KR20010059871A - apparatus for screen capture in digital TV - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus is provided to capture a current broadcasting screen in digital television and to allow the captured broadcasting screen to be used in another system. CONSTITUTION: A decoding part(10) decodes a broadcasting signal provided externally and creates a broadcasting stream. A format converting part(30) converts a format of the decoded broadcasting stream to allow it to be displayed and at the same time converts the format to one pertinent for environment for capturing the broadcasting stream. A memory part(20) stores the decoded broadcasting stream and the format-converted broadcasting stream. A display part(40) displays the format-converted broadcasting stream on the screen and displays the format-converted broadcasting stream at the format converting part(30) on a predefined area of the screen according to the capture. A host interface part(60) connects the format-converted broadcasting stream at the format converting part(30) to an external system. The memory part(20) includes a main memory for storing the decoded broadcasting stream therein and a sub memory for storing the format-converted broadcasting stream therein.

Description

Screen capture device for digital TV {apparatus for screen capture in digital TV}

The present invention relates to digital broadcasting, and more particularly, to an apparatus for converting a format of a digital TV.

Digital broadcasting has a function of informing program related information by displaying data other than video and audio information and information related to a broadcast program on an electronic program guide (EPG) screen.

With the introduction of digital broadcasting, TV receivers have been developed to be more complicated and include various functions to receive high quality images.

One of the great features of these various functions is the NTSC / PAL (National Television System Committee / Phase Alternation by Line) input, which is input to various format MPEG streams or external input terminals, to a display format desired by a set or a display format desired by a user. TVs are currently being developed that include a format converter that converts the format for either main picture output or PIP VCR output.

As such, the format converter converts an MPEG stream (1280 × 720P, 1920 × 1080I, 720 × 480P, etc.) transmitted in various formats, and, in some cases, an NTSC input into an external input terminal to match the screen output format. Let it be.

In the case of video among various data received from digital broadcasting, first, a general MPEG stream in which analog video of a general broadcast program is received over the air through an external input, and second, is allocated to the data among data information received through an external input. Data, such as an MPEG stream.

In the case of the first general MPEG stream, it is sent to an NTSC decoder to be decoded and post-processed through a video display unit.

The second data MPEG stream is decoded through a video decoder and stored in a memory. When a viewer's request is applied, the data stored in the memory is converted into a format suitable for display by a format converter and then displayed on a display unit. do.

As a method for PIP or external recording, first of all, the PIP method decodes a general MPEG stream, which is a general broadcast program, and a data MPEG stream, which is a data broadcast program, simultaneously received through an external input, and uses a separate memory area to use a partial memory area. Display via PIP.

In addition, there is a system that produces an external signal through NTSC VCR, which is widely used as an external recording method, in which case, part of the screen is converted into a format suitable for making an external output and stored in a separate memory area.

The information stored in the memory is displayed.

A block diagram of a general digital TV screen capture device having such a format conversion unit is shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, a decoder 1 for decoding a digital broadcast signal received from the outside, a memory unit 3 for storing the decoded broadcast stream, and a format of a broadcast stream stored in the memory unit 3 are displayed. A format converter 2 for converting to be suitable for the following, a hard disk 4 for storing broadcast streams requiring continuous storage among the broadcast streams converted in the format converter 2, and the format converter 2 The display unit 5 is configured to display the converted broadcast stream.

In this way, various information is supplied through digital broadcasting, and users want to leave the information for a long time. As a result, they have recently installed a TV receiving card on the PC to watch the broadcast through the PC instead of the TV receiver. It also has the ability to capture the screen.

In the case of digital broadcasting, the capture function may be used when the NTSC signal from the expensive digital TV or the NTSC signal from the setup box is received and viewed by the TV receiving card on the PC. .

However, the screen capture device of the digital TV according to the related art described above has the following problems.

First, in order to capture the current screen in the digital TV, a separate hardware device is added, thereby increasing the complexity and cost of the system.

Second, the screen being viewed by the user in the image frame currently being displayed cannot be displayed on another display device without a separate device.

Third, in the PIP and the external recording method, it is not possible to immediately capture an image frame currently being viewed, but because it is detected and displayed in the memory after being stored in the memory, a gap of a predetermined time occurs.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, it is possible to capture the current broadcast screen being watched in the digital TV, the screen capture device of the digital TV that can use the captured broadcast screen in other systems The purpose is to provide.

1 is a block diagram of a digital TV screen capture device having a general format conversion unit;

2 is a block diagram of a screen capture device for digital TV according to the present invention;

3 is a flowchart of a screen capture device for digital TV according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10: decoder part 20: memory part

30: format conversion unit 31: conversion unit

32: header portion 40: display portion

50: hard disk 60: host interface

Features of the screen capture device of the digital TV according to the present invention for achieving the above object is to convert the format to display the broadcast stream decoded from the externally received broadcast signal, and at the same time to the environment setting to capture the broadcast stream A format conversion unit for correspondingly converting a format, a memory unit for storing the decoded broadcast stream and the format converted broadcast stream, and a broadcast stream converted by the format converting unit on a screen, and the format converted according to the capture. It includes a display unit for displaying a broadcast stream in a predetermined area of the screen.

Another feature of the screen capture device of the digital TV according to the present invention is that the header can be added to the capture data converted by the format conversion unit and transmitted to the external system through the host interface unit so that the external system can be used without an additional device.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

A preferred embodiment of the screen capture device of the digital TV according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a block diagram of a screen capture device of a digital TV according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the decoder 10 decodes a broadcast signal received from an external source to generate a broadcast stream, and converts the decoded broadcast stream into a format to be displayed and simultaneously captures the broadcast stream according to an environment setting. A format converter 30 for format conversion, a memory 20 for storing the decoded broadcast stream and a format converted broadcast stream, and a broadcast stream converted by the format converter 30 on a screen, The display unit 40 displays the broadcast stream according to the capture in a predetermined area of the screen, and the host interface 60 connects the captured image converted by the format converter 30 to an external system.

The decoder unit 10 includes a video decoder 11 for decoding a data broadcast signal and an NTSC decoder 12 for decoding a general broadcast signal.

The memory unit 20 includes a main memory 21 for storing the decoded broadcast stream and a sub memory 22 for storing the format-converted broadcast stream.

In this case, the main memory 21 and the sub memory 22 divide one memory into regions.

The format converter 30 converts the format so that the decoded broadcast stream is displayed on the display unit, and the broadcast stream transmitted when the converted broadcast stream is transmitted to an external system is correctly combined. To this end, it consists of a header unit 32 for adding a header to the converted broadcast stream.

Therefore, headers are added to the data transmitted to the external system, so that data can be easily combined after reception.

The operation of the screen capture device of the digital TV configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a flowchart of a screen capture device of a digital TV according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, first, a user sets an environment for a capture mode through an environment setting menu by an external device (S10).

In the configuration menu, a size of an image desired to be captured by a user is designated, and the number of screens that can be captured is determined according to the size, the capacity of the available sub memory, and the transmission environment.

It also sets the method of storing or transferring the data, and the image storage format if it supports various image formats.

In this way, in order to use the capture mode, the user first sets a configuration through a menu for data setting.

If the environment is set once, and the user does not execute any more environment change settings or only partially changes the environment, the environment previously set up is used without change.

Subsequently, when the environment setting is made by the user (S10), the user selects the environment capture preparation mode through the external device (S20).

The capture preparation mode is a mode for converting a signal decoded by a decoder according to a user's selection using a format converter.

In more detail, when the capture preparation mode is turned off by the user (S20), the system decodes a general broadcast transmitted externally, performs a format conversion corresponding to the display for display, and stores it in the main memory (S30).

If necessary, format conversion for PIP and external output is performed.

When the capture preparation mode is turned on (S20), the system stores the data broadcast decoded through the video decoder or the general broadcast decoded through the NTSC decoder in the main memory (S40).

At the same time, the general broadcast and data broadcast convert the format according to the display format to the size of the image set in the environment setting, and continuously update each image screen and store it in the sub memory (S40).

It also performs format conversion for PIP and external output.

Then, the general broadcast is displayed on the screen (S50).

If the current system's sub memory is not enough, PIP or external display will not be available.

Therefore, in this case, the header is added to the data through the header unit in the format converter, and converted into a data format usable by an external PC or another system, and then stored in the external PC or another system.

Conversion to a format containing such a header, i.e. a capture ready format, takes place during reading of data through the host, transfer to an external PC or other system, or just before being stored on an external PC or other system.

Subsequently, when the viewer selects the capture through the remote control while watching (S60), data of the capture preparation format corresponding to the screen being displayed is read and transmitted or stored.

If there is no hard disk inside the system, it can be stored in the sub memory area.

In this case, the number of screens that can be stored is extremely limited depending on the amount of memory.

If a storage device such as a hard disk is included therein, the host reads the data stored in the sub memory and stores the data in the hard disk.

At this time, several consecutive files can be stored as one data file at the same time, and a simple data compression device may be added to reduce the amount of storage.

As a storage device other than a hard disk, a flash memory card commonly used in a digital camera is used.

Such a flash memory card can have great advantages in portability and the like.

The system also includes a graphics processor that can be added to the captured image for display, including date and comment inputs before reading capture ready data.

You can also save the data in a format that reads and appends user data at the time of capture.

That is, data information and separate data corresponding thereto may be combined and stored in the captured image.

In this way, it is determined whether the general broadcast signal converted by the format converter and the captured image data of the data broadcast signal can be transmitted to another system (S70).

If transmission is impossible as a result of the determination, the captured image data of the general broadcast signal and the data broadcast signal are stored in a hard disk or a sub memory (S80).

If it is possible to transmit the result of the determination, the header is added to the captured image data of the general broadcast signal and the data broadcast signal, and then transmitted to the display unit of the corresponding system (S90).

The system can receive the captured image data with the header added and capture-converted, so that the captured captured image can be easily combined and displayed without adding a separate conversion device.

At this time, a transmission method commonly used in digital TVs has an IEEE 1394 digital interface or an interface for parallel or serial communication, and the data can be sent to a PC or another system for storing and processing images. have.

When the viewer applies for capture on (S60), if there is no free space in the extra sub memory or the hard disk, the data should be transferred to another system via the external interface as soon as it is read from the main memory.

In this case, the external system must remain connected and ready to receive data.

In addition, if some video data is stored in the main memory, data must be connected to another system through an external interface before the system power is turned off to prevent data loss.

And in the case of a system with a hard disk, such as digital TV currently under development, it can receive and store a relatively large amount of data, and even when the TV is turned off, the TV can be turned on and imported when needed.

In addition, other systems that receive the transmission can receive data converted to a format suitable for display as long as there is a communication interface device that can be connected to the TV's external interface, and a PC can have most of these interfaces or add low-cost equipment. .

The captured image thus transmitted is displayed on a predetermined area of the display unit (S100).

The screen capture device of the digital TV according to the present invention as described above has the following effects.

First, it is possible to capture the current screen displayed on the digital TV has the effect of enabling the storage and use of broadcast data.

Second, by changing the format of the data transmitted in the digital TV, there is an effect that can organize the broadcasting-related data by addition of simple software even in the basic PC system without any additional device to the PC.

Third, it can be used to create digital albums by inserting the content taken through the camcorder as an external input and capturing it.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the embodiments, but should be defined by the claims.

Claims (5)

A decoder for decoding a broadcast signal received from the outside to generate a broadcast stream; A format converting unit for converting the decoded broadcast stream into a format and simultaneously converting the decoded broadcast stream according to a configuration for capturing the broadcast stream; A memory unit for storing the decoded broadcast stream and the format-converted broadcast stream; And a display unit for displaying the broadcast stream converted by the format converter on a screen and displaying the broadcast stream converted in accordance with the capture on a predetermined area of the screen. The method of claim 1, And a host interface unit for connecting the captured image converted by the format conversion unit to an external system. The method of claim 1, The environment setting screen capture of the digital TV, characterized in that selectively setting the size of the captured image, the number of screens that can be captured, the method of storing the captured image data, the transmission method of the captured image data, and the storage format of the image data Device. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory unit A main memory unit for storing the decoded broadcast stream; And a sub memory unit for storing the format-converted broadcast stream. The method of claim 1, wherein the format conversion unit A converting unit for converting a format of the decoded broadcast stream to be displayed on the display unit; And a header unit configured to add a header to the converted broadcast stream so that the transmitted broadcast stream is correctly combined when the converted broadcast stream is transmitted to an external system.