KR20130057611A - Method for generating time tables and display apparatus thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for generating a time table in a display device, the method comprising: setting a program search condition; Searching for programs corresponding to a search condition set using the program guide information; Configuring a plurality of virtual channels in which at least some of the retrieved programs are edited for each time zone; And generating a plurality of time tables corresponding to the configured virtual channels, respectively.

Description

Method for generating time tables and display apparatus using the same

The present invention relates to a method for generating a time table for reserved viewing in a display device.

With the development and commercialization of digital TV and wired / wireless network technology, which has better signal processing and storage capability than conventional analog TV, real-time broadcasting, contents on demand (COD) using the internet network connected to each household in addition to the existing radio media. Various types of content services such as games, news, and video communication can be provided to users.

An example of providing a content service using the Internet network may be an Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). The IPTV refers to transmitting a variety of information services, moving picture content and broadcasting to a user's television using a high-speed Internet network.

Recently, the concept of broadband TV, web TV, etc. has been proposed as a type of network TV which has been further developed in the IPTV. Unlike conventional IPTV, a broadband TV or a web TV has a plurality of content providers, and a user may individually access a plurality of content providers to receive various VODs, games, and the like provided by the content providers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently generating a type table for reserved viewing and a display device using the same.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for generating a time table includes: setting a program search condition; Searching for programs corresponding to the set search condition using program guide information; Configuring a plurality of virtual channels in which at least some of the searched programs are edited for each time zone; And generating a plurality of time tables respectively corresponding to the configured virtual channels.

A display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit for storing a time table for reserved viewing; A condition setting unit for setting a program search condition; A program search unit for searching for programs corresponding to the set search condition using program guide information; And a timetable editing unit configured to configure a plurality of virtual channels whose at least some of the searched programs are edited for each time zone, and generate and store a plurality of time tables corresponding to the configured virtual channels, respectively, in the storage unit.

The time table generating method may be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium that records a program to be executed in a computer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by creating a plurality of time tables suitable for the user, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user when viewing the reservation using the virtual channel, and to enable commercial use of the virtual channel. .

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of program guide information.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a time table generated using the program guide information shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a simplified configuration of a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a time table according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating an example of programs searched using program guide information.
6 is a diagram illustrating a preference of the searched programs.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing an embodiment of a method of configuring a virtual channel according to the program preference illustrated in FIG. 6.
8 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method of configuring a virtual channel according to a program list received from the outside.
9 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method for receiving a selection of programs to be reserved and viewed by a user.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of configuring a virtual channel by editing programs selected by a user in FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating still another embodiment of a method for receiving a program to be reserved from a user.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing an embodiment of a method of configuring a virtual channel by editing programs selected by a user in FIG. 11.
FIG. 13 is a diagram for describing an embodiment of a method for configuring a virtual channel according to information received from a server.
14 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method of generating a plurality of time tables.
15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a configuration of a channel browser including a plurality of virtual channels.

Hereinafter, a method of generating a time table and a display apparatus using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 illustrates an example of program guide information.

Referring to FIG. 1, when a user enters a broadcast guide menu, program guide information may be displayed on a screen of a display device, and the program guide information may correspond to a program broadcasted for each time zone for each of a plurality of channels. May contain information.

For example, in the case of digital broadcasting, video and audio data are compressed into digital information, and system information and program information are compressed according to the Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) standard to be combined into the data stream together with the compressed video and audio data. It may be generated and transmitted to the broadcast reception device.

The PSIP is a standard for terrestrial and cable digital broadcasting that defines program and system information standards. The PSIP parses signals encoded according to the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standard and provides various information about a program. It is defined to do. '

On the other hand, the data stream received from a digital broadcasting center, for example, a broadcasting station, is a service information (SI), and a service description table (SDT), a program association table (PAT), and a program map table. (PMT, Program Map Table) may be included.

The broadcast information table (SDT) may include broadcast service channels of the media channel currently being broadcast and information on the channels, and by referring to the broadcast information table (SDT), a user searches for a channel and a desired channel. Can be selected.

The display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may analyze the received data stream and extract EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information having video and audio signals and program information included in the data stream.

