KR101241886B1 - Digital broadcast receiver processing EPG service and method of thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiver and a method for processing an electronic program guide (EPG) service provided through various routes. The digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention receives EPG data provided through a first route. Tuner unit for slicing (slicing); An MPEG decoder for decoding EPG data sliced and received by the tuner unit; A first interface interface for receiving EPG data provided through the second path; A first control unit for exchanging data with a system and controlling the first interface unit to be connected in a specific manner; And a second controller for processing the EPG data provided through each path and controlling to display the processed EPG data. Therefore, according to the present invention, an EPG service provided through various paths can be processed through one receiver, and a user can select and view any one of EPG services provided through various paths. And service providers can improve their revenue structure by increasing the number of service users.

Digital broadcasting, electronic program guide (EPG), broadband, gemstar, ms (microsoft)

Description

Digital broadcast receiver processing method and digital broadcasting system for processing EP service

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a digital broadcast receiver configured to process an EPG service provided through various paths according to the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of processing an EPG service provided through various paths according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

101; Tuner section 102; MPEG decoder

103; A conversion unit 104; Display part

105; A second control unit 106; First interface part

107; A first control unit 108; Second interface unit

The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiver and method for processing an electronic program guide (EPG) service.

The broadcasting environment is changing rapidly from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. However, it is not yet completely replaced by analog broadcast to digital broadcast. As the two broadcast environments coexist, the situation is gradually replaced by digital broadcast.

As the broadcasting environment is gradually digitalized, researches related to EPG services, which are the basic and core services of the digital broadcasting, are being actively conducted.

Currently, the transmitting side provides the EPG service to the user through a specific route. Therefore, the receiving side has a disadvantage in that the EPG service cannot be provided to the user unless a system capable of processing the EPG service provided through the specific path is provided.

Therefore, there was a problem in that the receiving side could not sufficiently reflect the user's request, and at the same time, there was a problem in that the receiving side could not generate sufficient profit due to the limited range of the receiving side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcast receiver and method for processing an electronic program guide (EPG) service provided through various paths.

In order to achieve the above object, an example of a digital broadcast receiver configured to process an electronic program guide (EPG) service provided through various paths according to the present invention is to receive and slice EPG data provided through a first path ( a tuner unit for slicing; An MPEG decoder for decoding EPG data sliced and received by the tuner unit; A first interface interface for receiving EPG data provided through the second path; A first control unit for exchanging data with a system and controlling the first interface unit to be connected in a specific manner; And a second controller for processing the EPG data provided through each path and controlling to display the processed EPG data.

In this case, it is preferable to further include a second interface unit for interfacing to receive the EPG data provided through the third path.

And it is preferable that the first path uses a terrestrial.

In addition, it is preferable that the second path uses a broadband.

And it is preferable that the third path uses a removable storage device.

In addition, the EPG data transmitted through the first path is preferably Gemstar EPG data.

The EPG data transmitted through the second path is preferably microsoft EPG data.

In addition, the first interface unit is preferably a local area network port.

The first controller is preferably an Ethernet controller.

In addition, the specific method is preferably an Ethernet method.

The second interface unit is preferably a universal serial bus (USB).

According to the present invention, an example of a method of processing an electronic program guide (EPG) service provided through various paths includes determining a route through which EPG data is provided; Downloading EPG data through a corresponding route according to the determination result; And processing and displaying the downloaded EPG data.

In this case, the method may further include setting an EPG service provided through a specific path among the EPG services provided through the various paths. The setting may include setting an EPG service provided through the specific path. It is desirable to be able to set at least one of a region code, date / time, external set-top and local service provider for receiving.

In addition, the setting process may set a dynamic IP (internet protocol) or a fixed IP when the EPG service provided through the specific path is provided through a broadband (band), and can be changed and set according to the user's request It is desirable to have.

delete

And the path is preferably any one of airwaves, broadband and removable storage.

One example of a digital broadcasting system configured to process EPG services provided through various paths according to the present invention is to generate electronic program guide (EPG) data and provide the generated EPG data through various routes. EPG Service Providers; A user configured to receive an EPG service provided through a specific path among EPG services provided through various paths; And a digital broadcast receiver configured to receive and process EPG data provided through a corresponding path according to a user's setting.

In this case, the path preferably includes airwaves and broadband.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the terminology used in the present invention was selected as a general term widely used as possible now. However, in certain cases, the applicant arbitrarily selected a term, and in this case, the meaning is described in detail in the corresponding part. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be understood as meanings of the terms rather than simply names of the terms.

