Digital television system with rapid channel surfing

• US 20070171306A1
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pace Micro Technology PLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Jochemsen, Robert, Woerkom, Harald, Lowet, Dietwig, Eggenhuisen, Huib, Otero Perez, Clara, Verhoeven, Marcus, Vlimmeren, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US10/586,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20070171306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/565
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A digital television system includes a first tuner and first decoder for tuning to and decoding a selected digital television signal. A second tuner and second decoder are included for tuning to and decoding a separate digital television signal containing mosaic views of the receivable television signals. Upon a channel change command, first tuner is tuned to the new channel. Simultaneously, the output from the second decoder corresponding to the new channel is applied to the display. As such, the new channel is available for immediate viewing without waiting during the typical decoder delay.

Claims

1. A digital television system comprising:

an input (10) for receiving a plurality of digital television signals;

a first tuner (12) coupled to said input (10) for tuning to a selected one of said digital television signals capable of rendering a high quality video image;

a first decoder (14) coupled to said first tuner (12) for decoding said selected television signal;

a video signal processor (18) for processing said decoded television signal; and

a display (22) for displaying said decoded television signal, characterized in that said digital television system further comprises;

a second tuner (36) coupled to said input (10) for tuning to a separate television signal carrying mosaic views of all channels available in said digital television system, each of said mosaic views having a quality lower than that of said digital television signals;

a second decoder (38) coupled to said second tuner (36) for decoding said separate television signal carrying said mosaic views;

a selector (40) coupled to an output of said second decoder (38) for selecting one of said decoded mosaic views;

a video switch (16) for alternatively coupling outputs from said first decoder (14) and said selector (40) to said video signal processor (18); and

a controller (30) coupled to said first tuner (12), said selector (40) and said video switch (16), said controller (30), in response to a channel change command, causing said first tuner (12) and said selector (40) to, in synchronism, switch to the same channel, and said video switch (16) to temporarily switch to an output of said selector (40) until said first decoder (14) is able to provide a viewable image.

2. The digital television system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital television system further comprises:

an audio signal processing circuit (24) for processing audio signals in a television signal;

an audio switch (42) having a first input coupled to an output of said first decoder (14), a second input coupled to an output of said selector (40), and an output coupled to an input of said audio signal processing circuit (24); and

at least one loudspeaker (28) coupled to an output of said audio signal processing circuit (24) for providing audio sounds corresponding to said audio signals,

and wherein said controller (30) causes said audio switch (42) to switch to the output from said selector (40) in synchronism with the switching of the video switch (16) to the output from the selector (40).

3. The digital television system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separate television signal containing the mosaic view is a high definition television signal.