JP4844588B2 - Transport stream redistribution system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiving system, and more particularly to a digital broadcast receiving system having a digital information recording / reproducing function.

  FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing a simplified configuration of a conventional digital broadcast receiving system described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-247603. As shown in FIG. 22, the conventional digital broadcast receiving system includes a receiver 102, a monitor 104, and a recording / reproducing device 103. The receiver 102 includes a reception demodulator 111, a packet filter 112, a controller 123, an information table extractor 114, an information table rewriter 124, a recording / reproducing information table generator 126, a digital interface 122, a changeover switch 117, a demultiplexer 118, And an AV decoder 119. The recording / reproducing apparatus 103 includes a digital interface 131, an information table extractor 132, a controller 140, a deck unit 135, and a buffer 136.

  The operation of the conventional digital broadcast receiving system shown in FIG. 22 will be described below. The reception demodulator 111 demodulates the received digital broadcast signal. The information table extractor 114 is a network information table NIT (Network Information Table) that is multiplexed and transmitted in a digital broadcast signal according to the MPEG-2 system, and an information table about each program of each channel. That is, a PAT (Program Association Table) that is information on the entire transmitted program, a PMT (Program Mapping Table) that is information on the packet configuration of each program, and an EIT (Event Information Table) that is detailed information on each program Are extracted from the digital broadcast signal.

  Based on the extracted information table, the controller 123 generates information on the received plurality of programs and notifies the user. The user selects a program to be recorded from a plurality of programs and instructs the controller 123. Based on the table information, the controller 123 designates a packet related to the program to be recorded to the packet filter 112. The packet filter 112 selects the designated packet and outputs it to the digital interface 122 via the information table rewrite unit 124. In addition, the controller 123 selects a plurality of pieces of information related to the program to be recorded (for example, the broadcast start date and time, the name of the program, and the type of each stream in the digital broadcast signal to be recorded from the descriptors in the extracted PMT and NIT. Information etc.) is extracted.

  The recording / reproducing information table generator 126 collects a plurality of pieces of information extracted by the controller 123 into the MPEG-2 transport packet format and the table format having a predetermined MPEG-2 table ID. Generate a table. The information table rewriter 124 rewrites the NIT among the various information tables sent from the packet filter 112 with the recording / reproducing information table. Further, the information table rewriter 124 rewrites the PAT and PMT so that only information related to the program and packet selected by the packet filter 112 is described. The digital television signal that has undergone packet selection and table rewriting operations is output to the recording / reproducing apparatus 103 via the digital interface 122.

  When the recording / reproducing apparatus 103 receives a digital television signal from the digital interface 131, the information table extracting unit 132 extracts a recording / reproducing information table. The controller 140 extracts a plurality of information related to the program from the extracted information table. Further, the controller 140 inputs the digital television signal to the deck unit 135 via the buffer 136 and records the digital television signal on the recording medium by the deck unit 135.

  On the other hand, when the recorded program is reproduced, the recording / reproducing apparatus 103 demodulates the reproduction signal read from the recording medium by the deck unit 135 and outputs the demodulated signal to the digital interface 131 via the buffer 136. When the receiver 102 receives a digital television signal from the digital interface 122, the information table extractor 114 extracts a recording / playback information table. The controller 123 extracts a plurality of information related to the program from the extracted information table. The controller 123 switches the changeover switch 117 to the digital interface 122 side. Further, the controller 123 instructs the demultiplexer 118 to select a digital broadcast signal packet based on the extracted information. The demultiplexer 118 separates the digital broadcast signal according to an instruction from the controller 123 and inputs it to the AV decoder 119. The AV decoder 119 decodes the data and reproduces the program on the monitor 104.

  However, according to such a conventional digital broadcast receiving system, the NIT defined by the MPEG standard is changed and used as a table of an original format. For this reason, when trying to re-output the recorded information data to another external device, a non-standard stream is output. Therefore, when the other external device cannot process the information data of the original format, there is a problem that the program cannot be reproduced.

  In addition, information necessary for recording / reproducing a program, particularly program arrangement information of a digital broadcast signal to be transmitted takes a free value defined in the transmission side and is scattered in a plurality of information tables. For this reason, there is a time lag for extracting information in recording / playback of a program, a time lag occurs after the playback start command is issued until playback of the program is started, and information data is processed quickly and from the beginning. There is also a problem that is difficult.

  Furthermore, the same information is repeatedly and redundantly transmitted as program arrangement information for the purpose of enabling viewing of the program from an arbitrary point in time during broadcasting. Therefore, in the conventional digital broadcast receiving system, such redundant data is recorded as it is in the recording / reproducing apparatus, so that there is a problem that a limited recording capacity is wasted.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and it is easy to extract and obtain information necessary for recording / playback of a program, particularly program arrangement information of a digital broadcast signal to be transmitted. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a digital broadcast receiving system capable of outputting information data conforming to a standard to other external devices. In addition, the present invention is a digital broadcasting that enables a long-time recording / reproducing operation by recording only the minimum information necessary for recording / reproducing a program among the transmitted digital broadcast signals to improve the recording efficiency. The object is to obtain a broadcast receiving system.

A transport stream redistribution system according to the present invention generates an information table including information relating to a received program in a transport stream redistribution system that receives a digital broadcast signal from the outside and forms and outputs a predetermined packet stream. a information table generator for a packet filter constituting a predetermined packet stream from a digital broadcast signal, insert the information table in the packet stream, and output information inserter for outputting as a new packet stream, a new packet stream The information table is a PMT, the information table generator has a function of generating the PMT with a new program_number added thereto, and the output information inserter is a new one. New program_ to a new packet stream It has a function of giving the value of number.

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According to the present invention, when a plurality of programs having the same program_number recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus are simultaneously output, the program can be distinguished and processed by changing the program_number of one program.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a digital broadcast receiving system according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. It is assumed that various descriptions and data names used in the description conform to the STD-B10 (program sequence information used for digital broadcasting) standard issued by ARIB (Radio Industry Association). Also, the bold lines in the figure indicate the flow of digital information data, and the normal lines indicate the flow of control signals and data related to control in the connection relationship with the CPU 8.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiving system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The output of the reception demodulator 1 is connected to the input of the packet filter 2, one input of the changeover switch 5, and the input of the information table extractor 6. The output of the packet filter 2 is connected to the input of the information table replacement unit 3. The output of the information table replacement unit 3 is connected to the input of the recording / reproducing device 4. The output of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is connected to the other input of the changeover switch 5. The output of the information table extractor 6 is connected to the input of the CPU 8 (control unit). The output of the CPU 8 is connected to each input of the reception demodulator 1, packet filter 2, information table generator 7, recording / reproducing apparatus 4, demultiplexer 10, and AV decoder 11. The output of the information table generator 7 is connected to the input of the information table replacer 3. The output of the changeover switch 5 is connected to the input of the demultiplexer 10. The output of the demultiplexer 10 is connected to the input of the AV decoder 11. The output of the AV decoder 11 is connected to the input of the monitor 12. The output of the user interface unit 9 is connected to the input of the CPU 8.

  Next, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the first embodiment will be described. First, the CPU 8 switches the changeover switch 5 to the reception demodulator 1 side. The reception demodulator 1 demodulates the received digital broadcast signal and outputs it in the form of a packet stream. The packet stream includes packets for transmitting program image data, audio data, and the like (hereinafter also referred to as “data transmission packets”), and packets for transmitting various information tables (hereinafter “information table transmission packets”). ")". The demultiplexer 10 and the AV decoder 11 process the packet stream in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 8 and construct an electronic program guide (EPG) transmitted at that time in a state that can be processed by the CPU 8. The EPG is presented to the user as graphical information displayed on the monitor 12 or in the user interface unit 9.

  The user refers to the presented EPG and selects an arbitrary program desired to be recorded from a plurality of programs. Note that a recorded program can be selected not only for a currently broadcast program but also for a program scheduled to be broadcast in the future. When recording a program scheduled to be broadcast in the future, the CPU 8 knows the current time, and performs the following operation when the broadcast time of the program arrives.

  Next, a program recording operation will be described. The user instructs the recorded program to the CPU 8 via the user interface unit 9. The CPU 8 identifies the recorded program by the program broadcast number and the value of program_number which is one of the information described in the program arrangement information table.

  At this time, the packet stream output from the reception demodulator 1 is input to the packet filter 2 and the information table extractor 6, respectively. The information table extractor 6 extracts various information tables from the input packet stream and inputs them to the CPU 8. The CPU 8 determines whether or not the recorded program is currently broadcast based on the input information table. Specifically, it is as follows. First, the CPU 8 refers to the event information section in the EIT, reads the value of program_number described therein, and identifies the program. Then, the value of running_status, which is one of the information described in the EIT, is read to determine whether the recorded program is actually being transmitted. If the recorded program designated by the user is a program scheduled to be broadcast in the future, the CPU 8 counts from a few seconds to several seconds at the start time of the designated program in order to ensure recording from the beginning of the program. In advance, based on the next event information described in the EIT, it is confirmed whether or not the designated program is transmitted as scheduled to prevent a recording error.

