Television receiver for digital and analog television signals

• US 20060001779A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CRC Press, LLC, CF Crespe LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Xceive Corporation (Cresta Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Mombers, Friederich, Porret, Alain-Serge, Carnero, Benito, Favrat, Pierre, Python, Dominique, Duc, Philippe, Perring, Richard P., Margairaz, Didier
• Granted Patent: US 7,265,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27

Abstract

A television receiver includes a frequency conversion circuit, an analog-to-digital converter, a signal processor, and a signal output circuit. The frequency conversion circuit receives an input RF signal in one of several television signal formats and converts the input RF signal to an intermediate frequency signal. The analog-to-digital converter samples the intermediate frequency signal and generates a digital representation thereof. The signal processor processes the digital representation of the intermediate frequency signal in accordance with the television signal format of the input RF signal and generates digital output signals indicative of information encoded in the input RF signal. Finally, the signal output circuit receives the digital output signals from the signal processor and provides one or more output signals corresponding to the digital output signals. The signal output circuit can be configured to provide output signals corresponding to an analog television format or a digital television format or both.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

a frequency conversion circuit for receiving an input RF signal and for converting the input RF signal to an intermediate frequency signal having an intermediate frequency (IF), the input RF signal encoding information in one of a plurality of television signal formats;

an analog-to-digital converter for sampling the intermediate frequency signal and generating a digital representation thereof;

a signal processor for processing the digital representation of the intermediate frequency signal in accordance with the television signal format of the input RF signal, the signal processor generating digital output signals indicative of information encoded in the input RF signal; and

a signal output circuit for receiving the digital output signals from the signal processor and for providing one or more output signals corresponding to the digital output signals.

2. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the plurality of television signal formats comprises an analog television format and a digital television format.

3. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the television receiver is formed as a monolithic integrated circuit.

4. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit provides a first output signal being a video baseband signal corresponding to an analog television format and a second output signal being an audio baseband signal corresponding to the analog television format.

5. The television receiver of claim 4, further comprising:

a first decoder circuit coupled to decode the video baseband signal for providing video display signals corresponding to the analog television format; and

a second decoder circuit coupled to decode the audio baseband signal for providing audio signals corresponding to the analog television format.

6. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the first decoder circuit comprises a PAL/SECAM/NTSC decoder circuit.

7. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit provides a first output signal and a second output signal corresponding to the digital output signals, the first output signal and the second output signal being differential output signals corresponding to a digital television format.

8. The television receiver of claim 7, further comprising:

a demodulator circuit for demodulating the first output signal and the second output signal according to the television signal format of the input RF signal, the demodulator circuit generating video and audio baseband signals corresponding to the format of the input RF signal; and

a decoder circuit coupled to decode the video and audio baseband signals for providing video and audio display signals corresponding to the digital television format.

9. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein the video and audio baseband signals comprise a MPEG data stream and the decoder circuit comprises a MPEG decoder circuit.

10. The television receiver of claim 1, further comprising:

a bandpass filter coupled to receive the intermediate frequency signal from the frequency conversion circuit and generate a filtered intermediate frequency signal; and

a variable gain amplifier coupled to receive the filtered intermediate frequency signal and provide the amplified, filtered intermediate frequency signal to the analog-to-digital converter.

11. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit provides output signals in an analog or a digital signal format.

12. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit comprises one or more output terminals, each of the one or more output terminals of the signal output circuit comprises a single-ended output terminal or a differential output terminal.

13. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit comprises:

a first digital-to-analog converter coupled to receive digital output signals from the signal processor and convert the digital output signals to analog output signals;

a first driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the first digital-to-analog converter onto a first output terminal;

a second driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the first digital-to-analog converter onto a second output terminal;

a second digital-to-analog converter coupled to receive digital output signals from the signal processor encoding audio information and convert the digital output signals to analog output signals; and

a third driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the second digital-to-analog converter onto a third output terminal,

wherein the first and second output terminals provide signals indicative of video and audio information encoded in the input RF signal and the third output terminal provides signals indicative of audio information encoded in the input RF signal.

14. The television receiver of claim 13, wherein the first driver circuit comprises a single-ended driver circuit for driving analog output signals corresponding to an analog television format, the analog output signals being video baseband signals;

and the third driver circuit comprises a single-ended driver circuit for driving analog output signals corresponding to the analog television format, the analog output signals being audio baseband signals.

15. The television receiver of claim 13, wherein the second driver circuit comprises a differential output driver circuit for driving analog output signals corresponding to a digital television format, the analog output signals being DTV low-IF signals, and wherein the second output terminal comprises a first differential output terminal and a second differential output terminal.

16. The television receiver of claim 13, wherein the signal output circuit further comprises:

a low pass filter coupled between the first digital-to-analog converter and the first and second driver circuits, the low pass filter providing low pass filtering function.

17. The television receiver of claim 13, wherein the signal output circuit further comprises:

a low pass filter coupled between the second digital-to-analog converter and the third driver circuit, the low pass filter providing low pass filtering function.

18. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit comprises:

a first digital-to-analog converter coupled to receive digital output signals from the signal processor and convert the digital output signals to analog output signals;

a first driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the first digital-to-analog converter onto a first output terminal;

a second driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the first digital-to-analog converter, the second driver circuit comprising a differential output driver circuit having a first differential output terminal and a second differential output terminal, the first differential output terminal being coupled to the first output terminal and the second differential output terminal being coupled to a second output terminal;

a second digital-to-analog converter coupled to receive digital output signals from the signal processor encoding audio information and convert the digital output signals to analog output signals; and

a third driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the second digital-to-analog converter onto the second output terminal,

wherein the first and second output terminals provide differential output signals indicative of video and audio information encoded in the input RF signal when the input RF signal has a digital television signal format; and

the first output terminal provides video information encoded in the input RF signal and the second output terminal provides signals indicative of audio information encoded in the input RF signal when the input RF signal has an analog television signal format.

19. The television receiver of claim 18, wherein the signal output circuit further comprises:

a low pass filter coupled between the first digital-to-analog converter and the first and second driver circuits, the low pass filter providing low pass filtering function.

20. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit comprises:

a first serializer circuit coupled to receive the digital output signals from the signal processor and convert the digital output signals to a serial digital data stream;

a first driver circuit comprising a differential output driver for driving the serial digital data stream from the first serializer onto a first output terminal and a second output terminal;

a first digital-to-analog converter coupled to receive digital output signals from the signal processor encoding audio information and convert the digital output signals to analog output signals; and

a second driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the first digital-to-analog converter onto a third output terminal,

wherein the first and second output terminals provide differential output signals indicative of video and audio information encoded in the input RF signal when the input RF signal has a digital television signal format and provide differential output signal indicative of video information when the input RF signal has an analog television signal format; and

the third output terminal provides signals indicative of audio information encoded in the input RF signal when the input RF signal has an analog television signal format.

21. The television receiver of claim 20, wherein the first, second and third output terminals of the signal output circuit are coupled to a demodulator-decoder circuit, the demodulator-decoder circuit demodulating the serial digital data stream when the data stream corresponds to a digital television format and the demodulator-decoder circuit decoding the serial digital data stream when the data stream corresponds to an analog television format.

22. The television receiver of claim 20, wherein the signal output circuit further comprises:

a second digital-to-analog converter coupled to receive the digital output signals from the signal processor and convert the digital output signals to analog output signal; and

a third driver circuit for driving the analog output signals from the second digital-to-analog converter onto a fourth output terminal,

wherein the fourth output terminal provides signals indicative of video information encoded in the input RF signal when the input RF signal has an analog television signal format.

23. The television receiver of claim 20, wherein the signal output circuit further comprises:

a second serializer circuit coupled to receive the digital output signals from the signal processor and convert the digital output signals to a serial digital data stream; and

a third driver circuit comprising a differential output driver for driving the serial digital data stream from the second serializer onto a fourth output terminal and a fifth output terminal,

wherein the first and second driver circuits drive the serial digital data stream corresponding to a digital television format and the fourth and fifth driver circuits drive the serial digital data stream corresponding to an analog television format.

24. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the signal processor applies one of a plurality of finite impulse response filters to the digital representation of the intermediate frequency signal, each of the plurality of finite impulse response corresponding to a format of the input RF signal.

25. The television receiver of claim 24, wherein the plurality of finite impulse response filters are stored in a memory, and the signal processor indexes the memory to retrieve one of the plurality of finite impulse response filters.

26. The television receiver of claim 24, wherein the signal processor comprises a first computing unit and a second computing unit, the first computing unit processing a real part of the finite impulse response filter operation while the second computing unit processing an imaginary part of the finite impulse response filter operation.

27. The television receiver of claim 24, further comprising a format/standard selection circuit coupled to the signal processor, the format/standard selection circuit generating a select signal indicative of a format of the input RF signal and the signal processor selecting a finite impulse response filter in response to the select signal.

28. The television receiver of claim 27, wherein the format/standard selection circuit generates the select signal in response to an input signal from a user.

29. The television receiver of claim 27, wherein the format/standard selection circuit generates the select signal by detecting carrier signals identifying one of the formats of the input RF signals.

30. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the input RF signal comprises an RF signal received from terrestrial broadcast, an RF signal received from satellite broadcast, and an RF signal received from cable transmission.

31. A method for receiving an input RF signal, comprising:

receiving the input RF signal encoding information in one of a plurality of television signal formats;

converting the input RF signal to an intermediate frequency signal having an intermediate frequency;

digitizing the intermediate frequency signal at a sampling frequency;

processing the digitized signals in accordance with the format of the input RF signal and generating digital output signals indicative of information encoded in the input RF signal; and

providing one or more output signals corresponding to the digital output signal at one or more output terminals.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the plurality of formats comprise an analog television format and a digital television format.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the processing the digital signals is performed in response to a select signal indicative of the format of the input RF signal.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

generating the select signal by detecting carrier signals in the input RF signal identifying the format of the input RF signal.