Time management methods

Abstract

To provide a technique for more preferably transmitting or receiving an advanced digital broadcasting service.SOLUTION: In a time management method in a broadcast receiving device that manages a time using an NTP transmitted from a broadcast transmission system, the NTP transmitted from the broadcast transmission system is used to synchronize an NTP system clock in a receiver to control the NTP system clock in the receiver. In the control, when the leap second measurement in the NTP transmitted from the broadcast transmission system is performed, the broadcast receiving device is configured that the operation of reflection processing of the leap second adjustment in the NTP system clock in the receiver is made different depending on whether a program played using the NTP system clock in the receiver is being viewed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to broadcast transmission technology or broadcast reception technology.

Background Art

[0002] Instead of the conventional analog broadcast service, digital broadcast services have been started in various countries since the late 1990s. The digital broadcast service has realized improvements in broadcast quality using error correction technology, multi-channeling and HD (High Definition) using compression encoding technology, multimediaization of services using BML (Broadcast Markup Language) and HTML5 (Hyper Text Markup Language version 5), and the like.

[0003] In recent years, for the purpose of further improving frequency use efficiency, higher resolution, and higher functionality, advanced digital broadcast systems have been studied in various countries.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Since more than 10 years have passed since the start of the current digital broadcast service, broadcast receiving devices capable of receiving the current digital broadcast service have been sufficiently popularized. Therefore, when starting the advanced digital broadcast service currently under consideration, it is necessary to consider compatibility with the current digital broadcast service. That is, it is preferable to realize UHD (Ultra High Definition) of video signals while maintaining the viewing environment of the current digital broadcast service.

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a system that enables UHD broadcasting in digital broadcasting services. However, the system described in Patent Document 1 is intended to replace the current digital broadcasting service and does not take into account the maintenance of the viewing environment of the current digital broadcasting service.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a technology for more effectively transmitting or receiving advanced digital broadcasting services with higher functionality, while also taking into account compatibility with existing digital broadcasting services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As a means to solve the aforementioned problems, the technology described in the claims is used.

[0009] For example, a time management method for a broadcast receiving device that manages time using NTP transmitted from a broadcast transmission system comprises: a synchronization step of performing synchronization processing of an in-receiver NTP system clock using the NTP transmitted from the broadcast transmission system; an information reception step of receiving information on leap second adjustment transmitted from the broadcast transmission system; and a control step of controlling the time using the in-receiver NTP system clock. In the control step, when a leap second adjustment is made in the NTP transmitted from the broadcast transmission system, if the broadcast receiving device is not currently watching a program played back using the in-receiver NTP system clock, it inserts or deletes a leap second from the time based on the information received in the information reception step; and if the program is currently being watched using the in-receiver NTP system clock, it does not insert or delete a leap second from the time. The leap second adjustment information includes information on leap second adjustment for subtitle display and information on leap second adjustment for presentation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology for more favorably transmitting or receiving advanced digital broadcasting services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] This is a block diagram of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2B] This is a detailed block diagram of the first tuner / demodulation unit of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2C] This is a detailed block diagram of the second tuner / demodulation unit of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2D] This is a detailed block diagram of the third tuner / demodulation unit of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2E] This is a detailed block diagram of the fourth tuner / demodulation unit of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2F] This is a detailed block diagram of the first decoder section of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2G] This is a detailed block diagram of the second decoder section of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2H] This is a software configuration diagram of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] This is a configuration diagram of a broadcasting station server according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] This is a configuration diagram of a service provider server according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] This figure illustrates a segment configuration for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] This figure illustrates the layer assignment in layered transmission related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4C] This figure illustrates the OFDM transmission wave generation process for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4D]It is a diagram for explaining the basic configuration of a transmission path encoding unit related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4E] It is a diagram for explaining segment parameters of an OFDM system related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4F] It is a diagram for explaining transmission signal parameters related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4G] It is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of pilot signals in a synchronization modulation segment related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4H] It is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of pilot signals in a differential modulation segment related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] It is a diagram for explaining bit allocation of a TMCC carrier related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] It is a diagram for explaining bit allocation of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5C] It is a diagram for explaining transmission parameter information of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5D] It is a diagram for explaining system identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5E] It is a diagram for explaining a carrier modulation mapping method of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5F] It is a diagram for explaining frequency conversion processing identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5G] It is a diagram for explaining physical channel number identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5H] It is a diagram for explaining an example of main signal identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5I] It is a diagram for explaining 4K signal transmission layer identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5J]This figure illustrates an additional layered transmission identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5K] This figure illustrates the identification of the coding rate of the internal code of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] This figure illustrates the bit allocation of an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] This figure illustrates the configuration identification of an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6C] This figure illustrates earthquake warning information for an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6D] This figure illustrates the signal identification of earthquake motion warning information in an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6E] This figure illustrates detailed information of earthquake motion warnings for earthquake motion warning information in AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6F] This figure illustrates detailed information of earthquake motion warnings for earthquake motion warning information in AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6G] This figure illustrates additional information regarding the transmission control of modulated AC signals in digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6H] This figure illustrates additional transmission parameter information for an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6I] This figure illustrates an error correction method for AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6J] This figure illustrates the NUC format of an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] This figure illustrates a dual-polarization transmission system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7B] This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system using a dual-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7C] This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system using a dual-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7D] This figure illustrates a frequency conversion process according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7E] This figure illustrates the configuration of a pass-through transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7F] This figure illustrates the pass-through transmission bandwidth according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7G] This figure illustrates the configuration of a pass-through transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7H] This figure illustrates the pass-through transmission bandwidth according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7I] This figure illustrates the pass-through transmission bandwidth according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8A] This figure illustrates a hierarchical division multiplex transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8B] This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system using a hierarchical division multiplex transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8C] This figure illustrates a frequency conversion amplification process according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9A] This is a diagram illustrating the protocol stack of MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9B] This diagram explains the names and functions of tables used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9C] This diagram explains the names and functions of tables used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9D] This diagram illustrates the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9E] This diagram illustrates the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9F] This diagram illustrates the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9G] This diagram illustrates the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9H] This diagram illustrates the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 9I] This diagram illustrates the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. [Figure 10A] This diagram illustrates the protocol stack in MMT broadcast transmission lines. [Figure 10B] This diagram illustrates the protocol stack in an MMT communication line. [Figure 10C] This diagram explains the names and functions of the tables used in MMT's TLV-SI. [Figure 10D] This diagram explains the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT's TLV-SI. [Figure 10E] This diagram explains the names and functions of messages used in MMT-SI of MMT. [Figure 10F] This diagram illustrates the names and functions of tables used in MMT-SI of MMT. [Figure 10G] This diagram explains the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT-SI of MMT. [Figure 10H] This diagram explains the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT-SI of MMT. [Figure 10I] This diagram explains the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT-SI of MMT. [Figure 10J] This diagram illustrates the relationship between MMT data transmission and each table. [Figure 11A] This is an operation sequence diagram of the channel setting process of a broadcast receiving device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11B] This diagram illustrates the data structure of the network information table. [Figure 11C] This diagram illustrates the data structure of the ground distribution system descriptor. [Figure 11D] This diagram illustrates the data structure of a service list descriptor. [Figure 11E] This diagram illustrates the data structure of a TS information descriptor. [Figure 12A] This is an external view of a remote controller according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12B]This figure illustrates the banner display during channel selection according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] This figure illustrates a system clock configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] This diagram illustrates the data format of TS packets in the MPEG2-TS scheme. [Figure 15A] This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the NTP format. [Figure 15B] This diagram illustrates the data structure of the MPU timestamp descriptor. [Figure 16] This diagram explains how to switch to backup broadcasting when reception conditions deteriorate. [Figure 17] This diagram illustrates how a linked terminal can provide guidance on switching to a backup broadcast when reception conditions deteriorate. [Figure 18A] This diagram illustrates leap second adjustments in time insertion within the NTP system clock. [Figure 18B] This diagram illustrates leap second adjustments for time deletion in the NTP system clock. [Figure 19A] This diagram illustrates the data structure of TOT. [Figure 19B] This diagram illustrates the data structure of JST_time. [Figure 20] This diagram illustrates the data structure of EIT. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (Example 1) [System Configuration] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a broadcasting system configuration.

