Information descriptor and extended information descriptor data structures for digital television signals

• US 20050283802A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Corl, Mark T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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

Abstract

According to an aspect, there is provided a digital television (DTV) data stream including program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of the DTV data stream, the PSIP data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT), the EIT comprising: a source identification field identifying a source of an associated event in a DTV data stream; an event identification field indicating an identification of the event; a start time field indicating a star time of the event; a title field indicating a title of the event; and a descriptor comprising: a descriptor tag identifying the descriptor as a genre descriptor; a descriptor length indicating a total length of the descriptor; and at least one category code for an associated event in a DTV data stream, each category code specifying genre, program type, or category information of the associated event, wherein the at least one category code specifies at least one of a set of basic categories.

Claims

1. A digital television (DTV) data stream including program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of the DTV data stream, the PSIP data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT), the EIT comprising:

a source identification field identifying a source of an associated event in a DTV data stream;

an event identification field indicating an identification of the event;

a start time field indicating a star time of the event;

a title field indicating a title of the event; and

a descriptor comprising;

a descriptor tag identifying the descriptor as a genre descriptor;

a descriptor length indicating a total length of the descriptor; and

at least one category code for an associated event in a DTV data stream, each category code specifying genre, program type, or category information of the associated event, wherein the at least one category code specifies at least one of a set of basic categories.

2. The DTV data stream of claim 1, wherein the at least one category code is ordered within the descriptor based on their category levels.

3. The DTV data stream of claim 1, wherein the at least one category code is ordered within the descriptor in descending order of their category levels.

4. The DTV data stream of claim 1, wherein the set of basic categories includes education, entertainment, movie, news, religious, sports, and other.

5. The DTV data stream of claim 1, wherein the at least one category code further specifies at least:

one of a set of detail categories.

6. A method to generate a program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of a digital television (DTV) data stream, the PSIP data including at least one event information table (EIT) as defined in claim 1.

7. A program and system information protocol (PSIP) generator to generate PSIP data associated with content of a digital television (DTV) data stream, the PSIP data including at least one event information table (EIT) as defined in claim 1.

8. The PSIP generator of claim 7, wherein the PSIP generator is embodied on a computer running software.

9. The PSIP generator of claim 8, wherein the software is written in Java language.

10. A computer-readable article of manufacture having embodied thereon software to generate program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of a digital television (DTV) data stream, the PSIP data including at least one event information table (EIT) as defined in claim 1.

12. A method to generate an extended program guide (EPG) display associated with content in a digital television (DTV) data stream, the method comprising:

receiving the DTV data stream, the stream containing program and system information protocol (PSIP) data;

recognizing at least one event information table (EIT) as defined in claim 1 within the PSIP data; and

generating the EPG display as a function of the at least one EIT.

13. A digital television (DTV) receiver embodying the method of claim 12.

14. The DTV receiver of claim 13, wherein at least part of the DTV receiver is embodied on a computer running software.

15. The DTV receiver of claim 14, wherein the software is written in Java language.

16. A computer-readable article of manufacture having embodied thereon software to perform the method of claim 12.

17. A memory for containing program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of a digital television (DTV) data stream, the PSIP data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT), the EIT comprising:

a source identification field identifying a source of an associated event in a DTV data stream;

an event identification field indicating an identification of the event;

a start time field indicating a star time of the event;

a title field indicating a title of the event; and

a descriptor comprising;

a descriptor tag identifying the descriptor as a genre descriptor;

a descriptor length indicating a total length of the descriptor; and

at least one category code for an associated event in a DTV data stream, each category code specifying genre, program type, or category information of the associated event, wherein the at least one category code specifies at least one of a set of basic categories.