GB2427778A - A set-top box which can work in an analogue or digital mode - Google Patents
A set-top box which can work in an analogue or digital mode Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2427778A GB2427778A GB0604607A GB0604607A GB2427778A GB 2427778 A GB2427778 A GB 2427778A GB 0604607 A GB0604607 A GB 0604607A GB 0604607 A GB0604607 A GB 0604607A GB 2427778 A GB2427778 A GB 2427778A
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- signal
- digital
- analog
- demodulation unit
- top box
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- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000008054 signal transmission Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 9
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 8
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N5/00—Details of television systems
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
- H04N21/426—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
- H04N21/426—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof
- H04N21/42607—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof for processing the incoming bitstream
- H04N21/4263—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof for processing the incoming bitstream involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
- H04N21/438—Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
- H04N21/438—Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
- H04N21/4383—Accessing a communication channel
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N5/00—Details of television systems
- H04N5/44—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N5/00—Details of television systems
- H04N5/44—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
- H04N5/46—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for receiving on more than one standard at will
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)
- Circuits Of Receivers In General (AREA)
Abstract
A multi-functional Set Top Box is capable of working under both a digital mode and an analog mode. The multi-functional Set Top Box includes a digital demodulation unit, an analog demodulation unit, a decoder, an image signal processor and a micro-controller, all accommodated in the same housing. A digital TV signal received from a digital TV signal source is demodulated and decoded into a first image signal in response to a first control signal, and an analog TV signal received from an analog TV signal source is demodulated into a second image signal in response to a second control signal. The first control signal works to disable the demodulation of the analog TV signal when the digital mode is entered, and the second control signal works to disable the demodulation of the digital TV signal when the analog mode is entered.
Description
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SET TOP BOX
The present invention relates to a Set Top Box, and more particularly to a multi-functional Set Top Box for use with both a digital TV signal source and an analog TV signal source.
Before the development of cable TVs, most TV programs are wirelessly received from TV stations as shown in Figure 1(a). The wireless signals associated with a TV program to be played in a conventional TV set are transmitted from a wireless TV station 1 via air. The wireless signals are generally radio frequency (RF) signals. Then the RF signals can be received by the conventional TV set 10 via an antenna 11.
Since cable TV services become more and more mature over these years, they are more popular than wireless TV services because of their large quantity and great diversity of programs. Not only the conventional TV set 10 is upgraded to be able to view cable TV programs from a cable TV signal source 2 by adding a channel selector 12, as illustrated in Figure 1(b), but also a so-called analog TV set 13 with a built-in function of viewing cable TV programs is developed, as illustrated in Figure 1(c).
The built-in channel selection function allows the analog TV set 13 to receive the cable TV signals as long as the analog TV set 13 is within the service area and in connection with the cable TV signal source 2.
For those who have no TV set available or do not want to buy a TV set, a personal computer (PC) can also be used to play TV programs.
The computer host 3 receives TV signals from the cable TV signal source 2 via a TV Box 15 so that the TV frames can be shown on the computer display 14, as shown in Figure 1(d). Generally, a TV Box exhibits frame- switching and channel-selecting functions. The TV Box 15 selects signals from the cable TV signal source 2 or the computer host 3 to be transmitted to the common display 14.
The aforementioned TV signals are typically in an analog format.
Besides, with the highly development of the digital world, it has been possible to support a digital TV so as to minimize noises and digitally process the digital TV signals. In other words, the playing quality can be improved and the applications cab be diversified. For example, since the TV signals can be processed in a digital way, it means the digital signals are compressible. Accordingly, higher capacity of program information is accessible at the same time. In additional to an advanced digital TV set equipped with a built-in digital TV signal receiver (not shown), a conventional TV set 16 can also receive digital TV signals from the digital TV signal source 4 with the aid of a Set Top Box 17, as illustrated in Figure 1(e). Via a proper type of Set Top Box 17, an analog TV set, computer display or LCD TV set can also be used to view digital TV programs. The types of the Set Top Box 17, for example, include wireless digital TV Set Top Boxs, cable digital TV Set Top Boxs, satellite digital TV Set Top Boxes, wideband network digital TV Set Top Box, etc. If it is the computer display 14 used to view the digital TV programs, the Set Top Box 17 is coupled to both the digital TV signal source 4 and the computer host 3, as shown in Figure 1(f). The Set Top Box 17, like the TV Box 15, exhibits the frame-switching function for selecting TV signals or computer signals to be shown on the display 14.
