Picture pause selecting apparatus and method for a double-wide television

• US 5,801,786 A
• Filed: 05/15/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Kwon-eui
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Philippe, Gims S.
• Application Number:
  US08/647,661
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 348/565, 348/333, 348/731, 348/564, 348/511, 348/567, 348/568, 360/10.1, 358/183, 258/183
• US Class Current: 348/564
• 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 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios

Abstract

A picture pause selecting apparatus and method for a double-wide television for pausing a picture selected by a user. The apparatus operates according to the user selection regardless of the picture mode and regardless of which picture the user selects in the double-picture mode. The apparatus has first and second memories for storing each frame of the left and right picture signals. First and second switches selectively output paused signals and left and right picture signals from first and second memories. The picture pause selecting method reads the input of a picture select button of a key input portion to determine whether to select a wide-picture mode or a double-picture mode; displays a wide-picture if the wide-picture mode is selected; pauses the wide-picture if a wide-picture pause button of the key input portion is pressed during display of the wide-picture mode; displays a double-picture if the double-picture mode is selected; and pauses a left or right picture if a left or right picture pause button is pressed during display of the double-picture mode. Thus, when the picture pause button is pressed in the wide-picture mode, the wide-picture in its entirety is paused as is, and when the picture pause button is pressed in the double-picture mode, either of the left or right picture is paused.

Claims

1. A picture pause selecting apparatus of a double-wide television for selectively processing left and right picture signals introduced via an antenna, comprising:

a controller for outputting first through fifth control signals according to the input of a key input portion;

first memory for receiving said left picture signal, storing a frame of said left picture signal according to the first control signal from said controller and reading out said stored frame of said left picture signal;

second memory for receiving said right picture signal, storing a frame of said right picture signal according to the second control signal from said controller and reading out said stored frame of said right picture signal;

a first switch selecting between

     1) a paused picture signal of a frame output from said first memory and

     2) a broadcast picture signal as an input signal according to the third control signal from said controller;

a second switch selecting between

     1) a paused picture signal of a frame output from said second memory and

     2) a broadcast picture signal as an input signal according to the fourth control signal from said controller;

a double/wide-picture processor for receiving the signals output from said first and second switches and processing said signals into double pictures or a wide-picture according to the fifth control signal from said controller and outputting a processed signal; and

a matrix portion for converting the processed signal output from said double/wide-picture processor into RGB signals.

2. A picture pause selecting method of a double-wide television, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a wide-picture mode or a double-picture mode by reading the input of a picture select button of a key input portion;

(b) displaying a wide-picture if the wide-picture mode is selected in said step (a);

(c) pausing the wide-picture according to activation of a wide-picture pause button of the key input portion and said wide-picture mode is selected;

(d) displaying a double-picture if the double-picture mode is selected in said step (a); and

(e) pausing a left or right picture according to activation of a left or right picture pause button of the key input portion, respectively and said double-picture mode is selected.