[0014] The broadcasting system consists, for example, of a broadcasting receiving device 100 and an antenna 200, a broadcasting station's radio tower 300 and a broadcasting station server 400, a service provider server 500, a mobile telephone communication server 600 and a base station 600B of the mobile telephone communication network, a personal information terminal 700, a broadband network such as the Internet 800 and a router device 800R. Furthermore, various server devices and communication equipment may be connected to the Internet 800.

[0015] The broadcast receiving device 100 is a television receiver equipped with a function to receive advanced digital broadcasting services. The broadcast receiving device 100 may also be equipped with a function to receive existing digital broadcasting services. Furthermore, it is possible to integrate functions using a broadband network with digital broadcasting services (existing digital broadcasting services or advanced digital broadcasting services), and to support a broadcast-communication-linked system that combines digital broadcasting services with functions such as acquisition of additional content via a broadband network, computation processing on server devices, and presentation processing in cooperation with mobile terminal devices. The broadcast receiving device 100 receives digital broadcast waves transmitted from the radio tower 300 via the antenna 200. The digital broadcast waves may be transmitted directly from the radio tower 300 to the antenna 200, or they may be transmitted via broadcasting satellites, communication satellites, etc., which are not shown in the figures. It may also receive broadcast signals retransmitted by cable television stations via cable lines, etc. In addition, the broadcast receiving device 100 can connect to the Internet 800 via a router device 800R, and can send and receive data by communicating with various server devices on the Internet 800.

[0016] The router device 800R is connected to the Internet 800 via wireless or wired communication, and is connected to the broadcast receiving device 100 via wired communication and to the personal information terminal 700 via wireless communication. This allows each server device on the Internet 800, the broadcast receiving device 100, and the personal information terminal 700 to send and receive data to and from each other via the router device 800R. The router device 800R, the broadcast receiving device 100, and the personal information terminal 700 constitute a LAN (Local Area Network). However, communication between the broadcast receiving device 100 and the personal information terminal 700 may be performed directly using methods such as Bluetooth® or NFC (Near Field Communication) without going through the router device 800R.

[0017] The radio tower 300 is broadcasting equipment of a broadcasting station and transmits digital broadcast waves containing various control information related to digital broadcasting services and content data of broadcast programs (video content, audio content, etc.). The broadcasting station also has a broadcasting station server 400. The broadcasting station server 400 stores content data of broadcast programs and metadata for each broadcast program, such as the program title, program ID, program summary, cast, broadcast date and time, etc. The broadcasting station server 400 provides the aforementioned content data and metadata to service providers based on contracts. The provision of content data and metadata to service providers is carried out through the API (Application Programming Interface) provided by the broadcasting station server 400.

[0018] The service provider server 500 is a server device prepared by a service provider to provide services through the broadcast-communication collaboration system. The service provider server 500 stores, manages, and distributes content data and metadata provided by the broadcast station server 400, as well as content data and applications (operating programs and / or various data, etc.) created for the broadcast-communication collaboration system. It also has the function of searching for and providing a list of available applications in response to inquiries from television receivers. Note that the storage, management, and distribution of the content data and metadata and the storage, management, and distribution of the applications may be performed by different server devices. The broadcast station and the service provider may be the same or different. Multiple service provider servers 500 may be prepared for different services. Also, the functions of the service provider server 500 may be provided by the broadcast station server 400.

