Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Ju-ha Park

Jechang Jeong

Byeung-Woo Jeon

Do-hyoung Kim

Jong-wook Park

Dong-il Song

Jong Wook Park

Young-Soon Lee

Je-Ik Kim

A method acquires program guide information in an image signal receiver, and program guide method and apparatus using the same. In the program guide apparatus, information immediately required by a user is obtained first, and information of less preferential channels is obtained next, thus presenting a smooth interface to the user. The method of acquiring program guide information for channels includes acquiring the program guide information for each channel by scanning accessible channels while a received program is not displayed. The program guide apparatus includes a tuner tuning a channel, a program guide information detector, a memory, a key input, a microprocessor, and a character signal generator.

Program guide apparatus

A receiver acquires program guide information in an image signal receiver, and program guide method and apparatus using the same. In the program guide apparatus, information immediately required by a user is obtained first, and information of less preferential channels is obtained next, thus presenting a smooth interface to the user. The method of acquiring program guide information for channels includes acquiring the program guide information for each channel by scanning accessible channels while a received program is not displayed. The program guide apparatus includes a tuner tuning a channel, a program guide information detector, a memory, a key input, a microprocessor, and a character signal generator.

A digital television signal receiver, which includes an audio processor to process the audio data to be output as sound; a video processor to process a video data to be output on a screen; a storage to store the extracted program information; a processor to access the storage to generate a channel list based on the stored program information; wherein the channel list comprises at least one main channel number and the at least one main channel number has at least one corresponding sub-channel number in the received transport stream; a user interface to allow a user to navigate the channel list to search a channel number.

Program guide apparatus acquiring program guide information and/or providing for program guide navigation using same

A method acquires program guide information in an image signal receiver, and program guide method and apparatus use the same. In the program guide apparatus, information immediately required by a user is obtained first, and information of less preferential channels is obtained next, thus presenting a smooth interface to the user. The method of acquiring program guide information for channels includes acquiring the program guide information for each channel by scanning accessible channels while a received program is not displayed. The program guide apparatus includes a tuner tuning a channel, a program guide information detector, a memory, a key input, a microprocessor, and a character signal generator.

Method of acquiring program guide information, program guide method appropriate for the same, and program guide apparatus

A method and apparatus of acquiring program guide information for a digital television receiver. There is provided a digital television signal receiver, including: a tuner to receive a digital television transport stream (TS) which includes audio, video, and program information; an extractor to extract the program information from the received TS; a storage to store the extracted program information; a processor to access the storage to generate a channel list based on the stored program information stored in the storage, where the channel list comprises at least one channel number and the at least one channel number comprises at least one main channel number; and a user interface to allow a user to navigate the channel list to search a channel number, wherein if the at least one main channel number has a corresponding sub-channel number, the sub-channel number can be listed after the at least one main channel number.

A method of acquiring program guide information for a digital television receiver, and program guide method, are provided. A method of channel searching for a digital television receiver, comprising: receiving a digital television transport stream (TS) which includes audio, video, and program information; extracting the program information from the received TS; storing the extracted program information in a storage; accessing the storage to generate a channel list based on the stored program information, wherein the channel list comprises at least one channel number and the at least one channel number comprises at least one main channel number; and navigating the channel list to search a channel number, wherein when the at least the one main channel number has at least one corresponding sub-channel number, the sub-channel number can be listed after the at least one main channel number.

A method and apparatus for controlling at least one controlled device in a controlling device, in which a target device to perform an actual controlling operation is set in the case that a device control message is transferred to a web server by a user manipulation in a controlling device under a virtual server controlling system are provided. The method includes the steps of loading a web browser screen, transferring a message including a controlled device identifier part and a control information identifier part to a web server module, and setting a target device of the at least one controlled device based on the controlled device identifier part of the message and identifying the control information based on the control information identifier part, to thereby provide the web server module with control information with respect to the set target device and the identified controlled device.

Method and apparatus for controlling at least one controlled device in a controlling device

An apparatus and method for transferring digital versatile disc (DVD) information is provided. This apparatus includes a stream format converter for providing a first stream by converting the program stream format of audio and video information read from the DVD into a transport stream format. A re-encoder is included, for providing a second stream by overlaying video information read from the disc with subpicture information read from the DVD and re-encoding the overlaid information using a predetermined compression encoding scheme for image information. A stream selector is included, for selecting either the first or second stream according to the requirements of a user, the bandwidth of a transmission channel, and the information processing capability of an apparatus for receiving information, and transferring a selected stream to the apparatus for receiving information via a transmission channel. Accordingly, information obtained using a selected optimal transfer method, that is, MPEG-2 full re-encoding, MPEG-2 I picture re-encoding, DV format re-encoding, or conversion of information stored in an original DVD into an MPEG-2 TS packet, is transferred. Therefore, even if DVD information is transferred to any apparatus, it can be viewed.

Apparatus and method for transferring digital versatile disc information

A device for updating EPG information in a digital TV receiver having a first tuner and a second tuner while viewing a channel selected by the first tuner, including first and second IF modules each converting respective IF signals output from the first and second tuners depending upon the channel selections into respective baseband signals, and first and second channel decoders each converting respective output signals from the first and second tuners to respective channel signals so as to reconstruct respective data bit streams. The device further includes a first TS decoder to separate respective audio data, video data, and auxiliary data from said data bit stream reconstructed by the first channel decoder, a second TS decoder separating auxiliary data from the data bit stream reconstructed by the second channel decoder, a memory to store the EPG information, and a controller to update the memory with the auxiliary data separated by the second TS decoder from the data bit stream obtained through the other channels selected by the second tuner.

Method for updating electronic program guide information and device thereof in a digital TV receiver

A method for alternately storing reference information in two memories in order to prevent the reference information from being damaged by storage errors in a system for storing reference information in a memory and an apparatus therefor are provided. The apparatus for storing the reference information includes at least two memories for storing reference information, a flag storing unit for storing a flag displaying a memory in which effective reference information is stored among the memories, a recording path setting unit for determining a memory in which the reference information is to be recorded with reference to the state of the flag stored in the flag storing unit, setting the recording path so that the reference information is recorded in a second memory when a first memory is effective, and the reference information is recorded in the first memory when the second memory is effective, a recorder for recording the reference information in the memory set by the recording path setting unit, and a flag setting unit for setting the flag of the flag storing unit to show the effective state of a concerned memory only after the recording of the reference information in the memory set by the recording path setting unit has been completed. Thus, it is possible to safely store the reference information even if storage errors are generated by alternately recording the reference information of the system on two memories or recording regions and displaying the memory region to be used.

Growing community of inventors

Yongin, South Korea

Ju-ha Park