Home entertainment system and method of its operation

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DESCRIPTION

Home entertainment system and its method of operation

Background of the invention

This invention relates to a home entertainment system and a method for its operation and, more particularly, to the facilitation of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) functions with respect to the promotion of future television programs on a television system. home entertainment.

US Patent No. 4,977,455, which issued December 11, 1990, discloses a system and process for supplying supplemental information after a user responds to a signal. The signal is provided during a transmission to indicate the availability of the supplementary information in connection with the transmission. The supplemental information is preferably sent at a later time, although the scheduling information for the supplemental information is sent with the transmission. After the user responds to the signal, the schedule information is first stored and then used to record the supplemental information. In one embodiment, the overhead data is sent in the VBI of the video signal.

Summary of the invention

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a current television program, displayed on the screen of a home entertainment system, includes an advertisement or publicity message for a future television program. The availability of an electronic program guide feature is noted during, before or after the announcement. An order is given to use the EPG function. An EPG database for the home entertainment system includes files containing information about recoverable television programs by hour and channel. The files are linked together so that information about a future television program can be obtained by accessing a file about a current television program. Information about the future TV show is retrieved from the file about the current TV show in the database. The EPG function runs on the retrieved information. As a result, an EPG function can be performed regarding a future television program without embedding information about the future television program in the television signal.

The invention can be used to perform various EPG functions, including, without limitation, recording, viewing, details, viewing time, viewing channel, topic viewing, and Internet connection.

According to an optional feature of the invention, a menu of options is displayed in response to a command after the display of an icon indicating the availability of an EPG function during, before or after the announcement.

According to another optional feature of the invention, a plurality of icons are displayed on the screen to indicate different EPG functions, which can be called upon by selecting the corresponding icon.

Document WO9637996 relates to a television signal receiver which is arranged to receive video signals comprising video data and information data. The receiver is arranged to respond to the viewer's operation of a control device (28). The receiver includes a processor (23) for processing selected information data that converts the same into its representative signals for output to a television set in combination with the video signals. In one mode of operation the decoder responds to manipulation of the control device by displaying brief programming information corresponding to the programs transmitted in the received signal. In another mode of operation the receiver is arranged to display detailed programming information corresponding to a plurality of different television signals.

The present invention is set out in the independent claims, with some optional features set out in the claims dependent thereon.

Brief description of the drawings

The characteristics of the specific embodiments of the best contemplated mode of carrying out the invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a home entertainment system incorporating the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a diagram of a display screen illustrating an icon indicating the availability of an EPG function with respect to a future television program;

Figure 3 is a diagram of a display screen that prompts a viewer to select from a series of EPG functions;

Figure 4 is a diagram of a display screen prompting a viewer to select from the options for the frequency at which a television program is to be recorded;

Figure 5 is a diagram of a display screen illustrating the simultaneous display of a current television program and text data from a website on the Internet;

Figure 6 is a display screen diagram illustrating an embodiment in which one or more advertisements are stored for later use; and Figure 7 is a diagram of a display screen in which different icons are used to indicate the availability of different EPG functions.

Detailed description of the specific realizations

In a specific embodiment of the invention, an icon is displayed on a television screen during a broadcast of an advertisement or publicity message for a program that is broadcast later, or some other type of visual or audio signal that alerts the viewer of that an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) function can be performed without actually accessing the EPG, or at least without accessing the EPG from the beginning.

For example, if the viewer wants to record the program being advertised on a VCR, the viewer gives an appropriate command from a remote control, for example, he clicks on the icon with the Enter or Select key on the remote control, and the time and channel of the advertised program are stored in the VCR's reserved memory for recording. Preferably, a message is momentarily displayed in a box on the screen to confirm that the function will be performed. If you want a query, you can also see if the program should be viewed once or more times, for example, daily or weekly.

Or, for example, if the viewer wants to see more details about the advertised program, the viewer clicks on the icon and the details are retrieved from the RAM in which the EPG data is stored and or replace the advertisement message on the screen. , or displayed in a frame on the screen. Alternatively, the advertising message can be displayed in a PIP window according to the aforementioned PCT application.

Or, for example, if the viewer wants to see what other programs are being broadcast at the same time, on the same channel, or with the same theme as the advertised program, the viewer clicks on the icon and the EPG is displayed for the same day and time, the same channel, or the same topic as the advertised program.

If more than one function is available to the viewer, the choice of functions is displayed first in a menu when the viewer clicks on the icon, and the function is executed when the viewer subsequently clicks on one of the displayed options. .

A home entertainment system is shown in Figure 1. A television signal source 10, such as a terrestrial antenna, or a cable, is connected to a television tuner 11. The output of tuner 11 is a modulated intermediate frequency signal containing video and audio television information. The tuner 11 is connected via an intermediate frequency amplifier 12 (IF AMP) to an image detector 13 (PICTURE DET) and to a sound detector 14 (SOUND DET), which produce video and audio baseband signals, respectively. The audio signal is coupled via a sound amplifier 15 (SOUND AMP) to a speaker

16. The video signal is coupled via a video amplifier not shown to an input of a switch 18. The sound detector 14 and the image detector 13 are connected to the audio and video inputs, respectively, of a video recorder 17 (VCR ). (Alternatively, the television signal source 10 can be connected directly to the RF input of the VCR 17 in a well-known manner, if its internal tuner and demodulation circuitry are to be used). The output of the VCR 17 is connected to the other input of switch 18. The output of switch 18 is connected to an input of a conventional picture-in-picture (PIP) integrated circuit chip 19. The output of the PIP chip 19 is connected to the video (TV) input 20 of a television receiver or a display monitor having a screen (not shown).

An updateable programming database of program listings for all available channels for a given period of time, eg, a day or a week, is electronically stored in a program schedule memory 22, preferably a RAM. The memory 22 is connected to a microprocessor 24 that is configured, that is, programmed to control the operation of the described equipment. An operating program for the microprocessor 24 is stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 26. These program listings typically include, for each program, the title, a description of the program (in detail), the day of the week, the start time of the day, the length of the program, and the channel on which the program is broadcast. program and is therefore available for reception at source 10. These program listings can be

ES 2 394 027 T3 retrieve by hour and channel. Furthermore, to implement the invention these program listings are organized into files: the files are linked together, so that information about a future television program that is advertised in a previous television program can be obtained by accessing a file on the previous TV show. The database can be updated by a data transmission link in the vertical blackout interval (VBI) of a television channel transmitted to the television receiver in a well known manner. A VBI decoder 38 is connected between the PICTURE DET 13 and the microprocessor 24 for this purpose. Alternatively, the database can be updated by disconnecting the memory 22 and replacing it with a memory that has the updated database or with another data transmission link, such as an Internet connection or a pager in the 900MHz band. A viewer input device 28, preferably in the form of an IR remote control, is coupled to the microprocessor 24 to give the viewer commands. A video processor 30 is coupled to the microprocessor 24. When the viewer wishes to view television program listings, the microprocessor 24 remembers a portion of the program schedule database from memory 22 and couples it to the processor 30 video, in which program listings are formatted for viewing. Preferably, the information stored in the video processor 30 is a bitmap of what is displayed on the screen of the television receiver 20. The video processor 30 is connected via a switch 40 to the other input of the PIP chip 19. Preferably, the viewer input device 28 controls the microprocessor 24 by moving the cursor on the screen of the television receiver 20. To this end, the microprocessor 24 and the video processor 30 are coupled to a cursor position register 32. (Alternatively, the viewer may select items of information displayed on the screen by keying into the viewer input device 28 code numbers assigned to these items.) The microprocessor 24 is also coupled to the tuner 11 for channel change, at the same time. VCR 17 for the selection of play / record and start / stop, to switches 18 and 40 for the selection of one of its inputs, and to the PIP chip 19 for the selection of the PIP operating mode. An Internet connection 42 via a telephone line or a two-way cable is controlled by the microprocessor 24. The microprocessor 24 retrieves the address of the website to which the viewer wants to connect. The Internet connection 42 has the components required to implement a Web TV. The information retrieved from the aforementioned website is coupled from the Internet connection 42 through the switch 40 to the input of one of the PIP chips 19 for display on the TV screen 20.

In operation, the tuner 11 is set to a channel selected by the viewer by the microprocessor 24 in response to the input device 28. During a commercial break in the television program on the selected channel, an advertisement or publicity message for another television program to be broadcast at a later time is displayed on the TV screen 20. An icon that is transmitted as part of the image of the advertising message signals to the viewer that it is possible to link to an EPG function. Alternatively, the icon may be transmitted on the VBI during the advertisement, retrieved by the VBI decoder 38, transformed into a graphic in the video processor 30, and superimposed on the image of the advertisement. (If desired, the icon can be displayed immediately before or immediately after the advertising message.) The advertising message indicated as 50 and an icon 52 are illustrated in Figure 2.

When the viewer gives a command from the input device 28, either by pressing a specialized key or by placing a cursor on icon 52 with the arrow keys and clicking on a universal drive (Enter) key, a frame 54 is superimposed on the advertising message 50 as illustrated in FIG. 3 to prompt the viewer to resort to an EPG function. A menu of EPG functions is displayed in frame 54, specifically:

1. record the advertised program when it airs at a later time;

2. turn on the television to watch the advertised program when it airs at a later time;

3. view details of the advertised program now;

Four. displaying a list of programs that are broadcast at the same time as the advertised program, so that the viewer can compare the advertised program with other offers at the same time;

5. displaying a list of programs that are broadcast on the same channel as the advertised program, so that the viewer can compare the advertised program with other offers on the same channel;

6. displaying a list of programs of the same category or theme as the advertised program, so that the viewer can determine the availability of programs of the same genre as the advertised program;

7. connect to the Internet to obtain more details about the advertised program than are available through the details function; Y

8. return to the television program.

The viewer selects one of the functions, for example, by moving a cursor to the menu item and then giving another command to call up the selected function. For example, the viewer may highlight "3." and click to view details about the advertised program.

If the viewer wishes to delete frame 50, the viewer selects "8.", the return function.

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Other functions not listed in Figure 3 could also be offered. For example, every time the advertised program is broadcast could be displayed on the screen or a news story related to the advertised program could be displayed on the screen, particularly in the event of a sporting event.

With reference to the above PCT application, EPG information about television programs can be retrieved by time and channel, for example a pre-established time list includes addresses pointing to sample information packets (SIP) for television programs. . Each television program that has an icon 52 includes in its SIP an address that points to the programming information, that is, day, hour, channel, and duration, of the advertised program that is going to be broadcast at a later time, linking from this mode the information of the two television programs. If the "record" or "view" function is selected, the channel is read from tuner 11 and the time is read from a real time clock on microprocessor 24. From this information, the SIP pointer for the current television program is retrieved from the pre-set time list. The retrieved pointer allows the microprocessor 24 to find the SIP for the current television program, which contains the address pointing to the programming information for the advertised program. Programming information is stored in a reserved memory, so that the microprocessor 24 can set the tuner 11 to the appropriate channel and turn on the VCR for future unsupervised recording, or turn on the television for future automatic viewing at the scheduled time. a well known way.

The program listing files stored in memory 22 could be organized in any number of different ways, as long as information about future programs being advertised is "tied" to a current program, that is, it can be retrieved when a current program is being displayed with an EPG function signaling icon. For example, information about future programs could be linked to current programs that include advertising messages by being part of the same file as current programs instead of being linked by a pointer.

When the recording function is selected, a frame 56 is superimposed on the advertising message 50, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to prompt the viewer to select a recording option. A menu of recording options is displayed in frame 56. (These recording options are also considered to be EPG functions, as the term is used herein, because these are functions that can normally be performed using an EPG.) The viewer can record the advertised program as follows:

1. one time;

2. daily;

3. weekly; or

Four. every time the show airs in a series (for example, NBA championship games).

The viewer selects one of the recording options, for example, by moving a cursor to a menu item, for example, "3." and clicking to record the weekly advertised program.

As an additional feature, if the series option is selected in Figure 4, a list of each occurrence of the episodes of the series can be displayed; When a certain episode is selected, a synopsis of the episode would then be displayed. From the synopsis the viewer can select individual episodes of the series to schedule, watch or record.

