Receiving apparatus

• US 8,392,960 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Kazuyuki, Nishikata, Natsuko, Onishi, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US11/844,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20080056662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 725/139, 725/151, 725/110, 725/114
• US Class Current: 725/139
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/169 Systems operating in the time domain of the television signal

Abstract

A receiving apparatus contains a local area network interface for communication, a signal-processing device that decodes program information received by the local area network interface, and an encoding device that encodes the decoded program information to reconstitute program information to which a synchronizing signal is added and to generate any one of a composite signal and a separate signal. The receiving apparatus also contains an output terminal that the encoding device supplies with any one of a composite signal and a separate signal.

Claims

1. A receiving apparatus comprising:

a local area network interface for communication with a local area network (LAN);

a signal-processing device configured to decode packetized program information received by the local area network interface, and to produce decoded program information, the packetized program information being sent from a sending apparatus;

an encoding device configured to convert the decoded program information into an analog signal having a predetermined television format, to generate reconstituted program information, and to add a synchronizing signal to the reconstituted program information to generate any one of a composite signal and a separate signal;

an output terminal configured to receive the any one of a composite signal and a separate signal from the encoding device; and

a determining section configured to determine whether the sending apparatus is connected within the same local area network (LAN) as the receiving apparatus is connected to, wherein the receiving apparatus sets a communication mode based on the determination,

wherein the receiving apparatus determines a communication rate and a data processing method of the receiving apparatus based on whether the sending apparatus is connected within the same local area network (LAN) as the receiving apparatus is connected to.

2. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the program information includes image information.

3. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

an accompanying-information-reproducing device configured to receive the decoded program information and reproduce accompanying information; and

a synthesizing device configured to receive output from the accompanying-information-reproducing device and any one of a composite signal and a separate signal,

wherein the synthesizing device synthesizes the accompanying information reproduced in the accompanying-information-reproducing device to any one of a composite signal and a separate signal when the program information includes the accompanying information to control the program information.

4. The receiving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the synthesizing device synthesizes the accompanying information to the any one of a composite signal and a separate signal by inserting the decrypted accompanying information into a predetermined horizontal period within a vertical blanking period of the any one of a composite signal and a separate signal.

5. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the program information received by the local area network interface is compressed and encoded.

6. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the local area network interface contains a wired LAN interface conforming to IEEE802.3 standard and a wireless LAN interface conforming to IEEE802.11 a/b/g standard.

7. A audio-visual system comprising:

a sending apparatus configured to convert program information including image information and audio information to packetized program information having a format for sending, wherein the sending apparatus includes

a receiving unit configured to receive program information including image and audio information,

a sending signal-processing unit configured to convert the received program information into packetized program information having a format for sending,

a sending local area network (LAN) interface, and

a control unit configured to control the receiving unit, the sending signal-processing unit, and the sending LAN interface; and

a receiving apparatus configured to receive and decode the packetized program information, wherein the receiving apparatus includes

a receiving local area network (LAN) interface for communication,

a receiving signal-processing unit configured to decode the packetized program information received by the receiving LAN interface, and to produce decoded program information,

an encoding device configured to convert the decoded program information into an analog signal having a predetermined television format, to generate reconstituted program information, and to add a synchronizing signal to the reconstituted program information to generate any one of a composite signal and a separate signal,

an output terminal configured to receive the any one of a composite signal and a separate signal from the encoding device, and

a determining section configured to determine whether the sending apparatus is connected within the same local area network (LAN) as the receiving apparatus is connected to, wherein the receiving apparatus sets a communication mode based on the determination,

wherein the receiving apparatus determines a communication rate and a data processing method of the receiving apparatus based on whether the sending apparatus is connected within the same local area network (LAN) as the receiving apparatus is connected to.

8. The audio-visual system according to claim 7, wherein the receiving apparatus broadcasts initial setting data and determines an area of operation of the receiving apparatus with respect to the sending apparatus based on a reply to the broadcasted initial setting data from the sending apparatus.

9. A audio-visual system comprising:

a sending apparatus configured to convert program information including image information and audio information to packetized program information having a format for sending, wherein the sending apparatus includes

a receiving unit configured to receive program information including image and audio information,

a sending signal-processing unit configured to convert the received program information into packetized program information having a format for sending,

a sending local area network (LAN) interface, and

a control unit configured to control the receiving unit, the sending signal- processing unit, and the sending LAN interface; and

a receiving apparatus configured to receive and decode the packetized program information, wherein the receiving apparatus includes

a receiving local area network (LAN) interface for communication,

a receiving signal-processing unit configured to decode the packetized program information received by the receiving LAN interface, and to produce decoded program information,

an encoding device configured to convert the decoded program information into an analog signal having a predetermined television format, to generate reconstituted program information, and to add a synchronizing signal to the reconstituted program information to generate any one of a composite signal and a separate signal,

an output terminal configured to receive the any one of a composite signal and a separate signal from the encoding device, and

a determining section configured to determine whether the sending apparatus is connected within the same local area network (LAN) as the receiving apparatus is connected to, wherein the receiving apparatus sets a communication mode based on the determination,

wherein the receiving apparatus broadcasts initial setting data and determines an area of operation of the receiving apparatus with respect to the sending apparatus based on a reply to the broadcasted initial setting data from the sending apparatus, and

wherein the receiving apparatus displays a setting screen on a television receiver to select a sending apparatus for connecting to the receiving apparatus when the sending apparatus is not connected within the same local area network (LAN) as the receiving apparatus is connected to.

10. The audio-visual system according to claim 9, wherein the receiving apparatus determines communication processing conditions for communication between the receiving apparatus and the sending apparatus, the conditions including one or more of a protocol, a communication rate and a display image size based on the determined area of operation.