JP2005167567A - Method for displaying picture - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for switching a plurality of picture signals for display so that a user can easily find a desired picture. <P>SOLUTION: When the plurality of picture signals (programs and channels) are changed for displaying, a significance level is set for each picture signal, the selection order of the picture signal is determined based on the set significance level, the picture signal is selected according to the determined selection order, and processing for displaying the picture for the determined number of frames for each significance for the selected picture signal is repeated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a video display method for displaying a plurality of video signals while switching.

  In a video display device such as a television receiver, a multi-screen display function for displaying a plurality of video signals by dividing the screen into a plurality of blocks, a zapping function for switching and displaying the video signals within a single screen, etc. It has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a multi-screen television receiver that displays the contents of other channels on a sub-screen while displaying the video of the main screen as a moving image by providing two sets of tuners and decoders.

  The process of switching and displaying a plurality of video signals is generally performed as follows.

  When the input source is analog broadcasting, the reception frequency is switched at a constant cycle so that each channel is sequentially selected. The received signal is converted into a baseband signal by the tuner unit, and then decoded into a color signal, a horizontal synchronizing signal, a vertical synchronizing signal, and a clock by an NTSC decoder or the like. The obtained image data is A / D converted and stored in different areas of the memory.

  When the input source is digital broadcasting, the reception frequency and the transport stream identification (TSID) are switched at a constant cycle so that each channel (service ID) is sequentially selected. The received signal is converted into a transport stream (TS) signal by a tuner unit, and decoded into an image, sound, and other data. The obtained image data is stored in different areas of the memory.

In multi-screen display, the stored image data corresponding to each channel is arranged to form one screen, which is D / A converted and output. Alternatively, in zapping display, the image data corresponding to each channel is sequentially D / A converted and output to one screen.
JP-A-6-178227

  In the above prior art, switching of video signals and drawing of images are executed at a constant cycle regardless of the contents of the video (program or channel). Therefore, regardless of whether the motion of the video is large or whether the user likes it or not, the video is updated only at a constant period.

  Then, even if the user wants to find what he / she wants to watch from a large number of videos, it becomes difficult to accurately grasp the contents of the video in the multi-screen display etc. Therefore, complicated operations such as checking the contents on a single screen display have to be repeated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for switching and displaying a plurality of video signals so that a user can easily find a desired video.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a plurality of video signals are switched and displayed by the following means or processing.

An image display method according to the present invention includes:
A video display method for switching and displaying a plurality of video signals,
An attribute setting process for setting display attributes for each video signal;
An order determination step for determining the selection order of video signals based on the set display attributes;
A display switching step of repeating a process of selecting a video signal according to the determined selection order and displaying a video of the number of frames determined for each display attribute for the selected video signal;
including.

  Here, the video signal includes an analog broadcast reception signal, a digital broadcast reception signal, a video input signal, a reception signal received through a network or a cable, and the like.

  As a mode of switching and displaying a plurality of video signals, a multi-screen display in which one screen is divided into a plurality of blocks (child screens) to display a plurality of video signals, and a video signal is switched within one screen. A zapping display is assumed.

  In the attribute setting step, the user may be allowed to input a display attribute by operating a remote controller or a switch, or the video display device may automatically set the display attribute.

  In the attribute setting step, display attributes may be set so that a video signal with a large amount of motion has a larger number of frames than a video signal with a small amount of motion.

  Further, in the attribute setting step, display attributes are set based on preset user preference information so that the number of frames of the video signal that matches the user preference is larger than that of the video signal that does not match the user preference. It is also preferable.

Priorities are set for each display attribute,
In the order determination step, it is preferable that the selection order is determined such that the number of selections of the video signal set with the display attribute with high priority is larger than the video signal set with the display attribute with low priority.

  According to the present invention, since the selection order (display order) and the number of display frames are appropriately determined based on the display attributes set for each video signal, the user can select a desired video in the switching display of a plurality of video signals. It will be easy to find.

  In particular, it is necessary for video selection by changing the frame rate according to the content of each video such as the amount of video motion and user's preference (preference), or changing the number of selections (display frequency) according to priority. Information can be appropriately conveyed to the user.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
<Configuration of video display system>
FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the video display system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This video display system is used in a television receiver that receives and displays a digital broadcast.