[0019] The mobile telephone communication server 600 is connected to the internet 800, and is also connected to the personal information terminal 700 via the base station 600B. The mobile telephone communication server 600 manages telephone communication (calls) and data transmission / reception of the personal information terminal 700 via the mobile telephone communication network, and enables data transmission and reception through communication between the personal information terminal 700 and various server devices on the internet 800. Note that communication between the personal information terminal 700 and the broadcast receiving device 100 may also be conducted via the base station 600B, the mobile telephone communication server 600, the internet 800, and the router device 800R.

[0020] [Hardware configuration of broadcast receiving equipment] Figure 2A is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0021] The broadcast receiving device 100 consists of a main control unit 101, a system bus 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, a storage unit 110, a LAN communication unit 121, an expansion interface unit 124, a digital interface unit 125, a first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, a second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, a third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, a fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B, a first decoder unit 140S, a second decoder unit 140U, an operation input unit 180, a video selection unit 191, a monitor unit 192, a video output unit 193, an audio selection unit 194, a speaker unit 195, and an audio output unit 196.

[0022] The main control unit 101 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire broadcast receiving device 100 according to a predetermined operating program. The system bus 102 is a communication path for sending and receiving various data and commands between the main control unit 101 and each operating block within the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0023] ROM (Read Only Memory) 103 is a non-volatile memory that stores basic operating programs such as the operating system and other operational programs. For example, a rewritable ROM such as EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or flash ROM is used. ROM 103 also stores operational settings necessary for the operation of the broadcast receiving device 100. RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 serves as the work area during the execution of basic operating programs and other operational programs. ROM 103 and RAM 104 may be integrated with the main control unit 101. Furthermore, ROM 103 may not have an independent configuration as shown in Figure 2A, but may instead utilize a portion of the storage area within the storage unit 110.

[0024] The storage unit 110 stores the operating program and operating settings of the broadcast receiving device 100, as well as the personal information of the broadcast receiving device 100 user. It can also store operating programs downloaded via the Internet 800 and various data created by said operating programs. Furthermore, it can store content such as video, still images, and audio acquired from broadcast waves or downloaded via the Internet 800. A portion of the storage unit 110 may replace all or part of the functions of the ROM 103. In addition, the storage unit 110 needs to retain the stored information even when the broadcast receiving device 100 is not supplied with power from an external source. Therefore, devices such as flash ROM, semiconductor memory such as SSD (Solid State Drive), and magnetic disk drives such as HDD (Hard Disc Drive) are used.

[0025] Furthermore, the aforementioned operating programs stored in the ROM 103 and the storage unit 110 can be added, updated, and have their functions expanded through download processes from various server devices on the Internet 800 and broadcast waves.

[0026] The LAN communication unit 121 is connected to the Internet 800 via the router device 800R and transmits and receives data with various server devices and other communication devices on the Internet 800. It also acquires program content data (or a part thereof) transmitted via the communication line. The connection to the router device 800R may be a wired connection or a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The LAN communication unit 121 is equipped with encoding circuits, decoding circuits, etc. Furthermore, the broadcast receiving device 100 may also be equipped with other communication units such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit, an NFC communication unit, or an infrared communication unit.

[0027] The first tuner / demodulator 130C, the second tuner / demodulator 130T, the third tuner / demodulator 130L, and the fourth tuner / demodulator 130B each receive broadcast waves of digital broadcasting services and perform channel selection by tuning to the channel of a predetermined service based on the control of the main control unit 101. Furthermore, they perform demodulation processing of the modulated wave of the received signal, waveform shaping processing, reconstruction processing of the frame structure and hierarchical structure, despreading energy processing, error correction decoding processing, etc., to regenerate the packet stream. They also extract and decode the transmission TMCC (Transmission Multiplexing Configuration Control) signal from the received signal.

[0028] The first tuner / demodulator 130C can receive digital broadcast waves from the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by antenna 200C, which is the antenna for receiving current terrestrial digital broadcasting. The first tuner / demodulator 130C can also receive broadcast signals of one of the polarizations, horizontal (H) polarization signals or vertical (V) polarization signals, of the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting described later, and demodulate segments of the layer that employ the same modulation scheme as the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service. The first tuner / demodulator 130C can also receive broadcast signals from the hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting described later, and demodulate layers that employ the same modulation scheme as the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service. The second tuner / demodulator 130T receives digital broadcast waves from the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by antenna 200T, which is the antenna for receiving dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, via the conversion unit 201T. The third tuner / demodulator 130L receives the digital broadcast waves of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by antenna 200L, which is a hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting receiving antenna, via conversion unit 201L. The fourth tuner / demodulator 130B receives the digital broadcast waves of the advanced BS (Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcasting service and the advanced CS (Communication Satellite) digital broadcasting service received by antenna 200B, which is a BS / CS shared receiving antenna, via conversion unit 201B.

[0029] The term "tuner / demodulation unit" refers to a component that includes both tuner and demodulation functions.

[0030] Furthermore, antennas 200C, 200T, 200L, 200B, and converters 201T, 201L, and 201B do not constitute part of the broadcast receiving device 100, but rather belong to the building or other facility where the broadcast receiving device 100 is installed.

[0031] Furthermore, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mentioned above is a broadcast signal for terrestrial digital broadcasting services that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels.

[0032] Furthermore, although details of dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting (advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting employing a dual-polarization transmission method) will be described later, it is a broadcast signal for a terrestrial digital broadcasting service that can transmit video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels. Dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting is a terrestrial digital broadcasting service that uses multiple polarizations, including horizontal (H) polarization and vertical (V) polarization, and transmits a terrestrial digital broadcasting service that can transmit video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels in a divided portion of the segments of both polarizations.

[0033] In the descriptions of each embodiment of the present invention, when the expression "multiple polarizations" is used for dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, unless otherwise specified, it refers to two polarizations: horizontal (H) polarization and vertical (V) polarization. Also, when the expression "polarization" is used simply, it refers to a "polarized signal." Furthermore, in one or both of the multiple polarizations, it is possible to transmit the above-mentioned current terrestrial digital broadcasting, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels in a divided portion of the segments, using the same modulation scheme. In other words, dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting can simultaneously transmit the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels in different segments of the multiple polarizations of each embodiment of the present invention, and a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels.

[0034] Furthermore, although the details of hierarchical division multiplexing (advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting employing a hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method) will be described later, it is a broadcast signal of a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels. Hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting multiplexes multiplexes multiple digital broadcast signals with different signal levels. Note that digital broadcast signals with different signal levels mean that the power used to transmit the digital broadcast signals is different. In each embodiment of the present invention, the hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting can transmit, as multiple digital broadcast signals with different signal levels, the broadcast signal of a current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels and the broadcast signal of a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, by hierarchical multiplexing within the same physical channel frequency band. In other words, in the layered multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting of each embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously transmit both the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, and a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, across multiple layers with different signal levels.

[0035] Furthermore, the broadcast receiving device in each embodiment of the present invention only needs to be configured to suitably receive advanced digital broadcasts, and it is not essential that it includes all of the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, and the fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B. For example, it is sufficient to include at least one of the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T or the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L. In addition, to realize more advanced functions, it may include one or more of the above four tuners / demodulation units in addition to either the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T or the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L.

[0036] Furthermore, antennas 200C, 200T, and 200L may be used interchangeably as appropriate. Also, among the first tuner / demodulator 130C, the second tuner / demodulator 130T, and the third tuner / demodulator 130L, multiple tuners / demodulators may be used interchangeably (or integrated) as appropriate.

[0037] The first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U each receive packet streams output from the first tuner / demodulator unit 130C, the second tuner / demodulator unit 130T, the third tuner / demodulator unit 130L, or the fourth tuner / demodulator unit 130B, or packet streams acquired from various server devices on the Internet 800 via the LAN communication unit 121. The packet streams input to the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U may be in formats such as MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)-2 TS (Transport Stream), MPEG-2 PS (Program Stream), TLV (Type Length Value), or MMT (MPEG Media Transport).

[0038] The first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U perform conditional access (CA) processing, multiplexing and separation processing to separate and extract video data, audio data, and various information data from the packet stream based on various control information contained in the packet stream, decoding of video data and audio data, acquisition of program information and generation of an EPG (Electronic Program Guide), and playback processing of data broadcasting screens and multimedia data. They also perform processing to superimpose the generated EPG and played-back multimedia data with the decoded video data and audio data.

[0039] The video selection unit 191 receives video data output from the first decoder unit 140S and video data output from the second decoder unit 140U, and performs appropriate selection and / or superposition processing based on the control of the main control unit 101. The video selection unit 191 also performs scaling processing and OSD (On Screen Display) data superposition processing as appropriate. The monitor unit 192 is a display device such as an LCD panel, and displays the video data selected and / or superimposed by the video selection unit 191 for the user of the broadcast receiving device 100. The video output unit 193 is a video output interface that outputs the video data selected and / or superimposed by the video selection unit 191 to the outside.

[0040] The audio selection unit 194 receives audio data output from the first decoder unit 140S and audio data output from the second decoder unit 140U, and performs appropriate selection and / or mixing processing based on the control of the main control unit 101. The speaker unit 195 outputs the audio data selected and / or mixed by the audio selection unit 194 and provides it to the user of the broadcast receiving device 100. The audio output unit 196 is an audio output interface that outputs the audio data selected and / or mixed by the audio selection unit 194 to the outside.

[0041] The digital interface unit 125 is an interface that outputs or inputs packet streams containing encoded digital video data and / or digital audio data. The digital interface unit 125 can output packet streams directly that have been input to the first decoder unit 140S or the second decoder unit 140U from the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, or the fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B. Alternatively, the digital interface unit 125 may be controlled to input packet streams input from an external source via the digital interface unit 125 to the first decoder unit 140S or the second decoder unit 140U, or to store them in the storage unit 110. Or, it may output video data and audio data that have been separated and extracted by the first decoder unit 140S or the second decoder unit 140U. Furthermore, the system may be controlled to input video data and audio data received from an external source via the digital interface unit 125 into the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U, or to store them in the storage unit 110.

[0042] The expansion interface section 124 is a group of interfaces for expanding the functionality of the broadcast receiving device 100, and consists of an analog video / audio interface, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, a memory interface, etc. The analog video / audio interface handles input of analog video / audio signals from external video / audio output devices and output of analog video / audio signals to external video / audio input devices. The USB interface connects to a PC or other device for sending and receiving data. An HDD may be connected to record broadcast programs and other content data. A keyboard or other USB device may also be connected. The memory interface connects to a memory card or other memory medium for sending and receiving data.

[0043] The operation input unit 180 is an instruction input unit that inputs operation instructions to the broadcast receiving device 100, and consists of a remote control receiver unit that receives commands transmitted from a remote control (remote controller) (not shown in the figure) and an operation key with a row of button switches. Either one of these may be used alone. The operation input unit 180 can also be replaced by a touch panel or the like that superimposed on the monitor unit 192. It may also be replaced by a keyboard or the like that connected to the expansion interface unit 124. The remote control can be replaced by a portable information terminal 700 equipped with a remote control command transmission function.