The operation of a digital broadcast receiver and a method for processing an electronic program guide (EPG) service provided through various paths according to the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the term "EPG" used in this specification is used to replace the letterpress schedule of the analog broadcast era in digital broadcasting, and is also referred to as an electronic program guide. In addition, unlike the letterpress table of the analog broadcasting era, the EPG can be directly switched to the corresponding program through the table on the screen. In addition, the EPG may provide additional information such as detailed information of the corresponding program, channel reservation, recording, a system operator's own advertisement transmission function, local news, weather, and events.

Therefore, the service of the EPG in digital broadcasting is the basis of the two-way service, which is the core of digital broadcasting, and is important, unlike the service of the level that provided the programming information in the analog broadcasting.

In addition, the term "broadband" as used herein is a concept opposite to a narrowband, and when using the wideband, multiple data channels may be provided in one transmission medium using frequency division multiplexing. Can be. Therefore, when using broadband, video, voice, and data can be simultaneously transmitted through multiple transmission channels.

In relation to the present invention, referring to a digital broadcasting system, an EPG service provider providing an EPG service through a large variety of paths, a user selecting an EPG service provided through a specific path and setting to receive the selected EPG service accordingly And a digital broadcast receiver for processing the EPG service provided through the path set by the user.

The EPG service provider may generate EPG data to provide the EPG service to the user, and provide the generated EPG data to the user through various paths.

The user may select an EPG service provided through one of the EPG services provided by the respective EPG service providers through different paths, and set the receiver to receive the selected EPG service.

The digital broadcast receiver may receive and process an EPG service provided through a corresponding path according to the user's setting, and may configure and display a user interface (UI) for the user.

In this case, there may be a plurality of providers providing the EPG service, and each provider may provide the EPG service through different paths. Therefore, the digital broadcast receiver should be able to process this when the user is configured to receive the EPG service provided through any one of the EPG services provided through different paths.

However, if the digital broadcasting receiver can process only EPG services provided through a specific path among EPG services provided through different paths, the user may provide the EPG service provided through the specific path through another path. The EPG service cannot be selected and cannot be viewed. This is because even if the EPG service that provides the EPG service is limited to the EPG service that can be processed by the digital broadcast receiver, the demand decreases and the profit decreases.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a digital broadcast receiver configured as shown in FIG. 1 to process an EPG service provided through various paths to satisfy both a user and an EPG service provider.

Hereinafter, in the present specification, for convenience of description, a first EPG service using radio frequency (RF) using airwaves and a second EPG service using broadband using EPG services provided through the plurality of paths. This will be described as an example. In this case, the first EPG service may include a gemstar EPG and a second EPG service, such as an MS EPG.

Accordingly, before describing a digital broadcast receiver for processing EPG services provided through a plurality of paths according to the present invention, the EPG service will be described.

First, when a broadband is not available at the receiving side, the digital broadcast receiver may receive and display a first EPG service such as a Gemstar EPG transmitted over a radio frequency (RF) using airwaves.

In this case, the provider providing the first EPG service may transmit the EPG data for the EPG service to a vertical blanking interval (VBI) line through a specific airwave channel in each region.

The digital broadcast receiver may collect information by tuning the transmitted EPG data to a specific channel through a tuner at dawn when the user does not watch television.

However, according to the first EPG service, a specific channel must be occupied for each region, and the user cannot update the EPG data while watching television. In addition, since information is transmitted through a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of an analog channel, it may take a long time to collect all EPG data.

Next, when a broadband side is available on the receiving side, the second EPG service such as MS EPG may be received and displayed to the user through the broadband rather than the above-described first EPG service. That is, the digital broadcast receiver may download EPG data through a broadband, for example, a local area network (LAN).

When the EPG data is downloaded by the second EPG service, unlike the case where the first EPG service is downloaded through a tuner, the EPG data may be updated even if the user is watching television. have. Therefore, the user may check the EPG data which can be updated while watching television, and receive only necessary data.

Therefore, when the user uses the second EPG service, the digital television receiver does not need to perform unnecessary channel tuning.

Hereinafter, a digital broadcast receiver for processing an EPG service provided through various paths according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a digital broadcast receiver configured to process an EPG service provided through various paths according to the present invention. It is a block diagram shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, an example of a digital broadcast receiver configured according to the present invention includes a tuner unit 101, a moving picture experts group decoder 102, a converter 103, and a display. A display part 104, a second control unit 105, a first interface unit 106, and a first control unit 107 may be configured to be included.

And according to the present invention is characterized in that it further comprises a second interface unit 108 in the configuration example. In addition, the receiver may itself include a hard disk and an MPEG encoder. In this case, the digital broadcast receiver may be, for example, a set-top box, a digital television, or a module of the digital television.

The tuner unit 101 may be responsible for tuning the transmitted analog and digital broadcast signals. In relation to the present invention, the tuner unit 101 may be responsible for tuning, receiving, and slicing the transmitted EPG data.

The MPEG decoder 102 may be responsible for decoding a signal input as a transport packet. In this case, the MPEG decoder 102 may receive a signal input from the tuner unit 101 as a transport packet. However, if the MPEG decoder 102 includes an MPEG encoder in the digital broadcast receiver, the MPEG decoder 102 may compress the signal. A signal may be received and decoded.

The converter 103 may be responsible for converting the signal decoded by the MPEG decoder 102 and output to the display 104. In this case, when the digitally output signal is an audio signal, the digital signal may be converted to analog and output. In addition, when the digitally output signal is a video signal, it can be converted into an analog NTSC (National Television System Committee) and output.

The display unit 104 may be responsible for a function of receiving and displaying the output of the conversion unit 103.

The second control unit 105 may be responsible for controlling the entire system together with the function of controlling each process from the time of receiving the transmitted digital broadcast signal to displaying. In this case, the second controller 105 may be, for example, a microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU).

In the context of the present invention, in the case of the first EPG service among the EPG services provided through various paths, a separate module exists in the digital television receiver or is software-controlled by the second control unit 105. The EPG service can be processed. 1 illustrates a method in which the EPG service is software-processed by the second controller 105.

That is, in the case of the first EPG service, the EPG service provider may transmit EPG data through a specific channel at dawn when the user does not watch television, and the digital television receiver transmits the transmitted EPG data to the tuner unit. Can be received via 101. In addition, the digital television receiver may decode the received EPG data under the control of the second control unit 105 to configure a separate user interface (UI) or the like and display the same when the user watches television.

However, in order to receive EPG data by the second EPG service, unlike the case of the first EPG service described above, the digital television receiver does not receive the EPG data through the tuner unit 101 but has to have a separate device. do. That is, in the case of the second EPG service, EPG data can be transmitted and received through a local area network (LAN), and the receiver must include an interface unit for receiving EPG data through the local area network (LAN).

1 illustrates an example of a digital broadcast receiver further including the interface unit according to the present invention. The present invention includes a first interface unit 106 that interfaces to receive the EPG data when the second EPG service is used. Characterized in that. In this case, the provided first interface unit 106 may be, for example, a port for connecting a local area network (LAN), which is a local area network.

In addition, according to the present invention, further comprising a first control unit 107 which is a separate control device for exchanging data with the system and controlling the first interface unit 106 to be connected in a specific manner, for example, Ethernet. It features. In this case, the first controller 107 may be, for example, an Ethernet controller.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the digital television receiver may receive and process EPG data through the first interface unit 106 under the control of the first control unit 107 in the case of the second EPG service. The processed EPG data may be configured by a separate UI (user interface) or the like as the first EPG service described above and displayed to the user.

In addition, the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention may further include a second interface unit 108. Unlike the first EPG service and the second EPG service described above, the second interface unit 108 in the digital broadcast receiver may be configured to download the EPG data to a removable storage medium or the like and to view it through the receiver. Can handle the interface to handle this. That is, the second interface unit 108 in the digital broadcast receiver may serve as an interface with a peripheral device or the like so that the receiver can process the above EPG data.

In this case, the second interface unit 108 may serve as an interface for connecting peripheral devices such as all input / output devices and auxiliary storage devices that can be connected to the digital broadcasting reception system. serial bus; or USB).

In addition, a separate controller may be present in the receiver to control communication between the USB interfaces. Accordingly, it is easy to send and receive EPG data and the like with respect to an external peripheral device and the like easily.

As described above, according to an example of the digital broadcast receiver configured according to the present invention, an EPG service provided through various paths may be processed as one receiver.

That is, even when the user can use the broadband as well as when the user cannot use the broadband, one receiver may process the EPG service provided through different paths.

Therefore, the user can always be provided with the EPG service, and may select the desired EPG service. In addition, there is an advantage that the number of service recipients can be improved to improve the profit structure from the viewpoint of the provider providing the EPG service.

Next, a method of processing an EPG service provided through various paths in the above-described digital broadcast receiver will be described. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of processing an EPG service provided through various paths according to the present invention.

As described above, the EPG service may be provided through various paths. Accordingly, according to the present invention, the digital broadcast receiver configured as shown in FIG. 1 may receive and process the EPG service provided through various paths as described above. In this case, the user may set the receiver to receive the EPG service provided through the desired specific path among the EPG services provided through the various paths.

Alternatively, the receiver according to the present invention may process an EPG service provided through a specific path among EPG services provided through various paths even without a user setting.

However, if the user has set the receiver to receive the EPG service provided through the specific path, it may be desirable for the receiver to receive and process the EPG service provided through the specific path according to the user's setting.

Accordingly, in order to receive and process an EPG service provided through a specific path set by a user among EPG services provided through various paths according to the present invention, a receiver determines which route the EPG data is provided through. (S201).

This is because the receiver should follow the method set by the user in receiving and processing the EPG services provided through various paths, in order to determine which path the user wants through the EPG services. For example, the receiver is to determine if the user wants an EPG service provided over broadband.

In this case, in setting the receiver to receive an EPG service provided through a specific path, the user may be configured to receive an EPG service provided through a specific path among EPG services provided through various paths. In addition, at least one of a region code, a date / time, an external set-top, and a local service provider may be set to process the EPG service provided through the corresponding path.

In addition, when the EPG service provided through the set path is provided through broadband, a dynamic IP or a fixed IP may also be set.

The EPG data provided through the corresponding path is downloaded according to the determination result (S202).

The downloaded EPG data is processed and configured to display the UI (S203).

Through the above-described process, it is possible to process EPG services provided through various paths according to EPG service providers.

In this case, the user's setting may be changed according to the user's request after the setting. Therefore, when the setting is changed, it may be desirable to receive and process the EPG service provided through the corresponding path according to the changed setting content, and then display the processed result.

According to the digital broadcast receiver and method for processing an EPG service provided through various paths according to the present invention as described above,

First, there is an effect that can process EPG services provided through various paths with one receiver.

Second, the user can select the desired EPG service among the EPG services provided through various paths.

Third, the service provider has the effect of improving the revenue structure by increasing the number of service users.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the embodiments, but should be defined by the claims.

Claims (19)

A digital broadcast receiver for processing an electronic program guide (EPG) service provided through various routes, A tuner unit for receiving and slicing EPG service data provided through a first path; An MPEG decoder for decoding EPG service data sliced and received by the tuner unit; A first interface interface for receiving EPG service data provided through a second path; A second interface unit for interfacing to receive EPG service data provided through a third path; A first control unit exchanging data with a system and controlling to connect to the first interface unit in a specific manner; And And a second control unit for processing the EPG service data provided through each path and controlling to display the processed EPG service data. delete The method of claim 1, And the first path uses terrestrial. The method of claim 1, And wherein the second path uses a broadband. The method of claim 1, And the third path uses a removable storage device. The method of claim 1, The EPG service data transmitted through the first path is gemstar EPG data. The method of claim 1, The EPG service data transmitted through the second path is Microsoft EPG data. The method of claim 1, And the first interface unit is a local area network port. The method of claim 1, The first control unit is an Ethernet control unit (ethernet), characterized in that the digital broadcast receiver. The method of claim 1, The specific method is a digital broadcast receiver, characterized in that the Ethernet method. The method of claim 1, And the second interface unit is a universal serial bus (USB). In the digital broadcast receiving method for processing an electronic program guide (EPG) service provided through various paths, Receiving a user's setting to receive EPG service data provided through a specific path among EPG service data provided through various paths; Determining through which route the EPG service data is provided; Downloading EPG service data through a corresponding route according to the setting and determination result; And Processing and displaying the downloaded EPG service data; In the process of receiving the setting of the user, The specific path for receiving the EPG service data is set based on at least one of a region code, a date / time, an external set-top, and a local service provider for the corresponding path. delete delete The method of claim 12, The setting process, When the EPG service provided through the specific path is provided through a broadband, a dynamic IP or fixed IP is set. The method of claim 12, The setting process, Digital broadcast receiving method characterized in that it can be changed and set according to the user's request. The method of claim 12, The path is a digital broadcast receiving method, characterized in that any one of airwaves, broadband and removable storage. In a digital broadcasting system, An EPG service provider for generating electronic program guide (EPG) data and providing the generated EPG data through various routes; And For receiving EPG service provided through a specific route among various routes And a digital broadcast receiver for receiving and processing EPG data provided through a corresponding path according to a user's setting. And the specific path is set based on at least one of a region code, a date / time, an external set-top, and a local service provider. 19. The method of claim 18, And the path comprises airwaves and broadband.

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