Television – Diverse device controlled by information embedded in video...
Patent
1992-01-24
1998-09-22
Harvey, David E.
Television
Diverse device controlled by information embedded in video...
358335, 348478, H04N 576
Patent
active
058122060
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Methods of automatic programme delivery for broadcast services are currently known from European Broadcasting Union, Brussels, "Specification of the Domestic Video Programme Delivery Control System", Tech. 3263-E, August 1990, previously published May 1989 as Annex 2, Doc. Ref: SPB 459 rev. Typically, these services use different 16-bit programme labels to provide unique identification of each programme.
In one implementation, the viewer may enter, by means of a keypad, the labels of the programmes he or she wishes to be automatically recorded. When the receiver detects the presence of a desired label, the video recorder is set to "record" mode. Using such a system the desired programmes will still be correctly recorded even if their transmission is delayed or re-scheduled.
There is a conflict of interests between the values chosen for programme labels by the broadcaster and those easily entered by the viewer. In the example, the broadcaster has 65,536 possible 16-bit binary numbers available. Of these, the broadcaster would be well advised to choose a subset whose bit patterns, over a period of several days, differ from each other in at least two positions. This reduces the risk of a single bit error imitating a wanted label and so causing the false triggering of a video recorder. On the other hand, if, as is common, decimal digit entry is used and leading zeros are not necessary, the use of low value numbers would be of great advantage to the viewer. Low value numbers also take up little room when printed in a television (TV) programme listing and are less susceptible to publishing error.
Video recorders are known from European Patent Applications EP-A-0 133 985 and EP-A-0 122 626 which are provided with a bar code reader which can be used by the viewer to enter programme schedule data into a memory. This data is compared with transmitted signals to determine which programmes are to be recorded and to control a recorder accordingly. This overcomes the problem of long codes because the viewer does not have to enter them, but at the expense of a bar code reader associated with each receiver.
United Kingdom Patent Application GB-A-2 192 743 describes a unit which recovers video recorder type commands from an off-air TV signal, and generates infra-red signals representing RECORD and STOP which mimic the signals generated by a normal remote control unit. This does not assist in the problem of entering 16-bit programme labels by the viewer. A code converter is described in United Kingdom Patent Application GB-A-2 191 643 which receives a generalised PLAY command from a remote controller and converts it to a specific PLAY command required to activate the currently selected one of a number of video sources, all controllable by the same remote control unit. It is of course known to add increased error protection to digital data transmissions by adding protection bits, allowing erroneous data to be detected and possibly corrected at a receiver, see e.g. United Kingdom Patent Application GB-A-2 038 145. It has also been proposed to add bits to a digital data stream in order to label it and facilitate its subsequent identification, see e.g. United Kingdom Patent Application GB-A-2 196 517.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is defined in the independent claims appended hereto, to which reference should now be made. Advantageous features are defined in the dependent claims.
The problem is solved in accordance with this invention by defining a function that maps input decimal numbers at the low end of the range, such as 0 to 999, to output numbers chosen from the full range of 0 to 65,535 and having markedly different bit patterns. Thus if low order numbers from the range 0 to 999 are input to the function, the corresponding output numbers are well spaced over the range 0 to 65,535. This allows the labels to be entered by the viewer with fewer keystrokes than would otherwise be needed.
However, the function preferably should also accept input numbers in the remainder of the range up
REFERENCES:
patent: 4891703 (1990-01-01), Noudon
Chien et al. "Coding System Involving Frequencies of Letters and Letter Pairs" IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin vol. 7, No. 7 Dec. 1964.
Sommerhauser, Funkschau, vol. 57, No. 25, Dec. 1985, "Flexible Programmieren Mit VPS", pp. 47-51.
Harder et al., Fernseh & Kino Technik, vol. 39, No. 6, pp. 284-286, Jun. 1985, "Einfacher Generator Zur Erzeugung Der VPS-Sendedaten".
Hofmann, G. and Oberlies, Karl-Ulrich, "WDR-Videotext" MIT Neunen Moglichkeiten, 579 RTM--Rundfunktechnische Mitteilungen, 32 (1988) Marz/Apr., No. 2.
Chambers, J.P., "A Domestic Television Programme Delivery Service Based on Teletext", Conference of Scientific Society for Telecommunication, Jun. 1990.
British Broadcasting Corporation
Fournier Kevin J.
Harvey David E.
O'Connell Robert F.
Oliver Milton
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