WO2006088449A1 - Osd prompt for user indicating the viewed channel is also available in hi-definition - Google Patents

Osd prompt for user indicating the viewed channel is also available in hi-definition Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2006088449A1
WO2006088449A1 PCT/US2005/004813 US2005004813W WO2006088449A1 WO 2006088449 A1 WO2006088449 A1 WO 2006088449A1 US 2005004813 W US2005004813 W US 2005004813W WO 2006088449 A1 WO2006088449 A1 WO 2006088449A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
signal processing
processing device
channel
digital
device receives
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2005/004813
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Rajeev Madhukar Sahasrabudhe
Original Assignee
Thomson Licensing S.A.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Thomson Licensing S.A. filed Critical Thomson Licensing S.A.
Priority to PCT/US2005/004813 priority Critical patent/WO2006088449A1/en
Priority to US11/884,494 priority patent/US20080172699A1/en
Priority to PCT/US2006/005470 priority patent/WO2006089022A1/en
Publication of WO2006088449A1 publication Critical patent/WO2006088449A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/485—End-user interface for client configuration
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/426—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof
    • H04N21/42607—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof for processing the incoming bitstream
    • H04N21/4263—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof for processing the incoming bitstream involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
    • H04N21/42638—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof for processing the incoming bitstream involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/426—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof
    • H04N21/42692—Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/435—Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/438—Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
    • H04N21/4383—Accessing a communication channel
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/488—Data services, e.g. news ticker
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/83—Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
    • H04N21/84—Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
    • H04N5/44—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
    • H04N5/46—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for receiving on more than one standard at will

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the area of channel navigation on signal processing devices, and, in particular, to an automatic prompt via an onscreen display (OSD) pop-up.
  • OSD onscreen display
  • Signal processing devices produced during this transition period usually have two tuners.
  • Signal processing devices may include, but are not limited to, set top boxes (STBs), video cassette players and recorders (VCPs and VCRs), digital video disc players (DVDs) as well as televisions (TVs).
  • STBs set top boxes
  • VCPs and VCRs video cassette players and recorders
  • DVDs digital video disc players
  • One of the tuners and corresponding signal processing circuitry/module(s) is for receiving and processing HDTV signals and the other tuner and corresponding signal processing circuitry/module(s) is for receiving and processing NTSC analog signals.
  • the status displays in the HDTV's indicate the incoming signal resolution to the user.
  • the user ends up watching an analog off-air or analog cable broadcast channel simply because the user does not know that the same broadcast channel is available as a digital High Definition off-air broadcast or that he/she has to search for the corresponding digital channel or has to change channels to the corresponding digital channel.
  • the present invention describes an automatic prompt via an OSD pop-up that informs the user if the broadcast channel he/she is viewing (if analog off-air) is also available in HD allowing the user to use his/her HDTV to its fullest potential.
  • the invention allows the signal processing device software to prompt the user if he/she is currently viewing an analog off-air or cable broadcast channel when the same broadcast is available as a digital HD off-air channel. This enables the user to view the channel at the maximum broadcast resolution and quality thereby enhancing the viewing experience and helping utilize the potential of the HDTV to the fullest possible. This is accomplished by user selection of an ATSC signal source/channel or a NTSC signal source/channel.
  • the signal processing device software has the ability to store the found ATSC digital and NTSC analog channels in the same manner as is in HDTVs today.
  • the signal processing device software also has a hard-coded matrix that contains the correspondence between a particular analog off-air channel and its ATSC digital HDTV channel for different viewing areas.
  • both lists are stored in non-volatile memory (NVM). If the user now tunes the signal processing device to an analog signal source/channel, the signal processing device will check the matrix to determine if a corresponding ATSC digital HDTV channel is available and was located and stored in NVM during the channel search.
  • an OSD will pop-up so informing the user/viewer and also providing the user with an option for the user to depress a particular remote control key to make the signal processing device directly tune to that ATSC digital HDTV channel.
