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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A receiver, comprising:
reception means for receiving teletext data from a coding transmission
system, wherein (1) recognition information and program-content update
information of a television-program table are formatted using a page
presentation data structure and presentation update control data
structure, each of which have a predetermined number of bits, and (2)
channel information, date information, time information, program code
information, and title information of the television-program table are
formatted as video information having a predetermined screen arrangement;
program recognition means for recognizing television-program table
information from a predetermined bit of the page presentation data
structure;
program update recognizing means, responsive to a group of predetermined
bits of the presentation update control data structure, for recognizing
that the television-program table information has been updated;
channel information processing means for processing channel information of
a first character string of a first text line from a screen arrangement
detected by said program recognition means;
date information processing means for processing date information of a
second character string of the first text line from the screen arrangement
detected by said program recognition means;
time information processing means for processing time information from the
screen arrangement detected by said program recognition means;
program code information processing means for processing program code
information from the screen arrangement detected by said program
recognition means;
title information processing means for processing the title information
from the screen arrangement detected by said program recognition means;
display means for displaying onto a display unit, as a displayed
television-program table, the data processed by said program update
recognizing means, channel information processing means, date information
processing means, time information processing means, program code
information processing means and title information processing means;
cursor display means for displaying a cursor said display unit;
cursor moving means for moving the cursor displayed by said cursor display
means so as to designate television programs contained in the displayed
television-program table;
selection means for selecting, for reservation for video recording, ones of
the programs, designated by the cursor displayed by said cursor display
means;
storage means for storing television-program table information such as
channel information, date information, time information, program code
information and title information of the corresponding to the ones of the
programs selected by said selection means;
timer means for performing time management;
comparator means for comparing the date information and time information of
the table information stored in said storage means with date information
and time information of said timer means;
start instruction means for instructing an image recording/reproducing
apparatus to start a video-recording operation when a starting time
represented by the date information and time information of the stored
table information coincides with the date information and time information
of said timer means; and
termination instruction means for instructing the image
recording/reproducing apparatus to terminate the video-recording operation
when a termination time represented by the date information and time
information of the stored table information coincides with the date
information and time information of said timer means.
2. A method of using transmitted program information to reserve time to
record a program, wherein the transmitted program information includes
television-program table information including channel information, date
information, time information, program code information and title
information and is transmitting, using teletext formatting, said method
comprising the steps of:
receiving the television table information at an image recording apparatus;
recognizing the television-program table information where program numbers
indicative of the television program table information are fixed, where
said television program table information such as channel information,
date information, time information, program code information and title
information are transmitted by code data such that
said channel information is represented by a first character string of a
first text line in a 2-byte system, said date information is represented
by a character string succeeding the channel information consisting of
1-byte system, 2-character month data and 2-character day data, and a
symbol inserted between the month data and the day data for dividing the
two pieces of the data,
said time information including start time information designated as
indispensable and terminate time information designated as dispensable,
and being assigned by a character string consisting of 1-byte system,
2-character 24-hour-system hour data and 2-character minute data, and a
symbol inserted between the hour data and the minute data for dividing the
two pieces of data,
a symbol added between the start information and the terminate time
information for dividing the two pieces of information,
the program code information being assigned by a character string of 1-byte
system 2-character immediately following the character string representing
the time information, and said title information being assigned a
character string, whose location can be found from immediately after the
program code information to before a next-program time information
character string; and
reserving time, for video recording, on the image recording apparatus
according to the received television-program table information.
3. A receiver, comprising:
reception means for receiving teletext data from a coding transmission
system in which program numbers of television-program table information
are fixed and to which program-content update information, channel
information, date information, time information, program code information
and title information are formatted as video information;
program recognition means for recognizing television-program table
information from the fixed program numbers;
program update recognizing means for recognizing and processing any update
of the television-program table information content from the
television-program table information detected by said program recognition
means;
channel information processing means for processing channel information of
a first character string on a first text line from the television-program
table information detected by said program recognition means;
date information processing means for processing date information of a
second character string on the first text line from the television-program
table information detected by said program recognition means;
time information processing means for processing the time information from
the television-program table information detected by said program
recognition means;
program code information processing means for processing program code
information from the television-program table information detected by said
program recognition means;
title information processing means for processing the title information
from the television-program table information detected by said program
recognition means;
display means for displaying onto a display unit, as a displayed
television-program table, the data processed by said program update
recognizing means, channel information processing means, date information
processing means, time information processing means, program code
information processing means and title information processing means;
cursor display means for displaying a cursor for each program of television
programs displayed by said display means;
cursor moving means for moving the cursor displayed by said cursor display
means so as to designate programs contained in the displayed
television-program table;
selection means for selecting, for reservation for video recording, ones of
programs, designated by the cursor displayed by said cursor display means;
storage means for storing television-program table information such as
channel information, date information, time information, program code
information and title information corresponding to the ones of the
programs selected by said selection means;
timer means for performing time management;
comparator means for comparing the date information and time information of
the table information stored in said storage means with date information
and time information of said timer means;
start instruction means for instructing an image recording/reproducing
apparatus to start a video-recording operation when it is judged by said
comparator means that a starting time represented by the date information
and time information of the stored table information coincides with the
date information and time information of said timer means; and
termination instruction means for instructing the image
recording/reproducing apparatus to terminate the video-recording operation
when it is judged by said comparator means that a terminate time
represented by the date information and time information of the stored
table information coincides with the date information and time information
of said timer means.
4. A method of using transmitted program information to reserve time to
record a program, wherein the transmitted program information includes
television-program table information including channel information, date
information, time information, program code information and title
information and is transmitting, using teletext formatting, said method
comprising the steps of:
receiving the television table information at an image recording apparatus;
recognizing the television-program table information; and
reserving time, for video recording, at the image recording apparatus
according to the received television-program table information,
wherein the step of recognizing the television-program table information
uses a sign for identification of added service data which is assigned to
a data group identification sign for performing identification of program
management data or page data and program search data at a data group
header section so that a channel identification number for identifying a
broadcasting channel at a data header section, a program-content update
index for notifying any update of program content, and a program
broadcasting date for representing broadcasting date of a program are
added as data;
a parameter for identification of being a data header related to added
services is assigned to data header parameters for identifying a program
data header, a page data header and a program search data header so that a
television-program identification number for identifying each television
program broadcast a day at a data-unit section,
a program-classification identification index for representing program
broadcasting smart time, program broadcasting terminate time, and type of
program content,
program-title data length for representing data length of a program title
are added as data; and
a parameter for identification of being added service data is assigned to
data-unit parameters for identifying a type of data unit such as text,
header text, and added sound information.
5. A method of using transmitted program information to reserve time to
record a program, wherein the transmitted program information includes
television-program table information including channel information, date
information, time information, program code information and title
information and is transmitting, using teletext formatting, said method
comprising the steps of:
receiving the television table information at an image recording apparatus;
recognizing the television-program table information; and
reserving time, for video recording, on the image recording apparatus
according to the received television-program table information,
wherein the step of recognizing the television-program table information
uses a sign for identification of added service data which is assigned to
a data group identification sign for performing identification of program
management data or page data and program search data at a data group
header section so that a channel identification number for identifying a
broadcasting channel at a data header section, a program-content update
index for notifying any update of program content, and a program
broadcasting date for representing broadcasting date of a program are
added as data;
a parameter for identification of being an added service data header is
newly assigned to data header parameters for identifying a program data
header, a page data header, and a program search data header so that a
television-program identification number for identifying each television
program broadcast a day at a data-unit section,
a program-classification identification index for representing program
broadcasting start time, program broadcasting terminate time, and type of
program content,
program-title display start position and program-title display terminate
position for representing display position of a program title in vertical
and horizontal directions when program title data is displayed on a screen
are added as data; and
a parameter for identification of being added service data is newly
assigned to data-unit parameters for identifying a type of data unit such
as text, header text and added sound information.
6. The method as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein, in addition to television
program identification number, program broadcasting start time, program
broadcasting terminate time, program-classification identification index,
program title data length, program title, and, in claim 5, the program
broadcasting start time, program broadcasting terminate time,
program-classification identification index, program title display smart
position, and program title display terminate position,
a data length value representing data length of television-program table
information being added to the foregoing data, a data control value
representing type of data to be added unless the added data length is 0.
7. A method of using transmitted program information to reserve time to
record a program, wherein the transmitted program information includes
television-program table information including channel information, date
information, time information, program code information and title
information and is transmitting, using teletext formatting, said method
comprising the steps of:
receiving the television table information at an image recording apparatus;
reserving time, for video recording, on the image recording apparatus
according to the received television-program table information;
wherein the television-program table information being designated by bit 3
of a page presentation data structure;
instruction of update of the television-program table information being
designated by bit 3, bit 4, bit 7, and bit 8 of presentation update
control data structure;
the channel information, date information, time information, program code
information and title information of the television-program table
information being transmitted by code data,
the channel information being of 2-byte system and assigned a first
character string of a first text line,
the date information consisting of 1-byte system 2-character month data and
2-character day data and a symbol inserted between the month data and the
day data for dividing the two pieces of data, and being assigned by a
character string succeeding the first-text-line channel information,
the time information including start time information designated as
indispensable and terminate time information designated as dispensable,
being assigned by a character string consisting of 1-byte system
2-character 24-hour-system hour data and 2-character minute data and
a symbol inserted between the hour data and the minute data for dividing
the two pieces of data, and a symbol added between the start time
information and the terminate time information for dividing the two pieces
of information,
the program code information being assigned by a character string of 1-byte
system 2-character immediately following the character string representing
the time information, and the title information being assigned by a
character string ranging from immediately after the program code
information to before the next-program time information character string. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a transmission system and a receiver for,
on the transmission side, transmitting television-program table
information such as channel information, date information, time
information, program code information, and title information using
teletext of the coding transmission system and, meanwhile on the reception
side, reserving a video recording on image recording/reproducing apparatus
using the received television-program table information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, a teletext of coding transmission system has come into
practical use that allows character and graphic information such as news,
weather forecasts, and stock market, which are provided by combinations of
characters and graphics, to be presented on a screen of a household
television receiver. Also, there have been developed television receivers
with a built-in receiver for receiving teletext in a coding transmission
system. Hereinbelow, the teletext and its teletext receiver equipment in a
coding transmission system as described above are explained with reference
to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a construction of a conventional teletext receiver. In the
figure, represented by reference character a is a television video signal;
so by numeral 1 is a character signal extracting section for extracting
character signals superimposed on the vertical blanking intervals from the
video signal a; 2 is a data block linking section for linking the
character signals in the units of data blocks extracted by the character
signal extracting section 1 and classifying them into data groups; 3 is a
data type deciding section for deciding whether the data groups classified
by the data block linking section 2 are program data, page data, or index
data; 4 is a character-program data decoder section for decoding
character-program data according to the types of data decided by the data
type deciding section 3 to develop the data into characters and graphics
for display; 5 is a buffer memory section for accumulating the signals
decided as character-program data by the data type deciding section 3; 6
is a display control section for actually displaying display data
developed into characters and graphics at the character-program data
decoder section 4 on a screen or the like; 7 is a video memory section for
storing display data to be actually displayed on the screen or the like by
the display control section 6; and 8 is a sound generator section for
performing actual sound generation according to added sound data decoded
by the character-program data decoder section 4.