The video display system includes an IRD (Integrated Receiver / Decoder) 501 and a monitor 502.
A cable 503, a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 504, an antenna 505, and the like. Digital broadcast signals such as satellites and terrestrial waves received by the antenna 505 are input to the IRD 501. The IRD 501 selects a signal to be viewed from a digital broadcast signal and decodes it into an image, sound, and other data. The image and audio signals generated by the IRD 501 are transmitted to the monitor 502 via the cable 503 and output. The remote controller 504 is for sending commands to the IRD 501.

<Configuration of IRD>
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of an IRD 501 for receiving a digital broadcast and performing multi-screen display.

The IRD 501 includes a broadcast receiving unit 201, a demultiplexer 202, MPEG2 (Moving
Picture Expert Group 2) Video decoder 203, display data generation means 204, MPE
A G2 audio decoder 205, a D / A conversion unit 206, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 207, a conditional access module (CAM) 208, a program information storage unit 209, an operation unit 210, and a frame memory 211 are provided.

  The broadcast receiving means 201 receives and selects a digital broadcast signal from the antenna 505, and outputs a TS signal.

  The demultiplexer 202 filters the TS signal output from the broadcast receiving means 201 with a packet identifier (PID) and separates it into various data.

  The MPEG2 video decoder 203 decodes the MPEG2 image data sorted by the demultiplexer 202.

  The display data generation means 204 synthesizes the image signal decoded by the MPEG2 video decoder 203 and the image drawn based on the display data created by the CPU 207 using the frame memory 211, and conforms to the specifications of the monitor 502 such as NTSC. Convert to a suitable signal format.

  The MPEG2 audio decoder 205 decodes the MPEG2 audio data sorted by the demultiplexer 202.

  The D / A conversion means 206 outputs the decoding result of the MPEG2 audio decoder 205 to the outside as an audio signal such as stereo audio.

  The CPU 207 is a control unit that controls each unit of the IRD 501. For example, the CPU 207 decodes various table data (PAT, NIT, PMT, BAT, SDT, EIT, TOT, CAT, etc.) and data broadcast data sorted by the demultiplexer 202, and information to be displayed is display data. What is output to the generation unit 204 and stored as program information is stored in the program information storage unit 209.

  The CAM 208 includes an IC card reader composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and separates the encrypted TS by the demultiplexer 202 using the decryption key and decryption program contained in the IC card.

  The program information storage unit 209 stores various table data processed by the CPU 207 as program information for selecting a program. The stored contents of the program information storage means 209 are not lost even when the IRD 501 is turned off.

  The operation unit 210 performs channel selection or the like by operating the remote controller 504 or the like.

  The frame memory 211 is used for primary storage when the display data generation unit 204 combines images.

  In order to view digital broadcasting such as satellite, CATV, and terrestrial waves, the user designates a channel (service ID) using the remote controller 504 or the like. The user instruction is notified to the CPU 207 via the operation unit 210. The CPU 207 sets the frequency, TSID, etc. corresponding to the designated channel in the broadcast receiving means 201. Broadcast receiving means 201 converts the signal received by antenna 505 into a TS signal in accordance with the setting. The TS signal is separated into image data, audio data, and other data by the demultiplexer 202. Image data is transferred to the MPEG2 video decoder 203, audio data is transferred to the MPEG2 audio decoder 205, and other data is transferred to the CPU 207. When the TS signal is encrypted, the CAM 208 decrypts the TS signal using the decryption key and the decryption program.

  The MPEG2 video decoder 203 decodes the video signal compressed by the MPEG method and sends the image data to the display data generation means 204. The display data generation unit 204 converts the image data into a display signal. The MPEG2 audio decoder 205 decodes the audio signal compressed by the MPEG system and sends it to the D / A conversion means 206. The D / A conversion means 206 D / A converts the audio signal and outputs it as a left channel signal and a right channel signal.

