Television receiver and method for receiving broadcast signal

• US 20020113906A1
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Katoh, Yukiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/729
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6162 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence

Abstract

A ground wave video signal is extracted by a ground wave video decoder from a ground wave broadcast signal received by a ground wave 2 tuner. A BS program link information signal is extracted by a BS program link information decoder from a BS broadcast signal received by a BS2 tuner. An AM radio sound signal is extracted by a radio sound decoder from an AM radio broadcast signal received by an AM radio tuner. The extracted ground wave video signal and BS program link information signal are displayed as videos by a display device, while the extracted AM radio sound signal is output as a sound from a speaker.

Claims

1. A television receiver, comprising:

first selection means for selecting a broadcast signal for display of a video;

second selection means for selecting a broadcast signal for output of a sound;

third selection means for selecting a broadcast signal for display of program link information;

receiving means for receiving the broadcast signals selected by said first, second and third selection means as first, second and third broadcast signals, respectively;

signal extraction means for extracting a video signal, a sound signal and program link information, respectively, from the first, second and third broadcast signals received by said receiving means;

a display device that displays as a video the video signal and the program link information signal extracted by said signal extraction means; and

a sound output device that outputs as a sound the sound signal extracted by said signal extraction means.

2. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein

said receiving means includes

first receiving means for receiving the broadcast signal selected by said first selection means as the first broadcast signal,

second receiving means for receiving the broadcast signal selected by said second selection means as the second broadcast signal, and

third receiving means for receiving the broadcast signal selected by said third selection means as the third broadcast signal;

and

said signal extraction means includes

video signal extraction means for extracting the video signal from the first broadcast signal received by said first receiving means,

sound signal extraction means for extracting the sound signal from the second broadcast signal received by said second receiving means, and

program link information signal extraction means for extracting the program link information signal from the third broadcast signal received by said third receiving means.

3. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein

said first receiving means includes a plurality of first tuners that receive broadcast signals of the same or different broadcast systems,

said second receiving means includes a plurality of second tuners that receive broadcast signals of the same or different broadcast systems,

said third receiving means includes a plurality of third tuners that receive broadcast signals of the same or different broadcast systems,

said video signal extraction means includes a plurality of first decoders that extract video signals, respectively, from the broadcast signals of the same or different broadcast systems, received by said plurality of first tuners,

said sound signal extraction means includes a plurality of second decoders that extract sound signals, respectively, from the broadcast signals of the same or different systems, received by said plurality of second tuners, and

said program link information extraction means includes a plurality of third decoders that extract program link information signals, respectively, from the broadcast signals of the same or different broadcast systems, received by said plurality of third tuners.

4. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein

said first receiving means includes at least one of a ground wave broadcast tuner that receives a ground wave broadcast signal and a satellite broadcast tuner that receives a satellite broadcast signal,

said second receiving means includes at least one of a ground wave broadcast tuner that receives a ground wave broadcast signal, a satellite broadcast tuner that receives a satellite broadcast signal, and a radio broadcast tuner that receives a radio broadcast signal,

said third receiving means includes at least one of a ground wave broadcast tuner that receives a ground wave broadcast signal and a satellite broadcast tuner that receives a satellite broadcast signal,

said video signal extraction means includes at least one of a ground wave broadcast video decoder and a satellite broadcast video decoder provided corresponding to the ground wave broadcast tuner or the satellite broadcast tuner,

said sound signal extraction means includes at least one of a ground wave broadcast sound decoder, a satellite broadcast sound decoder or a radio broadcast sound decoder provided corresponding to the ground wave broadcast tuner, the satellite broadcast tuner and the radio broadcast tuner, and

said program link information signal extraction means includes at least one of a ground wave broadcast program link information decoder and a satellite broadcast program link information decoder provided corresponding to the ground wave broadcast tuner or the satellite broadcast tuner.

5. The television receiver according to claim 1, further comprising:

program information storing means for storing program information of a program to be broadcast; and

same-content-program searching means for searching for programs of the same content on the basis of the program information stored in said program information storing means.

6. The television receiver according to claim 5, further comprising:

same-content-program display control means for displaying on said display device the programs of the same content searched by said same-content-program searching means.

7. The television receiver according to claim 6, further comprising:

same-content-program selection control means for controlling the selecting operation to be carried out by said first, second and third selection means on the basis of the programs of the same content displayed by said same-content-program searching means.

8. The television receiver according to claim 1, further comprising:

broadcast signal coincidence control means for controlling said first and second selection means so that the first broadcast signal and the second broadcast signal received by said receiving means become coincident with each other when the program based on said first broadcast signal or said second broadcast signal changes to a commercial break.

9. The television receiver according to claim 8, further comprising:

setting means for setting the television receiver in a mode that a video and a sound of the commercial break are output or a mode that a video and a sound of the program are output when the program based on said first or second broadcast signal received by said receiving means changes to the commercial break, wherein

said broadcast signal coincidence control means controls said first and second selection means so that said first and second broadcast signals become coincident with each other in accordance with said set mode.

10. A method of receiving a broadcast signal, comprising the steps of:

selecting a broadcast signal for display of a video;

selecting a broadcast signal for output of a sound;

selecting a broadcast signal for display of program link information;

receiving said broadcast signal for display of the video, said broadcast signal for output of the sound and said broadcast signal for display of the program link information as first, second and third broadcast signals, respectively;

extracting a video signal, a sound signal and program link information, respectively, from said received first, second and third broadcast signals;

displaying said extracted video signal and program link information signal as videos; and

outputting said extracted sound signal as a sound.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

storing program information of a program to be broadcast; and

searching for programs of the same content on the basis of said stored information.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying said searched programs of the same content.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of controlling the selecting operation of said broadcast signals on the basis of said displayed programs of the same content.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of controlling the selecting operation of said broadcast signals so that the received first and second broadcast signals become coincident with each other when a program based on said first or second broadcast signal changes to a commercial break.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of setting the television receiver in a mode that a video and a sound of the commercial break are output or a mode that a video and a sound of the program are output when the program based on the received first or second broadcast signal changes to the commercial break, wherein

said step of controlling the selecting operation of said broadcast signals includes the step of controlling the selecting operation of said first and second broadcast signals so that said broadcast signals become coincident with each other in accordance with said set mode.