KR20000003672A - Information/channel sustaining code display method of program information screen - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An information/channel sustaining code display method of program information screen is provided to display a sustaining code by time respective channel and a sustaining code by a channel about respective time. CONSTITUTION: The information/channel sustaining code display method of program information screen comprises: the first step searching pre stored program information data if a key signal requiring a program information screen from a user is generated, and checking a start channel(SCH) and an end channel(ECH) having real program information data and a start time(ST) and an end time(ET) having real program information to determine effective range of the program information data; the second step checking a start channel(S'CH) and an end channel(E'CH) of program information data really displayed real and a start time(S'T) and an end time(E'T) having real program information to determine display range of the displayed program information data; the third step comparing the effective data range and the display range determined in the first and second steps; the forth step displaying the information/channel sustaining codes of the section which the effective data range and the display range are accorded each other in; and the fifth step repeating the forth step after the display section of the program information screen is predetermined.

Description

How to display information / channel duration code on the program guide screen

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a program guide screen of a satellite broadcasting receiver, and more particularly, information / channel duration of a program guide screen configured to display remaining or not of program guide information and channel information displayed on a program guide screen. It relates to a sign display method.

In recent years, the satellite broadcasting system is rapidly expanding its use as a method of providing 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. In addition to maximizing performance, improving video and audio signal quality, and facilitating the transmission of additional digital service data, the user interface can be dramatically improved.

Among the advantages of the satellite broadcasting system described above, there is a program guide screen, which is one of the user interfaces that has been significantly improved compared to other conventional broadcast systems, and the program guide screen for each channel in each time zone is scheduled to be broadcasted in the future. Program information and detailed information about a given program are provided to the user.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary view showing an example of a program guide screen provided by such a conventional satellite broadcasting receiver, and is displayed on a monitor based on a program guide request key signal by a user's key operation. At this time, the user operates the up / down or left / right scroll key provided in the key input unit (for example, the key input unit), so that the display section of the program guide screen, that is, the specific time zone or specific channel desired by the user The program information can be referred to while changing the program guide screen including the broadcast program information.

However, in the program guide screen provided in the related art, even though there is no more program guide information for a predetermined channel or there is no longer a channel of a higher number or a channel of a lower number, it cannot be confirmed. That is, even though there is no higher numbered channel because the channel is the highest numbered number of times, the program guide information of the next time zone is checked even though there is no stored program guide information for a given channel. In order to repeat the operation of the key several times was inconvenient.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is to check the channel range or the time range in which the guide information is stored from the pre-stored program guide information when displaying the program guide information for each time zone duration code and An object of the present invention is to provide an end line display method of a program guide screen configured to display a continuous code for each channel in each time zone.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a program scrolled up, down, left, and right corresponding to a scroll key signal on a program guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver that displays program guide information extracted from a satellite broadcast signal transmitted from a satellite body and stored in advance. In the information / channel duration code display method of the program guide screen for displaying whether the remaining channel / guide information persists in the scrolling direction of the guide screen, if there is a key signal requesting the program guide screen from the user, the previously stored program guide information The first channel (S _CH ) and the last channel (E _CH ) with the actual program guide information and the first time (S _T ) and the last time (E _T ) with the actual program guide information are retrieved from the retrieved program guide information. Check the valid information range of the program guide information. A first step of; The first channel (S ' _CH ) and last channel (E' _CH ) and the first time (S ' _T ) and the last time (E' _T ) with the actual program guide information displayed on the program guide screen actually displayed are displayed. Determining a display range of the program guide information; A third step of comparing the valid information range determined by the first and second steps with the display range; As a result of the comparison in the third step, the information / channel sustain code is not displayed for the section in which the determined valid information range and the display range coincide. Displaying a fourth step; When the program guide screen is scrolled, the display section of the scrolled program guide screen is determined again, and then the information / channel duration code display method of the program guide screen including the fifth step of repeating the fourth step is provided.