  When the transmission of the recorded program is confirmed, the CPU 8 instructs the packet filter 2 on the PID value of the packet to be passed. In the first embodiment, the PID value indicated here is a PID value of a packet for transmitting moving image data related to a recorded program, a PID value of a bucket for transmitting audio data related to a recorded program, and other program related information according to the instruction. The PID value of the packet that transmits the PID value and the PID value of the packet that transmits the PSI table. A packet that is determined not to be recorded (for example, a null packet) does not need to pass through the packet filter 2, and therefore the PID value is not instructed by the CPU 8. When the recording capacity of the recording medium included in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is sufficiently large, image data related to a program other than the recorded program may be passed. In addition, regarding a moving image data transmission packet, when a plurality of moving image packets are included by hierarchical transmission, the fact is described in the PMT, so the CPU 8 determines whether or not to record a plurality of moving images according to a user instruction. Make a decision.

  Due to the filtering operation by the packet filter 2, a packet is lost in the packet stream. Therefore, the content of the PSI table at the time of output from the reception demodulator 1 is not consistent with the new packet stream after passing through the packet filter 2. Therefore, the information table generator 7 generates a new PSI table corresponding to a new packet stream in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 8. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a PAT when it is output from the reception demodulator 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a new PAT generated by the information table generator 7. In FIG. 3, it is assumed that there is one recorded program. As shown in FIG. 2, descriptors relating to a plurality of programs included in the packet stream are repeatedly described in the PAT when output from the reception demodulator 1. The number of programs is described as section_number30. In order to adapt to a new packet stream, a PAT describing information about only the recorded program may be generated. For this purpose, the information table generator 7 deletes descriptors related to programs other than the recorded program and changes section_number to generate a new PAT. When only one program is recorded, section_number 31 described in the new PAT shown in FIG. 3 indicates “1”.

  Further, PMTs related to programs other than the recorded program can be distinguished by their PID values, so that they are filtered by the packet filter 2 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 8 and subsequent transmission is not performed.

  As for the NIT, since the NIT itself is treated as an option in the MPEG standard, it is not always necessary to transmit and record it through the packet filter 2. Even if the NIT is filtered by the packet filter 2, it is considered that having no NIT has little influence on other devices. However, a table with program_numver of “0” (ie, NIT) may be generated together with the recorded program information by the information table generator 7 and inserted into the packet stream by the information table replacement unit 3. As a result, it is possible to cope with a digital information processing system that requires the existence of NIT.

  The new PSI table generated by the information table generator 7 is input to the information table replacement unit 3. Then, the information table replacement unit 3 replaces the PSI table included in the packet stream that has passed through the packet filter 2. By this replacement, consistency between the PSI table and the packet stream after passing through the packet filter 2 is ensured. At the same time, in the new PAT replaced by the information table replacer 3, the data of the descriptor portion related to the program other than the recorded program is deleted, so the total data amount of the packet stream is compressed. Further, the number of packets itself is reduced depending on the data amount of the deleted descriptor portion.

  In the transport packet, there is continuity_counter data that increases by 1 for each packet with respect to a plurality of packets having the same PID value. When packet loss occurs as described above, the value of continuity_counter is also controlled by the information table generator 7 and an appropriate value is added to each packet.

  The new packet stream generated in this way is sent to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and recorded in a recording medium included in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. In recording, an index area different from the area where the stream is continuously recorded is provided, and information on the position in the recording medium where the program is recorded is recorded in this index area, so that the recorded program is recorded. Can be played back. When the recording medium is a fixed disk device or a semiconductor memory, the index area can be provided at any place other than the continuous recording area where program data is recorded. In the case where the recording medium is a tape medium, it is similarly provided at an arbitrary place other than the continuous recording area (for example, at the head of the tape) or in an electronic storage device built in a tape casing found in a digital video cassette or the like. be able to. Further, in the case of a tape medium, the information on the position is repeatedly recorded between the program data as data in another format that can be easily distinguished from the transport packet for transmitting the program data, thereby improving the random accessibility of the tape. It can also be increased.

  This series of recording operations can be performed without using a signal line connecting the reception demodulator 1, the changeover switch 5, and the demultiplexer 10, so that the user can record a necessary program while viewing a program other than the recorded program. Can be done. However, when processing a plurality of programs via different channels, the reception demodulator 1 needs to process a plurality of streams via a plurality of transponders. Therefore, in this case, the reception demodulator 1 needs to have a reception function for a plurality of channels and a function for distributing the plurality of transport streams to the information table extractor 6 side and the demultiplexer 10 side.

  Next, the reproduction operation of the recorded program will be described. When a program is recorded according to an instruction from the user, the CPU 8 updates a list of recorded programs displayed on the monitor 12, for example. Thereby, it becomes possible to ask the user for an instruction to reproduce the program regarding the recorded program.

  The user instructs the CPU 8 through the user interface unit 9 about a program to be reproduced. The CPU 8 starts reading desired program data from the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 by referring to the information related to the recording position of the program data recorded in the index area. Further, the CPU 8 switches the changeover switch 5 to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 side. As a result, the read playback stream is transmitted to the demultiplexer 10 and the AV decoder 11 via the changeover switch 5. The CPU 8 controls the demultiplexer 10 and the AV decoder 11 to display the reproduced program on the monitor 12.

  The digital information that reaches the demultiplexer 10 during reproduction of the recorded program includes program information such as a PSI table and image / audio data, but does not include other related information such as EPG. When considering the correspondence to the system that is set to process the related information together with the program information at the time of normal digital broadcast reception, the lack of such related information should not cause a problem to the operation of the device. Therefore, the CPU 8 controls to stop the processing of related information other than the program information during the reproduction of the recorded program. In addition, information that needs to be monitored even during program playback, such as an emergency warning signal, is always processed by the information table extractor 6, and when necessary, the CPU 8 issues a request for interrupt processing to shift to predetermined processing. can do.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the first embodiment, by providing the PSI table replacement mechanism, only a desired program is recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus while satisfying the MPEG standard. As a result, the recording efficiency of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 can be increased.

  In the above description, of the information transmitted by digital broadcasting, the recording / playback operation of the broadcast program has been mainly described. However, supplementary information such as still images, audio, and programs is broadcast in synchronization with the program. There is also a case. When the data size of the supplementary information is large, a mechanism may be provided that allows the user to select whether to record the supplementary information together with the program. In this case, the CPU 8 controls the packet filter 2 to filter only the data that is not required to be recorded, and to pass the program data to be recorded and all other program related information including the accompanying information.

  Further, when the digital broadcast data is transmitted after being encrypted, it is described in the CAT (Conditional Access Table) which is one of the PSI tables that the broadcast data is encrypted. The CAT is an indispensable information table defined by the MPEG standard, and the CAT must be transmitted within a predetermined transmission interval in order to take a form conforming to the standard as an information stream. Therefore, when a new information table is generated by the information table generator 7, the contents of the CAT can be appropriately changed according to the encrypted / unencrypted state of the stream, so that it can be recorded as digital information complying with the standard. It becomes.

  In the digital broadcast receiving system shown in FIG. 1, when the encryption of broadcast data is decrypted by the reception demodulator 1 upon receiving an instruction from the CPU 8, the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 records / reproduces the decrypted digital broadcast data. Will do. In this case, when the information table generator 7 generates a new information table, it receives an instruction from the CPU 8 and sets a predetermined flag indicating the encryption state in the CAT to a state indicating decryption. . By performing such processing by the information table generator 7, it is possible to record only a desired program on the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 while satisfying the MPEG standard even when CAT is a processing target.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the PAT and PMT related to the recorded program are recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 without changing the contents transmitted from the packet filter 2. However, it is also possible to perform a specific operation for the contents of the PAT and PMT related to the recorded program.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiving system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, a digital broadcast receiving system according to the second embodiment is based on the digital broadcast receiving system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. A recording unit is further provided.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the second embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Also in the second embodiment, the packet filter 2 filters unnecessary packets in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 8, and after passing through the PSI table and the packet filter 2 when output from the reception demodulator 1 due to packet loss. Is not consistent with the new packet stream. Therefore, the information table generator 7 generates a PAT and a PMT corresponding to a new packet stream according to an instruction from the CPU 8.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a new PAT generated by the information table generator 7, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the PAT and the PMT at the time of output from the reception demodulator 1. 7 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a new PAT generated by the information table generator 7 and a new PMT. Here, it is assumed that there is one recorded program. As shown in FIG. 5, in the new PAT, as in the first embodiment, information about only the recorded program is described. Further, in the second embodiment, the PID value 32 of the PMT described in the PAT is replaced with a specific value.

  Also in the second embodiment, the operation of filtering the PMT related to programs other than the recorded program by the packet filter 2 is the same as in the first embodiment. Further, in the second embodiment, in order to maintain the consistency between the PSI tables in correspondence with the change in the PAT, the PID value of the PMT (specifically, the PID data string for identifying the packet transmitting the PMT is changed). Meaning that it is described from the 12th byte to the 13th byte in the transport packet.) Is changed to the specific value replaced in the PAT. In addition, the CPU 8 stores the PID value of the replaced PMT in the memory 13.

  The new PAT and PMT generated by the information table generator 7 are input to the information table replacer 3, and the information table replacer 3 newly inputs the PAT and PMT included in the packet stream that has passed through the packet filter 2. Replace with the generated PAT and PMT respectively. Then, the replaced packet stream is transmitted to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and recorded. By performing the processing as described above, it is possible to record a packet stream in which the PID value of the PMT is known in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4.

