal in the hundreds to thousands of MHz bands (for example, 950 MHz-2050 MHz) that can be received by a satellite broadcasting receiver (receiver).

Therefore, in the satellite broadcasting tuner provided in the satellite broadcasting receiver (receiver), the user selects and tunes a channel selected by inputting an IF signal received through a low noise converter. The satellite broadcasting receiver maximizes channel utilization, video and audio signals. Along with the improvement of quality and the ease of transmitting additional digital service data, the significant improvement of the user interface is a big advantage.

In recent years, as well as satellite broadcasting, CATV broadcasting using cable has been rapidly spreading. If a subscriber (ie, one receiver) wants to receive all of these broadcasting signals, the frequency band of each broadcasting is used. Because of this difference, a satellite tuner, a cable tuner, and a terrestrial tuner will all need to be equipped separately.

Accordingly, in order to accommodate various types of broadcasts as described above, various types of internal or external tuners may be provided, or each type of broadcast may have a separate signal processing path (that is, a satellite broadcast signal processing path and a cable broadcast signal). It may be considered that the receiver employs an integrated complex tuner for processing through a processing path, but this causes not only an unnecessary increase in hardware of the receiver itself, but also an excessive increase in the cost of the receiver. Is caused.

On the other hand, in view of the above, a complex tuner capable of simultaneously receiving a satellite broadcast signal, a cable broadcast signal, and a terrestrial broadcast signal through a single tuning path has been developed. It is also being developed.

The composite broadcast receiver controls the passband of the received signal and tunes the bandpassed signal based on the user selection signal when the satellite broadcast signal or the cable broadcast signal is received at the input side, and in accordance with the tuned signal and the user selection. Tuning the corresponding channel of the desired broadcast signal by mixing the oscillating frequencies generated, and the tuned signals are provided to corresponding demodulators through separate signal processing paths (BS path, DSR path, CATV path) respectively provided It is.

On the other hand, such a general composite broadcast receiver is provided with a program guide screen for sequentially displaying the program information for each channel by time zone, Figure 4 is a view showing an example of the program guide screen provided by such a general composite broadcast receiver As shown in the drawing, the CATV broadcasting channel and the satellite broadcasting channel information received from the composite broadcasting receiver are composed of one guide screen. As shown in the drawing, the CATV channel consisting of channels 1 to 158 is shown. Information and satellite broadcasting channel information consisting of channels 100 to 999, respectively.

When a program guide screen key signal for each channel is input by the user, as shown in FIG. 4, program information for CATV broadcasting channels 1 to 158 is displayed, and again, satellites 100 to 999 are displayed. The program information for the broadcast channel is sequentially displayed, and the user scrolls the screen left, right, or up and down through the manipulation of the key input unit to search for a desired program.

As a result, in the conventional program guide screen, channels 100 through 158 are shared by CATV and satellite broadcasting. As shown in FIG. 4, the CATV channel information and the satellite broadcasting channel information are sequentially displayed to separately display the channel. Duplicates can be avoided.

However, due to the configuration of the program guide screen as described above, since more channel information screens are displayed than the total number of channels of the actual satellite broadcast receiver, the amount of the guide screens becomes larger, so that a user can select a program of a specific channel. The inconvenience of increasing the number of cumbersome key manipulations due to the increase in the number of screen scrolling for navigation and selection.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above, and the composite broadcast receiver capable of separately configuring and displaying program guide screens for the CATV broadcast channel and the satellite broadcast channel in the program guide screen for each channel of the composite broadcast receiver. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a program guide screen display method.

The present invention for achieving the above object is provided with a broadcast signal processing path for processing a plurality of cable broadcast channels tuned through a composite tuner and a broadcast signal processing path for processing a plurality of satellite broadcast channels tuned through the composite tuner. In the method for displaying a program guide screen of a composite broadcast receiver for displaying program information for each channel pre-stored in a composite broadcast receiver, when a key signal for displaying the program guide screen for each channel is input, A first step of reading program information and displaying a program guide screen based on the read satellite broadcast program information; A second step of turning off the program guide screen and tuning and displaying the selected satellite broadcast channel when any one of a plurality of satellite broadcast channels included in the program guide screen is selected; When a key signal for converting the displayed program guide screen into a cable broadcasting mode is input, each channel information for the cable broadcasting mode is read, and the channel guide screen based on the read cable broadcasting channel information is displayed. Three steps; And a fourth step of turning off the channel guide screen and tuning and displaying the selected cable channel when a broadcast channel is selected from a plurality of cable broadcast channels included in the channel guide screen. Provide a display method.

