JP3596734B2 - Program receiving terminal device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a receiving terminal device for displaying program guide information of a television broadcast, and in particular, notifies a user of the presence of program commentary information on a currently viewed television program by displaying a screen, and further acquires the program commentary information. The present invention relates to a receiving terminal device for displaying.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, various proposals have been made to receive guide information (hereinafter, also referred to as a program guide or a G guide) relating to a television broadcast program to help the user watch the program.
As a part of proposals made in the past, for example, in the invention described in JP-A-7-184136, creation of a program table using teletext is proposed.
[0003]
Further, in the inventions described in JP-A-6-62382, JP-A-8-107552, JP-A-8-125996, and JP-A-9-205622, scrolling information by teletext enables A technology that enables simultaneous display with television broadcasting has been proposed.
Also, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-153075, a technique is disclosed in which data extracted from a broadcast is superimposed and displayed on a screen when a preset condition is satisfied.
[0004]
On the other hand, since the amount of information that can be conveyed in the teletext is limited and it is not possible to send a program guide for one week, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 10-93879 and 10-93880. In the invention described in (1), it is proposed to use an electronic program guide in which this problem is improved. Further, for example, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-56600, it is proposed that a user selects a desired channel by providing a storage unit and performing a condition search. However, the above-mentioned prior art is intended to be used as a guide when selecting programs and channels to be watched as a whole, and quickly provides program commentary information that helps the user to watch the programs that the user is currently watching. The technology of extracting and displaying from the storage means and the like with a comfortable operation has not yet been realized.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and has as its object to solve the following problems.
That is, it checks whether there is program description information on the TV program that the user is watching, and displays the check result on the screen to inform the user. Further, the user can easily explain the program regarding the desired item by a simple operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a receiving terminal device capable of selecting and displaying information.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes:
Commentary information that can be converted to text or audio for the program Multiple selectable commentary information And receiving means for receiving the program,
Accumulation means for accumulating the commentary information and reading and outputting the comment information according to a command;
The program corresponding to the program Multiple selectable Commentary information Desired in Control means for reading out and outputting from the storage means;
Character information / voice information generating means for generating and outputting character information and / or voice information from the commentary information input from the control means;
Superimposing means for superimposing and outputting the character information and / or the audio information on the program;
Including an operation of instructing a desired one of the plurality of commentary information or instructing that none of them is desired Operating means,
The control unit turns on the supply of the desired character information and / or the audio information simultaneously with the program in a state where the program is supplied in response to a command from the operation unit, or a state in which the program is supplied. Controlling whether to turn off the character information and / or the audio information at the same time as the program, and when the supply is on, the character information and / or audio information generation means generates the character information and / or Alternatively, there is provided a program receiving terminal device characterized in that scrolling of audio information is controlled.
[0007]
Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an apparatus according to the present invention includes:
Commentary information that can be converted to text or audio for the program Multiple selectable commentary information And receiving means for receiving the program,
Accumulation means for accumulating the commentary information and reading and outputting the comment information according to a command;
The program corresponding to the program Selectable multiple Commentary information Desired in Control means for reading and outputting from the storage means,
Character information / voice information generating means for generating and outputting character information and / or voice information from the commentary information input from the control means;
Superimposing means for superimposing and outputting the character information and / or the audio information on the program;
Instructing a desired one of the plurality of commentary information and instructing whether to scroll forward or backward Operating means;
The control means may perform a forward scroll of the desired character information and / or the audio information simultaneously with the program in a state where the program is supplied in response to an instruction of the operation means, or a state in which the program is supplied. A program receiving terminal device for controlling whether the character information and / or the audio information is scrolled in the backward direction simultaneously with the program.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A first embodiment of the device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0009]
First, the configuration of the first embodiment of the device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1 which is a schematic configuration diagram of the first embodiment, a television signal and an Internet signal supplied from a CATV terminal (1) installed in a house via a cable (2) are received by a receiving unit (3). And demodulated.
The receiving unit (3) demodulates the input television signal and Internet signal to generate a video signal and an audio signal, and outputs the video signal and the audio signal to the adding unit (7). The receiving unit (3) also receives G guide information, which is program information periodically supplied once a day or added to the header of a television program, via a CATV terminal (1) and a cable (2). The information is received and output to the character / voice information creating unit (8) and the storage unit (5) via the control unit (4) as necessary.
The control section (4) controls channel selection, audio level adjustment, surround mode ON / OFF, and G guide reception of the reception section (3). Further, the control unit (4) controls the character / sound information creating unit (8), the control of the storage unit (5), and controls the power on / off of the entire television receiver.
[0010]
The storage unit (5) has a function of storing the received G guide information. The operation unit (6) has a function of allowing a user to input a command for controlling the control unit (4). The operation unit (6) may be a switch group attached to a housing of the receiving terminal device, or may be a switch group attached to the receiving terminal device main body. May be a separate remote control device.
The character / sound information creating unit (8) converts the character information of the G guide input from the control unit (4) or the character information obtained by converting the sound of the program into a character, which is input from the voice recognition unit (16) described later, onto the display screen. It generates a signal of a character information screen (also called a telop) for superimposed display and / or further generates audio information from the character information of the G guide input from the control unit (4) and outputs it to the addition unit (7). I do.
The adder (7) superimposes the character information screen signal and audio information input from the character / audio information generator (8) on the video signal and audio signal input from the receiver (3), and outputs an output terminal (9). Output from The audio signal output from the receiving unit (3) is output from the output terminal (9) via the adding unit (7).
[0011]
An output terminal (9) outputs a video signal and an audio signal to be input to a video display / audio output means such as a television monitor (not shown). The user connects the output terminal (9) to a television monitor or the like (not shown) with a cable or the like, and enjoys video and audio.
The voice recognition unit (16) receives the voice signal of the program output by the reception unit (3), performs voice recognition, converts the voice signal into character information, and outputs the character information to the character / voice information creation unit (8).
Receiving unit (3), control unit (4), storage unit (5), operation unit (6), adding unit (7), character / voice information creating unit (8), output terminal (9), and voice recognition unit ( 16) is included in the receiving terminal device
[0012]
Next, the overall operation of the apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a temporal transition of the entire operation of the apparatus. When the apparatus is started, after the system is initialized, the operation of the main routine shown in FIG. 2A is executed.
In the main routine shown in FIG. 2A, first, channel selection (step S100) is executed, and then a commentary display (step S200) is executed. These two steps are repeatedly executed during operation of the apparatus.
[0013]
On the other hand, if the reception of the G guide information is detected by the receiving unit (3), an interrupt 1 shown in FIG. 2B is generated, the G guide is received (step S300), and the process shown in FIG. Return to the main routine.
Further, during execution of the main routine, when an instruction to receive the Internet is given by the operation unit (6) or an internal timer (not shown), an interrupt 2 shown in FIG. Is performed (step S400). If the Internet information reception is automatic reception according to the instruction of the internal timer, the received information is stored in the storage unit (5) without displaying it on the screen, and the process returns to the main routine.
[0014]
Next, the operation of the channel selection (step S100) will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a temporal transition of the operation of the channel selection (step S100).
In FIG. 3, first, it is determined whether or not the user has designated the guide display from the operation unit (6) (step S1). If N, the currently displayed channel is continuously displayed, so the process proceeds to step S6. After extracting the signal of the program and the commentary information of the program contained in the storage section (5), the process exits from channel selection.
[0015]
If Y in step S1, it is determined that the user wants to display the G guide as a means for selecting a channel, and the G guide and the program guide display based on the Internet program homepage are displayed on the screen of the television (step S2). It waits for the user to select and designate a channel (step S3 loop).
When the user inputs a channel to be viewed from the operation unit (6) and gives an instruction (Y in step S3), it is checked whether the channel has been narrowed down to one and determined (step S4). Return and wait for channel indication again.
[0016]
If the check result is OK (Y in step S4), the program of the designated channel is displayed on the television screen (step S5), and the commentary information of the program of the channel is stored in the signal of the program and in the storage unit (5). ) (Step S6). After that, step S100 ends.
The above is the description of the channel selection operation (step S100).
[0017]
Next, the operation of the comment display (step S200) will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the temporal transition of the comment display operation.
In FIG. 5, first, it is determined whether the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is to delete the program description (step S10), and if the user command is to delete the program description (step S10). Y) The commentary of the program is deleted from the television screen and the audio output of the sub-audio, and the process proceeds to step S22 via a path connecting symbols (1) and (1) in FIG. 5 (step S11).
If not erased (N in step S10), it is determined whether or not the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is to stop character information (step S12).
[0018]
If the input command is stopped (Y in step S12), the character information displayed on the television screen is stopped (step S13) (a specific character information display method will be described later).
If the command is not stopped (N in step S12), the process proceeds to step S14. When step S13 ends, the process similarly proceeds to step S14.