  • a method and apparatus are described for allowing a user to select an analog signal source or a digital signal source in a signal processing device by comparing by the signal processing device an analog channel number with a digital channel list, determining based on the comparison if a corresponding digital broadcast is available, and, if available, prompting the user via an onscreen display (OSD) to select the digital signal and selecting said corresponding digital channel determined from the digital channel list in response to a command from the user.
  • OSD onscreen display
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a screen shot of an exemplary OSD pop-up display of the present invention.
  • the present invention is directed to an interface by which the user/viewer can make a selection between an analog broadcast to a corresponding digital (HDTV broadcast if such a broadcast is available.
  • NTSC analog channel numbers include a major channel number followed by the minor channel number 0. Users/viewers are, however, not aware of this and only use the major channel number for a NTSC analog channel. All ATSC digital HDTV channel numbers corresponding to NTSC analog channels have minor channel numbers of 1 or greater. For example, for NTSC analog channel 13, which is technically 13-0, then its corresponding ATSC digital HDTV channel (if available and being broadcast) is 13 -1, 13-2 etc.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the present invention.
  • a signal processing device 100 manufactured/produced during the transition period has two tuners and two corresponding sets of signal processing circuitry.
  • One tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 105 is for receiving and processing NTSC analog signals.
  • the other tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 110 is for receiving and processing ATSC digital HDTV signals.
  • Each tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry receives off-air/cable signals as input.
  • Each tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 105,110 may also be in communication with the signal processing device's microprocessor 115.
  • the signal processing device's microprocessor is further in communication with the signal processing device's non-volatile memory 120.
  • Nonvolatile memory is used to store the channels list(s) as well as the software to implement the present invention.
  • Each tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 105,110 is may also be in communication with the signal processing device's display engine 125, which drives the display screen 130 of the signal processing device.
  • the signal processing device's microprocessor 115 also receives information/commands from an infrared (IR) receiver 135, which is controlled by an IR remote control device 140.
  • IR infrared
  • the user/viewer controls the selection of analog or digital channels via the IR remote control device 140.
  • the user also controls the selection of analog or digital channels/signal sources by using the buttons on the front panel of the signal processing device but most users/viewers today rely on the IR remote control device.
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 200 of implementing the present invention.
  • the receiver determines if it is currently tuned to an NTSC analog channel at 210. If the receiver is currently tuned to an NTSC channel then the receiver's microprocessor compares the currently tuned NTSC channel number with the ATSC digital HDTV channel list in non-volatile memory at 215. The comparison is made, for example, by comparing the closed captioning information the signal processing device receives for a NTSC analog channel and an ATSC digital HDTV channel.
  • the signal processing device's microprocessor could use any of the data that is carried in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) to perform the comparison in order to identify the corresponding ATSC digital channel for an NTSC analog channel.
  • VBI vertical blanking interval
  • the VBI carries information such as V-chip ratings, time and day, program information, electronic program guide (EPG) information, and second audio program (SAP), if available.
  • This command may be received via the IR receiver module of the signal processing device when the user/viewer presses an appropriate button on a remote control device. If the user has pressed “OK” then select the corresponding ATSC digital HDTV broadcast at 235. If the user has not pressed “OK” but has instead pressed “CLEAR” then clear the OSD pop-up from the screen/display at 233. Upon receipt of such a command, the microprocessor selects the corresponding ATSC digital HDTV channel using the information in the non-volatile memory at 235. If neither an "OK” nor a "CLEAR" command are received then the signal processing device stays tuned to the NTSC analog channel as indicated at 240. The signal processing device then goes back to 210 when the user/viewer changes to another NTSC analog channel.
  • FIG. 3 is an exemplary OSD pop-up of the present invention.
  • the user can simply press "OK” to directly tune to the corresponding digital channel with the HD broadcast without having to enter any channel numbers. Any button/key could be used and the invention is not limited to using the "OK” and the "CLEAR" buttons.