1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a program guide screen provided by a conventional satellite broadcasting receiver;

2 is a block diagram illustrating a satellite broadcast receiver suitable for implementing a method for displaying information / channel duration codes of a program guide screen according to the present invention;

3 is a detailed flowchart illustrating a method of displaying information / channel duration codes of a program guide screen according to the present invention;

4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method of displaying information / channel duration code of a program guide screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

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

100: key input unit 200: system control unit

300: tuner and demodulator 400: storage unit

500: MPEG Decoder 600: Video Encoder

700: menu generating unit 800: image synthesizing unit

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying Figures 2 to 4 will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing a satellite broadcast receiver suitable for implementing a method for displaying information / channel duration codes of a program guide screen according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an information / channel duration code of a program guide screen according to the present invention. 4 is a detailed flowchart illustrating a display method, and FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method of displaying information / channel duration codes of a program guide screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 2, a satellite broadcast receiver suitable for implementing a method for displaying information / channel duration codes of a program guide screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a key input unit 100, a system control unit 200, a tuner, The demodulator 300, the storage 400, the MPEG decoder 500, the video encoder 600, the menu generator 700, the image synthesizer 800, each component member for carrying out the present invention Not much has the following features.

First, the key input unit 100 is composed of a key matrix on a remote controller or its own panel including up / down / left / right scroll keys and program guide keys, and generates a key signal corresponding to a user's key operation, and generates the key. The provided key signal to the system controller 200. In this case, the program guide key is a function key for displaying a program guide screen in the normal viewing mode, and the up / down / left / right scroll keys are for scrolling the program guide screen by one screen unit on the program guide screen.

The system controller 200 controls the overall satellite broadcast receiver based on a key signal from the key input unit 100 or signals provided from each component constituting the satellite broadcast receiver, and in particular, the tuner and the demodulator 300. The current time information is updated based on the standard time information provided by the user (ie, the current time is determined), the program guide information is stored in the storage unit 400, and the program guide screen is stored using the stored program guide information. The menu generator 700 and the image synthesizer 800 are controlled to display the menu.

In addition, the system control unit 300 is the first channel (S _CH ) and the last channel (E _CH ) with the actual program guide information from the program guide information stored in the storage unit 400 and the initial time (S) with the actual program guide information. _T ) and the final time (E _T ), and the first time (S ' _CH ) and the last channel (E' _CH ) and the actual time of the program guide information of the program guide information displayed on the actual program guide screen (S ' _T ) and the final time (E' _T ) are determined, and after comparing the two determined ranges, that is, the range of valid information of the program guide information with the range of the program guide screen displayed on the actual monitor, The menu generator 700 is controlled to turn on / off the channel / information sustain code corresponding to the comparison result.

The tuner and demodulator 300 converts the satellite broadcast signal received through the broadcast signal receiver (satellite receiving antenna), not shown, into an intermediate frequency, and then restores it to a transport stream through demodulation and error correction. The program service data, that is, the video packet and the audio packet of a predetermined channel corresponding to the tuning control signal of the system control unit 200 is extracted from the recovered transport stream and provided to the MPEG decoder 500, while the program included in the transport stream. The guide information and standard time information are provided to the system controller 200.

The storage unit 400 stores program guide information provided from the system control unit 200, and whenever the new program guide information is provided from the system control unit 200, the pre-stored program guide information is updated and stored as new program guide information. do. At this time, the program guide information stored in the storage unit 400 is stored in a predetermined time unit (for example, 24 hours, 48 hours, one week, two weeks, etc.).

The MPEG decoder 500, based on a control signal provided from the system control unit 200, compresses a predetermined coded bit stream of the predetermined channel provided from the tuner and the demodulator 300, that is, the compressed and encoded audio and video packets. An audio and video signal before encoding is restored, and the restored video signal is provided to the video encoder 600, and the restored audio signal is provided to an audio signal processor (not shown).

The video encoder 600 converts a video signal provided as a digital signal from the MPEG decoder 500 into an analog video signal of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) or Phase Alternation by Line (PAL) method, and the converted analog video signal. Is provided to the image synthesizing unit 800.

