Improved interconnection between components of a home entertainment system

Abstract

A system ( 200 ) and method are described for exchanging data such as software updates, menus and digital AV content (e.g. MPEG2 streams) between components ( 202, 206 ) of a home entertainment system ( 200 ) interconnected using analogue AV connections such as phono / RCA or (preferably) Scart ( 208, 214 ). A first component ( 202 ) indicates ( 222 ) to a second component ( 206 ) that a data exchange is planned utilising one or more available analogue AV connections ( 220 ). In response, the second component ( 206 ) adapts its processing to accommodate the data exchange, for example routing and processing exchanged data instead of handling it as analogue AV content. In this way, existing analogue AV connections ( 208, 214 ) may be used to transfer data from one component to another in a home entertainment system without perturbing normal analogue AV operation whilst saving standardisation and deployment costs associated with defining new connectors and cordsets for such data transfer.

Description

technical field [0001] The present application relates to a home audiovisual (AV) entertainment system including consumer electronics components, and more particularly to a method of exchanging digital data between these components. Background technique [0002] Home consumers are encouraged to interconnect their AV products (hereinafter referred to as components) in clusters, which are generally called clustered around a display device such as a TV. In recent years, these components (such as set-top boxes, DVD players, high-end TVs, etc.) have become more and more digital, wherein the components can operate under the control of software embedded in firmware within the machine. To extend the life of these components, the software can be made upgradeable in the art, to fix bugs and / or add new features. In some cases, upgrades can be achieved by components accessing the software through a download channel, a method typically employed by set-top boxes. However, other componen...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

In fact, the capabilities of digital interconnection are not yet exploited in the market, since these components or the components they interconnect (e.g. TVs) are not equipped with digital interconnection capabilities

Furthermore, experience has shown that deploying a new proprietary digital connector on a component that is widely used by users can be a rather slow process due to the need to conform to industry standards, minimize implementation costs, and train users

Images