  • the signal processing device also prompts/queries the user, whether, in the future, the signal processing device should always tune to the ATSC digital HDTV broadcast instead of the analog broadcast, thereby preventing unnecessary pop-ups of the above OSD.
  • the signal processing device software catalogs the cable channels, in case the user also has cable, using the vertical blanking interval (VBI) information of the channel currently tuned to and then attempt to locate the associated high definition off-air channel, if available, and prompt the user of its availability.
  • VBI vertical blanking interval
  • the VBI carries information such as V-chip ratings, time and day, program information, electronic program guide (EPG) information, and second audio program (SAP), if available. This solves the problem of the channel numbers for both the analog cable and digital high definition off-air broadcast being the same but the broadcasters and the broadcast programs actually being totally different.
  • Another way to accomplish an accurate prompt would be to compare the closed captioning data that is received in the VBI.
  • This embodiment provides for more accuracy than the prompt provided to the user as the closed captioning data for an analog broadcast channel for a particular broadcast would be the same for the broadcast digital channel as well.
  • Any of the VBI data could be used to perform the comparison or any combination of the VBI data could be used to perform the comparison.
  • the present invention may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination thereof, for example, within a mobile terminal, access point, or a cellular network.
  • the present invention is implemented as a combination of hardware and software.
  • the software is preferably implemented as an application program tangibly embodied on a program storage device.
  • the application program may be uploaded to, and executed by, a machine comprising any suitable architecture.
  • the machine is implemented on a computer platform having hardware such as one or more central processing units (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), and input/output (I/O) interface(s).
  • the computer platform also includes an operating system and microinstruction code.
  • various processes and functions described herein may either be part of the microinstruction code or part of the application program (or a combination thereof), which is executed via the operating system.
  • various other peripheral devices may be connected to the computer platform such as an additional data storage device and a printing device.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Television Systems (AREA)

Abstract

A method and apparatus are described for allowing a user to select an analog signal source or a digital signal source in a signal processing device by comparing by the signal processing device an analog channel number with a digital channel list, determining based on the comparison if a corresponding digital broadcast is available, and, if available, prompting the user via an onscreen display (OSD) to select the digital signal and selecting said corresponding digital channel determined from the digital channel list in response to a command from the user.

Description

OSD PROMPT FOR USER INDICATING THE VIEWED CHANNEL IS ALSO
AVAILABLE IN HI-DEFINITION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the area of channel navigation on signal processing devices, and, in particular, to an automatic prompt via an onscreen display (OSD) pop-up.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION During the transition period as broadcasters change to digital HDTV broadcasting from NTSC analog broadcasting, television stations may simulcast. That is, stations may simultaneously broadcast their programs on two channels allotted for their use by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Each of the two signal sources/channels will encompass 6 MHz of bandwidth and need not be contiguous. One of the two channels/signal sources will be the channel currently assigned to the station for NTSC analog broadcasts and the other will be for station use for HDTV digital broadcasts. It is, however, likely that viewers will regard the transmissions as one signal source/channel because the same program is carried, simultaneously on both channels. Analog broadcasting may be off-air or cable.
Signal processing devices produced during this transition period usually have two tuners. Signal processing devices may include, but are not limited to, set top boxes (STBs), video cassette players and recorders (VCPs and VCRs), digital video disc players (DVDs) as well as televisions (TVs). One of the tuners and corresponding signal processing circuitry/module(s) is for receiving and processing HDTV signals and the other tuner and corresponding signal processing circuitry/module(s) is for receiving and processing NTSC analog signals.
