JP4829443B2 - Receiving device, receiving method, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a receiving apparatus. , Receiving method and recording medium In particular, Reception to receive digital broadcast signals including video data and data broadcast data Relates to the device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a function of receiving two broadcast programs and simultaneously displaying them on a screen by installing two tuners in a television receiver is known. With such a function, it is possible to view another broadcast program overlapped in the same time zone while viewing a certain broadcast program.
[0003]
On the other hand, with the start of BS digital broadcasting in addition to cable television (CATV) and CS broadcasting, broadcasting is now being carried out through a number of channels that cannot be compared with the conventional one.
[0004]
In BS digital broadcasting, multi-view broadcasting is performed in which one broadcast program is composed of a plurality of videos. It is conceivable that the television receiver side also includes a plurality of tuners and decoders so that it can be viewed freely, and has a function of displaying more screens simultaneously. In such a case, the layout of the display screen of the television receiver is desired not only to be prepared in advance in the television receiver as in the prior art, but also to a more free layout.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When a large number of programs are broadcast on many channels as described above, it is difficult to accurately grasp in which time zone and on which channel a program suitable for the purpose of watching TV is broadcast. In order to search for a program suitable for the purpose of viewing, the user scrutinizes the program schedule table published in magazines and newspapers provided in the past, and in BS digital broadcasting, an electronic program guide multiplexed with broadcast waves is used. You must also check the program schedule using it. Furthermore, it takes a lot of labor and time to find a combination of programs to be viewed simultaneously from these many programs and to create a viewing plan. The situation is not suitable for watching TV as entertainment.
[0006]
In addition, when the functions of a television receiver are advanced and more screens can be displayed at the same time, and the flexibility of the display layout is provided, the complexity is proportional to the number of functions of such a television receiver. Will require a lot of operation.
[0007]
Furthermore, a comfortable operation is difficult in consideration of the operation for selecting a program to be viewed.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and to enable simultaneous viewing of a plurality of programs with a simple operation.
[0009]
Another object of the present invention is to reduce burdens such as an operation for selecting a program to be viewed from a number of channels and a display layout setting operation for simultaneously viewing a plurality of programs.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, a receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of receiving units that receive digital broadcast signals including video data and data broadcast data, respectively. When an operation means for receiving a user operation for selecting a broadcast program corresponding to multi-screen display from an electronic program guide having a channel axis and a time axis, and a broadcast program corresponding to the multi-screen display are selected, From data broadcast data received by one of the plurality of receiving means Written in markup language System Your Data, Run the data broadcasting browser System Your Control means for controlling other receiving means among the plurality of receiving means so as to select a channel designated by the data; A graphic image is generated according to the control data, and the display layout specified by the control data is used. Received by the plurality of receiving means 2 or more Video data The graphic image and Compositing process , Video processing means for outputting to the display unit, In accordance with the control data, the control means switches the channel to be selected by the other receiving means and changes the display layout of the two or more video data to be synthesized by the video processing means as time elapses. It is characterized by The
The receiving method according to the present invention includes a plurality of methods. Receiving means Each receiving a digital broadcast signal including video data and data broadcast data; From an electronic program guide having a channel axis and a time axis, an operation step of receiving a user operation for selecting a broadcast program corresponding to multi-screen display, and when a broadcast program corresponding to the multi-screen display is selected, The plurality Receiving means One of Receiving means From data broadcast data received at Written in markup language System Your A data acquisition browser and a data broadcasting browser to execute the control. Your The plurality of channels so that the channel designated by the data is selected. Receiving means Other of Receiving means A control step for controlling A graphic image is generated according to the control data, and the display layout specified by the control data is used. The plurality Receiving means Received by 2 or more Video data The graphic image and Compositing process , Video processing steps to be output to the display section. In the control step, the channel selected by the other receiving means is switched over time according to the control data, and the display layout of the two or more video data to be combined in the video processing step is changed. Change To do.
A recording medium according to the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the receiving method.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a digital television receiver 100 to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, 101 is a satellite broadcast receiving antenna, 102, 103, and 104 select and detect a channel designated from a signal received by the antenna 101, and further descramble the MPEG2 transport stream (hereinafter referred to as MPEG2). BS digital tuner including a function to output (TS), 105, 106, and 107 extract a video stream, an audio stream, data broadcast data, and program arrangement information specified for each program from the descrambled MPEG2-TS Transport decoders 108 and 109 are video decoders for decoding video streams, 110 is an audio decoder for decoding audio streams, 111 and 112 are video memories for storing decoded video data for each frame, 1 3 A speaker that outputs audio in accordance with the decoded audio signal, 114 a graphic generation unit that generates display data such as characters and graphics for data broadcasting screens and screen operations, and 116 a video data and graphic generation according to a video stream A compositing processor that synthesizes the video data generated by the unit 114 into one display screen; 116, a display unit for displaying a screen; 117, an operation input unit including a remote controller and operation buttons; 118, an operation input / output from a user; The control unit controls the functions of the digital television receiver 100 based on the program arrangement information and controls the graphic generation unit 114 by data broadcast data input to draw a data broadcast display screen.