[0044] Note that if the broadcast receiving device 100 is a television receiver or the like, the video output unit 193 and the audio output unit 196 are not mandatory components. The broadcast receiving device 100 may also be an optical disc drive recorder such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recorder, a magnetic disc drive recorder such as an HDD recorder, or an STB (Set Top Box). It may also be a PC (Personal Computer) or tablet terminal equipped with digital broadcasting service reception capabilities. If the broadcast receiving device 100 is a DVD recorder, HDD recorder, or STB, the monitor unit 192 and the speaker unit 195 are not mandatory components. By connecting an external monitor and external speakers to the video output unit 193 and the audio output unit 196 or the digital interface unit 125, operation similar to that of a television receiver is possible.

[0045] Figure 2B is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the first tuner / demodulator 130C.

[0046] The tuning / detection unit 131C receives the current digital broadcast wave received by the antenna 200C and selects a channel based on the channel selection control signal. The TMCC decoding unit 132C extracts the TMCC signal from the output signal of the tuning / detection unit 131C and obtains various TMCC information. The obtained TMCC information is used to control each subsequent process. Details of the TMCC signal and TMCC information will be described later.

[0047] The demodulation unit 133C receives a modulated wave modulated using methods such as QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), DQPSK (Differential QPSK), 16QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), and 64QAM, based on TMCC information, and performs demodulation processing including frequency deinterleaving, time deinterleaving, and carrier demapping. The demodulation unit 133C may also be capable of supporting modulation methods different from those described above.

[0048] The stream playback unit 134C performs hierarchical segmentation, internal code error correction processing such as Viterbi decoding, energy despreading, stream playback processing, external code error correction processing such as RS (Reed Solomon) decoding, etc. Note that error correction methods other than those described above may be used. The packet stream reproduced and output by the stream playback unit 134C is, for example, MPEG-2 TS. Other packet stream formats may also be used.

[0049] Figure 2C is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the second tuner / demodulator 130T.

[0050] The channel selection / detection unit 131H receives the horizontal (H) polarization signal of the digital broadcast wave received by the antenna 200T and performs channel selection based on the channel selection control signal. The channel selection / detection unit 131V receives the vertical (V) polarization signal of the digital broadcast wave received by the antenna 200T and performs channel selection based on the channel selection control signal. The channel selection process in the channel selection / detection unit 131H and the channel selection process in the channel selection / detection unit 131V may be controlled in conjunction or independently. In other words, it is possible to treat the tuning / detection unit 131H and the tuning / detection unit 131V as a single tuning / detection unit and control them to tune to one channel of a digital broadcasting service transmitted using both horizontal and vertical polarization, or to treat the tuning / detection unit 131H and the tuning / detection unit 131V as two independent tuning / detection units and control them to tune to two different channels of a digital broadcasting service transmitted using only horizontal polarization (or only vertical polarization).

[0051] In each embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal (H) polarized signal and the vertical (V) polarized signal received by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcast receiving device may be any polarized signals from broadcast waves with polarization directions that differ by approximately 90 degrees, and the configurations for the horizontal (H) polarized signal, the vertical (V) polarized signal, and their reception described below may be reversed.

[0052] The TMCC decoding unit 132H extracts the TMCC signal from the output signal of the tuning / detection unit 131H and obtains various TMCC information. The TMCC decoding unit 132V extracts the TMCC signal from the output signal of the tuning / detection unit 131V and obtains various TMCC information. Either the TMCC decoding unit 132H or the TMCC decoding unit 132V may be present alone. The acquired TMCC information is used to control each subsequent process.

[0053] Demodulators 133H and 133V each receive a modulated wave, modulated using methods such as BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying), DBPSK (Differential BPSK), QPSK, DQPSK, 8PSK (Phase Shift Keying), 16APSK (Amplitude and Phase Shift Keying), 32APSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, and 1024QAM, based on TMCC information, and perform demodulation processing including frequency deinterleaving, time deinterleaving, and carrier demapping. Demodulators 133H and 133V may also be capable of supporting modulation methods different from those described above.

[0054] The stream playback units 134H and 134V perform hierarchical segmentation, internal code error correction processing such as Viterbi decoding and LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) decoding, energy despreading processing, stream playback processing, and external code error correction processing such as RS decoding and BCH decoding, respectively. Note that error correction methods other than those described above may be used. The packet stream reproduced and output by the stream playback unit 134H is, for example, MPEG-2 TS. The packet stream reproduced and output by the stream playback unit 134V is, for example, TLV containing MPEG-2 TS or MMT packet streams. Other packet stream formats may also be used.

[0055] Figure 2D is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the third tuner / demodulator 130L.

[0056] The tuning / detection unit 131L receives a digital broadcast wave that has undergone layered division multiplexing (LDM) processing from the antenna 200L and performs channel selection based on the channel selection control signal. The layered division multiplexed digital broadcast wave may be used to transmit digital broadcast services (or different channels of the same broadcast service) where the modulated wave of the upper layer (UL) and the modulated wave of the lower layer (LL) are different. The modulated wave of the upper layer is output to the demodulation unit 133S, and the modulated wave of the lower layer is output to the demodulation unit 133L.

[0057] The TMCC decoding unit 132L receives the upper-level modulated wave and the lower-level modulated wave output from the tuning / detection unit 131L, extracts the TMCC signal, and obtains various TMCC information. The signal input to the TMCC decoding unit 132L may be either the upper-level modulated wave or the lower-level modulated wave, or both.

[0058] The demodulation units 133S and 133L perform the same operations as the demodulation units 133H and 133V, so a detailed explanation is omitted. Similarly, the stream playback units 134S and 134L perform the same operations as the stream playback units 134H and 134V, respectively, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0059] Figure 2E is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the fourth tuner / demodulator 130B.