As mentioned above, a computer display is capable of processing analog TV signals via the TV Box 15 and processing digital TV signals via the Set Top Box 17. If it is desired to use the same display to view both digital TV programs and analog TV programs, both the Set Top Box 17 and the TV Box 15 are needed, thus leading to complicated circuitry and inconvenient operation. Therefore, how to effectively allocate the hardware resource and make use of the related hardware space is an important issue
in this field.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional Set Top Box capable of processing both digital TV signals and analog TV signals.
The present invention relates to a Set Top Box capable of working under both a digital mode and an analog mode. The Set Top Box comprises a housing; a digital demodulation unit disposed in the housing for demodulating a digital TV signal into a digital data stream; a decoder disposed in the housing and coupled to the digital demodulation unit for decoding the digital data stream so as to result in a first image signal; an analog demodulation unit disposed in the housing for demodulating an analog TV signal so as to result in a second image signal; an image signal processor disposed in the housing and coupled to the decoder and the analog demodulation unit for processing the first image signal or the second image signal into a display signal; and a micro-controller disposed in the housing and coupled to the digital demodulation unit, the decoder and the digital demodulation unit for controlling the first image signal to be processed by the image signal processor in the digital mode and controlling the second image signal to be processed by the image signal processor in the analog mode.
In an embodiment, the Set Top Box further comprises a first signal connector disposed on and exposed from the housing for optionally receiving the digital TV signal from a digital TV signal source via a first signal transmission line, and transmitting the digital TV signal to the digital modulation unit; and a second signal connector disposed on and exposed from the housing for optionally receiving the analog TV signal from an analog TV signal source via a second signal transmission line, and transmitting the analog TV signal to the analog demodulation unit.
In an alternative embodiment, the Set Top Box further comprises a common signal connector disposed on and exposed from the housing for receiving the digital TV signal and the analog TV signal from a digital TV signal source and an analog TV signal source, respectively, via a coaxial signal line, and transmitting the digital TV signal and the analog TV signal to the digital modulation unit and the analog demodulation unit, respectively.
In an embodiment, the digital demodulation unit comprises a digital TV front-end unit for band-passing and reducing a frequency of the digital TV signal and then outputting an intermediate-frequency signal; and a demodulator coupled to the digital TV front-end unit for demodulating the intermediate-frequency into the digital data stream.
In an embodiment, the decoder is a MPEG2 decoder, and the first image signal is a digital image signal or an analog image signal.
In an embodiment, the micro-controller is coupled to a control interface and selectively disables the digital demodulation unit or the analog demodulation unit in response to an input of a user via the control interface. The micro-controller disables and enters the digital demodulation unit in a sleeping and power-saving state in the analog mode, thereby blocking a digital control signal asserted by the control interface in response to the user's manipulation from reaching the digital demodulation unit. On the other hand, the micro-controller disables and enters the analog demodulation unit in a sleeping and power- saving state in the digital mode, thereby blocking an analog control signal asserted by the control interface in response to the user's manipulation from reaching the analog demodulation unit.
For example, control interface may include a remote controller separable from the housing and/or a button disposed on the housing.
The digital demodulation unit and the analog demodulation unit can be disposed in separate chips, or alternatively, integrated in the same chip.
The present invention also relates to a Set Top Box comprising a housing; a demodulation unit disposed in the housing for demodulating a digital TV signal received from a digital TV signal source into a first demodulated signal in response to a first control signal, and demodulating an analog TV signal received from an analog TV signal source into a second demodulated signal in response to a second control signal; a decoder disposed in the housing for decoding the first demodulated signal; an image signal processor disposed in the housing for processing the decoded first demodulated signal or the second demodulated signal into a display signal; and a control device coupled to the demodulation unit for asserting the first control signal and the second control signal, and allowing one of the first control signal and the second control signal to be transmitted to the demodulation unit.
in an embodiment, the control device comprises a first control unit for asserting the first control signal to the demodulation unit so as to have the first demodulated signal outputted by the demodulation unit in the digital mode; and a second control unit for asserting the second control signal so as to have the second demodulated signal outputted by the demodulation unit in the analog mode. For example, the first control unit is integrated into the decoder, and the second control unit is a microcontroller.
