JP2008042444A - Device and program for viewing/listening to television broadcast - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress power consumption during the decoding processing without performing special operation, and without limiting its output to either one of video output and sound output, in a device for viewing/listening to a television broadcast which outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast by decoding it. <P>SOLUTION: A television broadcast reception part 8 receives the television broadcast and separates its reception signal into a video signal, a sound signal, and a character signal so as to decode them respectively with a video-signal decoder part 83, a sound-signal decoder part 84, and a character-signal decoder part 85. A CPU 1 acquires a genre of a program broadcasted in a current selected channel so as to put the decoding processing on the television broadcast reception part 8 side under power-saving control corresponding to the genre of the program. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a television broadcast viewing apparatus and program for decoding and outputting a received signal of a television broadcast.

In general, when a television function for receiving and outputting a television broadcast is added to a portable terminal device that is driven by a battery as a power source, power consumption increases and the battery runs out immediately. Therefore, conventionally, there has been known a technique for suppressing power consumption by individually stopping the operations of a video signal separated from a broadcast signal, a video decoding circuit for decoding an audio signal, and an audio decoding circuit (Patent Literature). 1). In this case, in the video mode, the operation of the audio decoding circuit is stopped and video output is performed, and in the audio mode, the operation of the video decoding circuit is stopped and audio output is performed.
JP 2005-218006 A

 However, in the above-described prior art, power consumption is reduced by selecting a video mode / audio mode according to a user operation. Only video is displayed in the video mode, and audio is displayed in the audio mode. Is output only. That is, only one of the outputs can be performed, and since the mode selection operation is assumed, the power consumption cannot be suppressed unless either the video mode or the audio mode is selected due to forgetting the operation.

  An object of the present invention is a television broadcast viewing apparatus that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast, and does not perform a special operation and does not limit the output to one of video and audio. It is to be able to suppress power consumption at the time.

The invention according to claim 1 (first invention) is a television broadcast viewing apparatus that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast, and acquires the genre of a program broadcast on the currently selected channel. And a control means for controlling the power saving of the decoding process in accordance with the program genre obtained by the acquisition means.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 1 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 17).

The invention described in claim 1 described above may be as follows.
The control means determines whether or not the program genre obtained by the acquisition means is a predetermined specific genre, and performs power saving control on condition that the program genre is a specific genre (claim 2). invention).

The control means performs power saving control by intermittently operating the decoding process (the invention according to claim 11).
In this case, when the control means receives and decodes the encoded video signal, the control means thins out other frames by selecting a specific frame from among the received video frames as a target for decoding processing. You may make it perform control (invention of Claim 12). In addition, the control means may intermittently operate the decoding process of the specific frame by thinning out the specific frame to be decoded at a predetermined cycle (invention of claim 13).

 A video signal decoding unit that individually decodes a video signal, an audio signal, and a character signal separated from the multiplexed broadcast signal; an audio signal decoding unit; and a character signal decoding unit, wherein the control means includes the video signal Power saving control is performed by intermittently operating at least one of the decoding unit, the audio signal decoding unit, and the character signal decoding unit (the invention according to claim 14).

 In the state where the validity / invalidity of the power-saving control is arbitrarily selected and set, the control means determines whether or not to execute the power-saving control according to the validity / invalidity that is selected and set. Invention).

 When the control means performs power saving control of the decoding process, information indicating that the power saving control is being executed is displayed on the display screen as guidance (invention of claim 16).

The invention according to claim 3 (second invention) is a television broadcast viewing apparatus that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast, and a determination means for determining whether or not the currently selected channel is a specific channel; And a control means for controlling the power saving of the decoding process when it is determined by the determination means that a specific channel has been selected.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 3 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 18).

The invention described in claim 3 described above may be as follows.
The specific channel may be a channel arbitrarily selected in advance by a user operation (invention of claim 4).
The invention described in claim 3 may be the invention described in claims 11 to 16 described above.

The invention according to claim 5 (third invention) is a television broadcast viewing apparatus that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast, and includes a determination unit that determines the current state of the device, and the determination unit And a control means for performing power saving control on the decoding process in accordance with the current state determined by.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 5 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 19).

The invention described in claim 5 described above may be as follows.
The determining means determines whether or not the remaining amount of the power battery is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and the control means performs power saving control when the remaining battery capacity determined by the determining means is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. (Invention of Claim 6).