[0013]
First, a normal reception operation will be described.
[0014]
From the transport stream received by the tuner 102 and obtained as a result of descrambling, the transport decoder 105 extracts a video stream, an audio stream, and a data stream. The video stream is decoded into a video signal by the video decoder 108, stored in the video memory 111 for each frame, and output to the display unit 116 through the synthesis processor 115. Also, the audio stream is decoded into an audio signal by the audio decoder 110 and output from the speaker 113 as sound. Thus, one broadcast program is received and presented to the viewer.
[0015]
When two programs are received simultaneously, a broadcast program is similarly received from the tuner 103 through the transport decoder 106, the video decoder 109, and the memory 112. The video signal of the channel received by the tuner 102 and the video signal received by the tuner 103 are combined by the combining processor 115 and displayed on the display unit 116 at the same time. As audio data, the sound of one of the programs is selected by the user's operation and output from the speaker 113.
[0016]
On the other hand, data broadcasting is a broadcast program that is repeatedly transmitted from a broadcasting station according to the DSM-CC data carousel method defined in ISO / IEC13818-6, and is received by the tuner 104 and the data stream is transmitted by the transport decoder 107. Extracted and sent to the control unit 118. In this embodiment, the tuner 104 is used as a data broadcasting tuner. However, by providing a video decoder and an audio decoder, the tuner 104 can be used as a normal video and audio receiving tuner.
[0017]
The data stream of the data broadcast from the transport decoder 107 includes text information, script information, image information, and video / audio information, and the text information is described in XML (eXtesible Markup Language) defined by W3C. In this embodiment, the XHTML specification obtained by reformulating HTML 4.0 with XML 1.0 is basically used as the data broadcasting XML specification. In XML, a tag ( <xxx> and The part is surrounded by </ xxx>. Also, this tag can have a “nested” structure. The display format is CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), and the script processing is JavaScript.
[0018]
These data are interpreted and executed by the control unit 118, and character, graphic, and image information are generated by the graphic generation unit 114 and displayed on the display unit 116 through the synthesis processor 115. The audio information is output from the speaker 113 through a sound generation unit (not shown).
[0019]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of software that operates on the CPU included in the control unit 118. The data broadcasting browser is an application that runs on the operating system. From the application, the graphic generation unit is controlled via the graphic library and the graphic driver, and characters, graphics, and images are displayed on the graphic buffer included in the synthesis processor 115. draw. Also, the synthesis processor 115 is controlled via the window control middleware and the screen synthesis unit driver, and the synthesis process of the video, still image, and character graphic sent from the video decoders 108 and 109 via the memories 111 and 112 is controlled. .
[0020]
Further, the transport decoder is controlled via the transport decoder driver, and the program arrangement information included in the transport stream is acquired. Based on the information obtained from the program arrangement information, the video stream constituting the target broadcast program by controlling the tuners 102, 103, 104 and the transport decoders 105, 106, 107 via the tuner driver and the transport decode driver. The audio stream is acquired and sent to the video decoders 108 and 109 and the audio decoder 110.
[0021]
Further, the tuner 104 and the transport decoder 107 are controlled based on information obtained from the program arrangement information, and data broadcast data is received. Further, communication with the remote controller and operation buttons of the operation input / output unit 117 is performed via the operation input / output driver, and the user's operation is input.
[0022]
(Data broadcasting browser operation)
When the user instructs to receive and display data broadcast using the remote control or operation buttons while watching a TV program, the CPU included in the control unit 118 starts executing the data broadcast reception / playback program (browser). The activated browser acquires the program arrangement information of the transport stream to be received first, and controls the transport decoder 107 based on this information to start receiving the data broadcast content transmitted in the data carousel method. Thus, the XML data of the screen and related data such as an image embedded in the data are acquired and stored in a memory built in the control unit 118.
[0023]
3, 4, and 5 show examples of “received XML data” for data broadcasting for simultaneously viewing a plurality of programs described later. 3 to 5 show one piece of XML data. This data broadcast includes channel selection control of a plurality of other programs and layout control on a multi-screen as program operations, and fulfills the function of a multi-screen template.