The menus shown in Figures 3 and 4 could be stored in memory 22 together with the EPG database and superimposed on the image of the advertising message by means of a video switch or other means not shown in Figure 1.

If the details function is selected, the details information (program description) is retrieved from the SIP of the future program being advertised and displayed on the TV screen 20.

If the time, channel, or topic function is selected, the channel is read from the tuner 11 and the time is read from a real-time clock in the microprocessor 24. From this information, the pointer or pointers of the SIP or of the desired SIPs are retrieved from the preset time list. The retrieved pointer or pointers allow the microprocessor 24 to find the desired SIP or SIPs, from which the program listings for the same time, channel, or topic as the advertised program are extracted and fed to the video processor 30 for viewing. on the monitor screen in the same way as the data for a common guide described in the aforementioned PCT application.

Alternatively, if the time or channel function is selected, the time and channel could be displayed on a grid guide (reference to US application No. 09 / 120,488) so that the viewer can view the other programs. available on the same channel or at the same time in a grid guide format. In this case, a publicized program or a broadcast of a program, at approximately the same time or on the same channel, can be directly scheduled for recording or viewing using the programming capability of the guide itself. (See US Patent No. 5,353,121, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.)

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If the Internet function is selected, the system establishes a connection to a website where more information about the other television program to which the advertisement or advertising message refers is available. The website address (URL) could be embedded in the VBI of the television signal carrying the advertisement, stored on the television receiver in the EPG database as part of the SIP for the current television program, or retrieved from a central database through a telephone connection. After the Internet connection is established, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the television program is displayed in a PIP window 58 with the website information 60 in the background, or vice versa. Alternatively, the information on the website could replace the television program on the screen. In any case, the viewer can browse the website in normal mode to find the desired information.

Instead of appearing during an advertisement or publicity message, the icon 52 could appear during a television program itself. When the viewer gives the command in response to icon 52, a frame 62 is displayed on the screen. An advertisement or publicity message for the program that airs later appears in box 62. If the viewer is interested in the program that is broadcast later, the viewer gives another command from the input device 28, and the frame 54 (FIG. 3) is displayed as described above.

Rather than an ad or post for a show that airs later, the ad could relate to a current show on another channel. This applies, in particular, to a network that simultaneously broadcasts a plurality of programs on different channels, as is the case in the HDTV environment. The network can thus promote its offer of other programs that are broadcast at the same time. The viewer can record the other program and continue to watch the program he or she was watching. Thus, the term "future programs" in this specification is used to facilitate understanding of the principles of the invention, but this term also refers to a current program on another channel.

Another alternative is to store one or more advertisements for a later program or programs while the television set is turned off. After turning on the television, icon 52 is displayed on the screen to alert the viewer that advertisements are stored. When the viewer gives a command from the input device 28, the advertisements appear on the screen, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in succession. If the viewer is interested in the advertised program, the viewer gives another command from the input device 28 and the frame 54 (FIG. 3) is displayed as described above.

Instead of a single icon 52 (Figure 1) calling on an EPG function options menu (Figure 3), a plurality of icons 52a, 52b, and 52c can be displayed, as shown in Figure 7, to skip the figure menu

3. Each icon is marked with an associated letter to allow the viewer to distinguish it from the other icons, for example "R" means "record", "W" means "view" and "D" means "details". When the viewer selects one of the icons, for example by clicking on the selected icon, the corresponding EPG function is called directly.

The described embodiments of the invention are only considered to be preferred and illustrative of the concept of the invention; the scope of the invention is not to be restricted to such embodiments. Various and numerous other arrangements can be designed by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this invention. For example, although a visual icon is preferred, an audible signal could be given to alert the viewer to the presence of an advertisement or advertising message. Furthermore, if only the recording function is available, the menu of Fig. 3 could be omitted and the menu of Fig. 4 could be directly displayed; alternatively, if only one other EPG function is available, the menu in Figure 3 could be omitted in favor of a prompt to confirm the EPG function or the display of some other appropriate prompt menu.