FIG. 2 shows the hierarchy of a teletext signal of the coding transmission
system. In the FIG. 2, hierarchy 1 is a physical layer, representing the
item elements of a character signal as an electrophysical signal. This
signal is also superimposed on 14H, 15H, 16H, and 21H of the vertical
blanking interval of the television signal. At a link layer of a hierarchy
2, the character signal is treated as logical data of either 1 or 0. Data
lines, each of which refers to a transmission unit of character signals
transmitted during one horizontal scanning line interval of a television
video signal, is composed of a synchronization part and a data packet. The
data packet, which refers to a part of the data line in which the
synchronization part is eliminated, is composed of a prefix, data blocks,
and check codes. Primarily the function of prefix is exerted at hierarchy
3 of a network layer. The prefix refers to data for identification and
control, added to the head of the data packet, while the data blocks refer
to a part of the data packet in which the prefix and the check code are
eliminated, for transmitting various types of information data. Hierarchy
4 is a transport layer, representing the functions of data groups. The
data groups are composed of data groups, each being one group of
information data transmitted by one data block or a plurality of data
blocks. Hierarchy 5 is a session layer, representing the structure of
program data and functions for identification control of the program, and
the like. Hierarchy 6 is a presentation layer, representing the functions
of coding the presentation, where the coding for displaying characters and
graphics and for presenting added sounds is specified.
FIG. 3 shows the structure of program management data and page data.
Transmitted to the head of the program data is program management data
pertaining to the whole of the program. The program management data or
page data is composed of a data header and several units.
FIG. 4 shows the structure of a data group header and the transmission
procedure thereof. Referring to FIG. 4, the data group header is composed
of a data group identification code for identifying and controlling data
groups, a data group retransmission code, a data group link code, a data
group serial number, data group size, and working data. In this structure,
the data group identification code represents the type of a data group by
binary value, where program management data or page data is assigned "0",
while program index data is assigned "15."
FIG. 5 shows the structure of a data header and the transmission procedure
thereof. Referring to FIG. 5, the data header is composed of data-header
identification, data-header data length, and data-header data. The
data-header identification represents the function of identifying the type
of a data header, and the coding representation thereof is composed of an
information separation code and data-header parameters. Correspondence
between data headers and parameters is such that program data header, page
data header, program search data header, and continuation data header
correspond to data-header parameters 02/0-3, respectively.
FIG. 6 shows the structure of a data unit and the transmission procedure
thereof. Referring to FIG. 6, the data unit is composed of data-unit
identification, data-unit data length, and unit data. The data-unit
identification represents the function of identifying the type of a data
unit, and the coding representation thereof is composed of a data-unit
separation code and data-unit parameters. Data-unit parameters of the
current system are assigned 16 types of identification parameters such as
text, header text, a color map, and a program index. A data-unit link flag
represents whether or not the succeeding data unit is a continuation data
unit and to be linked, while the data-unit data length represents the data
length of a data-unit data. The data-unit data is a piece of data that
represents the number of data represented by data-unit data length.
FIG. 7 shows the assignment of the current data-unit parameters. In FIG. 7,
the blank fields are unused.
FIG. 8 gives an example of coding in the current teletext. In FIG. 8, there
are two data units, and data-unit parameters are "24H" and "20H," these
two data units representing "header text" and "text," respectively.
The teletext receiver equipment constructed as in FIG. 1 is now described
about its operation.
From the input video signal a, the character signal extracting section 1
extracts character signals superimposed on the vertical blanking intervals
14H, 15H, 16H, and 21H. The data block linking section 2 picks up data
blocks out of the character signals extracted at the character signal
extracting section 1, and thereafter links the data and classifies them
into data groups. The data type deciding section 3 decides whether the
data groups classified by the data block linking section 2 are program
data, page data, or index data, according to data group identification
codes. Thereafter, the character-program data decoder section 4
accumulates character-program data derived from the data type deciding
section 3 in the buffer memory section 5, while it extracts
character-program data pertaining to a program number needing presentation
from the character-program data accumulated in the buffer memory section
5. According to the type of the character-program data, character signals
are decoded as shown in FIG. 8, and the resulting character/graphic screen
information is written into the video memory section 7 through the display
control section 6. The display control section 6 sequentially reads the
character/graphic screen information written into the video memory section
7, yielding an output of display signal b. Further, if the program data
needing presentation has any added sound information, the
character-program data decoder section 4 decodes the added sound
information, and transmits sound-generation data to the sound generator
section 8, where the sound generator section 8 produces a sound signal
based on the sound-generation data.
