Soft scrolling method and apparatus of closed-caption words

A broadcasting system for generating a television signal by encoding a caption signal in a video signal, comprising:

• a transmitter including
• a video processor to process the video signal,
• a caption encoder for generating and encoding the caption signal into the video signal, said caption encoder including
• a synchronous counter to receive sync signals from said video processor, counts a horizontal sync signal to select predetermined scanning lines of the video signal, and is reset by a vertical sync signal;
• and
• a switching unit to alternately output the video signal and the caption signal based upon the counted value to superimpose the caption signal in specific lines of the video signal, to generate the television signal;
• and
• a transmission unit to transmit the television signal;
• and a receiver to receive the television signal, said receiver including
• a video signal processing unit to luminance and chrominance process the television signal received from said transmission unit,
• a data extractor to convert the television signal received from said transmission unit into a digital signal,
• a sync separator to separate vertical and horizontal sync signals from the television signal received from said transmission unit,
• a command input section to receive command inputs from a user, one command being a soft scroll command,
• a storage device to store character information of a bit-map type, and
• a caption processing unit to extract the caption signal from the digital signal based upon the output from said sync separator and, in response, to read out the character information from the storage device corresponding to at least one line, and less than a total number of lines which form a row of character text, at predetermined intervals into which a one row scrolling time is equally divided in response to the soft scroll command.

A receiver to receive a television signal including a video signal encoded with a caption signal, comprising:

• a receptor for receiving the television signal;
• a video signal processing unit to luminance and chrominance process the television signal;
• a data extractor to convert the television signal into a digital signal;
• a sync separator to separate vertical and horizontal sync signals from the television signal;
• a command input section to receive command inputs from a user, one command being a soft scroll command;
• a storage device to store character information of a bit-map type;
• and
• a caption processing unit to extract the caption signal from the digital signal based upon the output from said sync separator, to discriminate the caption signal as being one of a character code containing caption character data and a control code for controlling display of the caption character data based on designated values of selected bits of the character code and control code, to read out the character information from the storage device corresponding to at least one line, and less than a total number of lines which form a row of character text, at predetermined intervals into which a one row scrolling time is equally divided in response to the soft scroll command and the discrimination of the character code, to alter an appearance of a caption on a display based upon the discrimination of the control code.

A receiver to receive a television signal including a video signal encoded with a caption signal from a transmission unit, comprising:

• a receptor for receiving the television signal;
• a video signal processing unit to luminance and chrominance process the television signal received from said transmission unit,
• a data extractor to convert the television signal received from said transmission unit into a digital signal,
• a sync separator to separate vertical and horizontal sync signals from the television signal received from said transmission unit,
• a storage device to store character information of a bit-map type,
• a caption processing unit to extract the caption signal from the digital signal based upon the output from said sync separator, to discriminate the caption signal as being one of a character code containing caption character data and a control code for controlling display of the caption character data based on designated values of selected bits of the character code and control code, to read out the character information from the storage device corresponding to at least one line, and less than a total number of lines which form a row of character text, at predetermined intervals into which a one row scrolling time is equally divided in response to the soft scroll command and the discrimination of the character code, to alter an appearance of a caption on a display based upon the discrimination of the control code, and
• a mixer to mix the luminance and chrominance processed television signal with the output of said caption processing unit.

A soft scrolling method of closed-caption word, wherein caption information is encoded in horizontal lines of fields of a television signal and is displayed on a display screen of a receiver based upon viewer commands, the soft scrolling method comprising the steps of:

• (a) pre-storing a plurality of lines of character data, wherein a plural number of the plurality of lines form each row of closed-caption words;
• (b) reading out at least one line of the character data, less than the plural number of lines, for display on the display screen;
• and
• (c) repeating step (b) for subsequent lines of the character data so that the closed-caption words smoothly scroll on the display screen.

A soft scrolling method of closed-caption words whereby caption information encoded in a horizontal line of a field of a television broadcasting signal, which does not affect the broadcasting signal, is displayed on a display screen of a receiver by selection of a viewer, the soft scrolling method comprising the steps of:

• discriminating whether a present mode is a soft scroll mode;
• reading out character data for one line or for several lines from a display memory in which decoded caption information is stored at predetermined intervals into which a one-column scrolling time is equally divided if said present mode is discriminated as said soft scroll mode;
• and
• converting said read-out character data into a video signal to display said video signal on said display screen.

A receiver to receive a television signal including a video signal encoded with a caption signal, comprising:

• a receptor for receiving the television signal;
• a video signal processing unit to luminance and chrominance process the television signal;
• a data extractor to convert the television signal into a digital signal;
• a sync separator to separate vertical and horizontal sync signals from the television signal;
• a command input section to receive command inputs from a user, one command being a soft scroll command;
• a storage device to store character information of a bit-map type;
• and
• a caption processing unit to extract the caption signal from the digital signal based upon the output from said sync separator, to discriminate the caption signal as being one of a character code containing caption character data and a control code for controlling display of the caption character data based on designated values of selected bits of the character code and control code, to read out the character information from the storage device corresponding to at least one line, and less than a total number of lines which form a column of character text, at predetermined intervals into which a one column scrolling time is equally divided in response to the soft scroll command and the discrimination of the character code, to alter an appearance of a caption on a display based upon the discrimination of the control code.