JP2008294870A - Digital broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital broadcast receiver capable of easily setting a channel list including channels in a country that a viewer desires to view. <P>SOLUTION: A digital broadcast receiver comprises: a tuner for extracting a signal of a specific frequency band from an RF (Radio Frequency) signal; a demodulation unit to which an output signal of the tuner is inputted; a signal demultiplexing unit for demultiplexing an output signal of the demodulation unit into video data, audio data and control data; a storage unit in which a channel list is recorded; an input unit in which channel operation is performed; and a control unit which performs channel control on the basis of a control signal from the input unit. In this digital broadcast receiver, a country to be viewed is selected at the input section, the control unit reads out country information contained in the control data, and on the basis of the country information, channels containing country information corresponding to the country selected at the input unit are recorded on the channel list in the storage unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiver, and more particularly to a digital broadcast receiver that creates a channel list based on country information.

  In digital television broadcasting, a logical channel number (LCN: Logical Channel Number, hereinafter simply referred to as “logical channel”) is determined. A logical channel is a concept different from a physical channel. In digital television broadcasting, a single physical channel includes a plurality of logical channels. That is, a physical channel is obtained by extracting a specific frequency band, and a plurality of lines are included in the specific frequency band by, for example, packet communication, and a packet is separated and extracted for each line. , A logical channel. In North America, a logical channel is called a virtual channel.

  Therefore, in digital television broadcasting, a viewer selects a logical channel when selecting a program. Similarly, the channel list is created in the order of logical channels. When the viewer creates the channel list by auto search, the logical channel is finally searched while changing the physical channel by changing the frequency, A channel list including all logical channels broadcast in the viewing area is created.

On the other hand, for example, in countries in contact with neighboring countries such as European countries, when broadcasting is received near the border, many programs broadcast from broadcasting stations in neighboring countries are also received.
When there are many countries where viewing is possible, even if a channel list is created by auto search, programs from many countries, that is, channels are mixed in the channel list.
In such a case, even if the viewer changes the channel using, for example, the channel UP key or the channel DOWN key of the remote controller, there are many broadcasts (channels) for countries that do not want to be transmitted. The channel must be matched to the desired channel, and the operability of the channel has deteriorated.

  In Patent Document 1, a receiving device having a tuner capable of presetting receivable broadcasting stations is stored with a memory in which a table indicating a correspondence relationship between a broadcasting station name in each country and a number corresponding to the broadcasting station is stored in advance. Thus, a receiving apparatus has been proposed that can set a channel regardless of incidental data such as program information included in a received signal by setting a channel based on information in the memory.

  Patent Document 2 also receives a plurality of broadcasts from different regions in the same country or from different countries, and sets channel numbers based on domestic logical channels, domestic services without logical channels, foreign countries 1, etc. Digital TVs that are larger in the order of foreign countries 2 are proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-130689 Special table 2007-502048 gazette

However, in the receiving apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a table indicating a correspondence relationship between the name of a broadcasting station in each country and a number corresponding to the broadcasting station must be stored in advance in a memory. Therefore, it is conceivable that the channel actually broadcast in the area where the viewer is receiving does not match the channel recorded in the table, or there are no channels at all even if the table is referenced in some countries.
Also, even if you try to set for each country while referring to the table stored in the memory, you can find out which country the broadcast station is broadcasting to, and select the broadcast station. The operation is complicated.

In the digital television set described in Patent Document 2, foreign broadcasts are included in the channel list, and the operation is complicated when the channel is changed with the channel UP key or the channel DOWN key. In particular, when domestic broadcasts are received near the border, many channels broadcast from neighboring countries are included.
Conversely, when a viewer views a foreign broadcast, a channel list including a broadcast in a country other than the desired foreign country is created, and the operation of the channel is complicated.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcast receiver that can easily set a channel list including channels of a country that a viewer desires to view.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical means.
In the present invention, a tuner for extracting a signal of a specific frequency band from an RF (Radio Frequency) signal, a demodulator to which the output signal of the tuner is input, and an output signal of the demodulator as video data, audio data, and control data A digital signal processing unit, a storage unit that records a channel list, an input unit that performs channel operation, and a control unit that controls a channel based on a control signal from the input unit In the broadcast receiver, the country to be viewed by the input unit is selected, the control unit reads the country information included in the control data, and based on this country information, the channel corresponding to the country selected by the input unit is stored in the storage unit. Recorded in the channel list.

In this way, a channel list that includes only the country selected by the viewer is created based on the country information sent from the broadcast station, so even if a channel for multiple countries is received, By selecting a desired country in the input section, a channel list including only broadcasts for the desired country can be created. This simplifies the operation of creating a country-specific channel list. For example, when the viewer changes the channel with the UP key or DOWN key of the remote control, it is necessary to change the channel beyond channels for other countries. The channel operability is improved.
The country information is included in a signal transmitted from a broadcasting station or the like, and is information that can identify whether the content (service) is for France or Switzerland.

In the present invention, the channel list is displayed by OSD (On Screen Display) at the time of channel setting.
In this way, since the channel list is displayed on the display by the OSD, the viewer can change the channel list while checking the broadcasts that can be received in the area for each country on the screen displayed on the display. Convenience when changing the channel list is improved.

In the present invention, the control unit reads the country information regularly or irregularly, and the channel list is automatically updated based on the selected country.
Even for the same channel, it may be different for which country the broadcast is for. Therefore, when the country information is automatically read out, a channel list corresponding to the country selected by the viewer is always created, and the viewer does not need to select the country over and over, improving the operability of the channel. .

  In the present invention, the country information is included in a country availability descriptor of an SDT (Service Description Table) of the transport stream. Since the country availability descriptor is a standard defined by ETSI, ETSI EN300 468, which is a European digital television broadcast standard, can be used. As mentioned above, if a viewer can select a country and create a channel list that includes only the selected country, it is effective especially in European countries that border the neighboring country and often receive broadcasts from the neighboring country. It is.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the digital broadcast receiver which can set easily the channel list containing the channel of the country which a viewer desires to view can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital broadcast receiver 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the digital broadcast receiver 1, for example, an RF signal is input to the tuner 2 from an RF (Radio Frequency) output unit 101 such as an antenna or a cable. The tuner 2 separates a frequency in a specific band from the RF signal, converts it to an IF (Intermediate Frequency) signal, and then inputs the IF signal to the demodulator 3.

The tuner 2 selects a physical channel based on a tuner control signal from the control unit 4. That is, the tuner 2 extracts a signal in a specific frequency band from the RF signal. The physical channel selected by the tuner 2 is a concept different from the logical channel as described above, and is obtained by extracting a specific frequency band. In digital broadcasting, a plurality of logical channels ( program)
Is included. The specific frequency band means a frequency band transmitted from each broadcasting station.

  The IF signal input to the demodulator 3 is demodulated by the demodulator 3 and converted into a transport stream (TS). The demodulator 3 also includes an error correction circuit, a descrambler, and the like.

The signal separation unit 5 includes a demultiplexer, and separates the input transport stream into video data, audio data, and control data.
The control data includes PSI / SI, which will be described later, and the control unit 4 analyzes the control data and reconstructs the separated video data and audio data to form a plurality of programs. That is, a plurality of logical channels are extracted from one physical channel by information included in PSI / SI.

The video data and audio data output from the signal separation unit 5 are input to the decoding unit 6. The decoding unit 6 includes an MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group) decoder, and decodes (decompresses) encoded and compressed video data and audio data.
RAMs (Random Access Memory) 7a and 7b temporarily store the data separated by the signal separation unit 5 and the data decoded by the decoding unit 6, and synchronize the audio data and the video data.

The audio data decoded by the decoding unit 6 is converted from a digital signal to an analog signal by a DAC (Digital Analog Converter) 8 and output from the speaker 102.
An OSD (On Screen Display) processing unit 10 creates various setting screens such as a channel list, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) based on an input signal from the control unit 4, and a video composition unit 11. To enter.

  The video synthesizing unit 11 synthesizes video data such as EPG input from the OSD processing unit 10 and video data in an actual program such as a person and a landscape. The synthesized video data is input to the scaler 103 so that the image is enlarged or reduced, adjusted to the screen size of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 104, and then displayed on the LCD 104.

The input unit 12 receives an infrared signal from the remote controller 105 and inputs control signals for channel operations such as channel change, channel list creation, country selection, and the like to the control unit 4. Here, although channel operations such as channel list creation are performed via the remote controller 105, an input unit that can be directly input to the main body of the digital broadcast receiver 1 is provided. May be operated directly.
The control unit 4 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs integrated control of the digital broadcast receiver 1 including channel control.
The storage unit 13 connected to the control unit 4 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and various information such as a channel list and EPG information is recorded in the storage unit 13.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the transport stream. As described above, in digital broadcasting, a signal received by the digital broadcast receiver 1 is converted into a transport stream (TS) by the demodulator 3 through a predetermined process. This transport stream is composed of a plurality of transport packets (hereinafter referred to as “TS packets”) as shown in FIGS. The TS packet includes a packet including control data, a packet including video data, and a packet including audio data. Each TS packet has a fixed length of 188 bytes.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the TS packet is composed of a header and a payload.
The header includes information such as a packet identifier (PID: Packet IDentifier) and TS packet synchronization (SYNC), and the TS packet is identified by the PID. The payload includes, for example, control data PSI / SI, video data, and audio data.

  PSI (Program Specific Information) is defined in detail by ISO / IEC (International Organization for Standardization) and PSI includes transport stream separation and programs. Contains standard data necessary for playback. PSI includes a PAT (Program Association Table) which is a table in which information related to the PID of a TS packet is written, a CAT (Conditional Access Table) which is a table in which information related to reception conditions is written.

SI (Service Information) is stipulated in addition to PSI by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), and this SI includes DVB which is a standard of European digital television broadcasting. Information on various services in (Digital Video Broadcasting) is included. SI includes PSI.
The SI includes various tables such as SDT (Service Description Table), EIT (Event Information Table), and BAT (Bouquet Association Table).

The SDT includes service names, data related to services such as service providers, and the like. In addition, EIT includes time series information about events and programs, data on programs such as event names, start times, program lengths, etc., and BAT includes networks such as terrestrial and cable television. Data on services that are conducted across The BAT is information related to a set of services such as a list of services when the same broadcasting station provides different services for terrestrial and cable television.
An event means a news flash, the first half of soccer, the first part of an entertainment show, etc. A program (program) means one or more events such as a news, an entertainment show, etc. ) Means a continuous program broadcast from a certain broadcasting station.

As shown in FIG. 2E, the SDT includes various descriptors. This descriptor includes information on the countries where the service can be used, that is, a country availability descriptor indicating which country the service is intended for. If this descriptor is included in the signal from the broadcast station, the viewer can determine which country the service is for.
Other descriptors include, for example, a service descriptor indicating a service provider name and a service type such as digital television and digital radio, and content indicating whether the event is news, comedy, documentary, or the like. There are a descriptor (content descriptor), a component descriptor (component descriptor) indicating a video screen size, audio, subtitle language, and the like in the stream. It is determined by ETSI which table such as SDT, EIT, etc. each descriptor should be described in.

In the present embodiment, a channel list is created using a country availability descriptor that is country information included in the SDT. This descriptor may be included in the BAT.
The country availability descriptor contains a list of countries where the service is available. Therefore, a list indicating to which country the service is broadcast is sent from the broadcast station side, and it is possible to determine which country the service is directed to from the viewer side.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of channel list setting according to this embodiment.
The channel setting includes a channel search step and a country selection step. Steps S1 to S8 are channel search steps, and steps S9 to S10 are country selection steps.
When the viewer presses the auto search button on the remote controller 105, the OSD channel setting screen is displayed on the LCD 104, and channel setting is started (step S1). First, a frequency at which the digital broadcast is broadcast, that is, a band in which the digital broadcast can be received is searched (step S2). Therefore, in step S2, the physical channel is searched by changing the frequency received by the tuner 2.

  When a broadcast band is found, a logical channel is searched in the found band (step S3). When the logical channel is found, the controller 4 (FIG. 1) reads out the country availability descriptor included in the SDT, and obtains country information indicating which country the service (logical channel) is intended for (step 4). ), The country and the logical channel described in the descriptor are added to the channel list of the storage unit 13 (step S5).

  Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not the search for the logical channel within the band has been completed (step S6). If the search has not been completed (NO in step S6), the process returns to step S3 to further search for the logical channel. In this case (YES in step S6), it is confirmed whether or not the search for all the bands has been completed (step S7). If not completed, the process returns to step S2 (NO in step S7) and similarly searches for the next band.

  If all the bands have been searched (YES in step S7), it means that all receivable logical channels are recorded in the channel list, so the channel search by auto search is ended (step S8). ).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a channel list according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a channel list in a state after the end of auto search (a state after the end of step S8), and FIG. 4B is a diagram in a state where France is selected, and FIG. ) Is a diagram with Switzerland selected. Each state shown in FIG. 4 is displayed by the OSD.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in the state where the auto search is finished, that is, the state where step S8 is finished, the broadcast of the broadcasting station in the neighboring country is received, and the services (logical channels) that can be received increase. ing.
1 channel, 2 channel, etc. are services for France, 3 channels, 12 channels, etc. are services for Switzerland, 4 channels, 6 channels, etc. are services for Germany. Note that France shown in FIG. 4 means broadcast for France, and does not necessarily mean French broadcast.

A desired country is selected from these (step S9 in FIG. 3). This country can be selected by the remote controller 105.
For example, when France is selected, as shown in FIG. 4B, only the broadcast (service) for France such as 1 channel and 2 channel is selected, and the display of the channel list is switched.
Similarly, when Switzerland is selected, as shown in FIG. 4C, only broadcasts (services) for Switzerland such as 3 channels and 12 channels are selected, and the display of the channel list is switched. In this case, two or more countries can be selected.

  Finally, when the channel setting end button of the remote controller 105 is pressed, the channel list recorded in the storage unit 13 is rewritten with the channel list of the selected country (step S10). For example, when France is selected and the channel setting end button is pressed, the channel list in the storage unit 13 is rewritten to only France as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the OSD display disappears, and the creation of the channel list is completed (step S11).

  Furthermore, once a country / country group is selected, the country availability descriptor in the transport stream is automatically searched, and the channel list is rewritten. The timing of renewal is not related to regular or irregular. In addition, in the automatic update, as a rule, the channel list is not displayed on the OSD.

  As described above, channel setting for each country is facilitated, and even when the channel UP key or the channel DOWN key is pressed during TV viewing, broadcasts (services) for other countries are not displayed on the LCD 104, and the channel UP of the remote control 105 is performed. There is no need to press the key or channel DOWN key many times. The number displayed on the button of the remote controller 105 and the logical channel number can be adjusted as appropriate.

  In the present invention, various embodiments other than those described above can be adopted. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the channel list and the selectable countries are displayed by the OSD, but may be displayed by other than the OSD, and the channel list and the selectable countries are not displayed by the OSD. It is also possible to select a desired country using a country selection button such as France or Switzerland provided in advance in the input device.

  Further, the channel search timing may be performed by pressing the auto search button of the remote controller 105 as described above, but a service (logic that may or may not be broadcast depending on the date and time). In order to correspond to a channel), country designation may be performed in advance, and a channel corresponding to the country information may be automatically searched, or when power is turned on for the first time.

  If the digital receiver 1 is used, the configuration of the external device may be not only a liquid crystal television using the LCD 104 as shown in FIG. 1 but also another digital television such as a plasma television. . In addition, an analog / digital television having an analog reception function may be used, or a set top box that does not include a display device or the like may be used.

1 is a block diagram of a digital broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of a transport stream. It is a flowchart of the channel list setting which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the channel list which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital Broadcasting Receiver 2 Tuner 3 Demodulation Unit 4 Control Unit 5 Signal Separation Unit 12 Input Unit 13 Storage Unit

Claims (4)

A tuner that extracts a signal in a specific frequency band from an RF (Radio Frequency) signal, a demodulator that receives an output signal of the tuner, and an output signal of the demodulator that is separated into video data, audio data, and control data A digital broadcast receiver comprising: a signal separation unit; a storage unit in which a channel list is recorded; an input unit that performs channel operation; and a control unit that controls a channel based on a control signal from the input unit In
The country to watch in the input section is selected,
The control unit reads out country information included in the control data,
A digital broadcast receiver, wherein a channel corresponding to a country selected by the input unit is recorded in the channel list of the storage unit based on the country information. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein
A digital broadcast receiver characterized in that the channel list is displayed by OSD (On Screen Display) at the time of channel setting. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1 or 2,
The digital broadcast receiver, wherein the control unit reads the country information regularly or irregularly, and the channel list is automatically updated based on the selected country. The digital broadcast receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A digital broadcast receiver characterized in that the country information is included in a country availability descriptor of an SDT (Service Description Table) of a transport stream.

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