 The determination unit determines whether or not the reception state of the television broadcast has decreased, and the control unit performs power saving control when the determination unit determines that the reception state has decreased. Described invention).

Telephone communication means is provided, and the determination means determines whether or not a call is in progress by the telephone communication means, and the control means performs power saving control when it is determined by the determination means that the call is in progress (Invention of Claim 8).
Further, the invention described in claim 5 may be the invention described in claims 11 to 16 described above.

A ninth aspect of the present invention (fourth aspect) is a television broadcast viewing apparatus that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast, and what kind of content is being broadcast on the currently selected channel And a control means for controlling the power-saving of the decoding process in accordance with the broadcast content determined by the determination means.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 9 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 20).

The invention described in claim 9 described above may be as follows.
The discriminating unit discriminates whether or not the commercial broadcast is being performed based on an output signal obtained as a result of receiving and decoding the television broadcast of the selected channel, and the control unit is performing the commercial broadcast by the discriminating unit. When it is determined, power saving control is performed (the invention according to claim 10).
The invention described in claim 9 may be the invention described in claims 11 to 16 described above.

  In the first invention, when a received signal of a television broadcast is decoded and output, a special operation is performed by performing power saving control on the decoding process according to the genre of a program broadcast on the currently selected channel. Effective power saving is possible without performing output or limiting the output to one of video and audio.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when a received signal of a television broadcast is decoded and output, if the currently selected channel is a specific channel, a special operation can be performed by performing power saving control on the decoding process. However, it is possible to save power effectively without limiting the output to one of video and audio.

 According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a received signal of a television broadcast is decoded and output, video can be saved without performing a special operation by performing power saving control on the decoding process according to the current state of the device. Effective power saving is possible without limiting the output to one of the voices.

 According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when a received signal of a television broadcast is decoded and output, a special power saving control is performed for the decoding processing according to what kind of broadcast is being performed on the currently selected channel. Even if the operation is not performed, it is possible to save power effectively without limiting the output to one of video and audio.

(Example 1)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
This embodiment exemplifies a case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone device with a television as a television broadcast viewing device, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing basic components of the mobile phone device with a television.
This mobile phone device has a telephone function, a mail function, an Internet connection function (Web access function), a TV broadcast viewing function for receiving and outputting a digital TV broadcast, and a recording for recording (including recording) the received TV broadcast. Functions, and a playback function for playing back and outputting recorded television broadcasts.

  The CPU 1 is a core central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the mobile phone device in accordance with various programs in the storage unit 2. The storage unit 2 is an internal memory, and has a program area and a data area. In this program area, a program for realizing the present embodiment according to an operation procedure shown in FIGS. In addition, a program genre table GT, which will be described later, and the like are stored in the data area. The recording medium 3 is a detachable portable memory that supplies various data programs externally, and is configured by, for example, smart media, an IC card, or the like. The memory 4 is an internal memory having a work area, and various data in the memory 4 is saved in the storage unit 2 as necessary.

  The telephone communication unit 5 takes in a signal from the reception side of a transmission / reception unit (baseband unit) connected to an antenna constituting the radio unit and demodulates it into a reception baseband signal, and then receives a reception speaker (see FIG. (Not shown). Further, the telephone communication unit 5 encodes the audio data input from the microphone 7 into a transmission baseband signal, and then transmits and outputs the data from the antenna. The TV broadcast receiving unit 8 receives terrestrial digital TV broadcasts for portable receivers such as mobile phones, and can receive not only TV video and audio information but also an electronic program guide (EPG). The TV video data and the character data are displayed and output from the display unit 9, and the TV sound data is output from a sound speaker (not shown) constituting the speaker 6.