In an embodiment, the micro-controller comprises a multiplexer controlled by the micro-controller to select one of the first control signal and the second control signal to be outputted and block the other one.
In an embodiment, the demodulation unit comprises a digital demodulation unit and an analog demodulation unit, which are integrated in the same chip. While the analog demodulation unit is disabled and enters a sleeping and power-saving state in response to the first control signal, the digital demodulation unit is disabled and enters a sleeping and powersaving state in response to the second control signal.
The above contents of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram illustrating means for viewing wireless TV; Figure 1(b) is a functional block diagram illustrating means for viewing cable TV with a conventional TV set; Figure 1(c) is a functional block diagram illustrating means for viewing cable TV with an analog TV set; Figure 1(d) is a functional block diagram illustrating means for viewing cable TV with a computer display; Figure 1(e) is a functional block diagram illustrating means for viewing digital TV with a conventional TV set; Figure 1(f) is a functional block diagram illustrating means for viewing digital TV with a computer display; Figure 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a multi-functional Set Top Box for use with a display according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a multi- functional Set Top Box for use with a display according to another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating a multi-functional Set Top Box of Figure 3 in more details.
For applying a computer display or other types of displays to both analog TV programs and digital TV programs, the present invention provides a multi-functional Set Top Box which can be selectively switched between an analog mode and a digital mode. Please refer Figure 2. The embodiment of the multi-functional Set Top Box 20 is used to receive digital TV signals from a digital TV signal source 21 via a digital transmission line 273 or receive analog TV signals from an analog TV signal source 22 via an analog transmission line 274, and transmit the digital or analog TV signals to a display 29 to be displayed. The multi-functional Set Top Box 20 includes a digital demodulation unit 202, a decoder 203, an analog demodulation unit 204, an image signal processor 205 and a micro-controller 206, which are integrated in a housing 201. For viewing digital TV, the digital demodulation unit 202 receives and demodulates digital TV signals transmitted through the digital transmission line 273 via a first signal connector 271 so as to generate a digital data stream. The decoder 203, electrically connected to the digital demodulation unit 202, receives and decodes the digital data stream so as to generate a first image signal. The first image signal can be a digital image signal or an analog image signal, depending on the communication protocol among the decoder 203, image signal processor 205 and display 29. The first image signal is then outputted to and processed into a display signal by the image signal processor 205 so as to be shown on the display 29. On the other hand, for viewing analog TV, the analog demodulation unit 204 receives and demodulates the analog TV signal transmitted through the analog transmission line 274 via a second signal connector 272 so as to generate a second image signal. The second image signal is outputted to the image signal processor 205 to be processed and then displayed under the control of the micro-controller 206. Herein, transmission lines 273 and 274 are described only for illustration purposes, and wireless transmission is also feasible.
In response to the input of a user through a control interface 28, the micro-controller 206 controls the system enters a digital mode or an analog mode. In this embodiment, the control interface 28 is either a remote controller 281 or button(s) 282 arranged on the housing 201. By manipulating the remote controller 281 or triggering the button(s) 282, a digital (or analog) mode is entered. In the digital mode, only the signals received from the digital TV signal source 21 are processed into image signals by the image signal processor 205. Meanwhile, the microcontroller 206 disables the analog demodulation unit 204, and preferably enters the analog demodulation unit 204 into a sleeping and power-saving state. In this fashion, the analog control signal asserted by the control interface 28 will fail to be transmitted to the analog demodulation unit 204. On the other hand, only the signals received from the analog TV signal source 22 are processed into image signals by the image signal processor 205 in the analog mode. Meanwhile, the micro-controller 206 disables the digital demodulation unit 202 and the decoder 203, and preferably enters them into a sleeping and power-saving state. In this fashion, the analog control signal asserted by the control interface 28 will fail to be transmitted to the digital demodulation unit 202 and decoder 203. Accordingly, in the analog mode, the unintentional touch of any digital- control-related button will not have any adverse effect on the displaying of the analog TV.
In the above embodiment, separate transmission lines 273, 274 and separate connectors 271 and 272 are used for transmitting digital TV signals and analog TV signals to the Set Top Box 20. Alternatively, a coaxial cable and a common signal connector can be used for transmitting digital or analog TV signals.
In another embodiment, the separate digital demodulation unit 202 and the analog demodulation unit 204 of Figure 2 are integrated in the same chip as a demodulation unit 41, and a coaxial cable 39 and a common signal connector 38 are exemplified herein instead of separate transmission lines 273, 274 and separate connectors 271 and 272, as shown in Figure 3.
The digital demodulation unit 202 and the analog demodulation unit 204 demodulate digital and analog TV signals in a manner similar to the embodiment of Fig. 2. Under the control of the micro-controller 206, a selected one of the digital analog signals and the analog TV signals is outputted by the demodulation unit 41 and transmitted to the decoder 203 or the image signal processor 205. The multi-functional Set Top Box of Figure 3 will be described hereinafter in more details with reference to the example of Figure 4. The digital demodulation unit 202 comprises of a digital TV front-end unit 2020 and a demodulator 2021. The digital TV front-end unit 2020 specifies the frequencies of the digital TV signals through band-passing and frequency-reducing operations, and then selects intermediate-frequency signals to be outputted. The demodulator 2021 receives and demodulates the medium-frequency signals so as to generate the digital data stream. The decoder 203 has a control unit 2030 and the micro-controller 206 has a controller host 2060. The control unit 2030 and the controller host 2060 are coupled to a multiplexer 2061 via respective buses 30 and 3 1, and are communicable with the digital TV front-end unit 2020 and demodulator 2021 via a bus 32. The buses 30, 31 and 32, for example, can be Inter-IC Buses (IIC Bus).
The multiplexer 2061 is disposed outside the main part of the microcontroller 206, i.e. the controller host 2060. In the digital mode, the controller host 2060 communicates with the decoder 203 to have the control unit 2030 of the decoder 203 serve as a master. Meanwhile, the controller host 2060 has the multiplexer 2061 output the control signal from the control unit 2030 instead of the control signal from the controller host 2060 itself. Under this circumstance, the analog demodulation unit 204 is disabled and enters a sleeping and power-saving state, and only the digital TV signals can be processed by the image signal processor 205. On the other hand, in the analog mode, the controller host 2060 serves as the master in lieu of the control unit 2030. The digital demodulation unit 202 is disabled by the controller host 2060 and enters a sleeping and power-saving state. Meanwhile, the controller host 2060 has the multiplexer 2061 blocks the control signal from the control unit 2030 and allows the control signal from the controller host 2060 to be outputted. Under this circumstance, only the analog TV signals can be processed by the image signal processor 205.
It is understood that the circuitry of the functional blocks as illustrated in Figure 4 can also be applied to implement the embodiment of Figure 2 with reasonable minor modifications.
The decoder 203, for example, can be a MPEG2 decoder and the digital data stream received thereby can be a transport stream. The image signal processor can be implemented with well known devices complying with various specifications for display such as D-sub, DVI, LVDS, CVBS, RGB, SVIDEO, YPbPr, YcbCr and HDMI. The displays that the present Set Top Box can be applied to can be any suitable display requiring interface of a Set Top Box.
According to the present invention, analog and digital processing functions are combined in a single Set Top Box. Accordingly, it would be easy to be operated by the user and compact for space and device allocation.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Claims (23)
1. A Set Top Box capable of working under both a digital mode and an analog mode, comprising: a housing; a digital demodulation unit disposed in said housing for demodulating a digital TV signal into a digital data stream; a decoder disposed in said housing and coupled to said digital demodulation unit for decoding said digital data stream so as to result in a first image signal; an analog demodulation unit disposed in said housing for demodulating an analog TV signal so as to result in a second image signal; an image signal processor disposed in said housing and coupled to said decoder and said analog demodulation unit for processing said first image signal or said second image signal into a display signal; and a micro-controller disposed in said housing and coupled to said digital demodulation unit, said decoder and said digital demodulation unit for controlling said first image signal to be processed by said image signal processor in the digital mode and controlling said second image signal to be processed by said image signal processor in the analog mode.
2. The Set Top Box according to claim 1 further comprising: a first signal connector disposed on and exposed from said housing for optionally receiving said digital TV signal from a digital TV signal source via a first signal transmission line, and transmitting said digital TV signal to said digital modulation unit; and a second signal connector disposed on and exposed from said housing for optionally receiving said analog TV signal from an analog TV signal source via a second signal transmission line, and transmitting said analog TV signal to said analog demodulation unit.
