KR20100005841A - Digital television and digital television system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A DTV(Digital TV) and a DTV system are provided to prevent volume increase caused by a main board and prevent the waste of manufacturing costs caused by actually unnecessary parts overlapped with an STB. CONSTITUTION: A display panel(310) outputs an image. A parallel data communications terminal(354) receives a pixel data stream from outside in a parallel data communications mode. A display driver(320) drives the display panel through the pixel data stream. An audio driver(220) drives a speaker(330) through an audio signal inputted from outside through an audio input terminal(252). The parallel data communications terminal is connected to an STB(Set-Top Box) through a cable according to an LVDS(Low Voltage Differential Signaling) protocol.

Description

Digital television and digital television system {DIGITAL TELEVISION and DIGITAL TELEVISION SYSTEM}

The present invention is directed to improving a main board of a digital television, and more particularly, to a digital television having a main board capable of reducing size and cost.

In general, a television receives a broadcast signal, that is, a video signal and an audio signal through an antenna, and can be viewed by a user through a monitor through various signal processing including detection, tuning, and demodulation, or from an external input signal VCR or audio. As a device for reproducing an input signal, a digital image compression technology such as MPEG or a large amount of information such as a hard disk or a compact disk have been recently advanced by simply restoring an input broadcast signal and reproducing it or reproducing an external input signal. It has been developed into a digital television that can be multifunctional by combining storage technology.

1 illustrates a structure in which a main board part is highlighted in a general digital television.

The main board of the typical digital television shown includes a tuner 160 for setting an antenna to perform communication on a specific wireless channel; A demodulator 170 for demodulating a signal output from the tuner; A central image processor 110 for receiving the demodulated signal and performing necessary image processing, and outputting a pixel data stream to a display panel as a result; An AV switch 150 for transferring externally input movie data to the central image processor 110; A DVR module 130 for storing the movie data received from the central image processor 110 as movie data in a predetermined format; A storage medium 140 in which movie data of the predetermined format is stored; The sound driver 120 is configured to drive a speaker by the sound signal input from the tuner 160 or the AV switch 150.

The central image processor 110 demultiplexes the transport stream demodulated by the demodulator 170 to separate AV data and predetermined program information such as DVB-SI (Digital Video Broadcasting-System Information) information. 112, an A / V decoder 113 for decoding the AV data to extract the pixel data stream, and a recording controller for controlling the broadcast signal to be recorded on the storage medium 190 as movie data in a predetermined format. 118 may be included.

As shown in the drawing, a general digital television not only includes many components on a main board, but also performs a plurality of decoding and / or data processing processes. Such enormous data processing is not only a burden on the hardware device for this, but also the removal of heat generated by the data processing is an urgent problem.

In the case of the digital television shown for the above reason, the volume ratio occupied by the main board was very large. That is, considerable space is required by the volume of the hardware devices themselves for the enormous data processing and the structure for cooling the heat emitted by the devices.

Recently, in the case of a digital television having a flat panel display panel, the larger the volume, the worse the aesthetics for the user. Therefore, a method for reducing the volume of the digital television has been desired.

In addition, with the recent enhancement of the set top box, many of the components included in the digital television shown in FIG. 1 are also repeatedly provided in the set top box.

The present invention devised to solve the above problems, to provide a digital television that can prevent the increase in volume due to the main board.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a digital television that can be duplicated with the set-top box to prevent the waste of manufacturing costs due to practically unnecessary parts.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a digital television includes: a display panel for outputting an image; A parallel data communication terminal for receiving a pixel data stream from the outside in a parallel data communication scheme of a predetermined protocol; A display driver for driving the display panel with the pixel data stream; A speaker for outputting sound; An acoustic driver for driving the speaker with an acoustic signal input from the outside; And a sound input terminal for receiving the sound signal from the outside.

Digital television according to the above configuration has the advantage of reducing the volume by minimizing the components included, in particular, in the case of digital television having a flat panel display panel can effectively reduce the thickness, enhance the user's aesthetics give.

