JP2008211652A - Television broadcast receiver and its power consumption reduction method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a television broadcast receiver (particularly, the television broadcast receiver using a plasma display panel in a video display part) which displays video images in an energy saving mode according to a genre of a broadcast program. <P>SOLUTION: The television broadcast receiver includes a program genre detection means 6 for detecting the genre of the broadcast program included in an input video signal and a display form adjustment means 6 for adjusting a display form of a displayed video image displayed on the video display part 10 according to the genre of the broadcast program detected by the program genre detection means 6 and when the input video signal is switched to a video signal of a prescribed program genre, the display form of the display video image adjusted by the display form adjustment means 6 is to be as a display form of the energy saving mode for reducing the power consumption. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a television broadcast receiving apparatus that displays video in an energy saving mode corresponding to the genre of a broadcast program, and a method for reducing power consumption thereof.

  In recent years, various measures have been taken to reduce the power consumption of the video display unit of a television broadcast receiver. For example, in addition to the standard mode of video display, there is a television broadcast receiver that can set an energy saving mode (mode that operates with low power consumption) that lowers the display brightness (darkens the display screen) than the standard mode.

  In order to set the energy saving mode, the initial setting can be switched in advance by setting whether the video display is set to the standard mode or the energy saving mode, a remote control, etc., or a display mode switching button on the apparatus main body. There is something like that.

Also, in LCD TVs that use a liquid crystal panel for the video display, the backlight brightness is changed to follow the brightness of the surroundings of the display screen, or when the energy saving mode is selected, There is also one that prevents the viewer from feeling as much as possible that the brightness of the light has decreased (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-238390 A

  However, when a viewer is watching a broadcast program and selects whether or not to enter the energy saving mode depending on the broadcast content (for example, when the program being viewed changes from a movie program to a news program, the energy saving mode is switched). Had to switch to the energy-saving mode by operating the remote control of the television broadcast receiver when the broadcast contents changed (such as the viewer pressing the energy-saving mode button).

  Furthermore, the viewer needs to operate the remote controller or the like when returning from the energy saving mode to the standard mode. In particular, when the energy saving mode is set only when a commercial is entered, the above operation needs to be repeated frequently, which makes the operation complicated and makes it difficult to concentrate on viewing the program.

  In addition, in a television broadcast receiving apparatus such as a liquid crystal television provided with a video display unit using a backlight, the power consumption of the backlight is large. Therefore, the power consumption can be reduced by lowering the luminance of the backlight that illuminates the entire display screen. Although the effect is relatively large, television broadcast receivers that use a plasma display panel (PDP) in the video display section have no backlight, so the method of reducing the backlight brightness as described above is applied Can not.

  Problems to be solved by the present invention include a television broadcast receiver (in particular, a television broadcast receiver using a plasma display panel as a video display unit) for displaying video in an energy saving mode corresponding to the genre of the broadcast program, and its consumption Providing a power reduction method is an example.

  To achieve the above object, a television broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is detected by a program genre detecting means for detecting a genre of a broadcast program included in an input video signal, and the program genre detecting means. Display form adjusting means for adjusting the display form of the display video displayed on the video display unit according to the genre of the broadcast program, and when the input video signal is switched to a video signal of a predetermined program genre. The display form of the display image adjusted by the display form adjusting means is a display form in an energy saving mode for reducing power consumption.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for reducing power consumption of a television broadcast receiving apparatus, wherein a broadcast program is switched when a broadcast program is finished and switched to the next broadcast program or when a channel is switched. Obtaining genre information for the broadcast program; detecting genre information of the broadcast program; determining an operation mode for the video display unit based on the detected genre of the broadcast program; and In the case of the mode, the method includes a step of displaying an image processed with the processing content of the energy saving mode on the image display unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The television broadcast receiving apparatus A according to the embodiment of the present invention enters an energy saving mode (a mode that operates with low power consumption) when an input video signal is switched to a video signal of a broadcast program of a preset genre. In this way, the display form of the display video is adjusted and displayed on the video display unit.

  Further, the television broadcast receiving apparatus in the present embodiment is a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as PDP) using light emission by discharge. In this PDP, one glass plate with electrodes formed on the surface and the other glass plate with electrodes and minute grooves formed on the surface and red, green, and blue phosphor layers formed in the grooves are narrow. A rare gas is sealed with the electrodes facing each other, and a voltage is applied between the electrodes to generate ultraviolet rays, thereby causing the phosphor to shine and display. For this reason, each pixel corresponding to the groove emits light like a fluorescent lamp, and a light emission mode for energy saving as described later can be set.

  Therefore, when the broadcast program to be watched is a genre that has been determined to be in the energy saving mode, the size of the area used for video display in the video display unit is reduced so that video is not displayed in other areas. The power consumption in the video display can be effectively reduced by changing the color video to a monochrome video, outputting only audio as a black screen without displaying any video, or using a black screen other than the telop. In addition, the life of the video display unit (PDP) can be extended.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a television broadcast receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a video processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.
First, the configuration of the television broadcast receiving apparatus A according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The television broadcast receiving apparatus according to this embodiment includes an antenna input 1, a tuner 2, a memory 3, an electronic program guide (hereinafter referred to as EPG) acquisition means 4, an EPG memory 5, and a program genre detection means 6. Display form adjusting means 7, video processing means 8, video output means 9, and video display section 10.

  Among these, the tuner 2 receives and amplifies the television signal of the reception channel (frequency) selected by the viewer from the broadcast reception wave received by the antenna input. The tuner 2 extracts a video signal included in the television signal and supplies it to the memory 3. The memory 3 functions to sequentially store the extracted video signals.

  The EPG acquisition unit 4 functions to acquire EPG information superimposed on a television broadcast reception signal obtained through the tuner 2. The EPG memory 5 functions to hold the EPG information acquired by the EPG acquisition unit 4. EPG information is data distributed along with video / audio data, and includes broadcast program titles, broadcast program attributes, scheduled broadcast date and broadcast start time and broadcast end time, broadcast station channel, broadcast program genre, This is standardized data that distributes schedule information of broadcast programs as supplementary information, such as texts introducing performers and program contents.

  Further, the program genre detecting means 6 functions to automatically determine the genre of the television broadcast program stored in the EPG memory 5. Examples of broadcast program genres included in the EPG information include dramas, movies, news, sports, commercials, and music. Here, commercials are also included in the category of broadcast program genres. When commercial information is not included in the EPG information, it is possible to distinguish the commercial from the main program by detecting a change point of the audio multiplexed signal.

  The display form adjusting means 7 functions to determine a pre-designated energy saving mode based on the broadcast program genre detected by the program genre detecting means 6. The video display in the energy saving mode is a display method shown in the following EC1 to EC3.

EC1: An energy saving mode for reducing the size of an area used for video display, which is 1/2 or 1/4 of the normal size of a color video as shown in FIG. Reduce to 1/4 size as shown in b). The area not used for video display is a black screen.
EC2: This is an energy saving mode in which when the original video is a color video, it is converted into a monochrome video and displayed (FIG. 3C).
EC3: An energy saving mode in which no video of a broadcast program is displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 (d), the display screen is forcibly set to a black screen, and only the telop is displayed (for example, the program name such as “Aioo Dai Dictionary” is displayed as the telop), and the power is off. Unlike that, make sure that you are broadcasting. At this time, if the telop is moved (for example, characters flow on the electric display board), the display screen is prevented from being burned.
Alternatively, a black screen is displayed without displaying the telop, and only the sound is output (of course, the telop may be displayed and the sound may be output).
Furthermore, in addition to the energy saving modes EC1 to EC3, the display image may be displayed with reduced brightness. Further, EC1 and EC2 may be combined (monochrome and reduced in size).

  The video processing means 8 functions to read the video data from the memory 3 and process the video data into a signal suitable for display according to the screen display form determined by the display form adjusting means 7. The video output means 9 functions to output the video signal in the energy saving mode processed by the video processing means 8 and display it on the video display unit 10.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure until the television broadcast receiving apparatus receives a television broadcast wave and displays a video such as a broadcast program on the video display unit 10 in the energy saving mode.

  When the TV broadcast receiving apparatus A is turned on and a channel is selected by the tuner 2, the tuner 2 extracts a video signal from the TV broadcast wave of the selected channel and stores the video signal in the memory 3. .

  Further, the EPG acquisition means 4 acquires EPG information included in the reception signal of the television broadcast wave (step S1), and this EPG information is stored in the EPG memory 5 (step S2).

  The EPG information can also be acquired via a network such as the Internet, and the program information of the EPG information acquired via the network is acquired in association with the current time and the channel currently received by the tuner 2. Also good.

  Next, the genre information of the broadcast program currently received from the accumulated EPG information is detected by the program genre detection means 6 (step S3).

  Then, based on the genre of the broadcast program, the display form adjusting means 7 determines whether to suppress power consumption, that is, the operation mode for the video display unit 10 (step S4).

For example, when the genre of the broadcast program is a movie or a drama, the video data from the memory 3 is read and displayed on the video display unit 10 from the video output means 9 in the normal mode (step S5).
Alternatively, when the genre of the broadcast program is commercial, the video data from the memory 3 is read, and the video processed by the video processing unit 8 in the energy saving mode EC3 is displayed on the video display unit 10 by the video output unit 9. (Step S6).
When the genre of the broadcast program is sports, the video data from the memory 3 is read, and the video processed by the video processing unit 8 in the energy saving mode EC2 is displayed on the video display unit 10 by the video output unit 9. (Step S7).
When the genre of the broadcast program is news, the video data from the memory 3 is read, and the video processed by the video processing means 8 in the energy saving mode EC1 is displayed on the video display unit 10 by the video output means 9. (Step S8).

  When the broadcast program ends and the next broadcast program is switched or when the channel is switched (YES in step S9), the process of step S1 is performed on the switched broadcast program.

Since the PDP uses the discharge phenomenon, the brightness of the screen is changed within the drive power adjustment area where the image displayed on the image display unit 10 does not disappear, that is, by increasing or decreasing the scanning signal applied voltage or the data signal applied voltage. Need to be adjusted.
The PDP does not display a backlight image like a liquid crystal, but emits a large number of red, green, and blue cells. Three times (several times) of power is used to emit light once, but for monochrome images, the power consumption of the color image playback circuit is large because the power consumption is one time. A power saving effect can be obtained by using a playback image.
Furthermore, power saving can be achieved by reducing the screen size or shifting the video bit. Such control of brightness adjustment, monochrome image formation, screen size reduction, video bit shift, and the like is executed in the display form adjustment means 7 by a known circuit technique.
Also, there is a genre of broadcast programs that the viewer using the television broadcast receiving apparatus A needs to be able to hear only the sound without the need for video display or to display only the telop that is being broadcast on the black screen. In some cases, while receiving a program of this genre, supply of PDP drive power is stopped, and the screen is completely displayed in black (in the case of telop display, the background is a black screen) to save power. Can be realized.

  Alternatively, in the PDP, when the screen size is reduced (for example, 1/4), the power consumption is reduced by about 50% of the power consumption in the full screen, and when the color video is changed to the black and white video, the power consumption of the color video is reduced. The power reduction is about 10%. When the screen is black, the power is reduced by about 90% during normal display, and when the telop is displayed during black screen, the power is reduced by about 50% of the power consumption during normal display. (When telop size is set to 1/4 of the screen)

Note that the input video in the present embodiment is not limited to the video input currently being broadcast, but is the output video of a recording / playback device such as an HDD / DVD recorder connected to the input / output terminal of the television broadcast receiver A. When the program genre information is included, it can be applied to the output video of the recording / playback device. Of course, the same applies to the case where the television broadcast receiver A and a recording / playback device such as an HDD / DVD recorder are integrated.
In addition, the television broadcast receiving apparatus A in the present embodiment is not limited to an apparatus integrated with the video display unit, and may be an apparatus in which the tuner 2 and the like are separated.

  In addition to the above-described contents of the present embodiment, it is possible to add a mode for setting the genre of a specific broadcast program to be higher than the standard luminance.

  In addition, each energy saving mode in this embodiment can be applied in addition to changing based on the genre of the broadcast program, and can be applied to each external input terminal such as a video input terminal of the television broadcast receiving apparatus A by default. An energy saving mode is assigned in advance. For example, all video signals from the video input terminal (1) apply the EC1 mode, and all video signals from the video input terminal (2) apply the EC2 mode. . At this time, when a video signal including program genre information is input from the video input terminal (1), priority may be given to mode setting based on the program genre.

  As described above in detail, the television broadcast receiving apparatus A according to the present embodiment is detected by the program genre detecting means 6 for detecting the genre of the broadcast program included in the input video signal, and the program genre detecting means 6. Display mode adjusting means 6 for adjusting the display mode of the display video displayed on the video display unit 10 according to the genre of the broadcast program, and the input video signal is switched to a video signal of a predetermined program genre. In addition, since the display form of the display image adjusted by the display form adjusting means 6 is set to the display form of the energy saving mode for reducing power consumption, for example, reception of a television broadcast obtained through the tuner 2 or the like. The EPG information superimposed on the signal is acquired, the genre of the television broadcast program is automatically determined, and the preset energy saving mode is set. When switching to a video signal of a video program, the display video is adjusted and the size of the video displayed on the video display unit 10 is reduced to, for example, 1/2 or 1/4, or the color video is changed to a monochrome video. By making the display screen black, the power consumption of the television broadcast receiving apparatus A can be effectively reduced. In addition, the life of the video display unit (PDP) can be extended.

It is a block diagram which shows the television broadcast receiver concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing procedure from the EPG detection to the image | video display in an energy saving mode in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display image side of the energy saving mode by embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

A TV broadcast receiver 1 Antenna input 2 Tuner 3 Memory 4 EPG acquisition means 5 EPG memory 6 Program genre detection means 7 Display form adjustment means 8 Video processing means 9 Video output means 10 Video display section

Claims (7)

Program genre detection means for detecting the genre of a broadcast program included in the input video signal;
Display form adjusting means for adjusting the display form of the display video displayed on the video display unit in accordance with the genre of the broadcast program detected by the program genre detecting means;
With
When the input video signal is switched to a video signal of a predetermined program genre, the display mode of the display video adjusted by the display mode adjusting unit is set to a display mode in an energy saving mode for reducing power consumption. The television broadcast receiver according to claim 1.   The television broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the energy saving mode has a plurality of energy saving modes, and different energy saving modes can be selected according to a program genre.   3. The television broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the energy saving mode, a display area of a display image is reduced and displayed on the image display unit.   The television broadcast receiver according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the energy saving mode, a color image is converted into a monochrome image and displayed on the image display unit.   The television broadcast receiver according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the energy saving mode displays a black screen and outputs only audio or displays only a telop on the black screen.   The television broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the video display unit is a plasma display panel. When the broadcast program ends and the next broadcast program is switched, or when the channel is switched, the step of acquiring genre information for the switched broadcast program;
Detecting genre information of the broadcast program;
Determining an operation mode for the video display unit based on the detected genre of the broadcast program;
And, when the operation mode is an energy saving mode, displaying a video processed according to the processing content of the energy saving mode on the video display unit. .

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