Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc.

Thomson Licensing

Thomson Licensing S.a.

Rca Licensing Corporation

Bradley Alan Sparks

Harold Blatter

Michael Joseph McLane

John Joseph Nigborowicz

Gene K Sendelweck

Robert E Morris, Jr

Michael Francis Kvintus, Jr

Gene Karl Sendelweck

A digital television receiver comprises a receiving means having selectable first and second inputs. The first input receives a broadcast digital television signal and the second input receives a digital television signal from a reproduction apparatus, and generates a video signal for display. A generating means is coupled to the receiving means for generating a display message responsive to display message data derived from the selected input and combining the display message with said video signal.

Upgradable on-screen display system

A digital apparatus for reproducing a digital video representative signal stored on a recorded medium is connected to a receiving device including a decoder. The apparatus comprises a processing means for the digital video representative signal stored on the recorded medium to produce an output compressed digital video signal bit stream for decoding by the decoder. A status message generator generates a message data signal indicative of an operating mode of the apparatus. A display message combiner has a first input coupled to the message data signal and a second input coupled to receive a decoded digital video signal from the decoder, for combining the message data signal with the decoded digital video signal for display on a video monitor.

On-screen display insertion

The absence of MPEG processing in a consumer digital recorder player may preclude on-screen message display of recorder status. Various methods are disclosed which facilitate the on-screen display of recorder player status messages. A first embodiment returns a reproduced decoded, analog video signal ( ) to the digital recorder player ( ) for insertion of status messages. In a further embodiment recorder messages data ( ) is coupled to the digital signal decoder ( ) for inclusion with the decoded analog video signal ( ). In a another embodiment a recorder message command (TAG/CMD) is coupled to the decoder ( ) to access recorder specific graphical messages. In yet a further embodiment, recorder message data ( ) is tagged and coupled to the decoder ( ) to select recorder messaged data. In yet another embodiment, digital or analog operating mode determines recorder ( ) message display timing with respect to a reproduced decoded video signal.

Interface for digital recorder and display

On-screen display timing

A receiver comprises a tuner circuit for detecting a selected input signal and an audio circuit for reproducing the audio content in the detected signal. The tuner circuit includes a local oscillator, a prescaler, a phase detector and an integrator, and has a tendency to uncontrollably detune during AC power interruption responsive to a spurious tuning control signal generated in the tuner circuit and generate audible noise during the detuning. The audible noise is introduced into the audio content of the detected signal. An AC power interruption detector monitors a run power supply and generates a power loss control signal when the run supply falls below a predetermined threshold. A control circuit responsive to the power loss control signal, absent a user command, first disables normal operation of the tuner circuit and then disables the audio circuit, thereby reducing the audible noise. The tuner circuit may be disabled by decoupling the output of the phase detector from the input to the integrator, enabling the input to float. In the absence of a corrective signal from the phase detector, which may be the spurious tuning control signal, the integrator maintains a substantially constant output tuning voltage and prevents sudden detuning.

Quieting receiver during power interruption

A color television receiver includes a picture-in-picture processor and a variable filtering circuit for imparting a 'slope type' filtering characteristic to the chrominance component of displayed signals when the main picture being displayed is from a tuner video source and for imparting a 'hay-stack' type filtering characteristic to the chrominance component when the main picture picture being displayed is from an auxiliary video source thereby providing an effective reduction in the visibility of chrominance signal sideband amplitude errors when displaying picture-in-picture images from different types of sources.

Color television apparatus with picture-in-picture processing and with

A memory retention system for an electronic apparatus having several logic devices driven by a common oscillator includes a capacitor for retaining a voltage on at least one of the logic devices and means for stopping the oscillator during a power failure. The logic devices have respective oscillator input terminals which are connected together and to the input terminal of the oscillator rather than to the output terminal of the oscillator to reduce current drain from the capacitor.

Growing community of inventors

Carmel, IN, United States of America

Bradley Alan Sparks