APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING A BROADCAST STREAM INCLUDING AN ONLINE SERVICE IN A CHANNEL LIST AND A METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130117795A1
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: DURN, Leslie
• Application Number:
  US13/668,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20130117795A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for generating a combined channel list including broadcast services and one or more online services. The apparatus includes: a broadcast receiver which receives a broadcast stream comprising a plurality of broadcast services, and a plurality of logical channel numbers (LCNs) for the plurality of broadcast services; a network communicator which communicates with a network; and a processor which generates a channel list, wherein the broadcast receiver receives information indicating a network location through the received broadcast stream, the network communicator connects to the indicated network location to receive online service information including an LCN of an online service receivable by the network communicator, and the processor generates the channel list based on the plurality of LCNs of the plurality of broadcast services and the LCN of the online service.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a broadcast receiver which receives a broadcast stream comprising a plurality of broadcast services, and a plurality of logical channel numbers (LCNs) for the plurality of broadcast services;

a network communicator which communicates with a network; and

a processor which generates a channel list,

wherein the broadcast receiver receives information indicating a network location through the received broadcast stream,

the network communicator connects to the indicated network location to receive online service information including an LCN of an online service receivable by the network communicator, and

the processor generates the channel list based on the plurality of LCNs of the plurality of broadcast services and the LCN of the online service.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the received online service information comprises a source identifier for identifying a source from which the online service is receivable; and

the processor responds to a command selecting the online service from the generated channel list by connecting to the identified source to receive the online service.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the received online service information comprises an alternative LCN for the online service; and

the processor includes the online service in the channel list at a position corresponding to the alternative LCN in response to another service already using the LCN of the online service, the another service being another online service or one of the broadcast services.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the received online service information identifying a plurality of receivable online services having a same LCN, the processor selects one of the plurality of receivable online services to be included in the channel list at a position corresponding to the same LCN based on a user selection.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the received online service information includes online service identification information for identifying the online service, and the received broadcast stream includes broadcast service identification information for identifying each of the plurality of broadcast services; and

the processor compares the online service identification information to the broadcast service identification information and determines that the online service is also available as one of the broadcast services through the broadcast stream in response to a match being found in the comparing.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is a digital video broadcasting (DVB) receiver and the online service identification information and the broadcast service identification information both comprise DVB triplet information, the DVB triplet information including a transport stream identifier (TSID), an original network identifier (ONID), and a service identifier (SID).

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the received online service information includes preferred source information indicating which of the received broadcast stream and the network is a preferred source for the online service; and

in response to determining that the online service is also available in the received broadcast stream and determining that the preferred source information indicates that the network is the preferred source, the processor includes the online service in the channel list at a position corresponding to an LCN assigned to a same service receivable through the broadcast stream.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor includes the same service receivable through the broadcast stream at a position corresponding to an unused LCN in the channel list.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein in response to determining that the online service is also available in the received broadcast stream, the processor combines content from the online service received through the network with content from a same service received through the broadcast stream, and outputs the combined content.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received online service information comprises a second source identifier for identifying a source from which an application related to the online service is receivable by the network communicator.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor determines whether the received online service information includes the LCN of the online service, assigns one of a plurality of unused LCNs to the online service in response to determining that the LCN is not included in the received online service information, and generates the channel list based on the LCN assigned to the online service.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a digital video broadcasting (DVB) receiver and the processor identifies the network location based on information included in a network information table (NIT) received through the broadcast stream.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a broadcast receiver which receives a broadcast stream comprising a plurality of broadcast services, and a plurality of logical channel numbers (LCNs) for the plurality of broadcast services;

a network communicator which communicates with a network; and

a processor which generates a channel list,

wherein the broadcast receiver receives information indicating a network location through the broadcast stream,

the network communicator connects to the indicated network location to receive online service information identifying an online service receivable by the network communication module,

in response to the received online service information including an LCN of the online service, the processor generates the channel list based on the plurality of LCNs of the plurality of broadcast services and the LCN of the online service, and

in response to the received online service information not including the LCN of the online service, the processor assigns one of a plurality of unused LCNs to the online service and generates the channel list based on the plurality of LCNs of the plurality of broadcast services and the LCN assigned to the online service.

14. A method for use in an apparatus arranged to receive a broadcast stream including a plurality of broadcast services and a plurality of logical channel numbers (LCNs) for the plurality of broadcast services, and further arranged to receive an online service through a network communicator, the method comprising:

receiving information indicating a network location through the received broadcast stream;

connecting to the indicated network location to receive online service information including an LCN of the online service; and

generating a channel list based on the plurality of LCNs of the plurality of broadcast services and the LCN of the online service.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying a source from which the online service is receivable, based on a source identifier included in the received online service information; and

connecting to the identified source to receive the online service, in response to a command selecting the online service from the generated channel list.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, through the received broadcast stream, broadcast service identification information for identifying each of the plurality of broadcast services;

comparing online service identification information, included in the received online service information and for identifying the online service, to the received broadcast service identification information; and

determining that the online service is also available as one of the broadcast services through the broadcast stream in response to a match being found in the comparing.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the received online service information includes the LCN of the online service; and

assigning one of a plurality of unused LCNs to the online service in response to determining that the LCN is not included in the received online service information,

wherein the generating the channel list comprises generating the channel list based on the LCN assigned to the online service.

19. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by an apparatus arranged to receive a plurality of broadcast services through a broadcast stream and an online service through a network communication module, causes the apparatus to perform the method according to claim 14.

18. A method for use in apparatus arranged to receive a broadcast stream including a plurality of broadcast services and a plurality of logical channel numbers (LCNs) for the plurality of broadcast services, and further arranged to receive an online service through a network communicator, the method comprising:

receiving information indicating a network location through the broadcast stream;

controlling the network communicator to connect to the indicated network location to receive online service information identifying the online service;

in response to the received online service information including an LCN of the online service, generating a channel list based on the plurality of LCNs of the plurality of broadcast services and the LCN of the online service; and

in response to the received online service information not including the LCN of the online service, assigning one of a plurality of unused LCNs to the online service and generating the channel list based on the plurality of LCNs of the plurality of broadcast services and the LCN assigned to the online service.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by an apparatus arranged to receive a plurality of broadcast services through a broadcast stream and an online service through a network communication module, causes the apparatus to perform the method according to claim 18.