JP2001197394A - Transmitter and receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display the program guides of broadcast services which are always updated to be the latest in a receiver which can receive the plural broadcast services. SOLUTION: Separation means separating only additional information comprising information on a program and a program guide screen generation means generating the program guide screens of the broadcast services from information on the program separated by the separation means are installed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiver and a digital broadcast service system, and more particularly to a program guide display in a receiver capable of receiving digital broadcast services of a plurality of transmission systems and a program for a specific receiver. And a broadcast service system that allows the receiving side to identify.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a shift from a conventional analog system to a digital system in television, audio and data broadcasting has been promoted worldwide. This is based on image compression technology and L
This is due to the advancement of SI technology, etc., which can provide more broadcast programs in a limited frequency band and make effective use of frequency. It is.

In Japan, CS broadcasting is being shifted to digital broadcasting, followed by BS, terrestrial broadcasting, and cable broadcasting. In the future, all current analog broadcasting will be changed to digital broadcasting. Will be converted.

As described above, when CS, BS, terrestrial broadcasting, and cable broadcasting are all shifted to digital systems, it is desired that one receiver can receive a plurality of broadcasting services. This is very meaningful for the viewer because there is no need to purchase a receiver corresponding to each of the plurality of broadcast services. Further, in the above-mentioned broadcasting service, although the transmission line coding technology such as the modulation method and the error correction method is different, the information source coding technology (information compression technology) such as the image compression technology and the audio compression technology is shared. Therefore, by supporting the reception of multiple broadcasting services, there are many parts where the circuit components of the receiver can be shared, and the price is reduced compared to purchasing each receiver for multiple broadcasting services Is done.

[0005] Such a receiver that meets the demand is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-257448.

[0006]

The digital broadcast receiver according to the first invention disclosed in the above publication is an input processing circuit for a receiver capable of receiving both a terrestrial broadcast service and a satellite broadcast service. By selecting one of the broadcast services processed by the above and inputting to the separation circuit, a plurality of broadcast services can be received and a program guide of the selected broadcast service is displayed. ing.

As described above, the digitization of broadcasting greatly increases the number of channels as compared with the analog system.
For example, CS digital broadcasting, which is currently provided as a broadcasting service, provides programs of 100 channels or more. In a receiver capable of receiving a plurality of such multi-channel broadcasting services, display of a program guide is indispensable in order to efficiently search for a program desired to be viewed.

[0008] In general, a user of a receiver sometimes performs an operation of superimposing and displaying a program guide on a video while watching a currently viewed program, and searching for a program to be viewed next. Further, in a broadcast program, a broadcast time or a program content may be changed frequently, such as a sport, a live broadcast of the Diet, and a special program.

However, in the digital broadcast receiver having the configuration disclosed in the above publication, the program guide of the broadcast service for decoding video / audio can always be updated and displayed to the latest content. The program guide can be displayed in a broadcasting service that does not perform the setting, but is not updated to the latest content. For this reason, there is a first problem that the usability of the user deteriorates because it is not possible to cope with the change in the broadcast time or the program content as described above.

A first object of the present invention is to solve the first problem described above, and to provide a receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services, wherein the program guide of each broadcast service is always updated to the latest. To provide a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services.

A digital broadcast receiver according to the second invention disclosed in the above publication is a receiver capable of receiving both a terrestrial broadcast service and a satellite broadcast service. Is also displayed in a unified manner by integrally managing a single table.

Certainly, in a receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services, the fact that the program guide information of a plurality of services can be integratedly managed and displayed in a common manner as described in the above-mentioned publication improves the usability for receiver users. Can be achieved. Furthermore, in order to make it easy to find a favorite program from among programs having more than 100 channels, it is possible to more efficiently find a program by using a search technique such as a genre-based search.

However, in the digital broadcast receiver having the configuration disclosed in the above publication, although the program guide information of a plurality of broadcast services can be integratedly managed and displayed in common, the program guide information is changed to the program guide information as described above. In the case of the broadcast service, only the program guide information of the broadcast service that decodes the video / audio is updated. In the broadcast service that does not decode the video / audio, until the next video / audio is decoded, Because the old information before the change is not updated,
There is a second problem that the usability of the user deteriorates.

[0014] A second object of the present invention is to solve the above second problem, and to provide a receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services, in which a program guide of a plurality of broadcast services is displayed in common. Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services, in which the contents of all program guides are constantly updated and displayed.

On the other hand, to each digital broadcasting service in the above publication, SI (Service Information: program arrangement information) which is additional data information is transmitted together with the video / audio data information. For example, in CS digital broadcasting in which services are currently provided, SIs are generated and transmitted by a platform operator under centralized management. Therefore, all the program guide information is transmitted by a certain transponder, and by receiving the transponder, it is possible to obtain all the program guide information of the CS digital broadcast.