[0024]
3, 4, and 5, buttons for displaying an object 301 for displaying videos of four broadcast programs, an object 302 for outputting sound, and an operation guide for changing the screen layout. The graphic element 303 is included.
[0025]
The character or graphic element indicating the operation guide is provided with a style definition that defines the display position and display format. For example, the character element 303 has a width of 500 from 680 pixels from the top of the screen and 360 pixels from the left. An attribute is given so that a character string “the screen is enlarged with a button” is arranged in an area having a pixel height of 60 pixels. The script to be executed first when XML data is activated is intiallize (), and dedicated buttons provided on the remote control (the remote control has four operation buttons of red, green, blue, and yellow). ) Is operated, the scripts to be executed are described as selectRed (), selectGreen (), selectBlue (), and selectYellow (), respectively.
[0026]
When the browser acquires the XML data of FIGS. 3 to 5 and the image data related thereto, the browser stores the XML data in the XML data. Execute script function described in OnLoad attribute of <body> tag as initial script. 3 and 4 <script> A script is described in a portion between </ script>. In this example, the initialize function is an initial script.
[0027]
In the initial script of the present embodiment, control for receiving four broadcast programs using two tuners and control for laying out these on the screen are executed. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of this control.
[0028]
In order to receive a program, first, a tuner to be used for reception must be assigned (S401 in FIG. 6). In the initial script shown in FIG. 3, this is realized by the openTuner () API. openTuner () API is a built-in API of a browser, and generates a Tuner object corresponding to a tuner that can be used in a television receiver.
[0029]
Next, in order to receive the program, the program is selected based on the designation of the program station and the channel. Specifically, the designation of the network name “broadcasterA” is searched in NIT (Network Information Table) information in a transport stream including data broadcasting (S402), and satellite distribution system information is acquired (S403). Information such as the frequency obtained from this is set in the tuner 102 to obtain an MPEG2-TS in which data of the channel 101 is multiplexed (S404). The obtained MPEG2-TS is decoded by the transport decoder 105, the PID of the PMT of the designated channel number “101” is detected from PAT (Program Association Table) information (S505), and the corresponding PMT (Program Map Table) is detected. Information is acquired (S406).
[0030]
In the browser of this embodiment, these controls are realized by the addService () method possessed by the Tuner object. The addService () method instructs the Tuner object to receive the service specified by the network name and channel number given in the argument, generates a service object, and returns it as a return value. The service object has components such as video, audio, and data that constitute the service, and specifies these components for video display and audio output.
[0031]
Acquisition of actual stream data is performed by filtering the transport stream in the transport decoder using a PID (Packet Identifier) that designates a video stream, an audio stream, and a data stream obtained from the PMT information.
[0032]
In the initial script, in addition to reception of four designated channels, display position control of button images (icons) to be displayed simultaneously with video display of these channels is performed. That is, the setPositionX (0) function is called, and the display position is set to the serviceX object (X is a number from 0 to 3 associated with the display position) and the style of the button object. The display position is a position that takes into account the aspect ratio of the video object specified by service. Further, in the setPosition0 () of the service object, a visible attribute is specified, and an attribute specifying audio output is specified in the audio object belonging to the service object. In setPosition1 () to setPostion3 () not explicitly shown in FIG. 3, an attribute for stopping audio output is specified for the audio object.
[0033]
After executing the initial script, the browser executes the body part of the XML data (see FIG. 5). <body> ~ </ Body> part). First, four images placed as objects are displayed. That is, the stream obtained by receiving the broadcast program specified by the initial script and the object specified as the display position are combined and displayed on the display by controlling the combining processor. In addition, the audio of the designated stream is output to the speaker by controlling the audio decoder, and other drawing elements are drawn by controlling the graphic generation unit, and synthesized by the synthesis processor.
[0034]
FIG. 7 shows an example of a display screen according to the XML data. Reference numeral 501 in FIG. 7 denotes a moving image window, which displays a video of a 101-channel broadcast program designated by XML data. Reference numerals 502, 503, and 504 are moving image windows, which display images of broadcast programs of channels 161, 162, and 163 designated by XML data. Reference numerals 506, 507, 508, and 509 denote images representing red, green, blue, and yellow buttons provided on the remote control, and correspond to the case where the corresponding button on the remote control is pressed, as described in the explanation by the image 210 and the character 211. It represents that the video of the broadcast program to be moved moves to the left large screen.
[0035]
Now, when the green button provided on the remote control is pressed in the display state of FIG. 7, an onButtonGreen event is sent to the body object of the browser through the operation input / output 17, and the selectGreen () script of XML data is executed. As shown in FIG. 4, in the selectGreen () script, first, the display position of the video placed on the left side of the screen is moved by the removal () script, and the audio output is stopped. The destination is the display position of the 161 channel video (service1 object) associated with the green button. Next, specify the display position of the service1 object in the large area on the left of the screen, and start audio output.
