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US 7,735,112 B2Granted
Virtual channel table for a broadcast protocol and method of broadcasting and receiving broadcast signals using the same
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsJin Pil Kim, C. Gomer Thomas
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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.
Claims15
A digital television receiver comprising:
- a demodulator to demodulate a digital broadcasting signal including program and system information protocol (PSIP) data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and a master guide table (MGT), and to output demodulated PSIP data, wherein the MGT includes a version number and a packet identifier (PID) for the VCT, wherein the VCT includes a predefined data field which is set to zero for an inactive channel, wherein the 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, wherein when the virtual channel is currently inactive, the receiver is capable of skipping over the virtual channel while a user is surfing;
- and
- a database to receive at least one table of the demodulated PSIP data.
1 more element
A method of processing a digital broadcasting signal in a digital television receiver, comprising:
- demodulating in a demodulator a digital broadcasting signal including program and system information protocol (PSIP) data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and a master guide table (MGT), wherein the MGT includes a version number and a packet identifier (PID) for the VCT, wherein the VCT includes a predefined data field which is set to zero for an inactive channel, wherein the 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, wherein when the virtual channel is currently inactive, the receiver is capable of skipping over the virtual channel while a user is surfing;
- and
- receiving in a database at least one table of the demodulated PSIP data.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.