3. The Set Top Box according to claim I further comprising a common signal connector disposed on and exposed from said housing for receiving said digital TV signal and said analog TV signal from a digital TV signal source and an analog TV signal source, respectively, via a coaxial signal line, and transmitting said digital TV signal and said analog TV signal to said digital modulation unit and said analog demodulation unit, respectively.
4. The Set Top Box according to claim 1 wherein said digital demodulation unit comprises: a digital TV front-end unit for band-passing and reducing a frequency of said digital TV signal and then outputting an intermediatefrequency signal; and a demodulator coupled to said digital TV front-end unit for demodulating said intermediate-frequency into said digital data stream.
5. The Set Top Box according to claim 1 wherein said decoder is a MPEG2 decoder, and said first image signal is a digital image signal or an analog image signal.
6. The Set Top Box according to claim 1 wherein said micro-controller is coupled to a control interface and selectively disables said digital demodulation unit or said analog demodulation unit in response to an input of a user via said control interface.
7. The Set Top Box according to claim 6 wherein said micro-controller disables and enters said digital demodulation unit in a sleeping and power-saving state in the analog mode, thereby blocking a digital control signal asserted by said control interface in response to the user's manipulation from reaching said digital demodulation unit.
8. The Set Top Box according to claim 6 wherein said micro-controller disables and enters said analog demodulation unit in a sleeping and powersaving state in the digital mode, thereby blocking an analog control signal asserted by said control interface in response to the user's manipulation from reaching said analog demodulation unit.
9. The Set Top Box according to claim 6 wherein said control interface includes a remote controller separable from said housing andlor a button disposed on said housing.
10. The Set Top Box according to claim 1 wherein said digital demodulation unit and said analog demodulation unit are disposed in separate chips.
11. The Set Top Box according to claim 1 wherein said digital demodulation unit and said analog demodulation unit are integrated in the same chip.
12. A Set lop Box capable of working under both a digital mode and an analog mode, comprising: a housing; a demodulation unit disposed in said housing for demodulating a digital TV signal received from a digital TV signal source into a first demodulated signal in response to a first control signal, and demodulating an analog TV signal received from an analog TV signal source into a second demodulated signal in response to a second control signal; a decoder disposed in said housing for decoding said first demodulated signal; an image signal processor disposed in said housing for processing said decoded first demodulated signal or said second demodulated signal into a display signal; and a control device coupled to said demodulation unit for asserting said first control signal and said second control signal, and allowing one of said first control signal and said second control signal to be transmitted to said demodulation unit.
13. The Set Top Box according to claim 12 wherein said control device comprises: a first control unit for asserting said first control signal to said demodulation unit so as to have said first demodulated signal outputted by said demodulation unit in the digital mode; and a second control unit for asserting said second control signal so as to have said second demodulated signal outputted by said demodulation unit in the analog mode.
14. The Set Top Box according to claim 13 wherein said first control unit is integrated into said decoder.
15. The Set Top Box according to claim 13 wherein said second control unit is a micro-controller, and said micro-controller comprises a multiplexer controlled by said micro-controller to select one of said first control signal and said second control signal to be outputted and block the other one.
16. The Set Top Box according to claim 15 wherein said micro-controller is coupled to a control interface manipulated by a user to select the digital mode or the analog mode.
17. The Set Top Box according to claim 16 wherein said micro-controller blocks any digital control signal asserted by said control interface in response to the user's manipulation from reaching said demodulation unit in the analog mode, and said micro-controller blocks any analog control signal asserted by said control interface in response to the user's manipulation from reaching said demodulation unit in the digital mode.
18. The Set Top Box according to claim 16 wherein said control interface includes a remote controller separable from said housing and/or a button disposed on said housing.
19. The Set Top Box according to claim 12 wherein said demodulation unit comprises a digital demodulation unit and an analog demodulation unit, which are integrated in the same chip.
20. The Set Top Box according to claim 19 further comprising a common signal connector disposed on and exposed from said housing for receiving said digital TV signal and said analog TV signal from said digital TV signal source and said analog TV signal source, respectively, via a coaxial signal line, and transmitting said digital TV signal and said analog TV signal to said digital demodulation unit and said analog demodulation unit, respectively.
