Patent Application
20080074559
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below so as to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
A display apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to
As shown in
The display apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be provided as a digital television that receives and displays a digital broadcasting signal.
The receiving unit 10 receives a broadcasting signal that includes a viewer-rated program and extracts the viewer rating of the received program. The broadcasting signal is transmitted in a stream format, such as a MPEG transport stream (MTS), and received by the receiving unit 10. The receiving unit 100 restores the received MTS to original video and audio signals. In this case, the receiving unit 10 may also be realized as a tuner.
The display unit 20 displays an image based on a video signal processed by the image processor 60. The display unit 20 may be realized as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a digital light processing (DLP) device, a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), and a field emission display (FED), etc.
The storage unit 30 stores a plurality of types of sub-information. Herein, the plurality of types of sub-information other than a main program of the channel being broadcasted includes content such as an application received by the receiving unit 10, an e-book, etc.
The storage unit 30 may be realized as a memory card or as an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). Also, when the storage unit 30 is realized as a hard disk (e.g., equipped in a personal video recorder, PVR), the sub-information may be stored in the hard disk.
The user input unit 40 receives viewer information from the user according to control of the controller 70. Herein, the viewer information may include a viewer identifier (ID) of a viewer and viewer rating information of the user. Based on the viewer information, the display apparatus 1 displays a program that is appropriate for a viewer rating of the user.
In addition, when a viewer rating of the main program included in the broadcasting signal is not included in a viewable rating of the user, the user may select a channel and sub-information, from a channel list and a sub-information list that include channels and sub-information appropriate to the viewable rating of the user. Here, not only the main program but also the contents in the sub information are assumed assigned with a rating.
The UI generator 50 generates a UI corresponding to the viewer information and a UI corresponding to an image mode according to a viewer rating. The UI corresponding to the viewer information includes a first sub UI for receiving an ID of a user, and a second sub UI for receiving a viewer rating of the user. In addition, the UI generator 50 may generate a UI for displaying a user and a user's viewer rating, a UI for displaying a channel list and a sub-information list that correspond to the viewable rating of the user, and a UI for selecting an image mode according to a viewer rating. The UIs generated by the UI generator 50 will be described in further detail later.
The image processor 60 performs image processing on a program received by the receiving unit 10. In addition, the image processor 60 receives the UI generated by the UI generator 50 according to a control of the controller 70, and generates an image including the UI and displays the generated image on the display unit 20.
The image processor 60 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may perform decoding for extracting video information from an input video signal, scaling for adjusting resolution of the decoded image according to characteristics of the display unit 20 and user settings, and picture enhancement for improving quality of the image.
The controller 70 compares a user-specific viewable rating and a viewer rating of the program received by the receiving unit 10, and controls the image processor 60 to display a predetermined image on the display unit 20, when the viewer rating of the received program is not included in the viewable rating of the user.
Referring to
As shown in
A user inputs a user's ID through the ID interface 80a and enters a viewable rating corresponding to the user, through the viewer rating interface 80b. The interface image 80c displays all input users' names and corresponding viewable ratings. The storage interface 80d stores input data, and the termination interface 80e terminates the input operation.
As shown in
In this case, a user who can set a viewable rating has administration authority, and the authorized user enters an ID of each user through the ID interface 80a and enters a viewable rating corresponding to the input user through the viewer rating interface 80b. When the authorized user enters an ID and a viewable rating corresponding to the ID, the input information is displayed on the interface image 80c. When the authorized user terminates the user information input operation and selects information storing operation through the storage interface 80d, the controller 70 stores the input information in the storage unit 30.
Herein, the controller 70 may control editing of the viewer information stored in the storage unit 30 through the user input unit 40. The controller may also store the viewer information in a file format in the storage unit 30.
The display apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a data interface (not shown) for externally receiving viewer information. When receiving predetermined instructions, the controller 70 may transmit/receive the viewer information through the data interface to/from an external device. The data interface may include a wired interface such as a universal serial bus (USB), a wireless interface such as a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.
When no viewer information is input either through the user input unit 40 or the data interface, the controller 70 may set a viewable rating of each user to a predetermined lowest rating level.
When the program displayed on the display unit 20 is not included in the viewable rating of the user, the controller 70 controls the image processor 60 to display the view forbidden icon 80g and to display another program included in the viewable rating of the user on the display unit 20. In this case, the controller 70 may control the image processor 60 to display sub-information stored in the storage unit 30 on the display unit 20, instead of the program received by the receiving unit. Accordingly, when the received program is not included in the viewable rating of the user, another image can be displayed on the display unit 20 such that a program and contents included in the viewable rating of the user are automatically provided.
When a plurality of channels are included in the viewable rating of the user, the controller 70 controls the list interface 80h to display a list of the plurality of channels on the display unit 20, so that the user can select a channel from the plurality of channels through the list interface 80h. When no channel is included in the viewable rating of the user, the controller 70 may control the image processor 60 to display a list interface with a list of sub-information included in the viewable rating of the user.
In addition, the controller 70 displays the image mode interface 801 on display unit 20, and controls the image processor 60 to display an image on the display unit 20 based on a viewer rating included in a broadcasting signal when the user selects a default mode from the image mode interface 801 through the user input unit 40, and controls the image processor 60 to display an image on the display unit 20 based on a viewer rating set for each user when the user selects a user setting mode.
Accordingly, the display apparatus 1 can display various images according to viewer ratings.
Hereinafter, a broadcasting signal display method of the display apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to
The receiving unit 10 receives a broadcasting signal including programs, each having a viewer rating (S10).
When the broadcasting signal is received in S10, the controller 70 extracts a viewer rating of a program selected and viewed by a user from the received broadcasting signal (S20).
The controller 70 determines whether the extracted viewer rating of the program is included in the viewable rating of the user, and displays a predetermined image corresponding to a viewable rating of the user, when the extracted viewer rating is not included in the viewable rating of the user (S30).
Herein, the predetermined image may include another program included in the viewable rating, and may also include sub-information stored in the storage unit 30, excluding the received program.
When the extracted viewer rating of the program is not included in the viewable rating of the user, the controller 70 may further control to display a channel list and a sub-information list corresponding to a viewable rating of the user, and display an image of a program corresponding to a channel and sub-information selected by the user.
In operation S20, the controller 70 may further control to receive a plurality of types of viewer information from the user, including an ID of a user and a viewable rating of the user, and display a predetermined image based on the viewer information input by the user.
In addition, the controller 70 may further control to receive one of a first viewing mode and a second viewing mode before determining whether the extracted viewer rating is included in the viewable rating of the user in operation S20. Herein, the first viewing mode display a broadcasting signal based on a viewer rating included in the received broadcasting signals, and the second viewing mode displays a broadcasting signal based on a viewer rating included in viewer information input by the user.
When a default setting mode is selected, an image is displayed on the basis of the viewer rating included in the received broadcasting signal, and when user-desired mode is selected, an image is displayed on the basis of the viewable rating included in a plurality of viewer ratings respectively set by the plurality of users.
As described, the display apparatus and the broadcasting signal display method of the display apparatus according to the present invention display a predetermined video signal when a viewer rating of a given program is not included in a viewable rating of the user, thereby automatically providing a program and contents that correspond to the viewable rating of the user, and provide for viewable ratings of a plurality of users to be set individually.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-0092683 | Sep 2006 | KR | national |