[0060] The channel selection / detection unit 131B receives digital broadcast waves from advanced BS digital broadcasting services and advanced CS digital broadcasting services received by antenna 200B and selects channels based on the channel selection control signal. Other operations are the same as those of the channel selection / detection units 131H and 131V, so detailed explanations are omitted. Similarly, the TMCC decoding unit 132B, demodulation unit 133B, and stream playback unit 134B operate in the same way as the TMCC decoding unit 132H, TMCC decoding unit 132V, demodulation unit 133H, demodulation unit 133V, and stream playback unit 134V, respectively, so detailed explanations are omitted.

[0061] Figure 2F is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the first decoder unit 140S.

[0062] The selection unit 141S selects and outputs one packet stream from the packet stream input from the first tuner / demodulator 130C, the packet stream input from the second tuner / demodulator 130T, and the packet stream input from the third tuner / demodulator 130L, based on the control of the main control unit 101. The packet streams input from the first tuner / demodulator 130C, the second tuner / demodulator 130T, and the third tuner / demodulator 130L are, for example, MPEG-2 TS. The CA descrambler 142S performs decryption processing of a predetermined scrambling encryption algorithm based on various control information related to limited reception superimposed on the packet stream.

[0063] The multiplexing / decompression unit 143S is a stream decoder that separates and extracts video data, audio data, character superimposition data, subtitle data, program information data, etc., based on various control information contained in the input packet stream. The separated and extracted video data is distributed to the video decoder 145S, the separated and extracted audio data to the audio decoder 146S, and the separated and extracted character superimposition data, subtitle data, program information data, etc., are distributed to the data decoder 144S. The multiplexing / decompression unit 143S may also receive a packet stream (e.g., MPEG-2 PS) acquired from a server device on the Internet 800 via the LAN communication unit 121. Furthermore, the multiplexing / decompression unit 143S can output packet streams input from the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, and the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L to the outside via the digital interface 125, and can also receive packet streams acquired from the outside via the digital interface 125.

[0064] The video decoder 145S processes the video data input from the multiplexing / decoding unit 143S, performing processing such as decoding the compressed video information, colorimetry conversion, and dynamic range conversion on the decoded video information. It also performs resolution conversion (up / down conversion) based on the control of the main control unit 101 and outputs video data at appropriate resolutions such as UHD (3840 horizontal pixels × 2160 vertical pixels), HD (1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels), and SD (720 horizontal pixels × 480 vertical pixels). Video data may also be output at other resolutions. The audio decoder 146S processes the compressed audio information. It also performs downmixing based on the control of the main control unit 101 and outputs audio data with channel counts such as 22.2ch, 7.1ch, 5.1ch, and 2ch. Note that multiple video decoders 145S and audio decoders 146S may be provided to perform decoding processing for multiple video and audio data simultaneously.

[0065] The data decoder 144S performs processes such as generating an EPG based on program information data, generating data broadcasting screens based on BML data, and controlling linked applications based on broadcast communication linkage functions. The data decoder 144S is equipped with a BML browser function that executes BML documents, and the data broadcasting screen generation process is performed by the BML browser function. In addition, the data decoder 144S performs processes such as decoding character superimposition data to generate character superimposition information and decoding subtitle data to generate subtitle information.

[0066] The superposition units 147S, 148S, and 149S each perform superposition processing on video data output from the video decoder 145S and EPG or data broadcast screens output from the data decoder 144S. The synthesis unit 151S performs synthesis processing on audio data output from the audio decoder 146S and audio data played back by the data decoder 144S. The selection unit 150S performs resolution selection of video data based on the control of the main control unit 101. The functions of the superposition units 147S, 148S, 149S, and 150S may be integrated with the video selection unit 191. The function of the synthesis unit 151S may be integrated with the audio selection unit 194.

[0067] Figure 2G is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the second decoder unit 140U.

[0068] The selection unit 141U, based on the control of the main control unit 101, selects and outputs one packet stream from the packet stream input from the second tuner / demodulator 130T, the packet stream input from the third tuner / demodulator 130L, and the packet stream input from the fourth tuner / demodulator 130B. The packet streams input from the second tuner / demodulator 130T, the third tuner / demodulator 130L, and the fourth tuner / demodulator 130B are, for example, MMT packet streams or TLVs containing MMT packet streams. They may also be MPEG-2 TS format packet streams employing HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) or similar video compression methods. The CA descrambler 142U performs decryption processing of a predetermined scrambling encryption algorithm based on various control information related to limited reception superimposed on the packet stream.

[0069] The multiplexing / decompression unit 143U is a stream decoder that separates and extracts video data, audio data, character superimposition data, subtitle data, program information data, etc., based on various control information contained in the input packet stream. The separated and extracted video data is distributed to the video decoder 145U, the separated and extracted audio data to the audio decoder 146U, and the separated and extracted character superimposition data, subtitle data, program information data, etc., are distributed to the multimedia decoder 144U. The multiplexing / decompression unit 143U may also receive packet streams (for example, MPEG-2 PS or MMT packet streams) acquired from a server device on the Internet 800 via the LAN communication unit 121. Furthermore, the multiplexing / decompression unit 143U can output packet streams input from the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, and the fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B to the outside via the digital interface 125, and can also receive packet streams acquired from the outside via the digital interface 125.

[0070] The multimedia decoder 144U performs processes such as generating an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) based on program information data, generating multimedia screens based on multimedia data, and controlling linked applications based on broadcast-communication linkage functions. The multimedia decoder 144U is equipped with an HTML browser function that executes HTML documents, and the multimedia screen generation process is performed by the HTML browser function.

[0071] The video decoder 145U, audio decoder 146U, superimposition unit 147U, superimposition unit 148U, superimposition unit 149U, synthesis unit 151U, and selection unit 150U are components that have the same functions as the video decoder 145S, audio decoder 146S, superimposition unit 147S, superimposition unit 148S, superimposition unit 149S, synthesis unit 151S, and selection unit 150S, respectively. These descriptions of the video decoder 145S, audio decoder 146S, superimposed section 147S, superimposed section 148S, superimposed section 149S, composite section 151S, and selection section 150S in Figure 2F can be rewritten by replacing the last S of the symbols with U, which corresponds to the descriptions of the video decoder 145U, audio decoder 146U, superimposed section 147U, superimposed section 148U, superimposed section 149U, composite section 151U, and selection section 150U in Figure 2G. Therefore, a separate detailed explanation is omitted.

[0072] [Software configuration of broadcast receiving equipment] Figure 2H is a software configuration diagram of the broadcast receiving device 100, showing an example of the software configuration in the storage unit 110 (or ROM 103, hereafter the same) and RAM 104. The storage unit 110 stores a basic operation program 1001, a reception function program 1002, a browser program 1003, a content management program 1004, and other operation programs 1009. The storage unit 110 also includes a content storage area 1011 for storing content data such as video, still images, and audio, an authentication information storage area 1012 for storing authentication information used when communicating or coordinating with external mobile terminal devices, server devices, etc., and various information storage areas 1019 for storing various other information.

[0073] The basic operation program 1001 stored in the storage unit 110 is loaded into the RAM 104, and the main control unit 101 then executes the loaded basic operation program to constitute the basic operation control unit 1101. Similarly, the receiving function program 1002, browser program 1003, and content management program 1004 stored in the storage unit 110 are each loaded into the RAM 104, and the main control unit 101 then executes each of the loaded operation programs to constitute the receiving function control unit 1102, browser engine 1103, and content management unit 1104. The RAM 104 also includes a temporary storage area 1200 for temporarily holding data created during the execution of each operation program as needed.

[0074] For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the process by which the main control unit 101 controls each operation block by loading the basic operation program 1001 stored in the storage unit 110 into the RAM 104 and executing it will be described as if the basic operation control unit 1101 controls each operation block. The same description will be applied to other operation programs.

[0075] The reception function control unit 1102 performs basic control of the broadcast reception device 100, such as broadcast reception functions and broadcast communication cooperation functions. In particular, the channel selection / demodulation unit 1102a mainly controls channel selection processing, TMCC information acquisition processing, and demodulation processing in the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B, etc. The stream playback control unit 1102b mainly controls hierarchical division processing, error correction decoding processing, energy despreading processing, and stream playback processing in the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B, etc. The AV decoding unit 1102c primarily controls the multiplexing (stream decoding), video data decoding, and audio data decoding processes in the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140H. The multimedia (MM) data playback unit 1102d primarily controls the BML data playback process, character superimposed data decoding process, subtitle data decoding process, and communication link application control process in the first decoder unit 140S, and the HTML data playback process, multimedia screen generation process, and communication link application control process in the second decoder unit 140H. The EPG generation unit 1102e primarily controls the EPG generation process and the display process of the generated EPG in the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140H. The presentation processing unit 1102f controls the colorimetry conversion process, dynamic range conversion process, resolution conversion process, and audio downmix process in the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140H, and also controls the video selection unit 191 and the audio selection unit 194.

[0076] The BML browser 1103a and HTML browser 1103b of the browser engine 1103 interpret BML documents and HTML documents during the aforementioned BML data playback processing and HTML data playback processing, and perform data broadcast screen generation processing and multimedia screen generation processing.

[0077] The content management unit 1104 manages the time schedule and execution control when scheduling recording and viewing of broadcast programs, manages copyright when outputting broadcast programs and recorded programs from the digital I / F 125, LAN communication unit 121, etc., and manages the expiration date of linked applications acquired based on the broadcast communication linkage function.

[0078] Each of the aforementioned operating programs may be pre-stored in the storage unit 110 and / or ROM 103 at the time of product shipment. They may also be acquired after product shipment from a server device on the Internet 800 via the LAN communication unit 121, etc. Alternatively, each of the aforementioned operating programs stored on a memory card, optical disc, etc., may be acquired via the expansion interface unit 124, etc. They may also be newly acquired or updated via broadcast waves.

[0079] [Broadcaster Server Configuration] Figure 3A shows an example of the internal configuration of the broadcasting station server 400. The broadcasting station server 400 consists of a main control unit 401, a system bus 402, RAM 404, a storage unit 410, a LAN communication unit 421, and a digital broadcasting signal transmission unit 460.

[0080] The main control unit 401 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire broadcasting station server 400 according to a predetermined operating program. The system bus 402 is a communication path for sending and receiving various data and commands between the main control unit 401 and each operating block within the broadcasting station server 400. The RAM 404 serves as the work area when each operating program is executed.

[0081] The storage unit 410 stores the basic operation program 4001, the content management / distribution program 4002, and the content transmission program 4003, and further includes a content data storage area 4011 and a metadata storage area 4012. The content data storage area 4011 stores content data for each broadcast program broadcast by the broadcasting station. The metadata storage area 4012 stores metadata for each broadcast program, such as the program title, program ID, program summary, cast, broadcast date and time, etc.

[0082] Furthermore, the basic operation program 4001, the content management / distribution program 4002, and the content delivery program 4003 stored in the storage unit 410 are each loaded into the RAM 404, and the main control unit 401 then executes the loaded basic operation program, the content management / distribution program, and the content delivery program, thereby configuring the basic operation control unit 4101, the content management / distribution control unit 4102, and the content delivery control unit 4103.

[0083] For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the process by which the main control unit 401 controls each operation block by loading the basic operation program 4001 stored in the storage unit 410 into the RAM 404 and executing it will be described as if the basic operation control unit 4101 controls each operation block. The same description will be applied to other operation programs.