  The display unit 9 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like that can display a television broadcast with high image quality, and the key operation unit 10 performs dial input, character input, command input, and the like. There are provided a mode key for switching to a power saving mode (energy saving mode) in which broadcasting can be viewed with power saving, a recording start / stop key, and the CPU 1 executes processing according to a key input signal from the key operation unit 10. To do. The recording unit 11 records the broadcast content from the television broadcast receiving unit 8 in a built-in memory (not shown) such as a hard disk, and the recording start / end is controlled under the control of the CPU 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the television broadcast receiver 8.
The TV broadcast receiving unit 8 is connected to a TV antenna (not shown), selects a reception channel according to a user operation, extracts a broadcast signal of the station, and receives the broadcast signal by OFDM (orthogonal). Frequency division multiplexing) A multiplexed signal separation unit 82 that demodulates or separates a multiplexed broadcast signal into video, audio, and data (character data), and a video signal and audio separated by the multiplexed signal separation unit 82 The video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 decode the signal and character signal while analyzing them and decompress the compressed data.

  The video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 are individually controllable. In the “normal mode” in which the “energy saving mode” is canceled, the CPU 1 The unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 are each instructed to perform normal tecode processing by giving a “normal drive command”. In the “energy saving mode” described above, the video signal decoder unit 83 is instructed. The “decode thinning control” is instructed by giving a “power-saving drive command” to at least one of the audio signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85.

  In this case, the audio signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85 perform a decoding thinning operation that operates intermittently at regular intervals (for example, every 2 seconds). The intermittent operation at intervals of 2 seconds indicates, for example, that the voice signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85 stop for 2 seconds and repeat the operation for 2 seconds (the same applies hereinafter). . In this case, a timer (not shown) is provided in the audio signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85, and by counting the 2-second interval by this timer, an intermittent operation at every 2-second interval becomes possible.

  When “decode thinning control” is instructed from the CPU 1, the video signal decoder 83 performs decoding thinning to thin out other frames by selecting a specific frame as a decoding process target. That is, the received video signal is a signal that has been compression-encoded by the moving image compression method (MPEG). When the video signal is decoded for each frame, the video signal decoder 83 uses a specific frame (one image). Is selected as a decoding processing target, and other frames (P frame compressed by forward prediction and B frame compressed by bidirectional prediction) are thinned out. Further, the video signal decoder 83 performs a decoding thinning operation for thinning out a specific frame (I frame) to be decoded at a predetermined cycle (for example, once every 5 times). In this case, the video signal decoder 83 counts I frames and gives a stop instruction to itself based on the counted value.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the program genre table GT.
The program genre table GT corresponds to the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 for each TV broadcast program genre (news, music, sports, and other genres). "Is a table in which" is set. In the figure, “video”, “audio”, and “character” indicate the corresponding video signal decoder 83, audio signal decoder 84, and character signal decoder 85, and “ON / OFF flag” Indicates whether or not “decode thinning control” can be executed. The content of the program genre table GT can be arbitrarily set by the user as needed. For example, if the video has high image quality, the sound quality may be rough. The “ON / OFF flag” can be arbitrarily set according to the user's request, such as when the video may be rough.

 In the example shown in the figure, “ON flag” is set for program genre A (for example, news program) corresponding to “video”, “sound”, and “character”. In the program genre B (for example, a music program), an “ON flag” is set corresponding to “video” and “character”, and an “OFF flag” is set corresponding to “audio”. In the program genre C (for example, a sports program), an “ON flag” is set corresponding to “voice” and “character”, and an “OFF flag” is set corresponding to “video”. In other genres (drama programs, travel programs, etc.), “OFF flags” are set corresponding to “video”, “sound”, and “character”.

  Next, the operation concept of the mobile phone device in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Here, each function described in these flowcharts is stored in the form of a readable program code, and operations according to the program code are sequentially executed. In addition, the operation according to the above-described program code transmitted via the transmission medium can be sequentially executed. This is the same in other embodiments described later. In addition to the recording medium, the program / data supplied from the outside via the transmission medium can be used to execute operations specific to this embodiment. 4 to 6 are flowcharts showing an outline of the operation of the characteristic part of the present embodiment in the overall operation of the mobile phone device. When the flow of FIGS. Returning to the operation flow (not shown).

4 to 6 are flowcharts showing a television process that is started in response to a television-on operation.
First, when a channel operation for selecting and specifying a new channel is performed, the CPU 1 instructs the television broadcast receiver 8 to switch channels (step A1 in FIG. 4), and the video constituting the television broadcast receiver 8 After instructing decoding to the signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 (step A2), the decoding processing result is output from the speaker (sound speaker) 6 and the display unit 9. (Step A3).