[0036]
FIG. 8 shows the display state after the script is executed. In FIG. 7, the 161-channel image displayed on the upper right is displayed large in the left center of the screen, and the 101-channel image is moved to the upper right position instead. That is, by operating the color buttons on the remote controller, it is possible to move the broadcast program video associated with each button to the large left display area. This operation is not a normal operation of a television receiver, and is a specific operation that can be realized by processing XML data by data broadcasting. Hereinafter, this function is referred to as a multi-screen template function.
[0037]
The BS digital television broadcast stream includes a video stream, an audio stream, and a data stream that constitute a broadcast program, and program arrangement information that is information relating to the arrangement of these streams. The program arrangement information includes information related to a broadcast program schedule by other networks (broadcast stations). For example, broadcast start and end dates and contents of broadcast programs for all channels from the current time to eight days later. Contains a simple string describing the. In the digital television receiver 100 of this embodiment, when there is an instruction to display a program guide from the remote controller, an electronic program guide can be displayed using such data scheduled to be broadcast.
[0038]
FIG. 9 is a display example of an electronic program guide by the television receiver 100 of this embodiment. In the electronic program guide of this embodiment, the passage of time is arranged in the vertical direction, the channels are arranged in the horizontal direction, and a description of the program for each time zone is displayed. The electronic program guide allows you to select a program that is currently being broadcast. When the cursor 701 displayed on the screen is moved with a direction button or the like provided on the remote controller and selected with the enter button, the program selected at that time is selected and displayed on the screen.
[0039]
For example, assuming that the current time is past 12:00, operating the remote control enter button in the state of FIG. 9 selects the 101-channel program “Music”, and the control unit 118 controls each unit, as shown in FIG. As shown, the program “Music” is viewed.
[0040]
When a program scheduled to be broadcast in the future that is not currently being broadcast is selected on the electronic program guide, the program is automatically selected at the start time for viewing reservation, or an appropriate recording device is selected for recording. A “recording reservation” operation for making a reservation is performed.
[0041]
As in the case of a normal broadcast program, a data broadcast program can be viewed by selecting a data broadcast program on the electronic program guide. For example, when a program “watching tour guide” of channel 421 is selected, a data broadcast program as shown in FIG. 11 can be viewed.
[0042]
In this embodiment, the XML data shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, or FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 is broadcast as this 421 channel data broadcast program. When is selected, it is possible to simultaneously view four programs on the multi-screen described with reference to FIG. At this time, operations of the television receiver other than selecting the 421 channel, such as changing the screen display mode and selecting individual channels for a plurality of display screens, are not necessary.
[0043]
Next, the function of the multi-screen template based on such data broadcast data will be described as time passes. Here, it is assumed that the program is organized and broadcast according to the program schedule displayed by the electronic program guide of FIG.
[0044]
When the current time is past 13:00, a normal television program is broadcast on channels 101, 161, 162, 163, and 181 and a data broadcast program for controlling the multi-screen template function is broadcast on channel 421. The three channels 161, 162, and 163 are broadcasting three broadcast programs planned by one broadcasting station, but as you can imagine from the program name, they relay from three holes in one golf course. It is to be done at the same time.
[0045]
Viewers should switch the TV receiver channel between 161, 162, and 163, and watch the holes played by the players that appear one after the other as if they are freely moving between the holes on the golf course. I can do it. At this time, the program “World News” can be viewed on a single display screen by switching to the 101 channel, and the program “Italian lesson” can be viewed by switching to the 181 channel.
[0046]
In addition, by using the multi-screen function of the television receiver 100, it is possible to select two programs to be viewed simultaneously and view them simultaneously. For example, the television receiver 100 is switched to the two-screen display mode, the 161 channel image is displayed on the left screen, the 162 channel image is displayed on the left screen, and the screen is selected and the channel is switched as necessary. Can also be done. However, these operations are operations that do not depend on the multi-screen template that the television receiver has. Therefore, the user needs to perform operations such as switching between the two-screen display modes, specifying the channel to be received, and controlling the layout of the display window.
[0047]
On the other hand, the data broadcast program “Gokuraku Golf Zanmai” having a multi-screen template function of 421 channels functions as one broadcast program that displays these three programs on a multi-screen.
[0048]
That is, the same operation as the XML data described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 is performed to simultaneously display images of three programs broadcast on the 161, 162, and 163 channels. FIG. 12 shows the display state at this time. The user simply selects the 421-channel program “Gokuraku Golf Zanmai” by changing the channel, and the display screen becomes three screens, and each screen is automatically selected.