According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a digital television system includes a display panel for outputting an image; A parallel data communication terminal for receiving a pixel data stream in a set-top box in a parallel data communication scheme according to a predetermined protocol; A display driver for driving the display panel with the pixel data stream; A speaker for outputting sound; An acoustic driver for driving the speaker with an acoustic signal input from the outside; And a sound input terminal for receiving the sound signal from the set top box.

A tuner for tuning a signal input to the outside; A demodulator for demodulating the signal output from the tuner; A wired image receiver for receiving an image signal input through a wire from the outside; A central processing unit which receives a broadcast signal from the demodulation unit or the wired image receiving unit, performs necessary data processing, forms a pixel data stream, and outputs the parallel data communication method; And a set top box including an output terminal for transmitting the pixel data stream of the low voltage parallel data communication method to the digital television and transmitting an audio signal input together with the video signal to the digital television.

The digital television system according to the above configuration can eliminate the overlapping components of the digital television and the set-top box, which has the advantage of reducing the manufacturing cost.

By implementing the digital television or the system according to the above configuration, there is an effect that can increase the aesthetics for the user while reducing the manufacturing cost.

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

2 shows the structure of a digital television according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The illustrated digital television 200 includes a flat panel display panel 310 for outputting an image; A display driver 320 for receiving a pixel data stream and driving the display panel 310; A parallel data communication terminal 354 for receiving the pixel data stream from an external low voltage parallel data communication scheme; A speaker 330 for outputting sound; An acoustic driver 220 for driving the speaker with an acoustic signal input from the outside; And a sound input terminal 252 for receiving the sound signal from the outside.

In the illustrated digital television, it is preferable to apply a panel using LCD, PDP, OLED, FED, or the like as the flat panel display panel 310. In the case of a digital television having a flat panel display panel, the thinner the overall thickness, the better the aesthetics and the flexibility of the installation.

However, the general digital television 100 of FIG. 1 has many internal elements such as a DMA controller, a recording device for broadcasting recording, an antenna tuner, and an external line input device as a central processing unit. Securing was inevitable. In addition, it can be seen that many of the internal devices generate a lot of heat, thereby increasing the thickness and constraining the installation space for cooling them.

On the other hand, in the digital television of the present embodiment shown in Fig. 2, there are very few internal elements included, which is advantageous for making the thickness thinner. The internal element included in the digital television of this embodiment includes only the driver 320 for directly driving the flat panel display element and the sound driver 220 as a sound output element, thereby minimizing the increase in thickness due to the internal element.

The speaker 330 may be installed in the frame space of the frame of the digital television, and may be implemented such that the upper outer surface of the display panel 310 functions as a speaker.

The display driver 320 is installed according to the type of the display panel, and includes a plurality of column drivers 324 located on the horizontal axis of the panel and a plurality of row drivers 326 located on the vertical axis of the panel. ) And a timing control module 322 for controlling operation timings of the column drivers 324 and the row drivers 326.

In general LCD or PDP, the image data for each pixel is supplied by the column driver that supplies the signal to the vertical line of the panel, and the emission time for each pixel is determined by the furnace driver that supplies the signal to the horizontal line of the panel. To control.

Through the parallel data communication terminal 354, a cable for data communication according to the LVDS protocol may be connected. In this case, in the low voltage parallel data communication interface, the data received according to the LVDS protocol is a pixel data stream in the form of a stream of pixel data divided for each pixel constituting one screen frame. Each pixel data constituting the pixel data stream is transmitted to a column driver for each pixel.

The sound driver 220 may include an analog amplifier for driving the speaker 330, may be configured to drive the amplifier by receiving an analog sound signal directly from the outside, and include the sound signal from the outside. A digital signal may be input to drive the amplifier with a digital-analog converted (DAC) signal.

As shown, the sound driver 220 includes: a first sound processor 222 for driving the speaker 330 with a digital or analog sound signal input from a set top box; And / or a second sound processor 221 for processing an analog sound input signal and / or a digital sound input signal input directly from the outside without passing through the set top box.

In the drawing, the sound input terminal 252 is composed of three terminals as respective terminals for receiving three kinds of sound signals. However, since only one is required in actual use, one or two of the illustrated three terminals may be used. It may be implemented to have only.

The parallel data communication terminal 354 may have a structure capable of connecting a cable according to the LVDS protocol, and may be connected to an external set top box through the cable. In addition, the sound input terminal 252 may be connected to an external set top box through a wired line.

For convenience of connection, the cable and the wired line may be physically coupled to each other to be implemented as one parallel cable. In this case, the sound input terminal 252 may be implemented to be included in the parallel data communication terminal 354.

FIG. 3 shows a set top box according to one embodiment of the invention connected to the digital television shown in FIG. The illustrated digital television and set top box constitute a digital television system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The set top box according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 includes an antenna tuner 460 for selecting a signal detected by the antenna; A demodulator 470 which demodulates a signal output from the antenna tutor 460; An AV switch 450 as a wired image receiver for receiving a video signal inputted from the outside by wire; A central image processor 410 which receives data about an image from the antenna module and the wired image receiver 450, performs necessary data processing, and then outputs the data in a low voltage parallel data communication method; An output terminal (not shown) connected to a video signal output from the central processing unit and a transmission line for transmitting an audio signal input together with the video signal to the digital television 200 in a low voltage parallel data communication method.

In addition, in the case of a set-top box having a recording function, the DVR module 430 as a recording module for storing the movie data received from the central image processing unit 410 together with the components; And a storage medium 440 in which the movie data is stored.

An antenna for detecting a wireless signal may be provided in the set top box or may be installed outside. The antenna tuner 460 is for configuring an antenna to perform communication on a specific wireless channel. The tuner 460 is configured to select a channel of the received broadcast signal according to a predetermined tuning control signal and output a broadcast signal of the selected channel.

The demodulator 470 is for demodulating a signal modulated in a specific manner. For example, the demodulator 470 may be implemented as a VSB demodulator for demodulating a signal modulated in a VSB manner.

The wired image receiver may be implemented as an AV switch 450 capable of receiving an AV signal in various formats, and may be implemented to be connected to AV input terminals of various fastening methods provided outside the set top box. 3 illustrates AV input terminals of various fastening methods on the left side of the block of the AV switch 450.

The central image processor 410 performs image processing on the transport stream received from the demodulator 470 and outputs the output image to the output terminal, which follows the LVDS transmission method.

The central image processor 410 may be implemented as a complex single chip including one or more devices such as a DMA controller, a CPU, and a DSP.

The central image processing unit 410 demultiplexes the transport stream demodulated by the demodulator 170 to separate AV data and predetermined program information such as DVB-SI (Digital Video Broadcasting-System Information) information. 412, an A / V decoder 413 for decoding the AV data to extract a pixel data stream, and a recording for controlling the broadcast signal to be recorded on the storage medium 440 as movie data in a predetermined format. The controller 418 may be included.

The stream processor 112 receives a digital broadcast signal including a Moving Picture Experts Groups (MPEG) transport stream (TS), and receives an AV (Audio / Video) signal and predetermined program information in the received MPEG transport stream. To print out.

The program information may mean all data such as text, graphics, bitmap, or image constituting a screen from various additional information for digital broadcasting. The additional information may include news and weather, entertainment, education, shopping, finance and tourism information.

The signal input to the stream processing unit 112 may be input through the tuner 110, but may also be input through other devices, for example, an input terminal external to a settop box and an AV switch 450 shown. Can be. In addition, the stream processor 112 may output the A / V stream to the storage medium 440 under the control of the recording controller 118.

The illustrated set-top box 400 includes an external or built-in storage medium 440, and the storage medium 440 may receive and store the A / V stream output through the tuner 460 and store the stored A. The / V stream can be reproduced and output to the display panel of the digital television 200.

The A / V decoder 413 restores the original video signal and the audio signal from the A / V stream output from the stream processing unit 112 under the control of the recording controller 118 to process the signal to the digital television 200. send.

The recording controller 118 controls the stream processor 112, the storage medium 440, and the DVR module 430 according to the recording and playback-related command and the set command instructed by the user to record the broadcast signal to the storage medium 440. It can be controlled so as to control the reproduction of the recorded broadcast signal.

Meanwhile, a method of recording a broadcast program using the storage medium 440 may include a method of immediately recording through key input while watching a program, or setting a time shift function through a menu. There is a 'time shift recording' method. The time shift function provides a temporary storage (or buffering) method for a program that has already been watched for a predetermined time, so that the broadcast that has been instantaneously missed can be watched again without being missed.

The output terminal includes a terminal for outputting a pixel data stream output from the central processing unit 410 and a terminal for outputting an audio signal through an LVDS communication method. The terminal for outputting the pixel data stream is connected to a parallel data communication terminal of the digital television 200 through a cable for LVDS, and the terminal for outputting the audio signal is an audio input terminal of the digital television 200 through a wired line. Can be connected to.

Although the sound signal is also input from the central image processor 410 in the drawing, the sound signal may be implemented to be directly input from the tuner 460.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications, changes and additions within the spirit of the present invention. Additions should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

1 is a structural diagram showing a configuration of a general digital television.

2 is a structural diagram showing a configuration of a digital television according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a structural diagram showing the configuration of a set-top box according to an embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

200: television 220: sound driving unit

310: display panel 320: display driver

252: sound input terminal 354: parallel data communication terminal;

Claims (10)

A display panel for outputting an image; A parallel data communication terminal for receiving a pixel data stream from the outside in a parallel data communication scheme of a predetermined protocol; A display driver for driving the display panel with the pixel data stream; A speaker for outputting sound; An acoustic driver for driving the speaker with an acoustic signal input from the outside; And A sound input terminal for receiving the sound signal from the outside Digital television comprising a. The method of claim 1, The parallel data communication terminal, Digital television, characterized in that connected to the external set-top box via a cable according to the LVDS protocol. The method of claim 1, And said parallel data communication method conforms to the LVDS protocol. The method of claim 1, The sound input terminal, A digital television, which is connected to an external set-top box via a wired line. A display panel for outputting an image; A parallel data communication terminal for receiving a pixel data stream in a set-top box in a parallel data communication scheme according to a predetermined protocol; A display driver for driving the display panel with the pixel data stream; A speaker for outputting sound; An acoustic driver for driving the speaker with an acoustic signal input from the outside; And A digital television comprising a sound input terminal for receiving the sound signal from a set top box; A tuner for tuning a signal input to the outside; A demodulator for demodulating the signal output from the tuner; A wired image receiver for receiving an image signal input through a wire from the outside; A central processing unit which receives a broadcast signal from the demodulation unit or the wired image receiving unit, performs necessary data processing, forms a pixel data stream, and outputs a low voltage parallel data communication method; A set top box including an output terminal for transmitting the pixel data stream of the low voltage parallel data communication method to the digital television and transmitting an acoustic signal input together with the video signal to the digital television; Digital television system, characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 5, From the set top box to the digital television, And said pixel data stream is transmitted in accordance with LVDS protocol. The method of claim 5, The parallel data communication terminal and the output terminal, Digital television system, characterized in that connected via a cable according to the LVDS protocol. The method of claim 5, The sound input terminal and the output terminal, Digital television system, characterized in that connected via a wired line. The method of claim 5, The set top box, And a storage medium for storing image data under the control of the central processing unit. The method of claim 5, The demodulator demodulates a signal modulated by a VSB scheme.

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