Interactive audio-visual system with visual remote control unit

• US 20040004630A1
• Filed: 07/04/2002
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kalva, Hari, Vetro, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US10/189,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004630A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/702
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45452 applied to an object-based stream, e.g. MPEG-4 streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

An audio-visual system includes a receiver and a remote control unit linked by a radio frequency wireless link. The receiver receives displays a primary television signal having a first format. The primary television signal is then transcoded to a secondary television signal having a second format compatible with the remote control unit. The remote control unit receives and displays the secondary television signal on a touch-sensitive display that can be used to operate the receiver.

Claims

1. An audio-visual system, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive and display a primary television signal having a first format;

means for transcoding the primary television signal in the first format to a secondary television signal having a second format; and

a remote control unit, for controlling the receiver, configured to receive and display the secondary television signal concurrent with the display of the primary television signal.

2. The audio-visual system of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless radio frequency link connecting the receiver and the remote control unit.

3. The audio-visual system of claim 1 wherein the means for transcoding further comprises:

an encoder in the receiver; and

a decoder in the remote control unit.

4. The audio-visual system of claim 1 wherein the remote control unit further comprises:

a touch-sensitive screen.

5. The audio-visual system of claim 4 wherein user input is entered using the touch-sensitive screen.

6. The audio-visual system of claim 4 wherein the remote control unit further comprises:

means for encoding the user input.

7. The audio-visual system of claim 1 wherein the primary television signal includes an audio signal, a video signal and an interactive TV signal.

8. The audio-visual system of claim 7 wherein the remote control unit further comprises an overlay mixer for combining the video signal and the interactive TV signal.

9. The audio-visual system of claim 7 wherein the primary and secondary television signals employ MPEG-4 encoding.

10. The audio-visual system of claim 1 wherein the receiver further comprises:

an audio decoder and a video decoder;

an audio transcoder and a video transcoder coupled respectively to the decoders; and

a multiplexer combining outputs of the transcoders to generate the secondary television signal.

11. A method for operating an audio-visual system, comprising:

receiving and displaying a primary television signal having a first format in a receiver;

transcoding the primary television signal in the first format to a secondary television signal having a second format; and

receiving and displaying the secondary television signal in a remote control unit for the receiver.