JP2003510981A - A television system that suggests programs based on content and viewer profiles - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] A television system includes a plurality of television program sources and an auxiliary database for storing data including electronic program guide (EPG) programs to be transferred to a receiver. In addition, a critics database is provided that includes ratings by individual critics, forming a panel of critics reviewing certain types of programs, such as sports, music, dramas, current affairs, etc. The rating is transmitted together with the EPG data. The ratings of individual critics continue to be segregated and are being used in receiving devices to predict that a program is likely to be of interest to the viewer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a television system and a television transmitter and a television receiver used in such a system.

The work faced by viewers in discovering and selecting television programs of interest for viewing has become increasingly difficult as the number of television channels has increased. For analog terrestrial broadcasting in the United Kingdom (UK), only five channels are useful to the majority of viewers, so the program of interest in the list printed in daily or weekly newspapers Finding is feasible for the viewer. Even with the addition of analog satellite channels, it is still more difficult as only 10 channels are available, and the task of selecting programs is still possible. However, with the advent of digital transmission, the number of available channels has risen to over 100, and the task of finding the program of interest (or the program of most interest) can be too time consuming. It has become to.

To facilitate the work of the viewer, a concept has already been proposed, referred to as a humanitarian TV, which requires only a normal one-way channel from the network to the viewer.

In simple words, a human-like TV is an electronic program guide (EPG-Electronic
It is considered as an extended form of Program Guide. High-performance EPG systems are very good at finding specific events, such as "all movies tonight" or "when is the next news in a language I understand". However, some effort is also required on the part of the viewer to program the system according to his or her particular requirements.

Although this kind of effort should be accepted for the intensive use of a PC (personal computer) in a "working" environment, the TV is a great entertainment medium in the home and at the user interface. A more "passive" approach would be advantageous.

A wide variety of systems already exist to help users find TV programs for viewing and recording. In all of these systems, the network provides some data about the program to be decoded at the receiver.
The viewer may interact with the receiver in several ways via a user interface to perform some selection functions for individual programs or program types.

When selecting a subject for a TV program, data containing both "real time" or "directly" and "preselection" or "indirect" content is available. These two methods are complementary. For example, video cassette recorder (VCRs-Video Ca
European Patent Application Publication EPA0300 for programming cassette recorders)
In a PDC (Programme Delivery Control) system as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 562, a real-time switching signal is selected when an item to be recorded is selected (indirect) from a list using a cursor and a program is broadcast. Guarantees a definite time for recording (directly).

Another example of direct content data is to program the content, even if it is randomly selected (fast forward commercial commercial-zapping) to see what the channel is showing. Various parental control systems, such as the "V-Chip," that classify current broadcast programs in terms of generational reputation, violent content, etc., allowing for quick reaction to.

An example of indirect content data includes EPGs whose main purpose is to find out in advance about a TV program, and to select what to watch.
It is usually directly connected to the data for certain timing, program pay-per-view bills, etc.

Another example of indirect content data is program schedule data obtained via the Internet. Of course, this is often costly and requires the receiver to be connected by a modem. Other aspects include the potential volatility associated with advances in Internet technology and the potential for form changes, acquisitions, absorptions and dissolutions in companies collecting information. Users of TV equipment expect the equipment to work for 10 years or more, and the Internet approach would be too dangerous for that. Also, ensuring that the data covers all the programs that can be received for individual installations within a given geographic location will not be easy. For this reason,
The enhanced EPG approach is advantageous for impersonal TV because it does not want to return to the channel.

Conventional EPG systems use a database containing information about all programs useful on a channel or group of channels. This database may have been created by a broadcaster, a network provider or a third party. The database contains factual information such as broadcast time, network, title, genre, description, etc. Information from the database is conveyed to the recipient via several routes, such as a separate broadcast channel or a similar route by transmission of teletext broadcasts attached to the TV transmission itself.

On the recipient side, the EPG decoder receives and decodes the content information and organizes its local version of the program database. At maximum performance of the EPG recipient, a smaller subset of the transmitted information may be useful for more basic recipients, such as "what's next and now". Like: The entire database may be recreated. The viewer interacts with the EPG decoder via a user interface that causes the regional database to be surveyed for the particular item (or category of items) sought. Thus, conventional EPG systems have one user (viewer) interacting with the actual information about a useful program. More programs sent and requests from more specialized users should narrow the required items. An explicit choice of subject matter from a list of possible choices by network, genre, time, etc. is the only useful way.