  The image signal and the audio signal output from the IRD 501 are output from the screen or speaker of the monitor 502 connected by the cable 503. As a result, the user can view the channel designated by the remote controller 504 or the like.

  When performing multi-screen display, the CPU 207 issues a channel switching command to the broadcast receiving unit 201 and the demultiplexer 202, and the image data sent to the display data generating unit 204 corresponding to the channel switching is individually stored in the frame memory 211. Command to temporarily store in the area. A multi-screen is configured by repeating this operation for the number of screens to be displayed on the multi-screen.

<Configuration of remote control>
FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the remote controller 504. The remote controller 504 includes an operation button 801 for determining a command for controlling the IRD 501 and a transmission unit 802 that transmits the command of the operation button 801 as a radio signal such as infrared rays.

  The operation button 801 is a power button for deciding whether to turn on / off the power of the IRD 501, a numeric button of 0 to 9 for inputting a desired numeral, a cancel button for canceling the input of the numeric button, and an input of the numeric button. Determination button, program information button for displaying electronic program information, program selection button for selecting a program by multi-screen display selection or electronic program information selection, volume + -button for increasing / decreasing the volume of output audio There are a mute button for cutting the output sound, a channel + -button for increasing / decreasing the channel, and the like.

  When the program selection button is pressed to enter the program selection mode, the number button 2 is a move up button, the number button 4 is a move left button, the number button 6 is a move right button, and the number 8 button Is the down button. When the program selection button is pressed once, the selection method is switched to multi-screen display selection, and when pressed again, the selection method is switched to electronic program information selection. To return to the original display mode, press the cancel button or press the move button to select a program and press the enter button.

<Multi-screen display>
When a user searches for a target program, there is a method in which a plurality of programs are displayed on a multi-screen as shown in FIG.

  User operations for multi-screen display are performed as follows. First, the program selection button of the operation button 801 is pressed to switch to the multi-screen display selection mode. Then, a multi-screen divided into nine screens as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. Next, the programs 1 to 9 are selected by moving the program selection marker 401 with the movement button of the operation button 801. Then, the program to be viewed is determined by pressing the determination button of the operation button 801. Thereby, the program selected by the single screen display in the normal display mode can be viewed.

  Next, image processing for performing multi-screen display will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the display data generation unit 204. The display data generation unit 204 includes a resolution conversion unit 301, an image synthesis unit 302, a D / A conversion unit 303, and a memory controller 304.

  The resolution conversion unit 301 converts the image data input from the MPEG2 video decoder 203 or the CPU 207 to a desired size. The image synthesizing unit 302 is configured to synthesize a plurality of resolution-converted image data and display them on the screen. Specifically, the image composition unit 302 first writes the image data received from the resolution conversion unit 301 to an address corresponding to the display area of the frame memory 211 via the memory controller 304. Thereafter, the image composition unit 302 reads out the image data from the frame memory 211 and outputs it to the D / A conversion unit 303. At this time, the memory controller 304 adjusts the input / output timing between the image composition means 302 and the frame memory 211. The D / A conversion unit 303 performs D / A conversion on the image data output from the image synthesis unit 302 and converts it into a display signal.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the screen is divided into nine sub-screens and nine programs are displayed in multiple, the resolution conversion means 301 reduces the image data input from the MPEG2 video decoder 203 to 1/9. To do. The image composition unit 302 temporarily stores the image data in the frame memory 211. At that time, the image data is stored at an address corresponding to the sub-screen serving as a display location. The content stored in the frame memory 211 is updated in units of areas for each child screen.

  The image synthesizing unit 302 reads the image data of nine programs from the frame memory 211 via the memory controller 304 at the synchronization timing of the signal format that meets the specifications of the monitor 502. This image data is converted into a display signal by the D / A conversion means 303 and displayed on the monitor 502 on a multi-screen.

  The memory controller 304 is provided with a double buffer, and an area of a program to be updated (image data to be newly written) is written while protecting the area being read. As a result, even if the program area being updated is read out, the image is not disturbed.

  Next, a procedure for updating each video in the multi-screen display will be described.

  In the present embodiment, a display attribute (importance level) is set for each video signal (channel, program, etc.), and the selection order of video signals is determined based on the importance level. Then, the video signal is selected in accordance with the selection order, and each video is updated by repeating the process of displaying the video having the number of frames determined for each importance level.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a table referred to in the video update process. These tables are stored in the program information storage means 209.

  (A-1) is a table of importance levels (display attributes) set for each of the channels CH1 to CH9.

  This importance level is information set in advance before the multi-screen display is executed. Regarding the setting of the importance level, the user may be able to input by operating the remote controller 504 or the like, or the IRD 501 may be automatically set.

For example, the importance level is determined based on the user preference level F_LEVEL (channel preference information) corresponding to each channel as shown in (B-1) of FIG. 7, or is assigned to each channel as shown in (B-2). It can be determined based on the corresponding motion level M_LEVEL (motion amount information).

Further, the genre of each channel is determined from the content identifier of the EIT which is program information as in (C-1), and from the user preference level F_LEVEL (genre preference information) corresponding to each genre as in (C-2). Alternatively, it may be determined from the motion level M_LEVEL (motion amount information) corresponding to each genre as in (C-3).

  When setting based on preference information, the importance level becomes higher for channels that match the user's preference, and when setting based on motion amount information, the level of importance becomes higher for channels with larger motion amounts Determine the importance level for each channel.

  The user preference level may be registered in advance by the user, or the IRD 501 may automatically determine the user preference based on the user operation history or the like. The motion level is determined from the motion vector during decoding, determined from the motion vector of other picture data that is not required until the I picture is decoded, or determined from the motion characteristics corresponding to the genre. May be.

(A-2) in FIG. 6 is a table in which the number of display frames (continuity), priority (priority), and maximum assignable number (maximum) for each importance level are defined. In this example,
Level 1 is 1 display frame, priority LO, maximum assignable number 9,
Level 2 has 1 display frame, priority HI, maximum assignable number 9,
Level 3 has 60 display frames, priority LO, maximum assignable number 4,
Level 4 has 120 display frames, priority LO, maximum assignable number 2,
Level 5 is display frame number 600, priority LO, maximum assignable number 1
It has become.

  Here, the number of display frames is the number of frames displayed by one update. The larger the number of display frames, the higher the frame rate (smooth) the moving image is displayed. The priority is information that determines the number of times (frequency) of selection of the video signal. An image with priority LO is given an update opportunity only once while all the images are updated. An image with priority HI is given an update opportunity each time any image with priority LO is updated. The maximum assignable number is information indicating whether or not the maximum importance level can be assigned to how many child screens. That is, the larger the number of display frames, the smaller the maximum assignable number.

The selection order of each channel is determined based on the importance level set in the table (A-1), and the update procedure of the frame memory 211 is tabulated (A-3) and (A-4).
) Table. (A-3) is an initial update procedure table showing the update procedure of the initial image. On the initial screen, only the video with the priority LO is updated in order of the importance level (highest). (A-4) is an update procedure table showing an update procedure that is repeated until the multi-screen display is completed after the update procedure of (A-3). It can be seen that the channels CH2 and 7 having the priority HI are frequently updated.

If the update process is performed according to the update procedure table of (A-4), while the update is completed (while the update procedures 608 to 628 are executed once),
Level 1 channels CH 1 and 6 are 1 frame,
Level 2 channels CH2 and 7 are 7 frames,
Level 3 channels CH3, 8 are 60 frames,
Level 4 channels CH4 and 9 are 120 frames,
Level 5 channel CH5 is displayed frame by frame. That is, the greater the importance level and the higher the priority, the higher the frame rate. When the importance level is set based on the amount of movement and preference information as shown in FIG. 7, the frame rate is higher for the channel with the larger amount of movement and the channel that matches the user's preference, and is displayed as a smooth video. Will be.

  Next, a specific update process based on the update procedure table will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows an operation flow of the CPU 207.

  In step S101, the CPU 207 analyzes a command from the remote controller 504. If it is determined that the instruction is an instruction to perform multi-screen display, the process proceeds to step S102.

  In step S102, the CPU 207 determines whether it is the first display repetition, and if it is the first time, the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, the CPU 207 refers to the initial update procedure table in FIG.

  In step S <b> 104, the CPU 207 sets the frequency and TSID corresponding to the designated channel in order from the update procedure 601 in the broadcast receiving unit 201. In accordance with the setting contents, the broadcast receiving means 201 outputs a TS of a program of a desired channel.

  In step S <b> 105, the CPU 207 sets the PID corresponding to the designated channel and the designated number of frames in the demultiplexer 202. The designated number of frames is counted inside the demultiplexer 202 or counted by the CPU 207. Depending on the setting contents, the demultiplexer 202 separates image data, audio data, and other data, and transfers the image data to the MPEG2 video decoder 203, the audio data to the MPEG2 audio decoder 205, and the other data to the CPU 207.

  In step S <b> 106, the CPU 207 sets the designated number of frames in the display data generation unit 204. The designated number of frames is counted inside the display data generation unit 204 or counted by the CPU 207. When the display data generation means 204 receives the image for the designated number of frames from the MPEG2 video decoder 203, the resolution conversion means 301 reduces the image to 1/9 size. Then, the image synthesis means 302 writes the image of each frame into the frame memory 211, reads out display data from the frame memory 211 at a signal format synchronization timing that matches the specifications of the monitor 502, and causes the D / A conversion means 303 to And output to the monitor 502.

  And it returns to step S101 again. As long as the multi-screen display is maintained, the CPU 207 repeats steps S101 to S106 and executes the update procedures 602 to 607 of the initial update procedure table.

  After the update procedure 607 is completed, the process branches to step S107 in the determination process of step S102, and the CPU 207 refers to the update procedure table of FIG. The processes related to the update procedures 608 to 628 in the update procedure table are the same as those described above. After executing the update procedure 628, the process returns to the update procedure 608 again, and the contents of the update procedure table are repeated.

  Through the above processing, the display of each video on the nine sub-screens is sequentially updated by the designated number of frames. At this time, a video with a higher frame rate is displayed for a video with a higher importance level. While viewing the multi-screen display, the user can select a video desired to be viewed and operate the remote controller 504 to decide.

  In step S101, the command from the remote controller 504 is analyzed, and if it is determined that the command is a command to cancel the multi-screen display, in step S108, the command is analyzed from the remote controller 504 and the instructed content is received and set. Refer to as

  Then, designated contents are set in steps S104 to S106, and the operations in and after step S101 are repeated. However, if there is no change in the setting contents in steps S104 to S106, the CPU 207 does not perform the setting.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in multi-screen display, the selection order (update order) and the number of display frames are appropriately determined based on the importance level set for each video signal. In particular, by changing the frame rate according to the content of each video such as the amount of motion of the video and the user's preference (preference), or by changing the update frequency according to the priority, information necessary for video selection is given to the user. You can communicate appropriately. Therefore, the user can easily find a video desired to be viewed.

  In the present embodiment, multi-screen display is performed with nine sub-screens as shown in FIG. 4, but the number of screen divisions is not limited. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, it is also preferable to display the display data created by the CPU 207 based on program information such as EIT stored in the program information storage means 209 on each screen together with image data. In this case, it is possible to know what the program is other than when the screen is updated.

  Various arrangements of video in multi-screen display can be considered, such as channel order, user preference order, and genre order.

  In the present embodiment, the multi-screen display is exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to the adjustment of the number of update frames (time) in the zapping display. For example, the channel zapping display can be instructed by pressing the channel + button or the − button of the remote controller 504, and the number of frames to be updated and the selection order of each channel by zapping may be controlled based on various tables in FIG.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, multi-screen display is performed on all nine sub-screens. However, in this embodiment, a main screen for normal viewing and a sub-screen for multi-screen display are displayed.

  The overall configuration of the video display system of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 5).

  FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the IRD 1000 of the present embodiment. In the figure, parts having the same functions as those of the IRD 501 (FIG. 2) of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, a description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

<Configuration of IRD>
The IRD 1000 of this embodiment includes a broadcast receiving unit B1001, a demultiplexer B1002, an MPEG video decoder B1003, a display data generating unit B1004, an MPEG audio decoder B1005, and a D / A conversion unit B1006.

  The broadcast receiving means B1001 receives the digital broadcast signal from the antenna 505, selects the same as the broadcast receiving means 201, and outputs a TS signal.

  The demultiplexer B1002 filters the TS signal output from the broadcast receiving means B1001 with a packet identifier (PID) and separates it into various data.

  The MPEG video decoder B1003 decodes the MPEG2 image data sorted by the demultiplexer B1002.

  The display data generation means B1004 combines the image signal decoded by the MPEG2 video decoder 203 and the MPEG2 video decoder B1003 and the image drawn based on the display data created by the CPU 207 using the frame memory 211, and uses NTSC or the like. The signal is converted into a signal format that meets the specifications of the monitor 502.

  The MPEG audio decoder B1005 decodes the MPEG2 audio data sorted by the demultiplexer B1002.

  The D / A conversion means B1006 outputs the decoding results of the MPEG2 audio decoder 205 and the MPEG2 audio decoder B1005 to the outside as audio signals such as stereo audio.

  As described above, the IRD 1000 of this embodiment includes two systems of processing systems including broadcast receiving means, demultiplexer, and MPEG decoder.

  Processing for viewing digital broadcasts such as satellites, CATV, and terrestrial waves is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, when the user designates a channel (service ID) using the remote controller 504 or the like, the signal of the channel is received by the broadcast receiving unit 201 and the broadcast receiving unit B1001. The received signals are separated by the demultiplexer 202 and the demultiplexer B1002, respectively, passed to the corresponding blocks and processed.

  The video signal is decoded by the MPEG2 video decoder 203 and the MPEG2 video decoder B1003 and converted into a display signal by the display data generating means B1004. The audio signal is decoded by the MPEG2 audio decoder 205 and the MPEG2 audio decoder B1005 and sent to the D / A conversion means B1006. The D / A conversion means B1006 D / A converts one of the two audio signals and outputs it as a left channel and right channel signal.

  The two systems of image signals output from the IRD 1000 are displayed side by side on the screen of the monitor 502 connected by the cable 503. An audio signal corresponding to one of the image signals is output from the speaker of the monitor 502. As a result, the user can view the channel designated by the remote controller 504 or the like.

<Multi-screen display>
FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the multi-screen display of this embodiment. The main screen 1201 for normal viewing and the sub-screens 1202 to 1204 for multi-screen display are divided into a total of four screens.

  When performing such multi-screen display, the CPU 207 issues a command to the broadcast receiving unit 201 and the demultiplexer 202 to receive the channel selected by the user, and to the broadcast receiving unit B1001 and the demultiplexer B1002. Issues a channel switch command. Further, the CPU 207 issues a command to the display data generation unit B 1004 to temporarily store the image data sent from each system in an individual area of the frame memory 211. For broadcast receiving means B1001 and demultiplexer B1002, the above operation is repeated for the number of channels to be displayed on the multi-screen (hereinafter referred to as the number of receivable programs). As a result, the program main is normally displayed on the main screen 1201, and the program subs 1 to 3 are displayed on the multi-screen on the sub-screens 1202 to 1204. When the number of receivable programs is larger than the number of sub-screens (three screens), first, program subs 1 to 3 are displayed on sub-screens 1202 to 1204, respectively, and then program subs 2 to 4 are displayed. In this way, the channels to be displayed can be switched.

  When the user confirms the back program while watching a program, the multi-screen display as shown in FIG. 12 is performed, and the program is continuously viewed on the main screen 1201 and the back program is displayed on the sub screens 1202 to 1204. There is a way.

  User operations when performing multi-screen display are performed using the remote controller 504, as in the first embodiment. First, the program selection button of the operation button 801 is pressed to switch to the multi-screen display selection mode. Then, a multi-screen divided into four screens as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed.

  To cancel the multi-screen display and return to the normal display, the cancel button of the operation button 801 may be pressed. As a result, the program main displayed on the main screen 1201 becomes a single screen display.