[0049]
In FIG. 12, three images 502, 503, and 504 are simultaneously displayed on the screen 500, and the image of the program relaying through the hall of interest is displayed large, and the audio of this relay program is output. In addition, a function of changing the display size of the video by moving the target hole with the direction button of the remote controller is provided. That is, by operating the left button of the remote controller in FIG. 12, a video image for displaying a newly noticed left hole is displayed as shown in FIG. Such an operation is not a function of the television receiver but a function provided by broadcasting using XML data of data broadcasting.
[0050]
FIGS. 14 and 15 show a part of XML data broadcast on the 421 channel between 13:00 and 14:00, and FIGS. 13 and 14 show one XML data. 14 and 15, it can be seen that the screen layout change script is executed by the onButtonLeft and onButtonRight events.
[0051]
Note that the streams of channels 161, 162, and 163 shown in FIG. 9 are multiplexed and broadcast using carrier waves of the same frequency. Therefore, even when receiving 161, 162, and 163 channels simultaneously, there is no need to switch the carrier wave between the channels, and an image of each channel can be displayed as a moving image using one tuner, for example, tuner 102. it can.
[0052]
When viewing the data broadcast program “Gokuraku Golf Zanmai” at 14:00, the XML data broadcast as the data broadcast program is changed to the data shown in FIGS. That is, the broadcast of the regular program “Women's Professional Golf Tour Relay” starts on channel 101, and this program is automatically added to simultaneous viewing on multiple screens. At the same time, the operation method for enlarging and displaying the program of interest is also changed to one using color buttons.
[0053]
When the time is 15:00, the XML data broadcast on channel 421 is changed again, and only the 101 channel program “Women's Pro Golf Tour Relay” is displayed, and at 16:00 the program “Women's Pro Golf Tour Relay” ends and data is displayed. The broadcast program ends.
[0054]
In this way, XML data that changes with time is generated based on a program plan for data broadcasting. The program “Gokuraku Golf Zanmai” in FIG. 9 is a program that is generated based on the concept of watching one notable golf relay on the afternoon of the weekend, and shows a plurality of programs broadcast in different time zones. The channel is selected so as to follow up, and XML data for automatically realizing a necessary screen layout at that time is broadcast as a data broadcast program.
[0055]
Even if the means is not originally provided in the television receiver, an operation that is most easy to use can be performed for each screen layout, and the operation method can be notified to the viewer by screen display. As a result, viewers are freed from the trouble of searching program broadcast schedules in electronic program guides, newspapers, and magazines to find the target program without overlooking it, and without having to operate the multi-screen function of the TV receiver individually. Just select a broadcast program and you can get all its features automatically.
[0056]
In addition, although the configuration of the television receiver including the display portion 116 is shown in this embodiment mode, a so-called set top box configuration in which the display portion is not included in the configuration can be employed. In that case, the synthesis processor includes a function of outputting a video display signal for display on a connected display. The functions and operations of the other components are as described above.
[0057]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0058]
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration of a television receiver 1300 in the second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1301 is a terrestrial television broadcast receiving antenna, 1302 and 1303 are analog television tuners having a function of selecting and detecting a signal received from the antenna and outputting a video signal and an audio signal, and 1304 and 1305 are NTSC. NTSC processors 1308 and 1309 include NTSC processors 1304 and 1305 having a function of separating a luminance signal, a color difference signal and a synchronization signal from a composite video signal by a system, generating a clock, and A / D converting the luminance signal and the color difference signal. A resolution conversion unit 1310 that converts the resolution of the digital video signal output from the video signal to a display size, and combines the two digital video signals that are input and the video signal that is output from the graphic generation unit 1311 described later. The video signal to be displayed on the display A synthesizing processor, a display unit 1312 for displaying video synthesized by the synthesizing processor, and an audio amplifier 1306 that adjusts and amplifies the balance, volume, and sound quality of audio signals output from the tuners 1302 and 1303 , 1307 are speakers that output audio based on the amplified audio signal output from the audio amplifier. Reference numeral 1313 denotes an operation input unit including an operation button of the television receiver and a remote controller, 1315 denotes a network interface connected to the network N via a telephone line (not shown) or directly connected to the network N, and 1314 denotes the above. While controlling each part of the television receiver 1300 described in the above, based on user operation information input from the operation input 1313 and various information input from the network interface 1315, a character and graphic necessary for TV display is generated in the graphic generation unit 1311. It is a control part which has a function made to draw.