The status displays in the HDTV's indicate the incoming signal resolution to the user. With the current channel lineup in most areas where the analog broadcast is still available with the high definition (HD) broadcast the user ends up watching an analog off-air or analog cable broadcast channel simply because the user does not know that the same broadcast channel is available as a digital High Definition off-air broadcast or that he/she has to search for the corresponding digital channel or has to change channels to the corresponding digital channel. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention describes an automatic prompt via an OSD pop-up that informs the user if the broadcast channel he/she is viewing (if analog off-air) is also available in HD allowing the user to use his/her HDTV to its fullest potential. The invention allows the signal processing device software to prompt the user if he/she is currently viewing an analog off-air or cable broadcast channel when the same broadcast is available as a digital HD off-air channel. This enables the user to view the channel at the maximum broadcast resolution and quality thereby enhancing the viewing experience and helping utilize the potential of the HDTV to the fullest possible. This is accomplished by user selection of an ATSC signal source/channel or a NTSC signal source/channel.
In this invention the signal processing device software has the ability to store the found ATSC digital and NTSC analog channels in the same manner as is in HDTVs today. In addition to this storing ability the signal processing device software also has a hard-coded matrix that contains the correspondence between a particular analog off-air channel and its ATSC digital HDTV channel for different viewing areas. Thus, when the user performs a channel search for both analog off-air and NTSC digital HDTV channels, in one embodiment both lists are stored in non-volatile memory (NVM). If the user now tunes the signal processing device to an analog signal source/channel, the signal processing device will check the matrix to determine if a corresponding ATSC digital HDTV channel is available and was located and stored in NVM during the channel search. If the software determines that an ATSC digital HDTV channel is available with the same broadcast and that the ATSC digital HDTV channel was found and stored in the digital channel list in NVM, an OSD will pop-up so informing the user/viewer and also providing the user with an option for the user to depress a particular remote control key to make the signal processing device directly tune to that ATSC digital HDTV channel.
A method and apparatus are described for allowing a user to select an analog signal source or a digital signal source in a signal processing device by comparing by the signal processing device an analog channel number with a digital channel list, determining based on the comparison if a corresponding digital broadcast is available, and, if available, prompting the user via an onscreen display (OSD) to select the digital signal and selecting said corresponding digital channel determined from the digital channel list in response to a command from the user. Clearly for analog off-air broadcast to cease totally is going to take a long time and users will have to unnecessarily live with the difficulty in use of their signal processing devices and other consumer electronics (CE) devices that can tune to both analog and digital off-air broadcasts today. This invention not only provides an immediate solution to this problem but also provides for an easy and seamless transition for the user when all the off-air broadcast becomes digital.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a screen shot of an exemplary OSD pop-up display of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is directed to an interface by which the user/viewer can make a selection between an analog broadcast to a corresponding digital (HDTV broadcast if such a broadcast is available. NTSC analog channel numbers include a major channel number followed by the minor channel number 0. Users/viewers are, however, not aware of this and only use the major channel number for a NTSC analog channel. All ATSC digital HDTV channel numbers corresponding to NTSC analog channels have minor channel numbers of 1 or greater. For example, for NTSC analog channel 13, which is technically 13-0, then its corresponding ATSC digital HDTV channel (if available and being broadcast) is 13 -1, 13-2 etc.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the present invention. A signal processing device 100 manufactured/produced during the transition period has two tuners and two corresponding sets of signal processing circuitry. One tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 105 is for receiving and processing NTSC analog signals. The other tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 110 is for receiving and processing ATSC digital HDTV signals. Each tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry receives off-air/cable signals as input. Each tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 105,110 may also be in communication with the signal processing device's microprocessor 115. The signal processing device's microprocessor is further in communication with the signal processing device's non-volatile memory 120. Nonvolatile memory is used to store the channels list(s) as well as the software to implement the present invention. Each tuner and corresponding set of signal processing circuitry 105,110 is may also be in communication with the signal processing device's display engine 125, which drives the display screen 130 of the signal processing device. The signal processing device's microprocessor 115 also receives information/commands from an infrared (IR) receiver 135, which is controlled by an IR remote control device 140. The user/viewer controls the selection of analog or digital channels via the IR remote control device 140. The user also controls the selection of analog or digital channels/signal sources by using the buttons on the front panel of the signal processing device but most users/viewers today rely on the IR remote control device. Usually, the remote control devices and the corresponding receivers use IR technology but they need not. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 200 of implementing the present invention. Upon powering on the receiver at 205, the receiver determines if it is currently tuned to an NTSC analog channel at 210. If the receiver is currently tuned to an NTSC channel then the receiver's microprocessor compares the currently tuned NTSC channel number with the ATSC digital HDTV channel list in non-volatile memory at 215. The comparison is made, for example, by comparing the closed captioning information the signal processing device receives for a NTSC analog channel and an ATSC digital HDTV channel. In the alternative, the signal processing device's microprocessor could use any of the data that is carried in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) to perform the comparison in order to identify the corresponding ATSC digital channel for an NTSC analog channel. The VBI carries information such as V-chip ratings, time and day, program information, electronic program guide (EPG) information, and second audio program (SAP), if available.
