JP4212229B2 - Digital broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiving apparatus that receives a digital broadcast.
[0002]
A digital broadcast receiving apparatus that receives a digital broadcast using a satellite or a terrestrial wave selects an arbitrary broadcast wave from a plurality of broadcast waves received through a dedicated antenna or a terrestrial antenna using a tuner, and selects the selected broadcast wave. A video / audio signal can be output by selecting an arbitrary channel from among a plurality of channels included in the wave by demultiplex processing, extracting a digital signal of the selected channel, and decoding the digital signal.
[0003]
[Prior art]
By the way, in such digital broadcasting, in addition to transmitting video and audio as in the case of conventional analog broadcasting, the program name, program details, program start time, program end time, etc. are transmitted. An EPG (Electronic Program Guide) screen display using an OSD (On Screen Display) display circuit allows a viewer to select a program desired by the viewer from multi-channel broadcasting.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional EPG screen display, the same display as the program column of the newspaper is performed, and the display area of the program content is constrained by the length of the time axis. That is, for example, if one hour is set to a certain length, a rectangular area having the length as one side becomes a display area for program contents for one hour. If the length is shortened, the time width that can be displayed on one screen becomes longer, but the display area of the program content for one hour becomes narrow, and the program information cannot be described sufficiently. On the other hand, if the length is increased, the time width that can be displayed on one screen is shortened, and in order to know a program several days ahead, an operation of scrolling the entire screen for several days is required.
[0005]
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcast receiving apparatus capable of quickly presenting a program guide for several days to several tens of days ahead to a user.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, a digital broadcast receiving apparatus of the present invention has an electronic program guide display function for displaying program information on a screen using an on-screen display circuit based on service information included in the digital broadcast. In the digital broadcasting receiver, a time axis is displayed, and another display area having a length that is related to the time width constituting a part of the time axis and is not restricted by the display length is created. The program information within the time range is displayed in the separate display area.
[0007]
In the above configuration, for example, even if 24 hours are displayed with a certain length on the time axis, a large separate display area having a long side without being restricted by the display length of 24 hours. Since it can be created, the program column for 24 hours can be displayed in this large separate display area. For example, by setting a time such as 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours later on the time axis, the user can quickly know program information several days ahead.
[0008]
A plurality of separate display areas may be created. If one of the plurality of separate display areas is configured to display program information starting from the current time, the program table at the current time can always be viewed. Further, when the time on the time axis is changed by the user, the program information of the changed time may be displayed in another display area. Further, a rotary type may be adopted as the time axis.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Here, a case where a user views a BS (Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcast is illustrated. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital broadcast receiving apparatus 30 of this embodiment for receiving BS digital broadcast, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are explanatory diagrams showing examples of an electronic program guide display screen.
[0010]
An antenna 1 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged outdoors in a predetermined direction, and receives a digital broadcast signal sent from a BS. The antenna 1 generally includes a frequency converter, and supplies a received / frequency converted signal to the tuner 2.
[0011]
The tuner 2 extracts a signal having a specific frequency from the received high frequency digital modulation signal. That is, a process of selecting one from a plurality of transponders of digital broadcasting is performed. Further, the tuner 2 includes a demodulation circuit, a deinterleave circuit, an error correction circuit, and the like, thereby demodulating the selected digital modulation signal and outputting a transport stream.
[0012]
The demultiplexer (DEMUX) 3 separates the transport stream received from the tuner 2 into MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) video transport packets, audio transport packets, and PSI (Program Specific Information). The demultiplexer 3 supplies the video transport packet and the audio transport packet to the AV decoder 4, and supplies service information included in the PSI to the CPU 13. As described above, a plurality of channels are multiplexed in the transport stream, and the process for selecting an arbitrary channel from among the channels is determined based on which arbitrary channel from the PSI is included in the transport stream. It becomes possible by taking out data such as whether the packet ID is multiplexed. In addition, transport stream selection (transponder selection) can also be performed based on PSI information.
[0013]
The AV decoder 4 includes a video decoder that decodes video transport packets and an audio decoder that decodes audio transport packets. The video decoder decodes the input variable length code to obtain a quantization coefficient and a motion vector, and performs inverse DCT conversion, motion compensation control based on the motion vector, and the like. The audio decoder decodes the input encoded signal to generate audio data. The video data generated by the decoding is output to the video processing circuit 5, and the audio data is output to the audio processing circuit 6.
