Virtual channel table for a broadcast protocol and method of broadcasting and receiving broadcast signals using the same
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorJin Pil Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A virtual channel table for broadcasting protocol and a method for broadcasting by using the virtual channel table includes identification information identifying and permitting discrimination of active and inactive channels contained in the virtual channel table. At a receiver, the virtual channel table transmitted from the transmitting side is parsed, thereby determining whether the current received channel is an active or inactive channel.
Claims21
A method of broadcasting using a virtual channel table in a broadcasting protocol, the method comprising:
- if a virtual channel is an inactive channel, omitting a corresponding service location descriptor from the virtual channel table to indicate that the virtual channel is an inactive channel;
- transmitting the virtual channel table to a receiver;
- and
- determining at the receiver whether the virtual channel is inactive based upon an existence of the service location descriptor in the virtual channel table, by parsing the virtual channel table,
- wherein said inactive channel is a channel that is not presently carrying a broadcast program;
- however, the same inactive channel is scheduled to carry a broadcast program at a predetermined later time from a broadcasting station without local viewer interaction;
- and
- wherein the inactive channel is capable of being automatically skipped.
A method of controlling display of an inactive channel in a digital broadcast receiver, the method comprising:
- receiving a digital broadcasting signal comprising a virtual channel table;
- parsing the virtual channel table;
- determining whether a service location descriptor is found in the parsed virtual channel table to determine whether a corresponding virtual channel is an active or an inactive channel;
- and
- controlling display of the virtual channel when the virtual channel is determined to be inactive and is selected by a user
- wherein said inactive channel is a channel that is not presently carrying a broadcast program;
- however, the same inactive channel is scheduled to carry a broadcast program at a predetermined later time from a broadcasting station without local viewer interaction.
A method of indicating one or more inactive channels in a digital broadcast transmitter, the method comprising:
- generating a virtual channel table, in which a service location descriptor is omitted to indicate that a corresponding virtual channel is an inactive channel;
- and
- transmitting the virtual channel table as part of a digital broadcasting signal to one or more receivers,
- wherein said inactive channel is a channel that is not presently carrying a broadcast program;
- however, the same inactive channel is scheduled to carry a broadcast program at a predetermined later time from a broadcasting station without local viewer interaction;
- and
- wherein the inactive channel is capable of being automatically skipped.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.