JP4307804B2 - Broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to a broadcast receiving apparatus having a function of executing application software such as a game.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Broadcast receiving apparatuses that receive analog broadcast waves and digital broadcasts are known to have an environment in which application software is operated and display an image using an OSD (On Screen Display) function. As a method for realizing the application function, (1) a method for executing an application in the CPU ROM in advance as in an analog broadcast receiver and executing the program by the CPU, and (2) application software There is a method in which the software is extracted from the digital broadcast wave, stored in the RAM or non-volatile memory of the CPU, and executed by the CPU.
[0003]
In the method {circle around (1)}, since the software for operating the application function is previously incorporated in the ROM area of the CPU, it is impossible to change the function such as the application type and the operation method. On the other hand, the method {circle over (2)} has an advantage that the function such as the type of application and the operation method can be changed even if a so-called download function is realized.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Whichever method is used, the CPU RAM is used to execute the application function. In the case of a general CPU system, the RAM required for executing the application function and the normal TV mode are set. There is a case where the RAM necessary for execution is shared, and when the execution of the application is interrupted and the mode is changed to the TV mode, the application execution state is lost from the RAM.
[0005]
In addition, there is a possibility that the user may miss a television program that was planned so much that the user is obsessed with the operation using the application function. Also, in a digital broadcast receiving apparatus, it is common to superimpose an OSD image on digital video data obtained by demodulation processing and then convert it to an analog video signal and output it to a normal television set. When an OSD image is generated by executing an application when a recording reservation is executed for the TV program of the TV program, a TV program video on which the OSD image is superimposed is recorded. Need to finish.
[0006]
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast receiving apparatus that does not inconvenience a user regarding the termination of an application.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the broadcast receiving apparatus of the present invention is a broadcast receiving apparatus having a function of executing application software, and means for setting the operation end time of the application by user input before starting the operation of the application. And means for terminating the application automatically when the end time arrives or after obtaining confirmation from the user.
[0008]
With the above configuration, even if the user is enthusiastic about the operation of the application, if the user inputs the operation end time in advance, the application is terminated automatically or upon obtaining user confirmation when the end time arrives. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a scheduled TV program is missed.
[0009]
Further, the broadcast receiving apparatus of the present invention is a broadcast receiving apparatus having a function of executing application software, a means for storing an application state at the time of application interruption, and a means for starting an application from the state stored at the time when the operation of the application is resumed. And.
[0010]
With the above configuration, even when the application has to be interrupted for any reason, the application can be started from the application state at the time of the interruption when the application is resumed.
[0011]
Further, the broadcast receiving apparatus of the present invention is a broadcast receiving apparatus having a function of executing application software, a means for setting an operation end time of an application by a user input before the operation start of the application, and an automatic operation when the end time arrives. Or a means for terminating the application upon user confirmation, a means for storing the application state at the end of the operation of the application, and a means for starting the application from the state stored when the operation of the application is resumed. It is characterized by.
[0012]
With the above configuration, even if the user is enthusiastic about the operation of the application, if the user inputs the operation end time in advance, the application is terminated automatically or upon obtaining user confirmation when the end time arrives. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a scheduled TV program is missed. Then, when the television program to be watched ends and the application is resumed, the application can be started from the application state at the time of interruption.
[0013]
In the configuration in which the application can be started from the state stored when the operation of the application is resumed as described above, means for receiving the designation of the broadcast reception channel when inputting the operation end time of the application, and the reception state by the broadcast reception channel designated after the operation is finished And a control means for making a transition to. According to this, it is possible to view a program that was scheduled when the application ended.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. 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, FIGS. 2 to 4 are flowcharts showing control contents, and FIG. 5 is an example of a display screen from the start of the game to the end of the game. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen when the game is resumed, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a remote control transmitter.
[0015]
In FIG. 1, an antenna 1 is arranged outdoors in a predetermined direction, and receives a digital broadcast wave transmitted from a BS. The antenna 1 is generally provided with a frequency converter, and supplies a received / frequency converted signal to the tuner 2.
