Broadcast signal and receiver and method of decoding digital broadcast signal

• US 7,904,019 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2006
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ko, Woo Suk, Kwak, Kook Yeon, Jun, Jung Sig, Shin, Jong Woong, Moon, Sang Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego; Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US11/337,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20060166616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.02, 455/7, 455/11.1, 455/39, 455/13.1, 455/13.2, 370/464, 370470-474, 370/350, 370/503, 370/509, 370/510, 375/316, 375363-368
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/42 for identifying broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/50 of broadcast or relay stations

Abstract

A tuner included in a digital broadcast receiver tunes a broadcast signal from a transmitter via a re-transmitter. A demodulator demodulates the broadcast signal, and an identification information detector detects identification information of a re-transmission service provided by the re-transmitter from the demodulated broadcast signal. A decoder arranged to decode the modulated broadcast signal, and a controller controls operation of the decoder based upon the identification information detected by the identification information detector. The identification information of the re-transmitter may directly include information identifying a type of the re-transmission service (e.g., a free or charged service) or may include a unique ID number of the re-transmission service, which could be used by the broadcast receiver to determine service type.

Claims

1. A method of processing a re-transmission service in a digital broadcast receiver, the method comprising:

receiving a re-transmission service from a re-transmitter, wherein the re-transmission service includes a digital broadcast signal transmitted from a broadcast transmitter; and

decoding the received re-transmission service, wherein the step of decoding includes;

being determined based upon identification information identifying the re-transmitter and indicating whether the received re-transmission service is decoded in the digital broadcast receiver or not,

comparing an amplitude of a broadcasting signal including the identification information with a predefined value when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service, and

allowing a decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the amplitude of the signal is greater than the predefined value, and

wherein the re-transmitter inserts new information to add the identification information in the retransmission service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a user is a subscriber to the re-transmission service when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service; and

allowing the decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the user is determined to be the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a user makes an order to use the re-transmission service when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service; and

allowing the decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the user makes the order.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

multiplying the received re-transmission service by a signal amplitude control value; and

outputting a resultant value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the signal amplitude control value is determined based upon whether a signal amplitude of the received re-transmission is greater than a predefined value as a charged service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification information is included in transmitter identification information (TII) which includes identification information of the broadcast transmitter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the re-transmission service data includes at least one of audio, video, and data service data.

8. A digital broadcast receiver processing a re-transmission service comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a re-transmission service from a re-transmitter, the transmission service includes a digital broadcast signal transmitted from a broadcast transmitter;

a demodulator for demodulating the received re-transmission service;

a decoder for decoding the demodulated re-transmission service; and

a controller for controlling an operation of the decoder based upon identification information identifying the re-transmitter and indicating whether the received re-transmission service is decoded in the digital broadcast receiver or not, wherein the re-transmitter inserts new information to add the identification information in the retransmission service, and the controller allows the decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service and an amplitude of a signal including the identification information is greater than a predefined value.

9. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 8, wherein the controller controls to detect the identification information which identifies whether the re-transmission service is a charged service or not.

10. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 8, wherein the controller allows the decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service and a user is determined to be a subscriber to the re-transmission service.

11. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 8, wherein the controller allows the decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service and a user makes an order to use the re-transmission service.

12. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 8, further comprising;

a multiplier for multiplying the demodulating re-transmission service by a signal amplitude control value and outputting a resultant value to the decoder.

13. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 12, wherein the signal amplitude control value is determined based upon whether a signal amplitude of the received re-transmission is greater than a predefined value as a charged service.

14. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the information detector to detect the identification information, wherein the identification is included in transmitter identification information (TII) which includes identification information of the broadcast transmitter.

15. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the decoder to decode the re-transmission service data, wherein the re-transmission service data includes at least one of audio, video, and data service data.

16. A method of processing a re-transmission service in a digital broadcast receiver, the method comprising:

receiving a re-transmission service from a re-transmitter, wherein the re-transmission service carries a digital broadcast signal transmitted from a broadcast transmitter and identification information identifying a unique identifier (ID) number of the re-transmitter inserted by the re-transmitter;

determining whether the re-transmitter provides a charged service from a service type identified by information corresponding to the received identification information in a memory;

determining whether the digital broadcast receiver is to a subscriber of the charged service if the re-transmitter provides the charged service; and

decoding the received re-transmission service, if it is determined that the digital broadcast receiver is to a subscriber of the charged service, wherein the step of decoding includes;

comparing an amplitude of a broadcasting signal including the identification information with a predefined value when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service, and

allowing a decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the amplitude of the signal is greater than the predefined value,

wherein the digital broadcast receiver previously stores information identifying a service type of the re-transmitter,

and wherein the service type of the re-transmitter is any one of a charged service and a free service.

17. A digital broadcast receiver processing a re-transmission service comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a re-transmission service from a re-transmitter, wherein the re-transmission service carries a digital broadcast signal transmitted from a broadcast transmitter and identification information identifying a unique identifier (ID) number of the re-transmitter inserted by the re-transmitter;

a demodulator for demodulating the received re-transmission service;

a memory;

a controller for controlling to determine whether the re-transmitter provides a charged service from a service type identified by information corresponding to the received identification information in the memory, and whether the digital broadcast receiver is to a subscriber of the charged service if the re-transmitter provides the charged service, and the controller allows a decoder to decode the re-transmission service data when the re-transmission service is identified as a charged service and an amplitude of a signal including the identification information is greater than a predefined value and

the decoder for decoding the received re-transmission service, if it is determined that the broadcast receiver is to a subscriber of the charged service,

wherein the digital broadcast receiver previously stores information identifying a service type of the re-transmitter, and

wherein the service type of the re-transmitter is any one of a charged service and a free service.