104results about "Broadcast systems characterised by tuner receivers" patented technology

A broadcast media viewing system includes a source of a broadcast stream including primary data providing primary media content and supplemental data providing supplemental information. A media content viewing mechanism decodes the primary data and renders the primary media content to a first active display. A portable device decodes the supplemental data and renders the supplemental information to a second active display.

A broadcast receiver 200 includes a receiver / decoder 210. The receiver 200 receives a broadcast channel selected by a user from a plurality of broadcast channels available in a broadcast network The receiver makes signals broadcast via the selected channel available to the user. User input means 230 enable the user to specify a user interest profile 400 based on at least one category of preference 410, 420, 430. An installer 220 install of all channels available in the broadcast network only those channels that meets the user interest profile 400.

An apparatus for providing a supplementary function of digital multimedia broadcasting includes a control unit that receives a selected instruction message for a digital multimedia broadcasting signal input by a user, a demodulating unit that receives a digital multimedia broadcasting signal corresponding to the selected instruction message by using at least one tuner, a reception sensitivity confirming unit that confirms the reception sensitivity of the received digital multimedia broadcasting signal, and a determining unit that determines whether the received digital multimedia broadcasting signal is output in accordance with the confirmed reception sensitivity.

One of the most frustrating things when recording for example songs from the radio is that many times by the time the user decides that he / she would like to record for example some song, the beginning of the song is already lost. Or the user might zap between radio stations and tune into the station after the song has already started or for example after the beginning of an interesting conversation or message or News item and is frustrated that he missed the beginning of it. Similarly, for example while zapping through cable TV stations, a user might find for example a fascinating scientific program or a fascinating report and regret that he / she had not seen or recorded it from the start for later reference. The idea of retroactive recording and / or replay has existed already since 1990 and there are a number of patents about it, but they do not deal with the problem of enabling retroactive recording and / or replay also when the user is zapping between channels for example on Radio or on TV. The present invention describes an improved system and method for automatic time-shifted retroactive recording or replay, that applies retroactive recording and / or replay also to a situation of switching between channels. Additional improvements and possible implementations are also shown, including for example improved zapping speed which can be used also without retroactive replay / recording.

A delay controller performs a delay control so as to stepwise increase a first delay amount in a first delay generator or second delay generator so as to minimize the delay amount of a video signal and an audio signal output from a first AV decoder and a second AV decoder. Thus, immediately after channel selection, the first video signal and the first audio signal or the second video signal and the second audio signal are output without a delay. This can provide a receiver capable of synchronizing the video signal output and the audio signal output between a plurality of receivable broadcast methods.

Data broadcast over different channels may be updated in a digital broadcast receiving device. The device may include a receiver unit, a processor, memory instructions embodied in the memory for execution on the processor. The instructions may be configured to implement the method for updating data broadcast over different channels. A first digital broadcast signal may be received over a first channel. The receiving device may be tuned to a second channel at a predetermined time to receive a second digital broadcast signal. Selected data may be extracted from the second digital broadcast signal and stored or utilized with the receiving device. An update schedule may be generated for data transmitted with a digital broadcast signal. A broadcast time for an update packet may be determined from a packet header. A schedule packet may be generated containing the broadcast time and broadcast before the update packet.

A system for decoding data, such as travel and traffic information, configured in data blocks embedded in an electromagnetic signal, such as a broadcasted radio signal, has been developed. The system includes a method and receiver for decoding the data with a background tuner in a manner that does not impair the ability of the background tuner to demodulate other signals. While a main tuner is tuned to demodulate a first electromagnetic signal to produce a data stream, the background tuner is switched to decode the data blocks only when the data blocks are expected to be received. In the remaining time, the background tuner is free to demodulate other signals to support a diversity or other function. If a data block is not received, or not received when expected, the background tuner returns to demodulating one or more other frequencies after a predetermined time interval has elapsed.

A method of operating a single-tuner radio includes tuning into a first frequency. A pause in a first signal associated with the first frequency is detected. Tuning is switched from the first frequency to a second frequency during the pause. Fieldstrength, multipath, adjacent channel energy, frequency offset and FM modulation for the second frequency are measured. Tuning is switched from the second frequency to the first frequency. Tuning is switched from the first frequency to the second frequency dependent upon the measuring step.

The invention provides a method, system, and apparatus for finding, playing, and recording broadcasts on a mobile device (400) that includes two or more tuners and also works as a cellular telephone. The user can provide specific preferences or a pattern of use is employed by the mobile device to identify a broadcast. The mobile device tunes one tuner (452) to an identified broadcast and plays it for the user. While one tuner is playing a broadcast, the other tuner (453) is employed to scan for another broadcast based on user preference. When another broadcast is identified, the other tuner can start playing the scanned broadcast, cause it to be recorded for play back at a later time, or resume scanning for yet another broadcast based on user preference. When the mobile device is used for other purposes, the mobile device can resume playing a broadcast from the point of interruption.

A digital television and a channel editing method are provided wherein various channel information is edited efficiently. In the channel edit method of the digital TV, the channel information stored according to a user's request is displayed on a multi-window. If the user selects a channel based on the multi-window, the channel selected by the user is tuned by a tuner and displayed as a moving picture. The user can edit the corresponding channel referring to the multi-window. In another embodiment, the user can edit the set favorite channel(s) separately. The broadcast status of all channels can be recognized almost instantaneously by viewing the multi-window displaying all the broadcast programs of multiple channels.

An apparatus for outputting received broadcast signals may include a tuner unit that receives broadcast signals through at least one tuner, a distribution unit that distributes the received broadcast signals according to broadcasting systems, a control unit that extracts at least one of video signals, audio signals and data signals from broadcasting system-dependent broadcast signals distributed by the distribution unit in accordance with a user's instruction, and an output unit that outputs the extracted signals.

A system for decoding data, such as travel and traffic information, configured in data blocks embedded in an electromagnetic signal, such as a broadcasted radio signal, has been developed. The system includes a method and receiver for decoding the data with a background tuner in a manner that does not impair the ability of the background tuner to demodulate other signals. While a main tuner is tuned to demodulate a first electromagnetic signal to produce a data stream, the background tuner is switched to decode the data blocks only when the data blocks are expected to be received. In the remaining time, the background tuner is free to demodulate other signals to support a diversity or other function. If a data block is not received, or not received when expected, the background tuner returns to demodulating one or more other frequencies after a predetermined time interval has elapsed.

Data broadcast over different channels may be updated in a digital broadcast receiving device. The device may include a receiver unit, a processor, memory instructions embodied in the memory for execution on the processor. The instructions may be configured to implement the method for updating data broadcast over different channels. A first digital broadcast signal may be received over a first channel. The receiving device may be tuned to a second channel at a predetermined time to receive a second digital broadcast signal. Selected data may be extracted from the second digital broadcast signal and stored or utilized with the receiving device. An update schedule may be generated for data transmitted with a digital broadcast signal. A broadcast time for an update packet may be determined from a packet header. A schedule packet may be generated containing the broadcast time and broadcast before the update packet.

A method and apparatus for operating a radio reception system, which comprises a plurality of receivers assigned to a common output device, in which one of the receivers is designated as audio receiver and is tuned to a frequency of a radio transmitter, and outputs a signal received from the transmitter to the output device. At least one second receiver is designated as search receiver, and continuously searches its own reception frequency band for a frequency of the same transmitter. The system changes to a frequency of this transmitter, which was found by the search receiver, if the quality of the signal received by the audio receiver falls below a certain limit.

A monitoring receiver accepts program preferences from an operator. When active, the receiver automatically monitors alternate frequencies for programming that matches the program preferences, alerts the operator when a match is found, and may switch to a preferred program.

The present invention features a DMB System for reducing scan time, and a method for the same, wherein, the DBM system comprises a DMB receiving unit and a TPEG-only receiving unit, and is able to reducing scan time for total channels by performing a scanning process for total channels together by the DMB receiving unit and the TPEG-only receiving unit, respectively.

An object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcast reception apparatus that allows a stable viewing even if a reception environment changes along with a movement. In the present invention, based on current position information indicating a current position detected by a current position detection section and broadcast area information stored in a broadcast area information storage section, a search-mode switching control section instructs a tuning control section to select a diversity operation mode if the current position is close to a boundary of a broadcast area, and select an independent reception operation mode if the current position is not close to the boundary of the broadcast area. In the diversity operation mode, a first system and a second system are tuned to the same physical channel, and cooperate with each other to demodulate a digital broadcast signal and a make an output through a diversity process. In the independent reception operation mode, the first system and the second system individually and independently demodulate the digital broadcast signal and make an output

A receiver, such as an HDTV receiver or a Personal Video Recorder (PVR), includes a plurality of tuners. Each tuner is adapted to receive television signals (RF1,RF2) comprising a plurality of channels and communicate the received television signals to a processor. A channel search or autoprogramming routine is disclosed for the detection of channels in the television signal wherein each tuner simultaneously tunes and interrogates a different channel in order to expedite the search. If a signal is not detected on a channel, that channel may be tuned and interrogated by a second tuner. A list is compiled of all the channels that contain a television signal to aid the viewer's selection.