 Then, it is checked whether or not the “energy saving mode” is set (step A4). If the “energy saving mode” is canceled, that is, if it is set to the “normal mode” (NO in step A4), Moving to the flow of FIG. 6, the CPU 1 instructs the normal decoding process by giving “normal drive command” to the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85, respectively. The processing result is acquired and output (step A26). If any operation is performed in the state of receiving and outputting the television broadcast in this manner (YES in step A27), it is checked whether it is a channel switching operation (step A28). Returning to step A1, the channel switching process is performed.

 When the TV off operation is performed and the TV end instruction is received (YES in step A29), the flow of FIGS. 4 to 6 is exited and the TV processing is ended. When switching from “mode” to “energy saving mode” is instructed (YES in step A30), the mode switching process is executed to cancel “normal mode” and set to “energy saving mode” (step A31). When other operations are performed (NO in step A30), for example, reservation recording setting, volume adjustment, and the like are performed as processing corresponding to the operations (step A32).

 Now, when the “energy saving mode” is set (YES in step A4 in FIG. 4), by referring to the EPG (electronic program guide) acquired and received in advance, the genre is determined from the program information of the received program. Is acquired (step A5). In this case, the genre may be acquired from the program information added to the received broadcast content. Then, by searching the program genre table GT based on the program genre, it is checked whether or not the genre is “energy saving genre” (step A6).

 That is, with reference to the “ON / OFF flag” of “video”, “sound”, and “character” corresponding to the genre, it is checked whether any of the “ON flag” is set, and “video”, Any genre in which “ON flag” is set in either “voice” or “character” is recognized as an energy-saving genre. If the program genre currently being received is a genre other than news, music, or sports, it is not an energy-saving genre (NO in step A6), so the flow proceeds to FIG. By giving a “normal drive command” to the audio signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85, each normal decoding process is executed, and then these decoding process results are acquired and output (step A15). .

 In this state where the television broadcast is being received and output, the CPU 1 checks whether or not the CM is being broadcast on the currently selected channel (step A16). For example, when the audio is switched from monaural to stereo, or when the audio multiplexing is switched to the bilingual broadcasting, the CPU 1 recognizes that the switching is to the CM broadcasting. If a CM broadcast is in progress (YES in step A16), each decoder unit 83 is provided by giving a "power saving drive command" to the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85. ~ 85 are instructed to "decode thinning control" (step A17).

  Here, the audio signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85 perform a decoding thinning operation that operates intermittently at regular intervals (for example, every 2 seconds). In addition, the video signal decoder 83 selects a specific frame (I frame) as a decoding process target, thins out other frames (P frame, B frame), and the I frame at a predetermined cycle (for example, once every 5 times). Decode thinning out is performed at the rate of The CPU 1 acquires the result of each decoding process and outputs it from the speaker 6 and the display unit 9 (step A18), and continues to execute the above-described decoding thinning operation until the end of CM is detected (steps A18 and A19). When the end of CM is detected (YES in step B19), the process returns to step A15 described above.

 If the CM is not being broadcast (NO in step A16), it is determined whether any operation has been performed (step A20), and the operation waits until any operation is performed. Here, when a channel switching operation is performed (YES in step A21), the process returns to step A1 in FIG. 4 to perform channel switching, and when a television off operation (television end operation) is performed (step A22). 4), the flow goes out of the flow of FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, but when the mode switching operation is performed (YES in Step A23), after switching from the “energy saving mode” to the “normal mode” (Step A24), FIG. Move on to the flow. When other operations are performed (NO in step A23), for example, reservation recording setting, volume adjustment, and the like are performed as processing corresponding to the operations (step A25).

 On the other hand, in the “energy saving mode” (YES in step A4 in FIG. 4), if the genre of the received program is “energy saving genre” (YES in step A6), the program genre table GT is searched based on the genre of this received program. Then, the presence / absence of “decoding thinning-out control” is instructed according to “ON / OFF” of “video”, “audio”, and “character” corresponding to the genre (step A7). That is, the CPU 1 provides the “decode power saving command” to the decoding unit whose flag is “ON” among the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85. Although “thinning control” is instructed, a normal decoding process is instructed by giving a “normal drive command” to the decoding unit whose flag is “OFF”.

