KR19990032226A - How to Display Channel Information on Satellite Broadcasting Receivers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention receives a transport stream including program service data and program guide data such as television broadcasting and data broadcasting from a satellite, and when a program menu screen service request signal from a viewer is input, the program guide data is formed into a menu screen. The present invention relates to a method for displaying channel information of a satellite broadcast receiver to be displayed on a monitor. The satellite body transmits a program guide data of a transport stream including broadcast program promotion screen data that can well represent characteristics of each broadcast program. step; The satellite broadcasting receiver stores program guide data including the broadcast program promotion screen data. When the program menu screen service request signal is input, the satellite broadcast receiver configures the program guide data including the broadcast program promotion screen data into the menu screen. And a second step of displaying on the monitor.

Description

How to Display Channel Information on Satellite Broadcasting Receivers

The present invention relates to an improved method of displaying channel information in a satellite broadcast receiver, which is particularly suitable for providing viewers with various types of menu screen guide information such as channel information received through satellite channels and broadcast program information for each channel. It is about.

In recent years, the broadcast method using satellites, which is rapidly expanding its use, is a method of providing a broadcast signal to a wider area by using a satellite (communication satellite) located at an altitude of about tens to hundreds of kilos on the surface of the earth. In this satellite broadcasting system, for example, an old band RF (Radio Frequency) signal having a frequency band of 11.7 GHz to 12.0 GHz is used.

for teeth. The antenna for satellite broadcasting reception is provided with a low noise converter for converting an RF signal into an IF (Intermediate Frequency) signal. The low noise converter is capable of receiving an ultra high frequency RF signal from a satellite broadcasting receiver (receiver). It is converted into an IF (middle frequency) signal in a band (e.g., 950 MHz-2050 MHz).

Therefore, in the satellite broadcasting tuner provided in the satellite broadcasting receiver, the IF signal received through the low noise converter is input, and the channel selected by the viewer is tuned. Such a satellite broadcasting receiver maximizes the channel utilization and the quality of the video and audio signals. Besides the improvement and the ease of additional digital service data transmission, the significant improvement of the viewer interface is a big advantage.

Meanwhile, in satellite broadcasting, a transmission signal of a digital broadcasting signal received from a satellite through a fixed channel to a satellite broadcasting receiver is restored to a transport stream through a process of converting to an intermediate frequency, demodulating, and correcting an error. The stream includes program service data such as television broadcasting and data broadcasting, and program guide data.

That is, satellite broadcasting transmits data to the satellite broadcasting receiver through a packet aging based on the MPEG-2 standard, for example, in a packet stream of 188 bytes, in which the packet is mainly divided into a program guide packet and a program service data packet. Each packet contains 4 bytes of header information.

Here, the program guide packet includes a channel information packet having program combination table (PAT) information including N bits of program identifiers (PIDs) (eg, 13 bits of program identifiers) representing a program number of each channel. A program introduction information packet having program map table (PMT) information of N bits of program identifier (PID) information meaning audio, video, text, etc. of a specific channel, and the program service data packet includes audio of each channel. Data packets, video data packets, text data packets, and the like, wherein program guide packets are continuously inserted and transmitted at intervals of several seconds between program service data packets.

Therefore, the satellite broadcasting receiver extracts program guide packets inserted at intervals of several seconds between program service data packets based on the header information (ie, PID) when the viewer is powered on by the viewer. (Ie, channel guide information and channel identifier (CID), program introduction information and program identifier (PID), text information and text identifier (TID), etc.) of each channel are stored in the memory area of the satellite broadcasting receiver. More specifically, the program guide information includes a channel ID, a program name, a start time and a broadcast time of a program, a grade of a program, a voice mode, presence or absence of euro broadcasting, and the like.

The program guide information stored in this area in the memory is then used to tune a particular channel selected in the transport stream received over the satellite channel when the particular channel is selected by the viewer, and also by the viewer to display a plurality of channel information and When providing the program introduction information (i.e., display) of each channel is required, it is composed of a menu screen and displayed on the monitor. Herein, the present invention relates to an improvement of a technique of providing channel information and program introduction information of each channel on a monitor according to a viewer's request.

That is, in the conventional satellite broadcasting receiver, when there is a request signal of a program guide menu screen from a viewer, channel information stored in a memory area and program introduction information of a corresponding channel (that is, channel information and program information that can be displayed on a monitor). By using a graphical tool prepared by withdrawing), as an example, a menu screen in the form of a letter as shown in FIG. 4 is configured, and then displayed on a monitor.

Therefore, the user can view or search for programs that are to be broadcasted or broadcasted in each channel or select a desired channel to watch or watch through a program guide menu screen service based on a simple key operation while watching a satellite broadcast.

However, as described above, the conventional method of guiding only channel information and program information of each channel on the menu screen in a text form is insufficient to satisfy viewers' desire for providing more various types of information.

Therefore, in recent years, the need for new techniques for providing a variety of services, rather than simply providing a program guide service has emerged in reality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above, and when a satellite broadcasting receiver provides a program guide service to a viewer, a guide service consisting of broadcast program promotion screens that can express characteristics of each program is provided on a monitor. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for displaying channel information in a satellite broadcast receiver.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention receives a transport stream including program service data and program guide data, such as television broadcasting and data broadcasting, from a satellite, and receives a program menu screen service request signal from a viewer. A channel information display method of a satellite broadcasting receiver for forming guide data into a menu screen and displaying the same on a monitor, wherein the satellite body broadcast program promotion screen data capable of representing characteristics of each broadcast program in program guide data of a transport stream. A first step of transmitting including; The satellite broadcasting receiver stores program guide data including the broadcast program promotion screen data. When the program menu screen service request signal is input, the satellite broadcast receiver converts program guide data including the broadcast program promotion screen data into the menu screen. It comprises a second step of configuring and displaying on the monitor.

1 is a hardware configuration diagram for performing a channel information display method of the present invention;

2 is a flow chart according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

3 is a view showing an example of a menu screen according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a view showing an example of a menu screen based on the channel information display method of the prior art.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

102: tuner and demodulation block 104: MPEG decoding block

106: video encoding block 108: control block

110: memory block 112: menu generation block

114: multiplexing block

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

1 is a block diagram of a satellite broadcast receiving system for performing the method of displaying channel information according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a satellite broadcast reception system includes a tuner and demodulation block 102, an MPEG decoding block 104, a video encoding block 106, and a control block 108. , A memory block 110, a menu generation block 112, and a multiplexing block 114.

In order to provide the viewer with improved channel information according to the present invention, program guide information packet data carrying program guide information is inserted at predetermined intervals on a transport stream received by the satellite broadcast receiving system through a satellite receiving antenna. The program guide information packet data includes channel information as illustrated in FIG. 3 and program introduction information of a still image for promoting each program of each channel.

Referring to FIG. 1, in the tuner and demodulation block 102, additional information (ie, channel information, program introduction information) inserted on a transport stream received through an antenna when power of a satellite broadcasting system is turned on. ), That is, channel information packet data having program combination table (PAT) information of N-bit program identifier (PID) information representing a program number of each channel, and audio, video, and text of a specific channel. Extracts program guide information packet data having program map table (PMT) information of N-bit program identifier (PID) information, and converts the extracted packet data into an intermediate frequency, demodulation, and error correction. After restoring to the transport stream through the process, it is provided to the control block 108 to be described later through the line L12.

At this time, the channel information packet data and the program introduction information packet data extracted from the transport stream and provided to the control block 108 through the line L12 are received through the satellite channel when a specific channel desired by the viewer is selected. It is used to tune a specific channel selected in U. In addition, it is used as actual content information of a menu screen when a user needs to provide (i.e., display) a plurality of channel information and broadcast program information of each channel.

In the tuner and demodulation block 102, the broadcast signal received through the broadcast signal receiver (i.e., the satellite reception antenna), not shown, is transmitted to the viewer based on the tuning control signal provided from the control block 108 through the line L11. Tunes the selected broadcast channel, restores the tuned broadcast channel signal to a transport stream through a process of converting to an intermediate frequency, demodulation, and error correction, and then restores the transport stream to Provided to the MPEG decoding block 104.

On the other hand, the control block 108 includes, for example, a microprocessor that performs overall operation control of the reception system. When the user broadcast channel selection signal is input from the outside, the control block 108 generates a corresponding tuning control signal to receive the line L11. To the above-described tuner and demodulation block 102, and when program guide data (i.e., channel information and program introduction information of each channel) is provided from the tuner and demodulation block 102 via line L12, To sequentially store in predetermined areas of the memory block 110. Here, the selected specific channel may be a channel currently being watched, a channel arbitrarily selected by the viewer among a plurality of channels, and a channel in which a cursor that can move up, down, left, and right according to the viewer's key manipulation is located. Can be.

In addition, when the broadcast channel menu service request signal is input from the outside, the control block 108 extracts the channel information data previously stored in the predetermined area of the memory block 110 and the program introduction information data of each channel, and then menus through the line L17. While providing to the generation block 112, a program guide menu consisting of still images of a predetermined size for promoting each program or a selection signal for selecting a broadcast program of a predetermined channel is generated on the line L19.

On the other hand, in the MPEG decoding block 104, the spatial and spatial correlation of the compressed coded audio signal and the video signal, for example the video signal, of the selected broadcast channel provided from the above-described tuner and demodulation block 102 via the line L13. Considering this, the compressed coded video signal is restored to the original signal before encoding by using a decoding technique such as variable length decoding, inverse DCT, inverse quantization, and motion compensation, and the recovered digital broadcast video signal is And the reconstructed audio signal is provided to an audio signal processor (not shown).

The video encoding block 106 also converts the selected digital broadcast video signal provided in the MPEG decoding block 104 described above into an NTSC or PAL analog video signal and then provides it to the multiplexing block 114 via line L16. On the other hand, in the menu generation block 112, when there is a service request signal, the channel information data and the program introduction information data of each channel, which are provided from the control block 108 described above through the line L17, by using the graphic, the initial menu. Generates screen data (ie, menu screen data occupying approximately the entire monitor), converts the generated initial menu screen data into an NTSC or PAL analog signal, and provides it to the multiplexing block 114 via line L18.

The multiplexing block 114 selects and omits the illustrated analog satellite broadcast signal on the line L16 or initial menu screen data on the line L18 based on the selection signal provided from the control block 108 via the line L19. To the side. Accordingly, broadcast program promotion screens that can well display the characteristics of each program will be displayed on the monitor on the display side, which is not shown.

Next, a process of performing the channel information display method according to the present invention based on the satellite broadcasting reception system having the above-described configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing a monitor with a menu screen including channel information and broadcast program promotion screens capable of representing characteristics of each channel program in a satellite broadcasting receiving system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. to be.

Referring to FIG. 2, when a viewer is watching satellite broadcast television in a state in which program guide packet data, that is, channel information data and program introduction information data for each channel are received and stored in the memory block 110 of FIG. 1 ( In step 202, it is checked whether there is a program menu guide service request (step 204).

In this case, the program content information received and stored in the memory block 110 are program introduction information of a still image for promoting each program of each channel as shown in FIG. 3.

If it is determined in step 204 that there is a request for a program menu screen guidance service from the outside, the control block 108 of FIG. 1 extracts program guide information data previously stored in the memory block 110 and displays a menu through the line L17. Output to generation block 112, the menu generation block 112 converts the channel information and program introduction information into initial menu screen data (i.e., menu screen data occupying the entire monitor) using graphics, and generates the generated information. The generated initial menu screen data is converted into an NTSC or PAL analog signal (step 206).

In this case, each broadcast program guide information in the channel includes not only various information such as title, airing time, paid broadcasting, etc., but also broadcast program promotion screens which are the most characteristic elements of the present invention.

In step 208, the menu screen data is selected in the multiplexing block 114 and provided on the monitor on the display side. Thus, as an example, the shape program guide information including the broadcast program promotion screen may be displayed as a menu screen on the monitor.

As described above, when shape program guide information including a broadcast program promotion screen is displayed on the monitor as a menu screen in response to a program menu screen service request from the viewer, the control block 108 displays a viewer, for example, CH11. If is selected, the menu screen currently being displayed is turned off, and the satellite broadcasting system is switched to the viewing mode to display the broadcast program of the selected channel (steps 210 and 212).

As described above, according to the present invention, when a viewer requests a guide of a broadcast program, the present invention provides a viewer with a guide service including broadcast program promotion screens that can display characteristics of each program on a monitor. There is an effect that can provide a variety of information.

Claims (4)

Receiving a transmission stream including program service data such as television broadcasting and data broadcasting and program guide data from a satellite, and receiving a program menu screen service request signal from a viewer, the program guide data is formed into a menu screen and displayed on a monitor. In the channel information display method of the satellite broadcasting receiver to display: A first step of transmitting, by the satellite body, program guide data of a transport stream including broadcast program promotion screen data capable of representing characteristics of each broadcast program; The satellite broadcasting receiver stores program guide data including the broadcast program promotion screen data. When the program menu screen service request signal is input, the satellite broadcast receiver converts program guide data including the broadcast program promotion screen data into the menu screen. And a second step of configuring and displaying on the monitor. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel information display method of the satellite broadcasting receiver is: And selecting a predetermined broadcast program of a predetermined channel on the menu screen, and displaying a broadcast program of the selected channel. The system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: displaying the menu screen; Channel information display method of a satellite broadcasting receiver displayed according to the NTSC system. The system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: displaying the menu screen; Channel information display method of a satellite broadcast receiver to display based on the PAL method.