KR20120084457A - Method for providing a list of channel which searched real-time in display apparatus and display apparatus thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for providing real time channel lists and a display apparatus for the same are provided to offer channel searching information of other users. CONSTITUTION: A plurality of video display devices(1001,1002) is connected to an internet network(1006) through an AP(Access Point)(1005). Random contents are displayed. The contents information corresponding to the displayed contents is transmitted to a server(1007) through the network. Real time channel search list data is transmitted from the server. Real time channel search list based on the transmitted date is displayed.

Description

METHOD FOR PROVIDING A LIST OF CHANNEL WHICH SEARCHED REAL-TIME IN DISPLAY APPARATUS AND DISPLAY APPARATUS THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an image display apparatus and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to an image display apparatus and an operation of providing a variety of information in a user's use of the image display apparatus so that the user can smoothly select a desired channel. It is about a method.

The image display device is, for example, a device having a function of receiving and processing a broadcast image that a user can watch. The image display device displays, for example, a broadcast selected by a user on a display among broadcast signals transmitted from a broadcasting station. Currently, broadcasting is shifting from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting worldwide.

Digital broadcasting refers to broadcasting for transmitting digital video and audio signals. Digital broadcasting is more resistant to external noise than analog broadcasting, so it has less data loss, is advantageous for error correction, has a higher resolution, and provides a clearer picture. In addition, unlike analog broadcasting, digital broadcasting is capable of bidirectional services.

In addition to the existing analog broadcasting, as digital-based digital broadcasting technology has been developed and commercialized, real-time broadcasting, contents on demand (CoD) using an internet network connected to each home, in addition to the existing radio waves or wired cable media. Dozens of programs can be simultaneously provided to users using various types of channels such as IPTV and IPTV.

However, in the related art, various channels and programs can be used in an image display device, but there are problems in that a user searches for and selects a desired channel or program. In other words, it was difficult to find out which channel the program desired by the user was provided from and which channel was popular among other users among the numerous programs simultaneously available on the video display device. The audience rating information is inaccurate because it is made by examining only the viewing information of.

Therefore, in order to more easily and conveniently use contents desired by a user in various channels or programs available in a video display device, a method for accurately and conveniently checking information on popular channels and programs through a network in the video display device. And the provision of a video display device employing the method is urgently needed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of operating a video display device that can use a variety of information in the channel selection by sharing the channel search data between the user and the video display device accordingly.

One object of the present invention is to provide a method of operating an image display device and an image display device accordingly, which can improve user convenience.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of operating an image display device capable of providing various user interfaces and an image display device accordingly.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a real-time channel search list of an image display device, the method including: displaying an arbitrary content; Transmitting content information corresponding to the displayed content to a server through a network; Receiving real-time channel search list data from the server; And displaying a real-time channel search list based on the received data.

In addition, the image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, a display unit for displaying any content; A network interface unit for transmitting and receiving data with a server through a network; An additional information manager configured to generate content information of the displayed content; And transmitting the generated content information to the server through the network interface unit, receiving real-time channel search list data from the server, and displaying the real-time channel search list based on the received data on the display unit. It includes a control unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when a user wants to select a channel in the image display device, the user can check channel search information of other users, so that the user can select a desired channel quickly and accurately.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the viewer rating information may be generated by performing a sample survey on each video display device connected to the network, thereby providing reliable information to the user.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the service provider may provide a variety of information to the user to cause the user's interest in using the broadcast service.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a variety of user interface in the image display device, it can be increased user convenience.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an entire broadcasting system including a video display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram schematically showing another example of an entire broadcasting system including a video display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a step in which the video display device illustrated in FIG. 1 or 2 receives channel information and the like by accessing a service provider.
4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data used in the steps illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the image display device shown in FIG. 1 or 2 in more detail.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. 1 or 2 in more detail.
7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating any one of the image display apparatuses according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as set-top boxes and display devices.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a process in which any one of the image display apparatuses communicates with third devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is an internal block diagram of the controller shown in FIG. 6.
11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a platform structure of any one of the image display apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a structure diagram of any one of the image display apparatuses according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control method of a remote controller for controlling any one of video display devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
14 is an internal block diagram of a remote control apparatus for controlling any one of the image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
15 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 16 illustrates a second embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.
17 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.
18 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.
19 is a diagram illustrating a broadcasting system including a video display device and a server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
20 is a diagram illustrating a process of displaying a real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.
21 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a real-time channel search list for each time section according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a real-time channel search list for each genre according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
24 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including an EPG information window displaying real-time channel search ranking information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a region real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 26 illustrates a display screen including a real-time channel search list in which channel usage information is displayed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
27 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a real-time channel search list displaying channel detail information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
28 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a real-time channel search list in which a parental control function is set according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
29 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including an update period setting menu of a real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.
30 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a real-time channel search list having an advertisement area according to an embodiment of the present invention.
31 is a diagram illustrating a display screen of a home screen including a real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given merely for ease of description, and the" module "and" part "

On the other hand, the video display device described in the present specification is, for example, an intelligent video display device that adds a computer support function to the broadcast reception function, and is faithful to the broadcast reception function, but the Internet function, etc. are added, the handwriting type input device, touch screen Or, it can have a more convenient interface than the space remote control. In addition, it is connected to the Internet and a computer with the support of a wired or wireless Internet function, and can perform functions such as e-mail, web browsing, banking or gaming. A standardized general-purpose OS can be used for these various functions.

Therefore, in the image display device described in the present invention, various applications can be freely added or deleted, for example, on a general-purpose OS kernel, so that various user-friendly functions can be performed. In more detail, the image display device may be, for example, a network TV, an HBBTV, a smart TV, or the like, and may be applicable to a smartphone in some cases.

Furthermore, although an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the contents described in the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited or restricted by the embodiments.

As used herein, terms used in the present invention are selected from general terms that are widely used in the present invention while taking into account the functions of the present invention, but these may vary depending on the intention or custom of a person skilled in the art or the emergence of new technologies. In addition, in certain cases, there may be a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case the meaning thereof will be described in the description of the corresponding invention. Therefore, it is intended that the terminology used herein should be interpreted based on the meaning of the term rather than on the name of the term, and on the entire contents of the specification.

 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an entire broadcasting system including a video display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, an entire broadcasting system including a video display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a content provider (CP) 10, a service provider (SP) 20, It may be divided into a network provider (NP) 30 and an HNED 40. The HNED 40 corresponds to, for example, the client 100 which is a video display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The client 100 corresponds to an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the image display device is, for example, a network TV, a smart TV, an IPTV, or the like.

The content provider 10 produces and provides various contents. As shown in FIG. 1, the content provider 10 includes a terrestrial broadcaster, a cable system operator or a multiple system operator, a satellite broadcaster, and an internet broadcaster. An internet broadcaster and the like can be exemplified.

In addition to the broadcast content, the content provider 10 may provide various applications. In this regard, it will be described later in more detail.

The service provider 20 may provide a service package of contents provided by the content provider 10. For example, the service provider 20 of FIG. 1 may package and provide a first terrestrial broadcast, a second terrestrial broadcast, a cable MSO, satellite broadcast, various internet broadcasts, applications, and the like to a user.

Meanwhile, the service provider 20 may provide a service to the client 100 using a unicast or multicast scheme. The unicast method is a method of transmitting data 1: 1 between one sender and one receiver. For example, in the unicast method, when a receiver requests data from a server, the server may transmit data to the receiver according to the request. Multicasting is a method of transmitting data to a plurality of recipients of a specific group. For example, the server can send data to multiple pre-registered receivers at once. For such multicast registration, the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) protocol may be used.

The network provider 30 may provide a network for providing a service to the client 100. The client 100 may establish a home network end user (HNED) to receive a service.

As a means for protecting the content transmitted from the video display device system, a conditional access or a content protection may be used. As one example for such a restriction reception or content protection, a scheme such as a cable card or a downloadable conditional access system (DCAS) may be used.

On the other hand, the client 100 can also provide content through the network. In this case, unlike the above, the client 100 may be a content provider, and the content provider 10 may receive content from the client 100. In the case of designing as described above, an interactive content service or a data service is possible.

2 is a diagram schematically showing another example of an entire broadcasting system including a video display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the video display device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention is connected to a broadcast network and an internet network. The image display device 100 is, for example, a network TV, a smart TV, an HBBTV, or the like.

In addition, the video display device 100 may include, for example, a broadcast interface 101, a section filter 102, an AIT filter 103, an application data processor 104, a broadcast data processor 111, and a media player 106. ), An internet protocol processor 107, an internet interface 108, and a runtime module 109.

Through the broadcast interface 101, application information table (AIT) data, real-time broadcast content, application data, and stream events are received. Meanwhile, the real-time broadcast content may be referred to as linear ave content (Linear A / V Content).

The section filter 102 performs section filtering on four pieces of data received through the broadcast interface 101 to transmit AIT data to the AIT filter 103, and the linear AV content is broadcast data processing unit 111. The stream event and the application data are transmitted to the application data processing unit 104.

Meanwhile, non-linear AV content and application data are received through the Internet interface 108. The non-linear AV content may be, for example, a Content On Demand (COD) application.

The non-linear AV content is sent to media player 106 and the application data is sent to runtime module 109.

Further, the runtime module 109 includes, for example, an application manager and a browser as shown in FIG. 2. The application manager, for example, uses AIT data to control the life cycle for the interactive application. The browser, for example, performs a function of displaying and processing the interactive application.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a step in which the video display device illustrated in FIG. 1 or 2 receives channel information and the like by accessing a service provider. Of course, Figure 3 is an embodiment, and the scope of the present invention is not limited only by the method of Figure 3.

The service provider performs a service provider discovery operation (S301). The video display device transmits an SP connection request signal (S302). When the SP connection is completed, the video display device receives provisioning information (S303). Furthermore, the video display device receives a master SI table from the service provider (S304), receives a Virtual Chnnanel Map table (S305), receives a Virtual Channel Description table (S306), and receives a Source table ( S307).

More specifically, the following will be described.

The service provider discovery may refer to a process in which service providers providing services related to IPTV find a server providing information on their services.

There are three ways to find an address list that can receive information (eg, SP discovery information) about an SD (service discovery) server. First, an address set in the image display device or an address set by a user's manual operation may be used. Second, DHCP-based SP discovery can be used. Third, the DNS SRV-based SP discovery method may be used. In addition, the video display device accesses the server of the address obtained by any one of the above three methods, and receives a service provider discovery record containing information required for service discovery for each SP. And using this, the service search step is performed. These processes are available in either push mode or pull mode.

Access the SP attachment server designated as the SP attachment locator of the SP discovery record and perform a registration procedure (or service attachment procedure).

In addition, after accessing the authentication service server of the SP designated as the SP authentication locator and performing a separate authentication procedure, the service authentication procedure may be performed.

Meanwhile, after the service attachment procedure is successful, the data transmitted from the server to the video display device may be in the form of provisioning information table.