 Accordingly, for example, when the genre of the received program is “news program”, the “ON flag” is set corresponding to “video”, “sound”, “character”, so the video signal decoder 83 The audio signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85 each perform a decoding thinning operation. If the genre is “music program”, the “ON flag” is set corresponding to “video” and “character”, and the “OFF flag” is set corresponding to “audio”. The signal decoder unit 83 and the character signal decoder unit 85 perform a decoding thinning operation, while the audio signal decoder unit 84 performs a normal decoding operation.

 Furthermore, if the genre is “sports program”, the “ON flag” is set corresponding to “audio” and “character”, and the “OFF flag” is set corresponding to “video”. The signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85 perform a decoding thinning operation, while the video signal decoder unit 83 performs a normal decoding operation. And CPU1 acquires the result of each decoding process, and makes it output from the speaker 6 and the display part 9 (step A8). In this case, an “energy saving icon” is displayed and output at the corner of the television screen to indicate that the decoding unit of the television broadcast receiving unit 8 is driven to save energy.

 In this state, the operation waits until some operation is performed (step A9). When a channel switching operation is performed (YES in step A10), the process returns to step A1 and the channel is switched. When the TV off operation (end operation) is performed (YES in step A11), the flow of FIGS. 4 to 6 is exited, but when the mode switching operation is performed (YES in step A12), “energy saving” is performed. After switching from “mode” to “normal mode” (step A13), the flow proceeds to the flow of FIG. When other operations are performed (NO in step A12), for example, reservation recording setting, volume adjustment, and the like are performed as processing corresponding to the operations (step A14).

 As described above, in the first embodiment, the television broadcast receiving unit 8 receives the television broadcast and separates the received signal into a video signal, an audio signal, and a character signal, and the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder. The CPU 84 obtains the genre of the program broadcast on the currently selected channel, and performs the decoding process on the TV broadcast receiving unit 8 side according to the program genre. By controlling power saving, for example, when watching a program other than your favorite program, or when watching a program where you can grasp the contents of the broadcast without emphasizing image quality and sound quality like a news program, perform special operations. In addition, even if the output is not limited to one of video and audio, the power consumption can be surely reduced, saving power instead of outputting with high image quality and high sound quality It is possible to effectively save power by performing control.

 The television broadcast receiver 8 effectively suppresses power consumption to the extent that it does not hinder the understanding of broadcast contents by performing a decoding thinning operation that operates intermittently at regular intervals (for example, every 2 seconds). Can do. The video signal decoder unit 83 performs thinning-out control for thinning out other frames by selecting a specific frame (I frame) from among the received video frames as a decoding process target, or thins out I frames at a predetermined cycle. Thus, the I frame decoding process is intermittently performed, so that the power consumption can be effectively suppressed to the extent that the content of the broadcast is not hindered.

The CPU 1 performs the thinning control by intermittently operating at least one of the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 to decode, for example, the video has high image quality. If so, it is possible to deal with cases where the sound quality may be coarse, and conversely, if the sound quality is high, the image may be coarse.
Further, since it is possible to arbitrarily switch between the “energy saving mode” and the “normal mode”, it is possible to select whether or not to execute the power saving control as necessary. Further, by displaying and outputting the “energy saving icon” on the television screen, the user can know that the power saving control is being performed.

 In addition, even when the “normal mode” is set, the power saving control is performed on the decoding process on the television broadcast receiving unit 8 side according to what kind of broadcast is being performed on the currently selected channel, so that CM Power saving during broadcasting is possible. In other words, there are many cases where it is better to reduce power consumption than to output CM broadcast with high image quality and high sound quality, so instead of outputting CM broadcast with high image quality and high sound quality, power saving control is performed. Power saving during CM broadcasting is possible.

 In the first embodiment described above, “news”, “music”, and “sports” are exemplified as energy saving genres as program genres. However, the program genre is not limited to this and is arbitrary. For example, the same news Even for a program, the same decoding process may be instructed for top news, and decoding thinning-out control may be instructed for news after that.

Also, if the currently selected channel is currently being broadcasted, the TV broadcast receiving unit 8 is controlled to save power while the commercial is being broadcast. It may be specified to perform power saving control, or in baseball broadcasting, power saving control may be performed by specifying an offense and defense change by image analysis or the like. That is, power saving control may be performed by identifying a scene that does not need to be output with high image quality and high sound quality.
(Example 2)

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
In the first embodiment described above, the power saving control is performed according to the program genre, or the power saving control is performed while the CM broadcast is being performed. In the second embodiment, the current power saving control is performed. The power saving control is performed according to the selected channel (energy saving channel) or the current device status (remaining battery level, broadcast radio wave reception level, busy).
Here, the same or the same names in both embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the features of the second embodiment. .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing television processing that is started in response to a television-on operation in the second embodiment.
First, when a channel operation for selecting and specifying a new channel is performed, the CPU 1 instructs the television broadcast receiving unit 8 to switch channels (step B1), and then checks whether the current channel is an “energy saving channel”. Determine (step B2). The “energy saving channel” is arbitrarily set in advance by a user operation. For example, a channel arbitrarily selected and designated from dedicated channels such as a sports channel, a music channel, and a news channel (a channel not interested) ) Or a channel that you do not normally watch.

  Now, when switching to the “energy saving channel” (YESB in step B2), the CPU 1 instructs “decode thinning control” by giving a “power saving drive command” to the television broadcast receiver 8 side (step B11). ). As a result, on the television broadcast receiving unit 8 side, the decoding thinning-out operation described above is performed by at least one of the decoding units. And CPU1 acquires the result decoded by each decoding part 83-85, and makes it output from the speaker 6 and the display part 9 (step B12). In this case, as in the first embodiment, an “energy saving icon” indicating that energy saving driving is displayed on the television screen.

 In this state, the operation waits until some operation is performed (step B13). If a channel switching operation is performed (YES in step B14), the process returns to step B1 to switch the channel. If a TV off operation (end operation) is performed (YES in step B15), the process exits from this flow, but if any other operation is performed (NO in step B15), As processing corresponding to the operation, for example, reservation recording setting, volume adjustment, and the like are performed (step B16).

 On the other hand, when the channel is switched to a channel other than the “energy saving channel” (NO in step B2), the power source battery is based on a remaining amount detection signal from a remaining battery level detection unit (not shown) that constantly detects the remaining amount of the power source battery. It is checked whether or not the remaining battery level has reached a predetermined value (for example, a value corresponding to the remaining 10 minutes of TV viewing) (step B3). If it continues, viewing becomes impossible due to battery exhaustion, and when the remaining battery level becomes a predetermined value or less, “decode thinning control” is instructed to the television broadcast receiving unit 8 (step B11).

 If the remaining battery level exceeds a predetermined value (NO in step B3), the remaining battery level is sufficient to continue watching TV, so the process proceeds to the next step B4 to receive from the TV broadcast receiving unit 8. Based on the level detection signal, it is checked whether or not the reception level of the broadcast radio wave has reached a predetermined value or less that causes reception failure. Here, if the reception level is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (NO in step B4), that is, if the reception state of the radio wave is bad, it is not necessary to output with high image quality and high sound quality, and output with high image quality and high sound quality. Instead of this, in order to perform power saving control, “decode thinning control” is instructed to the television broadcast receiver 8 (step B11).

 If the reception level exceeds the predetermined value (NO in step B4), it is possible to output a high image quality and a high sound quality. Therefore, the process proceeds to the next step B5, and a call detection signal from the telephone communication unit 5 is displayed. Based on this, it is checked whether or not a call is in progress. Here, since there are many cases where the television broadcast is not concentrated during a call, the CPU 1 instructs the television broadcast receiver 8 to perform power saving control instead of outputting with high image quality and high sound quality. "Decode thinning control" is instructed (step B11).

 On the other hand, when the channel is switched to a channel other than the “energy saving channel” (NO in step B2), there is a margin until the battery runs out (NO in step B3), and the reception state is good (NO in step B4). If the call is not in progress (NO in step B5), the CPU 1 gives a “normal drive command” to the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 to instruct normal decoding processing. Are obtained and output (step B6).

 In such a state where the television broadcast is normally received and output, the CPU 1 waits for an operation until any operation is performed (step B7), but if a channel switching operation is performed (step B7). If YES in B8), the process returns to the above-described step B1 to switch the channel, and if a TV-off operation (end operation) is performed (YES in step B9), the flow exits from this flow. Is performed (NO in step B9), for example, reservation recording setting, volume adjustment, etc. are performed as processing corresponding to the operation (step B10).

