Receiving apparatus

• US 20030189674A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Kenji, Tsunoda, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,113,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/738
• 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 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

A television broadcast receiving apparatus which displays one of television programs received by two tuners on a main picture screen and displays the other on a child picture screen, where one of audios of a program of the main picture screen and a program of the child picture screen is selected and outputted, and the state of an audio signal to be outputted is switched according to the audio state of the program of the child picture screen.

Claims

1. A television broadcast receiving apparatus comprising:

first receiving means for receiving a television broadcast;

second receiving means for receiving the television broadcast;

image output means for producing a main picture screen by using image data of a broadcast program received by one of the first receiving means and the second receiving means, producing a child picture screen by using image data of a broadcast program received by the other of the first receiving means, and the second receiving means, and producing display picture screen data comprising the main picture screen and the child picture screen to output the display picture screen data to a display device;

audio output means for selecting one of audio data of the broadcast program of the main picture screen and audio data of the broadcast program of the child picture screen to output the selected audio data to a speaker unit; and

control means for controlling selection operation of the audio output means in accordance with the state of audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said control means controls said audio output means so as to select and output the audio data of the broadcast program of the child picture screen when the state of the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen coincides with a set condition, and select and output the audio data of the broadcast program of the main picture screen when not coincide with.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising

setting means which allows setting of the condition arbitrarily.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said setting means selects a desired audio kind from a plurality of predetermined audio kinds provided for respective genres of the broadcast program, and said control means detects the state of the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen according to the selected audio kind.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the condition includes a frequency band to be detected and said control means has audio analysis means for analyzing the state of the set frequency band in the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said control means controls said image output means and said audio output means so as to select and output the audio data of the broadcast program of the child picture screen without switching between the broadcast program of the main picture screen and the broadcast program of the child picture screen even if the state of the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen coincides with the set condition.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

instructing means for instructing switching of the broadcast program of the main picture screen and the broadcast program of the child picture screen, wherein

said control means further controls said image output means so as to switch between the broadcast program of the main picture screen and the broadcast program of the child picture screen to display the switched broadcast program in accordance with the instruction from the instructing means.

8. A television broadcast receiving apparatus comprising:

first receiving means for receiving a television broadcast;

second receiving means for receiving the television broadcast;

image output means for producing a main picture screen by using image data relating to a program received by one of the first receiving means and the second receiving means, producing a child picture screen by using image data relating to a program received by the other of the first receiving means and the second receiving means, and producing display picture screen data comprising the main picture screen and the child picture screen to output the display picture screen data to a display device; and

control means for controlling said image output means so as to change the state of the display form of the child picture screen in accordance with the state of the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said control means controls said image output means so as to display the child picture screen in a first display form when the state of the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen coincides with a set-condition, and display the child picture screen in a second display form when the not coincide with.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising

audio output means for selecting the audio data of the broadcast program of the main picture screen between the audio data of the broadcast program of the main picture screen and the audio data of the broadcast program of the child picture screen to output the selected audio data to a speaker unit.

11. A television broadcast receiving apparatus comprising:

first receiving means for receiving a television broadcast;

second receiving means for receiving the television broadcast;

image output means for producing a main picture screen by using image data of a broadcast program received by one of the first receiving means and the second receiving means, producing a child picture screen by using image data of a broadcast program received by the other of the first receiving means and the second receiving means, and producing display picture screen data comprising the main picture screen and the child picture screen to output the display picture screen data to a display device;

audio output means for outputting the audio data of the broadcast program of the main picture screen to a first speaker unit and outputting the audio data of the broadcast program of the child picture screen to a second speaker unit; and

control means for controlling said audio output means so as to change the ratio of the volume of the broadcast program of the main picture screen outputted from the first speaker unit and the volume of the broadcast program of the child picture screen outputted from the second speaker unit, in accordance with the state of the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said control means controls said audio output means so as to make the volume of the broadcast program of the child picture screen larger than that of the broadcast program of the main picture screen when the state of the audio of the broadcast program of the child picture screen coincides with a set condition, and make the volume of the broadcast program of the main picture screen larger than that of the broadcast program of the child picture screen when not coincide with.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said audio output means outputs audio data of the broadcast program of the main picture screen to the first speaker unit as a stereo audio and outputs audio data of the broadcast program of the child picture screen to the second speaker unit as a monophonic audio.