JP2001044866A - Information reception method and system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To output and record a digital signal resulting from decoding a broadcast signal, while converting its bit rate. SOLUTION: A time division demultiplexer 12 demultiplexes a broadcast signal demodulated by a tuning demodulator 11 in time series and outputs the demultiplexed signal by each program, an MPEG decoder 21 extracts a decoded digital signal from this output and a color dynamic image is demultiplexed with the quality, in compliance with the MPEG2 system and outputted externally from a video audio data output terminal 14. A code converter 22 receives the digital signal, converts the bit rate of this signal into a value including an arbitrary no conversion set by a bit rate variable adjustment device 15 and the code converter 22 outputs the resulting digital data to a digital data output terminal 17. Furthermore, a built-in code storage device 23 receives the digital data from the code converter 22 and records and stores them and in the case of reproduction, the recorded digital data are given to the MPEG2 decoder 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a signal receiving method and apparatus for decoding a received broadcast signal into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal, and more particularly to converting the bit rate of the digital signal obtained by decoding the broadcast signal into an output signal. The present invention relates to a recordable signal receiving method and device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of signal receiving apparatus, a received broadcast signal is demodulated and reproduced at a received bit rate, and the video and audio signals are output.

For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-164108 and shown in FIG.
The broadcast signal input from the antenna is input to the tuner 111 of the tuner subunit 110 and is extracted as isochronous video / audio data and asynchronous control commands via the demodulator 112 by a carrier tuned to the set frequency. It is.

The demodulator 112 includes a plurality of multiplexed,
In this example, two programs each having video and audio data of two broadcast signals are used as data streams as packet streams via the two terminals respectively.
13-b, while separately outputting a control command and the like to the asynchronous signal processing unit 115. As a result, the object of being able to output each of the data streams of a plurality of programs has been achieved.

[0005]

The conventional signal receiving apparatus described above only tunes and demodulates the received broadcast signal and outputs it without converting the bit rate of digital data. There is a point.

A first problem is that digital data obtained by converting the bit rate of a received broadcast signal cannot be obtained. That is, since data with a reduced bit rate cannot be obtained from the output of the conventional signal receiving device, data cannot be recorded in a low-throughput storage device connected to the outside.

A second problem is that a received broadcast signal cannot be recorded because it has no function of storing data therein. Therefore, in the conventional signal receiving apparatus, even when a small amount of digital data is recorded from a received broadcast signal, a storage device must be provided outside.

[0008] The third problem is that the same data cannot be output by two systems. That is, since decoding is performed for each program, the same data can be output by multiple connections, but cannot be output by another system.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem and to provide a signal receiving method and apparatus capable of converting and outputting and recording a bit rate of a digital signal obtained by decoding a broadcast signal.

[0010]

According to the signal receiving method of the present invention, when a received broadcast signal is decoded into a digital signal and output, the decoded digital signal is taken out, set to an arbitrary bit rate, and output. Is to output separately. With this method, through output is performed when the same bit rate is set as the extracted digital signal, and conversion is performed when the bit rate is different.

The above-mentioned arbitrary bit rate may be set by a control signal received from the outside. Alternatively, a digital signal that has been code-converted to an arbitrary bit rate may be recorded, and the recorded digital signal may be reproduced.

The signal receiving apparatus according to the present invention has a decoder for decoding a received broadcast signal into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal. The decoder extracts the digital signal decoded by the decoder and outputs the digital signal. A code converter for setting the bit rate of the signal to an arbitrary predetermined value and outputting it as digital data. In this transcoder, when the set bit rate is the same as the bit rate of the digital signal extracted from the decoder, the data becomes a through output, and when different, the bit rate is converted.

