Deutsche Thomson-Brandt Gmbh

Thomson Licensing S.a.

Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc.

Sandor Gyarmati

Gerhard Eitz

Gunter Gleim

Rainer Schweer

Reinhard Lachenmaier

Werner Bruckner

The invention relates to a method for displaying screen elements on a reproduction screen. A predetermined number of pixels (Pa . . . Pej) of a reproduction line (L . . . Lm) are combined to form a cell (C . . . Cmn). A reproduction line (L . . . Lm) is formed from a fixedly predetermined number of cells (C . . . Cmn).

Screen display system

A method of error-free, simple programming of a data decoder for the purpose of recording desired data programs is achieved when a data guide table, generated at the transmitter end, for programming the recording, and a data status table for signaling the data programs currently running are evaluated. In addition to date, time, broadcasting company, identifying number and length of the files, the data guide table contains information on the hardware and software configurations, which is required for receiving, for decoding and for outputting the desired data program, and further information for automatically reloading software possibly missing at the receiver end. In this way, it is possible as early as during programming of a data program to carry out a check of the system configuration required at the receiver end and to output an error message or warning to the user if his own system is not suitable for receiving, decoding or outputting the desired data program. Furthermore, possible errors can be pointed out and, if necessary, a similar data program which is matched to the system configuration at the receiver end can, if appropriate, be loaded automatically, or a missing data program can be reloaded.

Method for playing back data signals in television or sound radio

For the transmission of additional data on a television channel the lines of the vertical blanking interval are used. It is intented to improve program information by so-called electronic program guides, which are based on the transmission of a large database. For these EPGs the additional data shall be broadcasted within the teletext data stream in a compatible manner. The EPG data are splitted into two data streams, wherein the transmitted data are organized in data blocks. Data blocks from different streams may interrupt each other. According to the invention the data pages (A, B) are stored sequentially in two different buffers (PA, PB) and processed alternatively. The blocks of the pages transmitted in the first stream are stored in a first block buffer (BB1) and the blocks of the pages transmitted in the second stream are stored in a second block buffer (BB2).

Method and decoder for the processing of data within teletext pages

To reduce the time required to access serially transmitted teletext data, such data is often stored in memory. The present invention reduces the otherwise required memory size by storing the characters in proportional form and/or with duplicated characters not stored a plurality of times but stored with information on the number of times a character is duplicated.

Minimization of memory for teletext data

In order to achieve a greater degree of security in the decoder for the control frame of teletext pages, the control frame is initially selected and decoded from the data stream by means of a bit by bit comparison with a frame word. Thereby, the following steps are carried out in dependence on the number of coincidences occurring during the bit by bit comparison with the frame word:

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Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany

Sandor Gyarmati