As described above, in CS digital broadcasting, a certain 1
Since information about all services and the like is sent to the TS (Transport Stream) of one transponder as SI,
All service information can be stably provided to the viewer.

[0017] By the way, as a broadcasting service to be studied in the future, there is a possibility that a service that does not use a system such as the CS digital broadcasting in which a platform operator collectively manages and transmits SI will be put into practical use. . In other words, the broadcast service does not simultaneously transmit, as SI, information on all services having the same contents to each transponder in the case of satellite broadcasting and to each TS (Transport Stream) of each transmission channel in the case of terrestrial broadcasting.

[0018] However, when such a broadcasting service of the broadcasting system is received by the digital broadcasting receiver having the configuration disclosed in the above publication, the program guide information of the receiving transmission channel (or the broadcasting guide information of some limited broadcasting stations). Program guide information)
There is a third problem that only the information can be acquired and displayed, and the usability of the user deteriorates.

A third object of the present invention is to solve the above third problem and provide a receiver for receiving a broadcast service that does not implement a broadcast system for transmitting all program guide information on all transmission channels. Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcast receiver capable of displaying program guide information of all transmission channels.

[0020]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receiver capable of receiving broadcast services of a plurality of transmission schemes. Separation means for respectively separating video information, audio information, and additional information including information on a program from a broadcast service which desires to decode any of the information, and a broadcast service which is different from the broadcast service which desires to decode the information. ,
A separating means for separating only additional information including information on a program, and a program guide screen generating means for generating a program guide screen for each broadcast service from information on the program separated by each of the separating means. I made it.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receiver capable of receiving a broadcast service of a plurality of transmission schemes, wherein the receiver receives any one of video information, audio information and video / audio information. Separation means for separating video information, audio information, and additional information including information related to a program from a broadcast service desired to be decoded, and information related to a program from a broadcast service different from the broadcast service desired to decode the information. Separating means for separating only the additional information, format commonizing means for extracting only common contents from information relating to the programs separated by the respective separating means and converting the same into the same format, and format commonizing means And a program guide screen generating means for generating a shared program guide screen for the plurality of broadcast services from the information obtained in (1). It was.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a broadcast service for transmitting a plurality of multiplex streams in which video information, audio information and additional information including program information are multiplexed. A tuner that selects and detects a frequency band for transmitting the stream from the broadcast service in a receiver that receives a broadcast service of a method that does not include information about all programs in the broadcast service in the information on the program in the stream. Means, a transmission line decoding means for performing demodulation and error correction processing on the signal selected and detected by the tuner means, and decoding the stream, and a program related to the stream program decoded by the transmission path decoding means. Separating means for separating only additional information including information, and a tuner for obtaining information on all programs in the broadcast service. Na means, said transmission path decoding means and,
Control means for controlling the separating means, and program guide screen synthesizing and generating means for synthesizing a program guide from information on all programs in the broadcast service separated by the separating means and generating a program guide screen in the same format Was provided.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

(First Embodiment) Hereinafter, FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described.
The first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiver according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the internal configuration of a receiving apparatus capable of receiving broadcast service A and broadcast service B. In general, when the broadcasting service is different, especially when the transmission path is different, a transmission method (RF / IF frequency, modulation method, error correction method, etc.) suitable for the characteristics of each transmission path is used. In many cases, the transmission methods are different.
For this reason, it is often difficult to share a tuner, a transmission line decoding unit that performs demodulation, and an error correction process, and it is necessary to individually provide each.

In FIG. 1, a broadcast service A (not shown)
The received signal A100a from the receiving antenna is input to the broadcast service A tuner 101a. When a program of the broadcast service A is selected from the broadcast service A and the broadcast service B by a remote controller or the like (not shown), the tuner 101a for the broadcast service A selects the selected program, performs a detection process, and Output of the broadcast service A
Is supplied to the transmission line decoding unit 102a for transmission. The transmission path decoding unit 102a for the broadcast service A performs digital demodulation and error correction processing, and the output after the processing is supplied to the input terminal A of the 2-input 2-output selection unit 103.

On the other hand, a received signal B100b from a broadcast service B receiving antenna (not shown)
Input to the tuner 101b. When a program of the broadcast service B is selected from the broadcast service A and the broadcast service B by a remote controller or the like (not shown), the tuner 101b for the broadcast service B selects the selected program, performs a detection process, and Is supplied to the transmission path decoding unit 102b for the broadcast service B. The transmission path decoding unit 102b for broadcast service B performs digital demodulation and error correction processing, and outputs the processed data to the input terminal B of the selection unit 103.
Supplied to

The selection unit 103 has a configuration of a two-input two-output selection switch. When the input terminal A is connected to the output terminal A,
The input terminal B is connected to the output terminal B, or the input terminal A
Is connected to the output terminal B, whether the input terminal B is connected to the output terminal A is switched and controlled by a control signal from the control unit 111.

The output from the output terminal A of the selector 103 is supplied to a descrambler 104 for conditional access processing.

The output from the output terminal B of the selector 103 is supplied to an additional data separator 106.

The selection unit 103 performs a switching selection operation according to a control signal from the control unit 111. Specifically, of the two inputs, an input signal by which a user selects viewing of video / audio is selected. So that it is supplied to the descrambling unit 104,
An input signal that does not select video / audio viewing is controlled to be supplied to the additional data separation unit 106.

The descrambling unit 104 performs no processing when the scramble processing is not performed on the transmitting side, and performs descrambling processing when the scramble processing is performed on the transmitting side. The necessary key information is received from the control unit 111 and descramble processing is performed.
The output after the processing is supplied to the demultiplexer unit 105. The descrambling unit 104 basically performs descrambling processing only on programs selected by the user using the remote control unit 112 and the like, and descrambling processing on programs and control information that are not selected. Do not apply.

The demultiplexer 105 is connected to the selector 10
3 is subjected to a separation process into video / audio data information, program guide information, and conditional access information designated by the control unit 111. The program guide information and the conditional access information are stored in a RAM (Random A
ccess memory) unit 114, and the video / audio data information is transferred to the MPEG A / V decoder 107.
Supplied to

On the other hand, additional data separating section 106 performs a process of separating program guide information specified by control section 111 on the input signal from selecting section 103. The program guide information is taken into a dedicated area of the RAM unit 114 under the control of the control unit 111.

This additional data is always obtained by monitoring whether or not the obtained data has changed, and when the data has changed, obtaining the additional data.

In the MPEG A / V decoder 107, one program is finally decoded, and one of a plurality of multiplexed programs is selected by the remote controller 112 or the like which is an interface from the user. The control is performed by the control unit 111 controlling the demultiplexer unit 105 in response to a request. That is, the demultiplexer unit 105 outputs only the TS packet of the video / audio data information of the program selected by the user to the subsequent MPEG A / V decoder 107, and ignores the video and audio packets of other programs.

The selected video and audio data information is
A decoding process is performed by the MPEG A / V decoder 107, and the signal is converted into an original decoded video signal and a decoded audio signal 120.

The MPEGA / V decoding LSI has an R for buffering data for decoding.
The AM unit 108 is connected.

The decoded video signal decoded by the MPEG A / V decoder 107 is supplied to one input terminal of the mixing unit 110. The OSD unit 109 includes the control unit 11
The control unit 1 generates a menu or a program guide from the program guide information of the broadcast service A or the broadcast service B read from the RAM unit 114, and generates the menu and the program guide.
Is supplied to the other input terminal. The mixing unit 110 performs an on-screen (OSD) display in which the signal supplied from the OSD unit 109 is superimposed on the decoded video signal and output.
21 is output. When there is no need to display the OSD, the OSD unit 109 outputs the output of the mixing unit 110 to the MPD.
A signal that becomes the output itself of the EG A / V decoder 107 is output.

The video signal 121 and the decoded audio signal 120
Is converted into an analog signal by a D / A converter (not shown), supplied to a television or the like (not shown), and is displayed and reproduced. The control unit 111 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) unit 11 for storing codes of control software.
3 and a RAM unit 1 for temporarily storing various data
14 are connected.

The remote control light receiving section 112 is a remote control receiving terminal for receiving operation settings from a user using a remote control (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows a specific example of keys on the remote controller 200a used to operate the receiver in FIG. The remote control 200a is used for selecting a menu, selecting and determining when an option is displayed on the on-screen display, in addition to selecting a program.

In FIG. 2, a “power” key 201 is for turning on / off the power of the receiver, a “menu” key 202 is for displaying a menu,
A "cursor" key 203 is used to move a cursor displayed on the on-screen screen in the up, down, left, and right directions. A "select" key 204 in the middle is used to select a program on the program guide or to display a menu. The “ten” key 205 is used to select / determine an item in, and to select a channel by directly inputting a channel number. In addition to the above keys, "EPG (Electronic Progr
am Guide) key is normally provided, but in the present embodiment, this "EPG" key is provided for a plurality of broadcast services. That is, the “EPG1” key 206 and the “EPG
2 "key 207. For example, the “EPG1” key 20
Reference numeral 6 is for displaying a program guide of the broadcast service A in FIG. 1, and an “EPG2” key 207 is for displaying a program guide of the broadcast service B.

With the above keys, the pressed key information is
The signal is sent from the remote control 200a to the remote control light receiving unit 112 in FIG.
Transferred to Even without using a remote control, by providing a button having the same function as a remote control key on the receiver body, or by providing a dedicated interface (not shown) on the receiver so that it can communicate with the control unit 111, It is also possible to control by sending a command equivalent to a key signal of a remote controller from an external personal computer.

When the remote controller 200a is used, for example, when the "EPG1" key 206 is pressed even when the video of the broadcast service program of either the broadcast service A or the broadcast service B is decoded and displayed. The program guide of the broadcast service A is displayed on the video display of the broadcast service by OSD display. When the “EPG2” key 207 is pressed, the OSD is displayed on the video display of the broadcast service.
The display causes the program guide of the broadcast service B to be displayed.

As described above, regardless of which broadcast service among the plurality of broadcast services is being received and viewed, the latest program guide of each of the plurality of broadcast services is displayed on the viewing screen by the OS.
D can be displayed. For this reason, for example, while viewing the program of the broadcast service A that the user is currently viewing, the program guide of the broadcast service A or the broadcast service B is superimposed and displayed on the video, and the next program to be watched is searched for. Operations can be performed.

Further, in order to make the program guide of this embodiment easier to use, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, as shown in FIG. "," Performers "and so on.
As shown in FIG. 3A, in the horizontal direction, horizontal reading can be performed for each channel (broadcasting station), and in the vertical direction, vertical reading can be performed in time frame units. The bold shade of channel C at 21:00 to 22:00 in FIG. 3A moves up, down, left, and right by operating the “cursor” key 203 on the remote controller 200a. Then, when the user selects a program within the time range of the current time by bringing the desired program with a thick frame and pressing the "select" key 204 on the remote controller 200a, program selection / display is performed. When a program in a time range other than the current time (in the future) is selected, for example, although not shown, a confirmation message as to whether or not to make a reservation appears and the reservation can be made. Further, when the right arrow key is pressed once using the “cursor” key 203 at the position of the thick frame in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the bold hatching moves in the right and left direction, and information that is not displayed on the screen of FIG.
That is, the information of the channel D is displayed. That is, horizontal reading can be performed for each channel (broadcasting station). Further, when the down arrow key is pressed once using the “cursor” key 203 at the position of the thick frame hatching in FIG. 3B, the thick frame hatching extends vertically downward as shown in FIG. Move,
Information that is not displayed on the screen of FIG. 3B, that is, information between 22:00 and 23:00, is displayed. That is, vertical reading can be performed in units of time frames. In this display, the cursor display is indicated by a thick frame, but any display method may be used as long as the color is changed, the highlight is displayed, or the designated portion is known.

In the receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services having the configuration of the present embodiment, the program guide information and the limited reception information of the broadcast service that decodes the video / audio are always demultiplexed by the demultiplexer unit 105. An additional data separating unit 106 is provided for monitoring the change of the additional data, acquiring the updated data, updating the data, and separately separating the additional data of the program guide information of the broadcast service that does not decode the video / audio. By constantly monitoring changes in additional data and acquiring and updating data when changes occur,
Regardless of which broadcast service the user is viewing, the additional information of the latest program guide information of both the broadcast service A and the broadcast service B can always be obtained. That is, both the latest program guides can be displayed at all times, and in particular, it is possible to quickly respond to a service change, thereby improving the usability of the user.

The additional data separation unit 1 in the above description
In the operation 06, the change of the additional data is constantly monitored, and when the change occurs, the additional data is acquired and the data is updated.
If the sending side of the additional data is sent at a fixed interval, the monitoring is not performed constantly, but is performed at the sending interval of the additional data information on the sending side. Update may be performed. By doing so, it is possible to frequently turn on / off the power of each block of the tuner, the transmission line combining unit, and the additional data separation unit 106, which does not decode the video / audio, and reduce the power consumption of the receiver. Power can be achieved.
Also, as described above, even if the sending side of the additional data is not sent at a certain fixed interval on the transmitting side, monitoring is performed at a certain periodic interval so that the usability of the user is not deteriorated, and acquired when it changes. Updating the data in this way also makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the receiver.

In the configuration of the above embodiment of the present invention, a tuner for processing a broadcast service signal to be switched and selected by the selection unit 103 and supplied to the additional data separation unit 106, and a transmission path decoding unit Must be controlled by the control unit 111 so that processing such as channel selection, detection, demodulation, and error correction can be performed on a channel on which the additional data is transmitted so that the additional data can always be obtained. Needless to say.

Further, in the configuration of the present embodiment,
For the sake of simplicity, the configuration was such that a plurality of broadcast services of broadcast service A and broadcast service B were received, but the same can be realized, for example, by adding one broadcast service and enabling three broadcast services to be received. It is possible. However, at this time, the selection unit 103 is changed to three inputs and three outputs, and the input unit added to the selection unit 103 is a tuner and a transmission line demultiplexing unit, and the added output unit is one additional data decoding unit. Needless to say, it can be easily realized by adding the system components. Further, the remote controller 200a
An "EPG3" key for displaying a program guide of an additional broadcast service is additionally provided in the above-mentioned method.

Further, "EPG1" key, "EPG2"
The key and the "EPG3" key are released to the user as to which broadcast service is to be allocated to the user, so that the user can determine the key allocation, thereby further improving the usability.

Next, a specific example of keys of another remote controller 200b in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. FIG.
And the "power" key 201, the "menu" key 202, the "cursor" key 203, the "select" key 204, and the "ten" key 205 are the same.
The same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted, and the other keys, that is, an “EPG” key 208 and a “broadcast service switching” key 209 will be described. An “EPG” key 208 is a key for displaying a program guide. The “broadcast service switching” key 209 is a key for performing an operation of the broadcast service B on the remote controller 200b.

More specifically, in the initial state, the “EPG” key 208 on the remote controller 200 b
Only the program guide display is possible. In order to display the program guide of the broadcasting service B, it is possible to press the “broadcast service switching” key 209 to turn on the switching, and then press the “EPG” key 208. In this operation,
When the “broadcast service switch” key 209 is pressed to switch on the OSD, the OSD is easily recognized by the user so that the user can easily recognize the switch.
Usability is further improved by displaying the information on the screen by a display or the like. When the “broadcast service switching” key 209 is pressed again and the “broadcast service switching” key 209 is pressed to turn the switching on, the switching is turned off. In this operation, the user can be recognized by turning off the OSD display. Further, a “broadcast service switching” key 209
After the switch is turned on and the switch is turned on, a period such as an internal counter is counted, and if there is no key input during that time, the switch is automatically turned off, thereby further improving usability. The use of such a remote controller 200b is effective when, for example, the broadcast service A is a general broadcast service and a CM-inserted program is a free broadcast, and the broadcast service B is a specialized broadcast service and a pay broadcast.

In the above embodiment, a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services without a display means and a recording means has been described. It is needless to say that the present invention can be easily applied to a digital broadcast compatible recording device having the means.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiver according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The overall configuration of this embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except that a format sharing unit 115 is inserted between the control unit 111 and the OSD unit 109. Since the configuration other than this portion is the same as that of FIG. 1 and the operation is the same, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
5. Only the part configured by the control unit 111 and the OSD unit 109 will be described.

Generally, the data format of the program guide information is unique to each broadcasting service, but the contents of the information are similar.

In FIG. 5, the format sharing unit 11
The program guide information 5 is read by the demultiplexer unit 105 and the additional data separation unit 106 under the control of the control unit 111 in the program guide information in the additional data fetched into the dedicated area of the RAM unit 114, respectively. Are extracted, and the common program guide information is generated in accordance with the format having the larger amount of information among the extracted information, and is supplied to the OSD unit 109. The OSD unit 109 generates a shared program guide from the shared program guide information from the format sharing unit 115 under the control of the control unit 111 and supplies the same to the other input terminal of the mixing unit 110. OSD
The control unit 111 controls the RAM unit 11
It is also possible to generate the respective program guides from the program guide information of the broadcast service A or the broadcast service B read from 4 and supply them to the other input terminal of the mixing unit 110.

More specifically, for example, it is assumed that the contents of the program guide information in the broadcast service A are a program name, a cast, a start time, an end time, and attributes. On the other hand, it is assumed that the contents of the program guide information in the broadcast service B are a program name, program contents, a start time, and an end time. At this time, the format sharing unit 115 takes the AND of the contents of the program guide information of the broadcast service A and the broadcast service B and extracts the program name, start time, and end time. Then, the program name, start time,
A common program guide information is generated by standardizing the format according to the standard having the larger information amount of the end time.

As a specific example of the format of the common program guide, in the format shown in FIG. 3 in the first embodiment, “program contents” and “performers”
Is deleted. FIG. 3 has already been described above, and is omitted here.

FIG. 6 shows a specific example of keys of remote controller 200c used for operating the receiver in the present embodiment. The remote controller 200c shown in FIG.
"Common EPG" key 210 on remote control 200a
Is added, and a “common EPG” key 21
Since the configuration other than 0 is the same and the operation is the same, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. The "common EPG" key 210 is for performing the above-mentioned common program guide display.

By using the remote controller 200c, for example, when the "EPG1" key 206 is pressed when the video of the broadcast service program of either the broadcast service A or the broadcast service B is decoded and displayed. The program guide of the broadcast service A is displayed on the video display of the broadcast service by OSD display. When the “EPG2” key 207 is pressed, the OSD is displayed on the video display of the broadcast service.
The display shows the program guide of the broadcast service B.
Further, when the “common EPG” key 210 is pressed, a common program guide of the broadcast service A and the broadcast service B is displayed on the video display of the broadcast service by OSD display.