At 220 a determination is made by the signal processing device's microprocessor based on the results of the comparison at 215 if there is an ATSC digital HDTV broadcast channel available corresponding to the currently tuned NTSC analog channel. If an ATSC digital HDTV broadcast is available then the user/viewer will be prompted with an OSD to press "OK" in order to tune to the ATSC digital HDTV broadcast at 225, the channel number for which was stored in the non-volatile memory associate with the signal processing device's microprocessor. At 230, determine if the user has pressed "OK" in order to switch the ATSC digital HDTV channel (using the HDTV tuner). This command may be received via the IR receiver module of the signal processing device when the user/viewer presses an appropriate button on a remote control device. If the user has pressed "OK" then select the corresponding ATSC digital HDTV broadcast at 235. If the user has not pressed "OK" but has instead pressed "CLEAR" then clear the OSD pop-up from the screen/display at 233. Upon receipt of such a command, the microprocessor selects the corresponding ATSC digital HDTV channel using the information in the non-volatile memory at 235. If neither an "OK" nor a "CLEAR" command are received then the signal processing device stays tuned to the NTSC analog channel as indicated at 240. The signal processing device then goes back to 210 when the user/viewer changes to another NTSC analog channel.
FIG. 3 is an exemplary OSD pop-up of the present invention. In the example OSD shown in FIG. 3 the user can simply press "OK" to directly tune to the corresponding digital channel with the HD broadcast without having to enter any channel numbers. Any button/key could be used and the invention is not limited to using the "OK" and the "CLEAR" buttons. In another embodiment the signal processing device also prompts/queries the user, whether, in the future, the signal processing device should always tune to the ATSC digital HDTV broadcast instead of the analog broadcast, thereby preventing unnecessary pop-ups of the above OSD. When the user selects to always tune to the ATCS digital HDTV channel/signal source instead of the analog channel the respective analog channel is simply removed from the CH-/+ button loop, but the analog channel number is not discarded so the user could still tune to that analog signal source/channel using direct digit input in the future if he/she so desires.
In yet another embodiment, the signal processing device software catalogs the cable channels, in case the user also has cable, using the vertical blanking interval (VBI) information of the channel currently tuned to and then attempt to locate the associated high definition off-air channel, if available, and prompt the user of its availability. The VBI carries information such as V-chip ratings, time and day, program information, electronic program guide (EPG) information, and second audio program (SAP), if available. This solves the problem of the channel numbers for both the analog cable and digital high definition off-air broadcast being the same but the broadcasters and the broadcast programs actually being totally different.
Another way to accomplish an accurate prompt would be to compare the closed captioning data that is received in the VBI. This embodiment provides for more accuracy than the prompt provided to the user as the closed captioning data for an analog broadcast channel for a particular broadcast would be the same for the broadcast digital channel as well. Any of the VBI data could be used to perform the comparison or any combination of the VBI data could be used to perform the comparison.
