KR101635560B1 - 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 displaying a thumbnail image of a received channel on a display, creating a memo input window for receiving information on the thumbnail image, Displaying a window, receiving a user signal for the thumbnail image through the memo input window, and storing information about the thumbnail image generated according to the user signal. Accordingly, the user can receive information on his / her channel preference and broadcast viewing schedule at a glance at the time of channel search.

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 an operation method thereof, in which a user can input and understand predetermined information for each 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.

Therefore, if personal information of each user is provided at the time of browsing the channel as well as information obtained by extracting images of the respective channels, the convenience of searching for a user's channel and selecting a channel can be increased.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image display apparatus and an operation method thereof, which can receive information on a broadcast signal image of a received channel from individual users and display the same.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a video display device including displaying a thumbnail image of a received channel on a display, generating a memo input window for receiving information on the thumbnail image, Displaying the memo input window, receiving a user signal for the thumbnail image through the memo input window, and storing information about the thumbnail image generated according to the user signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image display apparatus including a controller for generating a memo input window for receiving information on a thumbnail image of a received channel, And an interface unit for receiving a user signal for the thumbnail image from the remote controller through the memo input window.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, information about the thumbnail image input by the user at the time of channel browsing can be displayed to provide the channel browsing information most suitable for the user. That is, the image display apparatus and the operation method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention can provide a channel browsing function according to information tailored to each user. In addition, if a memo is generated for each channel, the user can input information about the thumbnail image in real time. The user can then choose to display or not display the entered information.

Accordingly, when the thumbnail images to which the memo is inputted are displayed, the user can receive information on his / her channel preference or broadcast viewing schedule at a glance at the time of channel search, and intuitively grasp it. The information on the thumbnail image can be more usefully used as the number of broadcast channels or the number of channels increases.

In addition, the user can easily memorize the broadcast content of the channel or his or her satisfaction while viewing the thumbnail video, and shorten the time required for channel selection.

Further, the information about the thumbnail image may be transmitted to another terminal, separately from the corresponding thumbnail image, or together with the corresponding thumbnail image, stored or printed, and used for various purposes.

Also, in the memo input method, when a keyboard of a form familiar to the user is provided as a memo input window, the user can select characters more accurately and conveniently.

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 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a memo input window is displayed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view illustrating a screen in which a memo input window is displayed according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 and 10 are views showing thumbnail images in which a memo is displayed or hidden according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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, The second demodulating unit 135, the analog / digital converting unit 140, the interface unit 150, the control unit 160, the channel browsing processing unit 170, the storage unit 175, the 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 a user from among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through an 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, images of other pre-stored channels are also displayed in a thumbnail form on at least a part of the screen, so that 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 base band 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) (Transprt 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, when 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 (Transprt 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 TS1 is input to the control unit 160, and demultiplexing, signal processing, and the like are performed. 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 in the control unit 160 is input to the sound output unit 185, for example, a speaker and is output as a 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 types of information on the screen of the display 180 based on at least one of the image-processed video signal and the data-processed data signal and the user input signal from the remote control device 200 To generate graphics for displaying graphics or text. The generated signal may be input to the display 180 together with the processed image signal and the processed data signal.

The signals 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, widgets, icons, and the like. The memo input window or the memo display window displayed according to the embodiment of the present invention may also belong to one of the screens displayed by the signal generated by the OSD function of the controller 160 for graphic or text display.

In particular, the control unit 160 can generate a memo input window and display the memo input window on the display 180, and the user can input information on each thumbnail image through the memo input window. The memo input window may have various forms, for example, a form of Korean or English keyboard. In particular, the graphics of the QWERTY keyboard can be displayed as a memo input window.

In addition, the control unit 160 may generate various types of memo input windows, and then control the display unit 180 to display a memo input window of a suitable type according to a user's selection. For example, when a user selects a QWERTY keyboard at the time of selecting a memo input window, a memo input window in the form of a QWERTY keyboard can be displayed. Also, when a user signal for inputting information on a thumbnail image is input, information on the thumbnail image can be generated or processed by combining and / or interpreting the user signal according to the type of the keyboard provided.