While the average user will find such a method that is manageable and perhaps even entertaining to use, many people do their best to find the program they want I like that. One conclusion is that viewers find it useful enough for most channels to be easily ignored,
For a particular broadcasting station or network, we have a “brand commitment”. Another conclusion may be to continue with "zapping", which is just a quick glance over the channel to randomly find something of interest.

The enhanced user interface facilitates user selection,
And it may be used to make it more interesting. Movies containing still frames or representative frames from related programming may aid in recognition. Speech recognition is another possible way to improve the user interface. While these technologies may add to the appealing side of quite a few products, they are themselves interested in his or her as if appealing from thousands of useful programs with little effort. It will not satisfy indifferent viewers who just want to find the program.

In order to improve performance compared to conventional EPG systems, some new elements may be included in the humane TV system. In addition to explicit choices, by observing the user's behavior over time, it is possible to obtain information about the user's preferences. The actual program being watched should be implicitly monitored not only for the preferred program type, but also for a flexible beginning for other habits, such as TV viewing time for a day or a week. is there. For example,
To assess the degree of interest in a program by monitoring how long the program has been viewed, including whether it has been watched to the end or randomly selected for only a few minutes. Is also possible. This is useful information that is automatically obtained without any special effort on the part of the viewer. Even if EPG transmission is not used, this data (
There are several ways to obtain, for example, teletext. An example of such aggregation of statistics is disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,757,414 because at least program title information for programs to be transmitted in the future forms a channel guide. Has been proposed in advance, and a television system including a device for searching for a specific television program has been proposed, wherein the specific television program satisfies certain criteria including the viewing ability of the viewer. Yes, and based on the successful conclusions to the survey, the survey device has generated a list of these programs in order to display to the viewer certain programs that may be of interest to the viewer. The device may store information about individual television programs that the viewer sees as a survey basis. The survey criteria may be editable by the viewer to further refine the survey.

The problems with these prior art proposals tend to concentrate the viewer only on a limited range of programs, which makes it difficult for the viewer to discover new interests. This means that the set will provide a progressively centralized listing of multiple programs, which are in the mainstream of the viewer's interest and are of particular interest. Contrary to suggesting a subject, the subject matter may be present around the viewer's interests, or in things outside their current interests, but is appreciated by some viewers. It may be.

Although it is speculated that the purpose of the present invention is the subject matter that has already been explicitly collected, either by the viewing habits of the viewer or direct input by the viewer, and may be of interest to the viewer. It is possible to propose a method of providing program information to a viewer including both a subject and a subject that are out of the normal viewing habits.

The present invention comprises a television transmitter, a television transmission medium, and one or more television receivers, the television transmitter providing a video signal, an audio signal, and a program to be transmitted. A data decoder for transmitting a data signal indicating television program information including the data, wherein the television receiving device decodes the transmitted data, a memory for storing at least some of the data received by the receiving device, and a data input by a viewer. Arranged to review the stored data to determine which programs may be of interest to the viewer based on the information captured and / or the information derived by monitoring the viewing habits of the viewer. And a processor, the data signal being sent by multiple critics of the television program to be transmitted. Data representing the individual ratings provided by the processor, the processor being arranged to select or suggest programs for viewing in view of the ratings of one or more of the critics. .

By creating a rating for a program by a panel of critics, one or more of a group of critics assembled by giving their views to individual ranges or ranges of the program, One of the factors by which the programs are selected and / or suggested for those programs that have been highly appreciated by the one or more critics making up the panel is if they meet other selection criteria. If not, it would be suggested to the viewer. By having a panel of critics, one critic's opinion that the viewer may or may not have empathy with will not be influential. However, by encoding and transmitting the ratings of the critics individually, the views of the viewers may be personalized, even if the views of other critics can still be considered, possibly with different individual weights. A processor may be provided to give more weight to individual critics 'ratings if they tend to agree with the critics' opinions. Perhaps the panel of critics is not necessarily exclusive, ie individual critics may be offered on more than one panel, for example for music, for dramas. To be done.

This invention should be transmitted from this transmitter or Tao transmitter, and 1
Means for entering into the database individual ratings from multiple critics for at least some of the programs receivable by one or more receiving devices;
A television transmitter comprising: means for decoding the audience rating for transmission with other data supported by the program; and means for transmitting deferred data.

The television transmitter includes means for inputting individual ratings of the program from a panel of critics. Each rating of the critics remains separate from the ratings of other critics in the panel and is sent separately. This is taken into account separately in the receiver of the data transmitted for each of the opinions.

This data is multiplexed with one or more television programs transmitted by the transmitter.

This allows data to be collected at the receiver while the user watches and / or records the program. This is an analog television in which data is transmitted in the vertical blanking period like a conventional television data encoder, a data inserter can be used in the transmitter, and a conventional data decoder can be used in the receiver. It is essentially the same as the current teletext and EPG transmissions associated with John transmissions. For digital television transmission, it is also possible to multiplex the data into a data stream displaying video and audio signals for a given program.

Alternatively, the data may be transmitted on a separate channel dedicated to data transmission.

If this separate channel is an analog television channel dedicated to data, then a large amount of data is better because all television fields are useful for data transfer, not just vertical ranking periods. It will be able to be sent quickly. In this way, depending on the memory capacity of the receiving device, data on more channels can be transmitted, and a more thorough description of the upcoming programs can be transmitted. Moreover, the schedule of programs for further consideration can be transmitted without using an excessively widened transmission cycle. in this case,
Data, whether the program is being viewed or recorded, or providing a separate selection circuit that is capable of receiving data at the same time the program is being viewed on another channel. It is of course necessary to arrange so that

A separate channel dedicated to data transmission is dedicated to data rather than the TV format, and is otherwise such as an analog channel having a band either higher or lower than the bandwidth of a standard TV channel. It may take various forms of. If such a channel had a lower bandwidth, then the transmission cycle for a given amount of data would of course be increased. A further possibility for the transmission of television programs and their digitally related data is to assign multiplexing to the data, which usually allows to increase the amount of data to be transmitted. Or will provide a shorter transmission cycle. Furthermore, completely different transmission media may be used for data transmission, for example the Internet or satellite channels.

From the above, it can be seen that the dedicated data channel has a high bandwidth when not being viewed, especially if the receiving device has a large memory capacity and can be left in a standby state. It will be clear that it is not important, so the data in the data channel is used when the viewer accesses the database or selects a program for viewing (or has already selected it). To be acquired and stored.

The present invention further provides a television receiving device for receiving a television program and a data signal transmitted by the television transmitting device, and the receiving device is a data decoding device for decoding the transmitted data. A decoder, a memory for storing at least some of the data decoded by the data decoder, and a processor arranged for selecting and / or suggesting programs for a viewer for reception, said selection And / or suggestions are entered by the user, and / or
Or based on information derived by monitoring a user's viewing habits, wherein said data signal comprises data indicative of individual ratings of individual programs by multiple critics, said selection being one or more It is based on the audience ratings associated with the above critics.

In the television receiver according to the present invention, the memory stores data relating to a program that will be transmitted later, this data including a rating of the program by a panel of critics. Since the ratings of individual critics are stored separately (with the assistance of the associated program), the processor in the receiving device has access to each rating for each program of each critic. is doing. The processor uses the data received and stored with the user profile, which determines the programs these programs to be transmitted are likely to be of interest to the user. As long as viewing and recording is included, it contains data that defines the user's interests and habits. Providing to the user can be done in a number of different ways. For example, a list of programs that may be of interest to the user may be generated and displayed when the receiving device is powered on. Optionally, this list may be displayed when the user calls it using the remote control. Another possibility is
By displaying a message when a program of interest is about to start and a potentially interesting program is about to start or switch the receiver from standby to fully on. is there.

A remote control device may be provided to allow the user to select programs and other features of the receiver, which remote control device may be provided to the user specific receiver device. Provided for transmitting the identification signal, the receiving device comprises means for receiving the identification signal, by means of which the identity of the user can be determined.

By this means, the processor can prove that the user is an individual whose user profile is contained in the receiving device.

The remote control device may include means for transmitting one of the plurality of identification signals, the individual identification signal depending on the person currently using the remote control device. Has been sent.

If the receiving device is capable of storing different user profiles for a number of different users, for example having a common receiving device and different members of a family belonging to the same address, then the receiving The receiving device can use the user profile of the person who is currently using the device. When a family includes members of both males and females or different generations, such as parents and children, viewing the profiles of different members of the family is clearly and significantly different. There are many possibilities to have the remote control device output different identification signals for different users. One possibility is to give a number of user self-identity keys that are classified according to the user and generate different identification signals. One of these keys has been activated by the user to signal his or her identity,
After that, other function keys can be used. The receiving device then uses that user's profile until another user identity key is activated. Another possibility is to use an automatic recognition means, eg a fingerprint sensor, on the remote control. This fingerprint sensor can identify the user and also transmit an appropriate identification signal. It will be appreciated that these are the only two examples for allowing the television receiver to identify the user's self-identity, among many possibilities.

Optionally, a plurality of remote controls may be provided, each of which is arranged to transmit a different identification signal and each of which is provided to each user of the remote controls. Has the possibility of being identified to the user in order to use a separate one of

This allows each of the remote controls to have a simpler form, since only a single identification signal needs to be generated within each remote control. There will be a limited number of users of television receivers in single-person households,
Since the identification signal can be reused in other households, it is clear that only as few as eight different identification signals are specifically required. This identification signal may be a simple number assigned to each remote control device. The identification of each remote control device for the user may take any convenient form, such as imitating a cartoon character or other object, even if the device is labeled with a different color or label. It is also possible to form the remote control device in different shapes.

The television receiver may be arranged to receive a data signal transmitted from a television program to a different channel, or may be a first channel selecting means for selecting a channel of the program and a data channel. And a second channel selecting means for selecting the channel.

In analog television situations, the data can occupy all fields, not just the vertical blanking period, so that while maintaining a cycle time within reasonable limits All of the transmission channels allow more data to be sent. It will be appreciated that the data is sent continuously and once all the data has been sent the transmission cycle is repeated. The length of this cycle obviously depends on the amount of data to be transmitted and the rate at which the data is transferred. While the data to be transmitted can be stored in the receiving device indefinitely, it is necessary for the whole cycle to be completed, which means that the receiving device does not have to wait for all the data unless the receiver has a standby mode. Is switched on to store the data, and the standby mode is a mode in which data is acquired and stored when the rest of the receiver is switched off. In addition, this data may be updated in some cases, and it is desirable that the updated data be transmitted with substantially no delay. Two
By providing one selection means, the receiving device can keep the accumulated data up to date by monitoring the data channel while the user is watching one of the programs, Thus, it becomes unnecessary to periodically block the viewing of the program according to the data channel.

Therefore, the term television receiving device includes not only a standard television receiver but also any device capable of receiving a television signal, which is a display device and / or an audio device. It may be, for example, a set top box or a video recorder as long as it does not include a reproducing means. As another example, the television receiver may be a personal computer with a TV card, in which case the data channel may be the Internet, which provides a large amount of data about useful television programs. It can be downloaded to the memory, and highly complex operations can be performed on the data by the large processing power provided in the personal computer. Similarly, it has been proposed to have set-top box Internet access and, in any case, to include such equipment in a conventional television receiver.

If the television receiving device is a video recorder, then the video recorder will be able to record the program for later viewing, which program is of interest to the viewer. Along with this, it is transmitted when the viewer is not watching the television receiver or watching another program.

The invention further provides a method of selecting a television program for viewing and / or recording, the method comprising: i) data corresponding to the program to be transmitted. Receiving at least data indicating the date and time when the program was sent and the type of program, ii) receiving data corresponding to the rating given to the program by the individual members of the panel of critics, iii. ) Storing at least some of said data, iv) entering and / or generating and storing a user profile corresponding to the type of programming the user prefers to watch, v) said stored data and said Selecting a program for viewing and / or recording using the user profile.

By using such a method, the television receiving device can select a program which may be of interest to the user. By including the viewership of the program from the critics panel and maintaining the individual viewership of each of the separated critics,
Greater weight can be given to the selection criteria for the rating of the critics with whom the user has the most empathy. This is outside the usual scope of interest, as each critique's viewing will likely be different and will be more extensive than each individual user's viewing. There is the possibility of suggesting a program that the user may not have been aware of.

The selecting step includes providing the user with an indication that the current or future program is probably of interest.