It is to be understood that the present invention may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination thereof, for example, within a mobile terminal, access point, or a cellular network. Preferably, the present invention is implemented as a combination of hardware and software. Moreover, the software is preferably implemented as an application program tangibly embodied on a program storage device. The application program may be uploaded to, and executed by, a machine comprising any suitable architecture. Preferably, the machine is implemented on a computer platform having hardware such as one or more central processing units (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), and input/output (I/O) interface(s). The computer platform also includes an operating system and microinstruction code. The various processes and functions described herein may either be part of the microinstruction code or part of the application program (or a combination thereof), which is executed via the operating system. In addition, various other peripheral devices may be connected to the computer platform such as an additional data storage device and a printing device.
It is to be further understood that, because some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying Figures are preferably implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components (or the process steps) may differ depending upon the manner in which the present invention is programmed. Given the teachings herein, one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A method for allowing a user to select one of an analog signal source and a digital signal source in a signal processing device, the method comprising: comparing by said signal processing device an analog channel number with a digital channel list; determining based on said comparison if a corresponding digital broadcast is available, and, if available, prompting said user via an onscreen display (OSD) to select said digital signal; and selecting said corresponding digital channel determined from said digital channel list in response to a command from a user.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said digital channel list is stored in non-volatile memory associated with a microprocessor of said signal processing device.
3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a command from said user to clear said OSD, wherein clearing said OSD also results in said receiver remaining tuned to said analog signal.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining act comprises comparing closed captioning information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and closed captioning information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining act comprises comparing second audio program information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and second audio program information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining act comprises comparing electronic program guide information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and electronic program guide information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining act comprises comparing program information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and program information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining act comprises comparing at least one of closed captioning information, program information, second audio program information and electronic program guide information, said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and closed captioning information, program information, second audio program information and electronic program guide information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
9. An apparatus for allowing a user to select one of an analog signal source and a digital signal source in a signal processing device, comprising: means for comparing by said signal processing device an analog channel number with a digital channel list; means for determining based on said comparison if a corresponding digital broadcast is available, and, if available, prompting said user via an onscreen display (OSD) to select said digital signal; means for selecting said corresponding digital channel determined from said digital channel list in response to a command from a user.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said digital channel list is stored in nonvolatile memory associated with a microprocessor of said signal processing device.
11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for receiving a command from said user to clear said OSD, wherein clearing said OSD also results in said receiver remaining tuned to said analog signal.
12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said means for determining compares closed captioning information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and closed captioning information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said means for determining compares second audio program information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and second audio program information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said means for determining compares electronic program guide information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and electronic program guide information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
15. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said means for determining compares program information said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and program information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
16. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said means for determining compares at least one of closed captioning information, program information, second audio program information and electronic program guide information, said signal processing device receives for said analog channel and closed captioning information, program information, second audio program information and electronic program guide information that said signal processing device receives for said digital channel.
PCT/US2005/004813 2005-02-16 2005-02-16 Osd prompt for user indicating the viewed channel is also available in hi-definition WO2006088449A1 (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US2005/004813 WO2006088449A1 (en) 2005-02-16 2005-02-16 Osd prompt for user indicating the viewed channel is also available in hi-definition
US11/884,494 US20080172699A1 (en) 2005-02-16 2006-02-16 Channel Navigation on Integrated Atsc Tuner Tv Set
PCT/US2006/005470 WO2006089022A1 (en) 2005-02-16 2006-02-16 Channel navigation on integrated atsc tuner tv set

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

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PCT/US2005/004813 WO2006088449A1 (en) 2005-02-16 2005-02-16 Osd prompt for user indicating the viewed channel is also available in hi-definition

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US6483547B1 (en) * 1998-03-03 2002-11-19 General Instrument Corporation Transmission signal ID for analog television broadcasts
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US5790202A (en) * 1996-05-15 1998-08-04 Echostar Communications Corporation Integration of off-air and satellite TV tuners in a direct broadcast system
US6483547B1 (en) * 1998-03-03 2002-11-19 General Instrument Corporation Transmission signal ID for analog television broadcasts
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