INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND TELEVISION TUNER

• US 20100265391A1
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: MURAMATSU, Yasuhiro, Katsumoto, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,233,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/441
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/455 Demodulation-circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27

Abstract

An information processor includes an operation unit for receiving a selected analog television channel, an identification signal generator for generating, from the selected channel, an analog identification signal for identifying the frequency of an analog broadcast signal, an identification signal acquirer for acquiring the analog identification signal, a storage for prestoring correspondence information between a digital identification signal indicating a frequency of a digital broadcast signal and the analog identification signal for each of stations, an identification signal converter for converting the analog identification signal into the digital identification signal using the correspondence information, a receiver for receiving a digital broadcast signal identified by the digital identification signal and extract video and audio code, a video converter and an audio converter for converting the code into equivalent analog video and audio signals, and an analog video acquirer and an analog sound acquirer for acquiring the analog video and audio signals.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an operation receiving unit configured to wait for input of an operation to select an analog television broadcast channel;

an identification signal generating unit configured to generate, on the basis of the selected channel, an analog identification signal for identifying a frequency at which a broadcast signal is broadcasted in an analog format;

an identification signal acquiring unit configured to acquire the analog identification signal from the identification signal generating unit;

a storage unit configured to prestore correspondence information regarding a correspondence between a digital identification signal for identifying a frequency at which a broadcast signal is broadcasted in a digital format and the analog identification signal for each of broadcast stations;

an identification signal conversion unit configured to convert the analog identification signal into the digital identification signal using the correspondence information;

a broadcast receiving unit configured to receive a digital broadcast signal using the frequency identified by the digital identification signal converted by the identification signal conversion unit and extract digital video code and audio code;

a video conversion unit configured to convert the digital video code into an analog video signal having a video format equivalent to a video signal acquired from an analog television broadcast;

an audio conversion unit configured to convert the digital audio code into an analog audio signal having an audio format equivalent to an audio signal acquired from an analog television broadcast;

an analog video acquiring unit configured to acquire the analog video signal; and

an analog sound acquiring unit configured to acquire the analog audio signal.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pseudo notification signal generating unit configured to generate, in accordance with a result of reception of the digital broadcast signal, a pseudo notification signal equivalent to a notification signal to be generated by a television tuner that receives an analog broadcast signal when the television tuner receives the analog broadcast signal;

wherein the identification signal generating unit considers the pseudo notification signal as the notification signal received from the television tuner that receives an analog broadcast signal and performs processing on the basis of the notification signal.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notification signal serves as a tuning signal to be supplied from the television tuner that receives an analog broadcast signal when the television tuner receives the analog broadcast signal, and wherein the pseudo notification signal generating unit generates a pseudo tuning signal equivalent to the tuning signal when the broadcast receiving unit receives the digital broadcast signal.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analog identification signal indicates an analog frequency at which an analog television broadcast signal is broadcasted.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

an analyzing unit configured to analyze the analog frequency indicated by the analog identification signal and converts the analog frequency into an analog physical channel corresponding to the analog frequency;

wherein the digital identification signal indicates a digital physical channel corresponding to a digital frequency at which a digital television broadcast signal is broadcasted, and wherein the correspondence information includes a correspondence between the analog physical channel converted by the analyzing unit and the digital physical channel.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the identification signal generating unit generates a frequency band signal for identifying a frequency band with which the analog broadcast signal is broadcasted together with the analog identification signal, and wherein the identification signal acquiring unit acquires the frequency band signal together with the analog identification signal, and wherein the correspondence information includes a correspondence between the digital identification signal and a combination of the frequency band signal and the analog identification signal for each of broadcast stations, and wherein the identification signal conversion unit converts the combination of the frequency band signal and the analog identification signal into the digital identification signal.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analog identification signal indicates an analog physical channel through which an analog television broadcast signal is broadcasted.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a digital broadcasting operation unit that supports the digital television broadcast.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the storage unit prestores, as the correspondence information, a correspondence between the digital identification signal assigned to each of the broadcast stations by a user operation through the digital broadcasting operation unit and the analog identification signal.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

an additional information video generating unit configured to generate additional information video using additional information contained in the digital broadcast signal in response to a user operation through the digital broadcasting operation unit; and

a combining unit configured to combine the additional information video with video indicated by the video signal.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the additional information video generating unit generates caption video by visualizing caption code representing a caption as the additional information video.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the additional information video generating unit generates data broadcast video by decoding data broadcast code representing data broadcast content as the additional information video.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an extracting unit configured to extract digital program guide information representing a television program guide from the digital broadcast signal;

a conversion unit configured to convert the digital program guide information into converted program guide information having a format equivalent to a format of analog program guide information representing television program guide included in the analog broadcast signal;

a superimposing unit configured to superimpose the converted program guide information on the video signal; and

a program guide information acquiring unit configured to acquire the converted program guide information from the video signal.

14. A television tuner comprising:

an identification signal acquiring unit configured to acquire an analog identification signal for identifying a frequency at which a broadcast signal is broadcasted in an analog format, the identification signal being generated in accordance with a television channel selecting operation;

a storage unit configured to prestore correspondence information regarding a correspondence between a digital identification signal for identifying a frequency at which a broadcast signal is broadcasted in a digital format and the analog identification information for each of broadcast stations;

an identification signal conversion unit configured to convert the analog identification signal into the digital identification signal using the correspondence information;

a broadcast receiving unit configured to receive a digital broadcast signal using the frequency identified by the digital identification signal converted by the identification signal conversion unit and extract digital video code and audio code;

a video conversion unit configured to convert the digital video code into an analog video signal having a video format equivalent to a video signal acquired from an analog television broadcast; and

an audio conversion unit configured to convert the digital audio code into an analog audio signal having an audio format equivalent to an audio signal acquired from an analog television broadcast.