Digital cable TV receiver, diagnosis method for the same, and data structure of HDMI status report

• US 7,877,779 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation), Triveni Digital, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwon, Kwang Hun, Cha, Sang Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, JONATHAN V
• Application Number:
  US11/593,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20070056006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 725/131, 725/139, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/139
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/02 Graphics controller able to handle multiple formats, e.g. input or output formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• 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 21/418 External card to be used in combination with the client device, e.g. for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• 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 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

A host includes a plurality of High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) ports. A controller is configured to receive a source external to the host. The controller is further configured to collect HDMI information associated with more than one HDMI port in response to the request.

Claims

1. A host interfacing with a cable card in an open cable system, the host comprising:

a plurality of High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) ports; and

a controller configured to receive a request from the cable card,

wherein the controller is further configured to generate HDMI status information associated with the plurality of HDMI ports in response to the request,

wherein the controller is further configured to receive the request through a central processing unit (CPU) interface,

wherein the CPU interface is defined by a generic diagnostic resource which allows HDMI status information to be transferred between a CPU of the host and a CPU of the cable card,

wherein the HDMI status information includes audio coding format, audio sampling frequency and audio sample size associated with audio utilized on each of the HDMI ports,

wherein the HDMI status information includes information indicating whether a peripheral device linked to each of the HDMI ports uses HDMI or DVI, and

wherein the HDMI status information includes connect status information indicating whether a connection exists on each of the HDMI ports, host HDCP status information indicating whether a HDCP is enabled on each of the HDMI ports, device HDCP status information indicating a HDCP status of the peripheral device connected to the host, and video format information indicating a current video format used on each of the HDMI ports.

2. The host of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to forward the HDMI status information of the plurality of the HDMI ports in response to the request through the CPU interface, wherein the request is a single request.

3. The host of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to forward the HDMI status information of the plurality of HDMI ports through a report.

4. The host of claim 3, wherein the HDMI status information is repeatedly collected by the controller as many as the number of the HDMI ports.

5. The host of claim 1, wherein the video format information includes at least one of horizontal_lines information, vertical_lines information, aspect_ratio information, and prog_inter_type information.

6. A method of interfacing between a host and a cable card in an open cable system comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the cable card; and

generating High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) status information associated with a plurality of HDMI ports in response to the request,

wherein the request is received through a central processing unit (CPU) interface,

wherein the CPU interface is defined by a generic diagnostic resource which allows HDMI status information to be transferred between a CPU of the host and a CPU of the cable card,

wherein the HDMI status information includes audio coding format, audio sampling frequency and audio sample size associated with audio utilized on each of the HDMI ports, and

wherein the HDMI status information includes information indicating whether a peripheral device linked to each of the HDMI ports uses HDMI or DVI, and

wherein the HDMI status information includes connect status information indicating whether a connection exists on each of the HDMI ports, host HDCP status information indicating whether a HDCP is enabled on each of the HDMI ports, device HDCP status information indicating a HDCP status of the peripheral device connected to the host, and video format information indicating a current video format used on each of the HDMI ports.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising forwarding the HDMI status information of the plurality of HDMI ports in response to the request through the CPU interface, wherein the request is a single request.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising forwarding the HDMI status information of the plurality of HDMI ports through a report.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to repeatedly collect the HDMI status information as many as the number of the HDMI ports.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the video format information includes at least one of horizontal_lines information, vertical_lines information, aspect_ratio information, and prog_inter_type information.

11. A host interfacing with a cable card in an open cable system, the host comprising:

a plurality of High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) ports; and

a controller configured to receive a request from the cable card and generate HDMI status information associated with the plurality of HDMI ports in response to the request,

wherein the HDMI status information includes information indicating whether a device linked to each of the HDMI ports uses HDMI or DVI, and audio information including audio coding format, audio sampling frequency and audio sample size associated with audio utilized on each of the HDMI ports,

wherein the audio information in the HDMI status information is valid when the device linked to each of the HDMI ports uses HDMI, and

wherein the HDMI status information includes connect status information indicating whether a connection exists on each of the HDMI ports, host HDCP status information indicating whether a HDCP is enabled on each of the HDMI ports, device HDCP status information indicating a HDCP status of the device connected to the host, video format information indicating a current video format used on each of the HDMI ports.

12. A method of interfacing between a host and a cable card in an open system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the cable card; and

generating High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) status information associated with a plurality of the HDMI ports in response to the request,

wherein the HDMI status information includes information indicating whether a device linked to each of the HDMI ports uses HDMI or DVI, and audio information including audio coding format, audio sampling frequency and audio sample size associated with audio utilized on each of the HDMI ports,

wherein the audio information in the HDMI status information is valid when the device linked to each of the HDMI port uses HDMI, and

wherein the HDMI status information includes connect status information indicating whether a connection exists on each of the HDMI ports, host HDCP status information indicating whether a HDCP is enabled on each of the HDMI ports, device HDCP status information indicating a HDCP status of the device connected to the host, and video format information indicating a current video format used on each of the HDMI ports.

13. A host interfacing with a cable card in an open cable system, the host comprising:

a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port; and

a controller configured to receive a request from the cable card and generate HDMI status information associated with the HDMI port in response to the request,

wherein the HDMI status information includes information indicating whether a peripheral device linked to the HDMI port uses HDMI or DVI, and audio information including audio coding format, audio sampling frequency and audio sample size associated with audio utilized on the HDMI port,

wherein the HDMI status information includes connect status information indicating whether a connection exists on the HDMI port, host HDCP status information indicating whether a HDCP is enabled on the HDMI port, device HDCP status information indicating a HDCP status of the peripheral device and video format information indicating a current video format used on the HDMI port, and

wherein the video format information includes horizontal_lines information, vertical_lines information, aspect_ratio information and prog_inter_type information.

14. A method of interfacing between a host and a cable card in an open cable system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the cable card; and

generating a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) status information associated with an HDMI port in response to the request,

wherein the HDMI status information includes information indicating whether a peripheral device linked to the HDMI port uses HDMI or DVI, and audio information including audio coding format, audio sampling frequency and audio sample size associated with audio utilized on the HDMI port,

wherein the HDMI status information includes connect status information indicating whether a connection exists on the HDMI port, host HDCP status information indicating whether a HDCP is enabled on the HDMI port, device HDCP status information indicating a HDCP status of the peripheral device and video format information indicating a current video format used on the HDMI port, and

wherein the video format information includes horizontal_lines information, vertical_lines information, aspect_ratio information and prog_inter_type information.