21. The Set Top Box according to claim 19 wherein said digital demodulation unit comprises: a digital TV front-end unit for band-passing and reducing a frequency of said digital TV signal and then outputting an intermediate-frequency signal; and a demodulator coupled to said digital TV front-end unit for demodulating said intermediate-frequency into said first demodulated signal.
22. The Set Top Box according to claim 19 wherein said analog demodulation unit is disabled and enters a sleeping and power-saving state in response to said first control signal, and said digital demodulation unit is disabled and enters a sleeping and power-saving state in response to said second control signal.
23. A Set Top Box capable of working under both a digital mode and an analog mode, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figs. 2, 3 and 4 as shown.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| TW094121939A TWI266533B (en) | 2005-06-29 | 2005-06-29 | Analog/digital set-top box |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB0604607D0 GB0604607D0 (en) | 2006-04-19 |
| GB2427778A true GB2427778A (en) | 2007-01-03 |
Family
ID=36241155
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0604607A Withdrawn GB2427778A (en) | 2005-06-29 | 2006-03-08 | A set-top box which can work in an analogue or digital mode |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| DE (1) | DE102006006295A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2888075B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2427778A (en) |
| TW (1) | TWI266533B (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2416566A3 (en) * | 2010-08-05 | 2012-09-05 | Thomson Licensing | Method for handling of audio/video signals and corresponding device |
| US9402062B2 (en) | 2007-07-18 | 2016-07-26 | Mediatek Inc. | Digital television chip, system and method thereof |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US8910233B2 (en) | 2008-12-22 | 2014-12-09 | Mediatek Inc. | Signal processing apparatuses capable of processing initially reproduced packets prior to buffering the initially reproduced packets |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0766462A2 (en) * | 1995-09-29 | 1997-04-02 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Receiver having analog and digital video modes and receiving method thereof |
| GB2338854A (en) * | 1998-06-26 | 1999-12-29 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Combined digital/analog broadcast TV signal processing unit |
| US6091458A (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2000-07-18 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Receiver having analog and digital video modes and receiving method thereof |
| US6108044A (en) * | 1997-04-10 | 2000-08-22 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Receiver for receiving both HDTV and NTSC and method for selecting received signals |
| US20040185813A1 (en) * | 2003-01-10 | 2004-09-23 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Receiver |
| EP1587313A2 (en) * | 2004-04-12 | 2005-10-19 | Humax Co., Ltd. | Apparatus for generating on-screen display in digital TV |
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2005
- 2005-06-29 TW TW094121939A patent/TWI266533B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
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2006
- 2006-02-10 DE DE102006006295A patent/DE102006006295A1/en not_active Ceased
- 2006-02-20 FR FR0601465A patent/FR2888075B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2006-03-08 GB GB0604607A patent/GB2427778A/en not_active Withdrawn
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| EP0766462A2 (en) * | 1995-09-29 | 1997-04-02 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Receiver having analog and digital video modes and receiving method thereof |
| US6108044A (en) * | 1997-04-10 | 2000-08-22 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Receiver for receiving both HDTV and NTSC and method for selecting received signals |
| US6091458A (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2000-07-18 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Receiver having analog and digital video modes and receiving method thereof |
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| US6501510B1 (en) * | 1998-06-26 | 2002-12-31 | Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd. | Digital/analog broadcast signal processing unit |
| US20040185813A1 (en) * | 2003-01-10 | 2004-09-23 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Receiver |
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| '26'' LCD TV' from http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/dtv_lcd26_lgb-26tpvr.asp . From 12/02/2005 see http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/dtv_lcd26_lgb-26tpvr.asp . See whole document. * |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US9402062B2 (en) | 2007-07-18 | 2016-07-26 | Mediatek Inc. | Digital television chip, system and method thereof |
| EP2416566A3 (en) * | 2010-08-05 | 2012-09-05 | Thomson Licensing | Method for handling of audio/video signals and corresponding device |
| US8769603B2 (en) | 2010-08-05 | 2014-07-01 | Thomson Licensing | Method for handling of audio/video signals and corresponding device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2888075B1 (en) | 2009-02-13 |
| FR2888075A1 (en) | 2007-01-05 |
| TW200701788A (en) | 2007-01-01 |
| GB0604607D0 (en) | 2006-04-19 |
| DE102006006295A1 (en) | 2007-01-04 |
| TWI266533B (en) | 2006-11-11 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |