KR20130044844A - Multimedia device for informing multiple channel status and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A control method and a multimedia device thereof are provided to improve channel browsing data processing speed by simply designing hardware in a virtual channel browsing method. CONSTITUTION: A network interface(230) transmits a stored first channel list and additional information to an external server. The network interface receives EPG(Electronic Program Guide) information on a second channel list from the external server. A control unit(270) requests graphic data identifying one or more events of each channel based on the received EPG information of the second channel list. When the graphic data identifying one or more events is received from the external server, a display device(280) outputs the graphic data in each channel. [Reference numerals] (210) Tuner; (220) Demodulation unit; (230) Network interface unit; (235) External device interface unit; (240) Storage unit; (250) User interface unit; (260) Remote control device; (270) Control unit; (280) Display; (285) Audio output unit; (290) Power supplying unit

Description

Control method of a multimedia device for guiding a plurality of channel states and the multimedia device {MULTIMEDIA DEVICE FOR INFORMING MULTIPLE CHANNEL STATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a method of controlling a multimedia device for guiding a plurality of channel states and the multimedia device, and more particularly, to a technique for solving a problem that may occur during a channel browsing process.

Background Art A conventional TV or the like is a device having a simple structure having a function of receiving and processing broadcast video that a user can watch, for example. On the other hand, recently, multimedia devices (eg, smart TVs, HBBTVs, IPTVs, etc.) having enhanced video display device functions and network functions have been discussed.

Furthermore, in the digital broadcasting environment, the number of channels that can be selected by the TV ranges from tens to hundreds, and is increasing exponentially regardless of the country. To solve this problem, channel browsers or channel browsing solutions have been developed.

When network TVs and smart TVs, which are currently being discussed, are introduced, the number of viewable channels as well as the number of processable contents will continue to increase. Therefore, there is a need to develop a solution that enables a user of the TV to easily check various contents and channel information.

An object of the present invention is to define a solution that can simplify hardware design and improve channel browsing data processing speed by using a virtual channel browser.

In addition, another embodiment of the present invention is to define a data structure (data structure) to solve the problem of transmitting the same data of the same channel repeatedly in the process of executing the channel browsing service.

In addition, another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a protocol capable of quickly checking only changed channel information using a third device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling a multimedia device for guiding a plurality of channel states includes storing a first channel list in a memory, and transmitting the stored first channel list and additional information to a first server. And receiving, from the first server, EPG information of a second channel list and graphic data identifying at least one or more events of each channel based on the received EPG information of the second channel list. Requesting a second server, receiving graphic data identifying at least one or more events of each channel from the second server, and processing the received graphic data as outputable data.

The multimedia device for guiding a plurality of channel states according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a memory for storing a first channel list, the stored first channel list, and additional information to an external server. A network interface for receiving EPG information of a second channel list from the controller, and a controller for requesting the external server for graphic data identifying at least one or more events of each channel based on the received EPG information of the second channel list; And a display module for outputting graphic data for each channel when receiving at least one graphic data identifying at least one event of each channel from the external server.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the channel browsing data processing speed may be increased and the data comparison time may be shortened by using a virtual channel browsing method.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, by solving the problem of repeatedly transmitting the same data of the same channel in the process of executing the channel browsing service, there is an effect that can eliminate unnecessary memory waste.

Further, according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is an advantage of providing a protocol capable of quickly checking only changed channel information by using a third device.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a multimedia device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a multimedia device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control unit shown in FIG. 2 in more detail.
4 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a remote controller controlling the multimedia device illustrated in FIG. 1 or 2.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the internal components of the remote controller shown in FIG. 4.
6 is a diagram illustrating an entire system for providing a channel guide service according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a database to which country code information and broadcast type information are added, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram illustrating an OSD screen for selecting a specific country and a broadcast type according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram illustrating in detail a data flow between components providing a channel guide service according to one embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram illustrating an OSD screen for providing a channel guide service by a multimedia device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data format used to identify a changed channel state according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a diagram illustrating an entire system for providing a channel guide service according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating respective OSDs implemented by the multimedia device and the mobile device illustrated in FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is another example illustrating respective OSDs implemented by the multimedia device and the mobile device shown in FIG. 12.
FIG. 15 is another example illustrating respective OSDs implemented by the multimedia device and the mobile device shown in FIG. 12.

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

The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given merely for ease of description, and the" module "and" part "

On the other hand, the multimedia device described herein is, for example, an intelligent electronic device that adds a computer support function to a broadcast reception function. The multimedia device is faithful to the broadcast reception function and has an Internet function added thereto. It can have more convenient interface than pad or space remote controller. In addition, it is connected to the Internet and a computer with the support of a wired or wireless Internet function, and can perform functions such as e-mail, web browsing, banking or gaming. A standardized general-purpose OS can be used for these various functions.

