Unified program guide interface

• US 5,625,406 A
• Filed: 07/02/1996
• Issued: 04/29/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Saeger, Timothy W., Rodriguez-Cavazos, Enrique, Newberry, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/674,666
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/584, 348/589, 348/564, 348/6, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/600
• US Class Current: 725/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

Analog and digital video signals are each representative of a picture and each may carry program guide information. A demultiplexer has the digital video signal as an input and the program guide information as an output. A demodulator has at least a luminance component of the analog video signal as an input and the program guide information as an output. A microprocessor, a video graphics adapter, the demultiplexer and the demodulator are interconnected by a data bus. Either of the program guide outputs is transferable to the video graphics adapter, which formats a graphics video signal representative of the program guide information. The graphics video signal and a selected one of the video signals are inputs to a multiplexer, which outputs a combined video signal representative of both the program guide information and the picture represented by the selected video signal.

Claims

1. A program guide interface, comprising:

a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;

first multiplexing means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for display;

respective means for separating said program guide information from each of said analog and digital video signals;

a video graphics generator;

a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information and supplying a control signal; and

,

second multiplexing means responsive to said control signal for combining said graphics video signal with said one of said analog and digital video signals selected by said first multiplexing means to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein an information signal carrying said program guide information is also available from said source.

3. The interface of claim 2, wherein said microprocessor can also route said program guide information from said information signal to said video graphics generator, for said combined video display.

4. The interface of claim 1, further comprising means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for said combined display.

5. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a synchronizing signal separator for supplying scan synchronizing information to said video graphics generator.

6. The interface of claim 1, wherein said means for separating said program guide information comprises a data packet transport stream demultiplexer.

7. The interface of claim 1, wherein said means for separating said program guide information comprises a demodulator for data transmitted in vertical blanking intervals.

8. The interface of claim 1, wherein said combining means comprises:

a first multiplexer for selecting between said digital and analog signals for display; and

,

a second multiplexer for selecting between said previously selected one of said digital and analog video signals and said graphics video signal.

9. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a video encoder coupled to said video graphics generator and said combining means.

10. The interface of claim 9, further comprising means for supplying a burst signal to said encoder.

11. A program guide interface, comprising:

a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;

a demultiplexer having said digital video signal as an input and having said program guide information as a first program guide output;

a demodulator having at least a luminance component of said analog video signal as an input and having said program guide information as a second program guide output;

a first multiplexer having said digital and analog video signals as inputs and having a selected video signal as an output; and

,

a video graphics adapter;

a microprocessor;

a data bus interconnecting said demultiplexer, said demodulator, said video graphics adapter and said microprocessor, any one of said first and second program guide outputs being transferable to said video graphics adapter, said video graphics adapter formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information; and

,

a second multiplexer having said graphics video signal and said selected video signal as inputs and having a combined output video signal representative of both said program guide information and said picture represented by said selected video signal.

12. The interface of claim 11, wherein an information signal carrying said program guide information is also available from said source.

13. The interface of claim 12, wherein said microprocessor can also route said program guide information from said information signal to said video graphics generator.

14. The interface of claim 11, wherein:

said demultiplexer separates data packets from a digital data packet transport stream defining said digital video signal; and

,

said demodulator separates said program guide information from vertical blanking intervals of said analog video signal.

15. A program guide interface, comprising:

a source of an analog video signal representative of a first picture and including program guide information transmitted therewith, a digital video signal representative of a second picture and including said program guide information encoded therewith and an information signal including only said program guide information;

a first multiplexer for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals as a source for a video display;

means for separating said program guide information from each of said analog video signal, said digital video signal and said digital information signal;

a video graphics generator;

a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics adapter formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information; and

,

a second multiplexer for combining said graphics video signal with said selected one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including one of said first and second pictures and said program guide information.

16. The interface of claim 15, wherein said separating means comprises a digital demultiplexer.

17. The interface of claim 15, wherein said separating means comprises an analog demodulator.

18. A program guide interface, comprising:

a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;

means for separating said program guide information from at least one of said analog and digital video signals;

a video graphics generator;

a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information;

a video encoder for said graphics video signal formatted by said video graphics generator; and

,

means for combining said encoded graphics video signal with any one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.

19. The interface of claim 18, wherein said video encoder comprises an RGB to Y, C encoder.

20. The interface of claim 18, further comprising means for supplying a burst signal to said encoder.

21. A program guide interface, comprising:

a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;

respective means for separating said program guide information from each of said analog and digital video signals;

a video graphics generator;

a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information; and

,

means for combining said graphics video signal with either one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.

22. The interface of claim 21, wherein said video graphics generator supplies a control signal to said combining means for switching between said graphics video signal and said either one of said analog and digital video signals.

23. The interface of claim 21, wherein an information signal carrying said program guide information is also available from said source;

and, said microprocessor can also route said program guide information from said information signal to said video graphics generator, for said combined video display.

24. The interface of claim 21, further comprising means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for said combined display.

25. The interface of claim 21, wherein said means for separating said program guide information comprises:

a data packet transport stream demultiplexer; and

,

a demodulator for data transmitted in vertical blanking intervals.

27. The interface of claim 23, further comprising means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for display, said multiplexing means combining said video graphics signal with said one of said analog and digital signals selected for display.

26. A program guide interface, comprising:

a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;

means for separating said program guide information from at least one of said analog and digital video signals;

a video graphics generator;

a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information and supplying a control signal; and

,

multiplexing means responsive to said control signal for combining said graphics video signal with either one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.