TW202325004A - Apparatuses and methods for providing hybrid television (tv) service with smart source switching - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for providing hybrid TV service with smart source switching is proposed. The method includes the following steps. A TV receiver determines whether a particular channel supports hybrid TV service over a plurality of communication media. If the channel supports hybrid TV service, the TV receiver determines the availabilities or indicators of data signals over the communication media. The TV receiver selects one of the communication media based on the availabilities or the indicators of the data signals over the communication media. After that, the TV receiver displays multimedia content carried in the data signals over the selected communication medium.

Description

Apparatus and method for hybrid TV with intelligent source switching

The present application relates generally to television (TV) broadcast communications, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for providing hybrid TV services with intelligent source switching.

As the era of analog broadcasting comes to an end, various technologies for digital broadcasting have been developed in the field of broadcasting content reproduction. In general, digital broadcasting technologies can transmit more video and/or audio data than analog broadcasts, and they can transmit various types of additional data in addition to only video and/or audio data. For example, a digital broadcast system supporting a hybrid television (TV) service can communicate over different communication media such as a satellite/cable/terrestrial broadcast network (also referred to as a broadcast network) and a broadband network such as any cable or wireless communication network). However, in traditional applications of hybrid TV services, TV sets are usually designed to display content according to pre-configured or default settings of broadcast/broadband priority. When the current source of content (i.e. broadcast or broadband) is turned off or unstable, the TV will continue to display content from non-ideal sources and may experience a black screen (or blank screen.) As a result, the user experience of hybrid TV services may be affected.

In order to solve the above problems, the present application proposes to enable the television receiver to dynamically switch between the broadcast input source and the broadband input source of the TV channel, thereby avoiding the occurrence of a black screen (or called a blank screen) when the user watches or listens to a TV channel , thereby improving the overall user experience.

In one aspect of the present application, a method is provided. The method includes the steps of: determining, by a television receiver, whether a channel supports mixed television services over multiple communication media. Availability or indicators of data signals on the communication media are determined by the television receiver in response to channels supporting hybrid television services; the television receiver selects one of the communication media based on the availability or indicators of data signals on the communication media; the television receiver sends the data The multimedia content carried in the signal is displayed over the selected communication medium.

In another aspect of the present application, a TV receiver including a receiving circuit and a control circuit is provided. The receiving circuit is used for receiving a channel of data signals through multiple communication media. The control circuit is configured to determine whether the channel supports hybrid television service on the communication medium, responsive to the channel supporting the hybrid television service, determine the availability or indicator of the data signal on the communication medium, select one of the communication medium based on the data on the communication medium The availability or indicator of the signal and display the multimedia content carried in the data signal on the selected communication medium.

In yet another aspect of the present application, an audio or video reproduction apparatus comprising a display device and a TV receiver is provided. The television receiver is configured to determine whether a channel supports a hybrid television service on multiple communication media, responsive to the channel supporting the hybrid television service, determine the availability or indicator of a data signal on the communication medium based on selecting one of the communication media on the communication medium The availability or indicator of the data signal and display on the display device the multimedia content carried in the data signal over the selected communication medium.

In one example, communication media includes broadcast networks and broadband networks.

In one example, the indicators of the data signals on the broadcast network include signal quality indicators and/or resolution indicators. Indicators of data signals on broadband networks include data bit rates and/or buffer rates.

In one example, the TV receiver is further configured to update the availability or indicator of the data signal on the communication medium during display of the multimedia content carried in the data signal on the selected communication medium, and to switch between: the communication medium, For displaying data signals received therethrough based on availability or indicators of updated data signals on the communication medium.

In one example, the TV receiver is installed in an audio or video reproduction device including a television, personal computer, PC, smart phone, tablet PC or game console.

Other aspects and features of the present application will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following description of specific embodiments of an apparatus and method for providing hybrid television services with intelligent source switching.

The following description is made to illustrate the general principles of the application and should not be considered in a limiting sense. It should be understood that these embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. The terms "comprising", "comprising", "comprising" and/or "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components but do not exclude the presence or addition of One or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a hybrid TV service environment according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a hybrid television service environment 100 may include an audio/video rendering device 110 , a content provider (also referred to as an operator) 120 , a broadcast network 130 and a broadband network 140 .

The audio/video reproduction device 110 may be a television, a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a game console, which includes at least a TV receiver (e.g., Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) (HbbTV)) supporting hybrid television services to Data signals are received from content provider 120 over one or both of broadcast network 130 and broadband network 140 . That is, the audio/video reproducing device 110 may be connected to the broadcast network 130 in parallel with the broadband network 140, and receive a data signal from the content provider 120 on a broadcast channel or a broadband channel.

Content provider 120 may generate digital content for one or more television channels and embed the digital content into a data signal for distribution over broadcast network 130 and broadband network 140 . That is, the TV channel content provider 120 created by following content supports a hybrid TV service. Specifically, digital content includes at least multimedia content, such as audio/video content (eg, TV programs, advertisements, or games), and/or text/graphic content.

Broadcast network 130 may be a cable television network or a digital video broadcasting (DVB) network (e.g., a DVB-terrestrial (DVB-T) system, a DVB-satellite (DVB-S) system, or a DVB-cable (DVB-C) system) . Specifically, the broadcast network 130 may include a satellite network 131 and a terrestrial network 132 . Although not shown, the broadcast network 130 may also include a wired network connecting the terrestrial network 132 and the audio/video reproducing device 110 .

Broadband network 140 may be any wired or wireless communication network capable of providing access to the Internet. For example, broadband network 140 may be an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) network, a fiber optic network, an Ethernet network, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, a Global Evolution (EDGE) network, a broadband code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) Networks, Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA-2000) Networks, Enhanced Data Rates for Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) Networks, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) Networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network or 5G New Radio (NR) network, etc., depending on the wired/wireless communication technology in use.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an audio/video reproducing device 110 according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the audio/video reproducing device 110 may include a TV receiver 10 , a decoder 20 , a display device 30 and an input/output (I/O) device 40 .

The television receiver 10 includes at least a receiving circuit 11 and a control circuit 12 . The receiving circuit 11 is used for receiving data signals of TV channels through various communication media. Communication media may include broadcast network 130 and broadband network 140 . For example, the receiving circuit 11 may include a broadcast communication interface and a broadband communication interface. The broadcast communication interface may include an antenna and a tuner for receiving data signals through the broadcast network 130 . The broadband communication interface may include a wired/wireless transceiver for receiving data signals through the broadband network 140 . For example, a wired transceiver may include an ADSL modem, a fiber optic card, or an Ethernet card, while a wireless transceiver may include an antenna, radio frequency (RF) equipment, and baseband processing equipment. The control circuit 12 is configured to provide a hybrid television service with intelligent source switching. In particular, control circuitry 12 determines whether a channel supports hybrid television service on the communication medium, and determines the availability or indicator of a data signal on the communication medium responsive to the channel supporting hybrid television service. Furthermore, the control circuit 12 selects one of the communication media based on the availability or indicator of the data signal on the communication medium and displays on the display device 30 the multimedia content carried in the data signal on the selected communication medium. For example, control circuit 12 may be part of a processor, such as a general purpose processor, microcontroller unit (MCU), application processor, digital signal processor (DSP), graphics processing unit (GPU), holographic processing unit (HPU), A Neural Processing Unit (NPU), etc., which includes various circuits for providing data processing and computing functions.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the circuits of the processor may include transistors configured in a manner to control the operation of the circuits according to the functions and operations described herein. As will be further understood, the specific structure or interconnection of transistors may be determined by a compiler, such as a register transfer language (RTL) compiler. An RTL compiler can be manipulated by a processor from a script that closely resembles assembly language code to compile the script into a form for layout or fabrication of the final circuit. In fact, RTL is well known for its role and use in facilitating the design process of electronic and digital systems.

The decoder 20 is responsible for decoding the multimedia content carried in the data signal. For example, decoder 20 may include an audio decoder and a video decoder. The audio decoder is configured to decode the audio content carried in the received data signal, generate an audio signal, and output the generated audio signal to the display device 30 . The video decoder is configured to decode the video content carried in the received data signal to generate a video signal, and output the generated video signal to the display device 30 .

The display device 30 is configured to display multimedia content based on the audio/video signals output by the decoder 20 . In one example, the display device may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, or an electronic paper display (EPD), etc., for providing visual display functions, and for providing audio display functional speakers.

In another embodiment, decoder 20 and/or display device 30 may be incorporated into TV receiver 10 .

I/O device 40 may include one or more buttons, keyboard, mouse, touch pad, camera, microphone, and/or infrared (IR) receiver for use as a man-machine interface (MMI) for interacting with a user.

It should be understood that the components depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 2 are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. For example, the audio/video reproduction device 110 may include further components such as a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (e.g., non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) for storing data (e.g., received data signals) )) or decoded audio/video signals), instructions and/or application code, communication protocols and/or methods of this application. Alternatively, the audio/video reproduction device 110 may include fewer components. For example, audio/video reproduction device 110 may not include display device 30 (eg, display device 30 may be an external device coupled to audio/video reproduction device 110 ).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for providing a hybrid TV service with intelligent source switching according to an embodiment of the present application.

In this embodiment, the method for providing hybrid TV service with intelligent source switching may be applied to and executed by a TV receiver supporting hybrid TV service with preconfigured broadcast/broadband priority.

In step S310, the television receiver determines whether a current channel supports a hybrid television service through various communication media. In one example, the plurality of communication media may include at least a broadcast network and a broadband network. The TV receiver may perform a channel scanning process to search for available TV channels, and during the channel scanning process, the TV receiver may acquire channel information such as information indicating whether each channel supports a hybrid TV service. In one example, the channel scanning procedure may be performed only once, when the television receiver is first used, and the channel information may be applied each time the method is performed.

After step S310, if the current channel does not support the hybrid TV service, the method proceeds to step S320. Otherwise, if the current channel supports the hybrid TV service, the method proceeds to step S330.

In step S320, the television receiver uses the current communication medium as an input source of the data signal carrying the multimedia content of the channel (whether the data signal on the current communication medium is available or not). For example, if the preconfigured broadcast/broadband priority indicates that the source preference is "broadcast", the current communication medium is broadcast network; if the preconfigured broadcast/broadband priority indicates that the source preference is "broadband", then the current communication medium is broadband network.

In step S330, the TV receiver determines whether a data signal on the current communication medium is available (ie, detectable). In one example, if the current communication medium is a broadcast network, the television receiver may determine that a data signal on the broadcast network is available in response to a cable connector connected to the television receiver's broadcast network and a valid smart card inserted into the television installed The receiver's conditional access module (CAM) slot or common interface (CI) slot on your television. In another example, if the current communication medium is a broadband network, the television receiver may determine that data signals on the current communication medium are available in response to the broadcast network being able to provide normal connection services to the Internet.

After step S330, if the data signal on the current communication medium is available, the method proceeds to step S340. Otherwise, if the data signal on the current communication medium is not available (ie, not detectable), the method returns to step S320.

In step S340, the TV receiver determines whether the indicator of the data signal on the current communication medium satisfies a predetermined condition.

In one embodiment, if the current communication medium is a broadcast network, the indicator may include a signal quality indicator and/or a resolution indicator. The signal quality indicator may be a signal strength indicator (SSI) or a signal quality indicator (SQI), etc., and may be obtained from the tuner. A resolution indicator can indicate a resolution such as Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (HD), Full High Definition, Ultra High Definition (UHD), 4K (also known as Hi-Vision (HV)), or 8K (also known as For Super Hi-Vision (SHV)), the multimedia content carried in the data signal. For example, the predetermined condition may be that the SSI/SQI is less than a threshold, and/or the indication of the application resolution is lower than the default resolution setting of the display device.

In another embodiment, the indicator may include data bit rate and/or buffer status if the current communication medium is a broadband network. Data bit rate can be defined as the number of bits transmitted or processed per unit of time, while buffering status can be defined as the percentage of latency in the total audio/video stream time. For example, the predetermined condition may be that the data bit rate is below a threshold, and/or the buffer status is above a threshold.

After step S340, if the indicator of the data signal on the current communication medium satisfies the predetermined condition, the method proceeds to step S350. Otherwise, if the indicator of the data signal on the current communication medium does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the method returns to step S320.

In step S350, the television receiver switches the input source to another communication medium to receive the data signal carrying the multimedia content of the channel. For example, if the current communication medium is a broadcast network, the television receiver may switch the input source from the broadcast network to the broadband network. Otherwise, if the current communication medium is a broadband network, the television receiver may switch the input source from the broadband network to the broadcast network.

After step S350, the method ends (as shown in FIG. 3 ), or, the method may return to step S330. That is, the TV receiver may continuously monitor the availability and indicators of data signals on the communication medium and switch between the communication mediums to display data signals received therethrough based on updated availability or indicators of data signals on the communication medium.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for providing a hybrid TV service with intelligent source switching according to another embodiment of the present application.

In this embodiment, the method of providing hybrid TV service with intelligent source switching can be applied to and performed by a TV receiver supporting hybrid TV service without pre-configured broadcast/broadband priority.

In step S410, the television receiver determines whether a current channel supports a hybrid television service through various communication media. In one example, the plurality of communication media may include at least a broadcast network and a broadband network. The TV receiver may acquire channel information, such as information indicating whether each channel supports a hybrid TV service, during channel scanning.

After step S410, if the current channel does not support the hybrid TV service, the method proceeds to step S420. Otherwise, if the current channel supports the hybrid TV service, the method proceeds to step S430.

In step S420, the television receiver selects the communication medium uniquely supported by the current channel as the input source of the data signal carrying the multimedia content of the current channel.

In step S430, the TV receiver displays (eg, on a display device) the multimedia content carried in the data signal through the selected communication medium.

In step S440, the TV receiver determines the availability of the data signal on a plurality of communication media.

In step S450, the TV receiver determines indicators of data signals on a plurality of communication media.

In step S460, the TV receiver will determine which indicator (better) satisfies the predetermined condition by comparing the indicator of the data signal of one communication medium with the indicator of the data signal of the other communication medium.

In step S470, the television receiver selects the communication medium whose data signal indicator (better) satisfies the predetermined condition as the input source of the data signal carrying the multimedia content of the current channel according to the comparison result, and the method proceeds to step S430.

After step S430, the method ends (as shown in FIG. 4 ), or, if the current channel supports mixed TV services, the method may return to step S440. That is, the television receiver may continuously monitor the availability and indicators of data signals on the communication medium, and switch between communication media to display the data signal received therethrough, for the case where the current channel supports hybrid television services. The availability or indicator of the data signal is updated over the communication medium.

In view of the above embodiments, it can be understood that the present application realizes the provision of a hybrid TV service with intelligent source switching. Advantageously, by enabling a television receiver to dynamically switch between the television's broadcast and broadband input sources, black screens (or white screens) can be avoided when viewing or listening to television channels.

While the present application has been described by way of examples and preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications can still be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application. Accordingly, the scope of the application should be defined and protected by the appended claims and their equivalents.

100: Hybrid TV Service Environment 110: Audio/video reproduction equipment 120: Content provider (also known as operator) 130:Broadcasting network 140: Broadband network 10: Receiver 20: Decoder 30:Display device 40: Input/Output (I/O) Devices 11: Receive circuit 12: Control circuit S310-S350, S410-S470: steps

The present application can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description and examples in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a hybrid TV service environment according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an audio and video reproduction device 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for providing a hybrid TV service with intelligent source switching according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for providing a hybrid TV service with intelligent source switching according to another embodiment of the present application.

S310-S350: Steps

Claims (15)

A method comprising: A television (TV) receiver determines whether a channel supports hybrid TV services over multiple communication media; determining, by the television receiver, an availability or indicator of a data signal on the communication medium responsive to a channel supporting a hybrid television service; the television receiver selects one of the communication media based on the availability or indicator of a data signal on the communication media; and The multimedia content carried in the data signal is displayed by the television receiver over the selected communication medium. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication medium includes a broadcast network and a broadband network, wherein the availability of the data signal includes availability of the data signal on the broadcast network or availability of the data signal on the broadband network. The method according to claim 2, wherein the indicator of the broadcast network data signal includes at least one of the following: signal quality indicator; and resolution indicator; and Wherein, the indicator of the broadband network data signal includes at least one of the following: data rate; and buffer rate. The method as described in claim item 1, further comprising: updating the availability or indicator of the data signal on the communication medium during display of the multimedia content carried in the data signal on the selected communication medium; and Switching between communication media for displaying the data signal received over it is based on the availability or indicator of an updated data signal on the communication media. The method of claim 1, wherein the television receiver is installed in an audio or video reproduction device including a television, a personal computer (PC), a smart phone, a tablet PC, or a game console. A television (TV) receiver comprising: A receiving circuit for receiving data signals of channels through various communication media; a control circuit configured to determine whether the channel supports a hybrid television service over the communication medium, responsive to the channel supporting the hybrid television service, determine the availability or indicator of a data signal over the communication medium, based on the availability of the data signal on the communication medium The or indicator selects one of the communication media and displays the multimedia content carried in the data signal on the selected communication media. The television receiver as claimed in claim 6, wherein the communication medium includes a broadcast network and a broadband network, wherein the availability of the data signal includes the availability of the data signal on the broadcast network or the availability of the data signal on the broadband network. The television receiver of claim 7, wherein the indicator of the broadcast network data signal comprises at least one of: signal quality indicator; and resolution indicator; and Wherein, the indicator of the broadband network data signal includes at least one of the following: data rate; and buffer rate. The television receiver of claim 6, wherein the control circuit is further configured to update the availability or indicator of the data signal of the communication medium during display of the multimedia content carried in the data signal over the selected communication medium, and Switching between communication media for displaying the data signal received over it is based on the availability or indicator of an updated data signal on the communication media. The television receiver of claim 6, wherein the television receiver is installed in an audio or video reproduction device including a television, a personal computer (PC), a smart phone, a tablet PC, or a game console. An audio or video reproduction device comprising: display device; and A television (TV) receiver configured to determine whether a channel supports a hybrid television service over multiple communication media, responsive to the channel supporting the hybrid television service, determine the availability or indicator of a data signal over the communication medium, based on the data on the communication medium The availability or indicator of the signal selects one of the plurality of communication media and displays on the display device the multimedia content carried in the data signal over the selected communication media. The audio and video reproducing device according to claim 11, wherein the communication medium includes a broadcast network and a broadband network, wherein the availability of data signals includes the availability of data signals on the broadcast network or the availability of broadband network data signals. The audio and video reproduction device according to claim 12, wherein the indicator of the broadcast network data signal includes at least one of the following: signal quality indicator; and resolution indicator; and Wherein, the indicator of the broadband network data signal includes at least one of the following: data rate; and buffer rate. The audio or video reproduction apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the television receiver is further configured to update the availability or indicator of the data signal via the communication medium during display of the multimedia content carried in the data signal via the communication medium, select and based on an updated availability or indicator of the data signal on the communication medium, switching between the communication medium for displaying the data signal received therethrough. The audio or video reproducing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the audio or video reproducing device is a TV, a personal computer (PC), a smart phone, a tablet PC or a game console.

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