Program guide in a digital video system

• US 6,064,378 A
• Filed: 10/21/1998
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Johnson, Michael W., Chaney, John W., Hailey, James E., Beyers, Bill W. Jr., Bridgewater, Kevin E., Deiss, Michael S., Horton, Raymond S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/176,567
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/569, 348/564, 348/563, 348/465, 348/461, 348/469, 345/327, 345/328
• US Class Current: 725/39
• 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 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Apparatus and method for acquiring a program from a packetized signal in response to ancillary information included in the packetized signal. The packetized signal includes a plurality of program signals and ancillary information associated with the plurality of program signals. The apparatus includes means for identifying the ancillary information from the packetized signal, the ancillary information including master guide information for use in identifying and acquiring special guide information, and special guide information for use in acquiring program information associated with the plurality of program signals. The program signals may be acquired using identifier information that may be derived from the ancillary information. The apparatus includes means responsive to the ancillary information for acquiring a selected program from the packetized signal.

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a packetized signal and for identifying ancillary information included in said packetized signal, said ancillary information comprising;

a) master guide information for use in identifying and acquiring special guide information; and

b) special guide information for use in acquiring program information associated with a program included in said packetized signal; and

means responsive to said ancillary information for acquiring said program from said packetized signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said master guide information is identified using a predetermined data identifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said master guide information includes data identifiers for use in acquiring said special guide information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said special guide information is partitioned and said data identifiers identify partitioned segments of said special guide information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said master guide information also identifies at least one of:

(a) number of segments,

(b) segment type,

(c) segment address and

(d) active segments.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said segments are hierarchically associated with said master guide information.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein

said segments are hierarchically arranged.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

each of said partitioned segments comprises a table.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said special guide information contains information segments for use in identifying and acquiring channels and programs.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein

said information segments for use in identifying and acquiring channels comprises a list of available channels and pointers to associated programs.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein

said information segments for use in identifying and acquiring programs includes:

(a) program guide information listing program start times, and

(b) duration.

12. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said auxiliary information includes system information including at least one of encryption keys for use in decrypting encrypted programs and error detection data.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said master guide information contains a program segment map including a linked array of elements including one or more of:

(a) title,

(b) start time,

(c) duration,

(d) rating and

(e) category of each program.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said ancillary information includes program map identifiers for identifying audio and video components of an individual program.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said auxiliary information associates each individual program with a program content rating.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said master guide information includes program related data associated with programs transmitted during a first time period, and said special guide information includes program related data associated with programs transmitted during a second time period, said second time period following said first time period.

16. Method for forming a packetized signal comprising the steps of:

forming ancillary information including program guide information for inclusion in said packetized signal, said ancillary information including;

a) master guide information for use in identifying and acquiring special guide information; and

b) special guide information for use in acquiring program information; and

incorporating in said ancillary information data for use in linking and assembling packets comprising said master guide information and said special guide information in a decoder.

17. The method of claim 16, further including the step of:

incorporating a predetermined data identifier for identifying the master guide information in the packetized signal.

19. A method for processing a packetized signal, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring ancillary information included in the packetized signal;

identifying master guide information included in the ancillary information;

identifying special guide information included in the ancillary information using the master guide information, and using the special guide information to determine program information associated with a program included in the packetized signal; and

acquiring the program included in the packetized signal in response to the ancillary information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the master guide information identifying step comprises identifying master guide information using a predetermined data identifier.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the program acquiring step comprises acquiring a first program transmitted during a first period of time in response to the master guide information and acquiring a second program transmitted during a second period of time in response to the special guide information, the second time period following the first time period.