JPH06153193A - Catv terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simply implement timer video recording of a tolling program by sending automatically an acknowledging signal even when a received program is tolled when the time of a timer setting arrives. CONSTITUTION:A timer circuit 47 sets the power on time and the power off time and a channel desired to be received at the time of power ON is set to a CPU 42. When the setting time of an ON timer comes, power is energized to a CATV terminal equipment and a reception channel is switched to the set channel. In this case, downstream control data sent from a CATV broadcast station include identification data representing whether the program received at present is free from charge or not. Then the CPU 42 discriminates whether or not the received program is free from charge based on the control data. When the program is not free from charge, an acknowledging signal representing the approval of the subscription is superimposed on downstream control data and the resulting data are sent automatically during the cleaning time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a CATV terminal device in a bidirectional CATV system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The CATV system has a demand access method (1989 IEICE research report OCS-
51, there is a bidirectional communication CATV system such as "FM access high-definition optical CATV system by demand access system", pp. 7-12.

In this two-way communication CATV system, a pay channel for broadcasting a pay program is provided in a predetermined time zone, and in order to watch the pay program of this pay channel, a certain time is free after the channel is selected. During the cooling time when the contents of the program are aired, it is necessary to press the confirmation button in order to inform the CATV broadcasting station of the intention to watch. If this operation is not performed, the video will be scrambled after the cooling time ends.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned two-way communication CATV system, when a program other than a pay program is timer-recorded by the VTR, the time and channel are set by the timer of the CATV terminal device, and the VTR timer is also set at the same time. deep. By doing this, the CAT
The V terminal device and the VTR can operate simultaneously to record a predetermined channel.

However, even if the timer recording of the pay program is attempted by the above method, the confirmation button cannot be pressed during the cooling time. For this reason, it has been impossible to perform timer recording of pay programs on a VTR by the conventional method.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks and provides a CATV terminal device capable of easily recording a pay program by timer recording by connecting a VTR.

[0007]

The present invention is a CATV terminal device which enables viewing of a pay program by transmitting a predetermined confirmation signal when receiving the pay program from a CATV broadcasting station. Timer means for switching the reception channel to a preset setting channel upon arrival of the event, a determining means for determining whether or not the setting channel is charged when the set time comes, and a case where this determining means determines that the fee is charged. A CATV terminal device comprising: a confirmation signal transmitting unit that transmits the confirmation signal to the CATV broadcasting station within a predetermined time.

[0008]

The CATV terminal device of the present invention switches the reception channel to the preset channel when the timer setting time arrives, and automatically transmits the confirmation signal to the CATV broadcasting station when the channel is charged.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a two-way communication C based on the demand access method.
It is a schematic block diagram of an ATV system, in which 1 is a C
An ATV broadcasting station, a transmission block 11 for transmitting a television signal, and a head end 12 for modulating television signals of a plurality of channels (40 channels) from this transmission block with different carriers and then multiplexing and transmitting as a broadcast signal. An interactive service management block 13 that manages the interactive service and a transmission device 14 that transmits and receives control data related to the interactive service.

Reference numeral 2 denotes the transmission device 14 and a CATV described later.
A hub that is arranged as a relay device between the terminal device and a predetermined BS specific channel by selecting any four channels from 40 channels of broadcast signals based on channel selection data from subscribers. Bidirectional for receiving channel selection data from four CATV terminal devices to control the channel selection circuit and transmitting control data related to bidirectional service to each CATV terminal device. The broadcast signal from the service processing unit 22 and the channel selection circuit is combined with the downlink control data to be transmitted to the CATV terminal device, and the uplink control data from the CATV terminal device is demultiplexed to the bidirectional service processing unit 22. And a synthesizer / demultiplexer circuit 23 for supplying. The channel selection circuit 21, the interactive service processing unit 22, and the combining / demultiplexing circuit 23 are arranged in parallel in a plurality of groups, and each group manages four CATV terminal devices.

Numerals 3, 3, ... Are terminating devices for supplying the broadcast signals of the four specific channels from the hub 2 to the four CATV terminal devices, and for synthesizing and distributing the control data.

CATV terminal devices 4, 5, 6, and 7 are installed in the homes of the subscribers and receive any one channel out of 40 channels by transmitting the channel selection data from the subscribers to the hub 2. And each CATV
The broadcast signal of the channel selected by the subscriber is frequency-converted into one of the specific channels and transmitted to the terminal device.