  Next, the reproduction operation of the recorded program will be described. For the program selected by the instruction from the user, the CPU 8 starts reading program data from the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. Further, the CPU 8 switches the changeover switch 5 to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 side and transmits the reproduction stream to the demultiplexer 10. FIG. 7 shows, as an example, the relationship between the PAT and the PMT when the PID value of the PMT described in the PAT and the PID value of the PMT are both replaced with 0 × 1000. Since the PID value (0 × 1000) of the PMT is a known value stored in the memory 13, the desired PMT is processed without performing the operation of checking the PID value of the PMT described in the PAT. be able to. Since the PID value of the PMT is known, the demultiplexer 10 directly decodes the desired PMT, confirms the PID value of each ES (Elementary Stream) described therein, and converts them into AV It can be transmitted to the decoder 11. Thereafter, the operation of displaying the reproduced program on the monitor 12 is the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the reproduction operation using the normal PAT and PMT shown in FIG. 6, first, a PAT having a PID value fixed to 0 × 0000 is received, and the PID value of the PMT described therein (FIG. 6). (0xHHHH in this example), then PMT of that PID value is received, and the PID value of ES described in it (0xJJJJ, 0xKKKK in the example of Fig. 6) It is to do.

  Since the CPU 8 can distinguish and recognize the position in the recording medium where the program is recorded for each program, the PID value of the new PMT generated by the information table generator 7 is stored in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. It is possible to set all to the same value. By setting all values to the same value, it is not necessary to store the PMT PID value in the memory 13 in the program recording operation, and in the program reproduction operation, the PAT is decoded and the description content is confirmed. Subsequently, the operation of setting the PID of the PMT and waiting for the arrival of the packet becomes unnecessary.

  In the above description, the PID value of the PMT is replaced with a specific value. In addition, the PID value of the ES described in the PMT and the PID value of the ES are replaced with a specific value. May be. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the PAT, the PMT, and each ES at the time when the signal is output from the reception demodulating unit 1, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship. In FIG. 9, in addition to the PMT value described in the PAT and the PMT value of the PMT being replaced with a specific first value (0 × 1000 in the example of FIG. 9), the PMT The PID value of each ES and the PID value of each ES described therein are also replaced with specific second values (0 × 1001 and 0 × 1004 in the example of FIG. 9).

  Such replacement of the PID value of each ES can be performed by replacing the PID data string included in the packet transmitting each ES by the information table replacement unit 3. Also in this case, the PID value of each replaced ES is stored in the memory 13. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to record a program information stream in which the PID value of the ES transmitting each element information of the program is known among the program arrangement information.

  In the playback operation of the recorded program in the system configured as described above, since the PID value of each ES constituting the program is a known value stored in the memory 13, the demultiplexer 10 and the AV decoder 11 The ES process can be started immediately without performing the operation of confirming the description content of the PMT.

  Since the CPU 8 can recognize and recognize the position in the recording medium where the program is recorded for each program, the PID value of each new ES generated by the information table generator 7 is video, audio, or the like. The same value can be set for each medium. By making all the same value, in the program recording operation, the operation of storing the PID value of each ES in the memory 13 becomes unnecessary, and also in the program reproduction operation, when starting the processing of each ES, The operation of confirming the PID value of each ES stored in the memory 13 becomes unnecessary.

  Further, another PMT may be generated by the information table generator 7. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another new PMT generated by the information table generator 7. The PMT shown in FIG. 10 is obtained by modifying the PMT that has passed through the packet filter 2 as described above, and further deleting the descriptor portion of the PMT.

  In the ARIB standard, there is a possibility that information related to program contents, broadcast form, reception method, etc. is described in the descriptor part in the PMT. However, if it is determined that the program is viewable and recordable when the broadcast is received, it is not necessary to reuse these descriptors. In addition, the descriptor is basically unique information for the entire program, and it is considered that there are few operations that dynamically change in the program. Nevertheless, the standard defines that the PMT is repeatedly transmitted with a maximum transmission interval of 100 msec, so that an unnecessary data string is repeatedly transmitted from the viewpoint of program recording / reproduction. Moreover, such information can be completely received by recording program data any number of times of one or more at any time of data recording. In addition, since all the data in the descriptor portion is within several kilobytes, it can be recorded in other recording areas in the system including the memory 13.

  In view of the above reason, the descriptor portion is deleted from the PMT, and the information of the deleted descriptor portion of the PMT is recorded in a recording area other than the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. Thereby, the information of the descriptor portion can be utilized when searching and browsing the recorded program while improving the recording efficiency of the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4.

  One example of a descriptor that is included in the PMT and may be useful in future playback is a parental rate descriptor. This descriptor represents the viewing limit of the program based on age, and by recording the content of this descriptor related to the recorded program in the memory 13 or the like, it can be used as a guide when the recorded program is viewed by a child or the like. It can be used.

  Further, when the recording medium is a fixed disk device or a semiconductor memory, the recording area for recording the information of the descriptor portion can be provided at an arbitrary place other than the continuous recording area where the program data is recorded. Further, in the case of a tape medium, it can be provided in any place other than the continuous recording area (for example, at the beginning of the tape) or in an electronic storage device built in a tape casing found in a digital video cassette or the like. . Furthermore, in the case of a tape medium, it is possible to improve the random accessibility of the tape by repeatedly recording it between program data as data in another format that can be easily distinguished from transport packets for transmitting program data. is there.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the digital broadcast receiving system according to the first embodiment, the conventional system is indispensable when the recorded program is reproduced. In addition, there is no need to confirm the description contents of the program arrangement information table, and the information data can be processed quickly.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In addition to the first embodiment, a program related information table called a SI (Service Information) table may be processed. Information related to the program being broadcast is described in two tables of SDT (Service Description Table) and EIT included in the broadcast digital information. For example, the SDT describes the name of the broadcast station and service name on which the program is broadcast, and the EIT includes the name of the program and the broadcast time, as well as the performers and simple contents as detailed information. An introduction is described. These pieces of information do not directly affect the recording / playback operation of the program as a system and its performance, but can be used when searching and browsing this recorded program in the future by recording. . This increases the convenience of the system for the user and improves the efficiency of search and viewing.

  The configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the third embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

  The digital broadcast signal received and demodulated by the reception demodulator 1 is input to the information table extractor 6. The information table extractor 6 analyzes the SI table based on an instruction from the CPU 8 and inputs necessary contents to the CPU 8. In SDT and EIT, a table for broadcast data transmitted via the currently receiving transponder and a table for broadcast data transmitted via other transponders are prepared. The EIT also has three types of tables: current and next programs, programs within 8 days, and programs after 8 days. The information table extractor 6 pays attention to the current stream and the current program related information, and processes only the packet having the table ID. And only the data regarding the information instruct | indicated from CPU8 among current program relevant information is extracted. In this case, all SDTs and EITs included in the packet stream output from the reception demodulator 1 are filtered by the packet filter 2.

  The extracted information such as the program name is recorded in the memory 13 in association with the program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. As described above, SDT and EIT may include information on program content, broadcast format, reception method, and the like. However, when it is determined that the program is viewable and recordable when the broadcast is received, it is not necessary to reuse these pieces of information. In addition, although it is considered that there is little operation in which these pieces of information change dynamically within a program, these tables are repeatedly transmitted, so that unnecessary data strings are repeatedly transmitted from the viewpoint of program recording / playback. Will be. Moreover, such information can be completely received by recording an arbitrary number of one or more times at an arbitrary time point of data recording. Further, it is not always necessary to record these information in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4, and it is sufficient to record them in other recording areas in the system including the memory 13.

  As a result, the recording efficiency of the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is improved, and when the user selects a reproduction program, related information such as the program name is displayed on the monitor 12 to assist the user's selection. It can be.

  On the other hand, when the portability of the recording medium included in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is taken into consideration, program information described in SDT and EIT may be recorded on this recording medium. In this case, only the program information related to the recorded program among the program information described in the SDT and EIT related to each program extracted by the information table extractor 6 is input to the information table generator 7 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 8. The The packet filter 2 receives an instruction from the CPU 8 and passes SDT and EIT related to the recorded program. The information table generator 7 newly generates SDT and EIT based on the input program information. The generated new SDT and EIT are replaced with the SDT and EIT that have passed through the packet filter 2 by the information table replacement unit 3.

  At this time, since a packet that does not require recording, such as a data transmission packet unrelated to the recorded program, has already been filtered by the packet filter 2, the number of packets constituting the transport packet is determined when the packet is sent to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. It is decreasing in. For this reason, the value of the continuity_counter of the transport packet is also controlled by the information table generator 7 and added appropriately for each packet. By performing such processing, it is possible to record a consistent packet stream as digital information, and SDT and EIT processing at the time of reproduction is the same as when processing ordinary broadcast signals. It is possible to simplify the software that controls the operation of the system.

  Of course, the packet filter 2 may be configured to process all or part of the SDT and EIT without filtering. Even in this case, similarly to the above, program information described in SDT and EIT is extracted and stored by the information table extractor 4 so that the user can use the information during reproduction. In this case, the packet filter 2 and the information table replacement unit 3 do not perform operations related to SDT and EIT, and all packets related to these are transmitted to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and recorded. Time information, program guide information, and the like at the time of recording are a thing of the past at the time of reproducing the recorded data, and it is considered that the utility value as information is low as it is. However, when simultaneous recording / playback operation with a small delay is intended, it is possible to construct a system for redistributing a standard-compliant stream to an arbitrary device while improving recording efficiency.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the digital broadcast receiving system according to the first embodiment, data originally included in the digital broadcast signal, such as SDT and EIT. Through this process, it is possible to construct an easy-to-handle system for the user.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In addition to the third embodiment, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which other SI tables are also processed. NIT, BAT (Bouquet Association Table), RST (Running Status Table), TDT (Time Data Table), TOT (Time Offset Table), PCAT (Partial Content Announcement Table), ST (Stuffing Table) In each table, information relating to the broadcast state of the program is described. For example, NIT has information about the transmission network, BAT has information related to a plurality of programs, RST has information about the broadcast status of the program, TDT and TOT have time information at the time of broadcasting, In PCAT, information related to the broadcast status of data accompanying the program is described. The ST is used when meaningful data cannot be inserted in signal multiplexing. The table information is useful at the time of receiving and viewing the program, but once the program is recorded, it is not necessarily useful for reproducing the program.

