Broadcast receiving device and broadcast receiving method

• US 20070070256A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ogusu, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/738
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/301 the gain being continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

A broadcast receiving device includes a receiver configured to selectively receive two programs; an analyzer configured to analyze sound volume levels of the two programs for a certain time; and an adjuster configured to adjust the relative sound volume levels of the two programs, when the analysis indicates that there is a difference between the sound volume levels of the two programs, so as to control the difference between the sound volume levels to within a predetermined reference level difference.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving device for simultaneously receiving two different programs, the broadcast receiving device comprising:

receiving means for selectively receiving two programs;

analyzing means for analyzing sound volume levels of the two programs for a certain time; and

adjusting means for adjusting the relative sound volume levels of the two programs, when the analysis by the analyzing means indicates that there is a difference between the sound volume levels of the two programs, so as to control the difference between the sound volume levels to within a predetermined reference level difference.

2. The broadcast receiving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when at least an audio signal is switched from an audio signal of one of the two programs to an audio signal of the other of the two programs, and when the result of the analysis by the analyzing means indicates that there is a difference between the sound volume levels of the two programs, the adjusting means adjusts the relative sound volume levels of the two programs so as to control the difference between the sound volume levels to within the predetermined reference level difference.

3. The broadcast receiving device as claimed in claim 2, wherein when at least the audio signal is switched from the audio signal of one of the two programs to the audio signal of the other of the two programs, the analyzing means analyzes for a certain time an audio level immediately before the switching in an audio storing buffer corresponding to the one program and an audio level immediately after the switching in an audio storing buffer corresponding to the other program.

4. The broadcast receiving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the broadcast receiving device is configured to simultaneously receive an analog broadcast and a digital broadcast, and the receiving means selectively receives a desired program from each of the analog broadcast and the digital broadcast.

5. The broadcast receiving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the difference between the sound volume levels is a difference between peak values of audio signals of the two programs.

6. The broadcast receiving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the difference between the sound volume levels is a difference between integrated values of audio signals of the two programs.

7. The broadcast receiving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the difference between the sound volume levels is a difference between average values of audio signals of the two programs.

8. The broadcast receiving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two programs are broadcast by different broadcasting systems.

9. A broadcast receiving method for simultaneously receiving two different programs, the broadcast receiving method comprising:

selectively receiving two programs;

storing sound volume levels of the two programs for a certain time;

switching audio output between the two programs, the sound volume levels of the two programs being stored for the certain time when the switching is performed;

analyzing the sound volume levels of the two programs, stored for the certain time when the switching is performed; and

adjusting the relative sound volume levels of the two programs so as to control the difference between the sound volume levels to within a predetermined reference level difference when a result of the analysis shows that there is a difference between the sound volume levels of the two programs.

10. A broadcast receiving device for simultaneously receiving two different programs, the broadcast receiving device comprising:

a receiver configured to selectively receive two programs;

an analyzer configured to analyze sound volume levels of the two programs for a certain time; and

an adjuster configured to adjust the relative sound volume levels of the two programs, when the analysis by the analyzer indicates that there is a difference between the sound volume levels of the two programs, so as to control the difference between the sound volume levels to within a predetermined reference level difference.