KR20000044782A - Method for managing epg data in digital television - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for managing EPG(Electronic Programming Guide) data in a digital television is provided to display EPG data to each date in a digital television for storing EPG information extracted from received digital broadcasting signals and pointers of each channel program into predetermined memory blocks. CONSTITUTION: A method for managing EPG data in a digital television comprises the following steps. An icon for corresponding to the number of input date and linking a pointer of a corresponding date is generated. Only EPG data corresponding to the data are extracted if a command for executing the icon is input. The extracted EPG data are loaded on a menu screen. The menu screen including the EPG data is displayed.

Description

How to Manage Epiji Data in Digital Television

The present invention relates to digital TV, and more particularly, to an EPG data management method capable of displaying electronic programming guide (EPG) data of a digital TV on a date-by-date basis.

Digital TV receives a digital broadcast signal in the form of a packet on a packet basis, extracts a broadcast signal of a selected channel among broadcast signals received by a transport demuxer, and converts the extracted broadcast signal to MPEG (Motion Picture Expert). After decoding in a group), it is configured to provide to the display device.

Meanwhile, for example, various amounts of EPG information such as 24 hours, 48 hours, one week, and two weeks are received at predetermined time intervals in the digital TV, and the EPG information is automatically converted as time passes. The TV detects such data at that time and updates the corresponding program guide information. That is, each time the digital TV extracts the guide packet for updating the guide information, the digital TV updates corresponding program guide information previously extracted and pre-stored in the current memory block with newly extracted program guide information.

The program guide information stored in the memory area in this way is then used to tune a particular channel selected in the transport stream received over the channel when the particular channel is selected by the user, and also by the user a plurality of channel information and each channel. When the program information (i.e., display) of the broadcast program is required, the menu screen is configured using a graphic tool and displayed on the monitor.

In this digital broadcasting method, a digital broadcasting tuner included in a digital TV (receiver) receives a digital broadcasting signal in the form of a bitstream and mixes it with an IF signal received through a low noise converter to tune a channel selected by a user.

Meanwhile, in digital TV broadcasting, a transmission signal of a digital broadcasting signal received to a digital TV through a fixed channel is restored to a transport stream through a process of converting to an intermediate frequency, demodulating, and error correction. This includes program service data such as television broadcasting, data broadcasting, and electronic programming guide (EPG) data.

Among them, EPG data has a structure in which EPG packet information is transmitted when a unit of time or a request of a subscriber is input, and displays an EPG screen menu of a program to be broadcasted through a display device. Through the subscriber can determine the broadcast time, program provider (broadcaster), broadcast time and title of the program you want to watch.

EPG data in a digital TV can store up to 16 days of program information. If you display the saved EPG data on the menu screen and search for a program according to the vertical channel, you can use the up and down scroll keys to search for multiple channels.If you want to search for a program according to the time on the horizontal axis, press the left and right scroll keys. Since the search to use, there was a problem that takes a lot of time when searching.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for displaying EPG data of a digital TV as a screen menu, but displaying them on a date basis.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores EPG information extracted from a digital broadcast signal received from a predetermined broadcast receiving unit of a digital TV in a predetermined memory block, and simultaneously pointers for each program of each channel are sequentially stored in the memory block. A method for displaying a currently broadcast program on a digital television stored in a digital television, the method comprising: generating respective icons linked to a number of input dates, linked to a pointer of a date, and executing an icon, a command corresponding to a date; And extracting only the EPG data, and displaying the extracted data on a menu screen.

1 is a block diagram of a digital TV suitable for managing EPG data according to the present invention;

2 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a process of managing EPG data in a digital TV by date;

3 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a process of managing EPG data in digital TV by date.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

102: tuner and demodulation block 104: control block

106: memory block 108: system timer

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

1 shows a block diagram of a digital TV suitable for managing EPG data in a digital TV according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the digital TV of the present invention includes a tuner and demodulation block 102, a control block 104, a memory block 106, and a system timer 108.

Referring to FIG. 1, in the tuner and demodulation block 102, when the power of the digital TV is turned on, a broadcast signal receiver (i.e., not shown) is provided by a tuning control signal provided from the control block 104 described later through the line L11. Tunes the broadcast channel selected by the user in the broadcast signal received through the digital reception antenna) and restores the tuned broadcast channel signal to the transport stream through the process of converting to the intermediate frequency, demodulation and error correction, The transport stream of the selected broadcast channel signal thus restored is provided to the MPEG decoding block, not shown, through the line L12.

Further, in the tuner and demodulation block 102, in response to the EPG acquisition request signal provided from the control block 104 via the line L11 when the power of the digital TV is turned on, additional information inserted in the transport stream, that is, a program guide. Packet data (program information and corresponding channel information and time information) is extracted. The extracted packet data is restored to EPG data through a process of converting to an intermediate frequency, demodulation and error correction, and the like. The restored EPG data is provided to the control block 104 through the line L13.

At this time, the EPG data extracted from the transport stream is stored in the memory block 106 and when the information is requested by the user, the control block 104 extracts the EPG data from the memory.

The extracted data is configured to be displayed in three ways according to the EPG menu output request. The extracted data can be divided into three types such as program schedule view, currently broadcast program view, and favorite channel view.

Referring to the current broadcast program view, the extracted menu screen contains information about 16 days of broadcast programs, and the program information is stored in a unit of each day (day). The data grouped by date is formed with 16 icons corresponding to each saved date with the help of graphic authoring tool, so when you click the icon or execute command with other input tool, EPG information of the date is displayed. do. In another embodiment, when the extracted EPG data is left as it is, only 16 icons are formed for each date, and when the execution command is executed through a click or other input device, the icon of the unit formed by the icon is executed. Only data can be extracted and displayed via graphical authoring tools. In the latter case, the amount of memory can be further reduced.

In order to configure such a menu screen, the memory block 106 stores pointer information for each date (ie, storage address information) for configuring the EPG menu. The pointer for each date of each channel is controlled by the control block 104. The guide packet data input through this line L13 is stored when stored in the corresponding area of the memory block 106.

The system timer 108, which provides the control block 104 with the time of the digital TV system, may periodically (eg, every minute) allow the control block 104 to recognize the time at all times and perform processing according to the time. It transmits time information and organizes the list of programs that are broadcast on a date basis periodically (for example, one day) based on this time information. For example, if there is a viewing request for a program to be broadcast three days later, the user only retrieves and displays the program of the corresponding date three days later from the data stored in the date unit, or the EPG stored in the memory block. There are two methods of extracting only the menu after 3 days from the data and newly configuring the EPG data to display the menu screen.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a step of managing EPG data by date in a digital TV. Referring to FIG. 2, when the power of the digital TV is turned on (step 202), the tuner and demodulation block 102 extracts EPG data in response to the EPG acquisition request signal provided from the control block 104 via line L11. The extracted EPG data is provided to control block 104 via line L13 (step 204).

Next, the control block 104 stores the extracted EPG data in the memory block 106 while simultaneously channel information, program start time, program progress time, program provider, program title, program rating information, and program position information of each program. Are sequentially stored in the memory block 106. For example, the program is stored in the order of programs for each time zone for each channel (step 206).

At the same time that the digital TV is switched to the viewing mode and the program guide packet data reception is completed, as already adopted by the ordinary TV, the previously watched and memorized channel (ie, the most recently watched digital broadcast channel) is automatically displayed. A program of a channel that is set to tune and is automatically tuned in is broadcast (step 208).

In step 210, each date icon corresponding to the number of dates held by the input EPG data is generated and linked to the pointer of the date is generated and displayed. If an execution command of the displayed date icon is input (step 212), the control block 104 extracts only EPG data corresponding to the input date icon from the memory block 106 (step 214). In step 216, the control block 104 screens the extracted data with the help of the graphic authoring tool and transmits it to the display side for display.

3 is a flowchart illustrating still another embodiment of a process of managing EPG data in digital television by date. Referring to FIG. 3, when the power of the digital TV is turned on (step 302), the tuner and demodulation block 102 extracts EPG data in response to the EPG acquisition request signal provided from the control block 104 via the line L11. The extracted EPG data is provided to control block 104 via line L13 (step 304).

Next, the control block 104 stores the extracted EPG data in the memory block 106 while simultaneously channel information, program start time, program progress time, program provider, program title, program rating information, and program position information of each program. Are sequentially stored in the memory block 106. For example, each time slot for each channel is stored in step 306.

At the same time that the digital TV is switched to the viewing mode and the program guide packet data reception is completed, as already adopted by the ordinary TV, the previously watched and memorized channel (ie, the most recently watched digital broadcast channel) is automatically displayed. A program of a channel that is set to tune and is automatically tuned in is broadcast (step 308).

In step 310, the control block 104 bundles the EPG data stored in the memory block by date. A date icon linked to the EPG data grouped by date is formed (step 312). In step 314, when the date icon is executed using an input device (keyboard, remote controller, pointing device) or the like (step 316), the control block 104 recognizes this and corresponds to the executed date icon. The EPG data of the date is transmitted to the display to be displayed with the help of the graphic authoring tool (step 318).

As described above, the present invention enables the screen menu by date by using EPG data and displays them according to the user's convenience, thereby providing the convenience of the user's operation and the program search.

Claims (1)

EPG data in a digital TV that stores EPG information extracted from a digital broadcast signal received from a predetermined broadcast receiver of a digital TV in a predetermined memory block, and simultaneously stores pointers for each program of each channel in the memory block. In the management method, Generating each date icon corresponding to the number of the input dates and linked to the pointer of the date, and extracting only EPG data corresponding to the date when an execution command of the displayed date icon is input; And displaying a menu screen of the extracted EPG data to display the extracted EPG data.