In this way, regardless of which broadcast service among the plurality of broadcast services is being received and viewed, it is possible to OSD display each of the plurality of broadcast services or the latest standardized program guide on the viewing screen. . For this reason, for example, the broadcast service A which the user is currently viewing
While watching the program, the broadcast service A or the broadcast service B or the program guide shared by the broadcast service A and the broadcast service B is superimposed and displayed on the video, and an operation of searching for a program to be viewed next is performed. be able to. In addition, at this time, even if the broadcast time changes, it is possible to quickly respond to the change, so that the display screen information of the program guide is always reliable for the user, and the usability is improved. Can be

In the format commoning section 115 of the present embodiment, the contents of the program guide information of the broadcasting service A and the broadcasting service B are ANDed to make them common. Needless to say, it is good. At this time, it is necessary to perform blank processing on the display that does not include information, and the amount of information is considerably increased, so that a display method needs to be devised.

In the configuration of the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, a configuration is adopted in which a plurality of broadcast services of broadcast service A and broadcast service B are received. The same thing can be realized even if the three services can be received. However, at this time, the selection unit 103 is changed to three inputs and three outputs, and the input unit added to the selection unit 103 is a tuner and a transmission line demultiplexing unit, and the added output unit is one additional data decoding unit. Needless to say, it can be easily realized by adding the system components. Further, the “EPG” for displaying the program guide of the additional broadcasting service on the remote controller 200c.
The 3 key is additionally provided, for example.

Further, "EPG1" key, "EPG2"
The key and the "EPG3" key are released to the user as to which broadcast service is to be allocated to the user, so that the user can determine the key allocation, thereby further improving the usability.

There are two types of broadcasting services, a specialized broadcasting service that broadcasts only specialized programs of the same genre on a channel basis all day, and a seasonal broadcasting service such as the current analog terrestrial broadcasting. There is a general broadcasting service which is a service form for broadcasting various programs depending on day, time, and the like. In general, the program guide of a specialized broadcast service and the program guide of a general broadcast service often differ greatly in content and configuration.

In this embodiment, a plurality of broadcast services to be inputted are different from the above-mentioned broadcast services, that is,
When a plurality of specialized broadcast services and a plurality of general broadcast services are provided, even if the common program guide information is generated, the user may not be able to see the information and the usability may deteriorate.

Therefore, the receiver knows whether the input broadcast service is a specialized broadcast service or a general broadcast service.
This problem is solved by controlling the operation of the format sharing unit 115 by the control unit 111 so that the shared program guide information is generated only between broadcasting services of the same form. The method of generating this common program guide information is as follows.
It is possible to use the technique described above.

At this time, in the remote controller 200c,
Instead of the "common EPG" key 210, "common EPG"
1) key and "common EPG2" key, one of which is assigned to display a common program guide of a specialized broadcast service and the other is assigned to display a common program guide of a general broadcast service.
This can be dealt with by adding “EPG” keys by the number of broadcast services to be input.

In the above embodiment, a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services without a display means and a recording means has been described. It is needless to say that the present invention can be easily applied to a digital broadcast compatible recording device having the means.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiver according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The overall configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment shown in FIG.
4. Demultiplexer 105, additional data separator 10
6, MPEG A / V decoder unit 107, RAM unit 10
8, the parts composed of the OSD unit 109, the mixing unit 110, the control unit 111, the remote control unit 112, the ROM unit 113, and the RAM unit 114 are the same, and the operation is also the same. And the explanation is omitted.
Only the part configured by the tuner 101c, the tuner 101d, the transmission path decoding unit 102c, and the transmission path decoding unit 102d will be described.

In FIG. 7, a broadcast service C (not shown)
The received signal C100c from the receiving antenna is input to the broadcast service C tuner 101c and the broadcast service C tuner 101d. Tuner 1 for broadcasting service C
01c selects a program selected by the remote controller 112 or the like, performs a detection process, and outputs the processed output to the broadcast service C transmission path decoding unit 102c. The transmission path decoding unit 102c for broadcast service C performs digital demodulation and
The output after performing the error correction processing is supplied to the descrambler 104.

The tuner 101d for the broadcast service C is controlled by the control unit 111 to select a program and perform a detection process.
The output after the processing is transmitted to the transmission path decoding unit 10 for the broadcast service C.
2d. Transmission path decoding unit 1 for broadcast service C
02d is subjected to digital demodulation and error correction processing, and the output after the processing is supplied to the additional data separation unit 106.

In the present embodiment, broadcast service C
Is a broadcasting service that does not implement a broadcasting method of transmitting all program guide information on all transmission channels. At this time, the tuner 101c and the transmission path decoding unit 1
02c is controlled by the control unit 111 so as to always decode the video / audio of the desired channel selected by the user using a remote controller or the like, and performs channel selection, detection, demodulation, error correction processing, and the like. The result is supplied to the descrambling unit 104 at the subsequent stage.