Further, the signal receiving apparatus according to the present invention has a bit rate which can be arbitrarily set by connecting to the code converter, and sets one bit rate to be converted by the code converter to the predetermined value. A variable bit rate adjuster may be further provided. Also, the signal receiving device has at least a recording setting and a reproduction setting, receives the recording setting, takes out the digital data converted by the code converter, records and stores the data, and stores the digital data when receiving the reproduction setting. And a code storage device for sending the digital data to the decoder, receiving a bit rate set by the code converter by an external input signal, and outputting a bit of a digital signal output from the code converter. A bit rate setting circuit for setting the rate to the predetermined value may be further provided.

[0014]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the signal receiving apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a tuning demodulator 11 which is a tuner and a demodulator, a time division separator 12 which is a time division demultiplexer (TS-DMX), and a decoder compatible with a color moving picture coding system. M
A PEG2 decoder 13, a variable bit rate adjuster 15, and a transcoder 16 as a transcoder are provided.

The tuning demodulator 11 tunes, for example, a broadcast wave received from an antenna to a predetermined carrier frequency, demodulates the broadcast signal, and outputs the broadcast signal to the time division separator 12. The time-division separator 12 separates the multiplexed demodulated broadcast signal into a time series and outputs it for each program. Color moving images are separated with the quality of the MPEG2 system. In one embodiment of the television, a broadcast signal separated into a sound and a teletext in addition to a moving image is transmitted to the MPEG2 decoder 13.

On the other hand, the MPEG2 decoder 13 decodes the MPEG2 color moving picture in the same manner as in the prior art, and sends the decoded picture to the television (TV) display device via the video / audio data output terminal 14 together with the sound. At this time, the bit rate of the data output from the video / audio data output terminal 14 is the same as the bit rate of the broadcast signal received by the tuning demodulator 11.

On the other hand, the MPEG2 decoder 13 outputs a data output including a video to the code converter 16. The variable bit rate adjuster 15 is set to switch to the bit rate output from the code converter 16 by an electric signal. The code converter 16 converts the signal received from the MPEG2 decoder 13 into a bit rate set by the variable bit rate adjuster 15 and converts the signal into a digital data output terminal 17.
Output to outside via.

Since the bit rate handled by the variable bit rate adjuster 15 includes the same non-conversion as the bit rate input to the code converter 16, the video / audio data output terminal 1
4 can be output to the outside from the digital data output terminal 17 by two systems.

As the bit rate conversion, for example, when an HDTV broadcast signal on a high-definition television is received, it is converted to a lower bit rate of an SDTV broadcast signal on a standard definition television. The number, that is, the data amount can be reduced. Therefore, even a TV display device for an SDTV broadcast signal can be received using the digital data output terminal. Also,
Even for storage devices with low throughput, by converting at a low bit rate set to a predetermined value,
The received broadcast signal can be recorded using the digital data output terminal.

Next, a signal receiving apparatus in which a code storage device 23 as a storage device is added to the configuration of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The components shown in FIG. 2 have the same functions as the components of the same name described in FIG. 1 except for the following differences, and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 2 differs from FIG. 1 in the following points. That is, the MPEG2 decoder 21 receives a signal from one of the time-division separator 12 and the code storage device 23 and sends the signal to the video / audio data output terminal 14 and the code converter 22 as a decoded signal. The code converter 22 receives the MPE according to the setting received from the variable bit rate adjuster 15.
The bit rate of the decoded signal received from the G2 decoder 21 is converted to the digital data output terminal 17 and the code storage device 2.
3 Further, the code storage device 23 includes the code converter 2
2 is recorded, and at the time of reproduction, the recorded data is sent to the MPEG2 decoder 21.

Accordingly, the code storage device 23 records the data at the same bit rate as the output data from the digital data output terminal 17 while simultaneously recording the recorded data in the MPEG format.
2 can be output to the decoder 21 and reproduced. Also,
As described above, the code converter 22 can arbitrarily adjust the bit rate based on the set predetermined value. Therefore, the code storage device 23 outputs the same data without conversion when output from the video / audio data output terminal 14. Can also be recorded.