Therefore, in the multimedia device described in the present invention, various applications can be freely added or deleted, for example, on a general-purpose OS kernel, so that various user-friendly functions can be performed. More specifically, the multimedia device may be, for example, an Internet TV, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), a Network TV, a hybrid broadcast broadband television (HBBTV), a smart TV, an Open Hybrid TV (OHTV), or the like. Therefore, it can be applied to smartphones, PCs and home appliances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other 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.

As used herein, terms used in the present invention are selected from general terms that are widely used in the present invention while taking into account the functions of the present invention, but these may vary depending on the intention or custom of a person skilled in the art or the emergence of new technologies. In addition, in certain cases, there may be a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case the meaning thereof will be described in the description of the corresponding invention. Therefore, it is intended that the terminology used herein should be interpreted based on the meaning of the term rather than on the name of the term, and on the entire contents of the specification.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a multimedia device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multimedia device according to an embodiment of the present invention intends to provide a virtual channel browser (VCHB) service by using a feature that bidirectional communication is possible. In the conventional channel browsing method, two tuners in a TV are used to tune one tuner to a broadcast channel currently being viewed, and another tuner scans the entire channel and captures and displays video data of each channel. It was the way.

However, according to the above-described prior art, there is a problem in that two or more tuners are necessarily required, and there is also a disadvantage that a considerable amount of time is required for scanning and video data capture. On the other hand, the VCHB service proposed by the present invention receives thumbnail image data of dozens of events provided by each of a plurality of channels at once from an external server (for example, a content provider (CP)) through an internet network interface. That's the way. The event corresponds to, for example, a program, a TV program, a broadcast program, and the like. Furthermore, the channel state guide service or channel guide service described in this specification is based on, for example, the above-described VCHB scheme.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the multimedia device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a broadcast network and an internet network, respectively. The multimedia device 100 corresponds to, for example, a hybrid broadcast broadband TV (HBBTV).

In addition, the multimedia device 100 may include, for example, a broadcast interface 101, a section filter 102, an AIT filter 103, an application data processor 104, a broadcast data processor 111, and a media player 106. , An internet protocol processor 107, an internet interface 108, and a runtime module 109. Of course, Figure 1 is one embodiment, the scope of the present invention should in principle be determined in accordance with the details described in the claims.

Through the broadcast interface 101, application information table (AIT) data, real-time broadcast content, application data, and stream events are received. Meanwhile, the real-time broadcast content may be referred to as linear ave content (Linear A / V Content).

The section filter 102 performs section filtering on four data received through the broadcast interface 101 to transmit AIT data to the AIT filter 103, and the linear AV content is transmitted to the broadcast data processor 111. The stream event and the application data are transmitted to the application data processing unit 104.

On the other hand, non-linear A / V content and application data are received through the internet interface 108. The non-linear AV content may be, for example, a Content On Demand (COD) application.

The non-linear AV content is sent to media player 106 and the application data is sent to runtime module 109. Further, the runtime module 109 includes, for example, an application manager and a browser as shown in FIG. 1. The application manager, for example, uses AIT data to control the life cycle for the interactive application. The browser, for example, performs a function of displaying and processing the interactive application.

In particular, broadcast data transmitted from a broadcasting station in connection with the VCHB service of the present invention is received and processed through the broadcast interface 101, and EPG information and the like transmitted and received from an external server are received through the Internet interface 108. Is processed. More specific data processing will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 6.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a multimedia device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Unlike FIG. 1, an external device interface 235 that can be directly connected to an external device (eg, a USB memory, a BD player, an STB, a notebook, a computer, etc.) has been added. In addition, a demodulator 220 and a controller 270 which are concrete modules for processing broadcast data have been added. The multimedia device 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 corresponds to, for example, a smart TV, a network TV, an Internet TV, a web TV, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the multimedia device 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a tuner 210, a demodulator 220, a network interface 230, an external device interface 235, and a storage unit ( 240, a control unit 270, a display 280, an audio output unit 285, a power supply unit 290, a user interface 250, and the like. In addition, the tuner 210, the demodulator 220, and the network interface 230 may be referred to as a broadcast receiver 205.

The tuner 210 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user or all pre-stored channels among radio frequency (RF) broadcast signals received through an antenna. The demodulator 220 receives the digital IF signal DIF converted by the tuner 210 and performs a demodulation operation. The demodulator 220 may output a stream signal TS after performing demodulation and channel decoding.

