Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Yusuke Nishida

Manabu Yamamoto

Yasuhiro Inui

Toshihiro Takagi

Kazuhiko Tani

Takahiro Katayama

Kazuhide Ishihara

This output device includes a read means which reads in image data of a first aspect ratio from an input port or from a medium. Moreover, this output device includes an image synthesis means which creates combined image data of a second aspect ratio by adding mask bands at the sides of, or above and below, an image which is based upon the image data of said first aspect ratio. Furthermore, this output device includes an output means which outputs this combined image data at said second aspect ratio. And the output means is connected to a display device which processes said combined image data which has been outputted at said second output ratio, and displays the result upon a screen. Moreover, the image synthesis means changes the color of said mask bands to a different color at a predetermined timing during a predetermined time period.

Optical disk device

Optical disc device with integrated hard disk drive includes HDD recording and reproducing portion, DVD recording and reproducing portion, and record restriction process portion that decides whether DVD is disc supporting CPRM and discriminates copy protection information of television broadcasting signal. If 'copy once' signal is detected from the copy protection information when it is started to record contents of television broadcasting on DVD that does not support CPRM, recording by hard disk drive is performed instead of recording on DVD. If 'copy free' signal is detected from copy protection information while contents are recorded by HDD, recording by hard disk drive is stopped, and recording on DVD is performed. If &#x201c;copy once&#x201d; signal is detected from copy protection information while contents are recorded on DVD, recording on DVD is stopped, and recording by HDD is performed.

Optical disc device with integrated hard disk drive

In a broadcasting receiver having a function to set and select an operation mode of the receiver for each user based on input by a plurality of users, the operation mode is selected for each user to make a user setting and stored in a memory in correlation with a predetermined input pattern of an operation key. When having received a user's input in the predetermined pattern, the receiver refers to the memory to select a user setting that corresponds to this input pattern, thus switching the operation mode. It is thus possible to identify the operation mode for each user in use by simple operations.

Broadcasting receiver having operation mode selection function

A channel selection device of the invention used in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver, upon reception of a channel changing instruction sent from input device, tries to select a desired channel by referencing its VCT if it can find channel information in a memory and, if it could not find the desired channel and failed in channel selection, obtains the latest VCT to thereby select such a channel in the VCT that has the smallest sub-channel number in the same main channel or select such a channel that has the smallest sub-channel number in the same physical channel. Thus, if a channel specified in the channel changing instruction sent from the user has no broadcast therethrough and failed to be selected, an appropriate channel is selected automatically, thus avoiding a state that nothing is displayed on the display.

Channel selection device for use in digital/analog broadcasting receiver and digital/analog broadcasting receiver equipped with the same

A video playing and recording apparatus has a time shift function which allows a television program or other such data to be temporarily recorded in a file of a time shift recording region of a hard disk while the recorded data can be played, When a data recording command is received during a time shift function, the temporary recording of data in file A of the time shift recording region is stopped, and the permanent recording in file B of a permanent recording region is started. At this time, the end address of the data in file A is recorded in file B, and the head address of the data in file B is recorded to file A. The data in file A and file B can be played continuously by using the two addresses recorded in file A or file B.

Video recording and playing apparatus

A receiving device used in a digital television includes an automatic storage section obtains the channel information on physical channels at which a program is broadcast, when the channel information contains any other physical channels therein, registers the physical channels thereof in a channel map, decides whether the physical channel which is switched has been registered in the channel map, and if the physical channel has been registered, not to detect whether a program is broadcast at the other physical channels. In this case, information of any other physical channel is present in a VCT, this other physical channel is registered in the channel map without detecting whether a program is broadcast at the channel. Therefore, the total number of the channels to be detected on whether a program is broadcast can be decreased, thus reducing the time for performing the automatic storage function.

Receiving device for use in digital television

In a receiver, when a channel is registered on the channel map, the receiverregisters the channel by the unit of a physical channel, and when a channel is deleted from the channel map, the receiverdeletes the channel by the unit of a sub-channel. A common user has a tendency of watching most of a plurality of sub-channels contained in one physical channel and a tendency of not watching a portion of the plurality of sub-channels which the user does not like.