In this way, the receiving device may be on the day or in the evening when the receiving device is turned on or when requested to do so by the user entering a request to use the remote control device. It may be arranged to provide a suggested list to watch. It may simply be the program or programs that are of most interest to those programs which will start mostly or will start in the near future, eg within the next 15 minutes. Alternatively, this may be a list of programs to be watched all evenings, or especially recorded by a video recorder, for long periods of time, such as two weeks during which the viewer will be on vacation. . The receiving device may provide a list of simultaneously occurring programs such that the viewer may choose to watch the program and record other programs for later viewing. This user profile will be generated and / or handpicked by monitoring those programs that the user chooses to watch or record, and with a higher probability of possibly individualized interest. The programs selected to be recorded may be weighted more heavily, for example.

Over time, a precise user profile can be created by monitoring those programs that have been viewed or recorded, and as the viewer's preferences change or improve, This profile will be continuously selectable. However, this means that on first use the receiving device has no knowledge of the interests of the viewer and therefore there will be no suggestion to watch, which would be foolish. . To overcome this problem, it provides some initial information about his or her interests as a viewer by entering a selection using a remote control device, for example by using a menu or selection scheme. Input is possible for the viewer. Therefore, this initial profile is continually updated by monitoring these programs as they are viewed and recorded.

As an alternative, the receiver may be pre-programmed with user profiles generated from specific viewing preferences. For example, the largest number of people may watch news programs, soap opera and sports programs. Starting with such a profile, the viewer's actual choices will be handpicked choices to more closely match the viewer's interests.

The method further comprises the steps of storing user profiles for a plurality of users, identifying a current user, and using the identified user profiles in the program selection.

This allows to have a program selected that may be of interest to one of several users of an individual television receiving device, such as a television set in the living room of a home. . In such a situation, the television set may be viewed by parents and children, including both sexes, who probably have widely different interests, and thus a program of interest to one of the family members may It may not be of interest to other members.

[0048]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the embodiments according to the merely exemplary method of the present invention in accordance with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a television system according to the present invention. This system includes a television transmitting device 1, a television transmitting medium 2, a television receiving device 3, and Is equipped with. This television transmitter 1
Includes a plurality of program sources 14-1 to 14-N. In addition, a program content database 15 is provided that stores data related to the programs generated by the program source. This data may include the date and time of transmission of the program and the type of program, eg, movie, sport, music, drama, news, etc. A database of this content can provide background information about programs to be sent, such as authors, authors,
It may also include biographical details of the actor and, if the program is sent as part of a series, a synopsis of the story. Television transmitters containing such databases are already known and the contents of the database are provisionally organized for the individual services offered. It is a relatively small and simple database, such as teletext, and more complex and extensive databases have also been introduced in most recent electronic program guides. A critics database 16 is also provided in the television apparatus according to the present invention. This database also contains data corresponding to the panel of critics for at least some of the programs to be submitted. The critics' respective judgments remain separated and not combined. Each critic's rating for that type of program as well as the data in the content database 15 is associated with the program, the data in the content database 15 being the transmission time, the length of the program,
It describes the classification of programs, i.e. the actual data relating to the programs such as sports, movies, music, news and so on. There may be a panel of critics commenting on the drama, and a panel of other critics commenting on documentary programs. As a result of each show, there will be a code stored in the critics' database for identifying the individual critics and assigned to the show by the individual critics. Additional code to provide the rated ratings will also be stored. Data is bus 18
Under the control of the processor 17 for the data encoder 19 via, the program content database 15 and the critics' database 16 are read. This data is selected using processor 17 which receives inputs from the controllers of databases 15 and 16. In a concrete implementation, the program content data and related critic data will be broadcast as a periodic pattern prior to the program to be transmitted, so a similar database will be built in the receiver. can do. The data encoder 19 will encode any data in a format that complies with the particular standards already adopted, in individual countries, by different service providers, or for different transmission media. You can take the traditional form. Although these standards are changing, the design of such encoders is such that once the standards have been defined by the fact that their data should be encoded, one skilled in the art to which this technology belongs Within the competence range of.

