EP1009115A2 - Verfahren zum Zuordnen einer bestimmten Empfangsfrequenz zu einem Datenstrom und Anwendung dieses Verfahrens in einem Empfänger für digitale Rundfunkübertragungen - Google Patents

Verfahren zum Zuordnen einer bestimmten Empfangsfrequenz zu einem Datenstrom und Anwendung dieses Verfahrens in einem Empfänger für digitale Rundfunkübertragungen Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1009115A2
EP1009115A2 EP99402562A EP99402562A EP1009115A2 EP 1009115 A2 EP1009115 A2 EP 1009115A2 EP 99402562 A EP99402562 A EP 99402562A EP 99402562 A EP99402562 A EP 99402562A EP 1009115 A2 EP1009115 A2 EP 1009115A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
frequency
transport stream
predetermined
new
service
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP99402562A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1009115A3 (de
Inventor
Eric Deniau
Luc Gentil
Sébastien Fraleu
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Technicolor SA
Original Assignee
Thomson Multimedia SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from EP98402766A external-priority patent/EP0999664A1/de
Application filed by Thomson Multimedia SA filed Critical Thomson Multimedia SA
Priority to EP99402562A priority Critical patent/EP1009115A3/de
Publication of EP1009115A2 publication Critical patent/EP1009115A2/de
Publication of EP1009115A3 publication Critical patent/EP1009115A3/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/35—Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users
    • H04H60/38—Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users for identifying broadcast time or space
    • H04H60/41—Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users for identifying broadcast time or space for identifying broadcast space, i.e. broadcast channels, broadcast stations or broadcast areas
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/25—Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/27—Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information