[0019]
Next, it is determined whether or not the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is a forward character information search (described later) (step S14). If the command is a forward character information search (Y in step S14), furthermore, It is determined whether the input instruction is FF (earlier display of character information) (step S15). If it is FF (Y in step S15), the forward character information search is continued until the end of the information in the FF display mode (step S16). If it is not FF (N in step S15), the forward character information search is continued at the normal speed (step S17).
[0020]
After step S16, step S17, or if the answer is N in step S14, the process proceeds to step S18 to determine whether or not the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is a backward character information search (described later). to decide.
If it is a backward character information search (Y in step S18), it is further determined whether or not an instruction input by the user is FF (step S19). Is displayed on the television screen (step S20), and if not FF (N in step S19), the normal character backward character information search display is performed (step S21).
After step S20, step S21, or in the case of N in step S18, it is determined whether or not the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is a channel selection (step S22). In step S22, the channel selection (step S100, FIG. 3) is started, and when the channel is not selected (N in step S22), the process returns to step S10.
[0021]
Next, a method for displaying character information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 schematically shows a state in which character information is displayed on a television screen.
A first method of displaying character information is to provide a character information area (also called a telop area) for displaying character information below a television area for displaying a television program, as shown in FIG. is there. The second method is to provide a character information area above the television area, as shown in FIG. A third method is to provide a character information area above and below the television area as shown in FIG. A fourth method (not shown) is to display a character information area for performing a scroll operation below the television area, and display the stopped character information above the television area when the user instructs to stop scrolling.
[0022]
Next, the above-described forward character information search and backward character information search (also referred to as forward telop and backward telop, respectively) will be described.
In FIG. 4, when the character string displayed in the character information area is scrolled from right to left, the user can read the text of the character information in the forward direction. This is called a forward character information search. Also, when the character string is scrolled from left to right, the user reads the sentence in the reverse direction, which is effective when he wants to read again the portion that has already been displayed in the forward character information search. This is called a backward character information search.
[0023]
In the program description display using the character information described above, audio information may be used as the program description information instead of or simultaneously with the character information. The audio information as the program commentary information is superimposed on the program along the same route as the character information (telop) described above. That is, it is extracted from the program information stored in the storage section (5) via the control section (4), converted into voice information by the character / voice information creation section (8), and converted into voice information of the program by the addition section (7). And output to the outside of the apparatus, and audio information is reproduced from a speaker attached to a not-shown display means (TV monitor or the like). Further, the scrolling of the voice information is performed in response to the operation of the user in the same manner as the scrolling of the character information described with reference to FIG. 5, and at this time, the voice reproduced in the reverse direction is heard and understood by the user. It may be difficult to reproduce the sound information from the speaker of the display means when scrolling in the reverse direction.
This embodiment may be implemented as follows.
The first is that the text information displayed as text information is switched to the news or weather forecast by using the attached operation buttons in addition to the commentary information of the program. This is to switch the database which is a specific means of the unit (5).
[0024]
Second, when there is no corresponding program commentary information, for example, a character string "No commentary" is output as character information. In this case, the voice of the television program is reproduced using the voice recognition unit (16). Convert it to a character string and convert it to character information. In this way, when the user misses the voice, the user can go back and check it, or use it for assisting a user who has an auditory handicap.
Third, when the television program is for adults, for example, when a content that requires warning to the user is included, the warning text is displayed in character information.
[0025]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the program commentary information of the TV program is automatically extracted from the storage means and displayed on the screen as text information, and the text information is scrolled forward and backward according to the operation of the user. Or scrolling is stopped at the current position and displayed, so that there is an effect that the user can appreciate a commentary on a useful program without any troublesome operation.
[0026]
Next, a second embodiment of the device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6 to 10.
First, the configuration of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the present embodiment.
[0027]
In FIG. 6, portions that are not different from the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping portions are partially omitted from illustration.
In FIG. 6, the image conversion unit (10) controls a part of the commentary information of the program stored in the storage unit (5) in the form of digital data in units of information called pages as described later. It is obtained via (4), converted into, for example, an NTSC signal, and output to the A / D converter (11). The A / D converter (11) converts the input analog image signal of, for example, the NTSC system into digital image data of a signal format suitable for transmission, and outputs a second output terminal (12), a signal cable (13), and an input. Output to the hand-held display (15) via the terminal (14).
In FIG. 6, the digital image signal output from the A / D converter (11) is sent to the display at hand (15) by wire transmission via the signal cable (13). It is also possible to use infrared communication, for example, a wireless transmission method using electromagnetic waves, or conversion to a signal format based on a serial interface standard such as IEEE1394.
