JP4117601B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having an IEEE 1394 interface.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 1 shows an example of an information viewing system configured by an information processing apparatus having an IEEE 1394 interface. A digital broadcast receiver 2 and a digital VTR 6 have IEEE 1394 interfaces (I / F) 2A and 6A, respectively. The monitor 4 is not provided in this example. The digital broadcast receiver 2 receives the digital broadcast signal from the antenna 1 by the tuner subunit 2B, decodes the digital signal (MPEG2 transport stream), generates an analog video / audio signal, and generates a video / audio cable. 3 and output to the monitor 4. At this time, a digital broadcast video is displayed on the monitor 4.
[0003]
Further, in parallel with the above processing, the digital broadcast receiver 2 monitors the operation state of the digital VTR 6 connected via the IEEE 1934 bus 5, and the tape recorder / player subunit 6B ( An inquiry is made to the digital VTR 6 regarding the state of the tape running mechanism of the tape subunit.
[0004]
Here, when a playback operation is instructed to the digital VTR 6 by pressing a playback button provided in the digital VTR 6 or the like, the digital VTR 6 shifts the tape running mechanism of the tape subunit 6B to the playback state, The reproduction processing of the digital signal (MPEG2 transport stream) recorded on the tape is started, and is converted into an isochronous packet and output to the IEEE 1394 bus 5. If an analog signal has been recorded, encoding is performed once to generate a digital signal, and then an isochronous packet is generated and output to the IEEE 1394 bus 5.
[0005]
When the digital broadcast receiver 2 detects that the tape subunit 6B is in a playback state in response to an inquiry to the digital VTR 6, the signal input is switched from its tuner subunit 2B to the IEEE 1394 I / F 2A, and the digital VTR 6 to the IEEE 1394 bus. 5 receives the isochronous packet sent to 5, decodes the digital signal to generate an analog video / audio signal, and outputs it to the monitor 4 via the video / audio cable 3. At this time, the video of the signal reproduced by the digital VTR 6 is displayed on the monitor 4.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, some operations of the digital VTR 6 are accompanied by a graphical user interface (hereinafter, GUI). For example, when setting scheduled recording of a program, the user operates the device while confirming information such as a start time / end time and a recording channel on the GUI screen. Alternatively, a navigation function may be considered in which a list of programs recorded on a tape is displayed on a GUI screen, and a user selects and operates a program that the user wants to view, thereby starting playback of the program. When an operation state accompanied with a GUI is entered by a user operation, the digital VTR 6 encodes the GUI image, converts it into an isochronous packet, and outputs it to the IEEE 1394 bus 5.
[0007]
However, for example, when the digital VTR 6 is not reproducing, the tape subunit 6B is not in the reproduction state. Therefore, the digital broadcast receiver 2 does not switch the signal input from its own tuner subunit 2B to the IEEE 1394 I / F 2A, and as a result monitoring is performed. 4 displays a digital broadcast video, and the user cannot check the GUI screen of the digital VTR 6 on the monitor 4.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the conventional example, and provides an information processing apparatus that can display the GUI screen of its own device on the screen of an external device even when a subunit having a playback function is not in a playback state. And
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, when an operation by a user operation means using a GUI is performed, the subunit is virtually set so that the external device can detect that the subunit is being reproduced. The playback state is set.
That is, according to the present invention, an IEEE 1394 interface for connecting to an external device having an IEEE 1394 interface;
A subunit having a playback function and corresponding to the AV / C TRANSPORT STATE status command of the IEEE 1394 interface inquired from the external device;
User operation means for performing GUI operation of the subunit on the GUI operation screen;
Control means for controlling to send an AV / C STABLE response to the external device in response to an AV / C TRANSPORT STATE status command of the IEEE 1394 interface issued from the external device to the subunit;
The control means confirms the operating state of the subunit,
If the subunit is in a playback state, send a STABLE response indicating the playback state to the external device,
When the subunit is not in a playback state, it is further detected whether or not the GUI operation by the user operation means is being performed, and when the GUI operation by the user operation means is not being performed, a non-playback state When the GUI operation by the user operation means is performed, a playback state is displayed to display a screen of the GUI operation by the user operation means of the subunit. An information processing apparatus for transmitting a STABLE response to the external device is provided.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information viewing system having a digital VTR which is an embodiment of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts for explaining processing of the digital VTR of FIG.
[0011]
Since the configuration shown in FIG. 1 has already been described in the conventional example, detailed description thereof is omitted here. 2 and 3 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the “TRANSPORT STATE status” command in the digital VTR 6 shown in FIG. The “TRANSPORT STATE status” command is an AV / C command defined by 1394 TRADE ASSOCIATION (trade association), and inquires about the current state of the tape running system mechanism in the tape subunit 6B. The 1394 TRADE ASSOCIATION stipulates that the “TRANSPORT STATE status” command is always supported in the tape subunit 6B. For example, when inquiring the playback state of a digital VTR from an external device via the IEEE1394 bus, The command used.
[0012]
2 and 3, when the digital VTR 6 receives a “TRANSPORT STATE status” command for the tape subunit 6 </ b> B included in the own device from an external device (step S <b> 1), first, the current state of the tape running system mechanism is displayed as STABLE (stable). ) Check if it can be notified as a response. If it is determined in steps S2, S3, and S4 that a NOT IMPLEMENTED response, a REJECTED response, and an IN TRANSITION response are returned, the steps shown in FIG. Proceeding to S10, S11, and S12, an AV / C response is transmitted to the external device, and the “TRANSPORT STATE status” command processing is terminated. Since the determination conditions for transmitting each response at this time are not directly related to the present invention, they are omitted here.
[0013]
Next, the operating state of the tape running system mechanism is confirmed (step S5), and if it is in the reproducing state (yes), an STABLE response indicating the current operating state (that is, the reproducing state) is generated (step S7). If it is not in the reproduction state in step S5 (no), the GUI operation state is further confirmed (step S6). If it is the GUI operation state (yes), an STABLE response indicating the reproduction state is generated assuming that it is virtually in the reproduction state (step S8). If it is not the GUI operation state (no), an STABLE response indicating the current operation state is generated (step S7). Finally, the STABLE response generated in step S7 or step S8 is transmitted to the external device (step S9), and the “TRANSPORT STATE status” command processing is terminated.
[0014]
Next, the operation when the viewing system is configured by the digital TV to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. The digital broadcast receiver 2 regularly transmits a “TRANSPORT STATE status” command to the tape subunit 6B in order to monitor the operation state of the digital VTR 6 connected to the IEEE 1394 bus 5. When an operation state accompanied with a GUI is entered by a user operation, the digital VTR 6 encodes the GUI image, converts it into an isochronous packet, and outputs it to the IEEE 1394 bus 5. Further, in response to the “TRANSPORT STATE status” command from the digital broadcast receiver 2, a STABLE response indicating the playback state is returned.
[0015]
The digital broadcast receiver 2 detects that the tape subunit 6B is in a playback state, switches the signal input from its tuner subunit 2B to the IEEE1394 I / F2A, and sends an isochronous packet sent from the digital VTR6 to the IEEE1394 bus 5. The digital signal is decoded to generate an analog video / audio signal, which is output to the monitor 4 via the video / audio cable 3. At this time, the GUI 4 operation screen of the digital VTR 6 is displayed on the monitor 4. That is, when the user operates the digital VTR 6, the video on the monitor 4 is automatically switched to the GUI screen.
[0016]
Depending on the digital broadcast receiver 2, when it is detected that the tape subunit 6B is in a playback state, an “OUTPUT SIGNAL MODE status” command is transmitted to the digital VTR 6, and the digital VTR 6 After confirming that the output signal is a D-VHS digital signal, the input signal is switched. The “OUTPUT SIGNAL MODE status” command is an AV / C command defined by 1394 TRADE ASSOCIATION, and inquires the type of output signal in the tape subunit 6B. When the digital VTR 6 receives an “OUTPUT SIGNAL MODE status” command for the tape subunit 6B included in the self-device from an external device, the digital VTR 6 returns a type indicating a D-VHS digital signal in the GUI operation state.
[0017]
Also, although the bus 5 is shown in FIG. 1, when there are three or more IEEE 1394 devices, they are connected by a daisy chain or tree. Further, the present invention is not limited to the digital VTR 6, and can also be applied to a device including a subunit having a reproduction function such as a disc player.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when an operation is performed by the user operation means using the GUI, the subunit is virtually set so that the external device can detect that the subunit is being reproduced. Since the reproduction state is set, the subunit GUI screen can be displayed on the screen of the external device even when the subunit having the reproduction function is not in the reproduction state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information viewing system having a digital VTR as an embodiment of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the digital VTR of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the digital VTR of FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Digital broadcast receiver (external device)
2A IEEE1394 interface (I / F)
4 Monitor (external device)
6 Digital VTR
6A IEEE1394 interface (I / F)
6B Tape subunit

Claims (2)

An IEEE 1394 interface for connecting to an external device having an IEEE 1394 interface;
A subunit having a playback function and corresponding to the AV / C TRANSPORT STATE status command of the IEEE 1394 interface inquired from the external device;
User operation means for performing GUI operation of the subunit on the GUI operation screen;
Control means for controlling to send an AV / C STABLE response to the external device in response to an AV / C TRANSPORT STATE status command of the IEEE 1394 interface issued from the external device to the subunit;
The control means confirms the operating state of the subunit,
If the subunit is in a playback state, send a STABLE response indicating the playback state to the external device,
When the subunit is not in the playback state, it is further detected whether or not the GUI operation by the user operation means is being performed, and when the GUI operation by the user operation means is not being performed, the non-playback state When the GUI operation by the user operation means is performed, a playback state is displayed to display a screen of the GUI operation by the user operation means of the subunit. An information processing apparatus that transmits a STABLE response to the external device.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the subunit is one of a tape recorder / player subunit and a disc subunit.

Images