On the other hand, the tuner 101d, the transmission path decoding unit 102d, and the additional data separating unit 106
1, the additional data information such as the program arrangement information in the SI in the broadcast service C is acquired for all channels or several broadcast channels at a predetermined cycle interval such as the transmission cycle of the additional data information from the transmission side. And RA
The control unit 111
And performs channel selection, detection, demodulation, error correction processing, and additional data separation processing.

That is, in the configuration of the present embodiment, an independent tuner 101d dedicated to acquiring additional data, a transmission line decoding unit 102d, and an additional data separating unit 106 are provided. For this reason, independent acquisition of additional data can be performed independently of video / audio decoding, and under the control of the control unit 111, it is possible to acquire additional data information while scanning each channel. It becomes possible. The acquired data is stored in the RAM unit 114 and the control unit 1
11, format commoner 115, OSD 109,
The on-screen display unit including the mixing unit 110 combines the program guides of the respective channels in the broadcast service C, and generates a common program guide shared on the same format. The generation of the same format as the synthesis of the program guide is performed using the format sharing unit 115. The format sharing unit 115 has already been described with reference to FIG. 5 in the second embodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

As a specific example of the format of the program guide, the format shown in FIG. 3 in the first embodiment can be used. FIG. 3 has already been described above, and is omitted here.

According to the present embodiment, a broadcast system for transmitting all program guide information on all transmission channels is not implemented, but a broadcast system for transmitting all program guide information on all transmission channels is not implemented. In a receiver capable of receiving a broadcast service that is not provided, a program guide display of all channels becomes possible, and the usability of the user is improved.

In the above embodiment, a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcasting services without a display means or a recording means has been described. It is needless to say that the present invention can be easily applied to a digital broadcast compatible recording device having the means.

As described above, the first, second and third embodiments of the present invention have been described. By adding the following functions, the usability of the user can be further improved.

That is, in Japan, digital terrestrial broadcasting is a broadcasting program in which a program for fixed reception for viewing at home and a program for mobile / mobile reception for viewing outdoors are combined at any time, and partial reception on a portable terminal. This is a method that makes it possible. Therefore, for example, a program for fixed reception, a program for form reception,
A program guide for mobile reception programs can be displayed separately.

[0086] This assumes a case where information to be received, such as a program for fixed reception, a program for mobile reception, and a program for mobile reception, is predetermined and transmitted to the SI at the transmitting station. In this case, a code having a bit number corresponding to the number of programs to be received is assigned to each of the reception targets. Therefore, the program information of each program includes the code of the program, and the RAM unit 114, the control unit 111,
The OSD unit 109 and the mixing unit 110 are provided with a setting display function so that the user can set and select a program to be received on the OSD display screen, so that the user sets a favorite program to be received. By extracting only the program having the above code of the set reception target program from the SI and displaying the program guide, only the desired program can be displayed.

As described above, the user can set and select the display of the program guide for the fixed reception program, the form reception program, and the mobile reception program, thereby improving usability.

[0088]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services, it is assumed that the program guide of each broadcast service is always updated to the latest. A digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a service can be provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services, even when a program guide of a plurality of broadcast services is displayed in common,
A digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a plurality of broadcast services, in which all contents are always updated and displayed, can be provided.

Further, according to the third aspect, in a receiver for receiving a broadcast service which does not implement a broadcasting method for transmitting all program guide information on all transmission channels, the program guide information of all transmission channels is provided. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiver according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a specific example of a remote controller of the digital broadcast receiver according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a display example of a program guide of the digital broadcast receiver according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a specific example of a remote controller of the digital broadcast receiver according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiver according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a specific example of a remote controller of a digital broadcast receiver according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiver according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100a: Received signal A, 100b: Received signal B, 100
c: Received signals C, 101a, 101b, 101c, 10
1d: tuner, 102a, 102b, 102c, 10
2d: transmission line combining unit, 103: selection unit, 104: descramble unit, 105: demultiplexer unit, 106 ...
Additional data separation unit, 107: MPEGA / V decoding unit, 108: RAM unit, 109: OSD unit, 110: mixing unit, 111: control unit, 112: remote control light receiving unit, 11
3 ROM part, 114 RAM part, 115 common format part, 120 decoded audio signal, 121 video signal, 200a, 200b remote control, 201 power supply
Key 202, "Menu" key, 203, "Cursor" key, 204, "Select" key, 205, "Ten" key, 206, "EPG1" key, 207, "EP
G2 "key, 208 ..." EPG "key, 209 ..." broadcast service switching "key, 210 ..." common EPG "key.

