Record and replay television device and method

• US 20090244378A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chen, Wanhua
• Application Number:
  US12/079,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20090244378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/565
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a method of controlling operation of a television receiver device involves determining that there remote control commands for “record” and “play” are directed to the television receiver device; checking a remote control receiver for receipt of either “record” or “play” command; when a record command is received by the remote control receiver, storing N seconds of scaled video to a memory residing in the television receiver device; and when a play command is received by the remote control receiver, playing out the N seconds of scaled video from the memory in a picture-in-picture (PIP) window. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A television receiver device, comprising in combination:

a television receiver receiving a television signal and producing a digital video output therefrom;

a video display for displaying video images;

a video scaling device that scales the digital video output to a scaled size suitable for display in a picture-in-picture (PIP) display window of the display;

a memory coupled to the video scaling device for receiving and storing the scaled digital video from the video scaling device, the memory being of such size to store N seconds of scaled video;

a remote command receiver that receives commands from a remote commander;

an interface for connection of at least one video recording device;

a processor that receives “

record” and

“

play”

commands from the remote command receiver which are directed at the television receiver device, wherein;

upon receipt of a record command, the processor enables recording of the scaled video from the video scaling device to the memory; and

upon receipt of a playback command, the processor enables playback of the N seconds of scaled video from the memory to the PIP window on the display.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein upon receipt of the play command, the processor enables playback of the scaled video from the memory by opening the PIP window and causing the N seconds of scaled video to be multiplexed or overlaid on a main video signal.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the processor closes the PIP window after the playback of the N seconds of scaled video from the memory to the PIP window on the display.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor closes the PIP window after the playback of the N seconds of scaled video from the memory to the PIP window on the display.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein N seconds is approximately equal to 5 to 10 seconds.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that commands are directed to the television receiver device by virtue of their being no active video recording device is connected to the interface by reading the information from a stored table.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that commands are directed to the television receiver device by virtue of their being no active video recording device is connected to the interface by inspection of connections to the interface.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that commands are directed to the television receiver device by virtue of a configuration of the remote commander being configured to transmit the commands in a television mode.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that no active video recording device is connected to the interface by inspecting a status of devices connected to the interface.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the memory comprises flash memory.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the PIP window occupies less than about one fourth of the display.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein upon receipt of a record command, the processor enables continuous recording of the latest N seconds of the scaled video from the video scaling device to the memory until the recording is halted by a remote command.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the playback is carried out in slow motion.

14. A television receiver device, comprising:

a television receiver receiving a television signal and producing a digital video output therefrom;

a video display for displaying video images;

a video scaling device that scales the digital video output to a scaled size suitable for display in a picture-in-picture (PIP) display window of the display;

a memory coupled to the video scaling device for receiving and storing the scaled digital video from the video scaling device, the memory being of such size to store N seconds of scaled video, where N is approximately 5-10;

a remote command receiver that receives commands from a remote commander;

an interface for connection of at least one video recording device;

a processor that determines that receives “

record” and

“

play”

commands from the remote command receiver directed to the television receiver device, wherein;

upon receipt of a record command, the processor enables recording of the scaled video from the video scaling device to the memory;

upon receipt of a playback command, the processor enables slow motion playback of the N seconds of scaled video from the memory to the PIP window on the display;

wherein upon receipt of the play command, the processor enables playback of the scaled video from the memory by opening the PIP window and causing the N seconds of scaled video to be multiplexed or overlaid on a main video signal; and

wherein the processor closes the PIP window after the playback of the N seconds of scaled video from the memory to the PIP window on the display.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the processor determines that commands are directed to the television receiver device by virtue of a configuration of the remote commander being configured to transmit the commands in a television mode.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the processor determines that commands are directed to the television receiver device by determining that no active video recording device is connected to the interface by reading the information from a stored table.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the processor determines that commands are directed to the television receiver device by virtue of their being no active video recording device is connected to the interface by inspection of connections to the interface for an active connected video recording device.

18. The device according to claim 14, wherein upon receipt of a record command, the processor enables continuous recording of the latest N seconds of the scaled video from the video scaling device to the memory until the recording is halted by a remote command.

19. A method of controlling operation of a television receiver device, comprising in combination:

determining that there remote control commands for “

record” and

“

play”

are directed to the television receiver device;

checking a remote control receiver for receipt of either “

record”

or “

play”

command;

when a record command is received by the remote control receiver, storing N seconds of scaled video to a memory residing in the television receiver device; and

when a play command is received by the remote control receiver, playing out the N seconds of scaled video from the memory in a picture-in-picture (PIP) window.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein upon receipt of the play command playing back the scaled video from the memory by opening the PIP window and causing the N seconds of scaled video to be multiplexed or overlaid on a main video signal.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising closing the PIP window after the playback of the N seconds of scaled video from the memory to the PIP window on the display.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein N seconds is approximately equal to 5 to 10 seconds.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the playback is carried out in slow motion.

24. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to claim 19.