Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2001-09-11
Sniezek, Andrew L. (Department: 2651)
Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing
Local trick play processing
With randomly accessible medium
C348S901000, C725S039000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289170
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a video device having an electronic program guide decoder, capable of reproducing or recording and reproducing a video signal.
A video tape recorder (VTR) conventionally known is capable of reproducing video signals and audio signals recorded on a magnetic tape to display video on a television set. Also, some VTRs have also recording a and reproducing functions capable of recording video signals and audio signals on a magnetic tape.
In addition, there is known a video device for recording and reproducing video signals and audio signals in addition to VTR.
In such a video device, antenna receiving signals received by an antenna are generally inputted, and a desired channel can be selected from among these antenna receiving signals for reception. The receiving signals are transmitted to a television set, or are demodulated and used for recording.
The user selects a desired channel program from among channel programs broadcast to view through television or record in a video device, but at this time, the program is generally selected while seeing a program table.
When, however, there are as many channels broadcast as 150 channels, it is not easy to search a program table, on which programs for, for example, 150 channels are printed, for a desired program.
Thus, in order to enable a desired program to be easily searched for, data of a program table for each channel is inserted in a vertical blanking interval for video signal for a specified channel for transmission not to cause any obstruction to the television signals. The program table transmitted is caused to be displayed on a television set, whereby the user searches for the channel while seeing the television screen to select his desired channel program.
This program table data is called an electronic program guide, and the electronic program guide can be divided into each kind of programs such as sports, news, and movies, to be displayed on the screen. Also, it is arranged that a program can be selected from the displayed screen of this electronic program guide for reception, and that videotape reservation for the program can be made.
FIG. 6B
shows an example of the program guide screen of the electronic program guide displayed on the television set. Its first step column shows the title of the program guide screen, and is displayed as “Program Guide”. The second step column shows month and day, and the month and day of SEP 7 and two grids showing time of 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm are shown. In columns of the third step and subsequent steps, a channel is shown at the left end, and the names of the programs to be broadcast on the month and day, displayed on the second step, and at the time indicated by the grids are displayed correspondingly to this channel on the right side. It is indicated that in, for example, Channel CSP2, NEWS1 is broadcast for 1 hour from 8:00 pm, and NEWS2 is broadcast from 9:00 pm. Also, it is indicated that in Channel 26, a program of Famous American is broadcast for two hours from 8:00 pm.
FIG. 6A
is a block diagram showing the structure of a VTR having a function of receiving such an electronic program guide for decoding.
In the VTR shown in
FIG. 6A
, a television broadcast signal received by an antenna
101
is inputted in a tuner circuit
111
. A video signal of a channel selected from the tuner circuit
111
by the user is inputted in a videotape unit (not shown), and is inputted to a microcomputer device (&mgr;con)
113
. The &mgr;con
113
has a slice/decode circuit
113
-
1
, and a video signal from the tuner circuit
111
is inputted to the slice/decode circuit
113
-
1
of &mgr;con
113
.
A remote control signal received by an infrared light reception unit
114
is inputted to the &mgr;con
113
, which controls in various ways in response to the remote control signal. In this respect, the infrared light, which transmits the remote control signal, is transmitted from a remote control transmitter
102
when the user operates the key of the remote control transmitting device
102
.
Further, a video signal reproduced by a play block
112
is inputted to one input of a first switch SW
1
, while a video signal from the tuner
111
is inputted to the other input of the first switch SW
1
, and the first switch SW
1
selects either of inputted signals for outputting, and inputs the selected signal to an OSD (On Screen Display) control unit
116
.
When there is an electronic program guide display instruction, the OSD control unit
116
is adapted to receive an electronic program guide data decoded from &mgr;con
113
, and to on-screen display the electronic program guide. Also, a signal outputted from the OSD control unit
116
is inputted to an RF modulator
117
, which modulates the carrier of a channel selected in advance. A channel signal modulated to be outputted from the RF modulator
117
is inputted to the VTR side, one input of the second switch SW
2
. On the other TV input side of the second switch SW
2
, a receiving signal from an antenna
101
is inputted. An output selected by the second switch SW
2
is supplied to a television (TV) set
121
.
In this respect, &mgr;con
113
is a microcomputer, which mainly controls an electronic program guide inserted in a video signal received, and fetches the electronic program guide data inserted in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the received video signal for a channel selected by the tuner circuit
111
to accumulate in a memory (SRAM)
115
after decoding. In this case, a slice/decode circuit
113
-
1
conducts waveform shaping of the electronic program guide data, and after the waveform shaping, decodes the electronic program guide data.
Although this electronic program guide data is inserted in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) for video signal, the electronic program guide data is determined to be, for example, data for seven days, and a memory
115
has such a memory capacity as to accumulate about 70 channels of electronic program guide data for seven days.
In a VTR constructed as described above, when the second switch SW
2
is switched to the TV side to select the receiving signal from the antenna
101
, the receiving signal from the antenna
101
is supplied to the television set
121
to display the video of a channel selected by the tuner of the television set
121
. Also, when a reproducing start instruction is given to the VTR and a play block
112
starts reproducing, the first switch SW
1
and the second switch SW
2
are automatically switched so that the reproducing output from the play block
112
passes through the first switch SW
1
, and the OSD control unit
116
, and is inputted to the RF modulator
117
. Thus, the signal of a channel outputted from the RF modulator
117
is inputted to the television set
121
through the second switch SW
2
switched to the VTR side. At this time, the television set
121
is adapted to select a channel outputted from the RF modulator
117
and to display the reproducing output.
In this case, when a reproducing stop instruction is given, the play block
112
stops the reproducing operation, and the first switch SW
1
is switched so that a channel selected by the tuner
111
within the VTR is inputted to the RF modulator
117
through the first switch SW
1
and the OSD control unit
116
. The signal of the channel outputted from the RF modulator
117
is inputted to the television set
121
through the second switch SW
2
. At this time, the television set
121
is adapted to select a channel outputted from the RF modulator
117
, and to display the channel selected by the tuner
111
within the VTR.
The above-described reproducing start instruction, reproducing stop instruction or the like can be given to the VTR by operating the key of the remote control transmitter
102
. Information of a channel selected by the tuner
111
of the VTR, a counter value and videotape reservation information of the VTR, and the like are given to the OSD control unit
116
by &mgr;con
113
so that they can be on-screen displayed on the televisio
Hamamoto Kenji
Hanai Tomoyuki
Motoyoshi Noboru
Nagano Kae
Frommer William S.
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP.
Kessler Gordon
Sniezek Andrew L.
Sony Corporation
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