Program switching device and method

• US 7,540,010 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2003
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hanaya, Hiroyuki, Ohta, Takaaki, Yuchi, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONTOYA, OSCHTA I
• Application Number:
  US10/339,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• 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 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0255 Display systems therefor

Abstract

A program switching device and a method thereof which can prevent a disorder of images and an invisible state of the image when a channel (program) is switched. When it is instructed to switch a program to the other program in the state where the image of a program of a predetermined channel is displayed, at step SP111, the image of the program currently received is converted into a static image to mute the sound. Then, at step SP212, the receiving processing of channel is started after switching. At step SP113, the process waits until the processing of channel switching is terminated, and when it is terminated, the static image set at step SP111 and the mute are released at step SP114.

Claims

1. A television signal receiver comprising:

a tuner for receiving said television signal;

a video processor for processing a television signal received by said tuner and outputting a video signal corresponding to a single program;

a selection screen generator for producing a selection screen used to select a desired program out of a plurality of programs by using electronic program guide information;

a mixer for combining said video signal output from said video processor and said selection screen produced by said selection screen generator and for outputting a combined signal simultaneously representing at least a portion of said video signal and said selection screen;

cursor moving means for moving a cursor on said selection screen in order to designate an unselected program; and

a controller for controlling said tuner and said video processor to select and process a video signal corresponding to said unselected program designated by the cursor;

wherein the controller controls the tuner to receive the unselected program designated by the cursor on the selection screen before the unselected program is selected.

2. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein said video processor includes a demultiplexer for extracting compressed video data corresponding to a designated unselected program designated by the cursor and a video decompressor for decompressing extracted video data.

3. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein one of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis of said selection screen constitutes a channel axis, while an other of the horizontal axis and vertical axis constitutes a time axis and program cells are arranged in matrix form.

4. The receiver according to claim 3, wherein the program designated by the cursor on said selection screen is displayed by making one of a program cell brightness and a color different from other program cells.

5. A television signal receiver comprising:

a front end for receiving said television signal;

a video processor for processing a television signal received by said front end and outputting a video signal corresponding to a single program;

a selection screen generator for producing a selection screen used to select a desired program out of a plurality of programs by using electronic program guide information;

a mixer for combining said video signal output from said video processor and said selection screen produced by said selection screen generator and for outputting a combined signal simultaneously representing at least a portion of said video signal and said selection screen;

a remote commander having cursor moving buttons for designating a desired unselected program on said selection screen; and

a controller for controlling said tuner, said video processor, and said selection screen generator in response to a signal from said remote commander,

wherein the controller controls said tuner and said video processor to select and process a video signal corresponding to the desired unselected program designated by the cursor;

wherein the controller controls the tuner to receive the desired unselected program designated by the cursor on the selection screen before the desired unselected program is selected.

6. The receiver according to claim 5, wherein said video processor includes a demultiplexer for extracting compressed video data corresponding to the unselected program designated by the cursor and a video decompressor for decompressing extracted video data.

7. The receiver according to claim 5, wherein one of a horizontal axis and vertical axis of said selection screen constitutes a channel axis, while an other of the horizontal and vertical axis constitutes a time axis and program cells are arranged in matrix form.

8. The receiver according to claim 7, wherein the program designated by the cursor on said selection screen is displayed by making one of the program cell brightness and a color different from other program cells.