The output of the encoder 19 is fed to the first input of the combiner 20 and the combiner 20
Second input of is receiving television programming from one or more programming sources. The combined television program and data are sent to a transmitter 21, which may have any convenient configuration and produces the output of the television transmitter. This output is data identifying programs that will be transmitted in the future from a number of programming sources, and data that provides ratings by multiple critics for at least some of the programs to be transmitted. Includes television programs with data including. Furthermore, real-time data, eg PDC data, is combined with other data for encoding by the encoder 19. The output from the television transmitter is transmitted to the plurality of television receivers via the transmission medium 2. The transmitters and transmission links may take many forms, such as terrestrial television transmissions, cable television networks or satellite television systems, and also analog television with teletext, for example. , Digital television broadcast encoded according to any of the standards currently available and to be useful in the future, electronic program guides transmitted according to the World System Teletext specification. .

In FIG. 1, the data channel is provided to the transmitter 21 via the combiner 20, but this data channel may be provided to a different transmitter or may be completely separate from the program source. . Furthermore, this data channel may contain data relating to programs transmitted by different transmitters or transmitted via other transmission means, for example cable networks. Alternatively, this data channel may be provided via a satellite link or via a data network such as the Internet. Thus, this data may be transmitted on separate channels, may be multiplexed onto the channels of one or more programs, or may refer to programs from different transmitters.

The television receiver 3 may include a tuning and / or demultiplexing circuit for selecting each channel transmitted for reception or display or recording on a display screen. The channel selecting means 31 is provided. Some or each of the transmitted programs has a data signal associated with them, which data signal is a tuning and / or demultiplexing circuit 31.
To the data decoder 32. The data decoder 32 decodes the data and supplies the decoded data to the program database 33. This program database 33 will store some or all of the data transmitted over the data channels associated with the program and decoded using the data decoder 32. The second channel selection means 39 (shown by dashed lines) is either a dedicated data channel or a data channel associated with a program channel different from the program channel selected by the first channel selection means 31. May be arranged so as to select a good data channel. The output of the second channel selection means is connected to the data decoder 32 instead of or in addition to the first channel selection means. This allows the data to be acquired and stored when the data is received on a different data channel than the viewed data channel. The user interface 34 is provided so that a viewer can interact with the television receiving device. Thus, for example, the user interface may specifically comprise a remote control unit, which may have a number of keys, said number of keys being activated by the user and transmitted to the receiver of the television receiver. The television receiver is transmitting signals and is capable of receiving and decoding the signals generated by the remote control unit. Specifically, these signals are sent via an infrared transmission link. Some of these keys will be used to select individual channels for viewing and recording, and they will also be keys used to select data from the program database for display. This selection is achieved using the processor unit 35, which in particular comprises a microcontroller or microprocessor.

The processor 35 controls the tuning and / or demultiplexing circuit 31 for selecting the individual channels. This channel selection may be the result of the user directly selecting the channel using the remote control unit, or whatever data is needed to select the individual channels that may be of interest to the viewer. May be generated from rules programmed in the processor that defines which should be used or program information stored in the program database. The output of the tuning and / or demultiplexing circuit 31 is a conventional audio / video circuit 3 which takes the input program signal and converts it for display on a display device 38.
7 and the display device 38 may be of any convenient form, such as a conventional cathode ray tube display device or a liquid crystal display device.

Instead of selecting a program for immediate display, a program for recording may be selected. The recording device may share the same tuning and / or demultiplexing circuit 31 or may have its own independent tuning and / or demultiplexing circuit, in which case the processor 35 The output from will be sent to a record / playback unit 36 which directs it to record individual programs at individual times. The recording / reproducing unit 36 may be integrated with the receiving device, or may be a separate device such as a video cassette recorder.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the television receiving device 3, in which the television receiving device comprises a set top box for receiving a digital television program signal. The input signal is given to the input 201 connected to the channel selection circuit 202. This will demultiplex the desired channel from the series of multiplexed channels. Data corresponding to the television program is also included in the multiplexed channel, either within the association of the selected television program or as a separate data channel, which separate data channel It contains data related to all channels in the multiplex or in other multiplexes. This data is provided to a data decoder 203, which detects the data and decodes it for conversion into an appropriate format for storage in program database 204. The data stored in the program database is either all of the received data or a selected subset determined using processor 205. This processor also receives an input from the receiving circuit 206 which receives an input signal from the remote control unit 207,
The user enters the number of channels for the desired program, and / or other information required by the remote control unit to cause the user to watch the program he or she wishes to watch. The processor 205 is a program decoder 20.
8 will be used to control the channel selection circuit 202 so that the desired channel can be decoded. The processor 205 may also allow the viewer to watch a channel that has already been selected, such as teletext or electronic program guide information, or to watch data that is already stored in the program database. Is supplied to the selector circuit 209 by such means. This processor 205
Also provides a signal to a selector circuit to provide a screen display for receiver setup. The set top box has an output 211 which may include, for example, a composite video signal or an RGB signal and an audio signal supplied to the audio video circuit of the display unit. Alternatively, the signals may be fed to the inputs of the video recorder.

The processor also has a further memory 210 associated with it. This memory 210 is used to store the user's viewing habits and / or systematic preferences in the outward game. In one embodiment, this processor will monitor those channels selected by the viewer using remote control unit 207. From the program database 204, the processor can determine the programs currently being transmitted over the selected channel at any individual time. Therefore, if the user uses the remote control unit 207 to enter the channel number of the program currently transmitting the sports program, information indicating that the selected channel is currently broadcasting the sports program is displayed. This processor monitors this channel number as it would have in the program database. This information can be entered into the memory 210 and the image will gradually form the type of program the viewer is habitually choosing. Since this will change over time of the day (especially if they are multiple viewers), the transmission time of the program may also be shared in memory 210. Thus, over a period of time, this processor "learns" what the viewer's hobbies are, as well as when or on which channel individual programs that may be of interest to the viewer are transmitted. Or, what will be transmitted will be predictable from the data in the program database. Once the user profile has been built, this processor could select the programs that are likely to be of interest to the viewer, and thus watch over all the programs that are useful. It is also possible to reduce the task of the person.

In addition to monitoring the program type, ie the program that the viewer chooses to watch, such as sports, news, drama, music, etc., the processor may also be run by a particular one of the critics forming the panel. It also monitors whether the viewer chooses to watch highly rated programs. If it is determined that a viewer tends to watch a program highly rated by one of the critics' individual, then that individual criticism gives high weight to those programs highly rated. The processor can be programmed to This ensures that the programs that are of most interest to the viewer are provided to the viewer each time they are transmitted. Also provided is a program, which is otherwise not well known to the viewer but is highly rated by the viewer's favorite critics, allowing the viewer to make choices if the viewer so desires. Also guarantee that.

An alternative way of operating the receiving device is to let the processor create a listing of programs for viewing, for example in the evening, that the viewer may be interested in. The processor may be configured to provide, in the form of a listing, a scheduled program for the evening of the program that the viewer is recommended to watch when the receiving device is turned on. These programs monitor the viewing habits of viewers and give individual weights to ensure the viewers' ratings of programs that are learned that the viewers tend to match their individual ratings. It will be selected by giving. A list of programs that may be defined by the viewer and determined to be suitable for watching over a period of time may be generated and displayed immediately when the switch is turned on, or The display may be called by using the control unit.

From the above, it is assumed that the viewer's preferences are learned over a particular time interval. However, if the viewer newly purchases the receiving device, there is a problem that the receiving device does not know the preference of the viewer. Therefore, if a viewer is given the ability to enter their preferences at the starting point, ie when they first switch on, the receiving device will be able to determine which particular topic is of interest to the viewer. It may be possible to ask the viewer a question by providing a menu or the like. Therefore, for example, it is possible to inquire of the viewer whether the receiving device evaluates in order of preference such as news, drama, music, sports, documentary, etc. For example, in the case of music, it is classical music, popular music, jazz music or Inquiries may be made within the respective categories further provided to those preferences such as whether they are dance or the like. In this way, the initial user profile may be assembled at a time when the processing arrangement 205 may begin configuring the user profile. This will result in the processor being able to monitor these programs as they are viewed and selected by the viewer over time.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is to assign a different remote control unit to each user in a household of multiple users. This remote control unit is arranged to send a code that is unique to the viewer, so
The receiving device checks which user is actually operating the receiving device. If multiple profiles are stored within the viewer's liking, one can select one for each of the users, and thus the program that is most likely to be of most interest to that particular viewer. . It can be seen that program preferences vary over a wide range, for example between men and women or between adults and children. Thus, a composite viewer profile may generate a selection that is of little interest to one or more of the users in a multi-user household.

From reading this disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such modifications and changes are equivalent to those already known in this technical field, or may be used by replacing or adding to the characteristics already disclosed in this specification, and other characteristics. It may be included. Although the claims are formalized in this specification as some combination of features, this application may or may not relate to the same invention as currently defined in any claim. Whether or not to alleviate all or the same technical problems that the present invention intends to solve, the scope of the disclosure of this application is either explicit or implicit. Nevertheless, it should be understood to include any or all of the features disclosed in this specification, as well as new combinations of these features. The applicants hereby find that such features and / or combinations of such features may be formulated as new claims in the process of this application or of any divisional application derived from this application. Notice.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1]   It is a block diagram showing a television system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a television receiver according to the present invention, which is suitable for use in the system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Television transmitter 2 Television transmission medium 3 Television receiver 21 transmitter 32 data decoder 33 program database 35 processor unit

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Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A television system comprising a television transmitter, a television transmission medium, and one or more television receivers, the television transmitter comprising a video signal and an audio signal. , A means for transmitting a data signal, wherein the data signal represents television program information including a program to be transmitted, and the television receiving device includes a data decoder for decoding the transmission data, A memory that stores at least some of the data received by the device and the viewer's interest based on the information entered by the viewer and / or the information handled by monitoring the viewer's viewing habits. A processor arranged to review the stored data to determine which programs will have Wherein the data signal includes data provided by a plurality of critics representing individual ratings of a television program to be transmitted, the processor being rated by one or more of the critics. A television system arranged to select or suggest a program for viewing by considering. 2. A plurality of critics in a database for at least some of the programs transferred by this or other transmitting device and receivable by one or more receiving devices. A television transmitting apparatus comprising: a unit for inputting an individual audience rating; a unit for encoding the audience rating for transmitting other data attached to the program; and a unit for transmitting the data. 3. The television transmitter of claim 2, wherein the data is multiplexed with one or more television programs transmitted by the transmitter. 4. The television transmitter according to claim 2, wherein the data is transmitted on a separate channel dedicated to data transmission. 5. A television receiving device for receiving a television program and a data signal transmitted by the television transmitting device, the data decoder decoding the transmission data, and a viewer for receiving the data. A processor arranged to select and / or suggest a program, the selection and / or suggestion being based on information entered by monitoring the user and / or the viewing habits of the user and the data signal A television receiver comprising data representing individual ratings of individual programs by a plurality of critics, said selection being further based on the ratings followed by one or more critics. 6. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein a separate user profile for each user is stored to select and / or suggest a suitable program when identified by each individual AGA. 7. A remote control device is provided to allow a user to select programming and other receiver features, the remote control device being arranged to send an identification signal to the user for a particular receiving device. 7. The television receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiving apparatus comprises means for receiving the identification signal and determining the identification of the user. 8. The remote control device comprises means for transmitting one of a plurality of identification signals, each identification signal being dependent on the person who is actually using the remote control device. The television receiver according to claim 7, which is transmitted. 9. A plurality of remote control devices, each of which is arranged to transmit a different identification signal, and which is capable of identifying a user, each of whom can use a respective one of the remote control devices. The television receiver according to claim 5 or 6, which is provided. 10. A data signal transmitted on different channels from a television program, comprising first channel selecting means for selecting a program channel and second channel selecting means for selecting a data channel. Claim 5 to claim 9 for receiving
The television receiver according to any one of 1. 11. The television receiver according to claim 5, further comprising a top box. 12. The television receiver according to claim 5, further comprising a video recorder. 13. A method of selecting a television program for viewing and / or recording, comprising: i) indicating a program to be transmitted, displaying at least the type of program and the date and time of transmitting the program. Ii) receiving data indicating the rating given to the program by an individual one of the panel of critics, iii) storing at least some of said data, iv) for the user to view Enter and / or generate a profile of the user that displays the type of program they prefer, store this, and v) view and / or use the stored data and the profile of the user.
Or selecting a program for recording. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting step includes providing to the user suggestions as current and future programs may find interesting. 15. The method of claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the user profile is generated and / or refined by monitoring a program that the user selects for viewing or recording. 16. Saving user profiles for multiple users, identifying current users,
A method according to any of claims 13 to 15, comprising the step of using the profile of the current user of step v).