In the teletext, data transmission is carried out in the above-described
transmission procedure. On the side of teletext receiving equipment,
character and graphic information coded according to the transmission
procedure are decoded, offering the services that still images such as
news and weather forecasts are displayed on television. More recently,
with a view to making the teletext further widespread, new services are
under discussion in which television-program table information (program
title, program broadcasting date, program broadcasting time, etc.) are
encoded, transmitted as data unit data by expanding the transmission
procedure while compatibility with the conventional teletext is maintained
(i.e. by defining new parameters), so as to allow the teletext to be
utilized for video recording reservation by image recording/reproducing
apparatus such as VTRs. However, the conventional teletext receiving
equipment cannot afford such expansion of the transmission procedure as it
stands, prohibiting their users from enjoying the new services.
Meanwhile, since the operation for recording reservation with the current
VTRs is so complicated and difficult to understand that beginners and
those unfamiliar to video/audio appliances cannot manage it. This accounts
for the strong desire that this operation for recording reservation be
made easier.
The present invention, in view of the foregoing problems, has developed a
transmission system in which television-program table information is
defined on transmission, and further provides a receiving apparatus in
which the television-program table information is recognized and processed
on the receiver side so that the recording reservation in the image
recording/reproducing apparatus can be simplified and that change in the
time of recording reserved programs can be treated.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The transmission system according to the present invention is characterized
in that, for use in a system in which, on the transmission side,
television-program table information such as channel information, date
information, time information, program code information, and title
information are transmitted using the teletext of coding transmission
system while, on the reception side, reservation of a video recording on
an image recording/reproducing apparatus is effected by making use of the
received television-program table information, data-unit parameters for
television-program table information by the teletext of the coding
transmission system are newly provided, and wherein program-content update
information, channel information, date information, time information,
program code information, and title information of the television-program
table information are transmitted as data-unit data.
The receiver according to the present invention is characterized in that it
comprises: a first program recognition means for recognizing
television-program table information by providing a limitation on
television-program table information; a first program update recognizing
and processing means for recognizing and processing program-content update
information from data-unit data; a first channel information processing
means for processing channel information from the data-unit data; a first
date information processing means for processing date information; a first
time information processing means for processing time information; a first
program code information processing means for processing program code
information; a first title information processing means for processing
title information; display means for displaying data processed by the
first program update recognizing and processing means, the first channel
information processing means, the first date information processing means,
the first time information processing means, the first program code
information processing means, and the first title information processing
means onto a display unit; cursor display means for displaying a cursor
for each one of the television programs displayed by the display means;
cursor moving means for moving the cursor displayed by the cursor display
means for each program; selection means for selecting reservation of a
video recording of a television program designated by the cursor of the
cursor display means; storage means for storing television-program table
information such as channel information, date information, time
information, program code information, and title information of the
television program selected by the selection means; timer means for
performing time management; comparator means for comparing between date
information and time information of the video-recording reserved program
stored in the storage means with date information and time information of
the timer means; start instruction means for instructing an image
recording/reproducing apparatus to start a video-recording operation when
start time information of the date information and the time information of
the video-recording reserved program coincides with the date information
and the time information of the timer means; and termination time
instruction means for instructing the image recording/reproducing
apparatus to terminate the video-recording operation when termination time
information of the date information and the time information of the
video-recording reserved program coincides with the date information and
the time information of the timer means.
According to the feature of the present invention having such an
arrangement as described above, reservation of a video recording to be
simply rendered on an image recording/reproducing apparatus is allowed
only by automatically detecting a television-program table program out of
teletext programs, taking out information necessary for video recording
reservation in the image recording/reproducing apparatus and displaying
them onto a display unit, and selecting information such as title name on
a television-program table displayed on the display unit with a cursor.