Methods and apparatuses for concurrently recording multiple radio channels. A recorder includes a wideband tuner having a complex mixer for converting a received wideband RF signal to a complex signal that is then digitized. A digital front end module applies a number of complex down-mixers to the digital complex signal to generate the multiple radio channels in the baseband. Each one of the multiple radio channels in the baseband is further filtered, decimated and demodulated. A digital signal processing unit encodes each demodulated channel according to an audio compression format and stores the then encoded audio content to a storage unit. An RBDS decoder parses radio data service information associated with the stored audio content. The radio data service information is stored in a first section of the storage unit while the encoded audio content is stored in a second section of the storage unit.

Receiver apparatus comprises: first and second receiving systems; a demodulation / diversity combining means for combining demodulated signals of first and second receiving systems; a selection means for selecting and outputting an output of either one of first and second receiving systems; and a control means for controlling the operations of the whole receiver apparatus. Control means causes to execute a first composite operation, either one of the receiving systems is caused to continue reception operation while the other receiving system is caused to perform channel search to search a channel satisfying a predetermined condition, further the selection means is caused to select output of the resulting receiving system for performing continuous reception operation. If no channel to be received is found, the control means controls to interchange the receiving system for performing continuous reception operation and the receiving system for performing channel search, and to perform a second composite operation.

The invention relates to a geographical area-related radio channel selection device, which comprises a tuning module and an audio output module. The tuning module is connected with the audio output module. The geographical area-related radio channel selection device also comprises a positioning module, a display input module and a control module, wherein the positioning module, the display input module, and the tuning module are connected with the control module. The invention also provides a geographical area-related radio channel selection method. Due to the adoption of the geographical area-related radio channel selection device and the geographical area-related radio channel selection method, the radio channel selection device can display the radio station name, frequency, system, and strength grade of a radio station signal source which can be received locally on the display input module according to radio regulations, and dynamically refresh the information along the change of the geographical area. The listeners intuitively select channels, and do not need to operate to search the channels per se or remember the name of each radio station. The time consumption is low and the operation is convenient.

A diversity receiver includes first and second reception circuits using a superheterodyne principle. At stationary reception, reception of the audio signals and the data employing a phase diversity reception system is performed such that the signals received by the first reception antenna are supplied to the first reception circuit, the signals received by the second reception antenna are supplied to the second reception circuit, and phases of first and second intermediate-frequency signals are controlled and the first and second intermediate-frequency signals are added. At reception-frequency search, reception of the audio signals employing an antenna-switching diversity reception system is performed such that the signals received by at least one of the first and second antennas are supplied to the first reception circuit and reception of the data and the reception-frequency search are performed, and the signals received by the first and second antennas are supplied to the second reception circuit.

A broadcast receiving apparatus includes a first tuner configured to receive a broadcast wave from a specified broadcasting station, a second tuner configured to perform a frequency search for receivable broadcasting stations, a power supply unit configured to supply power to the first tuner and the second tuner, a traveling state detection unit configured to determine if a vehicle is moving or is stopped, a reception state detection unit configured to detect a reception state of a currently-received broadcast wave, and a control unit configured to control the first tuner, the second tuner, the power supply unit, the traveling state detection unit, and the reception state detection unit. The control unit causes power to be supplied to the second tuner and causes the second tuner to perform a frequency search while the vehicle is traveling, and when it is determined that the vehicle has stopped, the control unit turns the power supplied to the second tuner on and off in accordance with the reception state of the broadcast wave.

A radio includes a first tuner and a second tuner. A processor compares a first perceivable volume level of a station tuned by the first tuner to at least one second perceivable volume level of at least one background station tuned by the second tuner. The processor enables automatic volume knob changes using a pre-calibrated lookup table that associates a volume step of the volume knob with a difference between the first perceivable volume level and the second perceivable volume level.

A mobile content distribution system in an airplane, a train, or a bus is capable of determining if a mobile content distribution system is within an area authorized for the mobile content distribution system to receive content from a wireless service provider and displaying channels from the wireless service provider accordingly. If the system is not within the authorized area, the system displays a program guide including channels from locally stored content but no channel from the wireless service provider. If the system is within the authorized area and a user indicates live wireless program guide information is needed, the system acquires the live wireless program guide information and displays the program guide includes channels from the locally stored content and channels from the wireless service provider.

A radio includes a first tuner and a second tuner. A processor compares a first perceivable volume level of a station tuned by the first tuner to at least one second perceivable volume level of at least one background station tuned by the second tuner. The processor enables automatic volume knob changes using a pre-calibrated lookup table that associates a volume step of the volume knob with a difference between the first perceivable volume level and the second perceivable volume level.