KR20050122884A - Television having function of providing electronic program guide and user's setting state information and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, after the broadcast program guide information and the television receiver setting information are stored, and the integrated information display request is input in a state in which broadcast data received through a communication network is separated into an audio signal and a video signal, the broadcast program guide information and the television receiver are stored. A television with a television broadcast program and a user setting status guide function for extracting the receiver setting information, converting the extracted broadcast program guide information and the television receiver setting information into a predetermined integrated information display form, and displaying the same on a screen. When the user requests guide information for a broadcast program, the user may conveniently use the television receiver by providing not only the guide information but also information on the user's television receiver setting state at once.

Description

A television having a television broadcast program and a user setting status guide function and a method therefor {Television having function of providing electronic program guide and user's setting state information and method}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a television having a television broadcasting program and a user setting status guide function, and a method thereof, and in particular, a user can be conveniently and quickly provided with broadcasting program information and user setting status of another channel during watching a particular channel. The present invention relates to a television having a television broadcasting program and a user setting status guidance function and a method thereof.

A system (e.g., digital broadcast receiving apparatus) having a function of receiving and storing electronic program guide (EPG) information periodically transmitted from a broadcasting station among systems capable of receiving broadcast programs (for example, EPG). ) Is developed. The EPG is guide information related to a program transmitted from a broadcasting station, and is composed of a title of a broadcast program, a channel number of a broadcast program, a broadcast time of a broadcast program, a detailed description of the broadcast program, or content. Accordingly, the terrestrial wave reception system capable of receiving and storing EPG information is provided with a function of providing guide information of a broadcast program using the stored EPG information.

However, the above-described broadcast program guide information providing function of the terrestrial reception system removes the program image currently being viewed and provides the broadcast program guide information, or when the user requests the program guide, the image of the program currently being viewed. After scaling to reduce the size is performed in the form of displaying the guide information for the broadcast program on almost the entire screen.

As described above, although the conventional terrestrial wave reception system performs a program guide using the entire screen or most of the area of the screen, it is possible to provide a large amount of information. There was a problem that the program can not be viewed normally.

In addition, the conventional terrestrial wave receiving system has a function of providing guide information for a broadcast program in any form, but the user sets the terrestrial wave receiving system (for example, television) in some form (for example, it is turned on). There is a problem in that it is not possible to provide information about the reservation time, reservation setting channel, etc.).

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to minimize the display area of the guide information even when the user is provided with the guide information about the program so that the viewing sensitivity of the currently broadcast program is not lowered. It is to provide a television having a function and a method thereof.

Another object of the present invention is a television broadcast program and a user that enables the user to conveniently use a television receiver by providing not only the guide information but also information on the user's television receiver setting status at the time when the user requests the guide information for the broadcast program. A television having a setting status guidance function and a method thereof are provided.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a television and a method having a television broadcast program and a user setting status guide function, which can easily perform channel selection and time zone selection for use of broadcast program information.

In order to achieve the above objects, according to an aspect of the present invention, in a television receiver providing guide information and television receiver setting information about a broadcast program, a broadcast signal receiver for receiving broadcast program guide information and broadcast data through a communication network; ; An EPG storage unit for storing the broadcast program guide information; A control signal input unit for receiving channel selection information, television receiver setting information, and integrated information display request; A setting manager for updating a television receiver setting so as to correspond to the television receiver setting information; A setting information storage unit for storing the television receiver setting information; A broadcast data separator that separates the broadcast data into an audio signal and an image signal; An acoustic signal output unit for outputting the acoustic signal; An image signal output unit which outputs the image signal; And extracting broadcast program guide information from the EPG storage unit, extracting television receiver setting information from the setting information storage unit, and inputting the broadcast program guide information and the television receiver setting information from the EPG storage unit. Provided is a television receiver comprising an information processing unit for converting into a predetermined integrated information display form provided to the video signal output unit.

The integrated information converted into a predetermined display form by the information processing unit is displayed by the video signal output unit in a band form on the bottom, top, left or right side of the display screen of the television receiver.

The integrated information may be displayed to overlap with the video signal output by the video signal output unit.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of providing, by a television receiver, guide information and television receiver setting information about a broadcast program, the method comprising: storing broadcast program guide information and television receiver setting information; Separating and outputting broadcast data received through a communication network into a voice signal and a video signal; Determining whether an integrated information display request is input; Extracting broadcast program guide information and television receiver setting information, when input; Converting the extracted broadcast program guide information and the television receiver setting information into a predetermined integrated information display form; And superimposing the converted integrated information with the video signal and outputting the converted integrated information through a display unit. A system, apparatus and a record carrier are provided for enabling this.

The integrated information converted into a predetermined display form by the information processing unit is displayed by the video signal output unit in a band form on the bottom, top, left or right side of the display screen of the television receiver.

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

1 is a schematic block diagram of a television having a television broadcast program and a user setting status guide function according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the television receiver 100 according to the present invention includes an antenna 110, a broadcast signal receiver 115, a controller 120, a control signal input unit 125, a setting information storage unit 130, and an EPG storage. The unit 135 includes an audio signal processor 140, an image signal processor 145, a speaker 150, a display unit 155, and an information processor 160. Of course, the television receiver 100 may further include components other than those shown in FIG. 1, but descriptions thereof are not related to the gist of the present invention.

The broadcast signal receiver 115 is controlled by the controller 120 to receive a broadcast signal of a channel selected from the broadcast signals received through the antenna 110, and transmits an electronic program guide transmitted from a broadcast station. Or EPG) or guide information about a broadcast program.

The controller 120 performs parsing, decoding, and the like on a received broadcast signal performed by a conventional broadcast receiver, and transmits the decoded video signal to the video signal processor 145, and the decoded sound signal is an audio signal. The demultiplexing function transmitted to the processor 140 is performed. In addition, the controller 120 stores the EPG information received through the broadcast signal receiver 115 in the EPG storage unit 135. In addition, the control unit 120 allows the television receiver 100 to operate according to the channel selection information received through the control signal input unit 125, and the control signal received through the control signal input unit 125 is setting change information. In the case of changing the setting state of the television receiver 100, the setting change information is stored in the setting information storage unit 130. Of course, the configuration information storage unit 130 and the EPG storage unit 135 may be integrated into one storage unit.

The control signal input unit 125 is a means for inputting a user's command or data to be input. The control signal input unit 125 is a circuit composed of a remote control unit and a receiving unit that can receive data transmitted from the remote control, or a key provided on the front panel of the receiving system. It may be an input means. The user may input a channel change request, setting change information input, integration information (ie, EPG information and / or television setting information) display request, etc. through the control signal input unit 125.

The sound signal processing unit 140 is the same as the sound signal processing circuit provided in the conventional television receiver. For example, when the receiving system is a digital television or a similar set-top box, the acoustic signal processor 140 generates the decoded acoustic signal transmitted from the controller 120 as analog data. do. In addition, the sound data generated by the sound signal processor 140 is output so that a user (or a viewer) can recognize the sound through the speaker 150.

The image signal processor 145 performs signal processing so that the image signal transmitted by being demultiplexed from the controller 120 can be displayed on the display unit 155. For example, the decoded video signal transmitted from the control unit 120 is RGB encoded and generated as an image signal that can be displayed on the display unit 155. In addition, when the integrated information (that is, EPG information and / or television setting information) and the display position information are received from the information processor 160, the image signal processor 145 may display the integrated information corresponding to the display position information. The display unit 155 superimposes the currently received broadcast signal and transmits it to the display unit 155. Of course, if the display position of the integrated information is specified in advance, the display position information need not be provided separately, and may be displayed at the corresponding position once the integrated information is received.

The information processor 160 is controlled by the controller 120 to perform signal processing so that the integrated information can be displayed on the display unit 155 together with the image signal. That is, when the integrated information display request is input through the control signal input unit 125, the information processing unit 160 extracts television setting information from the setting information storage unit 130, and extracts EPG information from the EPG storage unit 135. The integrated information is configured according to the predetermined integrated information display form. The integrated information is transmitted to the image signal processor 145 to be displayed on the display unit 155.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a television broadcast program and a user setting status guidance method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an integrated information display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Each step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 may be a step independently performed by a specific element among the elements included in the television receiver 100, but is collectively referred to as being performed by the television receiver 100 for convenience of description. This will be described.

2, in operation 210, the television receiver 100 receives EPG information through the antenna 110 and the broadcast signal receiver 115, stores the EPG information in the EPG storage unit 135, and stores the control signal input unit 125. After changing the television setting state corresponding to the setting change request input through the setting state information, the setting state information is stored in the setting information storage unit 130. Of course, the EPG information storing step and the setting state information storing step may be performed at different points in time, but are not necessarily performed at the same time.

In operation 215, the television receiver 100 determines whether a request for providing integrated information is input through the control signal input unit 125. As described above, the user may input a request for providing integrated information by using a function button provided in the remote controller.

When the integrated information providing request is input, the process proceeds to step 220 and extracts EPG information and setting state information for configuring the integrated information from the EPG storage unit 135 and the setting information storage unit 130. However, if a request for providing integrated information is not input, the broadcast data corresponding to the currently tuned channel is waited while being output through the speaker 150 and the display unit 155.

In step 225, the television receiver 100 processes the EPG information and setting state information extracted in step 220 to correspond to a predetermined method of displaying integrated information.

In operation 230, the television receiver 100 displays the integrated information generated through the display unit 155. 3 illustrates a screen in which integrated information is displayed on the display unit 155. Referring to FIG. 3, the integrated information display window 315 is displayed in a band shape on one region (eg, bottom, top, left, and right) of the screen 310 of the television receiver 100. The integrated information display window 315 includes an EPG information area 320 to 340 and a setting status display area 345. The integrated information display window 315 may be implemented in a transparent form. In this case, the viewing sensitivity of the user for watching the television may not be lowered. The EPG information area includes the selected channel display area 320, the channel change icon 325, the broadcast point display area 330, the broadcast program name display area 335, the broadcast time display area 340, and the broadcast program change icon 345. ). The user can check the broadcast program information of the desired channel and the desired time zone by updating the channel information or the broadcast time information displayed in the EPG information area by using the channel selection button or the volume change button provided in the remote controller. In addition, the setting status display area 345 includes information such as whether or not to reserve recording and automatic on setting. The setting status display area 345 may include an icon corresponding to each function (for example, an icon display form of a mobile communication terminal display screen) so that a lot of information can be included in a small space. Of course, the type of information included in the EPG information area and the setting status display area may be variously implemented, and is not limited to the form shown in FIG. 3.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in step 235, the television receiver requests to change display information through the control signal input unit 125 (for example, changing a selected channel in an EPG information area, changing a broadcast time zone, changing displayed setting state information, etc.). To determine whether or not) is input.

When the display information change request is input, the television receiver 100 extracts the data corresponding to the change request from the setting information storage unit 130 and / or the EPG storage unit 135 in step 240. In operation 245, the extracted data is included / updated in the integrated information display window 315 to be displayed.

However, if no display information change request is entered, the flow proceeds to step 250.

In operation 250, the television receiver 100 checks whether the integrated information display termination request is input through the control signal input unit 125. The integrated information display end request is to cause the integrated information display window 315 to disappear from the screen, and the user may input the integrated information display end request similarly to the method of inputting the integrated information providing request. Of course, even if the user does not input the integrated information display termination request, if there is no display information change request input within a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds), the integrated information display termination request may be automatically input.

If the integrated information display end request is input, the process proceeds to step 255 to remove the integrated information display window displayed on the display unit 155. However, if the integrated information display end request has not been entered, the process proceeds to step 235 again.

As described above, the conventional method for providing EPG information uses a separate broadcast program guide channel or a method of displaying broadcast program information on the entire screen. However, the present invention provides broadcast program viewing sensitivity of another channel during broadcast viewing. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus which can be provided without deterioration. In addition, the present invention provides the user with setting information of the user together with the broadcast program information so that more information can be easily used by the user.

As described above, a television having a television broadcasting program and a user setting status guide function and a method thereof according to the present invention minimize the display area of the guide information even when the user is provided with the guide information about the program. Do not reduce the viewing sensitivity of the program.

In addition, when the user requests guide information for a broadcast program, the present invention enables the user to use a convenient television receiver by providing not only the guide information but also information on the user's television receiver setting state at once.

In addition, in the present invention, channel selection and time zone selection for use of broadcast program information can be easily performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and many variations are possible by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a television having a television broadcast program and a user setting status guide function according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flow chart illustrating a television broadcast program and a user setting status guide method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating an integrated information display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

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

100: television receiver

110: antenna

115: broadcast signal receiving unit

120: control unit

125: control signal input unit

130: setting information storage unit

135: EPG storage unit

140: sound signal processing unit

145: image signal processing unit

150: speaker

155: display unit

160: information processing unit

Claims (5)

In a television receiver that provides guide information about a broadcast program and television receiver setting information, A broadcast signal receiver configured to receive broadcast program guide information and broadcast data through a communication network; An EPG storage unit for storing the broadcast program guide information; A control signal input unit for receiving channel selection information, television receiver setting information, and integrated information display request; A setting manager for updating a television receiver setting so as to correspond to the television receiver setting information; A setting information storage unit for storing the television receiver setting information; A broadcast data separator that separates the broadcast data into an audio signal and an image signal; An acoustic signal output unit for outputting the acoustic signal; An image signal output unit which outputs the image signal; And When the integrated information display request is input, the program guide information is extracted from the EPG storage unit, the television receiver setting information is extracted from the setting information storage unit, and the broadcast program guide information and the television receiver setting information are pre-arranged. And an information processing unit for converting into a designated integrated information display form and providing it to the video signal output unit. The method of claim 1, And said integrated information converted into a display form predetermined by said information processor is displayed in a band form at the bottom, top, left, or right side of a display screen of said television receiver by said video signal output unit. The method of claim 1, And the integrated information overlaps the video signal output by the video signal output unit. A method in which a television receiver provides guide information and television receiver setting information about a broadcast program, Storing broadcast program guide information and television receiver setting information; Separating and outputting broadcast data received through a communication network into a voice signal and a video signal; Determining whether an integrated information display request is input; Extracting broadcast program guide information and television receiver setting information, when input; Converting the extracted broadcast program guide information and the television receiver setting information into a predetermined integrated information display form; And And superimposing the converted integrated information with the video signal and outputting the converted integrated information through a display unit. The method of claim 1, The integrated information converted into a predetermined display form by the information processing unit is displayed by the video signal output unit in a band form on the bottom, top, left or right side of the display screen of the television receiver. Providing guidance information and television receiver setting information.