The menu generator 700 reconstructs the program guide information provided from the system controller 700 into a format of a preset menu screen, that is, a program guide screen based on a program guide format under the control of the system controller 200. Data for the reconstructed program guide screen is provided to the image synthesizing unit 800. In this case, the menu generator 700 may include a separate storage unit (not shown), and the storage unit (not shown) may store information on a plurality of preset menu screen formats. In addition, one of such menu screens is a program guide screen format. The format of the program guide screen according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a channel / information sustaining block as shown in FIG. The block will display on / off the channel / information persistence code.

The image synthesizing unit 800 bypasses the NTSC or PAL analog video signal provided from the video encoder 600 to the display side (not shown) under the control of the system controller 200, A menu screen generated from the menu generator 700, that is, a program guide screen, is synthesized and provided to the display side.

Hereinafter, an example in which a channel / information sustain code display method of a program guide screen according to the present invention is implemented through a satellite broadcast receiver including a component that performs the above-described function will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. do.

First, when the satellite broadcast receiver is turned on, a satellite broadcast signal is received through a broadcast receiver (not shown), and the received satellite broadcast signal is converted into an intermediate frequency by the tuner and the demodulator 300. It is restored to the transport stream through processes such as demodulation and error correction. In this case, the transport stream includes standard time information, program guide information, and program service information (compression-coded video / audio packet) for a plurality of channels, and the dual standard time information and program guide information include a tuner and a demodulator 300. Is extracted from, and provided to the system control unit 200.

The system controller 200 updates the previous standard time information (ie, determines the current standard time) by the standard time information provided from the tuner and the demodulator 300, and guides a program previously stored in the storage 400. The information is updated with program guide information newly provided from the tuner and the demodulator 300 (S 10).

Meanwhile, after the program service information included in the restored transport stream is decoded by the MPEG decoder 500, the video encoder 600, the audio signal processor (not shown), and the image synthesizer 800 perform predetermined signal processing. Afterwards, the normal viewing mode is output as an image and an audio corresponding to a predetermined broadcast program.

While step S20 is being performed, the system controller 200 checks whether a guide key signal for requesting the display of the program guide screen is applied from the key input unit 100 (S30), and as a result of the check, the key input unit ( When the guide key signal is applied from the system 100, the system controller 200 searches for program guide information corresponding to the current time from the program guide information previously stored in the storage unit 400 by referring to the standard time information updated in step S10. And read (S 40).

When the searching and reading of the program guide information of the program guide information found in step S40 is completed, the system controller 200 determines the valid information range of the retrieved program guide information. That is, the first channel S _CH and the last channel E _{CH with the} actual program guide information and the first time S _T and the final time E _T with the actual program guide information are determined (S 50).

When the determination of the valid information range of the program guide information is completed in step S 50, the system controller 200 transmits a tool type selection control signal to the menu generator 700 along with the program guide information read from the storage 400. to provide. In this case, the tool type selection control signal is a control signal for using the program guide screen format among a plurality of menu formats previously stored in a storage unit (not shown) provided in the menu generator 700.

The menu generating unit 700 reconfigures the program guide information provided from the system control unit 200 into data for the program guide screen by using the tool type selection control signal provided from the system control unit 200 using the format of the program guide screen. The data synthesizer 800 provides data about the reconstructed program guide screen.

Meanwhile, the system controller 200 may control the image synthesizer 800 to synthesize the program guide screen and the NTSC or PAL analog video signal at a predetermined ratio, and the image synthesizer 800 may control the system controller 200. Synthesizes the program guide screen data provided from the menu generator 700 to the NTSC or PAL analog video signal provided by the video encoder 600, and displays the synthesized signal (not shown). By way of example, a program guide screen according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for example, the program guide screen shown in Fig. 4, will be displayed on a monitor not shown. (S60) At this time, the preferred embodiment of the present invention The program guide screen according to FIG. 4 includes a channel / information sustaining block, and the channel / information continuing block is included in the channel / information continuing block. It will be on / off display in code.

In operation S60, the system controller 200 determines a display range of a screen displayed as a program guide screen through a monitor. That is, the first channel S ' _CH and the last channel E' _{CH of the displayed} program guide information and the first time S ' _T and the final time E' _T having the actual program guide information are determined ( S 70).