The stream signal output from the demodulator 220 may be input to the controller 270. After performing demultiplexing, image / audio signal processing, and the like, the controller 270 outputs an image to the display unit 280 and outputs an audio to the audio output unit 285.

The external device interface unit 235 is responsible for connecting the external device and the multimedia device 200. In addition, the external device interface unit 235 is designed to enable short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices. For example, it may be networked with other electronic devices according to communication standards such as Bluetooth, RFID, infrared communication, ultra wideband (UWB), ZigBee, DLNA, and the like.

The network interface unit 230 provides an interface for connecting the multimedia device 200 with a wired / wireless network (eg, an internet network). The network interface unit 230 may include, for example, an Ethernet terminal for connection with a wired network, and for connection with a wireless network, for example, Wi-Fi, Wibro, Wimax communication. Standards and the like can be used.

The storage unit 240 may store a program for processing and controlling each signal in the controller 270, or may store a signal-processed video, audio, or data signal. In addition, the storage unit 240 may store an application or a list of applications input from the external device interface unit 235 or the network interface unit 230. In addition, the storage unit 240 stores various platforms related to the OS.

The user interface 250 transmits a signal input by the user to the controller 270, or transmits a signal from the controller 270 to the user. For example, the user interface 250 may be powered on / off from a remote controller (remote controller) 260 according to various communication methods such as a radio frequency (RF) communication system and an infrared (IR) communication system. Control signals such as selection and screen setting may be received and processed, or the control signals from the controller 270 may be transmitted to the remote controller 260.

The control unit 270 demultiplexes the input stream or processes the demultiplexed signals through the tuner 210, the demodulator 220, or the external device interface unit 235, and outputs a video or audio signal. You can create and output. The function of the controller 270 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

The display unit 280 converts an image signal, a data signal, an OSD signal processed by the controller 270 or an image signal, data signal, etc. received from the external device interface unit 235 into R, G, and B signals, respectively. Generate a drive signal. The display unit 280 is implemented by, for example, a PDP, an LCD, an OLED, a flexible display, a 3D display, or the like. The audio output unit 285 receives a signal processed by the controller 270, for example, a stereo signal, a 3.1 channel signal, or a 5.1 channel signal, and outputs a voice signal.

The power supply unit 290 supplies the corresponding power throughout the multimedia device 200. In particular, power may be supplied to the controller 270, which may be implemented in the form of a system on chip (SOC), a display unit 280 for displaying an image, and an audio output unit 285 for audio output. Can be.

In particular, with reference to Figure 2 with respect to the present invention.

First, the first channel list is received through the tuner 210 and stored in the storage unit 240. At this time, the first channel list has an original network ID (ONID), a transport stream ID (TSID), and a service ID (SID). According to the prior art, only the above three IDs (triplet IDs) are used, but there is a problem that it is difficult to identify EPG information using only three pieces of information. In order to implement the VCHB service of the present invention, the server providing or managing thumbnail image data of events for each channel may store channel information transmitted through various paths (for example, terrestrial, satellite, and cable). Two or more of the same channel information may be stored in duplicate. More specifically, for example, if there is a terrestrial channel called A, and there is a satellite channel retransmitting the same broadcast as the A channel, two identical channel information are transmitted and stored. In particular, such inefficiencies in broadcasting data processing are serious in European countries.

Therefore, in order to further solve the aforementioned problem, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the network interface 230 transmits the stored first channel list and additional information to an external server. The additional information is a format in which a unique parameter for distinguishing each channel is added. For example, the additional information may include country code information identifying a country of an entity (for example, a broadcasting station) providing an event (broadcast program) and type information (for example, terrestrial wave, satellite, Cable).

In addition, the network interface 230 receives EPG information of the second channel list from an external server. The external server may be referred to as a service operator server. The external server compares the channel list transmitted through the network interface 230 of the multimedia device 200 with the channel list stored in the DB of the server and transmits only channel information having the same information. According to the prior art, the above-described external server stores the same channel information in duplicate. However, by using the two additional information proposed in the present invention, it is possible to prevent duplicate channel information from occurring.

The controller 270 requests the server for graphic data identifying at least one or more events of each channel, based on the EPG information of the second channel list received from the external server. However, a server managing channel information and a server managing graphic data (for example, thumbnail images) identifying an event may be implemented as one, and each of them is designed to be a separate subject, which is within the scope of the present invention.

