The present invention relates to an improved digital television/set-top box, and, in particular, to a method and system for digital television/set-top box system initialization.
Generally, when a viewer turns the power on by manipulating a power key (or button), the system software requires on the order of 10 seconds to initialize. After initialization is complete, the television or set-top box can start playing video/audio. One drawback of this process is that a viewer is frustrated by the delay and absence of video with each start up.
a is a time line illustrating a conventional boot up sequence of a television/set-top box device. At time t=0 (point “A”), the system is powered on. At this time, the high level system software goes through a boot up sequence, i.e., “boot high level software”, generally denoted as element 2. As shown, the high level system software boot sequence 2 generally takes on the order of 10 seconds to complete. During the boot up sequence 2, video/audio is not available to the viewer. Further, the viewer is unable to tune to a desirably selected channel. Control of the system is not relinquished to the viewer until the completion of the boot up sequence 2 at time t=10s, (point C). At this time, the initialization of the high level system software is complete and fully operational. At time t=10s, the viewer gains full control of the television/set-top box device and is able to view video and tune to a desirably selected channel. Also shown in
The present invention takes advantage of the driver's availability at point “B”, prior to the completion of the system boot sequence, point “C”, to play a service and thereby provide video/audio to the viewer prior to the completion of a high level boot process, as will be described below.
In a digital television/set-top box device, a method and system for showing video/audio to a viewer prior to the completion of a system boot process is provided.
A digital television or set-top box is powered on which initiates a high level system software boot process and a concurrent driver boot process. The present invention takes advantage of the fact that the driver boot process completes at an earlier time than the high level system software boot process. The invention adapts the system internal drivers to play audio/video to the viewer at the completion of the driver boot process, as determined by information stored in an EEPROM or FLASH.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method for showing video/audio to a viewer prior to the completion of a high level system software boot process includes the acts of: monitoring the television/set-top box device to detect when the television/set-top box is activated by the user; retrieving meta-data from a storage of the television/set-top box device when the television/set-top box is activated; and using the meta-data to display the one or more elementary video/audio streams to the user at a point in time prior to the completion of the high level software boot up process.
According to another aspect of the invention, a device for showing video/audio to a viewer prior to the completion of a high level system software boot process includes a driver configured to display one or more elementary audio/video streams to a user prior to the completion of a high level software boot up process; and a non-volatile memory for storing meta-data defining the one or more elementary audio/video streams.
The foregoing features of the present invention will become more readily apparent and may be understood by referring to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
a shows a time line of the boot up sequence of the TV/STB in accordance with the prior art;
b shows a time line of the boot up sequence of the TV/STB in accordance with the present invention; and
In the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
The software routines of the invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a microprocessor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so forth. Computer storage media defined herein includes but is not limited to SRAM, ROM, FLASH or EEPROMs.
To more fully appreciate the principles of the invention, the steady state operation of the TV/STB 1 of
After the transport stream is tuned (demodulated), the tuner 4 outputs the demodulated transport stream to the DSP 30 be decoded. Subsequent to decoding the transport stream, the DSP 30 separates or divides the elementary streams from the decoded transport stream. The video and audio elementary streams are outputted to the display apparatus 50.
In addition, the DSP 30 extracts service information (DVB-SI) from the decoded transport stream, which is then made available to high level applications by storing it in the RAM 40.
In addition to the acts described above, the TV/STB 1 acquires information (meta-data) identifying the last channel played by the TV/STB 1 when transitioning from either power up to power down or from play to standby mode. The meta-data, once acquired, is preferably stored in the non-volatile memory 20 for subsequent use when the TV/STB next transitions from power down to power up or from standby to play mode.
The meta-data may consist of packet identifiers (pids) of the elementary streams of the channel (service) last played and an identifier of the frequency over which the elementary streams were broadcast. As is well known in the digital TV domain art, each packet in a transport stream has an associated packet identifier (i.e., pid), which associates the packet with an elementary stream. The pid information can be easily extracted from the packets as they arrive and stored in the non-volatile memory 20.
Generally, the invention imposes no restrictions on the form or type of meta-data to be used. It is only required that the meta-data provide sufficient information to enable the TV/STB 1 to play the elementary audio/video streams of the last channel (service) played. Other types of meta-data which may be used by the invention include, for example, service numbers, channel numbers, preset numbers, etc.
b shows a time line of the boot up sequence of the TV/STB 1 in accordance with the present invention. It is to be appreciated that the timelines of
The operations of displaying audio/video to a viewer in accordance with the principles of the invention are described now with reference to
Point “A” (e.g., t=0s)—is the point in time when the TV/STB 1 is either “powered on” or transitioning from standby to play mode. At point “A”, the internal driver retrieves the meta-data previously stored in the non-volatile memory 20 which identify the last channel played.
Point “B” (e.g., t=2s)—is the point in time when the internal driver becomes operational. In other words, the internal driver boot process is complete. At this point, a viewer is shown one or more elementary video/audio streams associated with the last channel played, as determined from the meta-data retrieved from the non-volatile memory 20. It is noted that the viewer does not have control of the TV/STB1 at this point. At this point, audio/video associated with the last channel played is displayed to the viewer substantially from point “B” to at least point “C”, the point in time when the high level software becomes operational.
Point “C” (e.g., t−10s), the high level system software becomes operational and the user regains full control of the TV/STB 1 and has the option to continue to watch the last channel played or otherwise select audio/video of his or her choice.
In conclusion, the present invention recognizes that the internal drivers become operational at a point in time prior to the operational readiness of the high level software. Thus, the drivers are advantageously adapted to play audio/video to the viewer at this earlier time. In this manner, the viewer is provided with audio/video substantially from the point of “power on” rather than having to endure the longer time interval during which the high level system software transitions towards operational readiness. Thus, the inconvenience and frustration of a viewer having to endure the longer time interval without any audio/video is overcome.
The foregoing is to be constructed as only being an illustrative embodiment of this invention. Persons skilled in the art can easily conceive of alternative arrangements providing a functionality similar to this embodiment without any deviation from the fundamental principles or the scope of this invention.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/IB04/51666 | 9/1/2004 | WO | 3/9/2006 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60502314 | Sep 2003 | US |