Liquid crystal display device and entertainment system

• US 6,169,568 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1996
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shigetomi, Tetsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lo, Linus H.
• Application Number:
  US08/762,724
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 348/553, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 348/588, 348/589, 348/600, 348/601, 348/8, 348/581, 345/115, 345/173
• US Class Current: 725/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios

Abstract

An entertainment system wherein a video image and an image containing icons, both having an aspect ratio of 4:3, are displayed on a display screen with an aspect ratio of 16:9 in such a manner that they do not overlap each other. This enables the user to enjoy a clean video image even if dirt from the fingers is left on the touch panel containing the icons disposed on the display screen. Additionally, there is no concern of image quality deterioration, because the source video image is an image with an aspect ratio of 4:3 and is displayed without changing this aspect ratio. The entertainment system includes a scaler to compress a video image with a 4:3 aspect ratio in the horizontal direction, an icon generator that generates icons in a horizontally compressed manner, a mixer to combine the compressed video image with the compressed icons, an NTSC (National Television Standards Committee); and encoder to convert the digital signal into an analog one, and an LCD with circuitry to expand the the combined image to a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Claims

1. A video entertainment system, comprising:

a transmitting unit for transmitting coded video signals, including;

a storage device for storing images;

a transceiver; and

a controller for controlling said storage device and said transceiver;

a communication line connected to the transmitting unit and installed in a guide groove;

a plurality of receiver units, each receiver unit connected to one of the communication line and to another receiver unit that is connected to the communication line, each receiver unit including;

a decoder for decoding said coded video signals from said transmitting unit into decoded digital image data;

a scaler for compressing said decoded digital image data into compressed digital image data and an empty space;

an icon generator for generating compressed icons;

an ID-1 generating circuit for generating ID-1 data defining a wide TV display format;

a mixer with a frame memory for generating a mixed signal by embedding said compressed digital image data in a first area of said frame memory, for embedding said compressed icons in a second area of said frame memory corresponding to said empty space, and for embedding said ID-1 data in a blanking signal area of said frame memory;

an encoder for encoding said mixed signal into an analog video signal for display; and

a display unit including means for detecting said ID-1 data in said blanking signal section of said analog video signal for expanding said analog video signal to said wide TV display formats,

wherein said compressed icons represent operation keys for use on a touch panel disposed on a display screen, said operation keys to be depressed by a user.