Receiving apparatus for digital broadcasting signal and receiving/recording/reproducing apparatus thereof

#The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for receiving a digital broadcasting signal, and an apparatus for receiving/recording/reproducing the digital broadcasting signal. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a digital broadcasting signal receiving apparatus, and a receiving/recording/ reproducing apparatus suitable for directly recording/ reproducing such a digital broadcasting signal.

#The conventional digital signal receiving/recording/ reproducing technique is described in, for instance, JP-A-8-98164, namely the receiving/ recording/reproducing apparatus receives the digital signal by which a plurality of information is multiplexed and the multiplexed information is transmitted, and then records this digital signal. The conventional technique describes the receiving means for receiving the digital information signal by which a plurality of information is multiplexed and then the multiplexed information is transmitted, and for selecting desired information; and also the recording means for recording the information received by the receiving means. Also, JP-A-8-56350 discloses such a conventional technique that the desirable program is selected when the digital signal by which a plurality of information is multiplexed and then the multiplexed information is transmitted is received to represent the programs. In the conventional technique, such a program seeking apparatus is described. That is, a plurality of programs are converted into packets by adding packet identifiers to the respective programs, and furthermore, the transfer control data indicative of the relationship between these programs and the packet identifiers are converted into the packets. These packets are multiplexed to be transmitted as the multiplexed signals from which the respective programs are seeked.

#The above-mentioned conventional technique of JP-A-8-98164 has not described the following idea. That is, when the recorded programs are reproduced, only the information related to a desirable program is separated from the multiplexed information, and then the separated program is reproduced. On the other hand, another conventional technique of JP-A-8-56350 discloses such a seeking means for deriving a desirable signal from the digital multiplexed signal and for representing the derived desirable signal. However, generally speaking, in a conventionally available VTR (Video Tape Recorder) for recording/reproducing an analog signal, when a recorded program is reproduced, the program can be reproduced by merely manipulating a reproducing switch, and without performing any other complex operations. To the contrary, even when the digital information signal processing technique as explained in JP-A-8-98164 would be combined with another conventional technique as explained in JP-A-8-56350, cumbersome operations such as the program seeking operation should be carried out during the program reproducing operation. As a consequence, it is not possible to realize such a program reproducing operation that the desirable recorded program can be immediately reproduced by simply manipulating a single switch.

#For a more better understanding of the present invention, reference is made of a detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram for representing an arrangement of a digital broadcasting signal receiving/recording/reproducing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

#FIGS. 2A-2C are an illustration for showing a packet structure and a method of packet multiplexing;

#FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram for indicating an arrangement of an apparatus for receiving/recording/ reproducing a digital broadcasting signal, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, an antenna 300 receives satellite broadcasting which have been digitally modulated in accordance with the Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (will be simply referred to as a “QPSK” hereinafter). However, the present invention is not limited to the QPSK modulating system, but also to the satellite broadcasting system. Also, in the following description, the Moving Picture Experts Group 2 (will be simply referred to as an “MPEG2” hereinafter) is employed as signal compressing/ decompressing system. However, similarly, the signal compressing/decompressing system used in the embodiments of the present invention is not employed as the limited purpose.

#In FIG. 1, reference numeral 300 shows an antenna, reference numeral 301 indicates a converter for converting the received radio wave into a tuner input signal, and reference numeral 302 is a cable. Also, reference numeral 401 indicates a tuner, reference numeral 402 indicates a QPSK demodulator, reference numeral 403 indicates a Forward Error Correction (will, be referred to as an “FEC” hereinafter) for correcting an error of a signal caused by transmitting the signal, reference numerals 414 and 424 indicate switches, reference numeral 413 denotes a second demultiplexer, reference numeral 423 represents a signal recording/ reproducing means, and reference numeral 404 indicates a first demultiplexer. Also, reference numeral 405 indicates an MPEG2 decoder, reference numeral 406 indicates a video encoder, reference numeral 407 is a D/A converter, reference numeral 408 indicates an On Screen Display (OSD), reference numeral indicates a control means, reference numeral 410 indicates a television set, reference numerals 434 and 415 each are Random Access Memory (will be referred to as a “RAM” hereinafter) used to decompress data by the first demultiplexer 404 and the MPEG2 decoder 405, and reference numeral 419 indicates a Read-Only Memory (will be referred to as a “ROM” hereinafter) for storing an operation program of the control means 409.

#In FIG. 1, the radio wave transmitted from a satellite (not shown) is received by the antenna 300, and then is converted into the tuner input signal by the converter 301. The tuner input signal is entered via the cable 302 to the tuner 401. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the tuner 401 selects a desired signal from the input signal in accordance with the setting condition of the control means, and then outputs the desired signal. The output signal from the tuner 401 is demodulated by the QPSK demodulator 402, and then the demodulated signal is entered into the FEC 403. The FEC corrects the errors of the digital input signal, caused by the signal transmission.