 As described above, in the second embodiment, when the currently selected channel is switched to the energy-saving channel, the power-saving control is performed on the television broadcast receiving unit 8 to enable effective power saving. In other words, when watching a channel other than the favorite channel or when watching a channel that does not place importance on image quality and sound quality like news channels, and only needs to be able to grasp the contents of the broadcast, it is output to one of video and audio without any special operation Even without limiting the power consumption, the power consumption can be surely suppressed.

 When the remaining battery level reaches a predetermined value or less, the TV broadcast receiving unit 8 can be subjected to power saving control to extend the TV viewing time. In addition, when the broadcast wave reception level reaches a predetermined value or less, the power saving control is performed on the television broadcast receiving unit 8 to effectively save power. In other words, when radio wave reception is poor, there is no need to output with high image quality and high sound quality, so power saving control is performed instead of output with high image quality and high sound quality. It becomes possible. In addition, when a call is made while receiving and outputting a television broadcast, power saving control can be performed by controlling the television broadcast receiving unit 8 to save power. That is, since there is often no concentration on the TV during a call, power saving control is possible by performing power saving control instead of outputting with high image quality and high sound quality.

 Similarly to the first embodiment described above, the television broadcast receiving unit 8 performs a decoding thinning operation that operates intermittently at regular intervals (for example, every 2 seconds), thereby obstructing the grasp of the broadcast content. The power consumption can be effectively suppressed to the extent that it is not. The video signal decoder unit 83 performs thinning-out control for thinning out other frames by selecting a specific frame (I frame) from among the received video frames as a decoding process target, or thins out I frames at a predetermined cycle. Thus, by intermittently decoding the I frame, power consumption can be effectively suppressed to the extent that there is no problem in grasping the broadcast content.

 In addition, the CPU 1 performs thinning control by intermittently operating at least one of the video signal decoder unit 83, the audio signal decoder unit 84, and the character signal decoder unit 85 to be decoded, so that, for example, the video is high. If the image quality is good, the sound quality may be rough. Conversely, if the sound quality is high, the image may be rough.

 In the second embodiment described above, the energy saving channel is arbitrarily set in advance, but a channel other than the energy saving channel may be arbitrarily set. In addition, the current state of the device is exemplified by the remaining battery level, the reception state of the TV radio wave, and the call, but the current position is acquired from the GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and the current time is acquired from the clock unit. The current action is predicted from the current position and the current time. For example, when the user is in a train, a rough display with high sound quality may be performed.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, when the power saving control is performed on the audio signal decoder unit 84 and the character signal decoder unit 85, the operation of any one of the decoding units is stopped for 2 seconds and is operated for 2 seconds. Although the power saving control for performing the intermittent operation for each time has been illustrated, the time interval of the intermittent operation is not limited to the 2-second interval, but may be arbitrary and may be arbitrarily set by the user. The video signal decoder 83 thins out a specific frame (I frame) to be decoded at a predetermined cycle (for example, once every 5 times). In addition, the user may arbitrarily set the value.

  In addition, in each of the above-described second embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone device with a TV is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to the mobile phone device. The same applies to portable terminal devices such as the above. Moreover, it is needless to say that the present invention is applicable not only to portable terminal devices but also to fixed television broadcast receivers (television broadcast viewing devices).

The block diagram which showed the basic component of the mobile telephone apparatus with a television applied as a television broadcast viewing-and-listening apparatus. The block diagram which showed the structure of the television broadcast receiving part 8. FIG. The figure for demonstrating the program genre table GT. The flowchart which showed the television process started in response to television ON operation. The flowchart following FIG. The flowchart following FIG. The flowchart which showed the television process started in response to television on operation in 2nd Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 CPU
2 storage unit 5 telephone communication unit 6 speaker 8 TV broadcast receiving unit 9 display unit 10 key operation unit 11 recording unit 81 tuner 82 multiplexed signal separation unit 83 video signal decoder unit 84 audio signal decoder unit 85 character signal decoder unit GT program genre table

Claims (20)

