High definition television for simultaneously displaying plural images contained in broadcasting signals of mutually different broadcasting systems

• US 6,373,527 B1
• Filed: 07/02/1998
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Tae-Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yenke, Brian P.
• Application Number:
  US09/109,935
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.327, H04/N.546, H04/N.545, H04/N.5445, 348/554, 348/555, 348/556, 348/558, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/568, 348/913, 375/316
• US Class Current: 348/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital 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 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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

Abstract

A high definition television (HDTV) for displaying an image contained in a broadcasting signal of mutually different broadcasting systems is provided. The HDTV restores a first image signal which is an image signal contained in an HD digital broadcasting signal and a second image signal which is an image signal contained in an NTSC analog broadcasting signal which are input from an antenna and an external input port, and format-converts each restored image signal into an image signal having a predetermined frame format. An image signal synthesizer including two memories and a timing signal generator time-base-compresses the format-converted first and second image signals so as to correspond to a main picture and a sub-picture of a PIP image to be displayed, and synthesizes the first and second image signals into a single PIP image signal. A CRT displays a PIP image contained in the PIP image signal on a screen.

Claims

1. A high definition television (HDTV) for displaying on a screen images contained in a high definition (HD) digital broadcasting signal and an analog broadcasting signal input via an antenna or an external input port, the HDTV comprising:

a first broadcasting signal processor for restoring a first image signal which is an image signal contained in the HD digital broadcasting signal;

a second broadcasting signal processor for restoring a second image signal which is an image signal contained in the analog broadcasting signal;

a host computer;

a first format converter for converting the frame format of the first image signal restored by the first broadcasting signal processor into a predetermined frame format under the control of the host computer, wherein the host computer discriminates the frame format of the first image signal restored by the first signal processor and controls the first format converter based on the discriminated result;

a second format converter for converting the frame format of the second image signal restored by the second broadcasting signal processor into the predetermined frame format;

an image signal synthesizer for synthesizing the first and second image signals format-converted by the first and second format converters into a single picture-in-picture (PIP) image signal; and

a display module for visually displaying the PIP image signal on the screen.

2. The HDTV according to claim 1, wherein said image signal synthesizer comprises:

a timing signal generator for generating a timing signal;

a first memory for time-base-compressing the first image signal format-converted by the first format converter and storing and outputting the time-base-compressed result, during the time when the timing signal is input; and

a second memory for time-base-compressing the second image signal format-converted by the second format converter and storing and outputting the time-base-compressed result, during the time when the timing signal is input, and

wherein said timing signal generator alternately applies the timing signal to the first and second memories, so that the respective second image signals stored in the first and second memories are output alternately.

3. The HDTV according to claim 2, wherein said image signal synthesizer further comprises an on-screen-graphic module (OSGM) for generating on-screen character data and a fast blanking signal representing the operational state of the HDTV and synthesizing the on-screen character data in a predetermined area of the PIP image signal using the fast blanking signal, and wherein said display module visually displays the PIP image signal synthesized with the on-screen character data by the OSGM on the screen.

4. The HDTV according to claim 1, wherein said first image signal contained in the HD digital broadcasting signal is an image signal encoded according to the MPEG-2 system, and said first broadcasting signal processor comprises an MPEG decoder.

5. The HDTV according to claim 1, wherein said analog broadcasting signal is an analog broadcasting signal according to the NTSC system and said second broadcasting signal processor restores and A/D converts the analog broadcasting signal according to the NTSC system.

6. The HDTV according to claim 1, wherein said analog broadcasting signal is an analog broadcasting signal according to the PAL system and said second broadcasting signal processor restores and A/D converts the analog broadcasting signal according to the PAL system.

7. The HDTV according to claim 1, wherein said analog broadcasting signal is an analog broadcasting signal according to the SECAM system and said second broadcasting signal processor restores and A/D converts the analog broadcasting signal according to the SECAM system.

8. The HDTV according to claim 1, wherein said first and second format converters each convert the frame formats of the first and second image signals into a frame format having a vertical frequency of 30 Hz, a horizontal frequency of 31.50 KHz and an aspect ratio of 16:

9.

9. A high definition television (HDTV) for displaying on a screen images contained in a high definition (HD) digital broadcasting signal and an analog broadcasting signal input via an antenna or an external input port, the HDTV comprising:

a first broadcasting signal processor for restoring a first image signal which is an image signal contained in the HD digital broadcasting signal;

a second broadcasting signal processor for restoring a second image signal which is an image signal contained in the analog broadcasting signal;

a host computer;

a first format converter for converting the frame format of the first image signal restored by the first broadcasting signal processor into a predetermined frame format under the control of the host computer;

a second format converter for converting the frame format of the second image signal restored by the second broadcasting signal processor into the predetermined frame format;

an image signal synthesizer for synthesizing the first and second image signals format-converted by the first and second format converters into a single picture-in-picture (PIP) image signal; and

a display module for visually displaying the PIP image signal on the screen, wherein said first broadcasting signal processor comprises;

a tuner for modulating only the broadcasting signal of a desired channel among the broadcasting signals received via the antenna into an intermediate frequency (IF) signal;

an IF module for modulating the broadcasting signal modulated into the IF signal by the tuner into a baseband broadcasting signal;

a first analog-to-digital (A/D) converter for A/D converting the HD digital broadcasting signal modulated into the baseband broadcasting signal by the IF module;

an equalizer for equalizing the HD digital broadcasting signal converted into a digital signal by the first A/D converter;

a channel decoder for channel-decoding the HD digital broadcasting signal equalized by the equalizer;

a demultiplexer for separating the first image signal from the HD digital broadcasting signal channel-decoded by the channel decoder; and

an image signal decoder for receiving and decoding the first image signal separated from the HD digital broadcasting signal by the demultiplexer, and

wherein said IF module outputs the broadcasting signal to the second broadcasting signal processor when the broadcasting signal received from the antenna is an analog broadcasting signal.

10. The HDTV according to claim 9, wherein said second broadcasting signal processor comprises:

an external input port;

an audio/video (A/V) switch for selectively outputting only an analog broadcasting signal among the analog broadcasting signal received from the IF module and the external input port under the control of the host computer; and

a chroma processor for generating a luminance signal, a first color difference signal and a second color difference signal using the analog broadcasting signal received from the A/V switch, wherein the luminance signal, the first color difference signal and the second color difference signal are the second image signal; and

a second A/D converter for A/D converting the second image signal restored by the chroma processor.

11. The HDTV according to claim 9, wherein said HD digital broadcasting signal is a multiplexed signal by a transport stream (T/S) encoder, and said demultiplexer is a T/S decoder.