[0016]
The tuner 2 extracts 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.
[0017]
The demultiplexer (DEMUX) 3 converts the transport stream output from the tuner 2 into auxiliary information such as MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) video stream, audio stream, and PSI / SI (Program Specific Information / Service Information). To separate. The demultiplexer 3 supplies the video stream and the audio stream to the AV decoder 4 and supplies PSI / SI and the like 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 performed in the transport stream from the PSI / SI. It becomes possible by taking out data such as which packet ID is multiplexed. In addition, transport stream selection (transponder selection) can also be performed based on PSI / SI information.
[0018]
The AV decoder 4 includes a video decoder that decodes a video stream and an audio decoder that decodes an audio stream. The video decoder decodes an input encoded signal to obtain a quantization coefficient and a motion vector, and performs inverse DCT transform, 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.
[0019]
The video processing circuit 5 receives video data from the AV decoder 4 and performs D / A conversion, for example, to convert it into a composite video signal. The audio signal processing circuit 6 receives the audio data output from the AV decoder 4 and performs D / A conversion to generate, for example, a right (R) sound analog signal and a left (L) sound analog signal.
[0020]
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 the like, a video output terminal and the like), and a monitor 16 provided with a picture tube 16a and a speaker 16b by a video / audio code 17 in this output unit. Is connected.
[0021]
The OSD circuit 12 generates video data based on character information and color information instructed to be output from the CPU 13 and outputs the video data to the adder 20. The adder 20 performs processing for incorporating the video data into the received video data output from the AV decoder 4.
[0022]
The remote control transmitter 10 is a transmitter for sending a command to the broadcast receiving device 30. 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. As shown in FIG. 7, the remote control transmitter 10 includes a plurality of keys. For example, a game (GAME) key is used for starting / ending a game function. The MUTE key is used, for example, to set a chip at the cursor position in an othello game. The SLEEP key is used to skip the user's turn. The numeric keys 0 to 9 are used when inputting the set time on the game function end time setting screen, and are also used when setting the TV channel transition destination when the game function end time is reached in advance. The RECALL key is used to store the game state in the nonvolatile memory or as a determination key for various settings. The remote control transmitter 10 in the digital broadcast receiver has a RIGHT key / LEFT key / UP key / DOWN key. In the remote control transmitter for an analog broadcast receiver, the VOLUP key / VOLDOWN key / CHUP key / CHDOWN key is provided. Each can function as a RIGHT key / LEFT key / UP key / DOWN key to move the cursor.
[0023]
The memory (RAM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc.) 14 stores program information used for EPG display, user setting information, application status information, application operation end time information, reserved program position information, and the like. The
[0024]
The CPU 13 performs overall control in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 30. In particular, the following control is executed as control according to the present invention.
[0025]
Here, in a memory (ROM, RAM, rewritable nonvolatile memory) (not shown) that gives software to the CPU 13, there are a program and a timer for executing a game function. With this timer, when the target time is reached during the game function operation, the CPU 13 can detect it as an interrupt operation.
[0026]
An example of a method for storing the game state in the memory 14 will be described. Conventionally, when a game key of the remote control transmitter 10 is pressed, a game area portion of a RAM (hereinafter simply referred to as RAM) allocated to realize a game function in the CPU 13 is cleared, and the game state is initialized. Must be set to state. However, in the present invention, at the end of the game, the CPU 13 transfers the game state information in the RAM (generally shared by the game function and the television reception process) to the memory 14 so as to maintain the game state. Starting the game function from the stored state can be realized by transferring the information stored in the memory 14 to the RAM again.
[0027]
Next, processing related to game start (restart) / execution / termination will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. The game function is executed by pressing a game (GAME) key of the remote control transmitter 10. When the game key is pressed, the CPU 13 determines whether there is game state storage information in the memory 14 (step S1). If there is game state storage information, a screen for asking the user whether to start the game from the stored game state (for example, see the screen shown in FIG. 6A) is displayed. Based on the user operation on this screen, it is determined whether or not to start the game from the stored game state (step S2). When starting the game from the stored game state, the CPU 13 reads out the game state storage information stored in the memory 14 and stores it in a predetermined game area in the RAM of the CPU 13 (step S3). When there is no game state storage information, the game is executed from the initial state. In the above example, when the game state is stored in the memory 14, the user is allowed to select whether to use the game state. However, the game state storage may be automatically read and executed.
