Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America, Inc.

Nicholas J Pauley

Adrian Hulse

Systems and methods are provided for the fast and effective tuning of a dual tuning audiovisual display system, such as a television. The dual tuners are selectively coupled via a selector to the display. In the preferred embodiment, one tuner is adapted for connection to a cable system with tuning via a cable box, typically controlled by the television via transmission from the television. Ordinarily, the speed of channel changing on the cable box is slower than tuning via the tuner adapted for connection to the bare cable. A control system determines whether a desired channel is available in the channel map for the tuner adapted for connection to the bare cable. If it is available, the tuning is made with that tuner. If the desired channel is not available in that channel map, but is available in the channel map associated with the slower tuner, such as premium channels available through a cable box and the associated channel map, then the cable box containing tuner system is selected. In yet another aspect of this invention, preemptive tuning is utilized to pretune the currently unselected tuner to what is expected to be the next channel selection. In yet another aspect of this invention, channel remapping is utilized so as to effectively space apart channels on the channel map associated with the slower tuner, such that the occurrence of adjacent or nearby channels in the channel map of the slower tuner is reduced or eliminated.

Fast tuning audiovisual display system

Apparatus is provided for presentation of images from multiple sources on a monitor or television at the same time. In the preferred embodiment, the system comprises a picture-in-picture display, wherein a main picture has overlayed on it a picture-in-picture (PIP) occupying a minor portion of the main picture. In one mode of operation, called a review mode, the PIP displays the channel which had been displayed on the main picture prior to the channel change. In another mode of operation, called the preview mode, the main picture is selected by operation of a channel selection device, such as an up channel selector, and the PIP contains the next sequential channel in the list associated with that channel selection device. Such a list may be predefined, such as in the case of sequential channel selection either in an up or a down direction, or by use of a favorite channel list. The list may ultimately be determined dynamically, such as where a database is accessed, such as a listing of channels from a cable company. Apparatus is provided for the storage of the mode selection as entered by the user, for example, whether the review mode or preview mode has been selected.

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Capistrano Beach, CA, United States of America

Nicholas J Pauley