Thereafter, the display apparatus may provide various program information such as title, plot, start time, and running time information of each program included in the broadcast signal using the extracted EPG information.

The received data stream may include a plurality of tables each including EPG information, and the plurality of tables may include guide information for corresponding programs having different types or time intervals.

On the other hand, the user can set the reserved viewing of the desired program using the program guide information as described above, the viewing and reserved program can be watched in the broadcast time zone determined according to the program guide information.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a user selects a broadcast program of "CH.A" in a time zone of "8 o'clock to 10 o'clock", and a "CH" in a time zone of "10 o'clock to 11 o'clock". Reserved viewing can be set by selecting a broadcast program of ".C" and selecting a broadcast program of "CH.D" in a time zone from "11 o'clock to 13:00".

In this case, the programs selected as described above may be edited for each time zone to configure a virtual channel as shown in FIG. 2, and a time table corresponding to the configured virtual channel may be generated and stored in the display device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, programs searched according to a specific search condition may be edited into a plurality of virtual channels for each time zone, and thus a plurality of time tables may be generated, thereby providing a plurality of edited channels suitable for a user. Can be.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the time table generation method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 14.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a simplified configuration of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated display apparatus 100, a condition setting unit 101, a program searching unit 102, and a timetable editing unit 103 are shown. And the storage unit 104.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a time table according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a block diagram showing a configuration of a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. The description will be made in conjunction.

Referring to FIG. 4, the condition setting unit 101 of the display apparatus 100 sets a program search condition (step S200), and the program search unit 102 corresponds to the set search condition using the program guide information. Search for the program (step S210).

Thereafter, the timetable editing unit 103 configures a plurality of virtual channels in which at least some of the searched programs are edited for each time zone (step S220), and generates a plurality of time tables respectively corresponding to the configured virtual channels. After that (S230), the generated plurality of time tables are stored in the storage unit 104 (S240).

5 illustrates an example of programs searched using program guide information.

Referring to FIG. 5, the search condition set for the program search in the condition setting unit 101 may include a keyword preferred by the user.

For example, when a user inputs a desired keyword, programs corresponding to the input keyword among the programs included in the program guide information may be searched as shown in FIG. 5.

Meanwhile, a part of the searched programs may be selected according to program preferences, and the selected programs may be edited for each time zone and constitute one or more virtual channels.

FIG. 6 illustrates the preferences of the programs. As shown in FIG. 5, the preferences of the programs searched according to the search condition set by the condition setting unit 101 are displayed.

For example, in the time zone of "8 o'clock to 10 o'clock", the broadcast program of "CH.A" has high preference among the searched programs, and then the "CH.B" and "CH.C" in order. Has a preference.

On the other hand, the preference of the program may be according to the program popularity ranking information received from the outside, such as an Internet server (server), for this purpose, the display apparatus 100 is connected to the Internet for transmitting and receiving data (internet) May be provided).

Referring to FIG. 7, "virtual channel 1" may be configured by editing the programs having the highest preference for each time zone among the searched programs.

That is, the "virtual channel 1" is a broadcast program of "CH.A" having the highest preference in the time zone from "8 o'clock to 10 o'clock", and the highest " CH.D "may be configured to include a broadcast program.

The time table corresponding to "virtual channel 1" configured as shown in FIG. 7 is stored in the storage unit 104.

Meanwhile, a part of the searched programs may be selected according to a list of programs received from the outside, and the selected programs may be edited for each time zone and constitute one or more virtual channels.

Referring to FIG. 8, "virtual channel 2" may be configured by editing programs that match a program list configured by another user among the searched programs.

The program list configured by the other user may be provided from the outside through a network interface unit (not shown) included in the display apparatus 100.

The time table corresponding to "virtual channel 2" configured as shown in FIG. 8 is also stored in the storage unit 104.

In addition, the user may select some of the searched programs, and the selected programs may be edited for each time zone and configured as one or more virtual channels.

Referring to FIG. 9, the user 1 may use a broadcast program of "CH.C" in a time zone from "8 o'clock to 9 o'clock" and a time zone from "9 o'clock to 10 o'clock" among programs searched using program guide information. In a broadcast program of "CH.E" and a time zone from "11 to 13:00", a broadcast program of "CH.D" may be selected to set reserved viewing.