[0028]
Conventionally, after the game function is executed, it is necessary to press the game key again in order to end the game function and shift to the normal television reception state. However, this makes the user addicted to the game function. There is a risk of missing a TV program that was scheduled too much. Therefore, before starting the game function, as shown in FIG. 5A, a game function end time setting screen is displayed, and the user is made to input a desired game end time. In the input screen shown in FIG. 5A, the channel (position) information of the television scheduled to be viewed after the game is finished can be input. When the game end time is set (YES in step S4), the time is set in the timer (step 5), and the game process is executed (step S11). A screen during the game (Othello game screen) is illustrated in FIG.
[0029]
The CPU 13 determines whether or not the recall (RECALL) key of the remote control transmitter 10 has been pressed (step S12). When the recall key is pressed, the game state is stored in the memory (step S13). Then, it is determined whether or not the set game end time has been reached (step S14), and whether or not the game key is pressed (step S15). YES in step S14 and YES in step S15 In this case, the process proceeds to a game function end process. When the game end time arrives, as shown in FIG. 5C, a screen display for recommending the end is displayed, and after confirming whether or not the user really ends, the game function end process is started. May be.
[0030]
In the game function end process, it is determined whether or not there is a request to save the game state (step S21). This request determination is made based on, for example, a user operation on the screen shown in FIG. If it is determined that there is a request to save the game state (YES in step S21), the game state is stored in the memory 14 (step S22). Next, it is determined whether or not there is a channel setting after the game is over (step S23). If the channel has been set (YES in step S23), the CPU 13 issues a command to the tuner 2 and the demultiplexer 3 in order to form a broadcast reception state by the set channel. As a result, a normal television reception mode is entered.
[0031]
The state recording and the timer function can be provided not only for the game function described above but also for all application software. Further, even when the application itself does not have a function for storing the state, it is possible to record the state. Examples of the application software include a spreadsheet function, a word processor function, an Internet function, an image browsing function, a graphic image processing function, a database function, a presentation function, and a mailer function in addition to the above game function. In the above-described embodiment, a digital broadcast receiving apparatus that can execute application software has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to an analog broadcast receiver that can execute application software.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, with the broadcast receiving device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a scheduled TV program is missed, and when restarting, an application can be started from the application state at the time of interruption, In addition, there is an effect that the program scheduled with the end of the application can be viewed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital broadcast receiving apparatus of this embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing contents.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing contents.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing contents.
FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are explanatory views illustrating display screens, respectively.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are explanatory views illustrating display screens, respectively.
FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a remote control transmitter.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Antenna 2 Tuner 3 Demultiplexer (DEMUX)
4 AV decoder 12 OSD circuit 13 CPU
14 memory

Claims (2)

In a broadcast receiving apparatus having a function of executing application software, means for setting an operation end time of an application by user input before starting the operation of the application, and specifying a broadcast receiving channel when inputting the operation end time of the application Means for accepting, means for ending the application automatically when the end time arrives or obtaining user confirmation, and control means for transitioning to the reception state by the designated broadcast receiving channel after the end of the operation of the application , A broadcast receiving apparatus comprising: In a broadcast receiving apparatus having a function of executing application software, means for setting an operation end time of an application by user input before starting the operation of the application, and specifying a broadcast receiving channel when inputting the operation end time of the application Means for accepting, means for ending the application automatically when the end time arrives or obtaining user confirmation, control means for transitioning to the reception state by the designated broadcast reception channel after the end of operation of the application , and application A broadcast receiving apparatus comprising : means for storing an application state at the end of the operation; and means for starting an application from the stored state when the operation of the application is resumed.

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