Claims
- 1. A program guide interface, comprising:
- a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;
- first multiplexing means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for display;
- respective means for separating said program guide information from each of said analog and digital video signals;
- a video graphics generator;
- a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information and supplying a control signal; and,
- second multiplexing means responsive to said control signal for combining said graphics video signal with said one of said analog and digital video signals selected by said first multiplexing means to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.
- 2. The interface of claim 1, wherein an information signal carrying said program guide information is also available from said source.
- 3. The interface of claim 2, wherein said microprocessor can also route said program guide information from said information signal to said video graphics generator, for said combined video display.
- 4. The interface of claim 1, further comprising means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for said combined display.
- 5. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a synchronizing signal separator for supplying scan synchronizing information to said video graphics generator.
- 6. The interface of claim 1, wherein said means for separating said program guide information comprises a data packet transport stream demultiplexer.
- 7. The interface of claim 1, wherein said means for separating said program guide information comprises a demodulator for data transmitted in vertical blanking intervals.
- 8. The interface of claim 1, wherein said combining means comprises:
- a first multiplexer for selecting between said digital and analog signals for display; and,
- a second multiplexer for selecting between said previously selected one of said digital and analog video signals and said graphics video signal.
- 9. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a video encoder coupled to said video graphics generator and said combining means.
- 10. The interface of claim 9, further comprising means for supplying a burst signal to said encoder.
- 11. A program guide interface, comprising:
- a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;
- a demultiplexer having said digital video signal as an input and having said program guide information as a first program guide output;
- a demodulator having at least a luminance component of said analog video signal as an input and having said program guide information as a second program guide output;
- a first multiplexer having said digital and analog video signals as inputs and having a selected video signal as an output; and,
- a video graphics adapter;
- a microprocessor;
- a data bus interconnecting said demultiplexer, said demodulator, said video graphics adapter and said microprocessor, any one of said first and second program guide outputs being transferable to said video graphics adapter, said video graphics adapter formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information; and,
- a second multiplexer having said graphics video signal and said selected video signal as inputs and having a combined output video signal representative of both said program guide information and said picture represented by said selected video signal.
- 12. The interface of claim 11, wherein an information signal carrying said program guide information is also available from said source.
- 13. The interface of claim 12, wherein said microprocessor can also route said program guide information from said information signal to said video graphics generator.
- 14. The interface of claim 11, wherein:
- said demultiplexer separates data packets from a digital data packet transport stream defining said digital video signal; and,
- said demodulator separates said program guide information from vertical blanking intervals of said analog video signal.
- 15. A program guide interface, comprising:
- a source of an analog video signal representative of a first picture and including program guide information transmitted therewith, a digital video signal representative of a second picture and including said program guide information encoded therewith and an information signal including only said program guide information;
- a first multiplexer for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals as a source for a video display;
- means for separating said program guide information from each of said analog video signal, said digital video signal and said digital information signal;
- a video graphics generator;
- a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics adapter formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information; and,
- a second multiplexer for combining said graphics video signal with said selected one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including one of said first and second pictures and said program guide information.
- 16. The interface of claim 15, wherein said separating means comprises a digital demultiplexer.
- 17. The interface of claim 15, wherein said separating means comprises an analog demodulator.
- 18. A program guide interface, comprising:
- a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;
- means for separating said program guide information from at least one of said analog and digital video signals;
- a video graphics generator;
- a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information;
- a video encoder for said graphics video signal formatted by said video graphics generator; and,
- means for combining said encoded graphics video signal with any one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.
- 19. The interface of claim 18, wherein said video encoder comprises an RGB to Y, C encoder.
- 20. The interface of claim 18, further comprising means for supplying a burst signal to said encoder.
- 21. A program guide interface, comprising:
- a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;
- respective means for separating said program guide information from each of said analog and digital video signals;
- a video graphics generator;
- a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information; and,
- means for combining said graphics video signal with either one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.
- 22. The interface of claim 21, wherein said video graphics generator supplies a control signal to said combining means for switching between said graphics video signal and said either one of said analog and digital video signals.
- 23. The interface of claim 21, wherein an information signal carrying said program guide information is also available from said source; and, said microprocessor can also route said program guide information from said information signal to said video graphics generator, for said combined video display.
- 24. The interface of claim 21, further comprising means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for said combined display.
- 25. The interface of claim 21, wherein said means for separating said program guide information comprises:
- a data packet transport stream demultiplexer; and,
- a demodulator for data transmitted in vertical blanking intervals.
- 26. A program guide interface, comprising:
- a source of analog and digital video signals, each of which is representative of a picture and each of which may carry program guide information;
- means for separating said program guide information from at least one of said analog and digital video signals;
- a video graphics generator;
- a microprocessor for routing said separated program guide information to said video graphics generator, said video graphics generator formatting a graphics video signal representative of said program guide information and supplying a control signal; and,
- multiplexing means responsive to said control signal for combining said graphics video signal with either one of said analog and digital video signals to generate a combined video display including said program guide information and any one of said pictures.
- 27. The interface of claim 23, further comprising means for selecting one of said analog and digital video signals for display, said multiplexing means combining said video graphics signal with said one of said analog and digital signals selected for display.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/397,003, filed Mar. 1, 1995, and now abandoned which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/362,649, filed Dec. 21, 1994, and now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Continuations (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
397003 |
Mar 1995 |
|
Parent |
362649 |
Dec 1994 |
|