MPEG2 decoder 21 and code converter 2
Although FIG. 2 is illustrated and described as different from FIG. 1, the same components as those in FIG. 1 can be used for each of the input and output by using a double connection or a changeover switch.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a description will be given of a signal receiving apparatus in which a bit rate input terminal 31 is added to the configuration of FIG. 1 and a bit rate setting circuit 32 is provided instead of the variable bit rate adjuster. The components shown in FIG. 3 have the same functions as the components of the same name described in FIG. 1 except for the following differences, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The configuration of FIG. 3 is different from that of FIG. 1 in the following points. That is, the bit rate setting circuit 32 sets a predetermined value of the code converter 16 by one bit rate input from the outside via the bit rate input terminal 31,
The code converter 16 converts the output bit rate to this predetermined value.

Accordingly, an external device is connected to the signal receiving apparatus according to the present embodiment, and a bit rate output from the external device to the external device or the storage device by the code converter is input to the signal receiving device. Can be arbitrarily set from outside.

In the above description, the code storage device and the bit rate setting circuit have been described with reference to the drawings.
Of course, these components may be used in combination. Also, it has been described that the input is received from the antenna, but other transmission means may be used. As described above, the functional blocks are illustrated in the above description, but the block configuration based on the division and merging of the functions is free as long as the above functions are satisfied, and the above description does not limit the present invention.

[0029]

As described above, according to the signal receiving method and apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effect that the bit rate of a digital signal obtained by decoding a broadcast signal can be converted, output, and recorded.

The reason is that the code converter converts the audio / video data to be output to the TV display device obtained by decoding the broadcast signal with the MPEG2 decoder to a bit rate set to an arbitrary predetermined value and outputs the data as digital data. In addition, a code storage device for recording and storing the digital data is built in.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment in which a code storage device is added to the configuration of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment in which an input terminal for setting externally is added to the configuration of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 11 Tuned demodulator (tuner & demodulator) 12 Time division separator (TS-DMX) 13, 21 MPEG2 decoder (MPEG2 decoder) 14 Video / audio data output terminal 15 Bit rate variable adjuster 16, 22 Code converter (Transcoder) 17) Digital data output terminal 23 Code storage device (storage device) 31 Bit rate input terminal 32 Bit rate setting circuit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 7/01 H04N 5/92 HF term (Reference) 5C025 AA30 BA18 BA27 DA01 5C053 FA20 FA27 GB17 GB38 KA01 KA08 KA26 5C063 AA20 AB03 AB07 AC01 BA06 CA34 CA40 5J064 AA05 BA01 BB10 BC01 BC02 BC25 BD02 5K061 BB06 BB07 BB17 BB19 CC00 CC45 JJ00 JJ07

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A signal receiving method for decoding a received broadcast signal into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal, decoding the broadcast signal, extracting a digital signal from the decoded signal, setting an arbitrary bit rate, and setting the bit rate separately from the output. A signal receiving method characterized by outputting to the outside. 2. The signal receiving method according to claim 1, wherein an arbitrary bit rate is set based on an input signal received from outside. 3. The signal receiving method according to claim 1, wherein a digital signal set to an arbitrary bit rate is recorded, and the recorded digital signal is reproduced. 4. A signal receiving apparatus having a decoder for decoding a received broadcast signal into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal, extracting the digital signal decoded by the decoder, and setting a bit rate of the extracted digital signal to an arbitrary value. A code converter for setting a predetermined value and outputting the digital data as digital data. 5. The variable bit rate according to claim 4, wherein the bit rate is arbitrarily set by being connected to the code converter, and one bit rate converted by the code converter is set to the predetermined value. A signal receiving device further comprising a regulator. 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein at least a recording setting and a reproduction setting are received, and when the recording setting is received, the digital data converted by the code converter is taken out, recorded and stored, and the reproduction setting is received. , Further comprising a code storage device for sending the stored digital data to the decoder. 7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the bit rate set by the code converter is received by an external input signal.
A signal receiving apparatus further comprising a bit rate setting circuit that sets the bit rate of the digital signal output from the code converter to the predetermined value.