Then, the user selects a character on the keyboard using a remote control device such as a space remote controller, and information composed of a set of selected characters is stored corresponding to the corresponding thumbnail image. Here, a signal for selecting a character may be input to the control unit 160 through the interface unit 150. The stored information may then be displayed with or in superimposition with the thumbnail image. Or information about the thumbnail image, When a thumbnail image is selected, it may be displayed in a popup window which is a separate image from the thumbnail image.

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 input signal input unit 128, 140 and demultiplexes the stream signal TS 1 or TS 2 and extracts a part of the demultiplexed video signals and outputs the video signal including the extracted video signal And 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 partial list of the broadcast signals of a plurality of channels is extracted and re-encoded into a stream format through the channel browsing processor 170 to display the channel list on the display 180, At least a part of the images can be displayed on the screen in the form of a thumbnail. As a result, the user can intuitively know the content broadcast on the other 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 can be displayed on the screen in a thumbnail form. Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the contents input from the external input device.

On the other hand, the channel browsing processor 170 extracts a broadcasting signal image of the channel and a partial image of the external input image described above and re-encodes the partial image into a stream form, thereby displaying a channel list and an external input list on the display 180 , It is possible to display at least a part of the broadcast signal image of the plurality of channels and the external input image from the plurality of external input devices in a thumbnail form on the screen. 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 sound 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 sound 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 device 200 can use Bluetooth, RF (Radio Frequency) communication, Infrared Ray (IR) communication, UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee method 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.

Though two tuners are shown in the drawing, a thumbnail image at the time of viewing a channel list, which is an embodiment of the present invention, is displayed on the screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this, It is also possible.

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 TS1 or TS2 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 magnitude conversion is performed so that it is shown in an appropriate size when it is shown in thumbnail form on the display 180. [

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 an image shown in thumbnail form in a full view of the "image channel list" may be larger than a simple view of the "image 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 to be encoded by the image encoder 230 is displayed as a thumbnail image on the display 180 in the future.

The stream encoder 240 encodes the image encoded by the image encoder 230 into 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 images of the broadcast signal image and the external input image of a plurality of channels are extracted and re-encoded through the channel browsing processing unit 170, A plurality of channel broadcast signal images and an external input image from a plurality of external input devices can be displayed on the screen in a thumbnail form. Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the content broadcasted on another channel or the content input on the external input device.

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 with 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. And can receive signals transmitted by the spatial remote controller 301 according to the IR communication standard through the RF module 323.

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

An image display apparatus having a channel browsing function according to an embodiment of the present invention can search for TV channels and generate and display thumbnail images of broadcasts received through each channel. The thumbnail image may be generated by the channel browsing processor 170 or the controller 160 described above. The control unit 160 displays the generated thumbnail images on the display (S510).

The control unit 160 generates and displays a memo input window for receiving and storing a memo for one or more thumbnail images of the displayed thumbnail images (S520). The memo input window may be generated by the OSD processing function of the control unit 160 as described above. The memo input window is a virtual screen for the user to input a memo or predetermined information about a broadcast program received through the corresponding channel or the corresponding channel.

Here, the form of the memo input window that the image display apparatus can provide may be various, and the form of the memo input window may be selected or set by the user. That is, the user can select whether to receive a memo input window in the form of a keyboard before inputting the information about the thumbnail image. In the embodiment of the present invention, a case where a note input window in the form of a QWERTY keyboard is provided will be described as an example. However, since the memo input window has the form of a keyboard, and in particular, the memo input window having a form of a QWERTY keyboard is displayed as an example, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the form of the memo input window or the form of the keyboard It is self-evident.

When the user inputs a user signal using a remote control device such as a space remote controller, the user signal is transmitted to the control unit 160 through the interface unit 150 according to the instruction in the memo input window. Then, the control unit interprets the user signal and stores the contents of the memo. Through this process, a memo for the thumbnail image is input to the image display device.

The interface unit 150 receives a user signal for memo input (S530). The interface unit 150 may receive the user signal from the remote controller and transmit the user signal to the controller 160. Herein, a user signal for inputting a memo is input through the memo input window means the following. Here, the remote control device will be described by taking the space remote controller described above as an example. The user uses the space remote controller to view the memo input window displayed on the display 180 and selects a desired character as a pointer. One or more user signals corresponding to each character are input to the image display device according to the position of the pointer. Then, the control unit may combine and / or list user signals input for memo input to generate predetermined text information. The text information generated through this process becomes information on the thumbnail image.

When information about the thumbnail image is generated by receiving the user signal, the storage unit 175 stores information about the thumbnail image (S540). The information about the thumbnail image may be superimposed on the thumbnail image or displayed on the display 180 in a separate screen before the information on the thumbnail image is stored or before the information is stored.

6 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a memo input window is displayed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The note input window 620 illustrated in FIG. 6 has a form of a QWERTY keyboard. When a user desires to input a memo for one thumbnail image among a plurality of thumbnail images in the list of thumbnail images, a memo input window 620 for the thumbnail image is created and displayed.

The note input window 620 has the form of a QWERTY keyboard as described above. English keys are included on the keyboard, and the user can select the corresponding English key by using the space remote control. Here, the memo input window 620 is a memo input window 620 for inputting information about a thumbnail image corresponding to the DTV 7-1 channel displayed at the upper left corner.

For example, if the user selects the alphabet 'g', 'o', 'o', 'd' or 'f', 'a', 'v', 'o', 'r' , 't', and 'e' are selected by the spatial remote controller and the user signal is input, information of 'good' or 'favorite' is stored for the corresponding thumbnail image 610. Also, even if the user selects the English key by changing the Korean / English of the note input window 620, Korean characters can be input instead of English.

7 is a diagram illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The video display apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention having a channel browsing function searches TV channels, generates a thumbnail image of broadcasts received through each channel, and displays the generated thumbnail image on the display 180 (S710).

Then, a selection signal for a thumbnail image is received through the interface unit 150 (S720). Here, the selection signal is a signal for designating a thumbnail image to input information on the thumbnail image. The user can input a selection signal for the thumbnail image by pointing a specific thumbnail image to a pointer of the spatial remote controller.

The control unit 160 generates and displays a memo input window corresponding to the thumbnail image in order to input information about the selected thumbnail image according to the selection signal (S730). The memo input window may be generated by the OSD generating function of the control unit 160 as described above.

In addition, a memo input window and a memo display window showing the information input by the user can be generated and displayed together with the memo input window. The memo display window can display information on a thumbnail image generated in accordance with a user signal currently inputting or already inputted by the user in real time. That is, the memo display window corresponds to a graphic screen functioning as a computer monitor. The user can confirm information about the thumbnail image displayed on the memo display window and modify or edit the information about the thumbnail image before the information about the thumbnail image input by the user is displayed or stored together with the thumbnail image. Therefore, the information about the thumbnail image displayed on the memo display window may not be stored until the input is completed.

Then, a user signal for memo input is received from the remote control device through the interface unit 150 (S740). Since the user signal for memo input is already described with reference to FIG. 6, the duplicated description will be omitted. Also, when one or more characters or symbols are selected from a memo input window such as a keyboard displayed on the display 180, a user signal corresponding thereto is accumulated, and the control unit 160 generates or processes the information as information on the thumbnail image, ). ≪ / RTI >

Then, the user can select whether to display information about the thumbnail image (S750). For this, a signal such as an information display request signal for a thumbnail image or an information deletion request signal for a seasonal image may be input to the image display device. Since the user may not wish to display the information on the display 180 upon inputting the information on the thumbnail image, a separate signal indicating whether to display information on the thumbnail image may be received . Of course, if it is determined whether or not information on the thumbnail image is to be displayed in the initial setting on the image display apparatus, it may be determined whether or not to display the information on the thumbnail image.

When the thumbnail image information is set to be displayed or a separate signal for displaying information about the thumbnail image is input, the controller 160 outputs information about the thumbnail image to the display 180, The controller 180 displays information about the thumbnail image (S760). Information on the thumbnail image is stored in the storage unit 175 so that the thumbnail image can be displayed corresponding to the thumbnail image in operation S770.

If the information about the thumbnail image is not displayed on the display 180 due to a case where the information about the thumbnail image is set not to be displayed or a separate signal for not displaying the information about the thumbnail image is input, Information about the image can be stored in the storage unit 175 without a display process.

Also, the information on the thumbnail image stored on the display unit or stored in the storage unit may be transmitted to or shared by a terminal of another user's image display apparatus by the wireless communication function of the image display apparatus. In addition, the information about the thumbnail image can be printed and stored separately in an external memory such as a USB or an external hard disk. In this case, not only the information about the thumbnail image can be stored, transmitted, shared, and printed, but also stored, transmitted, shared, and printed together with the thumbnail image.

8 is a view illustrating a screen in which a memo input window is displayed according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 8, a memo display window is displayed together with a memo input window.

Here, the thumbnail image for inputting the information about the thumbnail image is a thumbnail image 610 corresponding to the DTV 7-1 channel located at the upper left corner. A memo input window 620 corresponding to the thumbnail image, and a memo display window 630 showing a user signal input through the memo input window are displayed.

Here, the user selects 't', 'j', 's', 'g' and 'h' on the memo input window 620 and inputs a user signal corresponding to these characters. It is assumed that the information about the thumbnail image is set to be input in Korean even if the English key of the memo input window 620 is selected.

Accordingly, the information about the thumbnail image input according to the input of the user's user signal is "preferred ", and information about the thumbnail image is displayed on the memo display window. When the user completes the user signal input and stores the information about the thumbnail image, 'thumbnail' information corresponding to the DTV 7-1 channel is stored. If the user prefers the broadcast received through the channel or the corresponding channel, information on the thumbnail image can be input. In addition, the user can delete, modify, or edit the information about the thumbnail image being input, if the information about the thumbnail image is erroneously input while checking the memo display window 630, if there is a typo.

9 and 10 are views showing thumbnail images in which a memo is displayed or hidden according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the memo means information on the thumbnail image.

FIG. 9 shows a screen in which input of a user signal for inputting information about a thumbnail image is completed and information about one or more thumbnail images is displayed according to an embodiment of the present invention. A thumbnail image corresponding to the DTV 7-1 channel, a thumbnail image corresponding to the CADTV 34-1 channel, and a thumbnail image corresponding to the CADTV 39-1 channel are superimposed on each thumbnail image. A thumbnail image corresponding to the DTV 6-1 channel, a thumbnail image corresponding to the CADTV 35-1 channel, and a thumbnail image corresponding to the CADTV 38-1 channel are superimposed and displayed on the respective thumbnail images have.

Accordingly, when the user uses the channel browsing function through the thumbnail images, it is possible to grasp at a glance the personal information about which channel is not preferred or not preferred. This is advantageous in that it is possible to provide a personalized channel browsing function according to each user, compared to simply displaying the content of each channel. If the user's preference for each channel is displayed together with the thumbnail image, the user can select the channel more conveniently.

Herein, the information about the thumbnail image and the content of the memo displayed according to the thumbnail image are exemplified as 'preference' or 'no fun', but there is no restriction on the content of the information about the input thumbnail image. The corresponding memo function can be applied. Information about a time when a program to be viewed is to be broadcasted, information on a movie to be broadcasted through the channel, a competition result of a sports program, and the like may be noted.

That is, if the thumbnail image and information about the thumbnail image are simultaneously displayed according to the taste or schedule of the user, the user can intuitively grasp information about his or her preferences, opinions, or programs to be viewed or not to be viewed for each channel. Such a memo-by-thumbnail memo function can be a measure for solving the inconvenience experienced by a user in selecting a channel or searching for a channel as the number of broadcasts and the number of channels gradually increase.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which information about a thumbnail image is not temporarily displayed due to the function of hiding it after the information about the thumbnail image is already inputted and displayed. Such a function can be referred to as a "memo hide" function.

When a plurality of users use the image display apparatus, the contents of the information about the thumbnail images input by the respective users may overlap or differ from each other. Also, the user may not want others to view the notes. It is therefore necessary to allow the user to select whether to display already entered and stored memos. Since the information about the thumbnail image is already stored, when the user wants to view the information about the thumbnail image again, the user selects a menu such as "memo view" and displays information about the thumbnail image together with the thumbnail image .

The image display apparatus and the operation method thereof according to the present invention are not limited to the configuration and method 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 networked computer systems so that code readable by the processor in a distributed manner 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 detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

100: Video display device
120: first tuner
125: Second tuner
128: External input device
150:
160:
170: Channel browsing processor
175:
180: Display
200: remote control device

Claims (18)

Displaying a plurality of thumbnail images on a display;
Displaying a border of a thumbnail image selected in accordance with a selection signal received from a remote control device, out of a plurality of thumbnail images, in a bolder than a border of the unselected thumbnail image;
Displaying a memo input window for receiving a memo for the selected thumbnail image on the display;
Receiving a user signal for the selected thumbnail image through the memo input window;
Storing a memo for the selected thumbnail image created according to the user signal; And
And selectively displaying a memo inputted by a specific user among the stored memos. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the memo input window is an image in the form of a keyboard in which characters are arranged. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the memo for the selected thumbnail image is a set of characters selected in the keyboard according to a user signal input from the remote control device. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the memo input window is in the form of a QWERTY keyboard. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the remote controller is a spatial remote controller in which a pointer moves according to a motion of the remote controller and an instruction is input to the image display. The method according to claim 1,
Displaying a memo display window displaying information on the selected thumbnail image to be stored according to the user signal while the user signal is being input through the memo input window together with the memo input window; Way. The method according to claim 1,
And displaying a memo for the selected thumbnail image superimposed on the selected thumbnail image. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the plurality of thumbnail images is a still image or a moving image. A storage unit for storing a plurality of memos input by different users;
A control unit for generating a memo input window for receiving a memo for a plurality of thumbnail images;
A display for displaying the plurality of thumbnail images and the memo input window; And
And an interface unit for receiving a user signal for the thumbnail image from the remote controller through the memo input window,
Wherein the display comprises:
Wherein a border of a thumbnail image selected in accordance with a selection signal received from the remote control device is displayed in a thicker border than a border of the unselected thumbnail image among the plurality of thumbnail images,
And selectively displays a memo inputted by a specific user among the memos previously stored in the storage unit. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the display further displays a memo for the selected thumbnail image according to the user signal. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the memo input window is an image in the form of a keyboard in which characters are arranged. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the memo for the selected thumbnail image is a set of characters selected in the keyboard according to a user signal input through the remote control device. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the memo input window is in the form of a QWERTY keyboard. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the remote controller is a spatial remote controller in which a pointer moves according to a motion of the remote controller and a command is input to the image display. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the storage unit stores a memo for the selected thumbnail image. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the display displays a memo for the selected thumbnail image superimposed on the selected thumbnail image. 11. The method of claim 10,
The control unit may further generate a memo display window for displaying information on the selected thumbnail image to be stored according to the user signal while the user signal is input through the memo input window,
Wherein the display displays the memo display window together with the memo input window. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein each of the plurality of thumbnail images is a still image or a moving image.

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