KR19990042294A - Broadcast Mode Switching Method of Satellite Broadcast Receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention has a satellite broadcast mode having a plurality of pre-assigned satellite broadcast channels and a cable broadcast mode having a pre-assigned plurality of cable broadcast channels, wherein at least a plurality of broadcasts of the broadcast channels of the satellite broadcast mode and the cable broadcast mode are broadcast. In the satellite broadcasting receiver which is a redundant channel in which the channel numbers overlap each other, the broadcast mode switching between the satellite broadcasting mode and the cable broadcasting mode is automatically performed by switching between the lowest duplicated channel and the highest duplicated channel in the duplicated channel using a channel up / down key. The present invention relates to a broadcast mode switching method, which can be performed by the present invention. To this end, the present invention relates to a composite satellite broadcast receiver that simultaneously receives satellite broadcast and cable broadcast. In this situation, the current channel being tuned is the highest channel of the satellite broadcast. When the user presses the channel down key, unlike the conventional method of tuning the lowest channel of satellite broadcasting, it automatically switches the current broadcasting mode to the cable broadcasting mode, and then tunes the lowest channel of the cable broadcasting channel, and also When the user presses the channel up key when the channel is the lowest channel of the cable broadcast, unlike the conventional method of tuning the highest channel of the cable broadcast, the current broadcast mode is automatically switched to the satellite broadcast mode, and then the top channel of the satellite broadcast channel is changed. By tuning, the cumbersome key operation as in the conventional method of performing channel switching in each broadcasting mode while performing the switching operation of the broadcasting mode can be suppressed as much as possible, thereby greatly improving user convenience.

Description

Broadcast Mode Switching Method of Satellite Broadcast Receiver

The present invention relates to a satellite broadcast receiver, and more particularly, a satellite suitable for simple and easy switching of viewing modes using a channel up / down key in a composite satellite broadcast receiver capable of simultaneously receiving a satellite broadcast signal and a digital cable broadcast signal. A viewing mode switching method of a broadcast receiver.

In recent years, the broadcast method using satellites, which is rapidly expanding in use, uses a satellite tuner equipped with a satellite receiver to tune a channel selected by a user by inputting an IF signal received through a low noise converter. In addition, such satellite broadcasting receivers can maximize the use of channels, improve the quality of video and audio signals, and facilitate the transmission of additional digital service data.

In recent years, not only satellite broadcasting but also cable broadcasting using cable has been rapidly spreading. When a subscriber (that is, one receiver) wants to receive all of these broadcasting signals, the frequency of each broadcasting is different. Due to the different bands, all-in-one type can be equipped with a satellite tuner and a cable broadcast tuner separately or to process two types of broadcasts through separate signal processing paths (ie, a satellite signal processing path and a cable broadcast signal processing path). Alternatively, an external composite tuner is employed in the receiver.

On the other hand, in the television employing the complex tuner as described above, a separate switching key for switching each broadcasting mode (ie, satellite broadcasting mode and cable broadcasting mode) is provided or a menu screen for switching the broadcasting mode is provided by software. (I.e., a switching method by selecting a broadcast mode on a menu screen having a broadcast mode switching item) is adopted.

In addition, the satellite broadcasting receiver can select a specific channel that the user wants to watch using the numeric keys as in a general television, and select a specific channel that the user wants to watch using the channel up / down keys. When a program guide menu according to a user's request is being displayed on a monitor, a specific channel to be viewed can be selected by designating a specific channel on the menu.

On the other hand, when the satellite broadcasting receiver performs channel switching for satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting through various methods as described above, the satellite broadcasting receiver displays a banner menu with detailed program information on the channel to be switched. To display for a preset number of seconds (e.g., 3-4 seconds, etc.), allowing users (or viewers) to preview detailed program information for the channel they have selected to switch to via this banner menu. You will know.

At this time, in the case of the satellite broadcasting channel, the guide packet containing the guide information for each program of each channel is already extracted at the same time as the power-on of the receiver and stored in the memory block. Can be configured. Here, the detailed program information on the banner menu of the satellite broadcasting channel configured includes, for example, the channel number, the program name, the start time of the program, the airing time, the class of the program, the voice mode, the presence or absence of a paid broadcast, the current date and time, and the like. do.

In the case of cable broadcasting, unlike the above-described satellite broadcasting, since there is no detailed information on the program of each corresponding channel, information such as channel number, program name, current date and time are provided when selecting channel switching.

On the other hand, in the case of cable broadcasting, a composite satellite broadcasting receiver is usually assigned with channels 1 to 158 in consideration of its transmission bandwidth, and in the case of satellite broadcasting, channels 100 through 999 are allocated. From channel 100 to channel 158, satellite and cable broadcasts are duplicated channels.

Therefore, in the case of switching channels between satellite broadcasting and cable broadcasting having the above channels, conventionally, channel switching between satellite broadcasting channels is performed according to user selection using channel up / down keys in the satellite broadcasting mode. In broadcasting mode, channel switching between cable broadcasting channels had to be performed according to user selection using channel up / down keys.

For example, assuming that the current channel being tuned is channel 158 of the cable broadcast and channel 1 is an effective channel having a viewable broadcast signal, when the user presses the channel up key, the composite satellite broadcast receiver selects the current channel as channel 1 It switches to, that is, displays the banner menu screen for channel 1 for a preset number of seconds, and then automatically tunes channel 1. In addition, assuming that the current channel being tuned is channel 100 of satellite broadcasting and channel 999 is an effective channel having a broadcasting signal, when the user presses a channel down key, the composite satellite broadcasting receiver switches the current channel to channel 999. That is, a banner menu screen for channel 999 is displayed for a predetermined number of seconds, and then channel 999 is automatically tuned.

That is, since the channel switching is possible only in the satellite broadcasting mode or the cable broadcasting mode when the channel is switched using the channel up / down key, the cable broadcasting is performed using the channel up / down key when the current mode is the satellite broadcasting mode. If you want to switch to select a specific channel of the mode, switch the current satellite broadcasting mode to the cable broadcasting mode, and then perform the operation of switching and selecting the specific channel of the desired cable broadcasting mode while the broadcasting mode is switched. Since it must be done, this conventional method involves a problem that user inconvenience caused by cumbersome key manipulation is caused.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has a satellite broadcasting mode having a plurality of pre-allocated satellite broadcasting channels and a cable broadcasting mode having a plurality of pre-assigned cable broadcasting channels. In the satellite broadcasting receiver, which is a duplicate channel in which at least a plurality of broadcast channel numbers of the broadcast channels in the cable broadcasting mode overlap each other, the satellite is selected by switching between the lowest duplicate channel and the highest duplicate channel in the duplicate channel using a channel up / down key. An object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast mode switching method of a satellite broadcast receiver capable of automatically performing a broadcast mode switching between a broadcast mode and a cable broadcast mode.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention simultaneously receives a plurality of pre-assigned satellite broadcast channels and a plurality of pre-assigned cable broadcast channels, wherein some channels of the satellite broadcast channel and some channels of the cable broadcast channel In a broadcast mode switching method for automatically switching between a satellite broadcast mode and a cable broadcast mode in a composite satellite broadcast receiver which is a redundant channel having channel numbers overlapping each other, the composite satellite broadcast receiver is configured for each channel of the satellite broadcast. And a first memory area for sequentially storing program guide packets and a second memory area for sequentially storing effective channel information of the cable broadcast according to channel numbers. The channel switching method includes: program guide packet data of the satellite broadcast; Store in the first memory area and respond to a user request with the cable. Checking whether or not a channel switching signal is input according to a user's operation of a channel up / down key signal when the receiver is in a viewing mode while storing effective channel information of a broadcasting channel in the second memory area; Stage 1; When the channel switching signal is input, it is checked whether the current channel being watched is included in the duplicated channel to which both satellite and cable broadcasts are allocated at the same time. Tuning a current channel by switching to the switched selected channel; A third step of checking whether a broadcast mode is a satellite broadcast mode when the current channel is included in a redundant channel, and whether the current channel is a top channel of the redundant channel; A fourth step of checking whether the channel switching signal is a channel down signal and automatically switching the satellite broadcasting mode to the cable broadcasting mode when the current channel is the highest channel of the redundant channel satellite broadcasting; A fifth step of switching the broadcast current channel to the lowest channel of the cable broadcast simultaneously with the broadcasting mode switching; If the current channel is not the most significant channel of the redundant channel satellite broadcast, the broadcast mode is a cable broadcast mode and a check is made to check whether the current channel is the lowest channel of the redundant channel. 6 steps; A seventh step of checking whether the channel switching signal is a channel up signal when the current channel is the lowest channel of the redundant channel cable broadcasting, and automatically switching the cable broadcasting mode to the satellite broadcasting mode if the channel switching signal is a channel up signal; An eighth step of switching the broadcast current channel to the highest channel of the satellite broadcast at the same time as the broadcast mode switching; As a result of the check in the sixth step, if the current channel is not the lowest channel of the redundant channel cable broadcasting, a pop-up menu screen for selecting satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting of the switched selected redundant channel is generated and displayed on the monitor. A ninth step of waiting for a broadcast mode switching selection by a user; When the broadcast mode switching is selected in the standby mode, a broadcast mode switching method of the satellite broadcasting receiver comprising a tenth step of switching and tuning the current channel to the channel of the redundant channel satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting according to the user selection do.

1 is a block diagram of a typical satellite broadcast receiver suitable for applying a broadcast mode switching method according to the present invention;

2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of switching a broadcast mode in a satellite broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a banner menu for a switching selection channel when the channel selected by the channel up / down key in the viewing mode is a cable broadcasting channel;

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pop-up menu for user selection of satellite broadcasting and cable broadcasting when a channel switched by a channel up / down key in a viewing mode is a duplicate channel;

<Description of the code | symbol about the principal part of drawing>

102: tuner and demodulation block 104: MPEG decoding block

106: video encoding block 108: video processing block

110: control block 112,114: memory

116: menu generation block 118: video composition block

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 by those skilled in the art.

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

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a typical satellite broadcast receiver suitable for applying the broadcast mode switching method according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, a typical composite satellite broadcast receiver includes a tuner and demodulation block 102, an MPEG decoding block 104, a video encoding block 106, a video processing block 108, a control block 110, A first memory 112, a second memory 114, a menu generation block 116, and an image synthesis block 118.

1, the tuner and demodulation block 102 extracts, i.e., channel information, program information, and the like, inserted into a transport stream received through an antenna when the satellite broadcast receiver is powered on. N-bit program identifier for channel information packet data with program combination table (PAT) information of N-bit program identifier (PID) information for program number of each channel and audio, video, text, etc. of a specific channel. Extract program information packet data having program map table (PMT) information as (PID) information, and restore the extracted packet data to a transport stream through a process of converting to intermediate frequency, demodulating and error correction. And then to the control block 110 described below via line L12.

In this case, the channel information packet data and the program information packet data extracted from the transport stream and provided to the control block 110 through the line L12 are received through the satellite channel when a specific channel of the desired satellite broadcast is selected by the user. It is used to tune a particular satellite channel selected in the stream, and is also used as actual content information of the guide menu screen when the user is required to provide (i.e. display) a plurality of channel information and broadcast program information for each channel.

In addition, the tuner and demodulation block 102, in response to the automatic tuning control signal provided from the control block 110 via line L11, when the user selects automatic tuning and storage of the cable broadcast channel, the plurality of respective cable broadcast channels. Only the valid broadcast channel carrying the broadcast signal which can be viewed is automatically tuned, and the effective broadcast channel information thus tuned is provided to the control block 110 through the line L12.

Further, the tuner and demodulation block 102 are received via a broadcast signal receiver (i.e., satellite receiving antenna, cable, etc.), not shown, based on the tuning control signal provided from the control block 110 described later via line L11. The tuned broadcast channel selected by the user is tuned to the satellite or cable broadcast signal, and the tuned broadcast channel signal is demodulated to the original signal before transmission. When the satellite broadcast signal is tuned, the demodulated satellite broadcast channel signal is taken from line L13. Is provided to the MPEG decoding block 104, and the demodulated cable broadcast channel signal is provided to the video processing block 108 via line L14 when the cable broadcast signal is tuned. In such a tuner and a demodulation block, for example, a pending tuner is filed by the applicant of the Korean Patent Office on October 31, 1994 under the name of “Tuner for Satellite and Cable Broadcasting” (Patent Application No. 94-28287). It can be adopted.

Next, in MPEG decoding block 104 the spatially and spatially of the compressed and encoded audio and video signals, e.g. video signals, of the selected satellite broadcast channel provided from the above-described tuner and demodulation block 102 via line L13. In consideration of the correlation, the compressed coded video signal is restored to the original signal before encoding using a decoding technique such as variable length decoding, inverse DCT, inverse quantization, and motion compensation, and the digital satellite broadcast video signal reconstructed here Provided to video encoding block 106.

The video encoding block 106 converts the digital broadcast video signal of the selected satellite channel provided by the MPEG decoding block 104 described above into an NTSC or PAL analog video signal, and then outputs the image synthesis block 118 through the line L15. )

On the other hand, the video processing block 108 processes the broadcast program video signal of the tuned cable channel provided from the above-described tuner and demodulation block 102 via the line L14 in the cable broadcast viewing mode, for example, level amplification, noise removal. Various signal processes such as gain control and the like are provided to the image synthesis block 118 on the output side through the line L16.

On the other hand, the control block 110 includes, for example, a microprocessor for performing overall operational control of the receiver, generating a signal for requesting acquisition of a guide packet via line L11 when the receiver is powered on, When the guide packet data extracted from the transport stream is input through the line L12, these data are sequentially stored in the first memory 112, and a corresponding cable is input when an operation signal for effective channel automatic tuning of the cable broadcast is input from the outside. A second automatic tuning control signal for automatic tuning of a valid channel of the broadcast (that is, a channel containing a viewable broadcast signal) is generated on the line L11, and when the effective channel information of the cable broadcast automatically tuned through the line L12 is inputted, the second channel is transmitted. It stores in the memory 114.

That is, guide packet data for satellite broadcasting is stored in the first memory 112, and effective channel information of automatically tuned cable broadcasting is stored in the second memory 114.

In addition, the control block 110 generates a tuning control signal on the line L11 for tuning the selected channel of satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting through switching to the same broadcasting mode or another broadcasting mode according to a user's operation. One tuner and demodulation block 102 will tune the satellite broadcast channel or cable broadcast channel selected by the user in response to a tuning control signal on line L11.

On the other hand, the control block 110 controls the generation of the banner menu including the detailed information about the program of the channel is selected for switching when the channel switching in accordance with the user operation as described above, the generated banner menu is It is mixed with the image of the current channel and displayed on the monitor for a predetermined number of seconds (eg, 3-4 seconds, etc.).

Furthermore, the control block 110 generates an image output control signal on the line L19 when the channel switching signal using the channel up / down key is input from the outside, and provides the image output control signal to the image combining block 118 which will be described later. In step 118, in response to the output control signal on line L19, the image of the selected satellite broadcasting channel, the image of the selected cable broadcasting channel, the image of the satellite broadcasting channel mixed with the banner menu, and the image of the cable broadcasting channel mixed with the banner menu. One image will be selected and output to the display side.

In addition, in the control block 110, if the user presses the channel down key when the current channel is the channel 100 of the satellite broadcasting mode and the last channel of the cable broadcasting channel (ie, the channel 158) is an effective channel, the control channel 110 selects the current satellite broadcasting mode. It automatically switches to cable broadcasting mode and controls to tune the broadcasting signal of channel 158, which is the last channel of cable broadcasting mode, and the current channel is channel 158 of cable broadcasting mode and the start channel of satellite broadcasting channel (ie, channel 100). If the user presses the channel up key when the channel is an effective channel, the current cable broadcasting mode is automatically switched to the satellite broadcasting mode, and then the broadcast signal of the channel 100, which is the start channel of the satellite broadcasting mode, is tuned.

Next, in the menu generation block 116, when the channel switching signal is input, the detailed program information data of the satellite broadcasting channel for which the switching provided from the above-described control block 110 is selected via the line L17 or the cable broadcasting channel for which the switching is selected is selected. The additional information data is configured into a banner menu screen using graphics, and the configured banner menu screen data is converted into an NTSC or PAL analog signal and then provided to the image synthesis block 118 on the output side through line L18.

That is, in the menu generation block 116, when the channel selected for switching is the satellite broadcasting channel, for example, the channel number, the program name, the start time of the program, the airing time, the class of the program, the voice mode, the presence or absence of a paid broadcast, the current date and time And a banner menu including a switch, and when the selected channel is a cable broadcast channel, as shown in FIG. 3 as an example, a banner menu including a channel number, a program name, a current date and time is configured.

In Fig. 4, reference numeral A denotes a video area of a channel currently being viewed, and reference numeral B denotes a banner menu area having program information of a cable broadcasting channel for which switching is selected.

In addition, in the menu generation block 116, when the channel selected for switching is a duplicate channel in which the satellite broadcasting and the cable broadcasting are overlapped, that is, in the case of cable broadcasting, channels 1 to 158 are generally considered in consideration of the transmission bandwidth. Is allocated, and in the case of satellite broadcasting, channels 100 through 999 are allocated, and in this case, channels 100 through 158 become duplicate channels in which satellite broadcasting and cable broadcasting are duplicated. If the channel selected by switching is such a duplicate channel, before the display of the banner menu with the corresponding program information, as shown in FIG. 5 as an example, a pop-up menu screen, that is, a satellite broadcast or cable broadcast (CATV) in the duplicate channel, is shown. Create and display a pop-up menu screen requesting the selection of. In this case, reference numeral A in FIG. 4 represents an image region of the current channel, and B represents a pop-up menu region.

Accordingly, the menu generation block 116 generates a banner menu for the selected broadcast channel when the user selects satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting, and provides the banner menu to the display through the image synthesizing block 118.

In this case, the broadcast channel selection standby mode may be continuously performed until a user selection signal is input when the pop-up menu is displayed as described above. Alternatively, a predetermined time period (for example, 10 to 20 seconds) may be set. If a user selection signal is not input within a second time, a channel (up or down channel) corresponding to the broadcast mode of the current channel being viewed may be automatically selected.

On the other hand, the image synthesizing block 118 selects and outputs the image output on the line L15 to the display side when the viewing mode is the satellite broadcasting mode based on the image output control signal provided from the control block 110 through the line L19. When the viewing mode is the cable broadcasting mode, the video output on the line L16 is selected and provided to the display side.

Also, in the image synthesis block 118, when the user performs channel switching in the viewing mode, in response to the output control signal provided through the line L19, the image of the satellite broadcast channel on the line L15 or the cable broadcast channel on the line L16 The image is mixed with the banner menu screen or the pop-up menu screen provided from the line L18, and the mixed image is provided to the display side.

Therefore, on the monitor on the display side, not shown, as shown in FIG. 3 as an example, an image of a cable broadcasting channel having a banner menu screen or an image of a satellite broadcasting channel is displayed or as shown in FIG. 4 as an example. For example, an image of a cable broadcasting channel or an image of a satellite broadcasting channel having a pop-up menu screen may be displayed.

As a result, users (or viewers) can know in advance the program information of the channel (especially cable broadcasting channel) that they have selected for switching through the banner menu displayed for several seconds during channel switching.

Next, a process of automatically switching the broadcast mode in the satellite broadcast receiver according to the present invention in the composite satellite broadcast receiver having the above-described configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of switching a broadcast mode in a satellite broadcast receiver according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

First, the main core technology of the present invention, in the situation where there is a duplicate channel allocated to both satellite and cable broadcasts in a composite satellite broadcast receiver that simultaneously receives satellite and cable broadcasts, the current channel being tuned is If the user presses the channel down key when the satellite is the highest channel (the lowest numbered channel, for example 100), the lowest channel of the satellite (the highest numbered channel, for example 999) Unlike the conventional method of tuning, the current broadcast mode is automatically switched to the cable broadcast mode, and then the lowest channel (the highest numbered channel, for example, channel 158) of the cable broadcast channel is also tuned. If the user presses the channel up key when the current channel is the lowest channel of the cable broadcast (the highest numbered channel, for example channel 158), the cable broadcast Unlike the conventional method of tuning the top channel (the lowest numbered channel, for example channel 1), the current broadcast mode is automatically switched to the satellite broadcast mode and then the top channel (the lowest numbered channel) of the satellite broadcast channel. As a channel, for example channel 100).

Referring to FIG. 2, a guide packet of a satellite broadcast channel is extracted and stored in the first memory 112 in a state where the composite satellite broadcast receiver is powered on, and an effective channel of a cable broadcast according to a user's selection (or request) ( It is assumed that a channel carrying a viewable broadcast signal is automatically tuned so that the corresponding effective channel information is stored in the second memory 114.

As described above, when the receiver is in the viewing mode with the guide packet of the satellite broadcast channel extracted and pre-stored and the channel information for the effective channel of the cable broadcast pre-stored (step 202), the channel is up / down from the outside. When the channel switching signal is inputted according to the user's operation of the key (step 204), the control block 110 tunes when it is determined that the channel switching signal is input as a result of the check in this step 204. It is checked whether the current channel being used is a duplicate channel, that is, a channel belonging to channels 100 to 158 (step 206).

As a result of the check in step 206, if the current channel is not a duplicate channel, the process proceeds to step 232, which is described later. In step 232, a predetermined banner preset screen is generated by generating a banner menu screen corresponding to the selected channel. Display on the monitor for a period of time, that is, as shown in Figure 3, for example, displays a mixture of the image of the current channel being viewed and the banner menu screen, if there is no other key signal for a predetermined period of time to display the banner menu screen Simultaneously with the turning off, the image of the newly tuned selected broadcast channel is displayed (step 234).

That is, although the detailed illustration of FIG. 2 is omitted, when another channel switching signal is input during the display of the banner menu screen for a predetermined time, the switching to the selected channel is stopped first and subsequent processing on the newly selected channel is performed. Will be executed, that is, the process after step 206 will be repeated.

In addition, if it is determined in step 206 that the current channel is a duplicate channel (ie, channels 100 to 158), the control block 110 first determines that the current broadcast mode is the satellite broadcast mode and the current channel is It is checked whether it is the highest channel of the redundant channel (the lowest numbered channel, e.g. satellite broadcast channel 100) (step 208), and the result of the check here indicates that the current channel is the lowest of the redundant channel of the satellite broadcast mode. It is checked whether the input channel switching signal is a channel down signal or a channel up signal when the channel is a number (step 210).

As a result of the check in step 210, if the input channel switching signal is a channel down signal, the control block 110 automatically switches the current broadcast mode to the cable broadcast mode again (step 214). Simultaneously with the switching of the broadcasting mode, the display of the banner menu screen for the lowest channel of the cable broadcasting channel, for example, the channel 158, and the tuning of the selected cable broadcasting channel are performed through the above-described steps 232 and 234. do.

On the other hand, if the check result in step 210, if the input channel switching signal is a channel up signal, the process proceeds to step 226 described later, in step 226 satellite broadcast or cable as in the conventional method A pop-up menu screen for selecting broadcast (CATV) is generated and displayed on the monitor. The corresponding channel is selected when a satellite or cable broadcast channel is selected by the user by checking whether the user selects a broadcast mode switching signal. If the user selects the satellite broadcast when the current channel is in the satellite broadcast mode (step 228), the process proceeds directly to step 232 described above to perform the subsequent process, and the current channel is in the satellite broadcast mode. If the user selects the cable broadcast, the current broadcast mode is switched to the cable broadcast mode (step 230), and then the cable selected through the above-described step 232 and step 234 The display of the banner menu for the broadcast channel and the tuning of the selected cable broadcast channel are performed.

On the other hand, if the check in step 208 indicates that the current channel is not the highest channel (lowest numbered channel) of the redundant channel in the satellite broadcast mode, the current broadcast mode is the cable broadcast mode and the current channel is the duplicate channel. It is checked whether it is the lowest channel (e.g., cable broadcast channel 158) (step 216).

As a result of checking in the step 216, if the current channel is the lowest channel of the redundant channel of the cable broadcasting mode (ie, cable broadcasting channel 158), the control block 110 determines whether the input channel switching signal is a channel up signal. It is checked whether it is a down signal (step 218).

If the input channel switching signal is the channel up signal as a result of the check in step 218, the control block 110 automatically switches the current cable broadcasting mode to the satellite broadcasting mode (step 222). Simultaneously with the switching, the display of the banner menu screen for the lowest channel of the satellite broadcasting channel, for example, channel 100, and tuning of the selected satellite broadcasting channel are performed through the aforementioned steps 232 and 234.

Furthermore, if the check result of the step 218 indicates that the input channel switching signal is a channel down signal, the process proceeds to step 226 described above, and through the processing of steps 226 to 234, As described above, the display of the banner menu for the selected satellite broadcasting channel or the cable broadcasting channel and the tuning of the selected broadcasting channel are performed.

On the other hand, if the result of the check in step 216 indicates that the current channel is not the lowest channel of the redundant channel of the cable broadcasting mode, that is, the cable broadcasting channel No. 158, the process proceeds directly to step 226 described above, and then As described above, the display process of the banner menu and the tuning of the selected broadcast channel are performed through the processing of steps 226 to 234.

As described above, according to the present invention, in a situation where a duplicate channel allocated to satellite broadcast and cable broadcast simultaneously exists in a composite satellite broadcast receiver that simultaneously receives satellite broadcast and cable broadcast, the current channel being tuned is determined by the satellite broadcast. When the user presses the channel down key when the top channel is selected, the channel is automatically switched to the cable broadcasting mode, and then the lowest channel of the cable broadcasting channel is tuned. Also, when the current channel being tuned is the lowest channel of the cable broadcasting, the user changes the channel. Pressing the up key automatically switches the current broadcast mode to the satellite broadcast mode, and then tunes the highest channel of the satellite broadcast channel, thereby performing channel switching in each broadcast mode while performing the broadcast mode switching operation. Convenience of user by restraining troublesome key operation to the maximum It can be greatly improved.

Claims (12)

It is a duplicated channel having a channel number which simultaneously receives a plurality of pre-allocated satellite broadcast channels and a plurality of pre-allocated cable broadcast channels, and wherein some channels of the satellite broadcast channel and some channels of the cable broadcast channel overlap each other. A broadcast mode switching method for automatically switching between a satellite broadcast mode and a cable broadcast mode in a composite satellite broadcast receiver, The composite satellite broadcast receiver includes a first memory area for sequentially storing program guide packets for each channel of the satellite broadcast, and a second memory area for sequentially storing effective channel information of the cable broadcast according to the channel number. The channel switching method is: The receiver is in a viewing mode while storing program guide packet data of the satellite broadcasting in the first memory area and storing effective channel information of the cable broadcasting channel in the second memory area in response to a user request. A first step of checking whether or not a channel switching signal according to a user operation of the channel up / down key signal is input; When the channel switching signal is input, it is checked whether the current channel being watched is included in the duplicated channel to which both satellite and cable broadcasts are allocated at the same time. Tuning a current channel by switching to the switched selected channel; A third step of checking whether a broadcast mode is a satellite broadcast mode when the current channel is included in a redundant channel, and whether the current channel is a top channel of the redundant channel; A fourth step of checking whether the channel switching signal is a channel down signal and automatically switching the satellite broadcasting mode to the cable broadcasting mode when the current channel is the highest channel of the redundant channel satellite broadcasting; A fifth step of switching the broadcast current channel to the lowest channel of the cable broadcast simultaneously with the broadcasting mode switching; If the current channel is not the most significant channel of the redundant channel satellite broadcast, the broadcast mode is a cable broadcast mode and a check is made to check whether the current channel is the lowest channel of the redundant channel. 6 steps; A seventh step of checking whether the channel switching signal is a channel up signal when the current channel is the lowest channel of the redundant channel cable broadcasting, and automatically switching the cable broadcasting mode to the satellite broadcasting mode if the channel switching signal is a channel up signal; An eighth step of switching the broadcast current channel to the highest channel of the satellite broadcast at the same time as the broadcast mode switching; As a result of the check in the sixth step, if the current channel is not the lowest channel of the redundant channel cable broadcasting, a pop-up menu screen for selecting satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting of the switched selected redundant channel is generated and displayed on the monitor. A ninth step of waiting for a broadcast mode switching selection by a user; And a tenth step of switching and tuning the current channel to a channel of the redundant channel satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting according to a user selection when the broadcasting mode switching is selected in the standby mode. The method of claim 1, wherein the second step is: Search for the memory area to retrieve program information for a corresponding program of a selected broadcast channel, and use the extracted program information to generate a banner menu screen of the switched selected broadcast channel, and display the image of the current channel and the generated program. A twenty-first step of mixing a banner menu screen and displaying the same on a monitor for a predetermined time; And And twenty-second step of converting and tuning the current channel to the switched selected channel when there is no input of another key signal during the display for the predetermined time period. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth step is: When the channel switching signal is not the channel down signal, a pop-up menu screen for satellite broadcasting or cable broadcasting selection of the switched redundant channel is generated and displayed on a monitor, and then waiting for a broadcasting mode switching selection by a user. The 41st step; A step 42 for switching the satellite broadcasting mode to the cable broadcasting mode when the broadcasting mode switching is selected in the standby mode; Converting and tuning the current channel being broadcast to the switched selected cable broadcast channel simultaneously with the broadcast mode switching; And If the broadcast mode switching is not selected, the method further comprises the step 44 of maintaining the standby mode state. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said 43 steps are: Search for the second memory area to retrieve program information for a corresponding program of the switched selected cable broadcasting channel, and generate a banner menu screen of the switched selected cable broadcasting channel by using the extracted program information; A step 431 of mixing the image with the generated banner menu screen and displaying the same on the monitor for a predetermined time; And And if there is no input of another key signal during the display for the predetermined time period, step 432 of switching the current channel to the switched selected cable broadcasting channel and tuning the broadcast mode. . The method of claim 3, wherein the step 44 further comprises: automatically switching and tuning a satellite broadcast channel of the switched selected redundant channel corresponding to a channel down signal when the broadcast mode switching is not selected within a predetermined time period. Broadcast mode switching method of a satellite broadcast receiver comprising a. The method of claim 1, wherein the fifth step is: Search for the first memory area to retrieve program information for a corresponding program of the selected cable broadcasting channel, and generate a banner menu screen of the switched selected cable broadcasting channel by using the extracted program information. A 51 st step of mixing and displaying the generated banner menu screen for a predetermined time on a monitor; And And if there is no input of another key signal during the display for the predetermined time, converting and tuning the current channel to the switched cable broadcasting channel. . The method of claim 1, wherein the seventh step is: When the channel switching signal is not the channel up signal, a pop-up menu screen for selecting the satellite channel or cable broadcasting of the selected duplicated channel is generated and displayed on the monitor, and then waiting for a broadcast mode switching selection by the user. A seventy-seventh step; Step 72, when the broadcast mode switching is selected in the standby mode, switching the cable broadcasting mode to the satellite broadcasting mode; A 73rd step of simultaneously tuning the broadcast mode switching by switching the broadcast current channel to the switched selected satellite broadcasting channel; And If the broadcast mode switching is not selected, the method further comprises the step of maintaining the standby mode state, the broadcast mode switching method of the satellite broadcast receiver characterized in that it further comprises. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the seventy three steps are: Search for the first memory area to retrieve program information for a corresponding program of the switched selected satellite broadcast channel, and generate a banner menu screen of the switched selected satellite broadcast channel by using the extracted program information; Step 731, mixing the image with the generated banner menu screen and displaying the same on the monitor for a predetermined time; And And if there is no input of another key signal during the display for the predetermined time period, step 732 of switching the current channel to the selected and selected satellite broadcast channel and tuning the broadcast mode. . 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step 74 further comprises: automatically switching and tuning a cable broadcast channel of the switched selected redundant channel corresponding to a channel down signal if the broadcast mode switching is not selected within a predetermined time period. Broadcast mode switching method of a satellite broadcast receiver comprising a. The method of claim 1, wherein the eighth step is: Search for the second memory area to retrieve program information for a corresponding program of the selected satellite broadcasting channel, and generate a banner menu screen of the switched selected satellite broadcasting channel by using the extracted program information, and generate an image of the current channel. Mixing the generated banner menu screen with a display to display on a monitor for a predetermined time; And And step 82 of converting and tuning the current channel to the switched selected satellite broadcast channel when there is no input of another key signal during the display for the predetermined time period. . The method of claim 1, wherein the tenth step is: In step 102, when the broadcasting mode switching is selected in the standby mode, switching the current broadcasting mode to another broadcasting mode; Step 103, simultaneously tuning the broadcast mode switching by switching the broadcast current channel to a broadcast channel of the switched other broadcast mode; If the broadcast mode switching is not selected, step 104 of maintaining a standby mode state for the preset predetermined time; And And if the broadcast mode switching is not selected within the predetermined time period, maintaining the current broadcast mode as it is and automatically switching and tuning the broadcast channel of the current broadcast mode of the switched selected duplicated channel. The broadcast mode switching method of the satellite broadcast receiver. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein step 103 is: Search for the memory area to retrieve program information for a corresponding program of a switched broadcast channel selected in the current broadcast mode, and generate a banner menu screen of the switched selected broadcast channel using the extracted program information; A step 1031 of mixing the image with the generated banner menu screen and displaying the same on the monitor for a predetermined time; And And converting the current channel into the switched selected broadcast channel and tuning if there is no input of another key signal during the display during the predetermined time period. 10.