Autodetermination of appropriate television signal standard in a television signal receiver

• US 6,670,997 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Nortrup, Kevin Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/713,171
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.546, H04/N.550, H04/N.563, 348/555, 348/554, 348/558, 348/569, 348/730
• US Class Current: 348/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers

Abstract

A television signal receiver, especially a satellite receiver, operable to receive and process incoming television signals, automatically determines which television signal standard to utilize for its output based on a parameter of the electrical power supply or supplied electricity. Frequency and voltage of the electrical power are measurable parameters that may be used to determine whether the NTSC or PAL (PAL-M or PAL-N) television signal standard is more probable as the local preference and automatically causes the television receiver to code received television signals in that format for output. The present invention utilizes the principle that the local television standard coincides in some manner with the local power line frequency and voltage.

Claims

1. A television signal processing apparatus comprising:

means for processing an input television signal in a first format to produce an output television signal in a second format corresponding to one of a plurality of television signal standards;

means for determining a parameter of a supply of electricity for the television signal processing apparatus; and

control means responsive to a first determined value of the parameter of the supply of electricity for automatically selecting one of the plurality of television signal standards, and responsive to a second determined value of the parameter of the supply of electricity for enabling a user to manually assist in selecting one of the plurality of television signal standards, wherein the control means controls the signal processing means to produce the output television signal in the second format corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of television signal standards.

2. The television signal processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of television signal standards comprise NTSC and PAL standards.

3. The television signal processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for determining a parameter of a supply of electricity for the television signal processing apparatus comprises means for determining frequency and voltage of the supply of electricity of the television signal processing apparatus.

4. The television signal processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control means comprises an OSD generator for generating a signal representing on OSD message for enabling a user to manually assist in selecting one of the plurality of television signal standards in response to the second determined value of the parameter of the supply of electricity corresponding to 120 volts @ 60 hertz.

5. The television signal processing apparatus of claim 4 wherein the input television signal comprises a DBS signal.

6. A method for processing a television signal input in a first format in a television signal processing apparatus to produce an output television signal in a second format corresponding to one of a plurality of television signal standards, comprising the steps of:

determining a value of a parameter of a source of operating power of the television signal processing apparatus;

automatically selecting one of the plurality of television signal standards in response to a first value of the parameter;

enabling a user to manually assist with selecting one of the plurality of television signal standards in response to a second value of the parameter; and

controlling the television signal processing apparatus to produce the output television signal in the second format corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of television signal standards.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining a parameter of the source of operating power comprises determining frequency and voltage of the source of operating power.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of television signal standards includes PAL and NTSC standards.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the input television signal comprises a DBS television signal.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of enabling a user to manually assist with selecting one of the plurality of television signal standards comprises the step of generating an OSD message in response to the second value of the parameter corresponding to 120 volts @ 60 hertz.