Further, even if the television program for which a video recording has
been rendered on an image recording/reproducing apparatus should be
canceled because of any change or extension of the program on the
transmission side, or even if its broadcasting time should be changed,
these changes and extensions could be automatically followed up if
television-program table information which includes the contents of the
change on teletext is transmitted, thus allowing the video recording of
the reserved television program to be carried out by automatically
following.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional teletext receiver; FIG. 2 is a
view showing a hierarchy of a teletext signal in a coding transmission
system; FIG. 3 is a view showing a structure of program management data
and page data; FIG. 4 is a view showing the structure of the data group
header and the transmission procedure thereof; FIG. 5 is a view showing
the structure of the data header and the transmission procedure thereof;
FIG. 6 is a view showing the structure of the data unit and the
transmission procedure thereof; FIG. 7 is a view showing the assignment of
the current data-unit parameters; FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of
coding in the conventional teletext; FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram
showing the construction of a transmission system and a receiver according
to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a view showing an
exemplary structure of the television-program table program data unit;
FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a receiver according to a second
embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a view showing the bit
assignment of a page presentation device; FIG. 13 is a view showing the
bit assignment of presentation update control; FIG. 14 is a view showing
an example of screen arrangement of a television-program table program;
FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram of a receiver according to a third
embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram
of a receiver according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing the structure of the data group header
and data header of data to be transmitted to the same receiver and the
transmission procedure thereof; FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing the
structure of the data unit of the same data and the transmission procedure
thereof; FIG. 19 is a view for explaining a fifth embodiment of the
invention, schematically showing another structure of the same data unit
and the transmission procedure thereof; FIG. 20 is a view for explaining a
sixth embodiment of the invention, schematically showing yet another
structure of the same data unit and the transmission procedure thereof;
FIG. 21 is a functional block diagram of a receiver according to a seventh
embodiment of the invention; FIG. 22 is a view for explaining the
operation in FIG. 21, schematically showing an example of the structure of
a data group of program type information; FIG. 23 is a functional block
diagram of a receiver according to an eighth embodiment of the invention;
and FIG. 24 is a view for explaining the operation in FIG. 22,
schematically showing an example of the structure of a data group of time
information.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Now the transmission system and receiver according to the first embodiment
of the present invention is described below with reference to the
drawings.
FIG. 9 shows the construction of a receiver according to the first
embodiment of the invention.
In FIG. 9, represented by reference character A is a reception means for
receiving teletext in a coding transmission system. In the reception means
A, designated by numeral 1 is a character signal extracting section for
extracting character signals superimposed on the vertical blanking period
from a video signal a; 4 is a decoder section for decoding the character
signals extracted from the character signal extracting section 1 to
develop into character graphics for display; 5 is a buffer memory section
for accumulating only the character signals extracted at the character
signal extracting section 1; 6 is a display control section for actually
displaying display data developed into character graphics at the decoder
section 4 on a screen or the like; 7 is a video memory section for storing
display data to be actually displayed on the screen or the like by the
display control section 6; and 8 is a sound generator section for
performing actual sound generation according to added sound data decoded
by the decoder section 4, all of which are designated by like numerals as
in FIG. 1. Further, designated by numeral 9 is a first program recognition
means for recognizing television-program table information from data-unit
parameters; 10 is a first program update recognizing and processing means
for recognizing and processing program-content update information from the
data-unit data detected by the first program recognition means 9; 11 is a
first channel information processing means for processing channel
information from the data-unit data detected by the first program
recognition means 9; 12 is a first date information processing means for
processing date information from the data-unit data detected by the first
program recognition means 9; 13 is a first time information processing
means for processing time information from the data-unit data detected by
the first program recognition means 9; 14 is a first program code
information processing means for processing program code information from
the data-unit data detected by the first program recognition means 9; 15
is a first title information processing means for processing title
information from the data-unit data detected by the first program
recognition means 9; 16 is a display means for displaying data processed
by the first program update recognizing and processing means 10, the first
channel information processing means 11, the first date information
processing means 12, the first time information processing means 13, the
first program code information processing means 14, and the first title
information processing means 15, for example onto a CRT screen of the a
television receiver; 17 is a cursor display means for displaying a cursor
for each one program of the television programs displayed by the display
means 16; 18 is a cursor moving means for moving the cursor displayed by
the cursor display means 17 for each program; 19 is a selection means for
selecting video-recording reservation of a television program designated
by the cursor of the cursor display means 17; 20 is a storage means for
storing television-program table information such as channel information,
date information, time information, program code information, and title
information of the television program selected by the selection means 19;
21 is a timer means for performing time management; 22 is a comparator
means for comparing date information and time information of the
video-recording reserved program stored in the storage means 20 with date
information and time information of the timer means 21; 23 is a start
instruction means for instructing an image recording/reproducing apparatus
25 to start a video-recording operation when date information and time
information of the video-recording reserved program coincides with date
information and time information of the timer means 21 by the comparator
means 22; and 24 is a termination instruction means for instructing the
image recording/reproducing apparatus 25 to terminate the video-recording
operation when date information and time information of the
video-recording reserved program coincides with date information and time
information of the timer means 21 by the comparator means 22. In addition,
numeral 25 denotes an image recording/reproducing apparatus such as a
video tape recorder.
