Method for updating electronic program guide information and device thereof in a digital TV receiver

• US 6,405,372 B1
• Filed: 06/22/1998
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Je-Ik, Park, Ju-Ha
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/102,279
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/553, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/731, 348/732, 345/327, 725/39, 725/49, 725/50
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A device for updating EPG information in a digital TV receiver having a first tuner and a second tuner while viewing a channel selected by the first tuner, including first and second IF modules each converting respective IF signals output from the first and second tuners depending upon the channel selections into respective baseband signals, and first and second channel decoders each converting respective output signals from the first and second tuners to respective channel signals so as to reconstruct respective data bit streams. The device further includes a first TS decoder to separate respective audio data, video data, and auxiliary data from said data bit stream reconstructed by the first channel decoder, a second TS decoder separating auxiliary data from the data bit stream reconstructed by the second channel decoder, a memory to store the EPG information, and a controller to update the memory with the auxiliary data separated by the second TS decoder from the data bit stream obtained through the other channels selected by the second tuner.

Claims

1. A method for updating electronic program guide (EPG) information in a digital television TV receiver having first and second tuners, comprising:

selecting a current viewing channel, and receiving and updating the EPG information for the current viewing channel, by use of the first tuner; and

receiving and updating the EPG information for predetermined channels through checking channels by use of the second tuner.

2. The method for updating EPG information as defined in claim 1, further comprising presetting the channels to be checked by a user.

3. The method for updating EPG information as defined in claim 1, wherein the channels to be checked are the remaining channels except the current viewing channel.

4. The method for updating EPG information as defined in claim 1, wherein the channels to be checked are all the channels currently being received by the digital TV receiver.

5. A device for updating electronic program guide (EPG) information in a digital TV receiver, comprising:

first and second tuners, each to select a channel, to generate respective intermediate frequency (IF) signals;

first and second IF modules to convert the respective IF signals output from said first and second tuners depending upon the channel selections into respective baseband signals;

first and second channel decoders to channel decode the respective baseband signals output from said first and second IF modules, to reconstruct respective data bit streams;

a first transport stream (TS) decoder to separate respective audio data, video data and auxiliary data from the data bit stream reconstructed by said first channel decoder;

a second TS decoder to separate auxiliary data from the data bit stream reconstructed by said second channel decoder;

a memory to store the EPG information; and

a controller, wherein said controller

checks a plurality of the channels by use of said second tuner,

selects a current viewing channel by use of said first tuner,

confirms the EPG information in the auxiliary data received from predetermined channels, and

updates the EPG information to said memory.

6. The device for updating EPG information of the digital TV receiver as defined in claim 5, wherein the plurality of channels to be checked are preset by a user.

7. The device for updating EPG information of the digital TV receiver as defined in claim 5, wherein the plurality of channels to be checked are the remaining channels received by the digital TV receiver except the current viewing channel.

8. The device for updating EPG information of the digital TV receiver as defined in claim 5, wherein said controller includes an automatic channel checking program to automatically check all the channels being received by the digital TV receiver.

9. The device for updating EPG information of the digital TV receiver as defined in claim 5, wherein said controller comprises a microprocessor.

10. A method for updating program guide information provided in each of a plurality of channels received by a digital television (TV) receiver, comprising:

selecting one of the plurality of channels as a current viewing channel;

checking at least one of the plurality of channels other than the current viewing channel during viewing of the current viewing channel; and

updating the program guide information of the at least one other channel and the current viewing channel using first and second tuners during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

storing the program guide information for all of the plurality of channels received by the digital TV receiver;

wherein said checking comprises

checking the at least one other channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel, to generate new program guide information of each of the at least one checked channel,

comparing the new program guide of each of the at least one checked channel with the stored program guide information of the at least one checked channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and

updating the stored program guide information with the new program guide of the at least one checked channel if the stored program guide information and the new program guide information of the at least one checked channel differ from each other.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said checking comprises:

checking all of the plurality of channels including the current viewing channel received by the digital television receiver during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and

updating the program guide information of all of the plurality of channels during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said checking comprises:

checking all of the plurality of channels except the current viewing channel received by the digital television receiver during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and

updating the program guide information of all of the plurality of channels except the current viewing channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said checking comprises:

enabling a user to select ones of the plurality of channels received by the digital television receiver; and

updating the program guide information of the selected ones of the plurality of channels by the user during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

15. A device for updating program guide information provided in each of a plurality of channels received by a digital television receiver, comprising:

a memory to store the program guide information of each of the plurality of channels;

a first tuner to select one of the plurality of channels as a current viewing channel;

a second tuner to check at least one of the plurality of channels other than the current viewing channel during viewing of the current viewing channel;

a processing unit to extract the program guide information from the current viewing channel and the program guide information from the at least one of the plurality of channels other than the current viewing channel; and

a control unit to control the checking of the at least one of the plurality of channels other than the current viewing channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and to update the program guide information of the at least one other channel in said memory.

16. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

said first tuner generates a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal from the current viewing channel; and

said second tuner generates at least one second IF signal from the at least one other channel, respectively;

said processing unit comprises

a first IF module to convert the first IF signal to a baseband signal,

a first channel decoder to decode the first baseband signal into a first reconstructed data bit stream,

a first transport stream (TS) decoder to separate the program guide information of the current viewing channel from the first reconstructed bit stream,

a second IF module to convert the at least one second IF signal to at least one baseband signal, respectively,

a second channel decoder to decode the at least one second baseband signal into at least one second reconstructed data bit stream, respectively, and

a second transport stream (TS) decoder to separate the program guide information of the at least one other channel from the at least one second reconstructed bit stream, respectively.

17. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said control unit controls said second tuner to check all of the plurality of channels including the current viewing channel received by the digital television receiver during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and updates the program guide information of all of the plurality of channels in said memory during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

18. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said control unit controls said second tuner to check all of the plurality of channels except the current viewing channel received by the digital television receiver during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and updates the program guide information of all of the plurality of channels except the current viewing channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

19. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said control unit receives selections from a user of ones of the plurality of channels received by the digital television receiver, controls said second tuner to check the selected ones of the plurality of channels by the user during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and updates the program guide information of the selected ones of the plurality of channels by the user during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

20. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method for updating program guide information provided in each of a plurality of channels received by a digital television (TV) receiver by a computer, the method comprising:

selecting one of the plurality of channels as a current viewing channel;

checking at least one of the plurality of channels other than the current viewing channel during viewing of the current viewing channel; and

updating the program guide information of the at least one other channel and the current viewing channel using first and second tuners during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

21. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

storing the program guide information for all of the plurality of channels received by the digital TV receiver;

wherein said checking comprises

checking the at least one other channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel, to generate new program guide information of each of the at least one checked channel,

comparing the new program guide of each of the at least one checked channel with the stored program guide information of the at least one checked channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and

updating the stored program guide information with the new program guide of the at least one checked channel if the stored program guide information and the new program guide information of the at least one checked channel differ from each other.

22. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein said checking comprises:

checking all of the plurality of channels including the current viewing channel received by the digital television receiver during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and

updating the program guide information of all of the plurality of channels during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

23. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein said checking comprises:

checking all of the plurality of channels except the current viewing channel received by the digital television receiver during the viewing of the current viewing channel, and

updating the program guide information of all of the plurality of channels except the current viewing channel during the viewing of the current viewing channel.

24. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein said checking comprises:

enabling a user to select ones of the plurality of channels received by the digital television receiver; and

updating the program guide information of the selected ones of the plurality of channels by the user during the viewing of the current viewing channel.