Set top box which enables television program displayed on a television set to be recorded by means of a video recorder

• US 6,757,477 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kuchar, Franz, Proidl, Adolf, Asano, Makoto, Blümel, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONUAKU, CHRISTOPHER O
• Application Number:
  US09/568,280
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/46, 386/94, 386/125, 725/39, 725/80, 725/133, 725/141, 725/153, 348/552, 348/553, 348/705, 348/706
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9305 involving the mixing of the reproduced video signal with a non-recorded signal, e.g. a text signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A processor for analog and digital audio, video, and control information has analog connections to supply analog A/V signals and output control information to a television set. At the beginning of a recording mode in the DVHS video recorder, when an A/V signal (which may be a processed digital reception signal) of a television program just being displayed on the television set is applied to the television set, the signal is supplied to the DVHS video recorder as an A/V signal via an analog connection and/or as digital A/V data via a digital connection. An A/V signal of a television program being displayed on the television set and supplied by its tuner is transferred from one analog connection to another analog connection from the beginning of a recording mode in the DVHS video recorder, as a result of which the A/V signal is recorded by the DVHS video recorder.

Claims

1. A processing arrangement for processing and transferring analog and digital audio, video and control information, comprising:

first analog connection means and second analog connection means via which analog A/V signals and output control information can be applied to the processing arrangement and can be supplied by the processing arrangements, to which first analog connection means a television set can be connected and to which second analog connection means a recording arrangement can be connected;

digital connection means via which digital A/V data and control data can be applied to the processing arrangement and can be supplied by the processing arrangement, to which digital connection means the recording arrangement can be connected;

processing means for processing information applied from the connection means to the processing arrangement; and

transfer means for transferring information applied from connection means to the processing arrangement and, if applicable, processed by the processing means to other connection means of the processing arrangement and for supplying output control information to the first analog connection means, which output control information indicates the supply of an A/V signal by the first analog connection means, wherein;

the transfer means are adapted to transfer information, which information has been processed by the processing means or transferred by the transfer means, to the second analog connection means and/or to the digital connection means when beginning-of-recording information characterizing a recording mode of the recording arrangement occurs and when output control information is present on the first analog connection means; and

the transfer means are adapted to transfer an A/V signal supplied to the processing arrangement via the first analog connection means to the second analog connection means when beginning-of-recording information appears and there is output control information at the first analog connection means.

2. A processing arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording arrangement can supply recording mode information to the digital connection means, which recording mode information indicates that a digital recording mode or analog recording mode is possible to record information in the recording arrangement.

3. A processing arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transfer means are adapted to transfer digital A/V data processed in the processing means and control data to the digital connection means when beginning-of-recording information and output control information appear at the first analog connection means and when recording mode information which indicates that the digital recording mode is possible appears, and in that the transfer means is adapted to transfer an A/V signal to the second analog connection means, which last-mentioned A/V signal has been processed in the processing means or has been transferred, when beginning-of-recording information and output control information appears on the first analog connection means and when recording mode information which indicates that the analog recording mode is possible appears.

4. A processing arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital connection means include data bus means adapted to establish a data bus connection in accordance with the IEEE-1394 standard to a recording arrangement which can be connected to the digital connection means.

5. A processing arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processing means are adapted to process A/V data in accordance with the MPEG standard.

6. A processing arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processing means include transcoding means adapted to receive A/V data in accordance with the MPEG standard and adapted to supply A/V data in accordance with the DV standard.

7. A processing arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first analog connection means and the second analog connection means are formed by connectors in accordance with the SCART standard and in that the analog connection means are adapted to supply and/or receive output control information via a pin 8 of the first analog connection means and the second analog connection means.