Signal swap apparatus for a television receiver having an HDTV main picture signal processor and an NTSC Pix-in-Pix signal processor

• US 5,453,796 A
• Filed: 06/28/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Duffield, David J., Altmanshofer, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Application Number:
  US08/266,902
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/584, 348/567
• US Class Current: 348/565
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• 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 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A television receiver system having PIP capability includes two NTSC tuners and signal processing arrangements, and an HDTV tuner and signal processing arrangement. In order to accomplish a CHANNEL SWAP function, a controller searches a table for data indicative of pairing of NTSC channels and HDTV channels, the NTSC channel associated with the main channel HDTV source is tuned by the PIP NTSC tuner, and the HDTV channel associated with the PIP NTSC source is tuned by the HDTV tuner. If the inset image has no paired HDTV channel then the second NTSC tuner is controlled to select the channel formerly tuned by the PIP NTSC tuner.

Claims

1. A television receiver, comprising:

a conventional tuner and signal processing arrangement for receiving and processing a television signal in a conventional format, and having an output at which said television signal of said conventional format is developed, said conventional tuner being responsive to a first control signal;

an HDTV tuner and signal processing arrangement for receiving and processing a television signal in an HDTV format, and having an output at which said television signal of said HDTV formal is developed, said HDTV tuner being responsive to a second control signal;

user-operable data input circuitry adapted to receive user-entered data or commands;

a controller responsive to said user-entered data or commands for generating said first and second control signals;

memory circuitry coupled to said controller for storing data indicative of a pairing of a first television channel broadcasting in said HDTV format with a first television channel broadcasting in a conventional format, and a second television channel broadcasting in said HDTV format with a second television channel broadcasting in said conventional format;

a picture-in-picture processor having an input coupled to said output of said conventional tuner and having an output at which picture-in-picture video signals are generated; and

a further video processing unit for receiving said television signal in said HDTV format and for receiving said picture-in-picture video signals and producing a combined signal which when displayed on a display screen causes the display of a main image in HDTV format and an inset image in said conventional format;

said controller, in response to the entering of a channel swap command via said user-operable data input circuitry when said first HDTV channel is tuned by said HDTV tuner for providing said main image and said second conventional television channel broadcasting in a said conventional format channel is tuned by said conventional tuner for providing said inset picture, causes tuning of said second HDTV channel for providing said main image and causes tuning of said first conventional channel for providing said inset picture.

2. The television receiver of claim 1 wherein, said conventional tuner is an NTSC tuner.

3. The television receiver of claim 1 wherein, said conventional tuner is a PAL tuner.

4. The television receiver of claim 1 wherein, said conventional tuner is a SECAM tuner.

5. A television receiver, comprising:

first and second conventional tuners and signal processing arrangements for receiving and processing television signals in a conventional format, each of said first and second conventional tuners having an output at which said television signal of said conventional format is developed, said first conventional tuner being responsive to a first control signal and said second conventional tuner being responsive to a second control signal;

a third HDTV tuner and signal processing arrangement for receiving and processing a television signal in an HDTV format, and having an output at which said television signal of said HDTV format is developed, said HDTV tuner being responsive to a third control signal;

user-operable data input circuitry adapted to receive user-entered data or commands;

a controller responsive to said user-entered data or commands for generating said first, second and third control signals;

memory circuitry coupled to said controller for storing data indicative of a pairing of a television channel broadcasting in said HDTV format with a television channel broadcasting in said conventional format;

a picture-in-picture processor having an input coupled to said output of said second conventional tuner and having an output at which picture-in-picture video signals are generated;

said controller, in response to the entering of a channel swap command via said user-operable data input circuitry, searches said data indicative of pairing of HDTV channels and conventional channels, and said controller,

upon determining that a currently displayed main channel image is received from an HDTV source, stores data indicative of the associated conventional channel of said HDTV channel in a PIP-related memory location, or

upon determining that said main channel image is not received from an HDTV source, stores data indicative of said conventional channel tuned by said second conventional tuner in a PIP-related memory location,

said controller, upon determining that said inset image is received from a conventional channel having a paired HDTV channel, stores data indicative of said paired HDTV channel in a main-picture-related memory location, and

said controller, upon determining that said inset image is not received from a conventional channel having a paired HDTV channel, stores data indicative of said conventional channel in a main-picture-related memory location, and causes tuning of said main picture in accordance with said data stored in said main-picture-related memory location, and causes tuning of said inset image in accordance with said data stored in said PIP-related memory location.

6. The television receiver of claim 5 wherein, said first and second conventional tuners are NTSC tuners.

7. The television receiver of claim 5 wherein,

said first and second conventional tuners are PAL tuners.

8. The television receiver of claim 5 wherein,

said first and second conventional tuners are SECAM tuners.

9. A television receiver, comprising:

a first tuner and signal processing arrangement for receiving and processing a television signal in a first format, and having an output at which said television signal of said first format is developed, said first tuner being responsive to a first control signal;

a second tuner and signal processing arrangement for receiving and processing a television signal in a second format, and having an output at which said television signal of said second format is developed, said second tuner being responsive to a second control signal;

, said first and second formats being mutually incompatible;

user-operable data input circuitry adapted to receive user-entered data or commands;

a controller responsive to user-entered data or commands for generating said first and second control signals;

memory circuitry coupled to said controller for storing data indicative of a pairing of a first television channel broadcasting in said first format with a first television channel broadcasting in said second format, and a second television channel broadcasting in said first format with a second television channel broadcasting in said second format;

a picture-in-picture processor having an input coupled to said output of said second tuner and having an output at which picture-in-picture video signals are generated; and

a further video processing unit for receiving said television signal in said second format and for receiving said picture-in-picture video signals and producing a combined signal which when displayed on a display screen causes the display of a main image in first format and an inset image in said second format;

said controller, in response to the entering of a channel swap command via said user-operable data input circuitry when said first television channel broadcasting in said first format is tuned by said first tuner for providing said main image and said second television channel broadcasting in said second format is tuned by said second tuner for providing said inset image, causes tuning of said second television channel broadcasting in said first format for providing said main image and said first television channel broadcasting in said second format for providing said inset image.

10. A television receiver, comprising:

an HDTV tuner and signal processing circuitry for receiving and processing HDTV television signals, and having an output at which said HDTV television signals are developed, said HDTV tuner being responsive to a first control signal;

a conventional tuner and signal processing circuitry for receiving and processing for receiving conventional television signals, and having an output at which said conventional television signals are developed, said conventional tuner being responsive to a second control signal;

user-operable data input circuitry adapted to receive user-entered data or commands;

a controller responsive to said user-entered data or commands for generating said first and second control signals;

memory circuitry coupled to said controller for storing data indicative of a pairing of a first HDTV television channel with a first conventional television channel, and a second HDTV television channel with a second conventional television channel;

a picture-in-picture processor having an input coupled to said output of said conventional tuner and having an output at which picture-in-picture video signals are generated;

circuitry having an output coupled to said controller, for receiving and processing auxiliary data transmitted during synchronizing portions of said conventional television signals, said auxiliary data being indicative of the availability of an associated HDTV channel; and

a switch having a first input coupled to receive conventional video signals and a second input coupled to receive HDTV video signals, said switch selecting signals at one of said inputs in response to said control signals, and coupling a selected signal to an output;

a further video processing unit having an input coupled to said HDTV tuner for receiving said HDTV television signal and having an input coupled to said output of said switch for receiving said picture-in-picture video signals and producing a combined signal which when displayed on a display screen causes the display of a main image in HDTV format and an inset image in said conventional format;

said controller, in response to the entering of a channel swap command via said user-operable data input circuitry when said first HDTV television channel is tuned by said HDTV tuner for providing said main image and said second conventional television channel is tuned by said conventional tuner for providing said inset image, and in response to said auxiliary data indicating availability of an HDTV channel associated with said second conventional channel, searches said memory circuitry, and retrieves a channel number of said second HDTV television channel and causes tuning of said second HDTV television channel for providing said main image and causes tuning of said first conventional television channel for providing said inset image;

said controller, in response to the entering of a channel swap command via said user-operable data input circuitry and in response to said auxiliary data indicating nonavailability of an HDTV channel associated with said second conventional television channel, causes tuning of said second conventional television for providing said main image and causes tuning of said first conventional television channel for providing said inset image.