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) H04N 7/035 // H04H 1/00 (72) Inventor Takanori Eda 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Inc. Hitachi Digital Media Development Division (72) Inventor Satoshi Iimuro 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Hitachi Digital Media Development Division (72) Inventor Naoki Fujimatsu 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Address F-term in the Digital Media Development Division, Hitachi, Ltd. F-term (reference)

Claims (12)

[Claims] A receiver capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality of broadcasts transmitting a multiplexed stream in which video information, audio information, and additional information including program information are multiplexed, comprising: video information, audio information, and video audio information. Separating means for separating video information, audio information, and additional information including information related to a program from a broadcast for which either one of the information is desired to be decoded; Information separating means for separating only additional information including information related to the program, a program guide screen generating means for generating a program guide screen for each broadcast from the information related to the program separated by the separating means and the additional information separating means. A receiver comprising: 2. A selecting means for selecting generation of a program guide screen of a desired broadcast, and controlling the program guide screen generating means to generate a desired program guide screen selected by the selecting means. Control means; generating means for generating a command for selecting the generation of the program guide screen selected by the selecting means; and receiving means for receiving the command generated by the generating means. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein a guide screen is generated. 3. A receiver capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality of broadcasts transmitting a multiplexed stream in which video information, audio information, and additional information including program information are multiplexed, comprising: video information, audio information, and video audio information. Separating means for separating video information, audio information, and additional information including information related to a program from a broadcast for which either one of the information is desired to be decoded; Information separating means for separating only the additional information including the information related to the program, and a format in which only common contents are extracted from the information related to the program separated by the separating means and the additional information separating means and converted into the same format. A program guide screen for generating a shared program guide screen for the plurality of broadcasts from the information obtained by the common unit and the format common unit; Receiver, characterized by comprising a generation unit. 4. A receiver capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality of broadcasts transmitting a multiplexed stream in which video information, audio information, and additional information including program information are multiplexed, comprising: video information, audio information, and video audio information. Separating means for separating video information, audio information, and additional information including information related to a program from a broadcast for which either one of the information is desired to be decoded; Information separating means for separating only the additional information including the information related to the program, and a format in which only common contents are extracted from the information related to the program separated by the separating means and the additional information separating means and converted into the same format. From the information about the programs separated by the common means and the respective separating means or the information obtained by the format common means, each broadcast Program guide screen or the receiver, characterized by comprising a program guide screen generation means for generating a program guide screen that is common for a plurality of broadcast. 5. A selection means for selecting generation of a desired program guide screen from a plurality of program guide screens or a common program guide screen of a plurality of broadcasts. Controlling means for controlling the generation of the desired program guide screen selected by the selecting means; generating means for generating a command for selecting generation of the program guide screen selected by the selecting means; 5. The receiver according to claim 4, further comprising a receiving unit that receives the command generated by the unit, and generating a desired program guide screen. 6. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein said selection means is provided in a remote commander. 7. A broadcast for transmitting a plurality of multiplex streams in which video information, audio information, and additional information including program information are multiplexed, wherein information on programs in each stream includes information on all programs to be broadcast. In a receiver that receives a broadcast of a system that does not include information, in order to exclusively acquire additional information to be broadcast, a tuner means for selecting and detecting a frequency band for transmitting the stream, and a tuner means. Channel selection and demodulation and error correction processing of the detected signal, a transmission path decoding means for decoding the stream, and only additional information including information on a program of the stream decoded by the transmission path decoding means. Additional information separating means for separating, so that information about each program can be obtained from each broadcasted stream,
A control means for controlling the tuner means, the transmission path decoding means, and the additional information separating means, and synthesizing a program guide for all programs from information on each broadcasted program separated by the additional information separating means; And a program guide screen synthesis generating means for generating a program guide screen. 8. A transmitter for transmitting a plurality of multiplex streams in which additional information including video information, audio information, and information related to a program is multiplexed, wherein the additional information includes a program for fixed reception, a program for portable reception, and a program for mobile reception. A transmitter comprising information that can be identified as a program for reception. 9. A broadcast for transmitting a plurality of multiplex streams in which video information, audio information, and additional information including program information are multiplexed, wherein the additional information includes a program for fixed reception, a program for portable reception, and a program for mobile reception. In a receiver for receiving a broadcast including information that can be identified as a program for reception, a program for fixed reception, a program for mobile reception, and a program for mobile reception can be used to obtain a desired program using the additional information. Characterized in that the display of the program guide screen can be selected. 10. A receiver further comprising display means. The receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 9. 11. The receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a recording unit. 12. A receiver for receiving a plurality of broadcasts transmitting video information, audio information, and information related to a program, wherein the first separation separates the information from a broadcast for which decoding of the video information or audio information is desired. Means, and a second separating means for separating only information relating to a program from a broadcast different from the method for desiring decoding of the video information or audio information.