KR19990026849A - Guide screen control method of satellite broadcasting receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of controlling a program guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver, which enables a user to directly select viewing and reservation of a specific program in a program guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver, wherein a guide screen request key signal for a program for each channel is inputted. If a selection key signal for selecting a specific item from the guide screen is input, the first step of displaying the stored program information for each channel on a guide screen is inputted. A second step of checking whether it is a key signal or a key signal for a channel, and a third step of turning off the guide screen if the selection key signal is a channel, and displaying a broadcast program received on the selected channel. The selection if the check result is a key signal for a program A fourth step of determining whether a program is a program in a current time zone or a future time zone, and when the determination result is a program in a current time zone, the guide screen is turned off, and a broadcast signal for the selected program is received and displayed. And a fifth step of performing reservation setting for the selected program when the program is in a future time zone.

Description

Guide screen control method of satellite broadcasting receiver

The present invention relates to a satellite broadcast receiver, and more particularly, to a method of controlling a guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver, which is suitable for directly selecting or viewing a specific program using a program guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver.

As is well known, satellite broadcasting is capable of receiving broadcast signals from ground stations (broadcasting earth stations) using broadcast satellites in a stationary orbit about 36,000 kilometers above the equator, and receiving them directly from the satellite receiving antennas in each home. The broadcasting system is a broadcasting system in which the selection range of information is greatly expanded compared to the conventional terrestrial or cable broadcasting system.

The satellite broadcast receiver used for such a satellite broadcast receives a bitstream provided from a satellite, processes a broadcast signal of a selected channel, and then provides it to a display device (for example, a TV).

In this case, the bit stream provided from the satellite includes various information such as broadcast signals (video data and audio data), event information table (EIT), and time data table (TDT) for each channel.

Therefore, a general satellite broadcast receiver is provided with various menu screens for displaying such various information. Among such menu screens, a broadcast program guide screen for guiding a broadcast program for each channel is included.

In the conventional broadcast program guide screen for each channel, the horizontal axis is composed of time and the vertical axis is composed of each channel to display information on the broadcast program of each channel for each time zone, and the user selects a selection key provided in the key input means. By moving the cursor on the screen to scroll the program for each channel and time zone on the screen (scroll), it is possible to receive a guide of the program for each channel.

However, such a conventional program guide screen is merely a reference screen function when a user selects a specific broadcast program or sets a reservation.

If a function of automatically viewing or reserving a user directly selects a specific program is imposed on each of the channel-specific guide screens, a more convenient user environment may be provided.

Accordingly, the present invention has been devised in view of the above, and when a user selects an arbitrary program on the broadcast program guide screen, the satellite broadcast can automatically tune or reserve by determining whether the selected program is a currently received program. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling a guide screen of a receiver.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for controlling a program guide screen for each channel of a satellite broadcast receiver for receiving a satellite broadcast signal provided through a satellite and storing broadcast program information for each channel extracted from each broadcast signal. In the method, when a guide screen request key signal for the program for each channel is input, step 1 of displaying the stored program information for each channel as a guide screen of a predetermined form, for selecting a specific item from the guide screen A second step of checking whether the input selection key signal is a selection key signal for a program or a key signal for a channel when the selection key signal is input; and when the check result is a selection key signal for a channel, the guide screen Turning off and displaying a broadcast program received on the selected channel; Step 4, a step of determining whether the selected program is a program of the current time zone or a future time zone when the check result is a key signal for the program, and when the determination result is a program of the current time zone, the guide screen is displayed. And turning off, receiving and displaying a broadcast signal for the selected program, and in the case of a program in a future time zone, performing a reservation setting for the selected program. .

1 is a block diagram of a satellite broadcast receiver suitable for applying a method for controlling a guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a view for explaining a method for controlling a guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a guide screen of a satellite broadcasting receiver according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10: key input unit 20: tuner and demodulation unit

30: micom 40: MPEG decoder

50: memory 60: OSD

The above and other objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a satellite broadcasting receiver suitable for performing a search method of a satellite broadcasting guide program according to the present invention, and includes a key input unit 10, a tuner and a demodulator 20, a microcomputer 30, and an MPEG decoder 40. ), A memory unit 50, and an OSD unit 60.

The key input unit 10 is composed of key metrics on a remote controller or its own panel to generate a corresponding key signal to the microcomputer 30 by a user's operation, and the microcomputer 30 is provided from the key input unit 10. Based on the key signal, a control signal for performing a corresponding function, a tuning control signal for tuning a broadcast channel, and a control signal for driving the OSD unit 60 are generated.

Then, the tuner and demodulator 20 tunes the bitstream of the channel corresponding to the tuning control signal of the microcomputer 30 in the bitstream from the satellite received through the antenna (not shown), and then demodulates the MPEG decoder again. Provide to 40.

The MPEG decoder 40 separates and decodes a broadcast signal provided from the tuner and the demodulator 20 into an audio signal, a video signal, and various program information, and provides the decoded signal to a signal processor, not shown, from the OSD unit 60. Data about the various information provided is also provided to the signal processor after a predetermined signal processing process.

The memory unit 50 stores various program information and various guide screen formats decoded and output from the above-described MPEG decoder 40 under the control of the microcomputer 30, and the programs stored under the control of the microcomputer 30 again. Will print the information.

In the satellite broadcast receiver configured as described above, when a user operates the key input unit 10 and inputs a key signal for displaying a broadcast program guide screen for each channel of the satellite broadcast receiver, the microcomputer 30 responds to the key signal. Information about the broadcast program for each channel of the satellite broadcast receiver stored in the memory unit 50 is read.

And, by providing the program information for each channel to the OSD unit 60, the broadcast program guide screen as shown in Figure 2 is displayed on the monitor, wherein the user operates the key input unit 10 to select a specific program When the selection is made, the microcomputer 30 determines whether the broadcast program selected by the user is a program that matches the current time, that is, a broadcast program received from a satellite not shown.

That is, when described in detail with reference to the drawings, the microcomputer 30 is tuned to the tuner and demodulator 20 when the program selected by the user is 'Program 1', 'Program 4' or 'Program 7' currently received. The control signal is generated, and accordingly, the corresponding program is tuned and subjected to a predetermined signal processing process and then displayed on a monitor (not shown).

On the contrary, if the program selected by the user is one of 'Program 2', 'Program 3', 'Program 5', 'Program 7', 'Program 8', and 'Program 9' instead of the currently received program, 30 displays a reservation menu screen (reserved viewing, reservation recording, etc.) previously stored in the memory unit 50.

As a result, when the user selects the currently received broadcast program while the satellite broadcast program guide screen for each channel is displayed, the user automatically tunes and displays the corresponding channel and selects a future program instead of the currently received program. , The reservation menu screen is automatically displayed.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a guide screen of a satellite broadcast receiver according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The above-described series of processes will be described in detail.

When the operation of the satellite broadcasting receiver is in the normal viewing mode displaying the broadcast screen of the specific channel selected by the user (step 301), when the user inputs a program guide key signal by operating the key input unit 10 (step 303). The program guide screen shown in FIG. 2 is displayed (step 305).

When the user again moves the cursor displayed on the screen to a specific position and inputs a selection key signal (step 307), the microcomputer 30 detects the current cursor position and the input selection key signal selects a program. It is determined whether or not the key signal is a key signal for selecting or a key signal for selecting a channel (step 313).

If the selection key signal for selecting a specific channel or program of the currently displayed guidance screen is not input within the predetermined time set in step 307 described above (step 309), the program currently displayed under control of the microcomputer 30 is selected. The guidance screen is automatically turned off and the operation of the satellite broadcast receiver is switched to the normal viewing mode of the initial step 301 (step 311).

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step 313 described above, when the input selection key signal is not a selection key signal for a program but a key signal for a specific channel, the guide screen currently displayed by the control of the microcomputer 30 is displayed. It is turned off (step 317), and the broadcast program currently received on the selected channel is displayed on a monitor (not shown) through a predetermined signal processing process (step 319).

On the contrary, when the selection key signal input in step 307 is a key signal for a specific program included in the program guide screen, the microcomputer 30 checks the position of the current cursor. It is determined whether the selected program is a currently received broadcast program, that is, a program in a current time zone or a future program to be broadcast in the future (step 315).

As a result of the determination, the displayed program guide screen is turned off in the case of a program of the current time zone (step 317), and the corresponding program is tuned and displayed through a predetermined signal processing process (step 319). That is, as in the case where the channel selection key signal described above is input, the corresponding program is automatically tuned and displayed on the screen.

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step 315 described above, if the selected program is not a program of the current time zone, but is a future program to be broadcast in the future, after turning off the program guide screen displayed under the control of the microcomputer 30 (step 321) A reservation menu screen for setting reserved viewing or reserved recording of the selected program is displayed (step 323).

Subsequently, when the user continuously enters a reservation mode (reservation viewing, reservation recording, reservation purchase, etc.), after storing reservation information including the program and the reservation mode in a predetermined area of the memory unit 50 (step 325). The reservation menu screen is turned off again and the operation of the satellite broadcasting receiver is switched to the normal viewing mode of the initial step 301 (step 327).

As a result, when the program selected by the user is displayed in the program display screen for each channel of the satellite broadcasting receiver, the program is automatically tuned and displayed, and in the case of a future program, the program is automatically displayed. The corresponding reservation menu screen is displayed.

As described above, according to the present invention, by allowing a user to automatically view and reserve a specific program on a program guide screen for each channel of the satellite broadcasting receiver, it is possible to provide the user with convenience for using the product. There is an effect that can improve the overall function of the satellite broadcast receiver.

Claims (4)

A method of controlling a program guide screen for each channel of a satellite broadcast receiver for receiving a satellite broadcast signal provided through a satellite and storing broadcast program information for each channel extracted from each broadcast signal, When the guide screen request key signal for the program for each channel is input, displaying the stored program information for each channel as a guide screen in a predetermined form; A second step of checking whether the input selection key signal is a selection key signal for a program or a key signal for a channel when a selection key signal for selecting a specific item of the guide screen is input; A third step of turning off the guide screen and displaying a broadcast program received on the selected channel in the case of the selection key signal for the channel; A fourth step of determining whether the selected program is a program of a current time zone or a program of a future time zone when the key signal is a key signal for a program; As a result of the determination, when the program is in the current time zone, the guide screen is turned off, and a broadcast signal for the selected program is received and displayed. When the program is in a future time zone, the fifth setting is performed to set the reservation for the selected program. Guide screen control method of a satellite broadcasting receiver comprising the step. The method of claim 1, wherein the second step further comprises automatically turning off the guide screen when the selection key signal is not input within a predetermined time period. The process of claim 1, wherein the reservation setting process in the fifth step comprises: A first step of turning off the guide screen and displaying a reservation menu screen for setting a reservation mode; And if the reservation mode is set, storing the reservation information on the selected program and turning off the reservation menu screen. The method of claim 3, wherein the reservation mode comprises a reservation viewing mode, a reservation recording mode, and a reservation purchase mode.