[0059]
In FIG. 16, the video signal received by the tuner 1302 is converted into a digital signal by the NTSC processor 1304, and after appropriate resolution conversion, is output to the display unit 1312 through the synthesis processor 1310. The audio signal received by the tuner 1302 is adjusted and amplified by the audio amplifier 1308 and output from the speaker 1307. Through this series of operations, one broadcast program broadcast by the selected broadcast station can be viewed. The television receiver 1300 has a second receiving system from the tuner 1303 through the NTSC processor 1305 and the resolution conversion unit 1309, and the tuner 1303 performs switching of display video in the synthesis processor 1310 and input switching in the audio amplifier 1306. Another received broadcast program can be viewed.
[0060]
In addition, the images of the two broadcast programs respectively received by the tuner 1302 and the tuner 1303 are simultaneously displayed on the display unit 1312 and viewed by appropriate resolution conversion in the resolution conversion units 1308 and 1309 and the composition processing of the composition processor 1310. Can do. At this time, the audio amplifier 1306 outputs the sound of one broadcast program based on the operation of the viewer. FIG. 17 shows such a two-screen display state.
[0061]
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of software that operates on the CPU included in the control unit 1314. The television application controls the operation of the television receiver using APIs provided in the reception control middleware and the synthesis control middleware based on user operation information obtained via the operation input / output driver. Based on the API call, the television receiver is controlled as described above via the tuner driver and the synthesis processor driver under the control of the operating system. The TV application draws characters, figures, images, and the like on the graphic generation unit via the graphic driver via the graphic library API, and synthesizes them by the synthesis processor 1310 and displays them on the screen. With this operation, information such as the received broadcast channel and the volume adjustment state is displayed on the screen and notified to the user.
[0062]
The television application exists as a program stored in advance in a storage unit included in the control unit 1314 of the television receiver, and is not only a built-in program executed by the television receiver 1300 but also on the network N (not illustrated) through the network interface 1315. There is a download program that is downloaded from a server or the like, stored in the storage unit of the control unit 1314, and executed.
[0063]
19 and 20 show examples of source code of such a download program. 19 and 20 show one source code. This program has a function of a multi-screen template that simultaneously receives two programs independently by two tuners as time elapses, and synthesizes and displays the images of these programs on the display unit 1312 according to the viewing purpose. .
[0064]
The program is a GolfParadise class described using the JAVA language and inherits the parent class TvApplet class. The TvApplet class is a class having functions necessary for the download program to be executed under application execution management. In other words, the TvApplet class has init (), start (), stop (), destroy () methods.When the application execution management loads the TvApplet class object, the init () method is started. ) Method, the stop () method is called when the execution is stopped, and the destroy () method is called when the program is unloaded and destroyed, so the inherited class (child class) of the TvApplet class needs to behave at that time. Overwrite this method and write.
[0065]
The setAlarm () method is provided, and has a function of calling the onAlarm () method when the system time managed by the operating system coincides with the time specified by the setAlarm () method. In the inheritance class (child class) of the TvApplet class, control and operation to be executed at the specified time are overridden and described in this method. Furthermore, when user operation information is input through the operation input unit 1313, the onUserOperate () method is called, so that the inherited class (child class) of the TvApplet class analyzes the user input and performs this necessary operation. Can be overridden.
[0066]
TV application programs can use the Tuner class. The Tuner class is an object that classifies the reception operation of the TV receiver 1300. The channel to be selected is specified by the setTune () method, the display resolution is specified by the setDisplaySize () method, and other display objects are specified by the setPriority () method. Display priority can be specified. The capture () method captures the video currently displayed by the Tuner object and returns the still image as an Image object. The audio amplifier 1306 can be controlled by the setAudioMode () method.
[0067]
That is, mute (0), main sound output (1), sub sound output (2), and main + sub sound output (3) are designated by the arguments. If output is specified from multiple tuners at the same time, both are mixed. It also has a class method open () method that creates a Tuner class instance and gives a reference if the system is capable.
[0068]
The Tuner object is drawn on the graphic object TvScreen of the TvApplet object, so that the video is displayed on the screen. In other words, the Tuner class instance as the drawing target and the position where the drawing is to be drawn are specified by the drawImage method of the TvScreen class. In TvApplet, when the screen is displayed, the paint () method is called, so the tuner displayed with the paint () method and other graphic elements are specified and rendered.
[0069]
The operation of the television application GolfParadise class will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. Here, the operation will be described on the assumption that a broadcast program as shown in FIG. 21 is being broadcast in the time zone in which this program is executed. Assuming this broadcast program schedule, the program switches channels as time passes, and performs an operation of synthesizing and viewing a plurality of programs as a multi-screen.
