JPH11261976A - Receiver capable of displaying program information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and accurately recognize the broadcasting condition of a desired program by extracting a character code related to a specified character code from program information and displaying a character corresponding to the character code in the prescribed area of a program chart. SOLUTION: A data extraction part 109 extracts program information from data information outputted from a signal separation part 102, decodes it and outputs it to a data storage part 110. The data storage part 110 stores the program information, and a display data preparation part 111 prepares and outputs an image data of the program chart based on outputted program guide information. At this time, the display data preparation part 111 refers to the dictionary of the character code stored in a memory 114 and converts the character code included in the program information to a display data of the character corresponding to it. Then, the image date of the program chart outputted from the display data preparation part 111 are inputted to an image synthesis part 106. Images outputted from the image synthesis part 106 are displayed on a display part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a receiving apparatus capable of receiving program information superimposed on, for example, a television broadcast signal and transmitting the program information and displaying a program table.
The present invention relates to a receiving apparatus which has been improved so that the contents of a desired program can be easily grasped from displayed information in a limited information display space of a program table.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in digital broadcasting using a communication satellite or the like, program information for displaying a program table or the like on a screen of a receiving device such as a television receiver has been transmitted together with video information of the program. It has come to come. The program information includes information on the title, detailed information, broadcast time, channel, and program category (movie, sport, drama, etc.) of each program.

[0003] On the other hand, a receiving device such as a television receiver for receiving a television broadcast on which such program information is superimposed, based on the program information received together with the video information.
By creating and displaying on the screen a program guide that lists the broadcast status and schedule of multiple programs, which channel and what content will be broadcast to the user to the user Is configured to provide program guide information about. This program table is displayed on the screen in, for example, a table format based on a time axis and a broadcast station axis, or a list format for each program category.

[0004]

When a program guide is displayed on the screen of the receiving apparatus, a certain character size is required in view of the resolution of the display and the viewing distance, and each program must be compatible. Since the information display area allocated by the program is limited, the amount of information that can be displayed for each program is also limited.

[0005] When information such as a received program title is displayed on a screen, some programs have a program title for the program and a content title for the content. For example, if the information on the title of a certain program is “Friday road show“ Paris holiday ””, “Friday road show” corresponds to the program title, and “Paris holiday” corresponds to the content title. When such title information is displayed in the information display area corresponding to the program in the program guide, for example, the information display area 30 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, only the program title (in this example, only the “Friday Road Show” section is displayed), or only a part of the program title and the content title may be displayed. In this case, the viewer does not understand the contents of the program, and it is difficult to determine whether the program is the program desired by the viewer.

When a program table is displayed in the above-mentioned table format or the like, it is difficult to recognize whether the program being displayed is currently being broadcast, from now on, or at a time before now.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a receiving apparatus capable of displaying a program table in which program contents can be easily recognized. is there.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a receiving apparatus which can easily identify whether a program displayed on a program table is currently being broadcast.

[0009]

To achieve the first object, a receiving apparatus according to the present invention receives program information including a plurality of character codes, and receives program information corresponding to the character codes from the received program information. A character code related to a specific character code is extracted from the program information, and a character corresponding to the character code is extracted from the program information. The display is configured to be displayed in a predetermined area of the table. In short, a part related to the content title is extracted and displayed from the information related to the title included in the program information.

[0010] More specifically, if the title information is transmitted in such a form that the content title is sandwiched between a set of brackets (""), for example, the set of program information is included in the set of program information. The first specific character code (") corresponding to each of the brackets
And a second specific character code ("), a character code therebetween is extracted, and a character corresponding to the character code is displayed in an information area corresponding to the program in the program table.

Of course, the specific character code does not have to correspond to the brackets. In other words, the character code extraction process may be performed when the content title is easier to grasp the program content than the program title. No problem. Programs whose category belongs to movies,
Since the content title is easier to grasp the program content than the program title, it is preferable to perform the character code extraction processing on the program information of the program belonging to the category movie.

The above program information may be transmitted by being superimposed on a television broadcast, or may be transmitted via a network such as a communication line.

According to such a configuration, the information which can easily identify the contents of the program is extracted and displayed. Therefore, even if the information display area for each program in the program table is small, useful program information can be obtained. Can be provided to the viewer.

[0014] A receiving apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the second object is a receiving apparatus capable of displaying a program table based on received program information, wherein a program selected from the program table is displayed. Is displayed when the selected program is being broadcast when the selected program is being broadcast.

According to such a configuration, the broadcast status of a desired program can be easily and accurately grasped.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment according to the present invention, wherein 101 is a signal input terminal, 102 is a signal separation unit, 103 is an image processing unit, 104 is an image reproduction unit,
5 is an image processing unit, 106 is an image synthesis unit, 107 is a signal output terminal, 108 is an information processing unit, 109 is a data extraction unit,
110 is a data storage unit, 111 is a display data creation unit, 1
12, a central processing unit; and 113, an external control input unit.

Next, the operation will be described. First, to the signal input terminal 101, a terrestrial broadcast received by an antenna (not shown), a satellite broadcast such as CS or BS, or a signal transmitted via a communication line or the like is input. This transmission signal is obtained by superimposing, in the form of a digital signal, program information which is data for creating a program guide, for example, in a vertical retrace period of a video signal constituting a video of a program. The program information includes a broadcast date and time, a program title, program information, a program category, and the like for each program. Character information indicating a program title or the like is represented by a 2-byte character code defined by JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) used in personal computers and the like. For example, the character code representing the alphabetical letter "A" is "2341", and the character code representing the hiragana "na" is "244A". Also, information on the program category is added for each program broadcasted as an identification code indicating the type of “movie”, “news”, “drama”, etc. for each program, and the channel information is the same. .

The signal input to the signal input terminal 101 is
The signal is supplied to a signal separation unit 102, which separates image information including a video signal and data information including various types of program information from the input signal and outputs the separated information. The information is output to information processing section 108. The image processing unit 103 processes, processes, and outputs the input image signal so that it can be displayed on a screen. For example, the image processing unit 103 includes an image reproducing unit 104 and an image processing unit 105, and reproduces image information encoded by the image reproducing unit 104 into an original image. The reproduced image is input to the image processing unit 105, where the image is processed for brightness, contrast, contour correction, image reduction and enlargement, and input to the image synthesis unit 106.

The information processing unit 108 includes a signal separation unit 102
And creates and outputs image data of a program guide based on the program information included in the data information separated by. The information processing unit 108 includes, for example, a data extraction unit 109, a data storage unit 110, and a display data creation unit 111. Data extraction section 109 extracts and decodes program information from the data information output from signal separation section 102 and outputs the program information to data storage section 110. Data storage unit 11
0 stores the input program information and outputs it to the display data creation unit 111 when creating the image data of the program guide.
The display data creation unit 111 creates and outputs image data of a program guide based on the program guide information output from the data storage unit 110. At this time, the display data creation unit refers to the character code dictionary stored in the memory 114 and converts the character code included in the program information into display data of the corresponding character. Then, the image data of the program guide output from the display data creation unit 111 is input to the image synthesis unit 106.

The data storage unit 110 stores broadcast time for each channel using one axis as time and the other axis as a channel, as described in newspapers and magazines, and for each category regardless of channel. The program information is stored in the form of a category-specific program list in which programs are classified. The display form of the program guide displayed on the screen is determined by the storage form. The program guide displayed on the screen corresponding to the storage format indicating the broadcast time for each channel is, for example, a display format as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (hereinafter, referred to as a first display format). In the storage form of the program list, for example, a display form as shown in FIG. 6 (hereinafter, referred to as a second display form) is provided.

The information processing unit 108 also performs a process for extracting a specific character code from the program information stored in the data storage unit. This will be described later.

The image synthesizing unit 106 synthesizes the image signal output from the image processing unit 105 and the image data of the information program guide output from the display data generating unit 111 into one image and outputs the image. The output image is output from the signal output terminal 107 and displayed on a screen by a display unit (not shown).

Here, the central processing unit 112 responds to a command from a remote control or the like operated by a viewer input from the external control input unit 113, and the image processing unit 103 and the information processing unit 10
8 is performed. For example, the image processing unit 103 controls the display size of the image and the image quality correction. Also,
For the information processing unit 108, control of accumulation of program information,
Edit, search, and control or process the display mode.

When a command for displaying a program guide is received from, for example, a remote control 200 for a television receiver shown in FIG. 3, the display data creation unit 111 refers to time information indicating the current time from the clock device 115, and The programs currently being broadcast and the programs thereafter are displayed on the screen according to a predetermined format such as the first display mode or the second display mode described above. This command is issued, for example, by pressing the program guide button 201 of the remote controller 200.

Here, due to the number of characters that can be displayed in the information display area for each program, not all information of the program title is displayed depending on the program, but usually, from the first character of the program title to the number of characters that can be displayed. The Rukoto. Further, the program guide information transmitted by broadcast radio waves or communication may be transmitted in the same format as that already distributed to newspapers, magazines, etc. due to the efficiency of the program information distributor. That is, as described above, there are two pieces of information representing the title of a program, a program title for the program and a content title for the content of the program. In the area, only the program title or only a part of the program title and the content title are displayed. In such a case, it is difficult to understand the program contents from the information displayed in the information display area. For example, if a title such as “Friday Western Movie Theater” or “Friday Road Show” is added to the beginning of the title of the movie program and sent, the information display areas 301 and 302 are displayed as shown in FIG. Is "Friday Western Movie Theater"
"Friday Road Show" is displayed. For this reason, the viewer may want to know the title of the movie, but does not know the title.

Therefore, in the present invention, when the program information is sent in the same format as that distributed to newspapers, magazines, etc.,
By extracting and displaying a portion where the contents of the program appear more or less specifically, that is, a content title, the contents of the program can be grasped more. Since the content title is usually sandwiched between a set of brackets, in the present invention, the process of extracting the content title is performed by extracting a character code sandwiched between the set of brackets. This processing will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

Here, since the content title extraction processing is effective for a program whose category is a movie, an example in which the category is a movie will be described as an example. Of course, there is information that is sandwiched between a pair of brackets (for example, the title of a drama and the title of the episode enclosed in brackets, such as “Life Story“ Reunion ”). In the case of a movie program, the viewer may think that the movie title "Back Down" is more desired information than the information of "Friday Western Movie Theater". It is difficult to recognize the program content only by the title, and the title of the drama or the like is necessary information. Therefore, in the present invention, the information in the brackets is extracted and displayed only for the category of the movie program. Of course, if it is effective to extract the information in parentheses in a category other than a movie, such a case may be used.

First, in step 120, the input of program information is started, and the program information is stored in the data storage unit 111. When the work of storing the program information in the data storage unit is completed, the process proceeds to step 121. In step 121, the display data creation unit 111 causes the data storage unit 11
The program information corresponding to the program whose category is a movie is selected from the program information stored in 1. This process
This is performed by comparing an identifier representing a category added for each program with an identifier stored in advance in the memory 114, for example, and selecting program information that matches. If the category is not a movie, the process proceeds to step 124 without performing the content title extraction process in step 122, and the program information output process is performed.

If the category is movie,
In step 122, the content title is extracted. It is assumed that the title information included in the program information at this time is “Friday Western Movie Theater“ Back Town ””.
In this case, since the content title is sandwiched between a set of brackets (""), a plurality of character codes included in the selected program information and a character corresponding to the set of brackets stored in the memory 114, for example. The code, "215
6 "(corresponding to"")and" 2157 "(corresponding to""), the content title can be extracted. This extraction process is performed in the display data creation unit 111. The display data creation unit 111 compares the selected program information with the character codes stored in the memory 114 sequentially for each character, and starts the character code extraction operation when the character code matches “2156”. When the character code matches the character code “2157”, the extraction operation ends. In this way, the character code corresponding to the content title sandwiched between a set of parentheses, in this example, "back
The character code corresponding to "town" can be extracted.

The character code extracted in this way is
In step 123, in the information display area of the program,
Instead of the originally displayed display data ("Friday Western Movie Theater" in this example), it is displayed. Examples of this display are shown in FIGS.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the present invention is used in the first display mode. In the conventional case, as shown in FIG.
In the information display areas 301 and 302 corresponding to movie programs, only a program title or a part of a program title and a content title are displayed, such as "Friday Western Movie Theater" Bat "," Friday Road Show ". By using the information display area 30 as shown in FIG.
At 3 and 304, the titles of the contents, that is, "back town" and "Paris holiday" are displayed. still,
In this example, the parentheses originally existing in the program information are not displayed. Brackets may be displayed if there is some room in the information display area.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which the present invention is used in the second display mode. Similarly to the display example shown in FIG. 5, a content title is displayed on the information display unit 305 on which the title of the program is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, since the content title, that is, the title of the movie itself has a large number of characters, it is not possible to display all of the characters, but it is possible to grasp the rough content as compared with the conventional one.

Also, by operating the cursor movement keys 202 to 205 of the remote controller 200 shown in FIG. 3, the cursor (the thick black frame in FIGS. 4 to 6) is moved to the information display area of the desired program, or the cursor is moved. Enter button 206 after matching
By pressing, the full text of the content title and other detailed information may be displayed at the top of the program guide.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention. When the cursor is in the selected state of the program currently being broadcast, the character "broadcasting" is displayed on the screen. This is an embodiment in which it is easy to recognize whether the program selected by the cursor is a program currently being broadcast. This embodiment will be described by taking as an example a case where the program guide is displayed by pressing the program guide button 202 of the remote controller shown in FIG. 3 at the current time of PM8: 16.

A control signal from a remote controller is detected by a control input unit 113 shown in FIG.
By referring to the current time information from the clock device 115, the image data of the program guide is created based on the program being broadcast at the current time. At this time, it is assumed that the program currently being broadcast is selected by the cursor.

This cursor can change (move) the selected item by the following processing. When the cursor movement keys 202 to 205 of the remote controller 200 shown in FIG. 3 are operated, a control signal is detected by the control input unit 113 shown in FIG.
Tell The information processing unit 108 creates and outputs display data by moving the selection cursor position to a predetermined position based on the information obtained from the central processing unit 112.

At this time, in the information processing unit 108, whether or not the program selected by the cursor is currently being broadcast is determined by the broadcast time information of the program selected by the cursor and the current time information obtained from the clock device. Judge. If it is determined that the program selected by the cursor is currently being broadcast, "broadcasting" is displayed (316), as shown in screen 1 of FIG. In this state, the remote control 20
When the right button 205 of “0” is pressed, as shown in the screen 2, the cursor enters a state of selecting the right program. In this case, since the program is a program from 9:00 PM and is not currently being broadcast, “broadcasting” shown at 316 in the screen 2 is not displayed.

This makes it easy to recognize whether the program selected by the cursor is currently being broadcast or not,
In particular, when a program currently being broadcast is selected, a channel selection operation is facilitated.

[0039]

As described above, the present invention is directed to a receiver for displaying a program guide, in which the contents of the program information and the recognition of whether or not the selected program on the program guide is currently being broadcast can be improved. It will be easier.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a receiving device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a process of extracting and displaying a part of program information.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a remote controller used in the receiving device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a program guide in a conventional receiving apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of a display example of a program table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a display example of a program table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a program guide according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 signal input terminal 102 signal separation unit 103 image reproduction unit 104 image processing unit 105 image processing unit 106 image synthesis unit 107 signal output terminal 108 information processing unit 109 data extraction unit 110 data storage unit 111 display data creation unit 112 central processing unit 113 External control unit 114 Memory 115 Clock device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takayuki Mori 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Visual Information Media Division of Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Junichi Takesue 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Address Co., Ltd. Hitachi Image Information System (72) Inventor Nobufumi Nakagaki No. 292, Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd. Visual Information Media Division (72) Inventor Jun Haraya, Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 292 Co., Ltd. Visual Information Media Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A receiving apparatus configured to receive program information including a plurality of character codes, generate a character corresponding to the character code from the received program information, and display a program table. A character code associated with a specific character code is extracted from the program information, and a character corresponding to the character code is displayed in a predetermined area of the program table. apparatus. 2. A receiving apparatus configured to receive program information including a plurality of character codes, generate a character corresponding to the character code from the received program information, and display a program table. A configuration in which a character code between a first specific character code and a second specific character code is extracted from program information, and a character corresponding to the character code is displayed in a predetermined area of the program table. A receiving device capable of displaying program information characterized by the following. 3. A communication or broadcast signal to which program information including a plurality of character codes is added, a character corresponding to the character code is generated from the received signal, and a program table is displayed. A receiving apparatus, comprising: extracting means for extracting a character code between a first specific character code and a second specific character code from program information of a program of a specific category; A receiving device capable of displaying program information, wherein a character corresponding to the selected character code is displayed in an information display area corresponding to the program of the specific genre in the program table. 4. The first and second specific character codes are 1
4. A receiving device capable of displaying program information according to claim 2, wherein the character code corresponds to each of a pair of brackets. 5. The receiving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific category is a movie. 6. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said program information is transmitted by being added to a television broadcast. 7. The receiving apparatus capable of displaying program information according to claim 1, wherein said program information is transmitted via a communication line. 8. A receiving apparatus capable of displaying a program table based on received program information, wherein the program information includes a first title for a program and a second title for a program number content, and When the information of the program is displayed in the program guide, the second title is preferentially displayed in an information display area corresponding to the program of the specific category in the program guide. A receiving device that can display program information. 9. The receiving apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the specific category is a movie, and the second title is a title of the movie. 10. A receiving apparatus capable of displaying a program table based on received program information, wherein when a program selected from the program table is being broadcast at the time of selection, the selected program is being broadcast. A receiving device capable of displaying program information characterized by displaying notification information indicating the presence of the program information.