A television broadcast viewing device that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast,
An acquisition means for acquiring a genre of a program broadcast on the currently selected channel;
Control means for power saving control of the decoding process according to the program genre obtained by the acquisition means;
A television broadcast viewing apparatus comprising: The control means determines whether or not the program genre obtained by the acquisition means is a predetermined specific genre, and performs power saving control on the condition that it is a specific genre.
2. The television broadcast viewing device according to claim 1, wherein the television broadcast viewing device is configured as described above. A television broadcast viewing device that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast,
A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the currently selected channel is a specific channel;
When it is determined that a specific channel is selected by the determination unit, a control unit that performs power saving control on the decoding process;
A television broadcast viewing apparatus comprising: The specific channel is a channel arbitrarily selected in advance by a user operation.
The television broadcast viewing device according to claim 3. A television broadcast viewing device that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast,
Determining means for determining the current state of the device;
Control means for performing power saving control on the decoding process according to the current state determined by the determination means;
A television broadcast viewing apparatus comprising: The determining means determines whether or not the remaining amount of the power battery is a predetermined amount or less,
The control means performs power saving control when the remaining battery level determined by the determination means is a predetermined amount or less.
6. The television broadcast viewing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the television broadcast viewing apparatus is configured as described above. The determination means determines whether or not the reception state of the television broadcast has decreased,
The control means performs power saving control when it is determined by the determination means that the reception state has decreased.
6. The television broadcast viewing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the television broadcast viewing apparatus is configured as described above. Provide telephone communication means,
The determining means determines whether the telephone communication means is in a call,
The control means performs power saving control when it is determined by the determination means that a call is in progress.
6. The television broadcast viewing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the television broadcast viewing apparatus is configured as described above. A television broadcast viewing device that decodes and outputs a reception signal of a television broadcast,
A discriminating means for discriminating what kind of content is being broadcast on the currently selected channel;
Control means for performing power saving control on the decoding process according to the broadcast content determined by the determination means;
A television broadcast viewing apparatus comprising: The determining means determines whether or not a commercial broadcast is being performed based on an output signal obtained as a result of receiving and decoding a television broadcast of a selected channel,
The control means performs power saving control when it is determined by the determination means that a commercial broadcast is being performed.
The television broadcast viewing / listening apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it is configured as described above. The control means performs power saving control by intermittently operating the decoding process.
10. The television broadcast viewing device according to claim 1, wherein the television broadcast viewing device is configured as described above. When the control means receives and decodes an encoded video signal, the control means performs a thinning-out control for thinning out other frames by selecting a specific frame from among the received video frames as a target for decoding processing. ,
The television broadcast viewing / listening device according to claim 11, which is configured as described above. The control means intermittently operates the decoding process of the specific frame by thinning out the specific frame to be decoded in a predetermined cycle;
The television broadcast viewing / listening device according to claim 12, characterized in that it is configured as described above. It has a video signal decoding unit, an audio signal decoding unit, and a character signal decoding unit that individually decodes a video signal, an audio signal, and a character signal separated from the multiplexed broadcast signal,
The control means performs power saving control by intermittently operating at least one of the video signal decoding unit, the audio signal decoding unit, and the character signal decoding unit.
10. The television broadcast viewing device according to claim 1, wherein the television broadcast viewing device is configured as described above. In a state where the power-saving control is enabled / disabled arbitrarily, the control means determines whether or not the power-saving control can be executed according to the enabled / disabled setting.
10. The television broadcast viewing device according to claim 1, wherein the television broadcast viewing device is configured as described above. When the control means performs power saving control on the decoding process, information indicating that power saving control is being performed is displayed on the display screen as guidance.
10. The television broadcast viewing device according to claim 1, wherein the television broadcast viewing device is configured as described above. Against the computer,
A function to decode and output a received signal of a television broadcast;
The ability to get the genre of the program being broadcast on the currently selected channel,
A function of controlling power saving of the decoding process according to the program genre;
A program to realize Against the computer,
A function to decode and output a received signal of a television broadcast;
A function to determine whether the currently selected channel is a specific channel;
When this specific channel is selected, a function of controlling power saving of the decoding process;
A program to realize Against the computer,
A function to decode and output a received signal of a television broadcast;
The ability to determine the current state of the device;
A function of controlling power saving of the decoding process according to the current state;
A program to realize Against the computer,
A function to decode and output a received signal of a television broadcast;
The ability to determine what content is being broadcast on the currently selected channel,
A function of controlling the power saving of the decoding process according to the broadcast content;
A program to realize

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