[0070]
In FIG. 19, the method init () of the television application GolfParadise class performs initialization when the program is loaded. That is, the tuner instance tv0 is generated, one channel is selected, the display resolution is set to 480 × 360, the display priority is set to 0 (the highest priority), and the audio output is set to the mute state. Further, another tuner instance tv1 is generated, 4 channels are selected, the display resolution is set to 120 × 90, the display priority is set to 2, and the sound output is set to the mute state. Finally, the state variable stage is set to 0, and callback is specified at time 7:45.
[0071]
The method start () specifies that the sound of the tv1 tuner is output when program execution starts in the state initialized by the init () method. The volume actually output is a volume according to the volume designation determined by the user operation outside the download program. At the same time, the paint () method is called, and the drawing specified by the method layout0 () is performed according to the value 0 of the state variable stage.
[0072]
In other words, as will be described later, when the application execution management starts the download program at 7:30, the channel 1 program “weather forecast” and the channel 4 program “non-stop world travel” are combined as shown in FIG. It is displayed and the sound of the program “Non-stop world trip” is output.
[0073]
The method onAlarm () is called when the time is 7:45. Since the argument time indicates the current time, the channel selection of tv0 is changed to channel 2 according to the branch by the if statement, and the next callback according to the time is designated as 7:54. That is, the display of the program “weather forecast” shown in FIG. 22 is switched to the program “topics of various places” being broadcast on channel 2 at the end of the program.
[0074]
The method onAlarm () is called when the time is 7:54. Under the control of the if statement, the channel selection of tv1 is changed to channel 3, and the next callback according to time is specified at 7:55. At the same time, the value of the state variable stage is changed to 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, instead of displaying the program “World Travel”, the program “Industry News” having a different position and size is displayed.
[0075]
The method onAlarm () is called when the time is 7:55. Under the control of the if statement, the display of tv1 is captured, and the still image is stored in highlight. The channel selection of tv1 is changed to channel 4, the next callback according to time is specified at 7:55, and the value of the state variable stage is changed to 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 24, the broadcast screen of today's news broadcast at 7:55 in the program “Industry News” is displayed as a captured still image, and in addition, the program “Traffic Information” of channel 2 is displayed. The program “World Travel” on channel 4 is received, synthesized, and displayed.
[0076]
When the time reaches 8 o'clock, the method onAlarm () is called. The channel selection of tv0 is changed to channel 1 according to the control of the if statement. That is, in FIG. 24, the program “traffic information” is switched to the program “news” on channel 1 after the program ends.
[0077]
In this embodiment, the execution management information file is downloaded together with the download program. The execution management information file includes the name of the download program and information on the file name, text constituting the text explaining the operation of the download program, date and time information for starting the operation of the download program, and the date of ending the operation of the download program. And time information.
[0078]
The application execution management in FIG. 18 downloads a download program and an execution management information file, stores the download program in the internal memory of the control unit 1314, collects the information from the execution management information file, and stores it in the television application execution management database. sign up. In another application realized as one of the built-in television applications, an executable television application is presented to the user as an option based on this database.
[0079]
When execution of a specific download application is determined by a user instruction, application execution management starts execution of the corresponding download application according to the download application execution start date and time in the execution management database. In the case of the download application “GolfParadise”, the execution starts at 7:30 in the morning as described above.
[0080]
As described above, the TV application “GolfParadise” is a download application that is downloaded to the TV receiver via the network N and executed by the TV receiver, and is received by the tuners 1302 and 1303 of the TV receiver 1300. The multi-screen template function is realized by controlling layout and performing layout control on a multi-screen for composing and displaying a plurality of screens.
[0081]
As an example, the multi-screen template described in this embodiment can be used to display programs broadcast from a plurality of broadcasting stations so that necessary information can be gathered in a busy time zone before going to work for a user who is a viewer. The display is switched in order as the time passes. Moreover, in order to produce a relaxed atmosphere at the same time, a template may be configured so that an environmental video-like program is selected and displayed on a multi-screen.
[0082]
In order to determine the combination of these programs, it is necessary to carefully examine the broadcast program schedule provided through newspapers, magazines, and other media according to the purpose of viewing. Can be set in the television receiver simply by downloading from the network N.
[0083]
In addition, the setting of a highly functional multi-screen layout and the trouble of setting one by one through the remote control and operation buttons of the TV receiver are not required, and it is possible to make the most of advanced functions. It is possible to watch television suitable for the purpose very simply.
[0084]
In this embodiment, it has been explained that information regarding the start and end of execution of the download program is downloaded simultaneously with the program, and the application execution management of the television receiver controls the start and end of execution of the download program. It has a class that can manage time and does not occupy the display screen with a display object such as TvScreen, starts program execution from this class regardless of the time after downloading, and at the viewing start time of the TvApplet class as described in the example It is also possible to take a configuration that activates an object of a child class.
