JPH11317914A - Digital broadcast receiver, its method and served medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the digital broadcast receiver that totally displays ancillary information relating to broadcast programs by each service provider. SOLUTION: A common interface set-top box 12 applies reception processing common to broadcast signals from plural service providers received by an antenna 11 by a command of a microprocessor 31, and a CI module 13a conducts extract processing of electronic program guide EPG data according to a format specific to plural service providers and specific reception processing including descramble processing of video and audio signals. After application of power, EPG information of plural service providers is periodically totalized in a memory 52 of the microprocessor 31 and the result is displayed as a new program list on a television receiver 3. The viewer selects an object program quickly and properly from the EPG information displayed on a display screen 3a and views the selected information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiving apparatus and method, and a providing medium, and more particularly to, for example, receiving a broadcast signal composed of main information and accompanying information from a plurality of service providers, and converting the received broadcast signal into a broadcast signal. Digital broadcast receiving apparatus and method for displaying an image based on
In addition, it relates to a providing medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the rapid progress of digital compression technology, digital recording technology, and digital transmission technology in recent years, digital broadcasting in which everything from a studio to a receiver is digitized is being realized. Even in Japan, Sky Pe
Digital satellite broadcasting is performed by rfecTV (SkyPerfect TV) and DirecTV (Director TV) (both are trade names).

According to this kind of digital broadcasting, the quality of images and sounds can be improved, and the number of channels can be increased to increase the types and amounts of programs.

FIG. 14 shows a configuration example of a conventional digital broadcast receiving apparatus. The broadcast signal received by the antenna 1 is sent to the set-top box 2 corresponding to the broadcast signal of each broadcaster (service provider). After a signal of a predetermined channel is demodulated, the broadcast signal is sent to the television receiver 3. Is displayed on the display screen 3a.

If it is desired to receive broadcast signals from a plurality of service providers, as shown in FIG.
For example, the antenna 1a and the set-top box 2a corresponding to the service provider a and the antenna 1b and the set-top box 2b corresponding to the service provider b are connected to the television receiver 3, respectively, and each broadcast signal is transmitted to the antenna 1a or the antenna. 1b, the received signal is selected and demodulated in each set-top box 2a or set-top box 2b, sent to the television receiver 3, and displayed on the display screen 3a.

[0006] Each service provider provides electronic program information (Electrical Program) so that a viewer can easily select a predetermined program from among many programs included in the broadcast signal.
m Guide (EPG)).
A desired program can be selected using the PG.

[0007]

However, in the above-described configuration, not only is the configuration of the device complicated, but also if the number of service providers increases, the viewer can use an antenna corresponding to the service provider desired to receive. 1 and the set-top box 2 need to be added.

[0008] The EPG is provided independently by each service provider, and the EPG of each service provider is provided.
Each program has a different program selection (designation) method, and viewers must become accustomed to the operation of each service provider's EPG.
There was a problem that a program could not be selected efficiently.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and a program can be efficiently selected by integrating EPGs relating to respective service providers and displaying them on a display screen, and unifying operation methods. Is to do so.

[0010]

A digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1 receives a predetermined service provider from a plurality of broadcast signals and receives and processes the selected signal. Integrated processing means for integrating the incidental information of the broadcast signals of a plurality of service providers obtained by the means, and display control means for controlling the display of the main information or the incidental information integrated by the integrated processing means And information selection means for selecting desired information from the information displayed by the display control means.

According to the digital broadcast receiving method of the present invention, there is provided a receiving step for selecting and receiving a signal of a predetermined service provider from a plurality of broadcast signals, receiving the processed signal, and processing the plurality of signals obtained in the receiving step. An integrated processing step for integrating the incidental information of the broadcast signal of the service provider, a display control step for controlling the display of the main information or the associated information integrated in the integrated processing step, and a display control step. An information selecting step of selecting desired information from the displayed information.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the receiving medium, wherein a receiving service step of selecting and receiving a signal of a predetermined service provider from a plurality of broadcast signals and receiving and processing the service, and a plurality of services obtained in the receiving processing step An integrated processing step for integrated processing of the accompanying information of the broadcast signal of the provider; a display control step for controlling the display of the main information or the accompanying information integrated in the integrated processing step; and a display control step. Computer-readable program for executing a process including an information selecting step of selecting desired information from the collected information.

[0013] In the digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the first aspect, the digital broadcast receiving method according to the eighth aspect, and the providing medium according to the ninth aspect, the accompanying information about each service provider to be received is integrated. Displayed on the display screen.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In order to clarify the correspondence between each means of the invention described in the claims and the following embodiments, When the features of the present invention are described by adding the corresponding embodiments (however, examples) in parentheses after the means, the following is obtained.
However, of course, this description does not mean that each means is limited to those described.

The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the first aspect includes a receiving processing means (for example, the tuner 33 in FIG. 2) for selecting and receiving a signal of a predetermined service provider from a plurality of broadcast signals and receiving and processing the selected signal. 2, an integrated processing unit (for example, the CPU 5 shown in FIG. 2) that integrates the accompanying information of the broadcast signals of a plurality of service providers obtained by the reception processing unit.
1), display control means (for example, graphic engine 41 in FIG. 2) for controlling display of main information or accompanying information integrated by the integration processing means, and desired information from the information displayed by the display control means. Information selecting means (for example, the remote controller 2 shown in FIG. 2)
1) is provided.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an embodiment of a network to which the present invention is applied. The antenna 11 receives a digital broadcast signal transmitted via a satellite (not shown), and outputs an RF signal to a connected CI (Common Interface) set-top box 12. The CI set-top box 12 that has received the broadcast signal as the RF signal
A common reception process (demodulation process) is performed on broadcast signals of a plurality of service providers, and the demodulated signals are transmitted to the CI modules 13a, 13b,... Via a serial bus (1394 bus) 14 of the IEEE1394 standard. . CI module 1
3a, 13b... Receive the demodulated signal, and perform a reception process (descrambling process) unique to each service provider.
Are sent to the CI set-top box 12. The CI set-top box 12 that has received this decodes the input signal and outputs it to the television receiver 3. The television receiver 3 displays the processed signal on a display screen 3a.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the CI set-top box 12 and the CI module 13a (although not shown, the CI modules 13b,... Have the same configuration).

The CI set-top box 12 has a CPU (Cen
The whole is controlled by a microprocessor 31 having a tral processing unit (51) and a memory 52.

The viewer operates the remote controller 21 when performing a channel selection operation. Remote controller 2
1 outputs an infrared operation signal corresponding to the operation. When the operation signal is input, the light receiving unit 32 photoelectrically converts the operation signal and outputs the photoelectric conversion signal to the CPU 51. The CPU 51 controls the tuner 33 based on the input operation signal, and receives a signal of a predetermined service provider.

The tuner 33 selects an RF signal of a predetermined service provider frequency in accordance with a command from the CPU 51, and outputs an IF (intermediate frequency) signal of the selected service provider signal to the demodulator 34. The demodulator 34 demodulates the input IF signal. If the demodulated signal has been subjected to service provider-specific encoding (scramble), the CPU 51 determines the common terminal t0 of the switch 35.
Is connected to the switching terminal t1 via the IEEE1394 standard interface (1394 I / F) 36 and the 1394 bus 14,
The CI module 13i (i = a, b,...) Corresponding to the selected service provider is provided with the MPEG (Mov
ing Picture Expert Group 2) and the data is transmitted in the transport format of the transport stream and descrambled. The CPU 51 also controls the CI modules 13i to 139
When a signal transmitted via the four bus 14 is received via the 1394 I / F 36, the video information and the audio information are output to the demultiplexer 37 and the EPG information is stored in the memory 52.

If the demodulated signal has not been subjected to encoding (scramble) processing, the common terminal t0 of the switch 35 is connected to the switching terminal t2, and the demodulated signal output from the demodulator 34 is directly sent to the demultiplexer 37. Sent. The demultiplexer 37 converts the input signal
The audio signal and the video signal of the channel designated by the CPU 51 are demultiplexed (extracted), and the MPEG decoder 3
8 and supplies the EPG information of each service provider to the CPU 51 and stores it in the memory 52.

The MPEG decoder 38 decodes the input video signal and audio signal according to the MPEG system, and sends the decoded signal to the synthesizing circuit 39. The EPG information is read from the memory 52 by the CPU 51, sent to the graphic engine 41, subjected to graphic processing, converted into an image signal, and then sent to the synthesizing circuit 39.

The combining circuit 39 combines the output of the MPEG decoder 38 and the output of the graphic engine 41 and sends the combined image data to the NTSC encoder 40. The NTSC encoder 40 encodes the input image data into data in the NTSC format, and outputs the data to the television receiver 3.

On the other hand, in the CI module 13a, the CPU 71
And a microprocessor 62 having a memory 72 controls the overall operation. The 1394 I / F 61 executes an interface process between the 1394 bus 14 and the CPU 71. The descrambler 63 descrambles the input signal. The CPU 71 stores the descrambled signal in the memory 72.

Next, the operation of the CI set-top box 12 will be described. The processing is performed depending on whether the EPG information has a format common to each service provider or a format specific to the service provider. different. First, the operation when the EPG information is in a format common to each service provider will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. In this process, the viewer operates the remote controller 21 to
It is executed by the CPU 51 when the power ON signal is input to the light receiving section 32 or periodically thereafter.

In step S11, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the tuner 33 can be used. If it is determined that the tuner 33 cannot be used, the process is terminated. When it is determined that the tuner 33 is usable, in step S12, the CPU 51 controls the tuner 33, selects one service provider from service providers stored in the memory 52 in advance, and selects a corresponding transport provider. Receive a signal of the frequency. The demodulator 34 demodulates the IF signal input from the tuner 33.

Further, the CPU 51 controls the switch 35, connects the common terminal t0 and the switching terminal t2, and supplies the demodulated signal to the demultiplexer 37. The demultiplexer 37 separates EPG information from the input demodulated signal.

In step S 13, the CPU 51 stores the EPG information input from the demultiplexer 37 into the memory 5.
2 Then, in step S14, the CP
The U51 determines whether there is any other service provider that has not yet received the service. If it determines that there is another service provider that has not yet received the service, the process returns to step S11, and repeats the above processing. If it is determined that there is no provider, the process ends. In this way, the memory 52 integrates and stores the EPG information of a plurality of service providers.

Next, the display operation of the program list of the CI set-top box 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S21, the CPU 51
Determines whether there is a program list display request from the viewer. That is, the viewer operates a predetermined key of the remote controller 21 when displaying the program list. The CPU 51 monitors a signal from the light receiving unit 32,
It is determined whether there is a display request for the program list, and if there is no display request, the process ends.

When a request for displaying a program list is issued,
In step 22, the CPU 51 reads out the integrated EPG information stored in the memory 52 and sends it to the graphic engine 41 together with a program list display instruction. The graphic engine 41 generates image data of a program list from the EPG information in accordance with the input command, and transfers the image data to the NTSC encoder 40 via the synthesizing circuit 39.
The NTSC encoder 40 converts the input image data of the program list into an NTSC signal,
And display it on the display screen 3a.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a program list displayed on the display screen 3a. The program list includes a service provider name display field 81, a channel display field 82 of each service provider, and a broadcast time display field 83. On each square (open square) defined by each channel and time, the program name of the program broadcast on that channel at that time is displayed, and a cursor (not shown) that can be moved for each square is displayed. The viewer can operate the remote controller 21 to move and select a predetermined program. In each of the columns 81A, 81B, 81C of the service provider name display column 81, for example, the name provider 1, provider 2,
.. Can be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a trademark (mark) such as a logo representing each service provider may be displayed. In this way, each service provider can be quickly and reliably distinguished. In addition, the name and mark are
Generated by the graphic engine 41. The underlying data may be stored in the memory 52 in advance, for example, or may be transmitted as part of the EPG information.

As shown in FIG. 7, for example, of the broadcast signal of the provider 1, the signal of the second channel is
When the descramble is performed by the CI module 13a and the video is recorded by the VTR (Video Tape Recorder) 91 via the 1394 bus 14, the CPU 51 is in a state where only the CI module 13a is independently connected to the CI set-top box 12. The same processing is performed. That is, at this time, the CPU 51
Is only currently multiplexed on the broadcast of the provider 1 (the transmission channel (transponder) including the second channel) which needs to be continuously received in the future, and the television receiver 3 It is determined that the program is viewable, and as shown in FIG. 8, a portion of the program list showing the programs that can be viewed (the first to third portions indicated by white squares).
Only the channel part) is displayed in different colors.

Further, the color-coded display of the program list can be applied not only to the viewing restriction by the device to be used but also to the viewing restriction by the reception condition. For example, a program for which a viewer does not have a viewing contract with a service provider can be clearly identified as a program whose viewing is restricted by color-coded display of a program list. In addition to the color coding, the program listing table shown in FIG. 8 may have a different frame to be distinguished from others.

Next, the operation when the EPG information is in a format unique to each service provider will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this process, the viewer operates the remote controller 21 and
It is executed by the CPU 51 when a power ON signal is input via the light receiving unit 32 or periodically thereafter.

In step S31, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the tuner 33 can be used. When it is determined that the tuner 33 cannot be used, the process ends. If it is determined that the tuner 33 can be used, step S32
The CPU 51 controls the tuner 33 to tune to the carrier frequency of the broadcast signal of one service provider, and causes the demodulator 34 to demodulate the broadcast signal of the service provider. The CPU 51 also controls the switch 35 to connect the common terminal t0 and the switching terminal t1, and transfers the demodulated signal to the corresponding CI module 13i via the 1394 I / F 36 and the 1394 bus 14.

In step S33, the CI module 1
The CPU 71 of the 3i (for example, the CI module 13a)
When a signal of the service provider is received via the 4I / F 61, the signal is supplied to the descrambler 63 and descrambled. The CPU 71 further extracts EPG information from the descrambled signal and causes the memory 72 to store the information.

In step S34, the CPU 51
Request the transfer of EPG data to 71. In response to this request, the CPU 71 reads out the EPG data stored in the memory 72, and reads the EPG data from the 1394 I / F 61 via the 1394 bus 14,
Send to set-top box 12. CPU 51 is 1394 I / F
When the EPG data is received via the E.36, the EPG data unique to each service provider is converted into a predetermined format (combined format) set in advance,
The data is sent to the memory 52 and stored.

In step S35, the CPU 51 determines whether there is any other signal of the service provider that has not been received yet. If it is determined that there is another signal of the service provider that has not been received yet, the CPU 51 proceeds to step S3.
Returning to step 1, the above processing is repeated, and if it is determined that there is no signal of the service provider that has not been received, the processing is terminated.

The program list displayed in this case is as follows:
This is the same as the case shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, or FIG.

Next, the display operation of the program will be described.
When a program list such as that shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display screen 3 a of the television receiver 3, the viewer operates the remote controller 21 to move the cursor to a desired program position. Make a decision.
When the operation signal is input, the CPU 51 controls the tuner 33 to receive the carrier frequency of the broadcast signal of the selected program. The demodulator 34 demodulates the service provider broadcast signal received by the tuner 33.

The CPU 51 determines whether or not the selected broadcast signal has been scrambled (the presence or absence of scramble is included in the EPG data). The common terminal t0 and the switching terminal t2 are connected, and the demodulated signal is supplied to the demultiplexer 37.

When it is determined that the selected broadcast signal has been scrambled, the CPU 51 connects the common terminal t0 and the switching terminal t1 of the switch 35, and transmits the demodulated signal to the corresponding CI module 13i. To be supplied. The CPU 71 causes the signal descrambled by the descrambler 63 to be transferred to the CI set-top box 12. This signal is supplied to the demultiplexer 37 via the 1394 I / F 36.

The demultiplexer 37 extracts a signal of a channel corresponding to a command from the CPU 51 from the supplied signal, and outputs the signal to the MPEG decoder 38. The MPEG decoder 38 decodes the input signal according to the MPEG system, and outputs the decoded signal to the NTSC encoder 40 via the synthesizing circuit 39. The NTSC encoder 40 converts the input signal into a signal of the NTSC system, outputs the signal to the television receiver 3, and displays the signal on the display screen 3a.

Next, the viewing state display operation will be described.

When the viewer operates the remote controller 21 to instruct a viewing state display, the CPU 51 reads out the image data of the receivable service provider icon from the EPG information stored in the memory 52, and executes the graphic engine operation. 41. The graphic engine 41 converts the input icon data into image data, and outputs the image data through the synthesizing circuit 39 and the NTSC encoder 40.
Output to the television receiver 3 and display screen 3a thereof,
It is displayed as shown in FIG. This allows the viewer to know how many CI modules 13i are connected to the network. In the example of FIG.
Four icons 101 of provider 1 to provider 4
a to 101d are displayed. The viewer operates the remote controller 21 to move the cursor, thereby selecting a desired icon from the icons 101a of the provider 1 to the icons 101d of the provider 4, and displaying information on the viewing state of the selected service provider. Obtainable.

For example, when the icon 101a is selected,
The CPU 51 stores the provider 1 stored in the memory 52
A viewing state display message is formed based on the viewing data included in the EPG data. Then, the CPU 51 controls the graphic engine 41, and as shown in FIG.
1 displays the name of the service provider (CI module 13i) and the generated display message in the display field 112. From this display, the viewer can check the current viewing state for the selected service provider. In the display example of FIG. 11, whether or not the viewer has an ID card (“Yes” in this example), the ID card number (“123456” in this example), and the month (in this example, The viewing fee of “October” is displayed.

The icons 101a to 101d and the display of the service provider display column 111 are more clearly displayed by using a mark such as a logo of each service provider as shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. Service providers can be distinguished.

As described above, the CI set-top box 1
2, a common receiving process is performed on the broadcast signals of a plurality of service providers received by the antenna 11, and the CI module 13i processes a unique format of the program data for the plurality of service providers;
A unique receiving process including a descrambling process is executed, and EPG information of a plurality of service providers is integrated and displayed on the display screen 3a of the television receiver 3, and thus provided by a plurality of service providers. Unified programs are selected.

In the above description, the main information is video information and audio information, and EPG information is taken as an example of the accompanying information. However, the present invention can be applied to the case of transmitting other information.

In the present specification, provided media for providing a viewer with a computer program for executing the above processing include information recording media such as magnetic disks and CD-ROMs, and networks such as the Internet and digital satellites. Transmission media.

[0051]

According to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the first aspect, the digital broadcast receiving method according to the eighth aspect, and the providing medium according to the ninth aspect, companion information regarding each service provider to be received is comprehensively obtained. So that the operation method can be unified, and from many channels across multiple service providers,
It is possible to select and view a target program quickly and accurately, and to view the program efficiently and effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network to which a digital broadcast receiving apparatus to which the present invention is applied is connected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a CI set-top box and a CI module of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an EPG signal receiving operation of the CI set-top box in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a program list display operation of the CI set-top box in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of a program list.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of a program list.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of another network to which a digital broadcast receiving device to which the present invention is applied is connected.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another display example of the program list.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another EPG signal receiving operation of the CI set-top box of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a viewing state display screen.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a viewing state display screen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a viewing state display screen.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a viewing state display screen.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network to which a conventional digital broadcast receiving device is connected.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network to which a conventional digital broadcast receiving device is connected.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1a, 1b antenna, 2, 2a, 2b set-top box, 3 television receiver, 3a display screen, 11 antenna, 12 CI set-top box, 13a, 13b CI module, 14 13
94 bus, 21 remote controller, 31 microprocessor, 32 light receiver, 33 tuner,
34 demodulator, 35 switch, 36 1394 I / F,
37 demultiplexer, 38 MPEG decoder,
39 synthesis circuit, 40 NTSC encoder, 41 graphic engine, 51 CPU, 52 memory,
61 1394 I / F, 62 Microprocessor, 6
3 descrambler, 71 CPU, 72 memory,
91 VTR

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A digital broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving a broadcast signal including main information and accompanying information from a plurality of service providers and displaying an image based on the received broadcast signal, comprising: Receiving processing means for selecting and receiving one of the service providers, and integrating processing means for integrating the accompanying information of the broadcast signals of the plurality of service providers obtained by the receiving processing means; A display control unit that controls display of the main information or the accompanying information integrated by the integration processing unit; and an information selection unit that selects desired information from the information displayed by the display control unit. A digital broadcast receiving device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reception processing means performs common reception processing on a plurality of said broadcast signals. 3. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said reception processing means further performs a unique reception process corresponding to each of the plurality of broadcast signals. 4. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said integrated information is EPG information of said plurality of service providers. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display control means further controls display of reception condition information of the program.
Digital broadcast receiver described in 6. The display control means detects another device connected to the network to which the digital broadcast receiving device is connected, and receives a program reception condition based on the detected operation status of the other device. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein display of information is controlled. 7. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit further controls display of a mark representing the plurality of service providers. 8. A digital broadcast receiving method of a digital broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving a broadcast signal including main information and accompanying information from a plurality of service providers and displaying an image based on the received broadcast signal, A reception processing step of selecting and receiving a signal of a predetermined service provider from among the signals, receiving and processing the selected signal, and a comprehensive processing of integrating the accompanying information of the broadcast signals of the plurality of service providers obtained in the reception processing step Information processing step; a display control step of controlling display of the main information or the accompanying information integrated in the integration processing step; and information for selecting desired information from the information displayed in the display control step. And a selecting step. 9. A digital broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving a broadcast signal including main information and accompanying information from a plurality of service providers and displaying an image based on the received broadcast signal, comprising: A receiving process step of selecting and receiving a service provider of the service provider, and an integrating process step of integrating the accompanying information of the broadcast signals of the plurality of service providers obtained in the receiving process step; A display control step of controlling display of the main information or accompanying information integrated in the integration processing step; and an information selection step of selecting desired information from the information displayed in the display control step. A providing medium for providing a computer-readable program for executing a process.