  When the program sub is to be displayed on a single screen, the program selection marker 1205 is moved with the movement button of the operation button 801 to select one of the sub-screens 1202 to 1204 and the determination button of the operation button 801 is pressed. . As a result, the normal display mode is set, and the selected program sub is displayed on a single screen.

  Next, image processing for performing multi-screen display will be described.

  FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the display data generation unit B1004. Parts having the same functions as those of the display data generation unit 204 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The display data generation unit B1004 includes a resolution conversion unit B1101. The resolution conversion means B1101 converts the image data input from the MPEG2 video decoder B1003 or the CPU 207 to a desired size. Other configurations are the same as those of the display data generation unit 204 (FIG. 3).

For example, when the display is divided into four screens as shown in FIG.
The image data input from the PEG2 video decoder 203 is reduced to 2/3 horizontal, or both horizontal ends are cut off by 1/6. The image composition unit 302 temporarily stores the image data in the frame memory 211 via the memory controller 304. On the other hand, the resolution conversion means B1101 reduces the image data input from the MPEG2 video decoder B1003 to 1/9. The image composition unit 302 temporarily stores the image data in the frame memory 211 via the memory controller 304. At that time, the image data is stored at an address corresponding to the sub-screen serving as a display location. The content stored in the frame memory 211 is updated in units of areas for each screen.

  The image synthesizing unit 302 reads the image data of the four programs from the frame memory 211 via the memory controller 304 at the synchronization timing of the signal format that meets the specifications of the monitor 502. This image data is converted into a display signal by the D / A conversion means 303 and displayed on the monitor 502 on a multi-screen.

  The memory controller 304 is provided with a double buffer, and an area of a program to be updated (image data to be newly written) is written while protecting the area being read. As a result, even if the program area being updated is read out, the image is not disturbed.

  The update procedure of each video on the sub-screens 1202 to 1204 in the multi-screen display is performed by the same method as in the first embodiment.

  The importance level of each channel applies the same content as in the first embodiment, but the maximum assignable number is changed according to the number of receivable programs. However, it is desirable to use the same value for levels 4 and 5 and higher levels.

  The importance level determination method is preferably determined from the user's preference level F_LEVEL (preference information) or from the movement level M_LEVEL (movement amount information), as in the first embodiment.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the specific update process of the child screens 1202 to 1204 will be described in detail. FIG. 13 shows an operation flow of the CPU 207. Here, a case where the number of receivable programs is nine will be described. Therefore, the various tables are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 6).

  In step S1301, the CPU 207 analyzes a command from the remote controller 504. If it is determined that the instruction is an instruction to perform multi-screen display, the process proceeds to step S1302.

  In step S1302, the CPU 207 determines whether it is the first display repetition, and if it is the first time, the process proceeds to step S1303.

  In step SS1303, the CPU 207 refers to the initial update procedure table in FIG.

  In step S1304, the CPU 207 sets the frequency and TSID corresponding to the designated channel in order from the update procedure 601, in the broadcast receiving unit B1001. Depending on the setting contents, the broadcast receiving means B1001 outputs a TS of a program of a desired channel.

In step S1305, the CPU 207 sets the PID corresponding to the designated channel and the designated number of frames in the demultiplexer B1002. The designated number of frames is counted inside the demultiplexer B 1002 or counted by the CPU 207. Depending on the setting contents, the demultiplexer B1002 separates the data into image data, audio data, and other data, and transfers the image data to the MPEG2 video decoder B1003, the audio data to the MPEG2 audio decoder B1005, and the other data to the CPU 207.

  In step S1306, the CPU 207 sets the designated number of frames in the display data generation unit B1004. The designated number of frames is counted inside the display data generating means B 1004 or counted by the CPU 207. When the display data generation means B1004 receives the image for the designated number of frames from the MPEG2 video decoder B1003, the resolution conversion means B1101 reduces the image to 1/9 size. Then, the image synthesis means 302 writes the image of each frame into the frame memory 211, reads out display data from the frame memory 211 at a signal format synchronization timing that matches the specifications of the monitor 502, and causes the D / A conversion means 303 to And output to the monitor 502.