When the graphic data identifying at least one event of each channel is received from the external server through the network interface 230, the display module 280 outputs the graphic data for each channel. This will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control unit shown in FIG. 2 in more detail. Hereinafter, a process of generating an OSD for guiding a channel state will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a demultiplexer 310, an image processor 320, an OSD generator 340, a mixer 350, a frame rate converter 355, and a formatter. 360 may be included.

First, the demultiplexer 310 demultiplexes an input stream. For example, when an MPEG-2 TS is input, it may be demultiplexed and separated into video, audio, and data signals, respectively. The image processor 320 may perform image processing of the demultiplexed image signal. To this end, the image processor 320 may include an image decoder 325 and a scaler 335.

The image decoder 325 decodes the demultiplexed image signal, and the scaler 335 performs scaling so that the resolution of the decoded image signal can be output from the display module. On the other hand, the video signal decoded by the image processor 320 is input to the mixer 350.

The OSD generator 340 generates an OSD signal according to a user input or itself. For example, based on a control signal from the user interface unit, a signal for displaying various types of information on a screen of the display module as a graphic or text can be generated.

The mixer 350 may mix the OSD signal generated by the OSD generator 340 and the decoded image signal processed by the image processor. The mixed signal is provided to the formatter 360. Since the decoded broadcast video signal or the external input signal and the OSD signal are mixed, the OSD can be overlaid on the broadcast image or the external input image.

The frame rate converter 355 converts the frame rate of the input video, and the formatter 360 receives the output signal of the frame rate converter 355 and changes the format of the signal to suit the display module. Output Meanwhile, the voice processing unit (not shown) in the controller may perform voice processing of the demultiplexed voice signal. To this end, the voice processing unit (not shown) may include various decoders.

In particular, when the channel guide function according to an embodiment of the present invention is executed, the OSD generator 340 generates graphic data for a VCHB screen by using thumbnail image data for each channel stored in a memory. Furthermore, the mixer 350 is responsible for synthesizing and outputting the video data of the broadcast signal and the graphic data generated by the OSD generator 340. In FIG. 10, the VCHB screen only exemplifies graphic data guiding a current program for each channel, but it is possible to simultaneously output broadcast video data by applying the present invention of FIG. 3.

4 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a remote controller controlling the multimedia device illustrated in FIG. 1 or 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, a pointer 405 corresponding to the remote controller 460 is displayed on the multimedia device 400. The user may move or rotate the remote controller 460 up and down, left and right (FIG. 4B) and front and rear (FIG. 4C). The pointer 405 displayed on the display of the multimedia device 400 corresponds to the movement of the remote controller 460. Since the remote controller 460 moves and displays the pointer 405 in accordance with the movement in the 3D space as shown in the figure, it can be referred to as a spatial remote controller.

4B illustrates that when the user moves the remote controller 460 to the left side, the pointer 405 displayed on the display of the multimedia device 400 also moves to the left side correspondingly. Information about the movement of the remote controller 460 detected through the sensor of the remote controller 460 is transmitted to the multimedia device 400.

4C illustrates a case in which a user moves the remote controller 460 away from the multimedia device 400 while pressing a specific button in the remote controller 460. As a result, the selection area in the display corresponding to the pointer 405 can be zoomed in and enlarged. In addition, the moving speed or the moving direction of the pointer 405 may correspond to the moving speed or the moving direction of the remote controller 460.

Therefore, using the remote controller shown in FIG. 4 may be useful in a smart TV that provides various functions and a wide screen. In particular, the VCHB shown in FIG. 10 simultaneously displays information on several channels. Using the remote controller shown in FIG. 4 has a technical effect of increasing the speed of selecting and accessing a desired channel. Meanwhile, a detailed hardware / software design for implementing the remote controller shown in FIG. 4 will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the internal components of the remote controller shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, the remote controller 560 includes a wireless communication unit 530, a user input unit 550, a sensor unit 580, an output unit 570, a power supply unit 510, and a storage unit 520. It may include a control unit 540. First, the wireless communication unit 530 transmits and receives a signal with the multimedia device according to the embodiment of the present invention described above.

In the present embodiment, the remote controller 560 may include an RF module 531 capable of transmitting and receiving a signal with the multimedia device 500 according to the RF communication standard. In addition, the remote controller 560 may include an IR module 532 capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the multimedia device 500 according to IR communication standards.

The user input unit 550 may be configured as a keypad, a button, a touch pad, or a touch screen. The user may input a command related to the multimedia device 500 to the remote controller 560 by manipulating the user input unit 550.

The sensor unit 580 may include a gyro sensor 581 or an acceleration sensor 582. The gyro sensor 581 may sense information about the movement of the remote controller 560. For example, the gyro sensor 581 may sense information about an operation of the remote controller 560 based on the x, y, and z axes. The acceleration sensor 582 may sense information about a moving speed of the remote controller 560. In addition, a distance measuring sensor may be further provided, so that the distance to the multimedia device 500 can be sensed.

The output unit 570 may output a video or audio signal corresponding to an operation of the user input unit 550 or a signal transmitted from the multimedia device 500. The user may recognize whether the user input unit 550 is manipulated or whether the multimedia device 500 is controlled through the output unit 570.

The storage unit 520 may store various types of programs, application data, and the like required for controlling or operating the remote controller 560. The power supply unit 510 supplies power to the remote controller 560. The power supply unit 510 may reduce power waste by stopping power supply when the remote controller 560 does not move for a predetermined time.

The controller 540 controls various items related to the control of the remote controller 560. The controller 540 transmits a signal corresponding to a predetermined key manipulation of the user input unit 550 or a signal corresponding to the movement of the remote controller 560 sensed by the sensor unit 580 through the wireless communication unit 530. ) Can be sent.

6 to 15, the process of executing the VCHB function by the aforementioned multimedia device will be described in more detail. In addition, we will focus on a solution to overcome the inefficiency of data transmission and storage due to duplicate channel information in the VCHB implementation process.

6 is a diagram illustrating an entire system for providing a channel guide service according to one embodiment of the present invention.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a system for implementing a channel guide service includes a multimedia device 600, a broadcasting station 610, a first server 640, a second server 620, and the like. However, Figure 6 is an embodiment and the scope of the present invention should in principle be defined by the claims. Furthermore, although the first server 630 and the second server 620 are designed as separate subjects in FIG. 6, the implementation of the single server 640 according to the needs of those skilled in the art is within the scope of the present invention.

The multimedia device 600 receives general broadcast data from the broadcasting station 610 and receives channel information of each channel using a tuner (S601). Further, the multimedia device 600 accesses the first server 630 and transmits channel information received in step S601 (S602). The first server 630 corresponds to, for example, an SDP (Service Delivery Platform) server.

Furthermore, the channel information transmitted in step S602 described above includes an original network ID (ONID), a transport stream ID (TSID), a service ID (SID), and the like, and information on the country where the multimedia device 600 is located and the broadcast being used. The type information is also designed to be transmitted. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, graphic data of an option 810 for selecting a country and an option 820 for selecting a broadcast type is output during an initial setup or use phase. Of course, it is also within the scope of the present invention to implement the above two options 810 and 820 are automatically set according to the state of the multimedia device so that the user does not have a separate selection.

Meanwhile, the first server 630 assigns two parameters (country code, broadcast type information) to channel information (existing triplet ID) collected through the second server 620 or another broadcast path. That is, the first server 630 is designed to manage a database (DataBase) including country information 710 and broadcast type information 720, as shown in FIG. Therefore, even if all of the existing triplet IDs are the same, there is an advantage in that only one unique channel information can be transmitted without transmitting duplicate channel information to the multimedia device 600 using country code information and broadcast type information.

The first server 630 transmits one EPG information per channel to the multimedia device 600 (S603). As described above, one embodiment of the present invention uses two additional parameters (country code, broadcast type information), thereby eliminating the possibility of transmitting the same channel information twice.

The multimedia device 600 requests the second server 620 for graphic data of an event currently being broadcast on each channel or graphic data of an event to be broadcast, based on the EPG information received from the first server 630. (S604). To this end, in the above-described step S603, including the access address information of the second server for providing the graphic data is also within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, there is a technical advantage that can be implemented by applying the present invention even if a plurality of second servers are set or changed to any server.

Then, the second server 620, based on the channel information in the EPG information received from the multimedia device 600, the graphic data corresponding to each event of all channels that are currently being broadcast or are to be broadcast, the multimedia device ( 600). In addition, configuring the VHCB screen shown in FIG. 10 using the graphic data received in step S605 is within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the second server 620 corresponds to, for example, an SO (Service Operator) server.

9 is a diagram illustrating in detail a data flow between components providing a channel guide service according to one embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the previous description with reference to FIG. 8, there is an advantage of detecting the channel information more accurately by adding the step S906.

The second server (eg, SO server) 920 transmits channel information and EPG information to the first server (eg, SDP server) 910 (S901). Accordingly, the first server 910 receives all channel and EPG information from the second server 920 (S902).

The multimedia device 900 obtains a channel list using a tuner (S903). Alternatively, the channel list previously stored in the memory may be used. Further, the multimedia device 900 transmits a signal for requesting channel information to the first server 910 (S904). At this time, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is designed to transmit two parameters (national code information and broadcast type information) together.

The first server 910 is designed to transmit only one EPG information for each channel to the multimedia device 900 by using the received channel information and two parameters (S905). Although not shown in FIG. 9, the first server extracts one EPG information for each channel by comparing the channel information received from the second server and the channel information received from the multimedia device.

The multimedia device 900 is designed to compare the EPG information received from the first server 910 with the EPG information provided by the broadcasting station again and discard the unequal EPG information (S906). The reason for this design is to give priority to EPG information transmitted in real time from the broadcasting station when the EPG information received from the first server is not the latest version.

In addition, the multimedia device 900, based on the EPG information received from the first server, a signal for requesting thumbnail image data corresponding to current or future broadcast events in each channel, to the second server 920. It transmits (S907).

The multimedia device 900 stores the thumbnail image data received from the second server 920 in the memory (S908). Therefore, when the user executes the channel browsing function, there is an advantage that the current channel state can be immediately monitored using the thumbnail image data stored in the above-described memory.

Of course, two embodiments can be considered here. As a first embodiment, a method of periodically receiving thumbnail image data of events provided by each channel is possible, or a method of receiving a thumbnail image only for an event changed based on a current time by using an event information table (EIT). It is possible. The EIT will be described later with reference to FIG. 11.

10 is a diagram illustrating an OSD screen for providing a channel guide service by a multimedia device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multimedia device 1000 illustrated in FIG. 10 may be implemented with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, and the remote controller 1050 illustrated in FIG. 10 may be implemented with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

For example, when the VCHB function is performed using the remote controller 1050, the multimedia device 1000 outputs the graphic data shown in FIG. 10. In particular, with reference to Figures 2 and 3 will be described in detail as follows.

Graphic data corresponding to at least one event for each channel received through the network interface 230 is stored in the storage unit 240. When a specific command signal is transmitted to the user interface 250 through the remote controller 260, the OSD generator 340 generates the OSD illustrated in FIG. 10 by using the graphic data stored in the storage 240. To the mixer 350.

Of course, although the video data of the general broadcast is not shown in FIG. 10, the mixer 350 also mixes the decoded video data through the image decoder 325 and simultaneously outputs the video data.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, various tabs are provided as options when displaying an OSD related to the VCHB. In FIG. 10, it is assumed that an indicator whose position changes according to the movement of the remote controller 1050 is located in the first tap 1001 that selects all channels.

However, when the above-described indicators are placed in the second tab 1002 for selecting a sports channel, the third tab 1003 for selecting a drama channel, and the fourth tab 1004 for selecting a news channel, The advantage is that you can quickly monitor only the current state of channels in a particular category.

11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data format used to identify a changed channel state according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, an example of an event information table (EIT) that may be used in the process of performing a virtual channel browsing (VCHB) function according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, in order to execute the virtual channel browsing function, all of the EIT table formats shown in FIG. 11 may be used, or only basic information required may be extracted and used.

In the EIT illustrated in FIG. 11, the table_id field indicates a unique table identifier (ID) allocated to uniquely distinguish the EIT. That is, the table_id field represents a value indicating that the table to which the received section belongs is an EIT.

The section_syntax_indicator field may be set to a value of 1, and means that the section_length field follows the general MPEG-2 section syntax. The private_indicator field allocates '1' as an example. The section_length field represents the remaining length of a section in bytes from the section_length field to the end of this section.

The source_id field indicates the source_id of the virtual channel transmitting the events described in the section. The version_number field represents a version value of EIT-i. The version_number field may be expressed as the remaining value divided by 32 after increasing by 1 when the content of EIT-i is changed.

The current_next_indicator field indicates that the transmitted table is always applicable and may be set to 1. The section_number field indicates the number of the corresponding section. The last_section_number field indicates the last section number of the complete EIT.

The protocol_version field is set to an initial value of 0 and is set to a value other than 0 when the protocol is changed. The num_events_in_section field indicates the number of events existing in the corresponding EIT section. If the num_events_in_section field value is 0, this indicates that there are no events defined in the corresponding section.

After the num_events_in_section field, there is an event loop repeated as many as the number of events included in the section. The event loop may include an event_id field, a start_time field, an ETM_location field, a length_in_seconds field, a title_length field, and a title_text () field. In addition, the event loop may further include a descriptor_length field and a descriptor () field applied to each event individually.

The event_id field represents an identification number for identifying a corresponding event in an event loop. This identification number may be used as part of the event ETM_id.

The start_time field indicates a start time of an event. The ETM_location field indicates the presence and location of an extended text message (ETM). The length_in_seconds field represents the duration of an event in seconds. The title_length field indicates the length of the next title_text () in bytes. If the title_length field value is 0, it means that there is no title in the corresponding event. The title_text () field indicates an event title of a multi-string structure. The descriptor_length field indicates the total length of the following event descriptor in bytes.

Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, without using all the heavy EIT data shown in FIG. 11, the server may use the minimum information (eg, start time field, length_in_seconds field, Only the title_text () field is extracted to create a data structure that is more compact than the existing EIT. In addition, it is also within the scope of the present invention to design to add only a thumbnail image corresponding to each event to the primary data structure and transmit the same to a multimedia device.

In addition, the multimedia device may estimate the end time of each event by using data received from an external server or a broadcasting station. At this time, the multimedia device is designed to request information of a newly started event (including a thumbnail image) in order to update the screen of the virtual channel browsing at the end of each event. Of course, it may be designed to request at a time point (eg, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or 1 minute before) a predetermined time before the end of each event. In this case, the channel browsing screen is disconnected. There is an advantage that can block the phenomenon more completely.

12 is a diagram illustrating an entire system for providing a channel guide service according to another embodiment of the present invention.

First, the same description as in FIG. 6 will be omitted. That is, steps S601, S602, S603, S604, and S605 illustrated in FIG. 6 correspond to steps S1201, S1202, S1203, S1204, and S1205 illustrated in FIG. 12. have.

However, in FIG. 12, unlike FIG. 6, the mobile device 1250 is additionally designed. The multimedia device 1200 receives thumbnail image data of an event provided by each channel from the second server 1220 and stores it in a memory.

Meanwhile, it is assumed that the multimedia device 1200 and the mobile device 1250 are connected by short-range wireless communication (eg, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.). Regardless of the request of the mobile device 1250 or according to the request, the multimedia device 1200 transmits the thumbnail image data stored in the memory to the mobile device 1250 (S1206).

Further, the mobile device 1250 checks graphic data related to the VCHB and then transmits a specific command signal (eg, selecting a specific channel) to the multimedia device 1200. In this design, there is a technical effect of preventing the phenomenon that the screen available area of the multimedia device 1200 is reduced when the VCHB function is executed. Hereinafter, data transmission and a user interface between the multimedia device and the mobile device will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating respective OSDs implemented by the multimedia device and the mobile device illustrated in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is another example illustrating respective OSDs implemented by the multimedia device and the mobile device shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 15 is another example illustrating respective OSDs implemented by the multimedia device and the mobile device shown in FIG. 12.

First, it is assumed that the multimedia device 1300 illustrated in FIG. 13 stores thumbnail image data corresponding to at least one event provided by each channel received from an external server in a memory.

As described above, the position of the indicator 1305 is changed according to the movement of the remote controller 1320. When the indicator 1305 is located in a specific area or a specific button is selected regardless of the area, the multimedia device 1300 is designed to transmit the thumbnail image data stored in the memory to the mobile device 1310.

Therefore, the mobile device 1310 processes the thumbnail image data received from the multimedia device 1300 and outputs the VCHB screen 1311. At this time, the multimedia device 1300 has an effect of outputting the broadcast video data that the user is currently watching without changing the region.

However, in consideration of the limitation of the screen size of a mobile device (for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet PC, etc.), it is also within the scope of the present invention to provide only specific channel information without displaying all channels of the VCHB. This will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

As described above, in the case of using the EIT information, it is possible to monitor a channel whose event is changed based on the current time. Thus, as shown in FIG. 14, the multimedia device 1400 transmits the changed channel data (eg, thumbnail image data) to the mobile device 1410.

Accordingly, the mobile device 1410 is designed to display only the guide message 1411 for the channel whose event has changed based on the current time. From the point of view of the user, there is an advantage that it is easier to detect a newly started broadcast program without checking the time.

On the other hand, a user who has confirmed the VCHB related screen of the mobile device provided in FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 is likely to consider moving to a channel desired by the user. At this time, it is expected that the control of the multimedia device again takes a long time.

That is, when the user who checks the user interface of the mobile device provided in FIG. 13 or 14 selects a specific channel, as shown in FIG. 1511). Through short-range communication, a command for selecting a specific channel is transmitted from the mobile device 1510 to the multimedia device 1500.

Therefore, even if the user does not control the multimedia device 1500 again, as shown in FIG. 15, the multimedia device 1500 may output the screen 1501 tuned to the specific channel.

Meanwhile, the operation of the multimedia device for guiding a plurality of channel states according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows.

First, the first channel list is stored in the memory. The first channel list is obtained through a tuner. Furthermore, the stored first channel list and additional information are transmitted to the first server. The additional information includes, for example, country code information identifying a country of an entity transmitting an event (broadcast program) and broadcast type information identifying a form in which the event is transmitted. The broadcast type information includes, for example, at least one or more of a terrestrial broadcast type, a satellite broadcast type, and a cable broadcast type.

Also, the EPG information of the second channel list is received from the first server. The first server is designed to transmit unique EPG information for each channel by comparing the first channel list and the second channel list by using the country code information and the broadcast type information. According to the prior art, there is a problem of transmitting the same channel information repeatedly.

Based on the EPG information of the received second channel list, requesting graphic data identifying at least one event of each channel from the second server, and graphic identifying at least one event of each channel from the second server Receive data.

As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the SO (Service Operator) server has an effect that can collect only unique unique channel information of each channel.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a multimedia device (for example, a TV) has an advantage of receiving only one EPG information without receiving a plurality of EPG information for the same channel from a server. Therefore, problems such as unnecessary memory waste can be solved.

Further, for convenience of description, the drawings are divided and described, but it is also possible to design a new embodiment by merging the embodiments described in each drawing. And according to the needs of those skilled in the art, it is also within the scope of the present invention to design a computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon for executing the embodiments described above.

The display device and its operation method according to the present invention can not be limitedly applied to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, the embodiments are all or part of each embodiment so that various modifications can be made It may alternatively be configured in combination.

On the other hand, the operating method of the display device of the present invention can be implemented as a processor-readable code on a processor-readable recording medium provided in the display device. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium that can be read by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet . The processor-readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the processor-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific embodiment, the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications will not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

In addition, in this specification, object invention and method invention were distinguished and demonstrated for convenience of description, respectively. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited in the order of the description, and each description of the object invention and the method invention may be supplementarily applied as necessary.

310: demultiplexing unit
325: video decoder
335: Scaler
340: OSD generation unit
350: mixer
335 frame rate converter
360: formatter

Claims (15)

In the control method of a multimedia device for guiding a plurality of channel conditions,
Storing the first channel list in a memory;
Transmitting the stored first channel list and additional information to a first server;
Receiving EPG information of a second channel list from the first server;
Requesting the second server for graphic data identifying at least one or more events of each channel based on the EPG information of the received second channel list;
Receiving graphical data identifying at least one or more events of each channel from the second server; And
Processing the received graphic data into outputable data
Gt; a < / RTI > The method of claim 1,
The additional information,
And country code information identifying a country of an entity providing the event and broadcast type information identifying a form in which the event is transmitted. The method of claim 2,
The form in which the event is sent,
Control method for a multimedia device comprising at least one of the terrestrial broadcast type, satellite broadcast type, cable broadcast type. The method of claim 2,
The first server,
And controlling the first channel list and the second channel list by using the country code information and the broadcast type information. The method of claim 1,
The step of receiving the EPG information,
And receiving the EPG information together with the address information of the second server. The method of claim 1,
The step of processing the received graphic data as output data,
Storing the data in the memory
Further comprising the steps of: The method according to claim 6,
Receiving a request signal indicating an event currently being broadcast in the plurality of channels; And
If the request signal is received, displaying graphic data stored in the memory based on current time information;
Further comprising the steps of: A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 is recorded. In the multimedia device for guiding a plurality of channel conditions,
A memory for storing a first channel list;
A network interface for transmitting the stored first channel list and additional information to an external server and receiving EPG information of a second channel list from the external server;
A controller for requesting the external server for graphic data identifying at least one or more events of each channel, based on the received EPG information of the second channel list; And
A display module for outputting graphic data for each channel when receiving at least one graphic data identifying at least one event of each channel from the external server
Lt; / RTI > 10. The method of claim 9,
When a request signal indicating an event currently being broadcast in a plurality of channels is received through the user interface,
The controller,
And extracting specific graphic data from graphic data stored in the memory based on current time information. 10. The method of claim 9,
And the first channel list is designed to be received via a tuner. 10. The method of claim 9,
The additional information,
And country code information identifying a country of an entity providing the event and broadcast type information identifying a form in which the event is transmitted. The method of claim 12,
The form in which the event is sent,
Multimedia device comprising at least one of the terrestrial broadcast type, satellite broadcast type, cable broadcast type. The method of claim 12,
The external server comprises:
And compare the first channel list and the second channel list using the country code information and the broadcast type information. 10. The method of claim 9,
The multimedia device comprising:
Multimedia device corresponding to at least one of HBBTV, network TV or IPTV.

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