  The configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the fourth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the fourth embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

  The digital broadcast signal received and demodulated by the reception demodulator 1 is input to the information table extractor 6. The information table extractor 6 receives the instruction from the CPU 8, analyzes the various SI tables, and reports to the CPU 8 the contents necessary for reception and program recording. For example, the progress status of a program to be recorded is described in the RST, and if the program is interrupted halfway and then the broadcast is resumed, the CPU 8 is notified accordingly. Further, since information on related programs is described in the BAT, it is also possible to operate so as to record them together. By using the time table and the start time information of the next program in the EIT, it is possible to operate the system so as to reliably start recording from the beginning of the program.

  When the program can be received, the packet filter 2 performs filtering so as not to pass these SI tables according to an instruction from the CPU 8. Thereby, the recording efficiency of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 can be improved. Other operations are the same as those in the first and third embodiments.

  Of course, the packet filter 2 can be configured to process all or part of these SI tables without filtering. In this case, the packet filter 2 and the information table replacement unit 3 do not perform operations related to these SI tables, and all packets related to these are transmitted to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and recorded. Time information, program guide information, and the like at the time of recording are a thing of the past at the time of reproducing the recorded data, and it is considered that the utility value as information is low as it is. However, when simultaneous recording / playback operation with a small delay is intended, it is possible to construct a system for redistributing a standard-compliant stream to an arbitrary device while improving recording efficiency.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the digital broadcast receiving system according to the first embodiment, digital information such as SI information such as BAT and RST is originally digital. Through the processing of the data included in the broadcast signal, it is possible to construct an easy-to-handle system for the user.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
In addition to the first embodiment, it is possible to further increase the storage efficiency in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 by controlling the insertion time interval when various tables are inserted in the information table replacement unit 3. The information table data included in the digital broadcast data is repeatedly transmitted, but the maximum allowable transmission interval is determined for each table. For example, the ARIB standard stipulates that PAT, PMT, etc. must be transmitted at intervals of up to 100 msec, and NIT, BAT, etc. must be transmitted at intervals of up to 10 seconds. However, in an actual transmission system configuration, transmission is usually performed at shorter time intervals, and from the viewpoint of recording a program, the recording efficiency is reduced. Therefore, the fifth embodiment is configured so that recording can be performed by adjusting the transmission intervals of these various information tables.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiving system according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the digital broadcast receiving system according to the fifth embodiment is based on the digital broadcast receiving system according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. The device 3a is disposed, and a timer 14 connected to the CPU 8 is further provided.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the fifth embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. The information table extractor 6 inputs a digital broadcast signal from the reception demodulator 1, extracts each information table individually, and inputs the extraction status to the CPU 8. The CPU 8 monitors the arrival status of each information table using the connected timer 14 (or a timer (not shown) built in the CPU 8) and individually determines the transmission interval of each information table.

  The packet filter 2 filters various information tables that are targets for adjusting the transmission interval based on an instruction from the CPU 8. The information table generator 7 creates new information tables with respect to the information table filtered by the packet filter 2 without changing the contents as they are or after changing all or part of the contents based on the above embodiments. Generate. The generated new information table is input to the information table inserter 3a. The CPU 8 monitors the passage of time with the timer 14, and issues a table superposition instruction to the information table inserter 3a within a range not exceeding the transmission interval determined for each table according to the standard. The information table inserter 3 a inserts an information table into the packet stream sent from the packet filter 2 based on the superimposition instruction from the CPU 8. At this time, it is desirable to insert various information tables at the maximum allowable transmission interval from the viewpoint of improving the recording efficiency. Also, the packet stream input to the information table inserter 3a has a plurality of missing portions that are generated as a result of the desired packet being deleted by filtering by the packet filter 2. Therefore, from the viewpoint of facilitating the information table insertion process, it is desirable to insert the information table at the missing portion.

  The transmission intervals of the various information tables can be arbitrarily set within the maximum allowable transmission interval. If conforming to the ARIB standard, there is a maximum allowable transmission interval in information tables other than RST, ST, and PCAT, and each information table is defined between 30 seconds and 100 msec. Further, when a stream conforming only to the MPEG standard is recorded, a maximum allowable transmission interval is defined only for the PSI table. In this case, a new information table insertion operation is performed in such a range that the transmission interval does not exceed 10 seconds for NIT, 1 second for CAT, and 100 msec for PAT and PMT.

  At this time, since a packet that does not require recording, such as a data transmission packet related to a program other than the recorded program, has already been filtered by the packet filter 2, the number of packets constituting the transport packet is It is decreasing in. For this reason, the value of the continuity_counter of the transport packet is also controlled by the information table generator 7 and added appropriately for each packet. By performing such processing, only a necessary minimum number of information tables can be transmitted and recorded to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4, and a stream conforming to the standard can be recorded with high efficiency.

  In addition, it is possible to further improve the recording efficiency by recording a stream that does not conform to the standard in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. With the configuration and operation described above, the transmission interval of various information tables can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, the information table inserter 3a inserts an arbitrary information table at an arbitrary position in the packet stream regardless of the maximum allowable transmission interval defined by the standard. For example, when various information tables are necessary for the reproduction operation at the time of starting the reproduction of the program, they are inserted at the head of the packet stream. Further, in preparation for reproduction with random access to the recording medium, the PSI table is repeatedly inserted about once every 10 seconds, for example. In such a configuration, the demultiplexer 10 can read the information from the PSI table within a maximum of 10 seconds no matter where the recorded program starts to be reproduced, and the program can be reproduced. Can do. Also, in the case of a system that always starts playback from the beginning of a recorded program, it is sufficient to insert various information tables only at the beginning of the packet stream.

  Regarding the SI table, the information is not essential for the reproduction operation of the recorded program itself, but is mainly used for providing information to the user. Therefore, even if the transmission interval is wider than that of the PSI table, the system operation is not greatly affected.

  The program data generated in this way does not comply with the standard, but the system configuration is such that the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 itself or the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is used in a closed state in the present system. As long as the program is taken, program data is not output to the outside, so there is no particular problem even if it does not conform to the standard.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the fifth embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the digital broadcast receiving system according to the first embodiment, it is higher by controlling the transmission intervals of various information tables. An effect is obtained that a digital broadcast signal can be recorded with storage efficiency.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
In the first to fifth embodiments described above, a configuration has been adopted in which a digital broadcast signal compliant with the MPEG standard is recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. However, as long as the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 itself or the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is used in a closed state in the present system, program data is not output to the outside. There is no particular problem even if it does not conform to the standard. By adopting such a configuration, the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 can achieve further higher recording efficiency.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiving system according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment is based on the digital broadcast receiving system according to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. And a graphics unit 15 having an output connected to. Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment will be described mainly focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  The information table extractor 6 receives the digital broadcast signal from the reception demodulator 1, extracts various information tables, and inputs them to the CPU 8. The CPU 8 analyzes the input information table and reads various data related to the recorded program. The CPU 8 creates a program information index based on the read various data and records it in the memory 13. Various data described in the program information index will be used as necessary in future operations.

  The packet filter 2 operates according to an instruction from the CPU 8 so as to pass only the transport packet for transmitting the moving image and audio data of the recorded program and not allow other packets to pass. However, if a PCR (program clock reference) that carries time information regarding each frame of the recorded program is described in the adaptation field of a packet other than the packet that transmits the moving image data and audio data, this PCR is transmitted. Packets are also passed through the packet filter 2.

  The information table generator 7 changes the contents of the information table filtered by the packet filter 2 based on the data input from the CPU 8 as it is or partially or entirely based on the above embodiments. In this way, a new information table related to the recorded program is generated.

  The information table inserter 3 a receives the output of the information table generator 7 and inserts an information table into the packet stream that has passed through the packet filter 2 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 8. At this time, as in the fifth embodiment, the CPU 8 adjusts the transmission interval of the information table. The frequency of insertion of the various information tables is determined by the CPU 8 based on the recording capacity that the various information tables are allowed to occupy in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. For example, when only 100% moving image and audio data are to be recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4, the information table is not inserted by the information table inserter 3a. On the other hand, when the recording efficiency of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is not so important, various tables can be inserted at the same timing as the digital broadcast signal output from the reception demodulator 1. The insertion frequency is controlled by the CPU 8 using the timer 14 (or a timer (not shown) built in the CPU 8) to monitor the insertion time for each table. Based on the data size of each information table and the recording capacity allowed for the information table, the CPU 8 instructs the information table inserter 3a to superimpose the information table.

  Further, the CPU 8 sequentially monitors the free capacity of a buffer memory (not shown) included in the information table inserter 3a, and prevents the buffer memory from failing due to the accumulation of moving image and audio data when a new information table is inserted. The inserter 3a is controlled. In the insertion of the information table, it is needless to say that not only the appropriate transport packet continuous_counter is given, but also the PID value is appropriately specified.

  The output of the information table inserter 3a is input to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and recorded on a recording medium. Further, a graphics unit 15 is connected to the CPU 3, and this output is sent to the AV decoder 11, so that a necessary graphics display can be presented to the user together with a moving image displayed on the monitor 12.