[0028]
The hand display (15) is a small image display device that can be checked by the user at hand, and is realized by, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like, and has a function of displaying an image according to an input digital image signal.
[0029]
Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 9A is a flowchart illustrating the overall operation of the apparatus according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 9A, when the device is started up, the device of this embodiment is initialized, the system is initialized, and then a channel is selected (step S100) and a commentary display is displayed (step S500). ) Is repeated.
Also, during the entire operation shown in FIG. 9A, interrupt 1 (reception of G guide information) shown in FIG. 9B and interrupt 2 (reception of Internet information) shown in FIG. Do. The conditions of the interruption and the contents of the interruption operation are exactly the same as in the first embodiment.
[0030]
Next, the channel selection subroutine shown during the entire operation will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a temporal transition of the operation of the channel selection subroutine (step S100). The contents of the operation in this subroutine are almost the same as those in the first embodiment already described.
The difference from the first embodiment is the serial number of the page, which is a partial group of the commentary information, attached to the character information when the character information is displayed on the screen in step S6 in FIG. , The page number is displayed.
[0031]
Next, character information display in page units according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of character information display in the device according to the present embodiment.
In the character information area in FIG. Author, 2. Age, 3. The page number of the performer, etc., and the item name of the commentary recorded on the page of the number are described. The page number continues to, for example, 99, and 1 to 99 are repeatedly scrolled and displayed in the character information area.
The operation of displaying the content included in the page will be described later. Although the character information area is displayed below the TV area in FIG. 7, the character information area may be provided above the TV area or both above and below the TV area as described in the first embodiment. Needless to say.
Further, in the above description, the text information (telop) to be superimposed on the program has been described. However, as described in the first embodiment, instead of the text information, or simultaneously, the voice information is superimposed on the program. Is also good.
[0032]
Next, explanation display (step S500) in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a temporal transition of the operation of the comment display in the second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of information (also referred to as a page) of a program commentary part in the second embodiment.
In the present embodiment, the program description is character information in units of units called pages as shown in FIG. Each page stores information of different items such as author information and historical background for each page, and as described later, the entire page is displayed at once on the display screen of the handy display (15).
The page number of each page corresponds to the page number described in the character information display, and for example, page 99 is the last page.
[0033]
In FIG. 8, first, it is determined whether or not the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is to delete the commentary (step S510). The sound is erased from the screen and the audio output of the sub sound (step S511), and the process proceeds to step S522 via a path connecting symbols {circle around (2)} and {circle around (2)} in FIG. If the command is not erased (N in step S510), the page of the program description shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the handy display (15).
The page number displayed at this time is the same as the page number displayed in the character information shown in FIG. 7, and the character information is automatically scrolled and displayed as described above. Therefore, the program commentary page displayed on the hand-held display (15) also automatically displays different pages one after another, for example, from FIG. 10 (A) to FIG. 10 (B).
If N in step S510, the process proceeds to step S512.
[0034]
Next, in step S512, it is determined whether or not the command input from the operation unit (6) by the user is to stop character information.
If the input command is stopped (Y in step S512), the scrolling of the character information displayed on the television screen shown in FIG. 7 is stopped, and at the same time, the program corresponding to the page number displayed at the top of the character information area The commentary page is displayed on the local display (15) (step S513).
If the command is not stopped (N in step S512), the process proceeds to step S514. When step S513 ends, the process similarly proceeds to step S514.
[0035]
Next, it is determined whether or not the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is a forward search (described later) (step S514).
If the command is a forward search (Y in step S514), it is further determined whether or not the instruction input by the user is FF (faster search display) (step S515). If it is FF (Y in step S515), scroll the character information and turn the page on the handheld display (15) in ascending order of the page number at a speed higher than usual in the FF display mode (this is called a forward page search) ( Step S516). If it is not FF (N in step S515), the forward search is continued at a normal speed (step S517).
[0036]
After step S516, step S517, or if the answer is N in step S514, the process advances to step S518 to determine whether the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is a backward search (described later). .
If it is a backward search (Y in step S518), it is further determined whether or not an instruction input by the user is FF (step S519). If it is FF (Y in step S519), the character is output at a higher speed than usual. The scrolling of information and the turning of the page of the hand-held display (15) are performed in descending order of the page number (this is called a backward search) (step S520). Is performed (step S521).
After step S511, step S520, step S521, or in the case of N in step S518, it is determined whether or not the command input by the user from the operation unit (6) is a channel selection (step S522). If there is (Y in step S522), channel selection (step S100) is started, and if not (N in step S522), the process returns to step S510.
[0037]
In the present embodiment, the program commentary is displayed by the configuration described above, so that the commentary item can be appropriately selected from the commentary items scrolled and displayed on the character information area of the television screen, or the desired commentary item can be scrolled forward or backward. In addition to the same effect as in the first embodiment that the user can easily and comfortably make a selection, the program commentary information is configured in units of pages, and the user can easily select desired items by simple operations. Since the page in which the information is stored can be displayed on the local display (15) and viewed, there is an effect that a program description with a larger amount of information can be viewed.
[0038]
Further, in the present embodiment, the following configuration and functions may be provided.
First, a speaker is arranged on the hand display (15) so that audio information of the program description is uttered, and a switching button is arranged on the hand display (15), and the user operates this button. Thus, the database, which is a specific means of the storage unit (5) for extracting the program commentary, is switched from the normal program commentary to the news / weather forecast, so that the information about the news and the weather forecast is stored in the character information area and This is displayed on the hand display (15).
[0039]
Second, when there is no program commentary information corresponding to the program currently being received, text information such as "no program commentary" is sent to the text information area, and the sound of the program is further recognized by the voice recognition unit ( 16) Recognize and characterize voice and convert it to character information by the character / voice information creation unit (8), synthesize it with the TV screen, and display the character information. Even if you miss the sound of the program, you can check it later.
Third, when it is necessary to display a warning to the user, such as when the program is an adult movie, the warning is displayed in the character information area.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, in the apparatus according to the present invention, the program commentary information of the TV program is automatically extracted from the storage unit (5) and displayed on the screen as character information. Since the information scrolls forward and backward, or the scroll is stopped at the current position and displayed, the user can appreciate a useful explanation of the program without any troublesome operation.
Further, in the apparatus according to the present invention, the program commentary information is configured in page units, and the user can easily view and view the page storing the information of the desired item on the handy display (15) so that the user can view the page. Therefore, there is an effect that a program commentary having a larger amount of information can be quickly selected and displayed by a simple operation and watched.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an overall operation of the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a channel selection operation of the device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen display of the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an explanation display operation of the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a screen display of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an explanation display operation of the apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an entire operation of the apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a program description of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 CATV terminal
2 Cable
3 Receiver
4 control unit
5 Storage unit
6 Operation section
7 Addition unit
8 Character / voice information creation unit
9 Output terminal
10. Image conversion unit
11 A / D converter
12 Second output terminal
13 Second cable
14 Input terminal
15 Display at hand

Claims (2)

Receiving means for receiving a plurality of selectable commentary information and a program , which are commentary information that can be converted into characters or audio related to the program,
Accumulation means for accumulating the commentary information and reading and outputting the comment information according to a command;
Control means for reading and outputting a desired one of the plurality of selectable commentary information corresponding to the program from the storage means,
Character information / voice information generating means for generating and outputting character information and / or voice information from the commentary information input from the control means;
Superimposing means for superimposing and outputting the character information and / or the audio information on the program;
Operating means including an operation of instructing a desired one of the plurality of commentary information or instructing that none of them is desired ,
The control unit turns on the supply of the desired character information and / or the audio information simultaneously with the program in a state where the program is supplied in response to a command from the operation unit, or a state in which the program is supplied. Controlling whether to turn off the character information and / or the audio information at the same time as the program, and when the supply is on, the character information and / or audio information generation means generates the character information and / or Alternatively, a program receiving terminal device which controls scrolling of audio information. Receiving means for receiving a plurality of selectable commentary information and a program , which are commentary information that can be converted into characters or audio related to the program,
Accumulation means for accumulating the commentary information and reading and outputting the comment information according to a command;
Control means for reading and outputting a desired one of the plurality of selectable commentary information corresponding to the program from the storage means,
Character information / voice information generating means for generating and outputting character information and / or voice information from the commentary information input from the control means;
Superimposing means for superimposing and outputting the character information and / or the audio information on the program;
Operating means for instructing a desired one of the plurality of commentary information, and for instructing whether to scroll forward or scroll backward ;
The control means may perform a forward scroll of the desired character information and / or the audio information simultaneously with the program in a state where the program is supplied in response to an instruction of the operation means, or a state in which the program is supplied. 3. The program receiving terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said character information and / or said audio information is scrolled in a backward direction simultaneously with said program .

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