The CATV broadcasting station 1, the hub 2, the terminating device 3 and the CATV terminal devices 4 to 7 are connected by optical cables.

Next, a specific structure of the CATV terminal device 4 will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 41 denotes a combining / demultiplexing circuit for demultiplexing the multiplexed signal from the terminating device 3 into downlink control data and a broadcast signal (BS-1) and synthesizing uplink control data.
42 is a CPU for bidirectionally communicating control data with the bidirectional service management block 13 or the bidirectional service processing unit 22, 43 is a mixer for converting the BS-1 channel broadcast signal to a predetermined intermediate frequency, 44 Is a local control circuit that includes a variable local oscillator, and controls so that the output of the mixer 44 is converted into a predetermined intermediate frequency by tuning data from the CPU 42. 45 is a BPF that allows the predetermined intermediate frequency to pass. A demodulation circuit that demodulates this BPF output to obtain a television signal. Also, 4
Reference numeral 7 is a timer circuit for setting the time in order to execute the on-timer and off-timer functions of the CPU 42.

Incidentally, the mixer 43 and the local control circuit 4
4, the BPF 45 and the demodulation circuit 46 have exactly the same configuration as the conventional BS tuner.

Next, the channel selection operation in the CATV terminal device 4 will be described. 4 connected to one terminating device
Each CATV terminal device is assigned one different channel among BS channels, and the CATV terminal device 4 is assigned BS-1 as described above. A subscriber having the CATV terminal device 4 remote-controls any one of 40 channels (not shown).
When selected by, the channel selection command is supplied to the CPU 42. The CPU 42 transmits the channel selection data to the bidirectional service processing unit 22 as upstream control data. The interactive service processing unit is the channel selection circuit 2
1 to control the frequency of the selected channel into the BS-1 channel. Therefore, the CATV terminal device 4 is
Only the BS-1 channel signal is received. The BS-1 channel signal demultiplexed by the combining / demultiplexing circuit 41 is supplied to the mixer 43. On the other hand, the CPU 42
Supplies the tuning data corresponding to BS-1 to the local control circuit 44, and controls so that the output of the mixer 43 becomes a predetermined intermediate frequency. The output of the mixer 43 is band-limited by the BPF 45, and then the demodulation circuit 46 demodulates the television signal of the channel selected by the subscriber.

Next, reception of a pay program using the timer function, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described with reference to the control flowchart of the CPU shown in FIG.

First, the timer circuit 47 sets the power-on time and the power-off time, and the CPU 42 sets the channel to be received when the power is turned on.

When the set time of the on-timer arrives, the CATV terminal device is turned on and the receiving channel is switched to the set channel. The downlink control data transmitted from the CATV broadcasting station includes identification data indicating whether the currently received program is charged or free. Therefore, the CPU 42 determines whether the received program is paid or free based on the control data. Then, in the case of paying, a confirmation signal, which is an indication of the willingness to consent to paying, is automatically transmitted on the downlink control data during the cooling time.

When a VTR is connected for timer recording, the timer (not shown) of the VTR can be set at the same time as the set time of the timer circuit 47.

When watching a pay program without using the timer function, the CPU 42 sends a confirmation signal when the operator presses a confirmation button (not shown) during the cooling time.

[0022]

As described above, in the CATV terminal device of the present invention, when the timer setting time arrives, a confirmation signal is automatically transmitted even if the received program is charged, so that the timer recording of the pay program is extremely simple. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a two-way communication CATV according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a block diagram of a system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of a CATV terminal device.

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of a CPU.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 CATV Broadcast Station 2 Hub 3 Termination Device 4-7 CATV Terminal Device 42 CPU 47 Timer Circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A CATV terminal device that enables viewing of a pay program by transmitting a predetermined confirmation signal when receiving a pay program from a CATV broadcasting station, and sets a reception channel in advance when a set time arrives. Timer means for switching to the set channel that has been set, a determination means for determining whether or not the set channel is charged when the set time arrives, and the confirmation signal within a predetermined time when the determination means determines that it is charged A CATV terminal device comprising: a confirmation signal transmitting means for transmitting to the CATV broadcasting station.