Television receiver with a TV phone function

A video telephone system using a plurality of videophone function-added television receivers which are linked together by a network for enabling video/voice-based telecommunications between the videophone function-added television receivers, wherein

• each of the videophone function-added television receivers includes:
• a decoder having a videophone-use decoding function for decoding a video telephone signal from another videophone function-added television receiver and a television program-use decoding function for decoding a digital broadcast program signal received;
• a display panel being adapted to display a video signal decoded by said decoder;
• a speaker to which is supplied an audio signal decoded by said decoder;
• a camera;
• a microphone;
• an encoder having an encoding function for encoding a video signal from the camera and an audio signal from the microphone and for generating a video telephone signal to be sent forth toward a videophone function-added television receiver of a distant party in a videophone call session;
• a unit being adapted to stop a decoding operation based on the videophone-use decoding function of the decoder in response to either a stop operation or end of a video telephone signal from the videophone function-added television receiver of the distant party;
• and
• a unit being adapted to detect completion of the video telephone signal decoding operation of the decoder and for stopping an encoding operation of the encoder, wherein
• in response to said stop operation, a decoding operation of the videophone-use decode function provided in the decoder of one of the videophone function-added television receivers which are presently in the videophone call session is stopped, and wherein
• upon completion of the encoding operation of the encoder in responding thereto, a decoding operation of the videophone-use decode function provided in the decoder of the videophone function-added television receiver of the distant party is stopped, and, in response to the stop of the decoding operation, an encoding operation of the videophone-use encode function is stopped.

A television receiver-with videophone function, having a video camera detachably connected thereto, comprises:

• a decoder having a television program-use decode function for decoding a digital broadcast program signal received and a videophone-use decode function for decoding a video telephone signal received in a videophone call session, and a processor for control of each function,
• the video camera includes a camera for image pickup, a microphone for input of audio sounds, a storage device for storing therein a video signal from the camera and an audio signal from the microphone, and an encoder having a videophone-use encode function for encoding a video signal received from the camera and an audio signal received from the microphone into a video telephone signal to be sent forth toward a videophone function-added television receiver of a distant party in a videophone call session and a video recording-use encode function for encoding the video signal and the audio signal into a video signal to be recorded in the storage device, and
• in a state that said video camera is connected to said apparatus main body, when said decoder is in a state that this decoder operates to perform the videophone-use decode function, said processor sets said encoder in a state that this encoder operates to perform the videophone-use encode function, and
• when said decoder is switched from the operation state of the videophone-use decode function to an operation state of the television program-use decode function and, alternatively, when said video camera is disconnected from said television receiver, said processor sets said encoder in a state that this encoder operates to perform the video recording-use encode function.