Video decoder/converter with a programmable logic device which is programmed based on the encoding format

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for receiving television signals can display a television signal of a novel signal format, even at a low cost, without addition of any hardware. The apparatus and a method for receiving a television signal employs a data input unit for receiving video data encoded by any one format among multiple kinds of encoding formats, a video data memory for storing the video data from the data input unit, a decoding process program memory for storing multiple kinds of decoding process programs for decoding processes corresponding to received video data having multiple kinds of encoding formats, a programmable logic device which can vary the hardware constitution for the decoding process, a logic device varying unit for varying the hardware constitution for the decoding process, a decoding control unit for varying the circuit constitution of the programmable logic device via the logic device varying unit depending on the encoding format of the input video data and decoding the video data stored in the video data memory into a video signal which may be displayed depending on the decoding process program, and a display for displaying the decoded video signal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.