Receiver

A digital broadcasting receiver that uses a channel map containing broadcast information such as channel numbers and virtual channel numbers is described. When a user selects a certain digital channel number, a control unit consisting of a CPU makes a search as to whether or not the number exists in the channel map. If the number does not exist, 'No Signal' notice is displayed on a display and if the user selects a scan instruction then, the entire range of frequency band of the broadcasting signal is scanned. If a signal that corresponds to the digital channel number exists, its broadcast is received. Therefore, a search is possible even when the user knows only a virtual channel number and the digital channel number entered by the user is not registered in the channel map.

Digital broadcasting receiver

In a television receiving apparatus, a receiving apparatushas storage means for storing a voice output switching tableregistering a voice setting recordhaving the voice output format associated with the broadcasting language of the received digital broadcasting in a control unitEvery time the switching operation of the voice output format is made, the voice setting recordis selected in the registered order. Also, the receiving apparatusoutputs a voice signal with the language and the voice output format based on the selected voice setting recordfrom an output portionAccordingly, the broadcasting language and the voice output format of the digital broadcasting being received can be switched by single operation, resulting in enhanced operability.

Television receiving apparatus

In a channel selection device of the invention used in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver, in instructing changing a channel, either one of the UP/DOWN key pair or the RIGHT/LEFT key pair can be used to change a main channel while changing the other pair to change a sub-channel. Thus, by using the keys distributed between the main channel and the sub-channels, a correlation can be given between the key operations and the channels' hierarchical construction to thereby facilitate the changing and selection of the main channels and the sub-channels in the hierarchical construction in digital/analog broadcasts.

Channel selection device used in digital/analog broadcasting receiver

In a broadcast receiving system for receiving the digital broadcast, when the selection of 'channel selection menu' is inputted by the user, the channel information stored in a memory is read to decide whether the configuration of a sub-channel is identified during the current operation, and a descriptor 'x' is assigned to the sub-channel not identified to be made displayed in the channel information list on &#x201c;channel selection display,&#x201d; thereby distinguishing it from other channels. This allows the channel whose sub-channel cannot be identified to be OSD displayed distinguishing it from other channels such as for analog broadcast and the like.

Broadcast receiving system with function of on-screen displaying channel information

In a broadcast receiving system for receiving the digital broadcasting, when the selection of 'channel addition/deletion menu' is inputted by the user, received broadcasting signals are decoded to obtain collectively the channel information of the digital/analog broadcasting. This channel information is compared with channel information made stored in a memory to distinguish the channel having suspended from the channel having been resumed, and the distinguished information is made OSD displayed for each channel. The user operates an input device to select a desired channel, and inputs an instruction of the channel addition/deletion with an addition button or a deletion button to update the data stored in the memory. In this way, the display of the channel information of the digital/analog broadcasting transmitted from the same or the same-system broadcasting station is made displayed continuously and mixedly, thereby making it possible for the user to understand visually a transition in channel configuration.

A broadcasting receiver that receives broadcasting signals transmitted by a broadcasting station accompanying audio signals of multiple languages and automatically selects a certain broadcasting language to be outputted is described here. The receiver is capable of displaying a 'Priority Switching Language Registration Menu' on its display in order to set up and register switching of priority languages. A priority language list determined by a user referring to a language list database displayed on the display is stored into a memory together with the maximum number of audio channels set up by the user. A control unit consisting of a CPU acquires a broadcasting language information currently being received referring to a VCT (Virtual Channel Table) acquired by control signal analysis when the receiver is started up or a broadcasting channel is changed by the user, or a broadcasting program is changed, and selects the broadcasting language and the number of audio channels to be outputted by an audio output unit based on the information stored. Thus, the broadcasting language and the number of audio channels most suitable for the user is always automatically selected and decided for the broadcasting languages and the number of audio channels that vary with each broadcasting channel.

Broadcasting receiver with automatic audio selection function

In a channel selection device used in a broadcasting receiver, each time a channel UP/DOWN key is pressed for changing a channel, the channel number is changed upward/downward by one immediately and, when the key is continuously held down for at least a predetermined time lapse, the first digit of the channel number is cleared to 0 and then the channel number is changed upward/downward by 10 every constant time lapse. Therefore, the channel can be changed constantly free of a fluctuation in changing speed with passing time, so that even an unskilled user can easily guess the time required to reach his desired channel to thereby get it in a short time.

Growing community of inventors

Ikoma, Japan

Yusuke Nishida