In the service attachment process, the video display device includes its ID and location information in the data transmitted to the server, and the service attachment server may specify a service subscribed to by the video display device based on this. Furthermore, address information for obtaining service information that the video display device wants to receive is provided in the form of a provisioning information table. The address information corresponds to connection information of the master SI table. When using such a method, it is easy to provide a customized service for each subscriber.

The service information may include a master SI table record managing access information and a version of a virtual channel map, a virtual channel map table providing a list of services in a package form, and a virtual channel description table including detailed information of each channel. And a source table containing access information for accessing the actual service.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data used in the steps illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing FIG. 3 in more detail. Hereinafter, the relationship between the data in the SI will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

The Master SI table includes location information for receiving each virtual channel map and version information of each virtual channel map.

Each virtual channel map is uniquely identified by a virtual channel map identifier, and the virtual channel map version indicates version information of the virtual channel map. When any one of all tables connected in the direction of the arrow starting from the master SI table shown in FIG. 4 is changed, the version of all upper tables (up to the master SI table) increases with the version increase of the corresponding table. Therefore, by monitoring the master SI table, there is an advantage that can immediately see the change on the entire SI table.

For example, when a change occurs in the source table, the version of the source table increases, and the version of the virtual channel description table that references the source table also changes. Therefore, the change of the lower table causes the change of the upper table, and ultimately the version of the master SI table is changed.

There may be one Master SI table for each service provider. However, if the service configuration is different by region or by subscriber (or subscriber group), the service provider is designed to have a plurality of master SI tables to provide customized services for each unit. In this case, it is possible to efficiently provide a customized service according to the subscriber's region and subscription information through the master SI table.

The virtual channel map table may have one or more virtual channels, and does not include detailed information of the channels in the virtual channel map, but includes location information from which the detailed information may be obtained. The virtual channel description location of the virtual channel map table indicates a location of a virtual channel description table including channel detail information.

The virtual channel description table includes detailed information of the virtual channel and can access the virtual channel desctiprion table using the virtual channel description location of the virtual channel map table.

The source table provides connection information (eg, IP address, port, AV codec, transmission protocol, etc.) necessary for accessing a real service by service.

The master SI table, the virtual channel map table, the virtual channel description table, and the source table described above are logically transmitted through four separate flows, and both a push mode and a pull mode are possible. Meanwhile, the master SI table may be transmitted by multicast for version management, and monitors version change by receiving a multicast stream.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the image display device shown in FIG. 1 or 2 in more detail. 5 is only one embodiment, and the scope of the present invention should in principle be determined by the claims rather than the claims of FIG. 5.

The video display device 700 includes a network interface unit 701, a TCP / IP manager 702, a service delivery manager 703, and a demultiplexer (Demux). 705, PSIP and / or SI decoder 704, audio decoder 706, video decoder 707, display A / V and OSD module 708 , Service Control Manager (709), Service Discovery Manager (710), Metadata Manager (712), SI & Metadata DB (711), UI Manager (714), and Services Manager 713 and the like.

The network interface unit 701 receives packets received from the network and transmits the packets to the network. That is, the network interface unit 701 receives a service, content, and the like from a service provider through a network.

The TCP / IP manager 702 is involved in the packet transmission from the source to the destination for the packet received by the video display device 700 and the packet transmitted by the video display device 700. The TCP / IP manager 702 classifies the received packet to correspond to an appropriate protocol, and classifies the packet into a service delivery manager 705, a service discovery manager 710, a service control manager 709, and a metadata manager 712. Output the printed packet.

The service delivery manager 703 is responsible for controlling the received service data. For example, RTP / RTCP can be used to control real-time streaming data. When transmitting the real-time streaming data using the RTP, the service delivery manager 703 parses the received data packet according to the RTP and transmits it to the demultiplexer 705 or under the control of the service manager 713. Accordingly stored in the SI & Metadata DB (711). In addition, the network reception information is fed back to the server providing the service using RTCP.

The demultiplexer 705 demultiplexes the received packet into audio, video, program specific information (PSI) data, and the like, and transmits the demultiplexer 705 to the audio / video decoders 706 and 707 and the PSIP and / or SI decoder 704, respectively. do.

PSIP and / or SI Decoder 704 decodes service information such as, for example, Program Specific Information (PSI). That is, the PSIP and / or SI Decoder 704 receives and decodes the demultiplexed PSI section, the Program and Service Information Protocol (PSIP) section, or the Service Information (SI) section from the demultiplexer 705.

In addition, the PSIP and / or SI Decoder 704 decodes the received sections to create a database of service information, and stores the database of service information in the SI & Metadata DB 711.

An audio / video decoder 706/707 decodes the video data and the audio data received at the demultiplexer 705. The audio data decoded by the audio decoder 706 and the video data decoded by the video decoder 707 are provided to the user through the display unit 708.

The UI manager 714 and the service manager 713 manage the overall state of the image display device 700, provide a user interface, and manage other managers.

The UI manager 714 provides a Graphic User Interface (GUI) for a user by using an OSD (On Screen Display) and the like, and receives a key input from the user to perform a receiver operation according to the input. For example, upon receiving a key input related to channel selection from a user, the key input signal is transmitted to the service manager 713.

The service manager 713 controls a manager associated with a service, such as a service delivery manager 703, a service discovery manager 710, a service control manager 709, and a metadata manager 712.

In addition, the service manager 713 creates a channel map and selects a channel using the channel map according to a key input received from the user interface manager 714. The service manager 713 receives service information of a channel from a PSSI and / or SI Decoder 704 and sets an audio / video PID (packet identifier) of the selected channel to the demultiplexer 705.

The service discovery manager 710 provides information necessary for selecting a service provider providing a service. Upon receiving a signal for channel selection from the service manager 713, the service discovery manager 710 finds a service using the information.

The service control manager 709 is in charge of selecting and controlling a service. For example, if a user selects a live broadcasting service like the conventional broadcasting method, IGMP or RTSP is used. If a user selects a service such as VOD (Video On Demand), RTSP is used to select and control the service. Perform The RTSP protocol may provide a trick mode for real time streaming. In addition, the service control manager 709 may initialize and manage a session through the IMC gateway using an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) or a session initiation protocol (SIP). The protocols are one embodiment, and other protocols may be used depending on implementation.

The metadata manager 712 manages metadata associated with the service and stores the metadata in the SI & Metadata DB 711.

The SI & Metadata DN 711 selects service information decoded by the PSIP and / or SI Decoder 704, metadata managed by the metadata manager 712, and service providers provided by the service discovery manager 710. Save the necessary information. In addition, the SI & Metadata DB 711 may store setup data for the system.

The SI & Metadata DB 711 may be implemented using nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) or flash memory.

Meanwhile, the IG 750 is a gateway that collects functions necessary for accessing an IMS-based IPTV service.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. 1 or 2 in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 6, the video display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a broadcast receiver 105, an external device interface 135, a storage 140, a user input interface 150, The control unit 170, the display unit 180, the audio output unit 185, the power supply unit 190, and a photographing unit (not shown) may be included. The broadcast receiver 105 may include a tuner 110, a demodulator 120, and a network interface unit 130. Of course, if necessary, the tuner 110 and the demodulator 120 may be provided so as not to include the network interface unit 130. On the contrary, the tuner 110 and the network interface unit 130 may be provided. The demodulator 120 may be designed so as not to be included.

The tuner 110 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user or all pre-stored channels among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through an antenna. Also, the selected RF broadcast signal is converted into an intermediate frequency signal, a baseband image, or a voice signal.

For example, if the selected RF broadcast signal is a digital broadcast signal, it is converted into a digital IF signal (DIF). If the selected RF broadcast signal is an analog broadcast signal, it is converted into an analog baseband image or voice signal (CVBS / SIF). That is, the tuner 110 may process both digital broadcast signals or analog broadcast signals. The analog baseband video or audio signal CVBS / SIF output from the tuner 110 may be directly input to the controller 170.

In addition, the tuner 110 may receive an RF broadcast signal of a single carrier according to an Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) scheme or an RF broadcast signal of a plurality of carriers according to a digital video broadcasting (DVB) scheme.

Meanwhile, the tuner 110 may sequentially select RF broadcast signals of all broadcast channels stored through a channel memory function among RF broadcast signals received through an antenna and convert them to intermediate frequency signals or baseband video or audio signals. have.

The demodulator 120 receives the digital IF signal DIF converted by the tuner 110 and performs a demodulation operation.

For example, when the digital IF signal output from the tuner 110 is an ATSC scheme, the demodulator 120 performs 8-VSB (8-Vestigal Side Band) demodulation, for example. Also, the demodulation unit 120 may perform channel decoding. To this end, the demodulator 120 includes a trellis decoder, a de-interleaver, and a reed solomon decoder to perform trellis decoding, deinterleaving, Solomon decoding can be performed.

For example, when the digital IF signal output from the tuner 110 is a DVB scheme, the demodulator 120 performs coded orthogonal frequency division modulation (COFDMA) demodulation, for example. Also, the demodulation unit 120 may perform channel decoding. For this, the demodulator 120 may include a convolution decoder, a deinterleaver, and a reed-solomon decoder to perform convolutional decoding, deinterleaving, and reed solomon decoding.

The demodulator 120 may output a stream signal TS after performing demodulation and channel decoding. In this case, the stream signal may be a signal multiplexed with a video signal, an audio signal, or a data signal. For example, the stream signal may be an MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS) multiplexed with an MPEG-2 standard video signal, a Dolby AC-3 standard audio signal, and the like. Specifically, the MPEG-2 TS may include a header of 4 bytes and a payload of 184 bytes.

On the other hand, the demodulator 120 described above can be provided separately according to the ATSC system and the DVB system. That is, it can be provided as an ATSC demodulation unit and a DVB demodulation unit.

The stream signal output from the demodulator 120 may be input to the controller 170. After performing demultiplexing, image / audio signal processing, and the like, the controller 170 outputs an image to the display unit 180 and outputs an audio to the audio output unit 185.

The external device interface unit 135 may connect the external device to the image display device 100. To this end, the external device interface unit 135 may include an A / V input / output unit (not shown) or a wireless communication unit (not shown).

The external device interface unit 135 may be connected to an external device such as a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray, a game device, a camera, a camcorder, a computer (laptop), or the like by wire / wireless. The external device interface unit 135 transmits an externally input image, audio or data signal to the controller 170 of the image display device 100 through a connected external device. In addition, the controller 170 may output an image, audio, or data signal processed by the controller 170 to a connected external device. To this end, the external device interface unit 135 may include an A / V input / output unit (not shown) or a wireless communication unit (not shown).

The A / V input / output unit may use a USB terminal, a CVBS (Composite Video Banking Sync) terminal, a component terminal, an S-video terminal (analog), and a DVI to input video and audio signals from an external device to the video display device 100. (Digital Visual Interface) terminal, HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal, RGB terminal, D-SUB terminal and the like.

The wireless communication unit can perform short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices. The image display device 100 may include, for example, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance). It can be networked with other electronic devices according to communication standards.

In addition, the external device interface unit 135 may be connected through at least one of the various set top boxes and the various terminals described above, and perform input / output operations with the set top box.