  Next, the reproduction operation of the recorded program will be described. In the sixth embodiment, various types of information data required at the time of reproduction are read from the program information index recorded in the memory 13 at the time of recording instead of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. Here, various types of information data required at the time of reproduction include, for example, the position in the recording medium where the program is recorded, the PID value of each packet that transmits the moving image data, audio data, and PCR of the program, etc. It is.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program information index recorded in the memory 13. FIG. 13 shows a program information index in which information related to two programs is described. The CPU 8 reads out information related to the program to be reproduced from the program information index, then sends an instruction to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 to start reading the stream of the program to be reproduced, and demultiplexes the PID value read from the program information index. To start processing those packets. By performing such processing, it is not necessary to take a two-step operation of reading various parameters in the stream and then starting actual video and audio decoding. The stream processed by the demultiplexer 10 is further processed by the AV decoder 11 and displayed on the monitor 12.

  In such a configuration, the operation can be performed even if various information data is changed during the program. In digital information, for example, PAT and PMT are transmitted at a maximum period of 100 msec in the MPEG standard. That is, the content of information (for example, PID value) may be changed at a 100 msec period in the middle of a program. For such information, as shown in FIG. 13, by recording a plurality of pieces of information data with the recording position as a parameter for one program, information data newer than the recording position can be recorded. The used reproduction operation can be performed without a break.

  In addition to the memory 13, the program information index may be recorded in a dedicated recording area in a replaceable medium, for example, an electronic storage device built in a tape casing found in a digital video cassette or the like. In this case, various parameters necessary for reproduction are described in the medium itself. Therefore, there is no inconvenience that occurs when the program information index is recorded in the memory 13, that is, the reproduction is possible only by the recording system. However, in the case of a system that considers the processing of digital information on the premise of encryption, the program information index is recorded in the system such as the memory 13 as described above, so that it is possible to correctly decrypt the code. Thus, the program can be played back only by the system that has been made, and the program playback operation linked with the billing such as pay-per-view can be operated as intended by the transmission side.

  Further, when the digital broadcast data is transmitted after being encrypted, it is described in the CAT that the data is encrypted. With regard to this CAT, the maximum allowable transmission interval is defined as 1 second according to the MPEG standard, and the encryption state may change between programs. In the system according to the present embodiment, this encryption is decrypted by the reception demodulator 1 in response to an instruction from the CPU. In recording, the encryption state at each time point described in the CAT is expressed as follows: Describe it together with the program information index. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program information index in which an encryption state is described. In the program information index shown in FIG. 14, the CA system identification descriptor varies depending on the recording position. In this example, a program recorded at a recording position between 100000 and 11ffff is not encrypted and can be played back without authentication.

  As for the playback of the encrypted part of the program, if the authentication is successful and the program is allowed to be viewed, the program will continue to be played as it is. It is possible to take action. When viewing of the program is not permitted, the AV decoder 11 stops the decoding operation according to an instruction from the CPU 8 so that the program cannot be reproduced. In addition to or separately from this, the graphics unit 15 generates a screen indicating that authentication is necessary for viewing the program in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 8, and mixes it with the moving image playback image on the monitor 12 by the AV decoder 11. By displaying, it is possible to give information to the user.

  In addition, when viewing of the program is not permitted, the AV decoder 11 can repeat the decoding of the moving image and stop decoding at certain time intervals and display the image intermittently. It is. In this case, it is possible to obtain an effect that the user cannot view a completely reproduced image and can easily obtain motivation for authentication related to viewing such as billing. At this time, it is of course possible to create a message from the CA by the graphics unit 15 and display it on the monitor 12 as described above so that the user can easily understand.

  In the above description, the case where the digital broadcast data decrypted by the reception demodulator 1 is transmitted to and recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 has been described. However, when the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 has portability, it is desirable to record without decrypting part or all of the encryption in consideration of the case where authentication for decryption cannot be obtained. In some cases. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 14, a flag indicating the decrypted state is provided in the program information index, and by describing whether or not the decryption of the code has already been performed in the flag, Configure to determine behavior.

  In consideration of the case where the recording medium included in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is a portable medium, a CAT may be inserted into the packet stream recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. In this case, the information table generator 7 generates a CAT to indicate the encryption state, and the generated CAT is inserted into the packet stream by the information table inserter 3a.

  As described above, even when the CAT is a processing target, the information table including the CAT can be indexed into the program information and recorded in the system.

  As described above, the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment can be operated without recording data other than the broadcast program to be recorded on the recording medium as much as possible. In actual digital broadcasting, data other than these broadcast programs exists in about 5 to 10% of transmitted data. With the configuration and operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment, it becomes possible to improve the occupation ratio of the broadcast program data itself in the recording medium.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
In the sixth embodiment, among the information described in the PAT and PMT, the program_number and the PID value of each ES are described as they are in the program information index. However, these values are necessary information to connect to the playback operation when the transmitted information data is acquired for the first time. However, once these information are acquired in the recording / playback operation, It is not a mandatory value for operation. Therefore, it is possible to operate the PID value described in the program information index for the PAT and PMT related to the recorded program.

  The configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the seventh embodiment is the same as the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the seventh embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the differences from the sixth embodiment.

  Also in the seventh embodiment, the packet filter 2 filters unnecessary packets as in the sixth embodiment. Further, in the seventh embodiment, the PID value of the PMT described in the PAT is replaced with a specific first value, and the PID value of the PMT related to the recorded program is changed to correspond to the change in the PAT. Replace with the value of 1. In addition, the PID value of the ES described in the PMT related to the recorded program is replaced with a specific second value, and the PID value of the ES related to the recorded program is changed to correspond to the change in the PMT. Replace with the value of 2. Then, the CPU 8 creates a program information index based on the information table after replacing each PID value and records it in the memory 13.

  In response to an instruction from the CPU 8, the information table generator 7 and the information table inserter 3a replace the PID value of the ES constituting the packet stream with the second value in correspondence with the description of the program information index. . By performing such processing, a packet stream whose ES PID value is known can be recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the program arrangement information created based on the information table at the time of output from the reception demodulating unit 1, and FIG. 16 is based on the information table after replacing each PID value. It is a figure which shows the produced | generated program information index. In the program arrangement information shown in FIG. 15, the PID values of the moving image and the sound related to the program 2 are different from each other according to the difference in recording position. On the other hand, in the program information index shown in FIG. 16, the video and audio PID values related to program 2 are changed to the same value regardless of the recording position.

  In the reproduction operation of the recorded program, since the PID value of the ES to be read from the recording medium is a known value described in the program information index, the demultiplexer 10 and the AV decoder 11 change the description contents of the PAT and PMT. The ES process can be directly started without performing the confirmation operation.

  Further, the PID value of each ES newly generated in the program recording can be processed so as to be the same for each medium such as video and audio. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a program information index created by such processing, and FIG. 18 is a diagram showing system specified values. The program information index shown in FIG. 17 does not describe PID values of program_number, moving image, audio, and PCR. By performing such processing, in the program recording operation, an operation of describing the PID value of each ES in the program information index becomes unnecessary. Also, since the program playback operation can be performed using the system specified value as a program, it is not necessary to confirm the description contents of the program information index when starting the processing of each ES. Become.

  The CPU 8 can recognize the position in the recording medium where the program is recorded by distinguishing each program. Therefore, even when a plurality of programs are recorded at the same time, it is possible to perform a process of rewriting all the PID values of each ES to the same value in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. The CPU 8 issues an appropriate instruction by recognizing a program based on the recording position in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 even for packets having the same PID value.

  Furthermore, in consideration of the convenience of the user, it is possible to describe the data of the descriptor part in the information table together with the program information index. For example, in the descriptor part in the PMT, information on program contents, broadcast form, reception method, and the like are described. These pieces of information can be described together with the program information index and recorded in a recording area in the system including the memory 13. By describing these pieces of information in the program information index, it is possible to refer to these pieces of information when searching and browsing recorded programs in the future. In the program information index shown in FIG. 17, a parental rate descriptor is described in association with a program, and in program 2, it is described that viewing over 13 years of age is recommended. By displaying such information when the user selects a program to be played back, the convenience of selection can be improved.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the seventh embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment, the program that is essential when the recorded program is reproduced in the conventional system. The operation of confirming the description contents of the array information table is not necessary, and the effect that information data can be processed quickly is also obtained. Further, detailed program information can be provided to the user at the time of reproduction of the recorded program, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

Embodiment 8 FIG.
In addition to the sixth embodiment, information described in the SI table (especially SDT and EIT) can also be described in the program information index.

  The configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the eighth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the eighth embodiment will be described mainly with respect to differences from the sixth embodiment.

  The digital broadcast signal received and demodulated by the reception demodulator 1 is input to the information table extractor 6. The information table extractor 6 analyzes the SI table based on an instruction from the CPU 8 and inputs necessary contents to the CPU 8. Regarding the SDT and EIT, the information table extractor 6 pays attention to its own stream and current program related information, and processes only packets having the table ID. And only the data regarding the information (for example, program name) instruct | indicated from CPU8 among current program relevant information is extracted. The extracted information is described in the program information index stored in the memory 13 in association with the program data recorded on the recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the program information index generated in this way. In the program information index shown in FIG. 19, for the two programs, professional baseball and movie, detailed information such as the channel name extracted from the SDT and the broadcast date and time of the program extracted from the EIT are described. ing. When the user selects a playback program, the program related information is displayed on the monitor 12 using the graphics unit 15 to assist the user in selecting a program.