  And it returns to step S1301 again. As long as the multi-screen display is maintained, the CPU 207 repeats steps S1301 to S1306 and executes the update procedures 602 to 607 of the initial update procedure table.

  After the update procedure 607 is completed, the process branches to step S1307 in the determination process of step S1302, and the CPU 207 refers to the update procedure table of FIG. The processes related to the update procedures 608 to 628 in the update procedure table are the same as those described above. After executing the update procedure 628, the process returns to the update procedure 608 again, and the contents of the update procedure table are repeated.

  Through the above processing, the channels displayed on the three sub-screens are switched, and the video of each channel is sequentially updated by the designated number of frames. At this time, a video with a higher frame rate is displayed for a video with a higher importance level. While viewing the multi-screen display, the user can select a video to be viewed from the program main and the program sub, and operate the remote controller 504 to determine the video.

  In step S1301, the command from the remote controller 504 is analyzed, and if it is determined that the command is a command to cancel the multi-screen display, the command from the remote controller 504 is analyzed in step S1308 and the instructed content is received and set. Refer to as

  In step S1309, if the program sub is selected, the setting of the broadcast receiving unit 201 is changed to the content of the program, and if the cancellation of the multi-screen display or the program main is selected, the original setting is maintained. The broadcast receiving unit 201 outputs a TS of a program of a desired channel according to the setting contents.

  In step S1310, a PID corresponding to a channel designated by the CPU 207 is set in the demultiplexer 202. Depending on the setting contents, the demultiplexer 202 separates image data, audio data, and other data, and transfers the image data to the MPEG2 video decoder 203, the audio data to the MPEG2 audio decoder 205, and the other data to the CPU 207. As a result, the selected program is displayed on a single screen.

  In step S1306, the designated content is set, and the operations after step S1301 are repeated. However, if there is no change in the setting contents in steps S1304 to S1306, S1309, and S1310, the CPU 207 does not perform the setting.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even in a multi-screen display in which a plurality of back programs are simultaneously displayed while viewing a main program, the same operational effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained. .

It is a flowchart of the video update process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of IRD which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the display data production | generation means which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen structure of the multiscreen display which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the video display system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the table referred by an image | video update process. It is a figure which shows an example of the table referred by an image | video update process. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a remote control. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a multiscreen display. It is a figure which shows the structural example of IRD which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the display data production | generation means which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen structure of the multiscreen display which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the video update process which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

201 Broadcast receiving means 202 Demultiplexer 203 MPEG2 video decoder 204 Display data generating means 205 MPEG2 audio decoder 206 D / A converting means 207 CPU
208 CAM
209 Program information storage means 210 Operation means 211 Frame memory 301 Resolution conversion means 302 Image composition means 303 D / A conversion means 304 Memory controller 401 Program selection marker 501 IRD
502 Monitor 503 Cable 504 Remote control 505 Antenna 601-628 Update procedure 801 Operation button 802 Transmitter 1000 IRD
1001 Broadcast receiving means B
1002 Demultiplexer B
1003 MPEG2 video decoder B
1004 Display data generation means B
1005 MPEG2 audio decoder B
1006 D / A conversion means B
1101 Resolution conversion means B
1201 Parent screen 1202-1204 Child screen 1205 Program selection marker

Claims (4)

A video display method for switching and displaying a plurality of video signals,
An attribute setting process for setting display attributes for each video signal;
An order determination step for determining the selection order of video signals based on the set display attributes;
A display switching step of repeating a process of selecting a video signal according to the determined selection order and displaying a video of the number of frames determined for each display attribute for the selected video signal;
A video display method comprising:   2. The video display method according to claim 1, wherein in the attribute setting step, display attributes are set so that a video signal having a large amount of motion has a larger number of frames than a video signal having a small amount of motion.   In the attribute setting step, display attributes are set based on preset user preference information so that the number of frames is larger for a video signal that matches the user's preference than a video signal that does not match the user's preference. The video display method according to claim 1. Priorities are set for each display attribute,
The order determination step determines the selection order so that the number of selections of the video signal set with a display attribute with a high priority is larger than that of a video signal set with a display attribute with a low priority. 2. The video display method according to 2 or 3.

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