Meanwhile, the external device interface unit 135 may receive an application or a list of applications in a neighboring external device and transmit the received application or list to the controller 170 or the storage 140.

The network interface unit 130 provides an interface for connecting the video display device 100 to a wired / wireless network including an internet network. The network interface unit 130 may include, for example, an Ethernet terminal for connection with a wired network, and for example, for connection with a wireless network, for example, a wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-). Fi, Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) communication standards, and the like can be used.

The network interface unit 130 may transmit or receive data with another user or another electronic device through a connected network or another network linked to the connected network. In particular, some content data stored in the image display apparatus 100 may be transmitted to a user selected from another user or another electronic apparatus registered in the image display apparatus 100 or a selected electronic apparatus.

Meanwhile, the network interface unit 130 may access a predetermined web page through a connected network or another network linked to the connected network. That is, by accessing a predetermined web page through the network, it is possible to send or receive data with the server. In addition, content or data provided by a content provider or a network operator may be received. That is, it can receive contents such as a movie, an advertisement, a game, a VOD, a broadcast signal, and related information provided from a content provider or a network provider through a network. In addition, the update information and the update file of the firmware provided by the network operator can be received. It may also transmit data to the Internet or content provider or network operator.

In addition, the network interface unit 130 may select and receive a desired application from among applications that are open to the public through the network.

The storage 140 may store a program for processing and controlling each signal in the controller 170, or may store a signal processed video, audio, or data signal.

In addition, the storage 140 may perform a function for temporarily storing an image, audio, or data signal input from the external device interface 135 or the network interface 130. In addition, the storage 140 may store information on a predetermined broadcast channel through a channel storage function.

In addition, the storage 140 may store an application or a list of applications input from the external device interface 135 or the network interface 130.

In addition, the storage 140 may store various platforms described below.

The storage unit 140 may be, for example, a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD). Memory, etc.), RAM, ROM (e.g., EEPROM, etc.) at least one type of storage medium. The video display device 100 may provide a user with a content file (video file, still image file, music file, document file, application file, etc.) stored in the storage 140.

6 illustrates an embodiment in which the storage 140 is provided separately from the controller 170, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. The storage unit 140 may be included in the control unit 170.

The user input interface unit 150 transmits a signal input by the user to the control unit 170 or a signal from the control unit 170 to the user.

For example, the user input interface unit 150 may be powered on / off, channel selection, and screen from the remote controller 200 according to various communication methods such as a radio frequency (RF) communication method and an infrared (IR) communication method. A control signal such as a setting may be received and processed, or a control signal from the controller 170 may be transmitted to the remote controller 200.

In addition, for example, the user input interface unit 150 may transmit a control signal input from a local key (not shown) such as a power key, a channel key, a volume key, and a set value to the controller 170.

Also, for example, the user input interface unit 150 may transmit a control signal input from a sensing unit (not shown) that senses a user's gesture to the controller 170 or sense a signal from the controller 170. It can transmit to a part (not shown). Here, the sensing unit (not shown) may include a touch sensor, an audio sensor, a position sensor, an operation sensor, and the like.

The control unit 170 demultiplexes the input stream or processes the demultiplexed signals through the tuner 110, the demodulator 120, or the external device interface unit 135, and outputs a video or audio signal. You can create and output.

The image signal processed by the controller 170 may be input to the display unit 180 and displayed as an image corresponding to the image signal. The video signal processed by the controller 170 may be input to the external output device through the external device interface 135. [

The audio signal processed by the control unit 170 may be output to the audio output unit 185 through audio. In addition, the voice signal processed by the controller 170 may be input to the external output device through the external device interface unit 135.

Although not shown in FIG. 6, the controller 170 may include a demultiplexer, an image processor, and the like. This will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

In addition, the controller 170 may control overall operations of the image display device 100. For example, the controller 170 may control the tuner 110 to control the tuner 110 to select an RF broadcast corresponding to a channel selected by a user or a pre-stored channel.

In addition, the controller 170 may control the image display device 100 by a user command or an internal program input through the user input interface unit 150. In particular, the user may access the network to download the desired application or application list into the video display device 100.

For example, the controller 170 controls the tuner 110 to input a signal of a selected channel according to a predetermined channel selection command received through the user input interface unit 150. And processes video, audio or data signals of the selected channel. The controller 170 allows the channel information selected by the user to be output through the display unit 180 or the audio output unit 185 together with the processed image or audio signal.

As another example, the controller 170 may receive an external device image playback command received through the user input interface unit 150 from an external device, for example, a camera or a camcorder, input through the external device interface unit 135. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 180 or the audio output unit 185.

The controller 170 may control the display 180 to display an image. For example, a broadcast image input through the tuner 110, an external input image input through the external device interface unit 135, an image input through a network interface unit, or an image stored in the storage unit 140 may be stored. The display unit 180 may control the display to be displayed on the display unit 180. In this case, the image displayed on the display unit 180 may be a still image or a video, and may be a 2D image or a 3D image.

In addition, the controller 170 may control to reproduce the content. In this case, the content may be content stored in the video display device 100, received broadcast content, or external input content input from the outside. The content may be at least one of a broadcast image, an external input image, an audio file, a still image, a connected web screen, and a document file.

In addition, the controller 170 may control to display the home screen on the display 180 according to a movement input to the home screen.

The home screen may include a plurality of card objects classified by content sources. The card object may be a card object representing a thumbnail list of broadcast channels, a card object representing a broadcast guide list, a card object representing a broadcast reservation list or a recording list, a media list in the video display device or a device connected to the video display device. It may include at least one of the card object representing. The card object may further include at least one of a card object representing a list of connected external devices and a card object representing a list related to a call.

In addition, the home screen may further include an application menu including at least one executable application item.

On the other hand, if there is a card object movement input, the controller 170 may move the card object to display it, or control to display the card object that is not displayed on the display unit 180 on the display unit 180. .

Meanwhile, when a predetermined card object is selected from among a plurality of card objects in the home screen, the controller 170 may control to display an image corresponding to the card object on the display unit 180.

Meanwhile, the controller 170 may control to display a received broadcast video and an object representing the broadcast video related information in the card object displaying the broadcast video. The broadcast video may be controlled to have its size fixed by setting a lock.

Meanwhile, the controller 170 displays a setup object for setting at least one of a video setting, an audio setting, a screen setting, a reservation setting, a pointer setting of a remote control device, and a network setting in the video display device on the home screen. Can be controlled.

Meanwhile, the controller 170 may control to display an object for a login, a help, or an exit item in one region of the home screen.

Meanwhile, the controller 170 may control to display an object indicating the number of all card objects or an object indicating the number of card objects displayed on the display unit 180 among all the card objects in one region of the home screen.

Meanwhile, when a card object name within a predetermined card object is selected among the card objects displayed on the display unit 180, the controller 170 may control to display the corresponding card object on the display unit 180 as a full screen.

When the incoming call is received from the connected external device or the video display device, the controller 170 focuses and displays a call related card object among the plurality of card objects, or displays the call related card object in the display unit 180. You can control the display to move.

Meanwhile, when entering the application view item, the controller 170 may control to display an application or a list of applications that can be downloaded from the image display device 100 or from an external network.

The controller 170 may control to install and run an application downloaded from an external network along with various user interfaces. In addition, by selecting a user, an image related to an application to be executed may be controlled to be displayed on the display unit 180.

Meanwhile, in relation to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 170 may include an additional information manager 171.

The additional information manager 171 may generate content information of content displayed on the video display device. That is, the content name, broadcast station information, time information, performer information, etc. of content currently being played on the video display device may be extracted from the EPG information included in the broadcast signal and transmitted.

In addition, the additional information manager 171 may generate location information of the video display device. That is, the current position of the image display apparatus may be recognized through the GPS (Global Positioning System) module or the position information module included in the image display apparatus, and the position information may be generated based on the recognized position.

In addition, the control unit 170 transmits the content information generated by the additional information management unit 171 to a server connected to the network through the network interface unit 130, receives real-time channel search list data from the server, The display unit 180 may control to display a real-time channel search list based on the received data.

In addition, the control unit 170 transmits the location information generated by the additional information management unit 171 together with the content information to the server through the network interface unit 130, and displays a real-time channel search list corresponding to the location information. It may be controlled to display on the unit 180.

In addition, the controller 170 may include the advertisement data received from the server through the network interface 130 in the real-time channel search list displayed on the display unit 180 and display the advertisement data.

In addition, when the content is displayed on the image display device, the controller 170 receives a channel search signal including a channel search condition through the user interface 150, and the search condition through the network interface 130. Search for a channel corresponding to the network and display the channel list according to the search result on the display unit 180 to receive one or more channel selection signals included in the searched channel list through the user interface unit 150. The content of the channel corresponding to the selection signal may be displayed on the display unit 180. Therefore, the data collected by the video display device in the search process can also be transmitted to a server connected to the network, so as to be a basis for generating a real-time channel search list.

In addition, the controller 170 controls the display unit 180 to display the received EPG information included in the broadcast signal, and to further include the displayed EPG information and rank information based on the received data. can do.

In addition, the controller 170 searches whether each content item included in the real-time channel search list is currently available in the video display device through the network interface unit 130, and the content is not available based on the search result. The item may be controlled to be displayed differently from the available content item. An example of displaying the unavailable content item differently from the available content item will be described with reference to FIG. 26 below.

In addition, the controller 170 controls the user interface unit 150 to receive one or more selection signals among the content items included in the real-time channel search list and to display detailed information corresponding to the selected content item. can do. The display screen will be described with reference to FIG. 27 below.

In addition, the controller 170 searches for usage level restriction information preset in the video display device, determines whether each content item included in the real-time channel search list matches the usage level restriction information, On the basis of deleting the content item that does not match the use class restriction information, it is possible to control to display the real-time channel search list.

In addition, the controller 170 searches for update period information preset in the image display device, and in response to the retrieved update period information, receives the real-time channel search list data from a server again and updates the real-time channel search list. Can be controlled.

On the other hand, although not shown in the figure, it may be further provided with a channel browsing processing unit for generating a thumbnail image corresponding to the channel signal or the external input signal.

The channel browsing processor may receive a stream signal TS output from the demodulator 120 or a stream signal output from the external device interface 135, extract a video from the input stream signal, and generate a thumbnail image. Can be. The generated thumbnail image may be input as it is or encoded to the controller 170. In addition, the generated thumbnail image may be encoded in a stream form and input to the controller 170. The controller 170 may display a thumbnail list including a plurality of thumbnail images on the display unit 180 using the input thumbnail image. Meanwhile, the thumbnail images in the thumbnail list may be updated sequentially or simultaneously. Accordingly, the user can easily grasp the contents of the plurality of broadcast channels.

The display unit 180 converts an image signal, a data signal, an OSD signal processed by the controller 170 or an image signal, data signal, etc. received from the external device interface unit 135 into R, G, and B signals, respectively. Generate a drive signal.

The display unit 180 may be a PDP, an LCD, an OLED, a flexible display, a 3D display, or the like.

The display unit 180 may be configured as a touch screen and used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The audio output unit 185 receives a signal processed by the controller 170, for example, a stereo signal, a 3.1 channel signal, or a 5.1 channel signal, and outputs a voice signal. The voice output unit 185 may be implemented by various types of speakers.

Meanwhile, in order to detect a gesture of a user, as described above, a sensing unit (not shown) including at least one of a touch sensor, a voice sensor, a position sensor, and a motion sensor may be further provided in the image display apparatus 100. have. The signal detected by the sensing unit (not shown) may be transmitted to the controller 170 through the user input interface unit 150.

On the other hand, a photographing unit (not shown) for photographing the user may be further provided. The image information photographed by the photographing unit (not shown) may be input to the control unit 170.

The controller 170 may detect a gesture of a user by combining or combining an image captured by a photographing unit (not shown) or a detected signal from a sensing unit (not shown).

The power supply unit 190 supplies the corresponding power throughout the image display device 100.

In particular, power may be supplied to the controller 170, which may be implemented in the form of a System On Chip (SOC), a display unit 180 for displaying an image, and an audio output unit 185 for audio output. Can be.

To this end, the power supply unit 190 may include a converter (not shown) for converting the AC power into DC power. Meanwhile, for example, when the display unit 180 is implemented as a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of backlight lamps, an inverter (not shown) capable of PWM operation may be further provided for driving of variable brightness or dimming. It may be.

The remote control apparatus 200 transmits the user input to the user input interface unit 150. To this end, the remote control apparatus 200 can use Bluetooth, RF (radio frequency) communication, infrared (IR) communication, UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee, or the like.

In addition, the remote control apparatus 200 may receive an image, an audio or a data signal output from the user input interface unit 150, display it on the remote control apparatus 200 or output an audio or vibration.

The video display device 100 described above is a fixed type of ATSC (8-VSB) digital broadcasting, DVB-T (COFDM) digital broadcasting, ISDB-T (BST-OFDM) digital broadcasting, and the like. It may be a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving at least one.

Meanwhile, a block diagram of the image display device 100 shown in FIG. 2 is a block diagram for an embodiment of the present invention. Each component of the block diagram may be integrated, added, or omitted according to the specification of the image display device 100 that is actually implemented. That is, two or more constituent elements may be combined into one constituent element, or one constituent element may be constituted by two or more constituent elements, if necessary. In addition, the functions performed in each block are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, and the specific operations and apparatuses do not limit the scope of the present invention.

On the other hand, the image display device 100 does not include the tuner 110 and the demodulator 120 shown in FIG. 6, unlike the network display unit 130 or the external device interface unit 135 shown in FIG. 6. ), The video content may be received and played back.

The image display apparatus 100 is an example of an image signal processing apparatus that performs signal processing on an image stored in an apparatus or an input image. Another example of the image signal processing apparatus is the display unit 180 illustrated in FIG. 6. ) And an audio output unit 185 may be further illustrated. The set top box will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 below.

7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating any one of the image display apparatuses according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as set-top boxes and display apparatuses.

First, referring to FIG. 7, the set-top box 250 and the display apparatus 300 may transmit or receive data by wire or wirelessly.

The set top box 250 may include a network interface unit 255, a storage unit 258, a signal processor 260, a user input interface unit 263, and an external device interface unit 265.

The network interface unit 255 provides an interface for connecting to a wired / wireless network including an internet network. It is also possible to transmit or receive data with other users or other electronic devices via the connected network or another network linked to the connected network.

The storage unit 258 may store a program for processing and controlling signals in the signal processing unit 260, and may include an image, audio, or data input from the external device interface unit 265 or the network interface unit 255. It may also serve as a temporary storage of the signal. In addition, the storage unit 258 may store the platform illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 to be described later.

The signal processor 260 performs signal processing on the input signal. For example, demultiplexing or decoding of an input video signal may be performed, and demultiplexing or decoding of an input audio signal may be performed. To this end, a video decoder or an audio decoder may be provided. The signal processed video signal or audio signal may be transmitted to the display apparatus 300 through the external device interface unit 265.

The user input interface unit 263 transmits a signal input by the user to the signal processor 260 or transmits a signal from the signal processor 260 to the user. For example, various control signals, such as power on / off, operation input, setting input, etc., which are input through a local key (not shown) or the remote control apparatus 200, may be received and transmitted to the signal processor 260.

The external device interface unit 265 provides an interface for data transmission or reception with an external device connected by wire or wirelessly. In particular, an interface for transmitting or receiving data with the display apparatus 300 is provided. In addition, it is possible to provide an interface for transmitting or receiving data with an external device such as a game device, a camera, a camcorder, a computer (laptop), or the like.

The set top box 250 may further include a media input unit (not shown) for reproducing a separate media. An example of such a media input unit may be a Blu-ray input unit (not shown). In other words, the set top box 250 may include a Blu-ray player. The input media such as a Blu-ray disc may be transmitted to the display apparatus 300 through the external device interface unit 265 for display after signal processing such as demultiplexing or decoding in the signal processing unit 260. .

The display apparatus 300 includes a tuner 270, an external device interface 273, a demodulator 275, a storage 278, a controller 280, a user input interface 283, and a display 290. , And an audio output unit 295.

The tuner 270, the demodulator 275, the storage 278, the controller 280, the user input interface 283, the display 290, and the audio output unit 295 are described with reference to FIG. 6. The tuner 110, the demodulator 120, the storage 140, the controller 170, the user input interface 150, the display 180, and the audio output 185 are described. Omit the description.

The external device interface unit 273 provides an interface for data transmission or reception with an external device connected by wire or wirelessly. In particular, it provides an interface for transmitting or receiving data with the set-top box 250.

Accordingly, the video signal or the audio signal input through the set top box 250 is output through the display unit 180 or the audio output unit 185 via the control unit 170.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 8, the set top box 250 and the display apparatus 300 are the same as the set top box 250 and the display apparatus 300 shown in FIG. There is a difference that the position of the grandfather 275 is located in the set-top box 250, not in the display device 300. In the following description, the differences will be explained.

The signal processor 260 may perform signal processing of the broadcast signal received through the tuner 270 and the demodulator 275. In addition, the user input interface unit 263 may receive an input such as channel selection and channel storage.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a process in which any one of the image display apparatuses communicates with third devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The image display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 9 may correspond to any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention described above.

As shown in FIG. 9, the image display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may communicate with a broadcasting station 210, a network server 220, or an external device 230.

The video display device 100 may receive a broadcast signal including a video signal transmitted from the broadcast station 210. The video display device 100 may process a video signal, an audio signal, or a data signal included in a broadcast signal so as to be suitable for outputting from the video display device 100. The image display device 100 may output an image or audio based on the processed image signal.

The image display apparatus 100 may communicate with the network server 220. The network server 220 is a device capable of transmitting and receiving a signal with the image display device 100 through an arbitrary network. For example, the network server 220 may be a mobile phone terminal that may be connected to the image display device 100 through a wired or wireless base station. In addition, the network server 220 may be a device capable of providing content to the image display device 100 through an Internet network. The content provider may provide content to the video display device 100 using a network server.

The image display device 100 may communicate with the external device 230. The external device 230 is a device capable of directly transmitting and receiving a signal with the image display device 100 by wire or wirelessly. For example, the external device 230 may be a media storage device or a playback device used by a user. That is, the external device 230 corresponds to, for example, a camera, a DVD or a Blu-ray player, a personal computer, or the like.

The broadcasting station 210, the network server 220, or the external device 230 may transmit a signal including a video signal to the video display device 100. The image display device 100 may display an image based on an image signal included in an input signal. In addition, the image display device 100 may transmit a signal transmitted from the broadcasting station 210 or the network server 220 to the image display device 100 to the external device 230. In addition, the signal transmitted from the external device 230 to the image display device 100 may be transmitted to the broadcasting station 210 or the network server 220. That is, the image display device 100 transmits not only a function of directly playing the content included in the signal transmitted from the broadcasting station 210, the network server 220, and the external device 230, but also from the image display device 100. It also includes the ability to do so.

FIG. 10 is an internal block diagram of the controller shown in FIG. 6. A description with reference to FIGS. 10 and 6 is as follows.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 170 may include a demultiplexer 310, an image processor 320, an OSD generator 340, a mixer 350, a frame rate converter 355, and a formatter ( 360). In addition, the apparatus may further include a voice processor (not shown) and a data processor (not shown).

The demultiplexer 310 demultiplexes an input stream. For example, when an MPEG-2 TS is input, it may be demultiplexed and separated into video, audio, and data signals, respectively. Here, the stream signal input to the demultiplexer 310 may be a stream signal output from the tuner 110, the demodulator 120, or the external device interface unit 135.

The image processor 320 may perform image processing of the demultiplexed image signal. To this end, the image processor 320 may include an image decoder 325 and a scaler 335.

The image decoder 325 decodes the demultiplexed image signal, and the scaler 335 performs scaling to output the resolution of the decoded image signal on the display unit 180.

The video decoder 325 may include decoders of various standards.

For example, when the demultiplexed video signal is an encoded video signal of MPEG-2 standard, it may be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder.

Also, for example, when the demultiplexed video signal is a digital video broadcasting (DMB) scheme or an encoded video signal of H.264 standard according to DVB-H, it may be decoded by an H.264 decoder.

On the other hand, the video signal decoded by the image processor 320 is input to the mixer 350.

The OSD generator 340 generates an OSD signal according to a user input or itself. For example, based on a control signal from the user input interface unit 150, a signal for displaying various types of information on a screen of the display unit 180 as a graphic or text may be generated. The generated OSD signal may include various data such as a user interface screen, various menu screens, widgets, and icons of the image display apparatus 100.

For example, the OSD generator 340 may generate a signal for displaying broadcast information based on subtitles or EPGs of a broadcast image.

The mixer 350 may mix the OSD signal generated by the OSD generator 340 and the decoded image signal processed by the image processor 220. The mixed signal is provided to the formatter 360. Since the decoded broadcast video signal or the external input signal and the OSD signal are mixed, the OSD can be overlaid on the broadcast image or the external input image.

The frame rate converter 512 may convert the frame rate of the input video. For example, a 60Hz frame rate is converted to 120Hz or 240Hz. When converting a frame rate of 60 Hz to 120 Hz, it is possible to insert the same first frame or insert a third frame predicted from the first frame and the second frame between the first frame and the second frame. When converting a frame rate of 60 Hz to 240 Hz, it is possible to insert three more identical frames or three predicted frames. Meanwhile, it is also possible to maintain the input frame rate without additional conversion.

The formatter 360 receives the output signal of the frame rate converter 355 and changes the format of the signal to be suitable for the display unit 180 and outputs the signal. For example, the R, G, and B data signals may be output, and the R, G, and B data signals may be output as low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) or mini-LVDS.

The voice processing unit (not shown) in the controller 170 may perform voice processing of the demultiplexed voice signal. To this end, the voice processing unit (not shown) may include various decoders.

The speech processing unit (not shown) in the controller 170 may decode the demultiplexed speech signal if it is an encoded speech signal. For example, the demultiplexed speech signal may be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder, or an MPEG 4 decoder, or an AAC decoder, or an AC-3 decoder.

Also, the voice processing unit (not shown) in the controller 170 may process a base, a treble, a volume control, and the like.

The data processor (not shown) in the controller 170 may perform data processing of the demultiplexed data signal. For example, when the demultiplexed data signal is an encoded data signal, it may be decoded. The encoded data signal may be EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information including broadcast information such as a start time and an end time of a broadcast program broadcasted in each channel. For example, the EPG information may be ATSC-PSIP (ATSC-Program and System Information Protocol) information in the case of the ATSC scheme, and may include DVB-Service Information (DVB-SI) in the case of the DVB scheme. .

The ATSC-PSIP information or the DVB-SI information may be information included in the aforementioned stream, that is, header (4 bytes) of the MPEG-2 TS.

Meanwhile, since the block diagram of the controller 170 illustrated in FIG. 10 is a block diagram for an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is also possible to add another module or omit some of the illustrated modules as needed by those skilled in the art.

11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a platform structure of any one of the image display apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a structure diagram of any one of the image display apparatuses according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The platform of any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention may include OS-based software to perform the various operations described above.

First, referring to FIG. 11, any one platform of the image display according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention is a detachable platform, and the legacy system platform 400 and the smart system platform 405 may be used. It can be designed separately. The OS kernel 410 may be commonly used in the legacy system platform 400 and the smart system platform 405.

The legacy system platform 400 may include a driver 420, a middleware 430, and an application layer 450 on the OS kernel 410.

The smart system platform 405 may include a library 435, a framework 440, and an application layer 455 on the OS kernel 410.

The OS kernel 410 is a core of an operating system, and when a video display device is driven, a hardware driver is driven, security of hardware and a processor in the video display device, efficient management of system resources, memory management, and hardware abstraction. At least one of providing an interface to hardware, a multi-process, and schedule management according to the multi-process may be performed. The OS kernel 410 may further provide power management and the like.

The hardware driver in the OS kernel 410 may be, for example, at least one of a display driver, a WiFi driver, a Bluetooth driver, a USB driver, an audio driver, a power manager, a binder driver, a memory driver, and the like. It may include.

In addition, the hardware driver in the OS kernel 410 is a driver for a hardware device in the OS kernel 410, and includes a character device driver, a block device driver, and a network device driver. dirver). The block device driver may need a buffer to store as much as the unit size because data is transmitted in a specific block unit, and the character device driver may not need a buffer since it is transmitted in a basic data unit, that is, a character unit.

The OS kernel 410 may be implemented as a kernel based on various operating systems (OS) such as Unix-based (Linux) and Windows-based. In addition, the OS kernel 410 is an open OS kernel and may be general purpose that can be used in other electronic devices.

The driver 420 is located between the OS kernel 410 and the middleware 430 and, together with the middleware 430, drives the device for the operation of the application layer 450. For example, the driver 420 may include a micom, a display module, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a frame rate converter (FRC), a general purpose input / output pin (GPIO), and the like in the video display device 100. It may include a driver such as HDMI, SDEC (System Decoder or Demultiplexer), VDEC (Video Decoder), ADEC (Audio Decoder), PVR (Personal Video Recorder), or I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit). . These drivers operate in conjunction with hardware drivers in the OS kernel 410.

In addition, the driver 420 may further include a driver for the remote control apparatus 200, particularly a spatial remote controller, which will be described later. Meanwhile, the driver of the spatial remote controller may be variously provided in the OS kernel 410 or the middleware 430, in addition to the driver 420.

The middleware 430 may be located between the OS kernel 410 and the application layer 450, and may serve as an intermediary to exchange data between different hardware or software. As a result, a standardized interface can be provided, and various environments can be supported and systems can interoperate with other tasks.

Examples of the middleware 430 in the legacy system platform 400 may include middleware of multimedia and hypermedia information coding expert groups (MHEG) and advanced common application platform (ACAP), which are data broadcasting related middleware, and PSIP, which is broadcast information related middleware. Or there may be a middleware of the SI, and DLNA middleware, which is a middleware related to the peripheral communication.

The application layer 450 on the middleware 430, that is, the application 450 layer in the legacy system platform 400, may, for example, provide a user interface application for various menus in the image display apparatus 100. It may include. The application layer 450 on the middleware 430 may be editable by a user's selection and may be updated through a network. By using the application layer 450, it is possible to enter a desired menu among various user interfaces according to an input of a remote control device while watching a broadcast image.

In addition, the application layer 450 in the legacy system platform 400 may further include at least one of a TV guide application, a Bluetooth application, a reservation application, a digital video recorder (DVR) application, and a hotkey application. Can be.

On the other hand, the library 435 in the smart system platform 405 is located between the OS kernel 410 and the framework 440, and may form the basis of the framework 440. For example, the library 435 may include a security-related library, SSL (Secure Socket Layer), a web engine-related library, WebKit, libc (c library), a video format, an audio format, and the like. The media framework, which is a media related library, may be included. Such a library 435 may be written based on C or C ++. In addition, it may be exposed to the developer through the framework 440.

The library 435 may include a runtime 437 having a core java library and a virtual machine (VM). This runtime 437, together with the library 435, forms the basis of the framework 440.

The virtual machine VM may be a plurality of instances, that is, a virtual machine capable of performing multitasking. Meanwhile, each virtual machine (VM) may be allocated and executed according to each application in the application layer 455. In this case, a binder (in the OS kernel 410) may be used for scheduling or interconnection among a plurality of instances. Binder) driver (not shown) may operate.

The binder driver and the runtime 437 may connect a Java-based application to a C-based library.

The library 435 and the runtime 437 may correspond to the middleware of the legacy system.

The framework 440 in the smart system platform 405, on the other hand, includes a program on which the application in the application layer 455 is based. The framework 440 may be compatible with any application and may reuse, move, or exchange components. The framework 440 may include a support program, a program that ties other software components, and the like. For example, the resource manager may include a resource manager, an activity manager related to an activity of an application, a notification manager, a content provider that summarizes sharing information between applications, and the like. . The framework 440 may be written based on Java (JAVA).

The application layer 455 on the framework 440 includes various programs that can be driven and displayed in the image display device 100. For example, it may include a core application including at least one of an email, a short message service (SMS), a calendar, a map, a browser, and the like. Can be. The application layer 450 may be written based on JAVA.

In addition, the application layer 455 may be an application 465 stored in the image display device 100 and not deleted by the user, and downloaded and stored through an external device or a network, and may be freely installed or deleted by the user. 475).

Through the application in this application layer 455, by Internet connection, Internet telephony service, video on demand (VOD) service, web album service, social networking service (SNS), location based service (LBS), map service, web search Services, application search services, etc. may be performed. In addition, various functions such as a game and schedule management may be performed.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 12, any one of the image display apparatuses according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention is an integrated platform, and includes an OS kernel 510, a driver 520, and middleware. (Middleware) 530, a framework 540, and an application layer 550.

The platform of FIG. 12 has a difference in that the library 435 shown in FIG. 11 is omitted in comparison with FIG. 11 and that the application layer 550 is provided as an integrated layer. In addition, the driver 520 and the framework 540 correspond to FIG. 11.

Meanwhile, the library 435 illustrated in FIG. 11 may be designed to be merged into the middleware 530 illustrated in FIG. 12. That is, the middleware 530 is a middleware under a legacy system. The middleware of the data broadcasting related middleware, MHEG or ACAP, the broadcasting information related middleware, the PSIP or SI middleware, and the peripheral communication related middleware DLNA middleware, of course, the image display.

The middleware under the device system may include a security-related library, SSL (Secure Socket Layer), a web engine-related library (WebKit), libc, a media-related library (Media Framework). On the other hand, it may further include the above-described runtime.

The application layer 550 is an application under the legacy system, and includes a menu related application, a TV guide application, a reservation application, and the like, and an application under the video display system, and may include an email, an SMS, a calendar, a map, a browser, and the like. have.

On the other hand, the application layer 550 is an application 565 that is stored in the image display device 100 and cannot be deleted by the user, and is downloaded and stored through an external device or a network, and is free to install or delete by the user ( 575).

Meanwhile, various APIs (Application Programming Interface) and SDK (Software Development Kit) required for application development may be opened based on the platform of FIGS. 11 and 12 described above. On the other hand, an API can be implemented by calling a function that provides a link to a particular subroutine for execution within a program.

For example, a source related to a hardware driver in the OS kernel 410, such as a display driver, a Wi-Fi driver, a Bluetooth driver, a USB driver, or an audio driver, can be opened, a micom, a display module, PSIP or SI middleware, or DLNA associated with a related source in a driver 420, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), frame rate converter (FRC), SDEC, VDEC, ADEC, or spatial remote controller, etc. Sources associated with the middleware can be opened.

Due to various open APIs and the like, the developer or the like may be driven in the image display apparatus 100 or may be developed for the control of the operation of the image display apparatus 100 based on the platform of FIGS. 11 and 12 described above. It becomes possible.

The platform of FIGS. 11 and 12 described above may be used in general in various electronic devices as well as an image display device. Meanwhile, the platform of FIGS. 11 and 12 may be stored or loaded in the storage 140 or the controller 170 or a separate processor (not shown) illustrated in FIG. 6, and illustrated in FIG. 5. The stored SI & metadata DB 711, the UI manager 714, the service manager 713 can be stored or mounted. In addition, a separate application processor (not shown) for executing an application may be further provided.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control method of a remote controller for controlling any one of video display devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 13A, a pointer 205 corresponding to the remote control apparatus 200 is displayed on the display unit 180.

The user can move or rotate the remote control device 200 up and down, left and right (FIG. 13 (b)), front and rear (FIG. 13 (c)). The pointer 205 displayed on the display unit 180 of the image display device is a remote control device.

Corresponds to the movement of 200. The remote control apparatus 200 may be referred to as a spatial remote controller because the pointer 205 is moved and displayed according to the movement in the 3D space as shown in the figure.

FIG. 13B illustrates that when the user moves the remote control apparatus 200 to the left side, the pointer 205 displayed on the display unit 180 of the image display apparatus also moves to the left side correspondingly.

Information about the movement of the remote control device 200 detected through the sensor of the remote control device 200 is transmitted to the image display device. The image display device may calculate the coordinates of the pointer 205 from the information about the movement of the remote controller 200. The image display device may display the pointer 205 to correspond to the calculated coordinates.

FIG. 13C illustrates a case in which the user moves the remote control apparatus 200 away from the display unit 180 while pressing a specific button in the remote control apparatus 200. As a result, the selection area in the display unit 180 corresponding to the pointer 205 may be zoomed in to be enlarged and displayed. On the contrary, when the user moves the remote control apparatus 200 to be closer to the display unit 180, the selection area in the display unit 180 corresponding to the pointer 205 may be zoomed out and reduced. On the other hand, when the remote control device 200 moves away from the display unit 180, the selection area is zoomed out, and when the remote control device 200 approaches the display unit 180, the selection area may be zoomed in.

On the other hand, while pressing a specific button in the remote control device 200 can recognize the up, down, left and right movement. That is, when the remote control apparatus 200 moves away from or approaches the display unit 180, the up, down, left and right movements are not recognized, and only the front and rear movements may be recognized. In a state in which a specific button in the remote controller 200 is not pressed, only the pointer 205 is moved in accordance with the movement of the remote controller 200 up, down, left and right.

Meanwhile, the moving speed or the moving direction of the pointer 205 may correspond to the moving speed or the moving direction of the remote control apparatus 200.

The pointer in the present specification refers to an object displayed on the display unit 180 in response to the operation of the remote control apparatus 200. Thus, the pointer 205 may be an object of various shapes in addition to the arrow shape shown in the drawing. For example, the concept may include a point, a cursor, a prompt, a thick outline, and the like. In addition, the pointer 205 may be displayed corresponding to any one of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis of the display unit 180, or may be displayed corresponding to a plurality of points such as a line and a surface. .

14 is an internal block diagram of a remote control apparatus for controlling any one of the image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the remote control apparatus 200 includes a wireless communication unit 225, a user input unit 235, a sensor unit 240, an output unit 250, a power supply unit 260, a storage unit 270, The controller 280 may be included.

The wireless communication unit 225 transmits and receives a signal with any one of the image display apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention described above. Among the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention, one image display apparatus 100 will be described as an example.

In the present embodiment, the remote control apparatus 200 may include an RF module 221 capable of transmitting and receiving a signal with the image display device 100 according to the RF communication standard. In addition, the remote control apparatus 200 may include an IR module 223 capable of transmitting and receiving a signal with the image display device 100 according to the IR communication standard.

In the present embodiment, the remote control apparatus 200 transmits a signal containing information on the movement of the remote control apparatus 200 to the image display apparatus 100 through the RF module 221.

In addition, the remote control apparatus 200 may receive a signal transmitted from the image display apparatus 100 through the RF module 221. In addition, the remote control apparatus 200 may transmit a command regarding power on / off, channel change, volume change, etc. to the image display device 100 through the IR module 223 as necessary.

The user input unit 235 may be configured as a keypad, a button, a touch pad, or a touch screen. The user may input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the remote control apparatus 200 by manipulating the user input unit 235. When the user input unit 235 includes a hard key button, the user may input a command related to the image display device 100 to the remote control apparatus 200 through a push operation of the hard key button. When the user input unit 235 includes a touch screen, a user may input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the remote controller 200 by touching a soft key of the touch screen. In addition, the user input unit 235 may include various kinds of input means that a user can operate, such as a scroll key or a jog key, and the embodiment does not limit the scope of the present invention.

The sensor unit 240 may include a gyro sensor 241 or an acceleration sensor 243.

The gyro sensor 241 may sense information about the movement of the remote controller 200.

For example, the gyro sensor 241 may sense information about an operation of the remote control apparatus 200 based on the x, y, and z axes. The acceleration sensor 243 may sense information about a moving speed of the remote controller 200. On the other hand, the distance measuring sensor may be further provided, whereby the distance to the display unit 180 can be sensed.

The output unit 250 may output a video or audio signal corresponding to a manipulation of the user input unit 235 or a signal transmitted from the image display apparatus 100. The user may recognize whether the user input unit 235 is manipulated or whether the image display device 100 is controlled through the output unit 250.

For example, the output unit 250 may be an LED module 251 that is turned on when the user input unit 235 is manipulated or a signal is transmitted and received with the image display device 100 through the wireless communication unit 225, and a vibration module generating vibration. 253, a sound output module 255 for outputting sound, or a display module 257 for outputting an image.

The power supply unit 260 supplies power to the remote control device 200. The power supply unit 260 may reduce power waste by stopping the power supply when the remote controller 200 does not move for a predetermined time. The power supply unit 260 may resume power supply when a predetermined key provided in the remote control apparatus 200 is operated.

The storage unit 270 may store various types of programs, application data, and the like necessary for controlling or operating the remote control apparatus 200. If the remote control apparatus 200 transmits and receives a signal wirelessly through the image display device 100 and the RF module 221, the remote control politics 200 and the image display device 100 transmit signals through a predetermined frequency band. Send and receive The control unit 280 of the remote control device 200 stores information on a frequency band or the like for wirelessly transmitting and receiving a signal with the image display device 100 paired with the remote control politics 200 to the storage unit 270. Reference may be made.

The control unit 280 controls various matters related to the control of the remote control device 200. [ The controller 280 transmits a signal corresponding to a predetermined key manipulation of the user input unit 235 or a signal corresponding to the movement of the remote controller 200 sensed by the sensor unit 240 through the wireless communication unit 225. 100 can be sent.

15 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates a second embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

17 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.

18 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a user interface provided by any one of the image display apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.

15 exemplarily shows that a list of applications on a network is displayed on the display unit 180. That is, the user can directly access the corresponding content server or network server, and search for and download various applications.

FIG. 15A illustrates that various application lists 610 in the connected server are displayed on the display unit 180. The application list 610 may include an icon representing each application and brief description information about each application. On the other hand, the video display device according to the embodiments of the present invention, since full browsing is possible, it is possible to enlarge the size of the icon or description information received from the connected server. Accordingly, the user can easily grasp the application item. This will be described later.

Next, FIG. 15 illustrates selecting one application item 620 of the corresponding application list 610 using the pointer 205 of the remote controller 200. Accordingly, the application can be easily downloaded.

Meanwhile, FIG. 16 illustrates that the application list in the image display device is displayed on the display unit 180. First, FIG. 16A illustrates an application list 660 stored in an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention when an application list view item is entered by an operation of a user's remote control apparatus 200. An example of being displayed on the display unit 180 is illustrated. In the drawing, only an icon representing each application is illustrated, but is not limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 15, brief description information about each application may be included. Accordingly, the user can easily grasp the application item.

Next, FIG. 16B illustrates selecting one application item 670 of the corresponding application list 660 using the pointer 205 of the remote controller 200. Accordingly, the application can be easily executed.

Meanwhile, an example of selecting a predetermined item by moving the pointer 205 moving according to the user's movement to the remote control apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is described. Various other examples are possible without limitation. For example, a predetermined item can be selected by using a cursor displayed on the screen by a combination of a direction key and a confirmation key disposed on the remote control apparatus 200 or a local key (not shown).

As another example, when the remote controller includes a touch pad, the pointer 205 moves on the display unit 180 by a touch operation of the touch pad, and a predetermined item may be selected using the touch pad.

17 illustrates an example of displaying a web screen on a display unit of an image display device.

First, FIG. 17A illustrates that a searchable web screen 710 having a search window 720 is displayed on the display unit 180. The user may use a text box (not shown) provided in a keypad (not shown) or a local key (not shown) displayed on the screen, or a text key (not shown) provided in a remote control device. In 720, a predetermined character can be input.

Next, FIG. 17B illustrates that the search result screen 730 is displayed on the display unit 180 according to the search word input to the search box. Since the image display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can fully browse the web screen, the user can easily grasp the web screen.

18 exemplarily illustrates that a web screen is displayed on a display unit of an image display device.

First, FIG. 18A illustrates that a mail service screen 810 including an ID input window 820 and a password input window 825 is displayed on the display unit 180. The user inputs an ID using a keypad (not shown) displayed on the screen, a text key (not shown) provided in a local key (not shown), or a text key (not shown) provided in a remote control device. In 820 and the password input window 825, predetermined characters can be input. This will allow you to log in to the mail service.

Next, FIG. 18B illustrates that the screen 830 after logging in to the mail service is displayed on the display unit 180. For example, a 'read a letter' item, a 'write a letter' item, a 'sent out' item, a 'inbox' item, a 'trash box' item, and the like may be exemplified. In addition, mails may be sorted and displayed as 'sent' and 'title' items in the 'inbox' item.

Since the image display device according to the embodiment of the present invention enables full browsing when displaying the mail service screen, the user can easily use the mail service.

19 is a diagram illustrating a broadcast system 1000 including an image display device and a server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, a plurality of video display devices 1001 and 1002 may be connected to the Internet network 1006 through an AP (Access Point; 1005), and also, a cable set-top box 1004 connected to the video display device, and The satellite broadcasting set top box 1003 may be connected to the Internet network 1006. In addition, the image display device and the set-top box connected to the Internet network 1006 may receive predetermined data from the server 1007 through the Internet network.

The video display device 1001 having a built-in wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) module transmits and receives data by wirelessly communicating with the AP 1005 using the built-in wireless Internet module, or uses the wired Internet module to access the AP 1005. ) Can be sent and received data by wire.

In addition, the video display device 1002 having no built-in Wi-Fi module may wirelessly communicate with the AP 1005 by connecting a Wi-Fi dongle through an external device interface of the video display device. By transmitting and receiving data or by wired connection with the AP 1005 using a wired Internet module it can transmit and receive data.

The AP 1005 is an internet router, and may allow an image display device to be connected to an internet network through wired or wireless communication means. The AP 1005 is a functional entity that provides access to the Internet network 1006 via a wireless medium for the associated image display devices 1001 and 1002. The AP may be called a centralized controller, a base station (BS), a node-B, a base transceiver system (BTS), or a site controller in addition to the access point.

The satellite broadcasting set-top box 1003 is a device that is configured separately from the terrestrial broadcasting receiver of a video display device and receives various image data of multiple channels transmitted through a network or a satellite, and is transmitted through a network or a satellite. Moving picture experts group (MPEG) receives compressed digital broadcast data to decompress the compressed data, decodes the encoded data, and converts it into a standard ATSC (Advanced Television Syetem Committee) signal for display on a video display device. In addition, it can be connected to the Internet network 1006 through the network (Network) or satellite, and can transmit and receive data with the server 1007.

The cable set-top box 1004 is a device for receiving various image data of multiple channels transmitted through a cable network. The cable set-top box 1004 may receive broadcast data through the cable network, and the image display device may be connected to the Internet network 1006. ) Can be connected. That is, the image display device may transmit and receive data to and from the server 1007 through a cable network connected to the cable set top box 1004.

The server 1007 may include a server operated by a service provider (SP) or a content provider (CP).

In addition, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the server 1007 may provide various contents data, various applications, and the like, and may provide contents provided by the content provider CP as a service package.

In addition, in relation to an embodiment of the present invention, the server 1007 searches for a search word related to a channel, a specific channel, or content that a user is currently watching through the image display apparatuses 1001 and 1002 and the set top boxes 1003 and 1004. Information about the input channel may be collected through the Internet network 1006, and a real-time channel search list may be generated based on the collected data and transmitted to the image display device and the set-top box.

That is, the user may check the real-time channel search list and easily select a channel or content through the operation of the server 1007.

An operation for providing a real-time channel search list will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 20 below.

In addition, in the drawing, the Wi-Fi module is provided in the image display apparatuses 1001 and 1002, or the Wi-Fi module is mounted through a dongle to communicate data with the AP 1005. Although only a configuration for transmitting / receiving is shown, the image display apparatuses 1001 and 1002 may be divided into a set-top box and a display unit.

That is, the set-top box transmits and receives data related to the Internet and the real-time channel search list through a wired and wireless network, generates and processes the real-time channel search list, and transmits a predetermined control signal to the display unit, thereby searching the real-time channel. You can control the list to be displayed.

Therefore, even when a user uses an image display device that is not equipped with a network communication function through the Internet, the user can be provided with a display screen for a real-time channel search list through a set-top box that can operate according to embodiments of the present invention. have.

20 is a diagram illustrating a process of displaying a real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the video display device may provide various real-time channel search lists in order to facilitate the user's smooth channel selection.

The real-time channel search list is a window through which various users currently connected to the Internet network can check information on which channels or contents have been searched through the Internet network. Explain.

That is, in order to provide the user with the real-time channel search list as described above, first, the video display device displays predetermined content or receives a channel search command on the video display device (S101).

The content may include various contents available in a video display device such as broadcast content, game content, and music content.

The image display device may receive a content selection signal directly from a user and display the content.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the image display apparatus receives a channel search signal including a channel search condition from a user, searches a channel corresponding to the search condition through a network, and displays a channel list according to the search result. The terminal may receive one or more channel selection signals included in the searched channel list and display contents of a channel corresponding to the selection signal.

Next, the video display device transmits the information and the user information of the content currently being used in the video display device to the server through the network (S102).

The server may include a server operated by a content provider (CP) or a service provider (SP), and the image display device according to the embodiment, the transfer agreement information of the content information and user information previously stored in the image display device Only if is present, the transmission process can be performed.

In addition, the content information may include broadcasting time, broadcasting station information, performer information, and the like of the content. When the content is selected through the search process, the image display device is included in the channel search condition input by the user. Information about a search word may be included and displayed together.

The user information may include a user ID, a serial number of the video display device, location information of the video display device, and the like. In particular, the image display device may search for GPS data through a position recognition module provided in the image display device to acquire the location information, and include the retrieved GPS data in the location information.

Next, the server collects the information and the user information of the content being used in the video display device from the video display devices connected through the server and the Internet network (S103).

According to an embodiment, the server may be networked with a plurality of video display devices. Accordingly, the server may receive a plurality of content information and user information, and store the received information.

The server may collect only content information or user information transmitted from the video display device included in the subscriber information, based on previously stored subscriber information.

Next, the server combines the collected information and generates rank information (S104).

Based on the dozens of information, the server may search for what content is most frequently used or searched by the image display apparatuses currently connected through the network with the server, and calculate a search ranking of the content according to the search result. have.

In addition, according to an embodiment, the server may collect the collection period of the data based on various criteria such as one day, one week, one month, and the like. Detailed information may be generated based on a search rank, a search rank of movie contents, a search rank of music contents, and the like.

In addition, according to an embodiment, the ranking information may be generated for each use level. That is, ranking information for deleting contents of a usable age of 15 years or older, ranking information for deleting contents of a grade available for 18 years or older, and the like may be generated.

Next, the server transmits the generated ranking information to each video display device (S105).

The server may transmit the generated ranking information to each video display device networked with the server through the Internet network.

In this case, according to an embodiment, the subscriber information may be searched and the ranking information may be transmitted only to the video display device having the same subscription information among the video display devices connected to the network.

In addition, according to an embodiment, when only specific ranking information is requested by the image display device, only specific ranking information according to the request signal may be transmitted. That is, for example, only ranking information in which content of a level available for age 15 or older is deleted may be transmitted to the video display device.

Next, the image display device displays the ranking information received from the server (S106).

The ranking information may be channel search information of each video display device connected through a network with a server.

When the ranking information is received from the server through the Internet network, the image display device may display a real-time channel search list including the received ranking information in a predetermined area of the display unit and provide the same to the user.

According to an embodiment, the video display device may display a real-time channel search list corresponding to the location information based on the location information of the video display device. That is, when the location of the image display device is searched for Gangnam-gu, a real-time channel search list including only ranking information of the Gangnam-gu region may be displayed.

In addition, according to another exemplary embodiment, the image display apparatus may display the ranking information together in the EPG information window displayed on the image display apparatus.

In addition, the image display device may search for the content item included in the ranking information, whether the current image display device is available, and display the unavailable content item differently from the available content item based on the search result. Can be.

In addition, when a predetermined time has passed since the ranking information is received from the server to the image display device, the image display device may receive the ranking information from the server again and update the real-time channel search list. The predetermined time may be changed to 30 minutes or 1 hour according to a user setting.

Therefore, through the above steps, the user can easily obtain information for selecting a channel in the image display device, thereby improving convenience in using the user's image display device.

In addition, although FIG. 20 illustrates only a process of displaying a real-time channel search list through data communication between an image display device and a server, the image display device may be divided into a display unit and a set-top box.

Therefore, the step of displaying the content and receiving a channel search command (S101) may be divided into a step of displaying content on the display unit and receiving a channel search command from the set-top box. Displaying the received ranking information (S105), receiving the ranking information in the set-top box, transmitting a control signal for displaying the received ranking information to the display unit and displaying the ranking information on the display unit It can be divided into steps.

 That is, the user may be provided with a real-time channel search list through various image display apparatuses by providing only the set-top box capable of operating according to the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 1100 including a real-time channel search list according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the video display device may provide the user with a real-time channel search list 1101.

The real-time channel search list 1101 may include information about which channel is being watched or which channel is being searched by the image display apparatuses connected to the network.

That is, referring to FIG. 21, the video display device displays predetermined content on a display unit and receives a call signal of a real-time channel search list or a selection signal of a predetermined menu item for displaying the real-time channel search list from a user. In this case, the real-time channel search list 1101 may be displayed on a predetermined area of the display screen.

The real-time channel search list 1101 may be minimized or displayed in a translucent color so as not to disturb the display screen of the content being displayed on the image display device.

In addition, the real-time channel search list 1101 may include a refresh button 1103. Therefore, when a selection signal of the refresh button 1103 is input from a user, the video display device requests new real-time channel search information from a server through the network, receives the new real-time channel search information, and displays the displayed information. The real-time channel search list 1101 may be updated. In addition to the case where the update is performed by selecting the refresh button 1103, the image display device may perform the update operation according to a predetermined period. The setting of the update period will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 29.

In addition, the real-time channel search list 1101 may include ranking information 1102 for a channel received from another image display device connected to a network.

That is, referring to this figure, it can be recognized that the most viewed or most searched content on the video display device connected to the network is 'MBC infinite challenge', and the next-order content is 'MBC crunch'.

The real-time channel search list shown in FIG. 21 includes only information on broadcasting stations and content names. According to another exemplary embodiment, the real-time channel search list may further include various information such as broadcasting station logos and content images.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 1200 including a real-time channel search list for each time section according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the real-time channel search list may include different ranking information according to various time intervals.

That is, for example, referring to FIG. 22, the image display device may display the daily channel search list 1201, the weekly channel search list 1202, and the monthly channel search list 1203, respectively.

The daily channel search list 1201 collects the channel viewing information or the channel search information of the video display devices connected to the network for the day, in order of the most watched channels during the day, or the most searched during the day. The channel information may include daily channel search ranking information generated in order of channels.

In addition, the weekly channel search list 1202 collects, from the server, the channel viewing information or channel search information for one week of the video display devices connected to the network, in order of the most watched channels during the week, or one week. It may include the weekly channel search ranking information generated the rank information in the order of the most searched channels during.

The monthly channel search list 1201 collects a month's channel viewing information or channel search information of image display devices connected to a network in a server, so that the most searched channels are ordered in the order of the most watched channels in a month or a month. The channel information may include daily channel search ranking information generated in order of channels.

Accordingly, the image display device can simultaneously display and provide the daily channel search list 1201, the weekly channel search list 1202, and the monthly channel search list 1203 to the user, as shown in FIG. Accordingly, only one of the daily channel search list 1201, the weekly channel search list 1202, and the monthly channel search list 1203 may be displayed and provided to the user.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including a real-time channel search list for each genre according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the real-time channel search list may include different ranking information according to various genres.

That is, for example, referring to FIG. 23, the image display device may display a drama channel search list 1301, a music channel search list 1302, and a comedy channel search list 1303, respectively.

The drama channel search list 1301 collects channel viewing information or channel search information of video display devices connected to a network in a server, and ranks them in the order of the most watched channels or in the order of the most searched channels during the day. By generating the information, only the ranking information regarding the channel corresponding to the drama genre may be extracted from the generated ranking information to generate the channel ranking of the drama genre. The server may search and use the EPG information included in the broadcast signal to determine whether the content of each channel corresponds to the drama genre.

The music channel search list 1302 collects channel viewing information or channel search information of video display devices connected to a network in a server, and ranks them in the order of the most watched channels or in the order of the most searched channels during the day. By generating the information, only the ranking information on the channel corresponding to the music broadcasting genre may be extracted from the generated ranking information to generate the channel ranking of the music broadcasting genre. The server may search and use the EPG information included in the broadcast signal to determine whether the content of each channel corresponds to the music broadcast genre.

The comedy channel search list 1301 collects channel viewing information or channel search information of video display devices connected to a network in a server, and ranks them in the order of the most watched channels or in the order of the most searched channels during the day. By generating the information, only the ranking information on the channel corresponding to the comedy genre may be extracted from the generated ranking information to generate the channel ranking of the comedy genre. The server may search and use the EPG information included in the broadcast signal to determine whether the content of each channel corresponds to the comedy genre.

Accordingly, the video display device may simultaneously display and provide the drama channel search list 1301, the music channel search list 1302, and the comedy channel search list 1303 to the user as shown in FIG. Accordingly, only one of the drama channel search list 1301, the music channel search list 1302, and the comedy channel search list 1303 may be displayed and provided to the user.

24 is a diagram illustrating a display screen including an EPG information window displaying real-time channel search ranking information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the image display device may display an EPG information window 1401 displaying electronic program guide (EPG) information related to the displayed content while displaying predetermined content on a display screen.

EPG information is a broadcast content guide service that transmits TV content broadcast time, content, and performer information using an empty frequency band or additional channel of terrestrial broadcasting. The EPG information is the same electronic program guide as the printed TV content guide, and the received EPG information is stored in a set top box or a storage device in a broadcast receiver. Viewers can select and reserve content by manipulating the EPG with a remote control, pay per view content, search content by subject or genre, and record video.

Accordingly, the image display device may include information 1402 about broadcasting station information, content name, broadcast time, and the like in the EPG information window 1401.

In addition, the video display device may display the rating information ranking information 1403 of the content in the EPG information window 1401.

That is, the video display device may not only provide viewer rating ranking information to the user through a list displayed in a separate window as shown in FIG. 22, but also EPG information received by being included in a broadcast signal from the video display device. Can be displayed to the user through the EPG information window 1401 and the current viewer rating information can be provided to the user.

The viewer rating information may collect channel viewing information or channel search information in each image display apparatus in a predetermined server, and may include information about a ranking calculated based on the collected information.

According to an embodiment, the image display device may display the EPG information window when a hot key input signal for calling the EPG information window of a user or a selection signal of a predetermined menu item is input, and when the EPG information window is displayed for the first time. Displays EPG information about content currently displayed on the image display device, and then searches EPG information of other contents separately from the content currently displayed on the image display device according to a user's key input.

Accordingly, in the case of the viewer rating information included in the EPG information window and displayed in the same way as the EPG information, when the first EPG information window is displayed, the viewer rating information on the content currently displayed on the video display device is displayed. When the EPG information displayed in the EPG information window is changed to EPG information of another content according to a key input, the viewer rating information of the content corresponding to the changed EPG information may be displayed.

In addition, according to an embodiment, when the EPG information window is displayed, the viewer rating ranking information 1403 may be automatically included in the EPG information window and displayed, and a user inputs a separate hotkey input signal or a selection signal of a specific menu item. In this case, the display may be included in the EPG information window.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 1500 including a real-time channel search list for each region according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when displaying a channel search list, the image display device transmits region information regarding a region where the current image display apparatus is located to a server, and a real-time channel search list corresponding to the transmitted region information from the server. By receiving the data, the local real-time channel search list 1501 including the real-time channel search ranking 1502 of the region may be displayed.

In addition, according to another exemplary embodiment, the image display device may receive data regarding a real-time channel search list for each region and display a channel search list corresponding to the region where the image display device is currently located.

In order to generate the real-time channel search list data for each region, the server receives, from the image display apparatus networked with the server, region information of the region where each image display apparatus is located together with content usage information and search information. The real-time channel search list for each region may be displayed based on the region information.

That is, referring to FIG. 25, it can be seen that among the image display apparatuses currently located in Gangnam-gu, the contents related to 'MBC Korean marriage' are most frequently used or searched. Accordingly, the user can grasp what content is searched or used in the region where the user is currently located.

The region may be set as a region where the current image display apparatus is located, and when the user inputs a selection signal of the location change item 1504, the image display apparatus provides a real-time channel search list for each region in the image display apparatus. A list of possible regions may be displayed, and receiving a selection signal of one or more regions from a user, and providing information on a real-time channel search list of regions corresponding to the selection signal of the user.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 1600 including a real-time channel search list displaying channel usage information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when displaying the real-time channel search list 1601, the video display device may display the channel or content included in the real-time channel search list including content usage information.

The content usage information may include image data or text for determining whether each content or channel is currently available on the image display device.

That is, referring to FIG. 26, the user includes, among contents included in the real-time channel search list 1601, 'MBC Infinite Challenge' 1602, 'MBC Integrity' 1603, and 'SBS Stocking' 1606. The content is currently available on the video display device, and the TVN roller coaster 1604 and the MNET superstar K 1605 may recognize that the content is not currently available on the video display device.

The content that is not available may include content that is not available according to the service subscription status of the user currently using the video display device, and content that is not available according to the network connection state of the video display device. can do.

In addition, unlike FIG. 26, the video display device displays or uses content that is not currently available on the video display device in a color different from the available content, among contents included in the real-time channel search list 1601. The real-time channel search list 1601 may be displayed by deleting content that is not possible.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 1700 including a real-time channel search list displaying channel detail information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when displaying the real-time channel search list 1701, the video display device further adds detailed information 1703 with respect to content selected by the pointer 1702 among contents included in the real-time channel search list. Can be displayed.

That is, the user inputs a movement signal of the pointer 1702 that is displayed on the video display device to perform a predetermined operation while the real-time channel search list 1701 is displayed, and the real-time channel search list 1701 is displayed. Detailed information 1703 may be checked by selecting any content included in the.

The detailed information 1703 may include broadcasting station information, time information, performer information, and the like of content, and may include information extracted from information related to the selected content among EPG information received by the video display device.

In addition, a user may input a selection signal after moving the pointer 1702 in order to display the detailed information 1703. According to another embodiment, the pointer 1702 is over a predetermined time over a predetermined content. Even when located, it can be recognized that the selection signal is input.

That is, referring to FIG. 27, since the real-time channel search list 1701 is displayed on the video display device and the pointer 1702 is positioned on the content of 'MBC infinite challenge', the video display device is detailed related to 'MBC infinite challenge'. Information 1703 may be further displayed.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 1800 including a real-time channel search list in which a parental control function is set according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when displaying the real-time channel search list, the image display device may filter and display the content item included in the real-time channel search list according to a user setting.

That is, for example, when the user sets the kids-lock function, the video display device is not suitable for the use level according to the set kids lock among the content items included in the real-time channel search list. The real-time channel search list can be displayed by deleting the content item.

In addition, the image display device may further include a setting notification window 1802 indicating that the kids-lock function is being set, and display a menu item for canceling the kids-lock function setting. 1803 may be further included.

According to an embodiment, when the selection signal of the release menu item 1803 is input from the user, the image display device may request the user to input a predetermined password.

In addition, when the user sets the kids-lock function, the use grade restriction may be set in various ranges, such as excluding contents over 19 years and excluding contents over 15 years old.

29 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 1900 including an update period setting menu of a real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when displaying the real-time channel search list, the image display device may update the real-time channel search list and set a period for the update.

Referring to FIG. 29, the video display device may display an update period setting menu 1901 for setting an update period of a real-time channel search list, and the update period setting menu may include respective period setting menu items 1902,. 1903, 1904.

The update period setting menu 1901 may be displayed when a hotkey input signal for calling the update period setting menu or a selection signal of a predetermined menu item is input.

In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment, the image display apparatus may include a menu item for setting the real-time channel search list to be automatically updated in units of 30 minutes or 1901 by 1 hour, and requesting an update from a user. It may include a menu item 1904 configured to update the real-time channel search list only when a signal is input.

That is, the user may variously set the period in which the real-time channel search list of the image display device is updated in consideration of the network connection state of the image display device and the usage behavior of the user.

30 is a diagram illustrating a display screen 2000 including a real-time channel search list having an advertisement area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when displaying the real-time channel search list, the image display device may further include an advertisement area in the real-time channel search list.

For example, referring to FIG. 30, the image display device may display the real-time channel search list 2001 and further include an advertisement area 2002 in a lower portion of the real-time channel search list 2001. .

The advertisement area 2002 may display an image or text previously stored in an image display device as an advertisement, and receive advertisement data from a predetermined server and display the advertisement data. The server may receive local information or user information of the image display device, and transmit advertisement data suitable for the image display device to the image display device for display.

31 is a diagram illustrating a home screen including a real-time channel search list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the image display device may display a home screen for executing or managing various functions of the image display device.

In addition, the real-time channel search list 2100 may be displayed as one of the menu items of the home screen, through which the image display device may more smoothly deliver the channel search information to the user.

The image display device and its operation method according to the present invention are not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be all or part of each embodiment so that various modifications may be made. May be optionally combined.

On the other hand, the operating method of the image display device of the present invention can be implemented as a processor-readable code on a processor-readable recording medium provided in the image display device. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium that can be read by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet . The processor-readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the processor-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific embodiment, the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

100: multimedia device
105: broadcast receiving unit
110: tuner
120: demodulator
130: network interface unit
135: external device interface
140: storage unit
150: user interface unit
170:
171: cursor detection unit
180: display unit
185: audio output
190: power supply
200: remote control unit

Claims (20)

In the real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device,
Displaying any content;
Transmitting content information corresponding to the displayed content to a server through a network;
Receiving real-time channel search list data from the server;
Displaying a real-time channel search list based on the received data
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The real-time channel search list data,
A ranking information of contents based on the number of times displayed on the image display apparatus connected through the network with the server.
How to provide real-time channel search list of video display device. The method of claim 1,
The step of transmitting the content information to the server via a network,
Searching for location information of the image display device; And
Transmitting the retrieved location information to a server via a network.
Further comprising:
The displaying of the real-time channel search list may include:
Displaying a real-time channel search list corresponding to the location information
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The displaying of the real-time channel search list may include:
Receiving advertisement data from the server; And
And displaying the advertisement image according to the received advertisement data on the real-time channel search list.
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The displaying of the arbitrary content may include:
Receiving a channel search signal comprising a channel search condition;
Searching for a channel corresponding to the search condition through a network;
Displaying a channel list according to the search result;
Receiving at least one channel selection signal included in the searched channel list; And
Displaying contents of a channel corresponding to the selection signal;
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The displaying of the real-time channel search list may include:
Displaying the received EPG information on the image display device;
Displaying the displayed EPG information further including ranking information based on the received data.
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The displaying of the real-time channel search list may include:
Searching whether each of the content items included in the real-time channel search list is currently available on the video display device; And
Displaying the unavailable content item differently from the available content item based on the search result;
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
Receiving at least one selection signal among content items included in the real-time channel search list; And
Displaying detailed information corresponding to the selected content item
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The displaying of the real-time channel search list may include:
Searching for preset usage level restriction information;
Determining whether each content item included in the real-time channel search list matches the use level restriction information; And
Deleting the content item not matching the usage level restriction information and displaying the real-time channel search list based on the determination result
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
Retrieving preset update period information;
Receiving the real-time channel search list data from the server in response to the retrieved update period information; And
Displaying a real-time channel search list based on the retransmitted data
Real-time channel search list providing method of the video display device further comprising. In the video display device connected to the network,
A display unit displaying arbitrary content;
A network interface unit for transmitting and receiving data with a server through a network;
An additional information manager configured to generate content information of the displayed content; And
A control unit which transmits the generated content information to the server through the network interface unit, receives real-time channel search list data from the server, and displays a real-time channel search list based on the received data on the display unit.
Image display device connected to the network comprising a. The method of claim 11,
The real-time channel search list data,
A ranking information of contents based on the number of times displayed on each image display device connected through the network with the server.
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
The additional information management unit,
Generating location information of the image display device;
The control unit,
Transmitting the generated location information together with the content information to the server through the network interface unit, and controlling to display a real-time channel search list corresponding to the location information.
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
The network interface unit,
Receiving advertisement data from the server,
The control unit,
Control to display the advertisement image according to the received data in the real-time channel search list
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
A user interface unit for receiving a channel search signal including a channel search condition
Further comprising:
The control unit,
Searching for a channel corresponding to the search condition through a network, displaying a channel list according to the search result, receiving one or more channel selection signals included in the searched channel list, and selecting a channel corresponding to the selection signal. Displaying content on the display unit
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
The control unit,
And display the received EPG information on the image display device, and further include ranking information based on the received data in the displayed EPG information.
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
The control unit,
Searching whether each content item included in the real-time channel search list is currently available on the video display device, and controlling to display the unavailable content item differently from the available content item based on the search result.
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising a user interface for receiving a predetermined video display device control signal,
The control unit,
Receiving one or more selection signals among the content items included in the real-time channel search list through the user interface, and controls to display the detailed information corresponding to the selected content item
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
The control unit,
Search for usage level restriction information preset in the image display device, determine whether each content item included in the real-time channel search list matches the usage level restriction information, and based on the determination result, the usage level restriction information To delete the content item that does not match and to display the real-time channel search list
Video display device connected to the network. The method of claim 11,
The control unit,
Searching for update period information preset in the image display device, and controlling the controller to update the real-time channel search list by receiving the real-time channel search list data from a server again in response to the searched update period information.
Video display device connected to the network.

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