Interactive video distribution systems – Operator interface – To facilitate tuning or selection of video signal
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-24
2003-07-01
Faile, Andrew (Department: 2615)
Interactive video distribution systems
Operator interface
To facilitate tuning or selection of video signal
C725S063000, C725S067000, C725S072000, C370S537000, C370S538000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06588014
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to digital communication such as satellite broadcasting and, more particularly, to increasing the information acquiring process speed for long term programs.
BACKGROUND
FIG. 22
schematically illustrates a state of sending satellite broadcasting radio waves as a simplified conceptual chart. Radio waves from a ground station
2
are set through a broadcasting satellite
4
to the ground. From the broadcasting satellite
4
are sent out a plural number of transport streams (transmission routes determined by frequency, plane of polarization, etc.) TS
1
, TS
2
, and TS
3
. Furthermore a plural number of services SV
11
, SV
12
, SV
13
, and SV
14
(corresponding to channels in the ground wave broadcasting) are multiplexed by time division in packets in the transport stream TS
1
. Similarly, services SV
21
, SV
22
, SV
23
, and SV
24
are multiplexed in the transport stream TS
2
, and services SV
31
, SV
32
, SV
33
, and SV
34
are multiplexed in the transport stream TS
3
. To the transport streams are also sent out program information and control data associated with the packeting or the like in addition to video data and audio data for respective services. While
FIG. 22
shows only three transport streams, much more transport streams are actually sent out. Furthermore, while
FIG. 22
shows four services multiplexed for each transport stream, in actuality much more services are multiplexed.
FIG. 23
shows video data, audio data, control data, and program information multiplexed in the transport streams TS
1
, TS
2
, and TS
3
. In the transport stream TS
1
are multiplexed: audio data ES(A)
11
and video data ES(V)
11
of the service SV
11
; audio data ES(A)
12
and video data ES(V)
12
of the service SV
12
; . . . , and audio data ES(A)
14
and video data ES(V)
141
of the service SV
14
. For each of the services SV
11
, SV
12
, SV
13
, and SV
14
are also multiplexed currently broadcast program information P_EIT
11
, P_EIT
12
, P EIT
13
, and P_EIT
14
, and information F_EIT
11
, F_EIT
12
, F_EIT
13
, and F_EIT
14
of programs to be broadcast next. Furthermore, an SDT
1
describing the details of the service multiplexed in the transport stream TS
1
, an SDT
2
describing the details of the service multiplexed in the transport stream TS
2
, and an SDT
3
describing the details of the service multiplexed in the transport stream TS
3
are also multiplexed and transmitted.
Incidentally, audio data, video data, and program data are multiplexed also in other transport streams TS
2
and TS
3
. However, for the long-term program information S_EIT
11
, S_EIT
12
, . . . , S_EIT
14
, S_EIT
21
, S_EIT
22
, . . . , S_EIT
24
, S_EIT
31
, S_EIT
32
, . . . , S_EIT
34
, and S_EIT
41
, S_EIT
42
, . . . , S_EIT
44
, the information is multiplexed only in the transport stream TS
2
because the amount of information is large.
In some services, the long term program information is not provided for reasons such as that always the same contents are broadcast. Therefore, in the control data SDT
1
, SDT
2
, and SDT
3
of the transport stream TS
2
, there is described the information on whether the long term program information S_EIT is present or not for the services SV
11
to SV
14
, SV
21
to SV
24
, and SV
31
to SV
34
. However, the presence information is described only for the control data SDT
1
, SDT
2
, and SDT
3
of the transport stream TS
2
in which the long-term program information S_EIT is multiplexed. In the control data SDT
1
, SDT
2
, and SDT
3
of other transport streams TS
1
and TS
3
, areas for describing the presence information is provided, but their contents are all described as “nil” and no substantial presence information is described.
Each piece of the above-described information is transmitted in packets as shown with
60
a
in FIG.
24
. That is to say, video data and audio data of each service are multiplexed in packets and transmitted. After the transmission with
60
a,
transmission with
60
b
follows. Incidentally, a packet ID is attached to ES in packet of each service, The packet ID of ES of each service is arranged to be recognized with control data PAT and PMT, With such an arrangement, the ES for each service may be acquired selectively. While
FIG. 24
is shown for the transport stream TS
1
, the same applies to other transport streams TS
2
and TS
3
.
Furthermore, control data NIT is multiplexed in each of the transport streams TS
1
, TS
2
, and TS
3
. In the control data NIT are described transmission specifications (frequencies, etc.) of the transport streams TS
1
, TS
2
, and TS
3
, and service names (service IDs) included in those transport streams. This makes is possible to learn what kinds of services are included in each of the transport streams. In the control data NIT is also described the information showing in which transport stream the long term program information is written.
FIG. 25
roughly shows a satellite broadcasting receiver. A transport stream is selected with a tuner
8
, and a described service is separated with a decoder
10
. From the decoder
10
are output selected audio data and video data. A microprocessor (MPU)
12
sets a packet ID of the ES of a desired service to the decoder
10
. This causes the decoder
10
to output the ES of the service. When the packet ID of the control data is set to the decoder
10
, separated control data is given to the MPU
12
.
Assuming that the service SV
33
of the transport stream TS
3
is currently being received, operation of a case will be described below in which a command is given to the MPU
12
to switch to the service SV
12
of the transport stream TS
1
. First, the MPU
12
takes in control data NIT (See
FIG. 23
) by controlling the decoder
10
(namely by setting the packet ID of the control data NIT). It is learned from the description of the control data that the service SV
12
to be received is multiplexed in the transport stream TS
1
. Next, the transport stream TS
1
is received by controlling the tuner
8
. Further, the decoder
10
is controlled to acquire the control data PAT
1
and PMT
12
, and to acquire packet IDs of the video data ES(A)
12
and audio data ES(V)
12
. Next, this packet ID is set to the decoder
10
so that the video data (ES(A)
12
and audio data ES(V)
12
of the intended service SV
12
are output from the decoder
10
. Switching to the service to be received is carried out as described above.
Incidentally, a future broadcasting schedule of any of the services may be learned by acquiring the long term program information of S_EIT of the service in question. The long term program information S_EIT includes genre information on each event (so-called program) broadcast in each service. Therefore, once the long term program information S_EIT is acquired, it is possible to search and display broadcasting schedules in specific genres.
Assuming that the service SV
12
is currently being received, the process of acquiring the long term program information S_EIT will be described below. First, the MPU
12
controls the decoder
10
to separate and acquire the control data NIT. From the description of the control data NIT, a transport stream is known where the long term program information S_EIT is multiplexed, and the tuner
8
is controlled to receive the transport stream TS
2
. Further, the decoder
10
is controlled to separate and acquire the control data SDT
1
, SDT
2
, and SDT
3
, and to acquire the presence information for the long term broadcasting program in each service.
According to the presence information, the MPU
12
controls the decoder
10
for only the service in which the long term program information is present, and acquires the long term program information.
As described above, the long term program information may be acquired for each service. The acquired long term program information may be displayed as it is, or searched according to the genre information to display program information only in a specific genre.
However, with the conventional art described above, the following processes are required to
Bednarek Michael D.
Faile Andrew
Huynh Son P.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Shaw Pittman LLP
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