[0014]
The video processing circuit 5 receives the video data from the AV decoder 4, performs D / A conversion, and converts it into, for example, a composite signal in the NTSC format. The audio signal processing circuit 6 receives the audio data output from the AV decoder 4, performs D / A conversion, and generates a right (R) sound analog signal and a left (L) sound analog signal. The video output circuit 7 and the audio output circuit 8 include an output resistor, an amplifier, and the like. The AV output terminal 9 is provided with an output unit (a set of left and right audio output terminals and video output terminals), and a monitor 16 having a CRT 16a and a speaker 16b is connected to the output unit by a video / audio code 17. .
[0015]
The OSD (On Screen Display) display circuit 12 outputs to the adder 20 bitmap data based on character information and graphic information instructed to be output from the CPU 13. The adder 20 incorporates the bitmap data into the video data. The OSD display circuit 12 realizes an electronic program guide (EPG) screen display based on the service information included in the PSI received by the CPU 13.
[0016]
The memory 14A stores program information (program name, program details, program start time, program end time, etc.) used in the electronic program guide screen display. The nonvolatile memo 14B stores a program for displaying an electronic program guide screen.
[0017]
The remote control transmitter 10 is a transmitter for sending a command to the broadcast receiving device 30. The remote control transmitter 10 is provided with a power key, a channel designation key, a direction key, an enter key, an EPG display command key, and the like. When a key provided on the remote control transmitter 10 is operated, signal light (remote control signal) indicating a command corresponding to the key is transmitted from a light emitting unit (not shown). The remote control light receiver 11 receives the signal light, converts it into an electric signal, and gives it to the CPU 13.
[0018]
The CPU 13 performs electronic program guide display processing, program reservation processing, and the like by the user using the remote control transmitter 10 or the like. The CPU 13 and the OSD display circuit 12 function as display means, time zone display change means, and program information display change means described in the claims. This will be specifically described below.
[0019]
FIGS. 2A and 2B show examples of an electronic program guide screen displayed by the CPU 13 and the OSD display circuit 12. In this example, the time axis is a rotation type (the time axis is displayed in a form along the outer peripheral shape when the disk is viewed in perspective), and in FIG. Three time widths (bands) are shown in units of one hour, such as a time part, a part after one hour, a part after two hours, and in FIG. Three time widths are shown in units of 24 hours (one day), such as a part after time and a part after 48 hours. Then, another display area having a length that is related to each of the three time widths that constitute a part of the time axis and that is not restricted by the display length is created (on the displayed time axis). A separate display area for displaying program information corresponding to a certain time zone is created for each time zone), and a program column (program information) within each time width is displayed in this separate display area. In this embodiment, in addition to arranging the separate display areas corresponding to the arrangement order of the three time widths in this embodiment, as shown in the figure, the edge of the time width and the corner of the separate display area are connected by a dotted line. It is said. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and any form may be adopted as long as the user can recognize the correspondence between the time width and the separate display area. In the program column displayed in the separate display area, a scroll bar is displayed so that the channel portion can be scrolled and the time axis can be scrolled. The user can arbitrarily display any one of FIGS. 2A and 2B by operating the remote control transmitter 10, and can also select a mode in which the time width is expressed in units of one week, for example. it can.
[0020]
Further, for example, when the right key of the remote control transmitter 10 is operated, the notation part of the current time is left as it is, that is, the process of advancing the time on the time axis, that is, the notation part after one hour in FIG. Is described as 2 hours later, and the process of noting 3 hours later is performed in the notation portion after 2 hours. In response to this time change, program information for the changed time is displayed in two separate display areas other than the current time. Similarly, in FIG. 2B, the notation portion after 24 hours is indicated as 48 hours later, and the notation portion after 48 hours is indicated as 72 hours later. In response to this time change, program information for the changed time is displayed in two separate display areas other than the current time. That is, by rotating the time axis, new program guides can be displayed one after another. Further, when the left key of the remote control transmitter 10 is operated, the current time notation is left as it is, and the time on the time axis is moved backward.
[0021]
3A and 3B show other examples of the electronic program guide screen. In this example, the time axis is a vertical linear type, and in FIG. 4A, the time axis is the current time portion, the one hour later portion, the two hour later portion, and the three hour later portion. In particular, four time widths are expressed in units of one hour, and in the same figure (b), the current time part, the part after 24 hours, the part after 48 hours, the part after 72 hours, etc. Four time widths are shown in units of 24 hours (1 day). Then, another display region having a side length related to each of the three time widths of the four time widths constituting a part of the time axis and not restricted by the display length is created. In this separate display area, program columns within each time width are displayed. In the program column displayed in the separate display area, a scroll bar is displayed so that the channel portion can be scrolled and the time axis can be scrolled. The user can arbitrarily display any one of FIGS. 3A and 3B by operating the remote control transmitter 10, and can also select, for example, a mode in which the time width is expressed in units of one week. it can.