Definitions

  • the invention relates to digital broadcast receivers. More precisely the invention relates to a method for determining a predetermined frequency associated with a transport stream. The invention also relates to a method for selecting a service among a plurality of services available from at least a first transport stream. The invention also relates to a method for finding a new frequency of a new transport stream.
  • a digital broadcast receiver is a device which allows to use digital data broadcasted over for example a cable network, a satellite or a terrestrial emitter.
  • the digital broadcast receiver may be known under the name “set top box” or “integrated receiver decoder”.
  • the digital data is typically broadcasted in one or a plurality of Transport Streams (TSs) each TS being broadcasted at a different frequency.
  • TSs Transport Streams
  • the digital broadcast receiver may be designed to receive either one of a plurality of TSs by tuning at the frequency corresponding to the desired TS.
  • the transport stream typically comprises a plurality of services, i.e. audio and/or video programs, interactive application software ... and accompanying service information.
  • the service information may for example describe a predetermined frequency at which the TS is broadcasted. It may also describe at which other predetermined frequencies other TSs are broadcasted especially if the digital broadcast receiver is designed to also receive at these other predetermined frequencies.
  • the service information may also describe which services are available in the TS but also which other services are available in other TSs at the other predetermined frequencies.
  • the service information to compile for the TS or for a plurality of TSs taken from the other TSs a list of available services and associate each service with the predetermined frequency of the TS in which the service is available when a service is selected the digital broadcast receiver is tuned to the appropriate associated predetermined frequency.
  • the service information may further comprise an information indicating a version of at least a part of the service information broadcasted. This way the digital broadcast receiver may update an existing list of available services if the broadcasted version information is more actual than a version information of the services in the existing list.
  • a new version information may also indicate that a TS is no more broadcasted or that a new TS is broadcasted at a new predetermined frequency. The digital broadcast receiver may update the list of available services accordingly.
  • a solution to update the list of available services and hence of existing and/or new TSs is to scan the frequency and monitor for TSs.
  • the invention suggests to overcome the above described problem using a method for determining a predetermined frequency associated with a transport stream in a digital broadcast receiver which comprises :
  • the invention suggests to overcome the above described problem using a method for selecting a service with a digital broadcast receiver, the service being one of a plurality of services available from at least a first transport stream received at a first frequency which comprises :
  • the invention suggests to overcome the above described problem using a method for finding a new frequency of a new transport stream using a digital broadcast receiver, comprising :
  • a digital broadcast receiver 1 receives data from a provider 2, which comprises at least a service.
  • the digital broadcast receiver 1 compiles a global list of services 3 available from the provider 2.
  • the global list of services 3 may for example be displayed on a screen of a TV 4 using a user interface (not shown), or on any other data presentation device like a remote control display or a dedicated display (not shown) connected to the digital broadcast receiver 1.
  • a user 5 may select a service from the global list of services 3 using for example the user interface by means of a pointer on the display. The user 5 thereby instructs the digital broadcast receiver 1 to appropriately tune and run the selected service, and output any audio and/or visual information to the TV 4 or any other appropriate device connected, e.g. an audio hi-fi device or a home appliance device.
  • the provider 2 may provide data in a Transport Streams (TS), a TS being broadcasted at a predetermined frequency. Besides one or a plurality of services the TS may provide Service Information (SI) which for example indicates a unique identification of the TS, predetermined frequencies and identifications of TSs available to the digital broadcast receiver 1 and a description of services available in one or a plurality of available TSs.
  • SI Service Information
  • a number of existing digital television standards implement the described TS and SI features.
  • One example is the Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) European Standard which specifies a format and content of such features.
  • DVD Digital Video Broadcast
  • ATSC ATSC
  • a part of the SI is comprised in a Network Information Table (NIT) and in a Service Description Table (SDT).
  • NIT contains a frequency plan of a given network, i.e. information on predetermined frequencies at which the digital broadcast receiver must be tuned to receive each TS available from the provider.
  • SDT lists available services of one TS including an identification and a scanning of each service. There may be a SDT for each TS. Each TS may contain SDTs for services available in other TSs.
  • an initialization of a digital broadcaster receiver e.g. a DVB standard receiver
  • a predetermined frequency BF of a TS is set in 7.
  • the NIT and at least one SDT are read in 8 and are used in 9 to build a list 10 of available services.
  • the NIT and SDT information allows to associate a predetermined frequency to each of the available services in list 10.
  • an update event 11 initiates the digital broadcast receiver to update in 12 the existing list 10 and obtain an updated list of available services 13.
  • the update event may for example be a specific information broadcasted as part or not of the SI, and which indicates a change in a version number of the NIT and/or SDT.
  • the NIT and/or SDT is/are read in the update 12 and the version number is set at a most actual value.
  • DVB networks the TSs are broadcasted at the predetermined frequencies indicated in the NIT. In some networks it may happen for various reasons that TSs are broadcasted at frequencies which are not indicated in the SI. Therefore it is not possible to use standard DVB methods as depicted referring to Figures 2 and 3 to initialize a digital broadcast receiver in such networks.
  • An example for the latter networks is a Satellite Master Antenna TV (SMATV) network. SI in the SMATV network may be the same as in a standard DVB.
  • SMATV Satellite Master Antenna TV
  • an initialization of a digital broadcast receiver in e.g. the SMATV network is started in 14.
  • a frequency at which a TS is available is searched in 15. This may for example be done by scanning a frequency F. If such a frequency is found in 16 an actual SDT is read in 17 at that frequency and an associated frequency Fl is set equal to the tuned frequency F and stored in 18.
  • a list of available services on the network is updated in 19 with information from the read actual SDT, each service from the actual SDT being associated to the associated frequency Fl.
  • a new search in 15 is then started to find a further TS. If no TS is found in 16 (N) at the tuned frequency then the search 15 continues.
  • a network topology may be constructed.
  • the frequency is scanned from a start frequency FO to an end frequency FE.
  • SI is read.
  • More precisely the actual SDT is read at each frequency, and an identifying data (TSId1, TSId2, ..., TSIdN), a tuned frequency (F1, F2, ..., FN) and a list of available services (SDT1, SDT2, ..., SDTN) are stored in a table which makes up the network topology.
  • the network topology may be used to look up tuning information for a selected service.
  • an initializing of a digital broadcast receiver is started in 19.
  • a scanning 20 of a frequency in undertaken and a monitoring 21 checks for data possibly received at that frequency. If no data is received or if data received may not be recognized as providing from a TS, a case consideration 22 takes branch N and the scanning 20 followed by the monitoring 21 is again undertaken. If data is received and the received data is recognized as providing from a TS (branch Y) then a first frequency FST has been found at which a first transport stream is received.
  • a reading 23 of first identifying data ID from the first TS allows a unique identification of the latter TS.
  • An extracting 24 uses the first identifying data 10 to extract a predetermined frequency F' from a database 25.
  • the database 25 contains information which directly or indirectly associates predetermined frequencies with predetermined identification data.
  • the database 25 may for example be stored in a memory of the digital broadcast receiver or retrieved from a network.
  • FIG. 7 a flowchart illustrates an example to realize the scanning 20. After a start event 26 the frequency F is adjusted in 27, the frequency F being comprised in a scanning frequency bandwidth.
  • a flowchart illustrates an example to realize the monitoring 21.
  • the method illustrated in Figure 6 may be used to establish an association between the predetermined frequencies and actual different frequencies.
  • Any known application in a digital broadcast receiver which requires to use the predetermined frequency F' e.g. an application which instructs the digital broadcast receiver to tune to the predetermined frequency F' to receive a determined service, may find the actual frequency FST using the existing association between F' and FST.
  • an initializing of a digital broadcast receiver is started in 19.
  • the scanning 20 and the monitoring 21 are undertaken. If the case consideration 22 determines that no data is received or that data received does not provide from a TS then branch N leads to the scanning 20. If data from a TS is received 14 (branch Y) a retrieving 32 of a SDT from the TS is realized and the SI from the SDT used to establish in 33 an actual list of services 34, which may be stored for example in a list memory (not shown) of the digital broadcast receiver. Following the mentioned branch Y after case consideration 22 a retrieving 35 of a NIT from the TS is realized and the NIT stored in step 36.
  • the NIT information may be stored such that a database 25 is obtained which associates predetermined frequencies with predetermined identification data, i.e. with predetermined TSs.
  • a reading 37 of identifying data ID from the retrieved SDT allows a unique identification of the TS at the tuned frequency F.
  • the extracting 24 uses the identifying data ID to extract a predetermined frequency F' from the database 25. This way the frequency at which the TS is broadcasted may be associated to the predetermined frequency of the TS as contained in the NIT.
  • a topology table as shown in Figure 10 may be constructed. For every frequency F1, F2, ..., FN comprised between the start frequency F0 and the end frequency FE, a TS is found and SI is read.
  • the actual SDT is read at each tuned frequency (F1, F2, ..., FN) including identifying data (TSId1, TSId2, ..., TSIdN), and lists of available services (SDT1, SDT2, ..., SDTN) but also one or a plurality of actual NITs (NIT1, ..., NITN) are read.
  • the identifying data (TSId1, TSId2, ..., TSIdN) is used to extract from the actual NITs (NIT1, ..., NITN) the associated predetermined frequencies F'1, F'2 ..., F'N.
  • frequency shifts ⁇ F1, ⁇ F2, ..., ⁇ FN are calculated by respectively subtracting the tuned frequencies from the predetermined frequencies :
  • a start event 38 e.g. a push on a selection button by the user, initiates a selecting 39 of a service. This is what may happen when a user sees a list of available services and selects a service using a user interface.
  • An identifying 40 of a TS in which the selected service is available is realized. The identifying 40 may use information contained in the list of available services ST, the information not necessarily being shown to the user.
  • an extracting 41 uses the TS information to look up a database 42 for an associated predetermined frequency.
  • the database 42 may for example he based on the table shown in Figure 10 in which each row contains an identification of a TS and its predetermined frequency.
  • a computing 43 determines at which frequency TSF the TS may be received.
  • the computing 43 uses the predetermined frequency extracted from the database 42.
  • One way may for example be to use the table shown in Figure 10, extract a frequency shift ⁇ TSF and calculate the frequency TSF by subtracting the frequency shift ⁇ TSF from the predetermined frequency.
  • Another way would be to look up a correspondence database using the predetermined frequency.
  • the correspondence database comprises information associating predetermined frequencies of TSs with actual frequencies at which the TSs may be received.
  • the digital broadcast receiver tunes to the frequency TSF at which the TS is received 45 and the selected service may be read.
  • An illustration of a tuning mechanism in Figure 12 shows an example of how modules for tuning in DVB may be used in a network where TS are received at frequencies different from predetermined frequencies listed in the NIT.
  • a user wants to select a service Sp in 46.
  • NIT service information for Sp in retrieved from a specific NITp, the service information being stored in a topology table.
  • the NITp service information is then in 48 submitted to the DVB tuning module together with an instruction 49 to select and tune to the service Sp.
  • the DVB tuning module instructs in 50 the tuner of the digital broadcast receiver to tune to the predetermined frequency F'p at which the service Sp is available according to NITp and the tuner extracts in 51 information from the topology table in order to find and actual frequency Fp at which the service Sp is really broadcasted.
  • tuner tunes to the actual frequency Fp.
  • a start 52 causes a tuning 53 of the digital broadcast receiver at the first frequency at which the first TS is received. This is what may happen when a user is tuned to receive a service from the first TS.
  • a registering 54 an update event 55 in noticed in the digital broadcast receiver.
  • the event 55 may for example be broadcasted as SI at the first frequency.
  • new SI is extracted in 56 from the first TS.
  • the new SI may for example be a new NIT or a new SDT.
  • the new SI is compared in 57 with SI stored in a database 58. More precisely the comparison reveals if the new SI comprises a new predetermined frequency NPF associated to a new transport stream, not previously stored in the database 58.
  • a finding step 59 initiates a finding of a new frequency NF corresponding to the new predetermined frequency NPF.
  • the new TS will be received at the new frequency NF.
  • a start 60 initiates a way of finding the new frequency NF.
  • the scanning 20 of a frequency is undertaken while the monitoring 21 checks for data possibility received at that frequency. If the check 22 reveals that no data is received or data received is not from a TS, the scanning 20 goes on (branch N). If the check 22 reveals that data is received from a TS (branch Y) the reading 23 allows to gain identification data which allows to uniquely identify the TS.
  • a check 61 checks if the identification data identifies the new TS. If this is not the case (branch N) the scanning 20 is started again. If the new TS NTS is identified the value of the new frequency is set to the actual tuned frequency at which the new TS is received. This way the new frequency NF of the new TS has been determined.
  • the database 58 from Figure 13 may be updated with the new predetermined frequency NPF and information allowing to associate the new frequency NF to it.
EP99402562A 1998-11-06 1999-10-18 Verfahren zum Zuordnen einer bestimmten Empfangsfrequenz zu einem Datenstrom und Anwendung dieses Verfahrens in einem Empfänger für digitale Rundfunkübertragungen Withdrawn EP1009115A3 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP99402562A EP1009115A3 (de) 1998-11-06 1999-10-18 Verfahren zum Zuordnen einer bestimmten Empfangsfrequenz zu einem Datenstrom und Anwendung dieses Verfahrens in einem Empfänger für digitale Rundfunkübertragungen

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP98402766 1998-11-06
EP98402766A EP0999664A1 (de) 1998-11-06 1998-11-06 Verfahren zur Bestimmung einer einem Transportstrom zugeordneten vorbestimmten Frequenz in einem digitalen Rundfunkempfänger
EP99402562A EP1009115A3 (de) 1998-11-06 1999-10-18 Verfahren zum Zuordnen einer bestimmten Empfangsfrequenz zu einem Datenstrom und Anwendung dieses Verfahrens in einem Empfänger für digitale Rundfunkübertragungen

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EP1009115A2 true EP1009115A2 (de) 2000-06-14
EP1009115A3 EP1009115A3 (de) 2005-11-02

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2359212A (en) * 1999-12-27 2001-08-15 Lg Electronics Inc Speedier channel changing method in digital data broadcasting service

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0823798A1 (de) * 1996-08-09 1998-02-11 THOMSON multimedia Empfänger in einem zyklischen Datenpaket-Übertragungssystem
EP0834991A1 (de) * 1996-10-02 1998-04-08 Irdeto B.V. Verfahren zum selbsttätigen Suchen von Signalkanälen in einem Frequenzgebiet für einen Empfänger digital modulierter Signale und Empfänger zur Anwendung des Verfahrens
EP0838915A2 (de) * 1996-10-23 1998-04-29 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Digitales Rundfunksystem mit Verwendung von virtuellen Kanälen

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0823798A1 (de) * 1996-08-09 1998-02-11 THOMSON multimedia Empfänger in einem zyklischen Datenpaket-Übertragungssystem
EP0834991A1 (de) * 1996-10-02 1998-04-08 Irdeto B.V. Verfahren zum selbsttätigen Suchen von Signalkanälen in einem Frequenzgebiet für einen Empfänger digital modulierter Signale und Empfänger zur Anwendung des Verfahrens
EP0838915A2 (de) * 1996-10-23 1998-04-29 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Digitales Rundfunksystem mit Verwendung von virtuellen Kanälen

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2359212A (en) * 1999-12-27 2001-08-15 Lg Electronics Inc Speedier channel changing method in digital data broadcasting service
GB2359212B (en) * 1999-12-27 2002-06-05 Lg Electronics Inc Digital data broadcasting service and file downloading method thereof

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