The receiver constructed as described above is below described with regard
to its operation, referring to FIG. 9.
First, the character signal extracting section 1 extracts character signals
superimposed on 14H, 15H, 16H, and 21H from the input video signal a. The
decoder section 4 accumulates the character signals extracted at the
character signal extracting section 1 in the buffer memory section 5 while
it extracts program data pertaining to a program number needing
presentation from the character signals accumulated in the buffer memory
section 5, and it further performs the decoding of character signals such
as shown in FIG. 8, writing character/graphic screen information into the
video memory section 7 through the display control section 6. The display
control section 6 sequentially reads the character/graphic screen
information written into the video memory section 7, yielding an output of
display signal b. The decoder section 4 further decodes added sound
information, if there is any added sound information in the program data
needing presentation, thereafter transmitting sound-generation data to the
sound generator section 8. The sound generator section 8 yields an output
based on the sound-generation data.
The detection of television-program table programs is carried out by the
first program recognition means 9. The recognition of television-program
table programs is carried out by the data-unit parameters as shown in FIG.
7. The data-unit parameters representing television-program table programs
are hexadecimal data, which may be any 1-byte data except 20, 24, 28, 2C,
30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 39, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F. An example of the
structure of the television-program table program data unit is shown in
FIG. 10. Out of the television-program table data unit recognized and
extracted by the first program recognition means 9, the first channel
information processing means 11 reads channel information from byte-6 to
byte-11 data of the television-program table data unit. The first program
update recognizing and processing means 10 reads program version data from
byte 5 of the television-program table data unit. The first date
information processing means 12 reads month information from byte 12 and
date information from byte 13 of the television-program table data unit.
The first time information processing means 13 reads start hour
information from byte 14 and start minute information from byte 15 of the
television-program table data unit. By the MSB, b8 of byte 14, it is
decided whether or not there exists any terminate time information. It
also reads terminate hour information from byte 16 and terminate minute
information from byte 17. When terminate time information is omitted, the
data that follow are shifted by 2 bytes. The first program code
information processing means 14 reads program code information from byte
18 of the television-program table data unit. The first program title
information processing means 15 reads title information by the number of
bytes representing title data-length data of byte 19 of the
television-program table data unit. Similarly, it reads the second and
following television-program table information data. The pieces of
information read by the first program update recognizing and processing
means 10, the first channel information processing means 11, the first
date information processing means 12, the first time information
processing means 13, and the first title information processing means 15
are each displayed onto the CRT screen through the display means 16. The
cursor display means 17 displays a cursor representing a television
program to be selected on the CRT screen, while the cursor moving means 18
moves the position of the cursor outputted by the cursor display means 17,
thereby allowing a desired television program to be selected by the
selection means 19. The selected television-program table information are
stored in series in the first storage means 20. If any content of the
television-program table information stored in the first storage means 20
are updated, a comparison is made between the content information of the
relevant program and the contents of the television-program table
information stored in the first storage means 20 through the first program
update recognizing and processing means 10, where if there is any change
in the contents, the contents of the television-program table information
stored in the first storage means 20 is rewritten into new data. The
contents of the television-program table information stored in the first
storage means 20 are at all times compared with date and time data of the
timer means 21 by the comparator means 22. Then, out of the
television-program table information stored | | |