1 is a block diagram of a composite broadcast receiver suitable for applying a method for displaying a program guide screen of a composite broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program guide screen of a composite broadcast receiver according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying a program guide screen of a composite broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program guide screen provided in a conventional general composite broadcast receiver.

<Description of the code | symbol about the principal part of drawing>

105: key input unit 110: control unit

115: tuner and demodulator 120: MPEG decoder

125: video encoder 130: NTSC processing unit

135: memory 140: OSD

145: switching unit 150: image synthesizing unit

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a composite broadcast receiver suitable for applying a method for displaying a program guide screen of a composite broadcast receiver according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and includes a key input unit 105, a controller 110, a tuner, and a demodulator ( 115, an MPEG decoder 120, a video encoder 125, an NTSC processor 130, a memory 135, an OSD 140, a switching 145, and an image synthesizer 150.

Referring to FIG. 1, the key input unit 105 is composed of key metrics on a remote controller or its own panel to generate a corresponding key signal by a user's operation and provide the corresponding key signal to the controller 110, and the controller 110 receives the received signal. A microprocessor that performs overall operation control of the system. When a user broadcast channel selection signal (ie, an operation signal) is input from the key input unit 105, a microcontroller generates a tuning control signal corresponding thereto, and the tuner and demodulator 115 described below. ) Will be provided.

The tuner and demodulator 115 is a broadcast channel selected by a user in a broadcast signal received through a broadcast signal receiver (i.e., antenna, cable, etc.), not shown, based on a tuning control signal provided from the controller 110. And demodulate the tuned broadcast channel signal into the original signal before transmission. When the satellite broadcast signal is tuned, the demodulated satellite broadcast channel signal is provided to the MPEG decoder 120, and the cable broadcast signal or the terrestrial broadcast signal is When tuned, the demodulated broadcast channel signal is provided to the NTSC processor 130.

That is, the tuner and demodulator 115 is composed of a composite tuner capable of receiving and tuning all satellite broadcast signals, CATV broadcast signals, and terrestrial broadcast signals provided through an antenna or transmission path, not shown.

The MPEG decoder 120 restores the compressed coded video signal of the tuned satellite broadcast channel provided by the tuner and demodulator 115 to the original signal before encoding, and the digital video signal reconstructed here To video encoder 125.

Next, the video encoder 125 converts the tuned digital video signal provided by the MPEG decoder 120 described above into an NTSC or PAL analog video signal and then provides it to the switching unit 145.

Meanwhile, the NTSC processor 130 processes the tuned analog video signal (a cable broadcast signal or a terrestrial broadcast signal) provided by the tuner and the demodulator 115, for example, level amplification, noise cancellation, gain control, and the like. Various signals are processed and provided to the switching unit 145.

The memory unit 135 stores OSD data for various menu screens and program information for each channel provided from the control unit 110, and transmits the corresponding OSD data when a message or a guide screen is sent to a monitor (not shown). The controller 110 extracts and provides the OSD unit 140 to the OSD unit 140 through the control unit 110. The effective channel information for each broadcast mode detected through the automatic channel search in the initial state of the composite broadcast receiver is pre-stored in another predetermined area.

The OSD unit 140 configures OSD screen data based on the vertical and horizontal sync signals generated for setting the position of the OSD data to be transmitted when the OSD data is provided from the controller 110. The OSD screen data is provided to the switching unit 145 through the mixer.

On the other hand, the switching unit 145 is provided from the control unit 110 to provide a video signal output of the tuned cable or terrestrial broadcast (or a mixed video signal mixed with OSD data) and the video signal output of the tuned satellite broadcasting channel. The switch is selectively switched based on the switching control signal and provided to the image synthesizing unit 150.

In addition, the image synthesizing unit 150 synthesizes a satellite broadcasting signal or CATV broadcasting signal selectively output from the switching unit 145 and various menu screens and guide screens provided from the OSD unit 140 and displays a display side (not shown). Display on the screen.

In the composite broadcast receiver configured as described above, when a user operates the key input unit 105 to input a key signal for displaying a program guide screen for each channel, the controller 110 broadcasts the satellite broadcast stored in the memory unit 135. The program information and menu screen information are read and provided to the OSD unit 140, whereby a program guide screen for each channel for satellite broadcasting as shown in FIG. 2A is displayed.

That is, when a program guide screen key signal is input to the composite broadcast receiver capable of receiving the CATV broadcast signal and the satellite broadcast signal, the controller 110 may program information for each channel for the satellite broadcast regardless of the broadcast mode of the current composite broadcast receiver. Only the reading is displayed on the guide screen as shown in FIG. 2A.

While the satellite broadcast program guide screen is displayed through the above-described process, the user operates the key input unit 105 again to convert a key signal for converting the guide screen displayed on the current screen into the guide screen for the CATV broadcast mode. When input, the controller 110 reads program information for the CATV broadcast. In general, since the program information for each channel is not provided in the CATV broadcast, unlike the aforementioned satellite broadcast, the controller 110 controls the program information for the CATV broadcast. The CATV channel information screen composed of only the channel information is displayed.

At this time, the CATV channel information screen to be displayed is superimposed on the currently displayed satellite program guide screen as shown in FIG. 2B.

As a result, in the composite broadcast receiver capable of receiving the CATV broadcast signal and the satellite broadcast signal, a guide screen for each broadcast mode may be separately configured and adaptively displayed based on the mode switch key signal of the user.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying a program guide screen of a composite broadcast receiver according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A series of processes described above with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail as follows.

During the normal viewing mode in which an operation of the composite broadcast receiver configured as shown in FIG. 1 tunes an arbitrary channel for a CATV broadcast signal or a satellite broadcast signal and displays it on a screen through a predetermined signal processing process (step 301), When a key signal for displaying a program guide screen for each channel is input through the key input unit 105 (step 303), the control unit 110 controls the menu screen information stored in a predetermined area of the memory unit 135 and the satellite broadcasting mode. The program information for each channel is read out (step 305) and provided to the OSD unit 140 so that a satellite broadcast program guide screen as shown in Fig. 2A is displayed (step 307).

At this time, when the user operates the key input unit 105 to select an arbitrary channel among the plurality of satellite broadcast channels displayed on the screen (step 309), the controller 110 turns off the satellite broadcast program guide screen (step 311). After the operation of the composite broadcast receiver is switched to the satellite broadcasting mode (step 313), the broadcasting signal of the channel selected by the user is tuned and displayed on the screen (step 315).

Otherwise, the key signal for converting the program guide screen displayed on the current screen through the key input unit 105 into the guide screen for CATV broadcasting while the satellite broadcast program guide screen is displayed through the above-described step (307). Is input (step 317), the controller 110 reads information on the CATV broadcast channel stored in another predetermined area of the memory unit 135 (step 319) and provides it to the OSD unit 140, as shown in FIG. 2B. The CATV channel guide screen as shown is displayed superimposed on the satellite broadcast program guide screen (step 321).

At this time, when the user manipulates the key input unit 105 to select an arbitrary CATV broadcast channel (step 323), the controller 110 turns off both the satellite broadcast program guide screen and the CATV channel guide screen displayed on the current screen. (Step 325) The operation of the composite broadcast receiver is switched to the CATV broadcast mode (step 327).

In operation 323, the CATV broadcasting channel selected by the user is tuned to display a predetermined signal processing process on the screen (operation 329).

As described above, according to the present invention, the program guide screens for the satellite broadcast signal and the CATV broadcast signal are separately configured on the program guide screen of the composite broadcast receiver, and are adaptively displayed according to the user's request. There is an effect that can reduce the number of cumbersome key operation of the user to search the channel, there is an effect that can meet the needs of a more diverse user.

Claims (2)

For each channel pre-stored in a composite broadcast receiver having a broadcast signal processing path for processing a plurality of cable broadcast channels tuned through the composite tuner and a broadcast signal processing path for processing a plurality of satellite broadcast channels tuned through the composite tuner. In the program guide screen display method of the composite broadcast receiver for displaying the program information, A first step of reading program information for the satellite broadcast mode and displaying a program guide screen based on the read satellite broadcast program information when a key signal for displaying the program guide screen for each channel is input; A second step of turning off the program guide screen and tuning and displaying the selected satellite broadcast channel when any one of a plurality of satellite broadcast channels included in the program guide screen is selected; When a key signal for converting the displayed program guide screen into a cable broadcasting mode is input, each channel information for the cable broadcasting mode is read, and the channel guide screen based on the read cable broadcasting channel information is displayed. Three steps; And a fourth step of turning off the channel guide screen and tuning and displaying the selected cable channel when a broadcast channel is selected from a plurality of cable broadcast channels included in the channel guide screen. Display method. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel guide screen is displayed by being superimposed on a program guide screen for each channel for the displayed satellite broadcast mode.