[0085]
In this case, the end of execution is also controlled by the download program itself. In any case, it is possible as an application execution management function to stop the operation of the download program being executed by another operation by the user.
[0086]
Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the network application is provided and the television application is downloaded from the network N has been described. However, the television receiver has a CD-ROM drive, and the television application can be downloaded by the CD-ROM. . If an appropriate interface means is provided, media such as a floppy disk and a memory card can be used as a means for downloading a television application.
[0087]
In this embodiment mode, the structure of the television receiver including the display unit 1312 is shown. However, the display unit is not included in the structure, and the display unit 1312 does not include the display unit. It is also possible to adopt a so-called set top box configuration for displaying.
[0088]
Furthermore, although the tuner in this embodiment has been described as an analog tuner, it may be a digital tuner that receives digital broadcasts, and is controlled by a program received via a network or the like separately from digital broadcast data broadcasting. Is possible.
[0089]
Each function of the present invention can also be realized by software processing by the CPU. Also in that case, a CD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, and other storage media storing the computer program are also included in the present invention.
[0090]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is freed from the trouble of searching for a program suitable for a purpose from many programs, and is freed from operations for selecting a channel and a screen layout for each of a plurality of screens. It is possible to more easily use advanced functions for the television receiver.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a television receiver to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state of a control program related to a receiving operation.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of XML data related to multi-screen control.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of XML data related to multi-screen control.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of XML data related to multi-screen control.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a reception operation.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen by a multi-screen template function.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen by a multi-screen template function.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state of an electronic program guide.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state of a broadcast program display screen.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen of a data broadcast program.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen by a multi-screen template function.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen by a multi-screen template function.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state of XML data related to multi-screen control.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state of XML data related to multi-screen control.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a television receiver to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen in the two-screen simultaneous display mode.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a control program related to a reception operation.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a control program to be downloaded.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a control program to be downloaded.
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a state of channel switching by the multi-screen template function.
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen by a multi-screen template function.
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen by a multi-screen template function.
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen by a multi-screen template function.

Claims (7)

A plurality of receiving means for receiving digital broadcast signals each including video data and data broadcast data;
An operation means for receiving a user operation for selecting a broadcast program compatible with multi-screen display from an electronic program guide having a channel axis and a time axis;
If the broadcast program corresponding to the multi-screen display is selected, obtains the braking Godet chromatography data described in a markup language from the received data broadcast data in one of the receiving means of said plurality of receiving means and a control unit performs data broadcasting browser, so as to select a channel designated by the system Godet over data, which controls the other receiving means of said plurality of receiving means,
A graphic image is generated according to the control data, and two or more video data received by the plurality of receiving means in a display layout specified by the control data are combined with the graphic image and output to the display unit comprising an image processing means for, the,
In accordance with the control data, the control means switches channels selected by the other receiving means and changes the display layout of the two or more video data to be combined by the video processing means as time elapses. receiving apparatus you wherein a. The video processing means includes
Generating a color button image of a plurality of colors corresponding to the two or more video data, and outputting to the display unit;
The receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a process of making a size of a video corresponding to a color button image selected by a user out of the plurality of color button images larger than other videos is performed . The receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of receiving units can simultaneously receive video data of a plurality of channels . A receiving method executed by a receiving device,
Each of the plurality of receiving means receives a digital broadcast signal including video data and data broadcast data; and
An operation step of receiving a user operation for selecting a broadcast program compatible with multi-screen display from an electronic program guide having a channel axis and a time axis;
If the broadcast program corresponding to the multi-screen display is selected, obtains the braking Godet chromatography data described in a markup language from the received data broadcast data in one of the receiving means of said plurality of receiving means An acquisition step to
Performs data broadcasting browser, so as to select a channel designated by the system Godet over motor, and a control step of controlling the other receiving means of said plurality of receiving means,
A graphic image is generated according to the control data, and two or more video data received by the plurality of receiving means in a display layout specified by the control data are combined with the graphic image and output to the display unit have a video processing step of,
In the control step, according to the control data, as time elapses, the channel selected by the other receiving means is switched, and the display layout of the two or more video data to be combined in the video processing step is changed . And a receiving method. The video processing step includes
Generating a color button image of a plurality of colors corresponding to the two or more video data, and outputting to the display unit;
The receiving method according to claim 4, wherein a process of making a size of a video corresponding to the color button image selected by the user out of the plurality of color button images larger than other videos is performed. 6. The receiving method according to claim 4, wherein, in the receiving step, each of a plurality of receiving means can simultaneously receive video data of a plurality of channels . A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 4 to 6 .

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