KR100658883B1 - Method of channel infomation interfacing for digital image device and set-top box - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for interfacing channel between a digital image device and an STB(Set Top Box) is provided to define a protocol for allowing a user to efficiently obtain and manage information for easily performing the channel control of the connected STB. A flag indicating channel up/down in a DSIT(Direct Select Information Type) field, a number of components field in a tuner status descriptor field, and a system_specific_component_selection_attributes field are newly defined and set up to include the entire channel number and service channel information. An STB transmits the defined field message to a digital image device, and shares channel map data. The digital image device parses the received channel map data, and operates channel up/down information and channel table information.

Description

Method of channel infomation interfacing for digital image device and set-top box}

1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a DTV system.

2 is according to an embodiment of the present invention

The present invention relates to a channel information interface between a digital video device and a set top box (hereinafter referred to as STB), and more particularly to a digital TV that allows a DTV user to efficiently obtain and manage information for easy channel control of the STB. The present invention relates to a channel information interface method of a video device and a set-top box.

Recently, digitalization of broadcast media is rapidly progressing worldwide, and digital broadcasting of terrestrial broadcasting and satellite broadcasting has started in Korea. In Korea, where more than 60% of all TV receiving households are receiving broadcasts through the wired network, the digitalization of cable broadcasting is a little late compared to satellite and terrestrial waves. It is becoming.

The Ministry of Information and Communication has been working on the digitalization of cable broadcasting since 1999. In 2001, the US-based Open Cable standard was selected as the domestic digital voice broadcasting standard. In the United States, cable broadcasting is almost monopolized by the largest portion of the overall broadcast market, making it closed from the equipment market perspective. In order to eliminate this closedness, since 2005, the part related to CA is separated from STB.

As described above, the STB necessary for receiving digital broadcasting such as satellite broadcasting and terrestrial broadcasting includes information on a channel list because channel information is included in the received broadcasting data.

In general, STB adopts IEEE1394 and can be divided into Japanese satellite BS / CS STB and North American cable STB.

The Japanese satellite BS / CS STB can now select either BS specific channels or CS specific channels regardless of the BS mode or CS mode. However, there is no function to select a channel up / down based on the current channel in the found channel table such as channel up / down.

In addition, although the network information table can be known by parsing in the actual BS / CS tuner, the current specification of IEEE1394 is to subtract the network information table and output PSI (Program Specific Information) / PSIP information to IEEE1394.

Therefore, even if the STB stream is parsed by the DTV, the channel table is not known, and there is a problem in that a means for delivering the channel table is not provided through the protocol.

In addition, the North American cable STB only provides a way to determine the overall channel status by only channel up / down, so there is a problem that a specific channel cannot be selected.

The present invention is to solve this problem, to provide a channel information interface method of the digital video device and the set-top box by defining a protocol for efficiently obtaining and managing information to facilitate channel control of the set-top box connected to the digital video device user The purpose is.

In order to achieve the above object, the channel information interface method of the digital video device and the set-top box according to the present invention,

A method for interfacing channel information between a digital video device and a set-top box, the method comprising: (a) a flag indicating channel up / down in a DSIT (Direct Select Information Type) field, a number of components field in a Tuner Status Descriptor field, and a system_specific_component_selection_attributes field Defining a new value to set the total channel number and service channel information; (b) the set-top box sharing the channel map data by transmitting the field message defined in step (a) to the digital imaging device; And (c) parsing the received channel map data to operate channel up / down and channel table information.

The flag indicating the channel up / down in the DSIT field is defined as a channel direct selection, channel up and channel down flag using the upper 8 bits of service_id in the DSIT field.

The number of components field in the Tuner Status Descriptor field may include information on the number of all channels that can be currently serviced, and the system_specific_component_selection_attributes field may be defined to include number information of a serviced channel.

The digital video device and the set-top box are connected by IEEE1394, and the set-top box is a Japanese BS / CS set-top box.

In addition, the channel information interface method of the digital video device and the set-top box according to another aspect of the present invention, in the method for interfacing channel information between the digital video device and the set-top box, (a) the reserved operation_id of the PASS THROUGH command format; defining a descriptor for transmitting new channel map information, wherein operation_data_field_length and operation_data are defined as information fields for channel map data transmission, respectively; (b) requesting channel map information from the digital imaging device to the set-top box by using the newly defined descriptor; And (c) transmitting, by the set-top box, the channel map information to the digital imaging apparatus using the newly defined descriptor in response to the channel map information request.

In the step (a), the newly defined field for transmitting channel map information may include a field for requesting channel map information and a field for channel number information in service in response to the channel map information request; And a field for channel number information in service.

The set top box is characterized in that the cable set-top box of the North American method.

As mentioned above, the channel information interface method of the digital video device and the set-top box according to the present invention provides a simple channel map and reasonable channel up / down to the user by delivering the channel map of the set-top box to the digital video device. Hereinafter, the channel information interface method of the digital video apparatus and the set-top box will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, in the following description of the present invention, a detailed description will be omitted for the known parts.

1 shows a configuration of protocol contents for channel map delivery of a Japanese STB according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the Japanese STB is connected to the DTV via IEEE1394, and data exchange between the DTV and the STB is performed according to a set protocol.

In order to provide a channel up / down function by delivering the channel map to the DTV, the Japanese STB supplements a Direct Select Information Type (DSIT) command among protocols used.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to provide channel up / down using a DSIT command.

That is, when the DTV sends a DSIT command to the STB, the STB looks at the corresponding channel up / down flag and selects the up / down viewable channel from the current STB channel.

To do this, use the Service_ID item in the DSIT command. As shown in FIG. 1, the Service_ID item is a 16-bit information item. If the upper 8 bits are '0' using the upper 8 bits, the Service_ID item is a direct tune flag and '1'. If it is a channel up flag, it is defined so that it can be set as a channel down flag.

In this manner, an effect of adding a channel up / down command is provided, and the channel up / down function can be provided in the Japanese STB.

STB uses the following protocol descriptor to deliver channel map to DTV.

2 shows contents of a protocol for channel map transmission of a Japanese STB according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the channel map can be transmitted by modifying the content of the tuner state script in the protocol as in the case of FIG. 1.

In other words, the 16-bit data type that combines reserved and component_tag in the system_specific_service_selection_attributes field in the tuner status descriptor can be specified 999 ranges, so that channel number information can be included in the field of the number of component. It is set as the total channel number value of the parsed channel map.

In other words, the number of component information is included in the number of all serviceable channels, and the channel number is put in a 16-bit data type that combines reserved and component_tag in the system_specific_service_selection_attributes field.

1 and 2, the Japanese STB can provide a channel up / down function and channel map information to the DTV.

3 shows a configuration of protocol contents for providing a channel table of an STB of a North American method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to transmit channel table information to the DTV, the North American STB requests the channel table to the STB using the GetChannelMapDescriptor protocol, and the STB transmits the current channel table to the DTV in the form of a descriptor.

In the current North American STB, in order to implement a protocol for importing a channel table, a new protocol can be added by applying an existing protocol.

As shown in FIG. 3, the GetChannelMapDescriptor control command is applied to the existing CEA931 protocol and newly defines a reserved operation_id not defined in the PASS THROUGH command format of the existing CEA931.

The GetChannelMapDescriptor response is implemented by defining the operation_data field_length of the control command as net_channel_count and displaying the operation_data as the entire channel_number [].

According to the above method, the Japanese BS / CS STB delivers each BS / CS channel table to the DTV by parsing the network information table in the satellite stream, and the cable STB of the North American method can transfer the channel map as it is to the DTV.

In the channel information interface method of the digital video device and the set-top box according to an embodiment of the present invention, the Japanese BS / CS STB provides a channel up / down function and provides a channel map to the DTV, and the North American cable STB also provides a channel to the DTV. There is a feature to provide map information, it is easy for those skilled in the art to correctly understand the present invention to create another embodiment by the selection of components within the scope of the invention.

As described above, the channel information interface method of the digital video device and the set-top box according to the present invention can modify or add protocols of Japanese BS / CS STB and North American cable STB to improve channel up / down functions and channel map transmission. It enables the user to easily check the desired channel while viewing the channel map, and the developer has the effect of facilitating the interface with the upper layer by receiving the channel table retrieved from the STB as it is.

Claims (7)

A method for interfacing channel information between a digital imaging device and a set-top box, (a) Defining a flag indicating channel up / down in the DSIT (Direct Select Information Type) field, a number of components field in the Tuner Status Descriptor field, and a system_specific_component_selection_attributes field are newly defined to include the total number of channels and service channel information. Doing; (b) the set-top box sharing the channel map data by transmitting the field message defined in step (a) to the digital imaging device; And (c) the digital imaging device parsing the received channel map data to operate channel up / down and channel table information; Channel information interface method of the digital imaging device and the set-top box comprising a. The method of claim 1, The flag indicating channel up / down in the DSIT field is A channel information interface method of a digital video apparatus and a set-top box, which are defined as channel selection, channel up and channel down flags using the upper 8 bits of service_id in the DSIT field. The method of claim 1, The number of components field in the Tuner Status Descriptor field includes information on the number of all channels that can be currently serviced, and the system_specific_component_selection_attributes field defines channel numbers of the serviced channels. Information interface method. The method of claim 1, The digital video device and the set-top box is connected to the IEEE1394, the set-top box is a Japanese BS / CS set-top box channel information interface method of the set-top box, characterized in that. A method for interfacing channel information between a digital imaging device and a set-top box, (a) defining a descriptor for transmitting new channel map information defining reserved operation_id of the PASS THROUGH instruction format, and operation_data_field_length and operation_data as information fields for channel map data transmission, respectively; (b) requesting channel map information from the digital imaging device to the set-top box by using the newly defined descriptor; And (c) the set-top box transmitting the channel map information to the digital imaging apparatus using the newly defined descriptor in response to the channel map information request. Channel information interface method of the digital imaging device and the set-top box comprising a. The method of claim 5, In the step (a), the field for transmitting newly defined channel map information, Fields for requesting channel map information, A field for channel number information in service in response to a channel map information request; And Field for channel number information in service Channel information interface method of the digital video device and the set-top box comprising a. The method of claim 5, The set-top box is a cable set-top box of the North American type cable, characterized in that the channel information interface method of the set-top box.

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