In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 10, programs selected by the user 1 may be edited for each time zone to configure “virtual channel 3”.

The time table corresponding to "virtual channel 3" configured as shown in FIG. 10 is also stored in the storage unit 104.

Referring to FIG. 12, another user 2 is a broadcast program of "CH.C" in the time zone "8 to 9 o'clock" among the searched programs, and "CH.C" in the time zone "8 to 10 o'clock". Scheduled viewing by selecting broadcast program of "A", broadcasting program of "CH.B" in the time zone of "11:00 to 12:00", and broadcasting program of "CH.A" in the time zone of "12: 00 ~ 13: 00" Can be set.

In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 13, programs selected by the user 2 may be edited for each time zone to configure “virtual channel 4”.

However, when time zones of programs selected by the user overlap, one of the overlapping programs may be selected and included in the virtual channel according to a preset channel priority.

For example, in the case shown in Fig. 11, since "CH.A" and "CH.C" were selected in the time zone from "8 o'clock to 9 o'clock", "CH.A" and "CH. A broadcast program of "CH.A" having a higher priority among C "may be included in the" virtual channel 4 ".

In addition, when a program found in a specific time zone does not exist, the virtual channel may be configured using a preset channel or content.

For example, in the case illustrated in FIG. 11, since there is no program searched in a time zone from "10 o'clock to 11 o'clock", music preset in the corresponding time period may be played through the "virtual channel 4". have.

A time table corresponding to “virtual channel 4” configured as shown in FIG. 12 is also stored in the storage unit 104.

Meanwhile, information about a virtual channel, in which some of the searched programs are edited for each time zone, may be received from a server, and a virtual channel may be configured according to the information.

For example, the server configures a virtual channel by arbitrarily editing the searched programs according to a specific purpose (for example, a commercial purpose), and provides information about the configured virtual channel to the display apparatus 100. have.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the timetable editing unit 103 of the display apparatus 100 may configure “virtual channel 5” according to the information about the virtual channel edited from the server and store the “virtual channel 5” in the storage unit 104. have.

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of a method of generating a plurality of time tables, and the plurality of virtual channels may be designated for each user or for each program type.

Referring to FIG. 14, a time table for the "virtual channel 1" configured according to program preferences, a time table for the "virtual channel 2" configured according to a program list received from the outside, and the user configured according to the selection of the user 1 Display device with time table for "virtual channel 3", time table for "virtual channel 4" configured according to user 2's selection and time table for "virtual channel 5" configured according to information received from server It may be stored in the storage unit 104 of the (100).

Meanwhile, when the user selects any one of the virtual channels stored in the plurality of time tables, the user can watch programs designated for each time zone according to the corresponding time table through the selected virtual channel.

15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the display apparatus 100 includes a first tuner 120, a second tuner 125, an external signal input unit 128, a first demodulator 130, a second demodulator 135, and an analog. The digital converter 140 may include an interface unit 150, a controller 160, a channel browsing processor 170, a storage unit 175, a display unit 180, and a voice output unit 185.

The first tuner 120 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through an antenna, and converts the selected RF broadcast signal into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal. Convert to

For example, if the selected RF broadcast signal is a digital broadcast signal, it is converted into a digital IF signal DIF1, and if it is an analog broadcast signal, it is converted into an analog baseband video / audio signal CVBS 1 / SIF. That is, the first tuner 120 may be a hybrid tuner capable of processing digital broadcast signals and analog broadcast signals. The analog baseband video / audio signal CVBS 1 / SIF output from the first tuner 120 may be directly input to the controller 160.

In addition, the first tuner 120 may receive an RF broadcast signal of a single carrier according to an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) scheme or an RF broadcast signal of multiple carriers according to a digital video broadcasting (DVB) scheme.

Similar to the first tuner 120, the second tuner 125 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user from a radio frequency (RF) broadcast signal received through an antenna, and selects the selected RF broadcast signal. Converts to an intermediate frequency signal or baseband video / audio signal.

Meanwhile, the second tuner 125 sequentially and periodically selects corresponding RF broadcast signals of all stored broadcast channels through the channel memory function among the RF broadcast signals received through the antenna in the present invention, and the intermediate frequency signal or It is also possible to convert baseband video / audio signals. According to an embodiment of the present invention, since images of other pre-stored channels are also shown in thumbnail form on at least part of the screen, it is possible to sequentially / periodically receive RF broadcast signals of all pre-stored channels.

For example, the first tuner 120 converts a main RF broadcast signal selected by a user into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal, and the second tuner 125 performs all RF broadcasts except for the main RF broadcast signal. It is possible to select a signal (sub RF broadcast signal) or all RF broadcast signals sequentially / periodically and convert them into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal.

The first demodulator 130 receives the digital IF signal DIF 1 converted by the first tuner 120 and performs a demodulation operation.

For example, when the digital IF signal DIF 1 output from the first tuner 120 is an ATSC scheme, the first demodulator 130 performs 8-VSB (8-Vestigal Side Band) demodulation. In addition, the first demodulator 130 may perform channel decoding.

To this end, the first demodulator 130 includes a trellis decoder, a de-interleaver, a reed solomon decoder, and the like. de-interleaving) and read solo decoding.

For example, when the digital IF signal DIF 1 output from the first tuner 120 is a DVB scheme, the first demodulator 130 performs coded orthogonal frequency division modulation (COFDMA) demodulation. In addition, the first demodulator 130 may perform channel decoding.

To this end, the first demodulator 130 may include a convolution decoder, a deinterleaver, a reed-soloman decoder, and the like to perform convolutional decoding, deinterleaving, and reed-soloman decoding.

The external signal input unit 128 performs signal input with an external device. To this end, the external signal input unit 128 may include an A / V input / output unit and a wireless communication unit.

The external signal input unit 128 is connected to an external device such as a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray (Blu ray), a game device, a camcorder, a computer (laptop), and the like to input an external input video signal, an external input audio signal, and an external input data. The signal is transmitted to the controller 160 in the display apparatus 100. In addition, the video signal, the audio signal, and the data signal processed in the controller 160 may be output to another external device.

The A / V input / output section is for inputting / outputting video / audio signals to / from external devices, including Ethernet, USB, Composite Video Banking Sync (CVBS), Component, and S-Video (analog). It may include a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) terminal, HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal, RGB terminal, D-SUB terminal, IEEE 1394 terminal, SPDIF terminal, Liquid (HD) terminal.

Although not shown in the drawing, various input signals input through the external signal input unit 128 may be input to the channel browsing processor 170 to be described later to perform thumbnail image extraction processing.

For example, as described above, the analog signal input through the CVBS terminal and the S-video terminal may be converted into a digital signal and then input to the channel browsing processor 170. Digital signals input through other input terminals may be directly input to the channel browsing processor 170 without analog / digital conversion.

Here, the digital signal output from the external signal input unit 128 may be a stream signal. For example, the MPEG-2 TS multiplexed with an MPEG-2 standard video signal, a Dolby AC-3 standard audio signal, and the like. (Transprt Stream).

The wireless communication unit can perform a wireless Internet connection. For example, WLAN (Wireless LAN) (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) .

In addition, the wireless communication unit can perform short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices. For example, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used.

Meanwhile, the external signal input unit 128 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.

For example, when the set-top box is a set-top box for an Internet Protocol (IP) TV, video, audio, and data signals processed by the set-top box for IPTV may be transmitted to the controller 160 to enable bidirectional communication. Signals processed by the controller 160 may be transferred to the set-top box for IPTV.

Meanwhile, the video, audio, and data signals processed by the IPTV set-top box may be processed by the controller 160 via the channel browsing processor 170.

Meanwhile, the above-described IPTV may mean ADSL-TV, VDSL-TV, FTTH-TV, etc. according to the type of transmission network, and include TV over DSL, Video over DSL, TV overIP (TVIP), and Broadband TV (BTV). ) And the like. In addition, IPTV may also mean an Internet TV capable of accessing the Internet, or a full browsing TV.

The first demodulator 130 may perform demodulation and channel decoding and output a stream signal TS 1. In this case, the stream signal TS 1 may be a signal multiplexed with a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal. For example, the stream signal TS 1 may be an MPEG-2 TS (Transprt Stream) multiplexed with an MPEG-2 standard video signal, a Dolby AC-3 standard audio signal, and the like. In more detail, the MPEG-2 TS may include a header of 4 bytes and a payload of 184 bytes.

The stream signal TS1 is input to the controller 160 to perform demultiplexing and signal processing. According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the input is input to the channel browsing processing unit 170 before the input to the control unit 160 and the processing for channel browsing is performed. Channel browsing operations will be described later.

Meanwhile, the above-described first demodulator 130 may be provided separately according to the ATSC method and the DVB method. That is, it can be provided as an ATSC demodulation unit and a DVB demodulation unit.

The second demodulator 135 receives the digital IF signal DIF 2 converted by the second tuner 125 to perform a demodulation operation, and outputs a stream signal TS 2. The operation of the second demodulator 135 is omitted with reference to the operation of the first demodulator 130.

On the other hand, when the signal output from the second tuner 125 is an analog baseband video signal CVBS 2, it is necessary to convert the analog / digital converter 140 into a digital signal.

The analog / digital converter 140 converts the input analog signal into a digital signal. When the input signal is an image signal, sampling and quantization may be performed and converted into a digital image signal DV. The converted digital signal may be an uncoded signal. The converted digital image signal DV is input to the channel browsing processor 170 and processed.

The interface unit 150 transmits an input signal from the user to the controller 160 or transmits a signal from the controller 160 to the user. For example, the interface unit 150 may be configured such as power on / off, channel selection, screen setting, etc. from the remote control apparatus 200 according to various communication methods such as a radio frequency (RF) communication method and an infrared (IR) communication method. The user input signal may be received or a signal from the controller 160 may be transmitted to the remote controller 200.

The controller 160 may demultiplex the input stream and signal-process the demultiplexed signals to generate and output signals for video and audio output. In addition, the overall operation of the display apparatus 100 may be controlled.

Although not illustrated, the controller 160 may include a demultiplexer, an image processor, a voice processor, and a user input signal processor.

The controller 160 may demultiplex an input stream signal, for example, an MPEG-2 TS, and divide the input stream signal into a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal, respectively.

In addition, the controller 160 may perform image processing of the demultiplexed image signal. For example, when the demultiplexed video signal is an encoded video signal, it may be decoded. Specifically, when the demultiplexed video signal is an encoded video signal of MPEG-2 standard, it may be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder. In addition, when the demultiplexed video signal is a video signal of the H.264 standard according to the Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) scheme or DVB-H, it may be decoded by the H.264 decoder.

In addition, the controller 160 may process brightness, tint, and color adjustment of the image signal.

The image signal processed by the controller 160 is input to the display unit 180 to be displayed. It is also possible to input to an external output terminal connected to the external output device.

In addition, the controller 160 may perform voice processing of the demultiplexed voice signal. For example, if the demultiplexed speech signal is a coded speech signal, it can be decoded. Specifically, when the demultiplexed speech signal is an MPEG-2 standard encoded speech signal, it can be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder.

In addition, if the demultiplexed speech signal is a coded voice signal of the MPEG 4 BSAC (Bit Sliced Arithmetic Coding) standard according to a terrestrial DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) scheme, it can be decoded by an MPEG 4 decoder. In addition, when the demultiplexed speech signal is an encoded audio signal of the AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) standard of MPEG 2 according to the satellite DMB scheme or DVB-H, it may be decoded by the AAC decoder.

In addition, the controller 160 may process base, treble, volume control, and the like.

The voice signal processed by the controller 160 is input to the voice output unit 185, for example, a speaker, and outputs voice. It is also possible to input to an external output terminal connected to the external output device.

