KR101590355B1 - Apparatus for displaying image and method for operating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image display apparatus and an operation method thereof. A method of operating an image display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes generating a plurality of thumbnail images based on an input signal, displaying a first thumbnail list including a first number of thumbnail images of the generated thumbnail images And displaying a second thumbnail list including a second number of thumbnail images different from the first number of the generated thumbnail images. Thereby, the user can easily select the channel.

Input signal, thumbnail, number

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an image display apparatus and a method of operating the same,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image display apparatus, and more particularly, to an image display apparatus and a method of operating the same that enable a user to easily select a channel.

A video display device is a device having a function of displaying an image that a user can view. Also, the video display device can display a broadcast selected by the user among the broadcast signals transmitted from the broadcasting station on the display. Currently, the trend is shifting from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting worldwide.

Such digital broadcasting transmits digital video and audio signals and provides a clear screen with high data resolution and low error rate compared to analog broadcasting, advantageous for error correction, and high resolution. In addition, with the implementation of digital broadcasting, bidirectional services have become possible.

In addition to the tendency to switch to digital broadcasting, there is an increasing tendency to broadcast in response to various demands of users. In order to recognize each of the broadcasts increased by the user in the current video display device, each broadcast must be selected through channel switching, so that much time is inconvenient.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video display device and a method of operating the same that allow a user to easily select a channel.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating an image display apparatus, the method including generating a plurality of thumbnail images based on an input signal, generating a thumbnail image of a first number of the generated thumbnail images, Displaying a first thumbnail list and displaying a second thumbnail list including a second number of thumbnail images different from the first number of the generated thumbnail images.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image display apparatus including a display and a first thumbnail list including a first number of thumbnail images based on an input signal, And a second thumbnail list including a second number of thumbnail images different from the first thumbnail image.

According to the present invention, a thumbnail image is generated from a received input signal, and a thumbnail list is displayed by the number of the thumbnail images, so that a user can easily select a channel.

In addition, by displaying a thumbnail list having a thumbnail image corresponding to a received broadcast signal, it is possible to grasp a broadcast signal of an intuitively received channel.

In addition, a thumbnail image corresponding to a broadcast signal of a scrambled channel is also included in the thumbnail list for display by the user.

In addition, when a thumbnail image corresponding to a scrambled channel is selected, the broadcast signal of the corresponding channel can be descrambled and displayed simply by using a separate set-top box.

In addition, various user interfaces can be utilized while a thumbnail list is displayed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given merely for convenience of description, and do not give special significance or role in themselves. Accordingly, the terms "module" and "part" may be used interchangeably.

1 is an internal block diagram of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, an image display apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first tuner 120, a second tuner 125, an external signal input unit 128, a first demodulation unit 130, A second demodulation unit 135, an analog / digital conversion unit 140, an interface unit 150, a control unit 160, a channel browsing processing unit 170, a storage unit 175, a display 180, (Not shown).

The first tuner 120 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user from among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through an antenna, converts the selected RF broadcast signal into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / Signal. For example, if the selected RF broadcast signal is a digital broadcast signal, it is converted into a digital IF signal DIF1, and if it is an analog broadcast signal, it is converted into an analog baseband video / audio signal CVBS 1 / SIF. That is, the first tuner 120 may be a hybrid tuner capable of processing a digital broadcast signal and an analog broadcast signal. The analog baseband video / audio signal (CVBS 1 / SIF) output from the first tuner 120 may be directly input to the controller 160.

The first tuner 120 receives an RF broadcast signal of a single carrier according to an ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) method or an RF broadcast signal of a plurality of carriers according to a DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) It is also possible.

Similarly to the first tuner 120, the second tuner 125 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by the user among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through the antenna, Into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal.

The second tuner 125 sequentially selects a corresponding RF broadcast signal of all broadcast channels previously stored through the channel memory function among the RF broadcast signals received through the antenna according to the present invention, Or to a baseband video / audio signal. In the embodiment of the present invention, since the previously stored still pictures of other channels are displayed in a thumbnail form on at least a part of the display 180, it is possible to sequentially receive RF broadcasting signals of all pre-stored channels.

For example, the first tuner 120 converts a main RF broadcast signal selected by the user into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal, and the second tuner 125 converts all It is possible to sequentially and periodically select an RF broadcast signal (sub RF broadcast signal) or all RF broadcast signals and to convert it into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal.

The first demodulator 130 receives the digital IF signal DIF 1 converted by the first tuner 120 and performs a demodulation operation.

For example, when the digital IF signal DIF 1 output from the first tuner 120 is of the ATSC scheme, the first demodulator 130 performs an 8-VSB (8-Vestigal Side Band) demodulation. Also, the first demodulator 130 may perform channel decoding. For this purpose, the first demodulator 130 includes a Trellis decoder, a de-interleaver, and a Reed Solomon decoder. The first demodulator 130 performs trellis decoding, Interleaving, de-interleaving, and reed solomon decoding.

For example, when the digital IF signal DIF 1 output from the first tuner 120 is a DVB scheme, the first demodulator 130 performs CODDMA (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation) demodulation. Also, the first demodulator 130 may perform channel decoding. To this end, the first demodulator 130 may include a convolution decoder, a deinterleaver, and a reed-solomon decoder to perform convolutional decoding, deinterleaving, and reed solomon decoding.

The external signal input unit 128 performs signal input with an external device. To this end, the external signal input unit 128 may include an A / V input / output unit and a wireless communication unit.

The external signal input unit 128 is connected to an external device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu ray, a game device, a camcorder, a computer (notebook computer), etc. and outputs an external input video signal, And transmits the input data signal to the controller 160 in the image display apparatus 100. Further, the video signal, audio signal, and data signal processed in the control unit 160 can be output to another external device.

The A / V I / O unit is provided with an Ethernet terminal, a USB terminal, a CVBS (Composite Video Banking Sync) terminal, a component terminal, and an S-video terminal (analog terminal) for inputting / ), A DVI (Digital Visual Interface) terminal, an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal, an RGB terminal, a D-SUB terminal, an IEEE 1394 terminal, a SPDIF terminal, and a Liquid HD terminal.

Though not shown in the figure, various input signals input through the external signal input unit 128 may be input to a channel browsing processing unit 170 to be described later, and a thumbnail image extracting process may be performed. For example, the analog signal input through the CVBS terminal and the S-video terminal may be converted into a digital signal and input to the channel browsing processing unit 170, as described above. The digital signal inputted through the other input terminal can be directly inputted to the channel browsing processing unit 170 without analog / digital conversion. Here, the digital signal output from the external signal input unit 128 may be a stream signal. For example, an MPEG-2 TS (Digital Versatile Disc) (Transport Stream).

The wireless communication unit can perform a wireless Internet connection. For example, WLAN (Wireless LAN) (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) .

Further, the wireless communication unit can perform short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices. For example, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used.

Meanwhile, the external signal input unit 128 may be connected to the various set-top boxes through at least one of the various terminals described above to perform input / output operations with the set-top box.

For example, if the set-top box is a set-top box for an IP (Internet Protocol) TV, the video, audio, and data signals processed in the settop box for IPTV can be transmitted to the controller 160, The control unit 160 may transmit the processed signals to the IPTV set-top box. On the other hand, the video, audio, and data signals processed in the IPTV set-top box can be processed by the controller 160 via the channel browsing processor 170.

Meanwhile, the IPTV may include ADSL-TV, VDSL-TV, FTTH-TV and the like depending on the type of the transmission network. The IPTV may include a TV over DSL, a video over DSL, a TV over IP BTV), and the like. In addition, IPTV may also mean an Internet TV capable of accessing the Internet, or a full browsing TV.

The first demodulator 130 performs demodulation and channel decoding, and can output the stream signal TS 1. The stream signal TS 1 at this time may be a signal in which a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal are multiplexed. For example, the stream signal TS 1 may be an MPEG-2 TS (Transport Stream) in which an MPEG-2 standard video signal, Dolby AC-3 standard audio signal, etc. are multiplexed. Specifically, the MPEG-2 TS may include a header of 4 bytes and a payload of 184 bytes.

The stream signal TS 1 is input to the control unit 160 to perform demultiplexing, signal processing, and the like. In the embodiment of the present invention, before input to the control unit 160, the channel browsing processing unit 170 inputs the channel browsing process. The channel browsing operation will be described later.

Meanwhile, the first demodulating unit 130 may be separately provided according to the ATSC scheme and the DVB scheme. That is, it can be provided as an ATSC demodulation unit and a DVB demodulation unit.

The second demodulation unit 135 receives the digital IF signal DIF 2 converted by the second tuner 125 and performs a demodulation operation and outputs the stream signal TS 2. The operation of the second demodulation unit 135 will be omitted with reference to the operation of the first demodulation unit 130 described above.

On the other hand, when the signal output from the second tuner 125 is the analog baseband video signal CVBS 2, the conversion from the analog / digital converter 140 to the digital signal is required.

The analog / digital conversion unit 140 converts the input analog signal into a digital signal. If the input signal is a video signal, sampling and quantization may be performed and converted into a digital video signal DV. The converted digital signal may be an uncoded signal. The converted digital video signal DV is input to the channel browsing processing unit 170 and processed.

The interface unit 150 transmits an input signal from the user to the control unit 160 or a signal from the control unit 160 to the user. For example, the interface unit 150 may be provided with various functions such as power on / off, channel selection, screen setting, etc. from the remote control device 200 in accordance with various communication methods such as an RF (Radio Frequency) Or may transmit a signal from the control unit 160 to the remote control apparatus 200. The remote control apparatus 200 may be connected to the remote control apparatus 200 via a network.

The control unit 160 demultiplexes the input stream and processes the demultiplexed signals to generate and output a signal for video and audio output. The overall operation of the video display device 100 can be controlled.

Although not shown in the figure, the control unit 160 may include a demultiplexing unit, a video processing unit, a voice processing unit, a user input signal processing unit, and the like.

The control unit 160 demultiplexes an input stream signal, for example, an MPEG-2 TS, into video signals, audio signals, and data signals, respectively.

Also, the control unit 160 can perform image processing of the demultiplexed video signal. For example, if the demultiplexed video signal is a coded video signal, it can be decoded. Specifically, when the demultiplexed video signal is an MPEG-2 standard-coded video signal, it can be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder. Also, if the demultiplexed video signal is a video signal of the H.264 standard according to the DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) scheme or DVB-H, it can be decoded by the H.264 decoder.

In addition, the controller 160 may process the brightness, tint, and color of the video signal.

The image signal processed by the controller 160 is input to the display 180 and displayed. It is also possible to input to an external output terminal connected to the external output device.

Also, the control unit 160 can perform the voice processing of the demultiplexed voice signal. For example, if the demultiplexed speech signal is a coded speech signal, it can be decoded. Specifically, when the demultiplexed speech signal is an MPEG-2 standard encoded speech signal, it can be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder. In addition, if the demultiplexed speech signal is a coded voice signal of the MPEG 4 BSAC (Bit Sliced Arithmetic Coding) standard according to a terrestrial DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) scheme, it can be decoded by an MPEG 4 decoder. Also, if the demultiplexed speech signal is an encoded audio signal of the AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) standard of MPEG 2 according to the satellite DMB scheme or DVB-H, it can be decoded by the AAC decoder.

In addition, the control unit 160 can process a base, a treble, a volume control, and the like.

The voice signal processed by the control unit 160 is input to the voice output unit 185, for example, a speaker and is output as voice. It is also possible to input to an external output terminal connected to the external output device.

In addition, the control unit 160 can perform data processing of the demultiplexed data signal. For example, if the demultiplexed data signal is a coded data signal, it can be decoded. The encoded data signal may be EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information including broadcast information such as a start time and an end time of a broadcast program broadcasted on each channel. For example, the EPG information may be ATSC-PSIP (ATSC-Program and System Information Protocol) information in the case of the ATSC scheme and DVB-Service Information (DVB-SI) information in case of the DVB scheme . The ATSC-PSIP information or DVB-SI information may be information included in the above-described stream, i.e., the header (4 bytes) of the MPEG-2 TS.

In addition, the control unit 160 may perform an OSD (On Screen Display) process. Specifically, the control unit 160 displays various information on the display 180 based on at least one of the image-processed image signal and the data-processed data signal, and a user input signal from the remote control apparatus 200, (Graphic) or text (Text). The generated signal may be input to the display 180 together with the processed image signal and the processed data signal.

The signal generated for the graphic or text display described above may include various data such as a user interface screen of the image display apparatus 100, various menu screens, a widget, and an icon.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 performs browsing processing on at least one of a broadcast signal corresponding to the received channel and various input video signals inputted through the external signal input unit 128. Specifically, the demodulation unit 130 or 135 receives the demodulated and channel-decoded stream signal TS 1 or TS 2, receives the stream signal from the external signal input unit 128, or the analog-to-digital conversion unit 140 And demultiplexes the stream signal TS 1 or TS 2, extracts a part of the demultiplexed video signals, and outputs a video signal including the extracted video signal And can output a new stream signal TSa. For example, the stream signal TSa or TSb may be an MPEG 2 TS.

In addition, the channel browsing processing unit 170 can output the main stream signal TSb corresponding to the main video signal displayed in the main area of the display 180 without any processing, The sub-stream signal TSa corresponding to the sub-video signal displayed in the sub-area among the video signals displayed in the sub-area 180 may be output by performing the channel browsing process as described above.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when a channel list is displayed on the display 180 by extracting an image of a plurality of channels of broadcast signals through the channel browsing processor 170 and re-encoding them into a stream format, At least a portion of the thumbnail image is converted into a thumbnail image so that a thumbnail list having the thumbnail image can be displayed on the display 180. [ This allows the user to intuitively know what is broadcast on another channel.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 extracts a part of images of various external input images input through the external signal input unit 128 and re-encodes them into a stream form so that when displaying an external input list on the display 180, At least a part of the external input image from the external input device is converted into a thumbnail image and a thumbnail list having the thumbnail image can be displayed on the display 180. [ Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the contents input from the external input device.

On the other hand, when the channel browsing processor 170 extracts a broadcast signal of the channel and a partial image of the external input image described above and re-hatches the stream into a stream form, the channel browsing processor 170 displays the channel list and the external input list on the display 180 , A broadcast signal of a plurality of channels, and an external input image from a plurality of external input devices into a thumbnail image, thereby displaying a thumbnail list having a thumbnail image on the display 180. [ Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the contents input from the plurality of channels and the external input device.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The storage unit 175 may store a program for each signal processing and control in the control unit 160 or may store a video signal, a voice signal, and a data signal that have undergone signal processing.

In addition, the storage unit 175 may perform a function for temporarily storing video, audio, or data signals input from the external signal input unit 128.

In addition, the storage unit 175 may store the corresponding broadcast channel through the channel memory function.

The storage unit 175 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory) RAM, ROM (EEPROM, etc.), and the like.

Although the storage unit 175 is shown separately from the controller 160 in the drawing, the storage unit 175 is not limited thereto and may be included in the controller 160.

Meanwhile, the video display device 100 may reproduce and provide a file (a moving picture file, a still picture file, a music file, a document file, etc.) stored in the storage unit 175 to a user.

The display 180 converts an image signal, a data signal, an OSD signal processed by the control unit 160 or an image signal and a data signal received from the external signal input unit 128 into R, G, and B signals, respectively, . The display 180 can be implemented in various forms such as a PDP, an LCD, an OLED, a flexible display, and a 3D display. Also, the display 180 may be configured as a touch screen and used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The audio output unit 185 receives a signal processed by the control unit 160, for example, a stereo signal, a 3.1 channel signal, or a 5.1 channel signal, and outputs it as a voice. The voice output unit 185 may be implemented by various types of speakers.

The remote control device 200 transmits the user input to the interface unit 150. [ To this end, the remote control apparatus 200 can use Bluetooth, RF (radio frequency) communication, infrared (IR) communication, UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee, or the like.

Further, the remote control apparatus 200 may receive a video signal, an audio signal, a data signal, and the like from the interface section 150 and output it.

Meanwhile, the remote controller 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a space remote controller. The description of the spatial remote controller will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 and the following.

