US6700624B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Combined terrestrial wave/cable broadcast receiver and program information processing method therefor
Assignee: LG Electronics Inc
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Filing: 2000-12-29
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Granted: 2004-03-02
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Expires: 2020-12-29
Abstract
Abstract A combined terrestrial wave/cable broadcast receiver is disclosed which identifies if a cable broadcast program being carried and received or a cable broadcast program to be received is a HD broadcast and receives a HD broadcast from a terrestrial wave broadcasting station in the form of a HD terrestrial wave broadcast automatically or according to a user's selection, and a program information processing method therefor which processes program information such that it can identify a cable broadcast program as a HD broadcast in an EIT. In a program information processing method for a combined terrestrial wave/cable broadcast receiver for receiving a broadcast signal and indicating the characteristics of the broadcast signal, the program information processing method for the combined terrestrial wave/cable broadcast receiver according to the present invention includes the steps of: analyzing an A/V stream for storing the same; reading a data to be displayed on a predetermined display according to a user's selection; judging if the read data contains a HD descriptor and other descriptors; and displaying a broadcast program by adding an indicator for indicating that a cable broadcast program is a HD program, if there exists a HD descriptor.
Inventors
- 👤 Hwa Young Yun
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 16:42
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/41; H04N21/426; H04N21/43; H04N21/431; H04N21/4312; H04N21/434; H04N21/4345; H04N21/47; H04N21/482; H04N21/4821; H04N21/60; H04N21/61; H04N21/6106; H04N21/6112; H04N21/6118; H04N5/00; H04N5/44; H04N5/46
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
A program information processing apparatus, comprising: a cable broadcast receiving unit for receiving a cable broadcast signal transmitted from a cable head end via cables; a terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit for receiving a terrestrial wave broadcast signal; an output unit for outputting the broadcast signals received by the cable broadcast receiving unit and terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit to the outside so that a viewer can view a broadcast program; a control unit for judging if a cable broadcast signal being received or to be received by the cable broadcast receiving unit is a HD broadcast signal, and, if so, automatically indicating that it is a HD broadcast signal in the output unit; and a switching unit in which, if the cable broadcast signal is a HD broadcast signal, the terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit directly receives a HD terrestrial wave broadcast signal to output the same to the output unit according to the control of the control unit receiving a command signal of a viewer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
167 words
A program information processing apparatus, comprising: a cable broadcast receiving unit for receiving a cable broadcast signal transmitted from a cable head end via cables; a terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit for receiving a terrestrial wave broadcast signal; an output unit for outputting the broadcast signals received by the cable broadcast receiving unit and terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit to the outside so that a viewer can view a broadcast program; a control unit for judging if a cable broadcast signal being received or to be received by the cable broadcast receiving unit is a HD broadcast signal, and, if so, automatically indicating that it is a HD broadcast signal in the output unit; and a switching unit in which, if the cable broadcast signal is a HD broadcast signal, the terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit directly receives a HD terrestrial wave broadcast signal to output the same to the output unit according to the control of the control unit receiving a command signal of a viewer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cable broadcast signal is produced as a HD level or SD level by a cable operator, or is produced by down-converting a HD level broadcast from a terrestrial wave broadcasting station to a SD level.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
94 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cable broadcast receiving unit comprises: a cable tuner for tuning the cable broadcast signal to a predetermined channel; a demodulator for demodulating the cable broadcast signal tuned by the cable tuner; a demultiplexer for demultiplexing an A/V stream outputted from the demodulator into a demodulated video signal and a demodulated audio signal; an OOB tranceiving unit for receiving or transmitting cable broadcast guide information from/to the cable tuner; and an OOB processing unit for converting the protocol of data processed by the OOB transceiving unit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
67 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit comprises: a terrestrial wave tuner for tuning the terrestrial wave broadcast signal to a predetermined channel; a demodulator for demodulating the terrestrial wave broadcast signal tuned by the terrestrial wave tuner; and a demultiplexer for demultiplexing an A/V stream outputted from the demodulator into a demodulated video signal and a demodulated audio signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit further comprises a memory for storing program-related information contained in the cable broadcast signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
92 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit so as to receive a terrestrial wave broadcast signal corresponding to the broadcast signal currently received by the cable broadcast receiving unit by using the source ID of the currently received cable broadcast, and judges the existence or non-existence of a HD broadcast by extracting the video PID of the corresponding broadcast and analyzing the sequence header of the video packet by using the broadcast program and system information protocol of a tuned channel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the terrestrial wave broadcast receiving unit so as to automatically receive a HD level broadcast from a terrestrial wave broadcasting station.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
103 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the switching unit in such an manner that, if the viewer inputs a command signal in order to receive a HD broadcast while viewing a cable broadcast, the switching unit memorizes channel information of the cable broadcast and then receives a HD terrestrial wave broadcast to output the same to the output unit, and if the viewer inputs a command signal to receive a cable broadcast again, the switching unit searches the memorized cable broadcast channel information and then receives a cable broadcast to output the same to the output unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the viewer's command signal is generated by operating a hot key for receiving a HD terrestrial broadcast of a remote control, operating a control device attached to a predetermined position of the combined receiver, or operating a keyboard or mouse connected to the combined receiver by wired or wirelessly.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
71 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit comprises: a video decoder for decoding the broadcast signal outputted from the switching unit to a video signal; a display unit for outputting an image upon receipt of the video signal; an audio decoder for decoding the broadcast signal outputted from the switching unit to an audio signal; and a speaker for outputting sound upon receipt of the audio signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an indicator for indicating that a cable broadcast program is a HD program in the output unit is an icon.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-03-02 | 2007-09-01 | 2008-03-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-03-02 | 2011-09-01 | 2012-03-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-03-02 | 2015-09-01 | 2016-03-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |