Audiovisual (AV) device and control method thereof

Abstract

According to one embodiment, video image and audio signals are transmitted to a plurality of electronic devices each having at least one of a video image display function and an audio reproducing function. Information indicating the fact that at least one of a video image and audio has been set in a mute state is acquired from each of the electronic devices. Based on the information, a processing operation is applied to the video image and audio signals supplied to each of the electronic devices.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A general architecture that implements the various feature of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, the block diagram being adapted to explain an example of a signal transmitting system that conforms to an HDMI standard;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram adapted to explain a signal processing system of a television image receiver provided as a receiving AV device in the same embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow chart adapted to explain a main processing operation of the television image receiver in the same embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram adapted to explain a signal processing system of an AV amplifier that is a receiving AV device in the same embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram adapted to explain a signal processing system of an optical disk reproducing apparatus that is a transmitting AV device in the same embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flow chart adapted to explain a main processing operation of the optical disk reproducing apparatus in the same embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary block diagram adapted to explain another example of a signal transmitting system that conforms to an HDMI standard in the same embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary block diagram adapted to explain a signal processing system of STB that is a transmitting AV device in another example of the same signal transmitting system; and

FIG. 9 is an exemplary block diagram adapted to explain a signal processing system of an optical disk reproducing apparatus that is a transmitting AV device in another example of the same signal transmitting system.

Claims

1. An audiovisual (AV) device comprising: a receiving section to receive digital data including a digital video image signal and a digital audio signal;a processing section to apply signal processing operations to the digital video image signal to display a video image and the digital audio signal to reproduce audio;a storage section configured to store either one of (i) information that identifies a first state of the AV device when one or more video images are not to be displayed, and (ii) information that identifies a second state of the AV device where audio is not to be reproduced; anda control section configured to output information stored in the storage section.

2. The AV device according to claim 1, wherein the control section outputs the information stored in the storage section upon an external request.

3. The AV device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving section to convert the digital data in a format that conforms to a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard.

4. An AV device according to claim 1, wherein the first state is a mute state that identifies that the one or more video images are not to be displayed on a video display device.

5. An AV device according to claim 4, wherein a first time value, stored in the storage section and required for the signal processing operations to display the video image, is rewritten when the AV device is operating in the first state.

6. An AV device according to claim 4, wherein the second state is a mute state that identifies that the audio is not to be reproduced by an audio output device.

7. An AV device according to claim 6, wherein a second time value, stored in the storage section and required for the signal processing operations to reproduce the audio, is rewritten when the AV device is operating in the second state.

8. An AV device according to claim 7 is configured to operate in both the first state and the second state.

9. An AV device according to claim 1, wherein the storage section is an extended display identification data (EDID) memory.

10. An audiovisual (AV) device in communication with a first electronic device, the AV device comprising: a transmitter section configured to transmit a digital video image signal and a digital audio signal; anda control section to acquire information whether the first electronic device has been placed in a video image mute state or an audio mute state, the video image mute state to identify that the first electronic device is not provided for viewing of a video image and the audio mute state to identify that the first electronic device is not provided for audio reception.

11. An AV device according to claim 10 further comprising a disk reproducing section to apply a predetermined signal processing operation based on a value from the control section computed in response to determining that the first electronic device has been placed in the video image mute state or the audio mute state.

12. An AV device according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined signal processing operation includes controlling the digital audio signal by the difference value in response to determining that the first electronic device has been placed in the audio mute state to denote that audio is being reproduced by another electronic device.

13. An AV device according to claim 10, wherein the control section acquires the information as a setting from an extended display identification data (EDID) memory EDID.

14. An AV device according to claim 10, wherein the control section acquires the information stored the first electronic device operating as one of a plurality of electronics devices from a memory of a second electronic device interposed between the AV device and the plurality of electronic devices.

15. An AV device according to claim 14 further comprising a processing section to apply a predetermined signal processing operation to at least one of the digital video image signal and the digital audio signal provided by a third AV device based on information from the control section in response to determining that the first electronic device has been placed in the video image mute state or the audio mute state.

16. A method comprising: acquire data from a memory device within a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices to determine whether the first electronic device has been placed in a video image mute state or an audio mute state, the video image mute state to identify that the electronic device is not configured to display a video image and the audio mute state to identify that the electronic device is not configured to playback audio;determining whether the first electronic device is in one of the video image mute state or the audio mute state; andcontrolling one of the audio signal and a video signal output in order to synchronize a display of a video image and reproduction of audio at both the first electronic device and a second electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices.