JPH0884330A - Two-way tv system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a two-way TV system in which a program and a screen pattern by an on-screen display device are interlocked to offer ease of operation. CONSTITUTION: A format of control information controlling a display form is decided in advance in order to display the information by superimposition or on-screen display onto a screen by a CPU 6 in a prescribed display form. The CPU 6 controls the on-screen display of the information by superimposition or on-screen display according to the format of the control information decided in advance. Both the transmitter side and the receiver side match the display form between program display based on the offered program and the display of information by superimposition or on-screen display.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an interactive TV system for displaying and controlling information on an on-screen display by superimposing it on a program sent by broadcasting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has already been 4 since TV broadcasting started in Japan.
0 years have passed. In recent years, the penetration rate of TV receivers has reached almost 100%, and many homes have multiple TV receivers. It can be said that TV receivers are now being incorporated into our daily lives.

With the spread of TV receivers, this performance has been greatly improved, and a large screen, high image quality and high sound quality have been advanced. Multiplexed voice broadcasting and multiplex character broadcasting have also been realized along with technological advances. Furthermore, high-definition, still image broadcasting, and clear vision are being put to practical use. However, until recently, there has been no significant change in the method of providing services.

However, with the recent development of CATV and the progress of digital technology in the United States, the method of providing services is changing. Control program contents by user operation, collect user information,
In other words, a bidirectional TV system has begun to provide a bidirectional service.

As described above, in the interactive TV system for bidirectionally exchanging information, as shown in FIG.
An arbitrary program is provided to the user through the user terminal 22 by the broadcast 1 transmitted from the broadcasting station 21 through a radio wave or a line. The information transmitted from the user through the user terminal 22 according to the program is sent to the management center 23 through the telephone line 11. Management center 23
Then, it manages and processes those information, and the data communication network 2
4 to the broadcasting station 21, and the broadcasting station 21 uses the information for program production.

[0006]

However, in the conventional interactive TV system as described above, the user terminal 22
Since the program for is sent by the broadcast 1 from the broadcasting station 21, it is not possible to change the program content or the user interface for each user. There was a problem that it was not possible to superimpose at different positions and times.

In addition, since there are various programs, it is difficult to prepare a uniform user interface, and there is a problem in that the user feels uncomfortable and is not familiar.

Further, there is a problem in that the operation is complicated and difficult to use, and the amount of data transfer for the control information based on the display form such as the position and the sequence is large. In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a user interface that allows information on an on-screen display to be superimposed on an appropriate position and time of a program to reduce discomfort to a user and make the user more familiar with the operation. An object of the present invention is to provide an interactive TV system that can be simplified and made easier to use, and control information based on display forms such as position and order can be managed by a code to reduce the data transfer amount. .

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the interactive TV system according to claim 1 displays the information based on the provided program by superimposing or displaying information on the on-screen display together. In addition, in the interactive TV system for controlling the information, the display format recording memory for recording the display form of the information by the superimpose or on-screen display, and the superimposition based on the recorded contents of the display format recording memory A display format display function unit for instructing a display mode of information on the imposing or on-screen display, and the program display and the superimposing or on-display based on an instruction from the display format display function unit. Consistency regarding the display form between the program display and the information display by the superimpose or on-screen display is provided between the transmitting side and the receiving side, together with the video output section for displaying the information on the clean display together. Therefore, a control unit that controls the on-screen display of the information according to the format of the control information based on the display mode determined in advance is provided.

The interactive TV system according to a third aspect of the present invention is configured such that, in the first aspect, a predetermined control information format is managed by a code and a plurality of the formats are held.

[0011]

According to the first and third aspects of the invention, since the control section displays the information by the superimpose or on-screen display in a predetermined display form on the screen, the control information for controlling the display form is displayed. Predetermine the format.

The control unit controls the on-screen display of information by superimposing or on-screen display according to a predetermined control information format.

In this way, the display forms of the program display based on the provided program and the display of information by the superimpose or on-screen display are consistent between the transmitting side and the receiving side.

The control unit holds a plurality of predetermined control information formats and manages these formats by codes.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An interactive TV system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a user terminal of an interactive TV system for watching a program provided by a broadcast 1 and transmitting a response to a center through a telephone line 11. In Fig. 1, through radio waves,
Broadcast 1 enters electronic tuner 2. The signal decoded by the electronic tuner 2 is transferred to the video / audio / deflection signal processing unit 4 and the C
Enter the peripheral circuit 5 of the PU. An audio signal 14 and a video signal 18 are output from the video / audio / deflection signal processing unit 4. The peripheral circuit 5 outputs a signal for controlling the electronic tuner 2, a volume signal 15, and a hue / color depth / other signal 16.

A signal from the remote controller 9 receives the signal from the remote controller 1
0 is received, and a signal is sent to the peripheral circuit 5 and the CPU 6 as a control unit. The data from the telephone line 11 as control information for controlling the display form such as the position, size and order of information to be displayed by superimpose or on-screen display is sent to the modem 13 through the line interface 12 and converted there. It is sent to the peripheral circuit 5 and the CPU 6. Note that here, a plurality of formats of control information are held and managed by a code.

On the contrary, the signals from the peripheral circuit 5 and the CPU 6 are also transmitted through the telephone line 11. These mechanisms enable control of various functions from the outside. CPU
6 controls a display format display function unit 7 for instructing a display format for superimpose or on-screen display, and a display format recording memory 8 for recording the display format for superimpose or on-screen display,
A display signal 17 corresponding to a display screen displayed by a superimpose or on-screen display is generated in accordance with an external signal or the like.

The audio signal 14 and the volume signal 15 are input to the audio output unit 19 and the audio is output. The color tone / color depth / other signal 16, the display signal 17, and the video signal 18 are input to the video output unit 20, and the video is output.

FIG. 2 is an example of a screen format for programs and superimposed or on-screen displays. The location and order of question sentences and answer examples sent in the program are determined by the number of lines and seconds from the top of the screen, and the position of information by superimpose or on-screen display that should be displayed accordingly. Similarly, data as control information for controlling the display form such as size, order, etc. is determined by the number of pixels. The format of the control information can be expressed using a predetermined simple language.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the entire interactive TV system. In FIG. 3, the program provided by the broadcast 1 from the broadcasting station 21 is viewed on the user terminal 22, and the response input by the remote controller 9 is sent to the management center 23 through the telephone line 11. The management center 23 processes the information and transmits it to the broadcasting station 21 through the data communication network 24. The broadcasting station 21 can reflect those data transmitted through the data communication network 24 in the production of the program.

With the above configuration, the information on the on-screen display can be superposed on the appropriate position and time of the program, and the user interface which reduces the discomfort to the user and is easy to be familiar with is prepared, and the operation is further simplified. It is possible to reduce the data transfer amount by managing the control information based on the display form such as the position and the order with a code by using a code.

In the above embodiment, it may be arranged such that which format is used as the control information is determined by the code sent by broadcasting. In addition, the determination of which format to use as control information is
It can also be configured to be performed by a code or a bar code.

In addition, recording the format of the control information,
It can also be configured to be performed on an internal or external recording medium. Also, the control information format can be added or rewritten by a barcode.

Further, the format of the control information can be added or rewritten by a code sent by broadcasting. Also, the format of the control information can be configured to be controlled by a built-in timer.

The same effect can be obtained with the above structure.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the control unit displays the information by the superimpose or on-screen display in a predetermined display form on the screen, the control information for controlling this display form is displayed. The format can be predetermined and the format of the control information can control the on-screen display of information by superimposing or on-screen display.

In this way, the display form of the program display based on the provided program and the display of information by the superimpose or on-screen display can be matched between the transmitting side and the receiving side. .

Further, the control unit can hold a plurality of predetermined control information formats and manage these formats by a code. Therefore, the information on the on-screen display can be superimposed on the appropriate position and time of the program, and the user interface that reduces discomfort to the user and makes it more familiar is provided to simplify the operation and make it easier to use. It is possible to reduce the data transfer amount by managing the control information based on the display form such as the position and the order by the code.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a user terminal side of an interactive TV system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a format example of a display screen of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an overall block diagram of an interactive TV system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 CPU 7 Display format display function section 8 Display format recording memory 20 Video output section

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. In an interactive TV system for displaying information based on a provided program and displaying information by superimposing or on-screen display together, and controlling the information, the superimposing or on-screen display is used. A display format recording memory for recording a display format of information, a display format display function section for instructing a display format of information by the superimpose or on-screen display based on the recorded content of the display format recording memory, and the display A video output unit for displaying the program display and the information by the superimpose or on-screen display together based on an instruction from the format display function unit; In order to ensure consistency between the reception side and the display form of the program display and the display of information by the superimpose or on-screen display, the information is determined by a control information format based on the display form determined in advance. Interactive TV system including a control unit for controlling the on-screen display of the above. 2. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein the format of the control information is determined in advance through a telephone line through a modem. 3. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined control information format is managed by a code, and a plurality of the formats are held. 4. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein the format to be used as the control information is determined by a code sent by broadcasting. 5. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein which format is used as control information is determined by a G code or a bar code. 6. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein the control information format is recorded on a recording medium built in or attached externally. 7. The bidirectional T according to claim 1, wherein the user adjusts the format of the control information by using a remote controller.
V system. 8. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein the control information format is added or rewritten by a bar code. 9. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein the control information format is added or rewritten by a code sent by broadcasting. 10. The bidirectional T according to claim 1, wherein the format of the control information is controlled by a built-in timer.
V system. 11. The interactive TV system according to claim 1, wherein the format of the control information is described in a simple language.