Dynamic control menu for a television system or the like
AssigneeThomson Consumer Electronics, Inc.
InventorRoger L. Richards
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A television receiver includes a character generator for generating a character signal suitable for displaying a menu of various processing control choices, such as processing for monaural, stereophonic or second audio program reproduction, "on-the-screen" of a picture tube, and a control unit for dynamically altering the contents of the menu in response to the signal conditions of a received television signal, such as the presence or absence of stereophonic or second audio program information. As a result, confusion to a user in selecting a processing mode which is rendered ineffectual due to a particular signal condition is minimized.
Claims10
In a television system, apparatus comprising:
- tuner means for providing an IF signal having at least one carrier modulated with information corresponding to a respective carrier of a received RF signal of a selected channel;
- processor means responsive to said IF signal and capable of operating in a plurality of processing modes selectable by a user for producing at least one output signal corresponding to said information;
- character generator means for generating a character signal suitable for indicating, in the form of a selection menu displayed by a picture display device, a group of said processing modes selectable by a user;
- user input means for entering command signals for selecting ones of said processing modes via said selection menu;
- signal detector means responsive to said IF signal for generating a characteristic indicative signal indicating whether or not said IF signal has a predetermined signal characteristic;
- and
- control means coupled to said character generator means for determining which one or more of said plurality of said processing modes are included in said group of processing modes indicated by said selection menu in response to said characteristic indicative signal, thereby dynamically limiting the available processing modes which can be selected by a user in accordance with the content of said IF signal;
- said control means being coupled to said user input means and said processor means for enabling said processor means to operate in the one or more of said processing modes selected via said selection menu.
In a television system, apparatus comprising:
- input means for providing an input signal bearing at least one of audio and video information;
- signal processor means responsive to said input signal and capable of operating in a plurality of processing modes for processing said input signal to produce an output signal;
- character generator means for generating a character signal suitable for indicating, in the form of a selection menu displayed by a picture display device, a group of said operating modes available for selection by a user;
- user input means for allowing a user to enter command signals for selecting ones of said processing modes via said selection menu;
- detector means responsive to said input signal for generating at least one characteristic indicative signal indicating the presence or absence of a particular characteristic of said input signal;
- control means coupled to said character generator means for determining which one or more of said plurality of operating modes are included in said group of processing modes indicated by said selection menu in response to said characteristic indicative signal, thereby dynamically limiting the available processing modes which can be selected by a user in accordance with the content of said input signal to be processed;
- said control means being coupled to said user input means and said processor means for enabling said processor means to operate in the one or more of said processing modes selected by a user via said selection menu.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.