In addition, the controller 160 may perform data processing of the demultiplexed data signal. For example, if the demultiplexed data signal is a coded data signal, it can be decoded. The encoded data signal may be EPG (Electronic Progtam 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 TSC-PSIP (ATSC-Program and System Information Protocol) information in the ATSC scheme, and may include DVB-Service Information (DVB-SI) in the DVB scheme. The ATSC-PSIP information or the DVB-SI information may be information included in the aforementioned stream, that is, the header (4 bytes) of the MPEG-2 TS.

In addition, the controller 160 may perform an on screen display (OSD) process. In detail, the controller 160 based on the image processed image signal, at least one of the data processed data signal, and a user input signal from the remote control apparatus 200 may display various types of information on the screen of the display unit 180. It can generate a signal for displaying a graphic or text. The generated signal may be input to the display unit 180 along with an image processed image signal and a data processed data signal.

The signal generated for the graphic or text display may include various data such as a user interface screen, various menu screens, widgets, and icons of the display apparatus 100.

The channel browsing processor 170 may perform a browsing process on at least one of a broadcast signal corresponding to a received channel and various input image signals input through the external signal input unit 128.

In detail, the demodulation unit 130 or 135 receives the demodulated and channel decoded stream signal TS 1 or TS 2, receives the stream signal from the external input signal input unit 128, or receives an analog / digital converter ( An image signal including the digital signal DV converted in operation 140, demultiplexing the stream signal TS 1 or TS 2, extracting some of the demultiplexed image signals, and including the extracted image signal The new stream signal TSa may be output by multiplexing on the basis of. For example, the stream signal TSa or TSb may be MPEG 2 TS.

In addition, the channel browsing processor 170 may output the main stream signal TSb corresponding to the main video signal displayed in the main area among the video signals displayed on the display 180 without any additional processing. The sub stream signal TSa corresponding to the sub video signal displayed in the sub region among the video signals displayed on 180 may be output by performing channel browsing processing as described above.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the channel list is displayed on the display unit 180 by extracting a partial image of the broadcast signal of the plurality of channels through the channel browsing processing unit 170 and re-coding the stream in the form of a stream, the broadcast signal of the multiple channel is displayed. At least a part of the image may be displayed on a screen in the form of a thumbnail. Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the contents broadcast in the other channel.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 extracts some images of various external input images input through the external signal input unit 128 and re-encodes them in a stream form so that the external input list is displayed on the display unit 180. At least a part of the external input image from the external input device may be displayed on the screen in the form of a thumbnail. Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the content input from the external input device.

Meanwhile, the channel browsing processor 170 extracts the broadcast signal image of the channel and the partial image of the external input image and re-encodes the image in a stream form, thereby displaying the channel list and the external input list on the display unit 180. In this case, at least a part of a broadcast signal image of a plurality of channels and an external input image from a plurality of external input devices may be displayed on a screen in a thumbnail form.

Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the contents input from the plurality of channels and the external input device.

The storage unit 175 may store a program for processing and controlling each signal in the controller 160, or may store a signal processed video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal.

In addition, the storage unit 175 may perform a function for temporarily storing an image, audio, or data signal input from the external signal input unit 128.

Meanwhile, the storage unit 175 may store a corresponding broadcast channel through a channel memory function, and for this purpose, a flash memory type, a hard disk type, and a multimedia card micro type may be used. type), a card type memory (eg, SD or XD memory, etc.), a RAM, or a ROM (EEPROM, etc.) of at least one type of storage medium.

In the drawing, the storage unit 175 is illustrated as being provided separately from the control unit 160, but is not limited thereto. The storage unit 175 may be included in the control unit 160.

Meanwhile, the display apparatus 100 may provide a user with a file (video file, still image file, music file, document file, etc.) stored in the storage unit 175.

The display unit 180 converts an image signal, a data signal, an OSD signal, or an image signal, data signal, etc. received from the external signal input unit 128 into R, G, and B signals, respectively, and the driving signal. Create

The display unit 180 may be implemented in various forms such as a PDP, an LCD, an OLED, a flexible display, a 3D display, and the like. In addition, the display unit 180 may be configured as a touch screen to be used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The voice output unit 185 receives a signal processed by the controller 160, for example, a stereo signal, a 3.1 channel signal, or a 5.1 channel signal, and outputs the voice. The voice output unit 185 may be implemented by various types of speakers.

The remote control apparatus 200 transmits a user input to the interface unit 150. To this end, the remote control apparatus 200 may use Bluetooth, Radio Frequency (RF) communication, Infrared (IR) communication, Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee (ZigBee), and the like.

In addition, the remote control apparatus 200 may receive an image signal, an audio signal, a data signal, etc. from the interface unit 150 and output the same.

The above-described display apparatus 100 is a fixed type and includes at least one 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 one, and is also mobile, terrestrial DMB digital broadcasting, satellite DMB digital broadcasting, ATSC-M / H digital broadcasting, DVB-H digital broadcasting (COFDM), It may be a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving at least one of media broadcasting (Media Foward Link Only) type digital broadcasting. It may also be a digital broadcast receiver for cable, satellite communications, or IPTV.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the functions of the condition setting unit 101, the program searching unit 102, and the timetable editing unit 103 as described with reference to FIG. 3 are the control unit 160 shown in FIG. It can be performed by.

16 illustrates an embodiment of a configuration of a channel browser displayed on a screen.

Referring to FIG. 16, a channel browser including thumbnail images corresponding to each of a plurality of broadcast channels receivable by the display apparatus may be displayed on the screen 181 of the display apparatus 100.

As such, the channel browser includes thumbnail images corresponding to each of the plurality of channels, so that the user may intuitively recognize contents broadcast in the plurality of channels.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, thumbnail images 301 to 305 corresponding to virtual channels configured as described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 14 are thumbnail images 311 to 315 for broadcast channels. Along with the channel browser.

In this case, the user selects a thumbnail image corresponding to a specific virtual channel among the thumbnail images displayed on the screen, for example, the first thumbnail image 301 corresponding to “virtual channel 1”, and selects a channel as “virtual channel 1”. Can be converted to "

On the other hand, the time table generation method is a program for executing in a computer can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium, examples of the computer-readable recording medium ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape , Floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like, and also include those implemented in the form of carrier waves (eg, transmission over the Internet).

The computer readable recording medium may be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. And, functional programs, codes and code segments for implementing the above method can be easily inferred by programmers of the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (14)

In the method for generating a time table for reservation viewing,
Setting a program search condition;
Searching for programs corresponding to the set search condition using program guide information;
Configuring a plurality of virtual channels in which at least some of the searched programs are edited for each time zone; And
Generating a plurality of time tables corresponding to the configured virtual channels, respectively. The method of claim 1, wherein the search condition is
How to create a timetable containing the user's preferred keywords. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual channel configuration step
Selecting some of the retrieved programs using at least one of a program preference and a list of programs received from the outside; And
And editing the selected programs by time zones to configure the virtual channel. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual channel configuration step
And receiving information from the server about the virtual channel, wherein some of the searched programs are edited for each time zone. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual channel configuration step
Selecting some of the searched programs from a user; And
And editing the selected programs by time zones to configure the virtual channel. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual channel configuration step
If the time zones of the selected programs overlap, selecting one of the overlapping programs according to a preset channel priority. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual channel configuration step
And if the searched program does not exist, configuring the virtual channel using a preset channel or content. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of virtual channels
How to create a timetable specified by user or program type. A storage unit which stores a time table for reserved viewing;
A condition setting unit for setting a program search condition;
A program search unit for searching for programs corresponding to the set search condition using program guide information; And
A display apparatus including a timetable editing unit configured to configure a plurality of virtual channels edited at least some of the searched programs by time zones, and to generate a plurality of time tables corresponding to the configured virtual channels and to store them in the storage unit; . The method of claim 9, wherein the search condition is
Display device including a user's preferred keyword. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the timetable editing unit
And displaying some of the found programs using at least one of a program preference and a list of programs received from the outside to configure the virtual channel. 10. The method of claim 9,
Some of the searched programs further comprises a network interface unit for receiving information on the virtual channel edited for each time zone from the server,
And the timetable editing unit configures the virtual channel using the virtual channel information received from the server. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the timetable editing unit
And configuring the virtual channel using some of the retrieved programs using programs selected by a user. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of virtual channels
Display device specified by user or program type.

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