[0022]
Further, for example, when the down key of the remote control transmitter 10 is operated, the notation part of the current time is left as it is, that is, the process of advancing the time on the time axis, that is, the notation part after one hour in FIG. Is written as 2 hours later, the written part after 2 hours is written as 3 hours later, and the written part after 3 hours is written as 4 hours later. In response to this time change, program information for the changed time is displayed in two separate display areas other than the current time. Similarly, in FIG. 3B, the notation part after 24 hours is indicated as 48 hours later, the notation part after 48 hours is indicated as 72 hours later, and the notation part after 72 hours is indicated as 96. Performs processing to indicate after hours. In response to this time change, program information for the changed time is displayed in two separate display areas other than the current time. Further, when the up direction key of the remote control transmitter 10 is operated, the current time notation is left as it is, and the time on the time axis is moved backward.
[0023]
Further, the CPU 13 acquires viewing history information (channel, time zone, program genre, program name, etc.) of the user and stores it in the nonvolatile memory 14B, and the channel that the user often views based on this viewing history information. The time zone, program genre, program name, etc. are determined. Then, when it is determined that the program displayed in the separate display area is a program that is often viewed by the user, a process of displaying the color of the part in a color different from the other part is performed. FIG. 3 shows a state in which it is determined that the user often views the soccer program and the color of the portion is changed.
[0024]
4A and 4B show other examples of the electronic program guide screen. In this example, the time axis is a straight line in the vertical direction. In the figure (a), a scale is added in units of 30 minutes on the time axis, and in the figure (b), a scale is added in units of 12 hours. ing. The user can specify a partial range on this time axis. For example, the direction key of the remote control transmitter 10 is operated to move the cursor (the white arrow in the figure) to the start position of the desired time zone, and the start key is determined by pressing the enter key, and then again This can be done by operating the direction key of the remote control transmitter 10 to move the cursor to the end position of the desired time zone and pressing the enter key to determine the end position. Based on the time range specified by the user, the CPU 13 acquires the program information within that time from the memory 14A, and displays the program column in another display area based on the acquired program information.
[0025]
In addition, in the example of FIG. 4A, the display range of the time axis is from the current time to two and a half hours later. The display can be changed to a range such as after half an hour. In the example of FIG. 4B, it can be similarly changed.
[0026]
For example, even if 24 hours is displayed with a length of 1 cm on the time axis, the electronic program guide screen display described above is not limited to the display length (1 cm) of the 24 hours, and a long side is displayed. Since the large separate display area can be created, it is possible to display an easy-to-see program column in the large separate display area. In the example of FIG. 2B, for example, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours are set on the time axis, so that the user can quickly know the program information several days ahead. be able to.
[0027]
In the above embodiment, the mode of receiving BS digital broadcasting has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a mode of receiving CS digital broadcasting and terrestrial broadcasting. Of course, the configuration is not limited to the set-top box, and may be a TV-integrated configuration.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to quickly present a program guide for several days to several tens of days to the user by a simple operation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of an electronic program guide screen in which the time axis is a rotation type. FIG. 2A is an example in which the time axis is expressed in units of one hour, and FIG. Is an example in which the time axis is expressed in units of 24 hours.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an electronic program guide screen display example in which the time axis is a vertical linear type, and FIG. 3A is an example in which the time axis is expressed in units of one hour; a) is an example in which the time axis is expressed in units of 24 hours.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an electronic program guide screen display that adopts a form in which the time axis is a vertical linear type and a user can specify an arbitrary time width on the time axis. a) is an example in which the scale is in units of 30 minutes, and (a) in the figure is an example in which the scale is in units of 12 hours.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Antenna 2 Tuner 3 Demultiplexer (DEMUX)
4 AV decoder 10 Remote control transmitter 13 CPU
16 Monitor

Claims (4)

  In a digital broadcast receiving apparatus having an electronic program guide display function for displaying program information on a screen using an on-screen display circuit based on service information included in the digital broadcast, one time axis having a plurality of division ranges is provided. A time axis display means for displaying, a time axis range changing means for changing a time zone of each partition range together with a change of the total time represented by the whole time axis based on a user operation, and a plurality of times on the time axis A digital broadcasting comprising: a program guide display means for creating a plurality of individual display areas associated with the section ranges and displaying program information in the time zones indicated by the section ranges in each individual display area Receiver device.   2. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program guide display means displays program information of a program starting from a current time in one individual display area among the plurality of individual display areas. Digital broadcast receiver.   3. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program guide display means displays a program table having a time axis and a channel axis different from the time axis by the time axis display means. A digital broadcast receiver characterized by the above.   4. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time axis display means displays the time axis in a form along an outer peripheral shape when the disk is viewed in perspective. A digital broadcast receiver characterized by the above.

Images