Thereafter, the system controller 200 compares the range of valid information of the program guide information determined in step S50 with the display range determined in step S70. That is, the first channel (S _CH ) with the actual program guide information, the first channel (S ' _CH ) of the guide information displayed, the last channel (E _CH ) with the actual program guide information, and the last channel of the guide information displayed. (E _'CH), the actual program guide information, the first time (S _T) the first time (S in the guidance information to be displayed and which, in the guide information to be displayed and _T), the last time (S _T) which is the actual program guide information The final time S ' _T is compared with each other (S 80).

The system controller 200 controls the menu generator 700 to display on / off the channel / information continuous code in correspondence with the comparison result of step S80, and the menu generator 700 Under the control of the system controller 200, the channel / information sustain code will be displayed on / off by the same process as the step S60. That is, for the channel / time where the valid information range of the program guide information determined in step S50 and the display range determined in step S70 do not match, the menu generator 700 is controlled to display on the channel / information sustain code. In operation S100 and S50, the menu generator 700 displays the channel / information duration code only for a channel / time in which the valid information range of the program guide information determined in step S50 and the display range determined in step S70 coincide. Control (S 90). For example, if the initial time S _T with the actual program guide information matches the initial time S ' _T of the displayed guide information, the left information persistence code LCS is turned off and the right time information persistence code RCS is The menu generator 700 is controlled to turn on. Meanwhile, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the channel / information sustain code is displayed off for a channel / time in which the valid information range of the program guide information and the display range coincide with each other, as described above, 'no more information (channel)' is displayed. Character information indicating 'nothing' may be displayed in a predetermined section of the program guide screen.

Thereafter, the system controller 200 determines whether the scroll key signal is applied from the key input unit 100 (S110), and if the scroll key signal is applied as a result of the determination of step S 110, the scroll key signal is performed by the process of step S 60. Display a program guide screen corresponding to, and then repeat steps S70 to S110. On the other hand, if the scroll key signal is not applied as a result of the determination in step S 110 and waits for another key signal from the key input unit 100 (S 120).

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of remaining guide information or channels in each channel or time zone of the program guide screen provided by the satellite broadcasting receiver, thereby reducing unnecessary scroll key operations. There is an effect that can improve the ease of use for the guide screen.

Claims (3)

On the program guide screen of the satellite broadcasting receiver which displays the program guide information extracted from the satellite broadcast signal transmitted from the satellite body, the remaining channel / guide information is displayed in the scroll direction of the program guide screen scrolled up, down, left, and right corresponding to the scroll key signal. In the information / channel sustain code display method of the program guide screen which displays whether it persists, If there is a key signal for requesting a program guide screen from a user, the previously stored program guide information is searched, and the first channel S _CH and the last channel E _CH having actual program guide information from the retrieved program guide information, and A first step of determining an effective information range of the program guide information by checking an initial time S _T and a final time E _T in which the actual program guide information is present; The first channel (S ' _CH ) and last channel (E' _CH ) and the first time (S ' _T ) and the last time (E' _T ) with the actual program guide information displayed on the program guide screen actually displayed are displayed. Determining a display range of the program guide information; A third step of comparing the valid information range determined by the first and second steps with the display range; As a result of the comparison in the third step, the information / channel sustain code is not displayed for the section in which the determined valid information range and the display range coincide. Displaying a fourth step; And a fifth step of repeating the fourth step after determining the display section of the scrolled program guide screen again when the program guide screen is scrolled. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth step is the effective range of information and if the first channel (S _CH) match in the display range when the upper channel duration code (UCS), the last channel (E _CH) matches the lower channel duration code (DCS), when the first time S _T coincides with the left information sustain code LCS, and when the last time E _T coincides, the right information sustain code RCS is not displayed. / Channel persistent code display method. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information / channel duration code display method of the program guide screen indicates that the information / channel duration code is no longer displayed when the valid information range and the display range coincide with each other. And displaying character information indicating 'none'.