  As described above, SDT and EIT may contain descriptors related to program content, broadcast format, reception method, etc., but if it is determined that the program can be viewed and recorded at the time the broadcast is received, Descriptor reuse is no longer mandatory. For this reason, it is possible to effectively use the recording area of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 by filtering the packet transmitting SDT and EIT by the packet filter 2. Other recording / reproducing operations are the same as those in the sixth embodiment.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the eighth embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment, data such as SDT and EIT that are originally included in the digital broadcast signal can be obtained. Through the processing, it is possible to construct an easy-to-handle system for the user.

Embodiment 9 FIG.
In addition to the sixth embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which processing is also performed for SI tables other than SDT and EIT. Here, the convenience of the user is improved by configuring the system while paying attention to the BAT. The BAT is an information table for collectively handling a plurality of services transmitted via a plurality of information transmission paths including other networks. Various uses of this BAT are expected including future expansion. When a user instructs recording of a program, the content of the BAT in the transmitted information data is confirmed, and this content is described in the program information index so that a service using this bouquet information can be provided at a later playback time. There is a possibility that the user can enjoy it.

  The configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the ninth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the ninth embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the differences from the sixth embodiment.

  The CPU 8 controls the information table extractor 6 to confirm the arrival of the BAT and the description content. In the BAT descriptor, information related to other information data is described. The CPU 8 extracts the bouquet name, the network identifier and the transport identifier for transmitting each piece of information data from the BAT descriptor, and describes them in the program information index stored in the memory 13. In a later reproduction operation, referring to the program information index generated in this way, if other program information data constituting the same bouquet is available through the reception demodulator 1 at that time In response to an instruction from the CPU 8, the service can be provided to the user in the reproduction system after the demultiplexer 10.

  Further, when the program recording is instructed by the user, if other program information data constituting the same bouquet is available through the reception demodulator 1, the user instruction or the system can be changed. Based on the setting information, the other program information data can be recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 together with the program information data instructed to be recorded. With regard to this automatic recording operation, various information table operations described so far and appropriate data replacement operations are appropriately performed to improve recording efficiency and delete processing speed by deleting unnecessary data. Needless to say, the operation is as shown.

  Thus, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the ninth embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment, data originally included in the digital broadcast signal, such as BAT. Through this process, it is possible to construct a user-friendly system.

Embodiment 10 FIG.
In the first to ninth embodiments, the recorded information data is basically reproduced and used inside the system. However, the recorded information data is configured to be distributed to other external devices. Is also possible.

  When the broadcast program recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus is reproduced in a closed manner inside the system, the recording efficiency of the recording medium is prioritized and the most efficient recording method can be adopted. However, when the recorded program information is considered to be used in a reproduction system other than the recording system, it is necessary to output the program information in a form compliant with the ARIB or MPEG standard. This is because devices connected to the outside are generally arbitrary, and they do not have foreseeing information relating to the recording / reproducing method and operation unique to this system. On the other hand, when recording is performed by a general method that conforms to the standard in consideration of only compatibility with an external device, high-efficiency recording as described above cannot be performed. Therefore, the tenth embodiment proposes a digital broadcast receiving system that can achieve high compatibility with external equipment while maintaining high recording efficiency.

  FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiving system according to Embodiment 10 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 20, the digital broadcast receiving system according to the tenth embodiment is based on the digital broadcast receiving system according to the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. The digital output unit 18 is further provided. The input of the output information inserter 16 is connected to each output of the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and the information table generator 7, and the output of the output information inserter 16 is connected to one input of the changeover switch 17. The other input of the changeover switch 17 is connected to the output of the reception demodulator 1, and the output of the changeover switch 17 is connected to the digital output unit 18.

  The switching operation by the changeover switch 17 can be performed independently or in synchronization with the switching operation by the changeover switch 5. Thus, the digital output unit 18 and the output displayed on the monitor 12 via the demultiplexer 10 and the AV decoder 11 can be freely set between the signal from the reception demodulator 1 and the signal from the recording / reproducing device 4. It is possible to switch to That is, it is possible to output the same program or another program from the digital output unit 18 while viewing a certain program on the monitor 12.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the tenth embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the reproduction operation of the recorded program. Operations not described below, such as program recording operations, are the same as the operations in the above-described embodiments. First, the CPU 8 receives a playback program instruction from the user through the graphics unit 15 and the user interface unit 9. Next, the CPU 8 reads out data relating to the broadcast program to be reproduced from the recording / reproducing device 4 using data relating to the recording position of the program recorded in the recording medium or the like of the memory 13 or the recording / reproducing device 4. The read data is input to the changeover switch 5 and the output information inserter 16, respectively. At the same time, the CPU 8 issues an information table generation instruction to the information table generator 7.

  Here, an information table insertion operation realized by the information table generator 7 and the output information inserter 16 will be described. As described above, the digital broadcast signal recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 includes a plurality of information tables having various frequencies, types, and amounts. However, here, a specific operation will be described on the assumption that no information table is included in the digital broadcast signal recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4.

  The digital broadcast receiving system according to the tenth embodiment converts program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 into a packet stream compliant with the MPEG standard and outputs it to an external device by the following operation. When recording a program that has been instructed to be reproduced, the PID value of the data transmission packet of the program is recorded in the memory 13 or a recording medium included in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. Alternatively, in another embodiment, these PID values are converted to system defined values. In any case, however, these PID values are naturally known to the CPU 8. Based on this value, the information table generator 7 newly generates PAT and PMT to be inserted into the program data output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. In the generation, each of the configurations shown in FIGS. 5 and 10 is described, and various recorded program related information is described. In addition, if the reception demodulator 1 has a function of decrypting the cipher and information related to the CAT is not recorded in the memory 13 or the like when the program is recorded, the information table generator 7 is not encrypted at all. A new CAT indicating the effect is generated. The generated CAT is inserted into the program data output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 by the output information inserter 16. As a result, the program data output from the output information inserter 16 has a PSI table and is in the form of a packet stream conforming to the MPEG standard. Therefore, even if such program data is output to an arbitrary external device via the changeover switch 17 and the digital output unit 18, the external device performs an analysis and decoding operation based on the input packet stream. Is possible.

  Further, in the insertion operation of the PSI table by the output information insertion unit 16, the insertion time interval can be controlled. As described above, each PSI table defines a maximum allowable transmission interval, and needs to be repeatedly transmitted within the transmission interval. Therefore, the CPU 8 measures and monitors the transmission interval by the timer 14 (or a timer built in the CPU 8). The CPU 8 stores a timer value at the time when a table is inserted by the output information inserter 16, and calculates a time when the table should be inserted next. The CPU 8 monitors the value indicated by the timer 14 as needed, and issues an instruction to the information table generator 7 and the output information inserter 16 before the maximum allowable transmission interval of the table elapses to multiplex the next table. Do. In this way, it is possible to obtain a packet stream in which each PSI table is multiplexed at a transmission interval compliant with the MPEG standard.

  Along with this operation, the digital broadcast receiving system according to the tenth embodiment also controls the transmission rate of the output packet stream. The AV decoder 11 shown in FIG. 20 has a function of determining the data rate of moving image and audio data. In a normal TV signal, one frame has a period of 33 msec. When it is determined that the image data read from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 has been transmitted at a higher speed than the data buffer capacity of the AV decoder 11 (not shown), the AV decoder 11 issues an instruction to the CPU 8. Thus, the output of data from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is temporarily stopped. When the video and audio data decoding process progresses over time and the data buffer has enough free space, the AV decoder 11 issues an instruction to the CPU 8 again when data to be reproduced in the next frame is required. Then, the reading of data from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is restarted.

  However, when the external device connected to the digital output unit 18 operates on the premise that it is controlled to an appropriate data rate on the transmission side like a normal packet stream, each of the embodiments described above. There is a possibility that the digital information recorded without including unnecessary packets cannot be used as it is. This is because it is conceivable that the AV decoder of the external device cannot control the data rate as described above, or does not have a function for instructing the CPU 8 in the system to control the data rate. . In such a case, it is necessary to output a packet stream having an appropriate data rate from the digital output unit 18.

  This operation is performed by inserting a null packet by the output information inserter 16 into the packet stream output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 according to an instruction from the CPU 8. A null packet is a packet in which the PID value of the packet that transmits the packet takes a fixed value of 0 × 1FFF, and the internal data that is transmitted has no meaning. The operation when a null packet is received in a receiving system that receives digital information data is basically inactive. Therefore, in order to set the data rate of the digital data output from the digital output unit 18 to an appropriate one, the information table generator 7 generates a null packet, and the output information inserter 16 generates the generated null packet. Are multiplexed into the packet stream.

  When the CPU 8 enters the reproduction operation of the recorded program, the CPU 8 confirms the PID value of the packet transmitting the PCR based on the recorded information table, and appropriately confirms the PCR value in the data read from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. . At the same time, the CPU 8 starts measuring and monitoring the reproduction operation time using the timer 14 (or a timer built in the CPU 8) when the reproduction operation is started. Since the PCR value is a value that describes the relative time for the packet to be transmitted, it indicates the time that was initially transmitted and recorded. Therefore, by outputting the program data so that the difference between the PCR value and the transmission time by the timer 14 is constant, it becomes possible to generate a packet stream having an appropriate data rate. That is, the data rate can be controlled by monitoring the PCR value and the value indicated by the timer 14 by the CPU 8 and multiplexing the null packets as necessary. With this configuration, even when an external device capable of handling only a general digital broadcast signal compliant with the MPEG standard is connected to the digital output unit 18, the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 performs recording with respect to this system. A stable and highly versatile digital broadcast program can be reproduced without reducing the efficiency.

  In the above description, the CAT is generated and multiplexed on the assumption that the program data is recorded in the decrypted state, but the program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is still encrypted. Therefore, it is possible to perform output according to the initial encryption state in order to cope with the case where the CA is not authenticated in the state where the initial program is transmitted.

  For this purpose, the information table generator 7 performs the following operation. When the reception demodulator 1 receives the digital broadcast signal, the CPU 8 sequentially describes the CAT information in the program information index stored in the memory 13 (or in the recording medium included in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4). For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a record indicating whether the program is encrypted at that time (CA_system_id) remains in the program information index. When the program data is output from the digital output unit 18, the CPU 8 refers to this description in the program information index, and the CAT multiplexed in the packet stream appropriately reflects the encryption state at each information output time. Thus, the information table generator 7 and the output information inserter 16 are operated. As a result, the fact that the encrypted data is output is described in the CAT, and the packet stream output to the external device conforms to the MPEG standard and is used as a CA system. It becomes the form which satisfied the operation of.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 20, the output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is sent to the digital output unit 18 via the output information inserter 16 and the changeover switch 17, and after the demultiplexer 10 via the changeover switch 5. However, it is also possible to transmit the output of the output information inserter 16 to the reproduction system after the demultiplexer 10. In this case, the reproduction system after the demultiplexer 10 can be configured to handle only ordinary digital signals conforming to the MPEG standard, and software can be simplified.

  In the above description, the output operation from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 to the digital output unit 18 has been described. At the same time, the demultiplexer 10, the AV decoder 11, and the monitor are connected from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 via the changeover switch 5. It goes without saying that the above-described operation can be performed by transmitting digital broadcast data to a signal processing system comprising twelve.

  Furthermore, by controlling the information table generator 7 and operating the information table inserter 3a according to the instruction of the CPU 8, simultaneously with the output operation to the digital output unit 18 and / or the output operation to the demultiplexer 10, It goes without saying that the recording operation to the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 can be performed.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the tenth embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the respective embodiments, digital data including program-related information and the like and complying with the MPEG standard can be arbitrarily set. The effect that it can output toward an external apparatus is acquired.

Embodiment 11 FIG.
The configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the eleventh embodiment is the same as the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the tenth embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the tenth embodiment, the program_number value of each program is obtained as a value recorded in the memory 13 or the like or as a system specified value. However, as in the second and seventh embodiments, for example, in a digital broadcast receiving system in which the value of program_number and the PID value of each ES are uniformly replaced and recorded, a plurality of programs are output simultaneously. In this case, it is necessary to perform an operation so that the program_number value of each program and the PID value of each ES do not overlap. In such a case, for example, a desired operation can be realized by replacing the program_number value of one program and the PID value of each ES with different values so as not to overlap with the other program.

  As one specific means, irrespective of the value of program_number of the program data recorded on the recording medium, before the program data is read from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and output from the digital output unit 18, It is conceivable to change the value of program_number that the program data has. First, the CPU 8 determines a value of program_number to be newly added and inputs the value to the information table generator 7. The information table generator 7 newly generates a PAT and a PMT based on the input value. If the program data recorded on the recording medium already has PAT and PMT, the output information inserter 16 replaces the table with a newly generated table. On the other hand, when the program data recorded on the recording medium does not have the PAT and PMT, the output information inserter 16 inserts the newly generated PAT and PMT. This makes it possible to configure a digital broadcast receiving system that can output program data by giving an arbitrary value of program_number according to the state of the system.

  In addition to this, or independently of this, the following configuration is also possible. In the above configuration, the operation is performed based on the PID value of each ES recorded in the memory 13 or the like, but the information table generator 7 and the output information inserter 16 change the PID value of each ES to another arbitrary arbitrary value. It can also be configured to replace with a value. Of course, in this operation, a PSI table describing that a plurality of programs are multiplexed and transmitted is newly generated by the information table generator 11 and multiplexed by the output information inserter 16 on the program data. Absent.

  Further, in the operation in this configuration, the CPU 8 controls the operations of the information table generator 7 and the output information inserter 16 in order to appropriately adjust the transmission interval of each PSI table and multiplex it with program data. In order to output program data to an external device at an appropriate data rate, the CPU 8 compares the PCR value of the output data with the time measured using the timer 14, and the output information inserter 16 performs null processing. It goes without saying that the packet insertion operation is controlled.

  In addition, regarding the generation and multiplexing of the PMT, it is configured to improve the convenience of user selection by using data relating to a recorded program stored in a recording medium included in the memory 13 or the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. It is also possible. That is, the system is configured such that the information table generator 7 generates a PMT including various descriptors. Taking a parental rate descriptor as an example, the program information index recorded in the memory 13 or the like describes information related to the program rating as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 17, there is no restriction on program 1, and viewing of program 13 or older is recommended for program 2. In this way, when outputting a program in which viewing restrictions are imposed on the program according to age, the viewing restrictions are appropriately functioned even in a receiving apparatus connected to the outside via the digital output unit 18. Thus, user convenience can be improved. For this purpose, the information table generator 7 generates a PMT including a descriptor and multiplexes it with program data by the output information inserter 16. Although the parental rate descriptor has been described here, it is needless to say that other descriptors can be multiplexed independently or in any combination in the same operation. As a result, it is possible to provide various program-related information and the like recorded in the system to users who use external devices.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the eleventh embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the above embodiments, digital information conforming to the MPEG standard including various program related information and the like is output to an external device. It is possible to construct a system that can improve user convenience.

Embodiment 12 FIG.
In addition to the tenth embodiment, a configuration can also be adopted in which processing is performed for the SI table. As described above, the SI table includes various information related to the program being transmitted. In the output operation of the recorded program which is one of the functions of the digital broadcast receiving system according to the present invention, in particular, in the output operation to the external device, the information described in the SI table is also output, so that the recorded program is output. It is possible to configure a system in which the user can appropriately determine and select the playback of the program and the viewing of the currently transmitted program.

  This operation will be described with reference to FIG. The SI table received by the reception demodulator 1 is extracted by the information table extractor 6, and is changed by the information table generator 7 again with the contents as it is or after changing the table identification value according to an instruction from the CPU 8. Newly generated. The newly generated SI table is multiplexed with the program data output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 by the output information inserter 16. The program data in which the SI table is multiplexed is sent to the digital output unit 18 via the changeover switch 17 and output to the external device. By configuring in this way, the external digital broadcast receiving system connected to the digital output unit 18 is currently transmitted with the program data relating to the past recorded program output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. A table can be received. The SI table includes information about programs currently transmitted through the local network or other networks. Therefore, a user who uses an external digital broadcast receiving system can obtain information on other broadcast programs currently transmitted even when the recorded program is being reproduced.

  In addition to the above configuration, SDT and EIT in the SI table can be further configured to perform the following processing. In SDT and EIT, information related to the program is described. Such program-related information is used for generating and processing EPG in a general digital broadcast receiving system. In many cases, the EPG is essential for the selection of a received program by the user and the reception operation itself of the apparatus. Therefore, when the program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is output to the external device via the digital output unit 18, the program-related information is also multiplexed with the program data and output. Reception operation can be enabled.

  This operation will be described with reference to FIG. The EIT is a table that links program_number of a broadcast program and information related to the program such as a program name. Therefore, when the program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is output to an external device via the digital output unit 18, by adding an EIT to the program data, the user who uses the external device can It is possible to select a reproduction program and acquire information.

  As described above, the EIT has a total of six types of tables relating to each of the own stream and other streams, that is, the current and next program, a program within 8 days, and a program after 8 days. In the reproduction operation of the program being performed, only the EIT of the own stream and the current program is meaningful. The EIT related to other streams can be inserted into the program data by newly generating the EIT acquired by the information table extractor 6 by the information table generator 7 according to the instruction of the CPU 8 and multiplexing it by the output information inserter 16. . In this operation, the transmitted EIT relating to the own stream and other streams is all EIT relating to other streams for the external device. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the table identification value of the EIT relating to the own stream with the table identification value representing the EIT relating to the other stream and to multiplex it with the program data.

  In generating the EIT, the information table generator 7 refers to various types of program related information described in the program information index stored in the memory 13 or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the program information index describes the program name, broadcast date and time, detailed information about the contents, and the like. By describing more detailed information in the program information index, the convenience of the user when selecting a program can be improved. The external broadcast receiving system that receives the program data generated and output in this way can not only obtain the current program of its own stream from the EIT and view the program being played, but also send it to other streams. Thus, it is possible to obtain information on a program currently transmitted or a program scheduled to be transmitted in the future. Therefore, the program currently being transmitted can be viewed by stopping the program reproduction from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and switching to the live broadcast information via the reception demodulator 1 as necessary.

  In addition to this, or independently of this, it is also possible to process SDT. SDT is a table that associates service identification of programs being broadcast with program_number. Therefore, when the program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is output to an external device via the digital output unit 18, by adding an SDT to the program data, for a user who uses the external device, It is possible to select a reproduction program and acquire information.

  As described above, there are a total of two types of tables relating to the own stream and other streams in the SDT, but only the SDT relating to the own stream is meaningful in the reproduction operation of the program recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. The SDT relating to the other stream can be inserted into the program data by newly generating the SDT acquired by the information table extractor 6 by the information table generator 7 according to the instruction of the CPU 8 and multiplexing it by the output information inserter 16. . In this operation, the transmitted SDT relating to the own stream and other streams is all SDT relating to other streams for the external device. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the table identification value of the SDT relating to the own stream with the table identification value (0x46) representing the SDT relating to the other stream and to multiplex the program data.

  In generating the SDT, the information table generator 7 refers to various program related information described in the program information index stored in the memory 13 or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, service information represented by a broadcast channel is described in the program information index. Therefore, by outputting such service information and the like together with the program data from the digital output unit 18, the convenience of the user when selecting a program can be improved. Further, the ARIB standard stipulates that the program_number of the program to be reproduced and the service_id in the SDT are the same. Therefore, when generating the SDT, it is necessary to read the program_number of the recorded program data from the program data or the program information index and use it as service_id in the SDT.

  The external broadcast receiving system that receives the program data generated and output in this way can not only obtain service information of its own stream from the SDT and view the program being played, but also in other streams. It is also possible to acquire information on a program that is currently transmitted or a program that is scheduled to be transmitted in the future. Therefore, the program currently being transmitted can be viewed by stopping the program reproduction from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 and switching to the live broadcast information via the reception demodulator 1 as necessary.

  In these operations, values of information related to reproduced program data such as program_number are used, and in the information table insertion and data replacement operations related to actual reproduction, appropriately compliant data It goes without saying that it needs to be operated to take a value.

  As described above, the EIT and SDT are generated by the information table generator 7 and inserted into the program data by the output information inserter 16, so that the currently transmitted EIT and SDT together with the program data of the recorded program are external devices. Can be transmitted. Thus, in the external digital broadcast receiving system, the reproduction program output from the digital information receiving system according to the present invention can be selected without using special foresight information by using only the EPG and the user interface that are originally provided. Viewing can be performed.

  It is also possible to configure so that BAT and PCAT are included in the processing target. FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a configuration of another digital broadcast receiving system according to Embodiment 12 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 21, another digital broadcast receiving system according to the twelfth embodiment has a signal line 19 connecting the packet filter 2 and the output information inserter 16 based on the digital broadcast receiving system shown in FIG. In addition. The operation will be described with reference to FIG. The BAT describes data information related to a plurality of program services, and the PCAT describes data information related to the program services such as images, sounds, and programs. These are assumed to be services that are useful only in real time being broadcast and services that can be used over a long period of time. In particular, PCAT describes information related to difference data from various data transmitted previously, and may have an important meaning in the reproduction operation of previously recorded program data.

  When the program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is output to an external device via the digital output unit 18, the transmitted BAT is extracted by the information data extractor 6, and the CPU 8 is currently transmitted. It is determined whether or not there is a relationship between the various services and the program to be played.

  If it is determined that there is no relationship, the transmitted BAT is input as it is from the packet filter 2 to the output information inserter 16 via the signal line 19, and the output information inserter 16 adds BAT to the program data. Are multiplexed and output. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a relationship, all the descriptions described in the BAT in accordance with the policy (depending on the specifications) set in the external digital broadcast receiving system or in the digital broadcast receiving system according to the present invention The information service is output from the digital output unit 18. In this operation, the CPU 8 once records the transmitted BAT in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4, immediately reads out from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4, and sends it to the output information inserter 16. In this operation, the information table generator 7 operates so that consistency is satisfied between all information services described in the BAT and program data output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. Further, the CPU 8 controls the BAT transmission interval using the timer 14 and operates to maintain the transmission interval compliant with the MPEG standard and the ARIB standard.

  Similarly, when performing the reproduction operation of the recorded program, the transmitted PCAT is extracted by the information table extractor 6, and whether there is a relationship between the various services currently transmitted and the program to be reproduced. Is determined by the CPU 8. If it is determined from the PCAT description that the currently transmitted difference data is not related to the program data currently being played back, the PCAT is newly generated again by the information table generator 7 as it is, and the output information It is multiplexed into the program data by the inserter 16. On the other hand, if it is determined from the PCAT description that the currently transmitted difference data is related to the currently reproduced program data, the related difference data is inserted into the output information via the packet filter 2. Sent to the vessel 16. In this operation, the information table generator 7 operates so that consistency is satisfied between all the difference data described in the PCAT and the program data output from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. Further, the CPU 8 controls the PCAT transmission interval using the timer 14 and operates so as to hold the transmission interval compliant with the MPEG standard and the ARIB standard.

  Furthermore, SI information related to the time during which a program is transmitted and the broadcast status can be processed. This operation will be described with reference to FIG. TDT and TOT collectively indicate information related to the current time, and are often used together with EIT and SDT for operations in EPG display and general digital broadcast receiving systems. When the program data recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus 4 is output to an external device via the digital output unit 18, the packet filter 2 selects the transmitted TDT and TOT according to an instruction from the CPU 8, and outputs a signal. It is transmitted to the output information inserter 16 via the line 19. The output information inserter 16 multiplexes TDT and TOT on the program data read from the recording / reproducing apparatus 4. Thereafter, the program data multiplexed with TDT and TOT is transmitted to an external device via the changeover switch 17 and the digital output unit 18. A user who uses an external device can select and view a program by referring to an EPG generated based on TDT and TOT.

  As described above, in the reproduction operation of the recorded program, information related to the broadcast time (recording time) of the recorded program is described in the EIT and contributes to selection of viewing of the program by the user. When the externally connected digital broadcast receiving system determines the broadcast status based on the broadcast time information described in the EIT and the current time information described in the TDT and TOT, the system Will only get information that it was broadcast at another past time.

  In general, the RST is set so as to cope with a sudden change in program organization and the like, and a new broadcast start time and a current broadcast state can be designated for the identifiers of network, transport, and program. The RST designates the broadcast status of the program described in the EIT. Depending on the configuration of the receiving system, it is possible to prescribe the system operation in preference to the description of the EIT and SDT.

  Therefore, in response to an instruction from the CPU 8, the information table generator 7 generates an RST, and the output information inserter 16 multiplexes the RST with the reproduction program. For the digital broadcast receiving system connected to the outside, the EIT describes that the reproduction program is not currently transmitted, but it is possible to know the transmission of the reproduction program by referring to the RST. This is because a user who uses an external digital broadcast receiving system can select whether to view a playback program as it is actually transmitted, although it is a past broadcast program, by referring to the EPG. means.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving system according to the twelfth embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the above-described embodiments, an MPEG standard including various program related information and the like can be obtained by including the SI table in the processing target. Compliant digital information can be output to an external device, and a system capable of improving user convenience can be constructed.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital broadcast receiving system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows PAT at the time of being output from the receiving demodulation part. It is a figure which shows the new PAT produced | generated by the information table generator. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital broadcast receiving system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the new PAT produced | generated by the information table generator. It is a figure which shows the relationship between PAT and PMT at the time of outputting from the reception demodulation part. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the new PAT produced | generated by the information table generator, and new PMT. It is a figure which shows the relationship between PAT, PMT, and each ES at the time of outputting from the reception demodulation part. It is a figure which shows the relationship between PAT after replacing the PID value of ES, PMT, and each ES. It is a figure which shows the other new PMT produced | generated by the information table generator. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital broadcast receiving system which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital broadcast receiving system which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the program information index memorize | stored in memory. It is a figure which shows the example of the program information index in which the encryption state was described. It is a figure which shows the program arrangement | sequence information produced based on the information table at the time of being output from the receiving demodulation part. It is a figure which shows the program information index produced | generated based on the information table after replacing the PID value of each ES. It is a figure which shows the program information index produced by replacing all the PID values of each ES with the same value. It is a figure which shows a system regulation value. It is a figure which shows an example of a program information index. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital broadcast receiving system which concerns on Embodiment 10 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the other digital broadcast receiving system which concerns on Embodiment 12 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional digital broadcast receiving system.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reception demodulation part, 2 Packet filter, 3 Information table substitution device, 4 Recording / reproducing apparatus, 5,17 Changeover switch, 6 Information table extractor, 7 Information table generator, 8 CPU, 13 Memory, 3a Information table insertion device, 14 timer, 16 output information inserter, 18 digital output section.

Claims (2)

In a transport stream redistribution system that receives a digital broadcast signal from the outside, configures and outputs a predetermined packet stream,
An information table generator for generating an information table including information about the received program ;
A packet filter constituting a predetermined packet stream from the digital broadcast signal;
Insert the pre Kijo report table in the packet stream, and output information inserter for outputting as a new packet stream,
A digital output unit for outputting the new packet stream to the outside,
The information table is a PMT;
The information table generator has a function of generating the PMT with a new program_number added thereto,
The transport information redistribution system, wherein the output information inserter has a function of giving the new program_number value to the new packet stream. In a transport stream redistribution system that records a digital broadcast signal received from the outside on a recording medium, reads predetermined digital data recorded on the recording medium, and configures and outputs a predetermined packet stream.
An information table generator for generating an information table including information about the received program ;
A recording / reproducing apparatus for reproducing and outputting a predetermined packet stream from digital data recorded on the recording medium;
Insert the pre Kijo report table in the packet stream, and output information inserter for outputting as a new packet stream,
A digital output unit for outputting the new packet stream to the outside,
The information table is a PMT;
The information table generator has a function of generating the PMT with a new program_number added thereto,
The transport information redistribution system, wherein the output information inserter has a function of giving the new program_number value to the new packet stream.

Images