When the set-top box connected to the external signal input unit 128 is a cable set-top box (not shown), a separate distributor (not shown) for processing a scramble channel A broadcast signal input to the tuner 120 or 125 and a broadcast signal input to the set-top box may be separately separated.

At this time, the set-top box can be connected through the HDMI terminal of the external signal input unit 128. In such a case, the broadcast signal of the scrambled channel may be processed by the channel browsing processor 170 through the tuner 120 or 125 and converted into a thumbnail image.

At this time, the thumbnail image can not be based on the image of the broadcast signal due to the scrambled image, and may instead include at least one of broadcast information and scramble icons based on EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information, which is data information. Accordingly, the thumbnail image corresponding to the broadcast signal of the scrambled channel is also displayed in the thumbnail list, so that the user can easily select the channel.

On the other hand, the descrambling process of the scrambled channel can be processed in a set-top box for cable broadcasting. That is, when a thumbnail image indicating a scrambled channel is selected from the thumbnail list displayed on the display, the video, audio, and data signals of the descrambled channel in the set-top box for cable broadcasting are directly transmitted to the controller 160 via the external signal input unit 128, Lt; / RTI > As a result, the broadcast signal of the scrambled channel can be descrambled and displayed simply.

Meanwhile, the descrambling process may be performed in the channel browsing processor 170, not in the cable set-top box. This will be described later with reference to FIG.

In the meantime, although two tuners are shown in the drawing, a thumbnail list having a thumbnail image is displayed on the display 180 when viewing a channel list, which is an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, It is also possible to implement embodiments of the present invention.

For example, if there is a channel list view command after receiving a broadcast signal of a selected channel through one tuner, the corresponding broadcast signals of all broadcast channels previously stored through the channel memory function are sequentially / periodically received It is possible. According to this, the channel list view can be performed as a whole view.

The video display apparatus 100 described above can be applied to a digital broadcasting of ATSC system (8-VSB system), digital broadcasting of DVB-T system (COFDM system), digital broadcasting of ISDB-T system (BST-OFDM system) (DMB) type digital broadcasting, ATSC-M / H type digital broadcasting, DVB-H (COFDM) digital broadcasting, A digital broadcasting receiver capable of receiving at least one of broadcasting, media flow-only (Digital Media), and the like. It may also be a digital broadcast receiver for cable, satellite communications, or IPTV.

Meanwhile, the video display device described in the present specification can be applied to a TV set, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) .

2 is an internal block diagram of the channel browsing processing unit of FIG.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 includes a switch 205, a demultiplexing unit 210, a picture decoder 215, a DV decoder 217, a format conversion unit 220, a video encoder 230 ), And a stream encoder 240.

The switch 205 selects any one of the input streams TS 1 and TS 2 and outputs it as it is without conversion operation to the main stream TSb and transmits the remaining streams to the demultiplexer 210 . The main stream corresponds to the main video signal, and the main video signal is displayed on the display 180 in most areas. The sub stream transmitted to the other demultiplexer 210 corresponds to a sub video signal other than the main channel, and the sub video signal can be displayed in a partial area of the display 180.

This method can be performed in correspondence with the simple view function of the " video channel list "that shows only the channel list in a part of the display area 180, rather than the entire area of the display 180. Meanwhile, And displaying the list on the display 180. It is also possible to display the channel list and the external input list on the display 180 together.

The demultiplexer 210 demultiplexes the received stream signal TS 1 or TS 2 into a video signal, a voice signal and a data signal, respectively. The video signal of the separated signals is transmitted to the picture decoder 215, and the other audio and data signals can be transmitted to the stream encoder 240 for forming a new stream.

The picture decoder 215 decodes at least part of the demultiplexed video signal. Decoding can be performed by an MPEG 2, MPEG-4 or H.264 decoder or the like. The decoded image may be a still image or a moving image. For example, the picture decoder 215 can decode an image of an I picture among input image signals or decode a part of an input image signal.

The DV decoder 217 receives the digital signal DV converted by the analog / digital converter 140, and acquires a digital image.

The format conversion unit 220 converts the format of a video signal input from the picture decoder 215 or the DV decoder 217. [ For example, the size (resolution) of an input video signal can be converted. This size conversion may vary depending on the number of thumbnail images displayed on the display 180. [ Particularly, when there is a thumbnail image number change input, which is an embodiment of the present invention, the size of the corresponding thumbnail image may vary according to the number of thumbnail images to be displayed. That is, as the number of displayed thumbnail images increases, the size of the corresponding thumbnail image decreases.

On the other hand, the format conversion unit 220 may convert image signals to different sizes according to the simple view of the "image channel list" and the entire view of the "image channel list ". For example, the size of the thumbnail image at the time of full viewing of the "video channel list" may be larger than the size of the thumbnail image at the time of the simple viewing of the "video channel list". The simple view and the full view function described above can also be performed when displaying an external input list on the display 180 in addition to the channel list. It can also be performed when displaying the channel list and the external input list together on the display 180. [

The video encoder 230 encodes the video signal converted by the format converter 220. [ For example, the format transforming unit 220 may encode the size-converted image into JPEG or MPEG-2. The still image or moving image encoded by the image encoder 230 is displayed as a thumbnail image in the thumbnail list on the display 180 in the future.

The stream encoder 230 encodes the image encoded by the image encoder 230 in a stream format. That is, the image can be re-encoded based on the image encoded by the image encoder 230 and the voice and data signals demultiplexed by the demultiplexer 210. [ The re-encoding may be performed in a multiplexing manner. The encoded stream format may be in the form of MPEG 2 TS.

In the embodiment of the present invention, at least some of the broadcast signals of the plurality of channels and the external input image are extracted and re-encoded through the channel browsing processing unit 170, At least some of the plurality of channel broadcast signals and the external input image from the plurality of external input devices can be converted into a thumbnail image and a thumbnail list having the thumbnail image can be displayed on the display 180. [ Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the content broadcasted on another channel or the content input on the external input device.

Meanwhile, the descrambling process may be performed in the channel browsing processor 170, not in the cable set-top box. For example, when the image received through the tuner 120 or 125 is a scrambled channel image, the TS switch 205 in the channel browsing processing unit 170 generates a thumbnail image based on the scramble channel broadcast information , And transmits the stream to the demultiplexing unit 210. Accordingly, a thumbnail image of a scrambled channel is formed through the picture decoder 215, the format conversion unit 220, the video encoder 230, and the stream encoder 240. Such a thumbnail image may include a scramble icon in addition to broadcast information. The scramble icon may be encoded using a predetermined icon in the image encoder 230. [

On the other hand, when a thumbnail image of a scramble channel among the thumbnail list displayed on the display 180 is selected, the TS switch 205 in the channel browsing processing unit 170 does not transmit the input stream to the demultiplexer 210, (Not shown) provided in the channel browsing processing unit 170. The descrambling processing unit (not shown) The descramble processing unit (not shown) performs descramble processing so as to decode the broadcast signal of the scrambled channel and to view it. The descrambled stream Tsb is output and input to the controller 160. [ With this configuration, the thumbnail image corresponding to the broadcast signal of the scrambled channel can be displayed in the thumbnail list, and when a thumbnail image representing the scrambled channel is selected, the user can easily view the broadcast signal of the scrambled channel . Meanwhile, the descramble processing unit (not shown) may be provided in the control unit 160.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of the remote control apparatus of FIG.

Referring to the drawings, a spatial remote controller 301 can be used as the remote controller of FIG.

The space remote controller 301 is one of the remote control devices 200 that can input commands to the image display device 100. In this embodiment, the spatial remote controller 301 transmits and receives signals in accordance with the RF communication standard with the image display apparatus 100. 3A, a pointer 302 corresponding to the spatial remote controller 301 may be displayed on the video display device 100. [

The user can move or rotate the space remote controller 301 up and down, left and right, and back and forth. The pointer 302 displayed on the video display device 100 corresponds to the motion of the spatial remote controller 301. [ FIG. 3B shows a bar displayed on the image display device 100 in response to the movement of the spatial remote controller 301. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3A, when the user moves the spatial remote controller 301 to the left, the pointer displayed on the image display device 100 also moves to the left corresponding thereto. In the present embodiment, the spatial remote controller 301 has a sensor capable of discriminating a motion. Information about the motion of the spatial remote controller 301 sensed through the sensor of the spatial remote controller 301 is transmitted to the image display apparatus 100. [ The image display apparatus 100 determines the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 from the information on the motion of the spatial remote controller 301 and calculates the coordinate value of the pointer 302 corresponding thereto.

3A and 3B illustrate an example in which the pointer 302 displayed on the display 180 moves in correspondence with the up, down, left, right, or rotation of the spatial remote controller 301. Fig. The moving speed and the moving direction of the pointer 302 may correspond to the moving speed and moving direction of the spatial remote controller 301. [

In this embodiment, the pointer displayed on the video display device 100 is set to move in response to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301. [ As another example, it is possible to set a predetermined command to be inputted to the image display apparatus 100 in response to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301. That is, when moving the remote controller 301 back and forth, the size of the image displayed on the image display device 100 can be enlarged or reduced. Therefore, the present embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

4 is an internal block diagram of the interface unit of FIG. 1 and the spatial remote controller of FIG. 3;

The space remote controller 301 includes a wireless communication unit 320, a user input unit 330, a sensor unit 340, an output unit 350, a power supply unit 360, a memory 370, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 380 < / RTI >

The wireless communication unit 320 transmits and receives signals to and from the image display apparatus 100. The spatial remote controller 301 may include an RF module 321 capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the interface unit 310 of the image display apparatus 100 according to the RF communication standard. The spatial remote controller 301 may include an IR module 323 capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the interface unit 310 of the image display apparatus 100 according to the IR communication standard.

In this embodiment, the spatial remote controller 301 transmits a signal containing information on the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 to the image display device 100 through the RF module 321. [ In addition, the spatial remote controller 301 can receive the signal transmitted by the image display apparatus 100 through the RF module 321. The spatial remote controller 301 can transmit commands to the video display device 100 via the IR module 323, such as power on / off, channel change, volume change, and the like, as needed.

The user input unit 330 may include a keypad or a button. The user can input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the spatial remote controller 301 by operating the user input unit 330. [ When the user input unit 330 includes a hard key button, the user can input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the spatial remote controller 301 through the push operation of the hard key button. When the user input unit 330 has a touch screen, the user can touch a soft key of the touch screen to input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the space remote controller 301. [ In addition, the user input unit 330 may include various types of input means such as a scroll key, a jog key, etc., which can be operated by the user, and the present invention is not limited to the scope of the present invention.

The sensor unit 340 may include a gyro sensor 341 or an acceleration sensor 343. The gyro sensor 341 can sense information on the operation of the spatial remote controller 301. [ For example, the gyro sensor 341 can sense information about the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 on the basis of the x, y, and z axes. The acceleration sensor 341 can sense information on the moving speed of the spatial remote controller 301 and the like. The output unit 350 may output a video or audio signal corresponding to an operation to the user input unit 330 or a signal transmitted from the video display device 100. [ The user can recognize whether the user input unit 330 is operated or whether the image display apparatus 100 is controlled through the output unit 350.

For example, the output unit 350 includes an LED module 351 that is turned on when the user input unit 330 is operated or a signal is transmitted and received between the image display device 100 and the image display apparatus 100 through the wireless communication unit 320, 353, an audio output module 355 for outputting sound, or a display module 357 for outputting an image.

The power supply unit 360 supplies power to the space remote controller 301. The power supply unit 360 can reduce power waste by interrupting the power supply when the spatial remote controller 301 has not moved for a predetermined time. The power supply unit 360 can resume power supply when a predetermined key provided in the space remote controller 301 is operated.

The memory 370 may store various types of application data or the like necessary for the control or operation of the spatial remote controller 301. If the spatial remote controller 301 wirelessly transmits / receives a signal through the image display device 100 and the RF module 321, the spatial remote controller 301 and the image display device 100 transmit / receive signals through a predetermined frequency band . The control unit 380 of the spatial remote controller 301 stores information on the frequency band and the like capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals to and from the video display device 100 paired with the spatial remote controller 301 in the memory 370 Can be referenced.

The control unit 380 controls various matters related to the control of the spatial remote controller 301. The control unit 380 transmits a signal corresponding to a predetermined key operation of the user input unit 330 or a signal corresponding to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 sensed by the sensor unit 340 through the wireless communication unit 320 100 to the interface unit 310 of FIG.

The interface unit 310 of the image display apparatus 100 includes a wireless communication unit 320 capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving a signal to and from the spatial remote controller 301 and a wireless communication unit 320 capable of transmitting and receiving the coordinate values of the pointer corresponding to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 And a coordinate value calculation unit 315 that can calculate the coordinate value.

The wireless communication unit 320 can transmit and receive signals wirelessly with the spatial remote controller 301 through the RF module 321. Further, the spatial remote controller 301 can receive a signal transmitted through the RF module 323 according to the IR communication standard.

The coordinate value calculator 315 corrects the camera shake or the error from the signal corresponding to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 received via the wireless communication unit 320 and outputs the coordinate value of the pointer 302 to be displayed on the display 180 x, y) can be calculated.

The transmission signal of the spatial remote controller 301 inputted to the image display apparatus 100 through the interface unit 310 is transmitted to the controller 160 of the image display apparatus 100. The control unit 160 can determine the information about the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 and the key operation from the signal transmitted from the spatial remote controller 301 and control the image display apparatus 100 accordingly.

A block diagram of the spatial remote controller 301 among the image display apparatus 100 and the remote controller 200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is a block diagram for an embodiment of the present invention. Each component of the block diagram can be integrated, added, or omitted according to specifications of the video display device 100 and the spatial remote controller 301 actually implemented. That is, two or more constituent elements may be combined into one constituent element, or one constituent element may be constituted by two or more constituent elements, if necessary. In addition, the functions performed in each block are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, and the specific operations and apparatuses do not limit the scope of the present invention.

5 is a view illustrating an example of a video channel list view.

Referring to FIG. 5, if there is an instruction to view a channel list, a first thumbnail list 505 including a thumbnail image corresponding to a broadcast signal of a received channel is displayed on the display 180 as shown in FIG. 5A . At this time, the upper part of the display 180 may be labeled "Video channel list ". In the drawing, the thumbnail image is displayed over the entire area of the display 180. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

In this manner, by displaying the first thumbnail list 505 including a plurality of thumbnail images on the display 180, the user can intuitively know what is broadcast on another channel.

On the other hand, in the figure, fifteen examples of the number of thumbnail images in the first thumbnail list 505 are shown. For example, when there are 15 pre-stored broadcast channel lists, the number of thumbnail images is automatically determined to be 15, and a first thumbnail list 505 configured according to the number of thumbnail images can be displayed. The pre-stored broadcast channel list may be a list of all broadcast channels, but is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, the number of thumbnail images displayed in the first thumbnail list 505 may be determined according to the thumbnail list recently displayed on the display 180. [ For example, if the most recently displayed thumbnail list is a first thumbnail list 505 having fifteen thumbnail images, if there is a channel list view command, the first thumbnail list 505 is displayed on the display 180 It is possible to display it.

Meanwhile, when the thumbnail list 500 is displayed on the display 180, when a cursor or a pointer is moved, the cursor or the pointer moves in accordance with the moving direction of the top, bottom, left, and right. If there is a selection input after moving the cursor or the pointer, an operation corresponding to the corresponding item is performed. On the other hand, the movement or selection of the cursor or the pointer can be performed by the direction key of the remote controller, the operation key of the selection key or the spatial remote controller, and the selection input.

The first thumbnail list 505 displayed on the display 180 may further include an edit menu based on the displayed thumbnail image. The editing menu includes a "channel lock" item for performing a lock function so that the selected thumbnail image can not be edited, a "channel lock " item for enlarging or reducing the thumbnail image or thumbnail list, zooming "item 510 for sorting and displaying thumbnail images, a" simple view "item for displaying a thumbnail image on another part while displaying a video of the selected channel on the display part, &Quot; and "leave" items that can be moved to other menu items. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the "edit" item for editing the selected thumbnail image, the "previous" item for displaying the previous thumbnail list other than the displayed thumbnail list, and the next thumbnail list other than the displayed thumbnail list Quot; next "items, and the like.

When the "zoom" item 510 is selected from the items shown in FIG. 5A, that is, when there is an input for changing the number of displayed thumbnail images, the first thumbnail list A change from the display to the second thumbnail list display in Fig. 5 (b) can be performed. On the other hand, FIG. 5 (b) shows 35 examples of the number of thumbnail images in the second thumbnail list 515. FIG. The number of thumbnail images displayed on the display 180 may be increased by the "zoom" item, or more specifically, the "zoom out" Of course, it is also possible for the number of thumbnail images to be reduced by the "zoom in" item. In this way, when there is a change input of the number of thumbnail images, the number of thumbnail images displayed on the display 180 is variable, and the size of the corresponding thumbnail images can be varied.

Meanwhile, the thumbnail images displayed in the thumbnail lists 505 and 515 in Fig. 5 may be still images or moving images. Though not shown in the drawing, thumbnail images of corresponding channels are shown. Also, the displayed thumbnail image may be a currently input image or a previously stored image. The thumbnail images may be processed by the channel browsing processor 170 and extracted.

On the other hand, when one thumbnail image is selected while the thumbnail lists 505 and 515 are displayed on the display 180, a broadcast signal of a channel corresponding to the selected thumbnail image can be displayed on the display 180.

In addition, when one thumbnail image is focused on the display 180 with thumbnail lists 505 and 515 displayed, the focused thumbnail image can be focused and displayed by a cursor display, a pointer display, a highlight display, an enlarged display, have. In addition, when focused, the corresponding program information may be displayed.

If there is an edit command while the thumbnail list 505,515 is displayed on the display 180, the broadcast signal corresponding to the selected thumbnail image is edited such as "preferential registration", "deletion registration", "lock registration" .

If there is a next screen view or a previous screen view command while the thumbnail lists 505 and 515 are displayed on the display 180, the next screen or previous screen may be displayed while being dragged, scrolled, or rotated in three dimensions.

At least some of the thumbnail images corresponding to the received broadcast signal may be updated, with thumbnail lists 505,515 displayed on the display 180. [ That is, the first thumbnail list 505 and the second thumbnail list 515 may be displayed on the display 180 with at least partly updated thumbnail images. Such an update can be updated periodically or randomly, and it is also possible that some or all of the thumbnail images are updated. Here, the updated thumbnail image is based on the image updated by the channel browsing processor 170 described above.

6 is a view showing an example of a video channel list view.

6, the first thumbnail list 605 having fifteen thumbnail images is displayed on the display unit 601. The first thumbnail list 605 includes thumbnail images, When the "zoom" item 510 is continuously selected, the second thumbnail list 615 having 35 thumbnail images as shown in FIG. 6 (b) A third thumbnail list 625 having 54 thumbnail images as shown in FIG. 6 (c) may be sequentially displayed on the display 180. FIG.

On the other hand, when inputting the channel list view, if the number of pre-stored channels is 15 or less, the first thumbnail list 605 can be displayed immediately. If the number of pre-stored channels is more than 15 and less than 35, The second thumbnail list 615 may display the third thumbnail list 625 on the display 180 if the number of previously stored channels exceeds 35. [

Accordingly, the user can grasp a variety of channels and can easily perform channel selection.

5 and 6 illustrate the number of thumbnail images in each thumbnail list, but the present invention is not limited thereto and various settings are possible.

7 is a view showing an example of a video channel list view.

7A illustrates display of the first thumbnail list 705 on the display when there is a channel list view input, as shown in FIG. 5A. FIG. Each of the thumbnail images may be a thumbnail image corresponding to the image extracted from the corresponding broadcast channel. The number may be variously set, but 15 are illustrated in the drawings.

On the other hand, when the broadcast channel is a scrambled channel, it is possible to display a predetermined thumbnail image 713 without extracting a thumbnail image from the corresponding scramble channel in the embodiment of the present invention. The predetermined thumbnail image 713 may include a scramble icon as shown in the figure. In addition, it is possible to further include broadcast information other than the image of the scrambled channel. For example, a channel number, and the like.

On the other hand, when a thumbnail image 713 of a scramble channel is selected from among the first thumbnail list 705, a scramble channel broadcast signal 715 can be displayed on the display 180 on the selected thumbnail image. For this, the control unit 160 can receive and process the video, audio, and data signals of the descrambled channel.

In the embodiment of the present invention, information such as broadcast information of a scrambled channel, which does not require additional descrambling, is used for generation of a thumbnail image through the channel browsing processing unit 170, Information required to be descrambled, such as voice and data signals, is descrambled through a separate descrambler (not shown), and the descrambled information is input to the controller 170 immediately.

The separate descrambling processing unit may be provided in a separate cable set-top box (not shown) connected to the external signal input unit 128, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the channel browsing processor 170 may be provided with a separate descrambler processing unit (not shown) in which the generation route of the thumbnail image is different from that of the thumbnail image.

In this manner, a thumbnail image corresponding to a broadcast signal of a scrambled channel is also included in the thumbnail list for display, thereby enabling a user to easily select a channel. When a thumbnail image corresponding to a scramble channel is selected, The broadcast signal of the corresponding channel can be descrambled and displayed simply.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, a plurality of thumbnail images are generated based on input signals (S810). The input signal may be a broadcast signal or an external input signal. The channel browsing processing unit 170 generates a plurality of thumbnail images from the inputted broadcast signals according to the channel list view input.

Next, a first thumbnail list including the first number of thumbnail images is displayed (S820). For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), a first thumbnail list 605 having fifteen thumbnail images can be displayed. The number of thumbnail images of the first thumbnail list 605 may be determined based on the number of pre-stored channels or the number of pre-stored favorite channels. For example, when the number of pre-stored channels is 15 or less, the first thumbnail list 605 is displayed. If the total number of pre-stored channels is more than 15 and less than 35, the second thumbnail list 615 ). If the number of previously stored channels exceeds 35, the third thumbnail list 625 can be displayed. Also, it is possible to display any one of the first thumbnail list 605 to the third thumbnail list 625 according to user input.

The various numbers of thumbnail lists can be processed by the control unit 180. That is, it is possible to adjust the size of the thumbnail image according to the number of thumbnail images. Meanwhile, such a function may be performed in the channel browsing processing unit 170. [

Next, when there is an input for changing the number of thumbnail images (S825), specifically, when the "zoom" item shown in FIG. 6 is selected, a second thumbnail list including a second number of thumbnail images is displayed (S830). For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), a second thumbnail list 615 having 35 thumbnail images can be displayed.

Next, when there is an input for changing the number of thumbnail images (S835), if a "zoom" item shown in FIG. 6 is selected, a third thumbnail list including a third number of thumbnail images is displayed (S840). For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), a second thumbnail list 615 having 54 thumbnail images can be displayed.

On the other hand, if there is no thumbnail image selection input after the first to third thumbnail list display, if there is a thumbnail image selection input (S828), the image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image is displayed on the display 180 S830). In particular, when the selected thumbnail image is a thumbnail image 713 of a scrambled channel including at least one of broadcast information and a scramble icon as shown in FIG. 7, the corresponding channel is descrambled and displayed on the display 180 do. The descrambling function may be in a separate set-top box for cable broadcasting (not shown) or in the channel browsing processor 170 connected to the external signal input unit 128, as described above. That is, it is preferable to descramble through a route separate from the thumbnail generating route. As a result, user convenience is increased.

Meanwhile, the thumbnail image may be a still image or a moving image.

The image display apparatus and the operation method thereof according to the present invention are not limited to the configurations and the methods of the embodiments described above but the embodiments can be applied to all or some of the embodiments May be selectively combined.

Meanwhile, the operation method of the image display apparatus of the present invention can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a recording medium readable by a processor included in the image display apparatus. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium readable by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and also a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet. In addition, the processor-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-connected computer systems so that code readable by the processor in a distributed fashion can be stored and executed.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 is an internal block diagram of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an internal block diagram of the channel browsing processing unit of FIG.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of the remote control apparatus of FIG.

4 is an internal block diagram of the user input / output unit of the interface unit of FIG. 1 and the spatial remote controller of FIG.

5 to 7 show various examples of the video channel list view.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (21)

Generating a plurality of thumbnail images based on an input signal; Displaying a first thumbnail list including a first number of thumbnail images of the generated thumbnail images; And And displaying a second thumbnail list including a second number of thumbnail images different from the first number among the generated thumbnail images, Wherein the change from the first thumbnail list to the second thumbnail list is made by changing input of the number of displayed thumbnail images. delete The method according to claim 1, And displaying a third thumbnail list including a third number of thumbnail images different from the first number and the second number of the generated thumbnail images. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the input signal is a broadcast signal received through at least one channel. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the displaying the first thumbnail list comprises: Wherein the first number is automatically determined according to the number of pre-stored broadcast channels, and the first thumbnail list is displayed according to the first number. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the broadcast signal includes a broadcast signal of a scrambled channel. The method according to claim 6, Wherein the thumbnail image corresponding to the scrambled channel is an image including at least one of broadcast information and a scramble icon. The method according to claim 6, Further comprising the step of descrambling and displaying a broadcast signal of the scrambled channel when a thumbnail image corresponding to the scrambled channel is selected. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the first thumbnail list is a recently displayed thumbnail list. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the thumbnail image is a still image or a moving image. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising updating at least one thumbnail image, Wherein the first and second thumbnail lists are displayed including the updated thumbnail image. display; And Controls to display a first thumbnail list including a first number of thumbnail images of a thumbnail image based on an input signal and controls to display a second thumbnail list including a second number of thumbnail images different from the first number And a control unit, Wherein, Wherein the control unit changes the first thumbnail list to the second thumbnail list in accordance with a change input of the number of displayed thumbnail images. delete 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein, And further displays a third thumbnail list including a third number of thumbnail images different from the first number and the second number. 13. The method of claim 12, And a tuner for receiving a broadcast signal of a selected channel or receiving a broadcast signal of a previously stored channel, Wherein the input signal is a broadcast signal received through the tuner. 16. The method of claim 15, Wherein, Wherein the control unit automatically determines the first number according to the number of pre-stored broadcast channels and displays the first thumbnail list according to the first number. 16. The method of claim 15, Wherein the broadcast signal includes a broadcast signal of a scrambled channel. 18. The method of claim 17, Wherein the thumbnail image corresponding to the scrambled channel is an image including at least one of broadcast information and a scramble icon. 18. The method of claim 17, Wherein, And controls to display a descrambled broadcast signal of a corresponding channel when a thumbnail image corresponding to the scrambled channel is selected. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein, And controls to display the first and second thumbnail lists updated with at least one thumbnail image. 13. The method of claim 12, And a channel browsing processor for generating the thumbnail image based on the input signal.

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