[0084] The content management / distribution control unit 4102 manages content data and metadata stored in the content data storage area 4011 and the metadata storage area 4012, and controls the provision of the content data and metadata to service providers based on contracts. Furthermore, when providing content data and metadata to service providers, the content management / distribution control unit 4102 also performs authentication processing of the service provider server 500 as needed.

[0085] The content transmission control unit 4103 manages the time schedule when transmitting a stream containing content data of broadcast programs stored in the content data storage area 4011 and the program title, program ID, copy control information for program content of broadcast programs stored in the metadata storage area 4012 via the digital broadcast signal transmission unit 460.

[0086] The LAN communication unit 421 is connected to the Internet 800 and communicates with service provider servers 500 and other communication devices on the Internet 800. The LAN communication unit 421 is equipped with encoding circuits, decoding circuits, etc. The digital broadcast signal transmission unit 460 modulates and processes a stream consisting of content data and program information data for each broadcast program stored in the content data storage area 4011, and transmits it as a digital broadcast wave via the radio tower 300.

[0087] [Service provider server configuration] Figure 3B shows an example of the internal configuration of the service provider server 500. The service provider server 500 consists of a main control unit 501, a system bus 502, RAM 504, a storage unit 510, and a LAN communication unit 521.

[0088] The main control unit 501 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire service provider server 500 according to a predetermined operating program. The system bus 502 is a communication path for sending and receiving various data and commands between the main control unit 501 and each operating block within the service provider server 500. The RAM 504 serves as the work area when each operating program is executed.

[0089] The storage unit 510 stores the basic operation program 5001, the content management / distribution program 5002, and the application management / distribution program 5003, and further includes a content data storage area 5011, a metadata storage area 5012, and an application storage area 5013. The content data storage area 5011 and the metadata storage area 5012 store content data and metadata provided from the broadcasting station server 400, or content produced by service providers and metadata related to said content. The application storage area 5013 stores applications (operation programs and / or various data, etc.) necessary for realizing each service of the broadcast-communication cooperation system, for distribution in response to requests from each television receiver.

[0090] Furthermore, the basic operation program 5001, the content management / distribution program 5002, and the application management / distribution program 5003 stored in the storage unit 510 are each deployed to the RAM 504, and the main control unit 501 then executes the deployed basic operation program, the content management / distribution program, and the application management / distribution program, thereby configuring the basic operation control unit 5101, the content management / distribution control unit 5102, and the application management / distribution control unit 5103.

[0091] For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the process by which the main control unit 501 controls each operation block by loading the basic operation program 5001 stored in the storage unit 510 into the RAM 504 and executing it will be described as if the basic operation control unit 5101 controls each operation block. The same description will be applied to other operation programs.

[0092] The content management / distribution control unit 5102 acquires content data and metadata from the broadcasting station server 400, manages the content data and metadata stored in the content data storage area 5011 and the metadata storage area 5012, and controls the distribution of the content data and metadata to each television receiver. The application management / distribution control unit 5103 manages each application stored in the application storage area 5013 and controls the distribution of each application to each television receiver in response to requests. Furthermore, when distributing each application to each television receiver, the application management / distribution control unit 5103 also performs authentication processing of the television receiver as needed.

[0093] The LAN communication unit 521 is connected to the Internet 800 and communicates with the broadcasting station server 400 and other communication devices on the Internet 800. It also communicates with the broadcasting receiving device 100 and the mobile information terminal 700 via the router device 800R. The LAN communication unit 521 is equipped with encoding circuits, decoding circuits, and the like.

[0094] [Digital broadcast waves] Here, an example of a digital broadcast wave received by the broadcast receiving device of the present invention will be described.

[0095] The broadcast receiving device 100 is capable of receiving terrestrial digital broadcasting services that share at least some specifications with the ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting for Terrestrial Television Broadcasting) system. Specifically, the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting that the second tuner / demodulator 130T can receive is an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service that shares some specifications with the ISDB-T system. Furthermore, the hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting that the third tuner / demodulator 130L can receive is also an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service that shares some specifications with the ISDB-T system. The current terrestrial digital broadcasting that the first tuner / demodulator 130C can receive is an ISDB-T terrestrial digital broadcasting service. In addition, the advanced BS digital broadcasting and advanced CS digital broadcasting that the fourth tuner / demodulator 130B can receive are digital broadcasting services that differ from the ISDB-T system.

[0096] In this embodiment, the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting and hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting employ OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), a multi-carrier transmission method, similar to the ISDB-T system. Because OFDM is a multi-carrier system, it has a long symbol length, and it is effective to add a redundant portion in the time axis direction called a guard interval, which reduces the effects of multipath within the range of the guard interval. Therefore, it is possible to realize an SFN (Single Frequency Network), enabling efficient use of frequency.

[0097] The dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting and hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment divides the OFDM carrier into groups called segments, similar to the ISDB-T system. As shown in Figure 4A, the bandwidth of one channel of a digital broadcasting service consists of 13 segments. The central part of the bandwidth is designated as segment 0, and segment numbers (0 to 12) are assigned sequentially above and below it. Transmission path coding for the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting and hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment is performed on an OFDM segment basis. Therefore, it is possible to define hierarchical transmission, for example, within the bandwidth of one television channel, some OFDM segments can be allocated to fixed reception services and the remainder to mobile reception services. In hierarchical transmission, each layer consists of one or more OFDM segments, and parameters such as the carrier modulation method, the coding rate of the internal code, and the time interleave length can be set for each layer. The number of layers can be set arbitrarily; for example, it can be set to a maximum of 3 layers. Figure 4B shows an example of hierarchical allocation of OFDM segments when the number of layers is 3 or 2. In the example in Figure 4B(1), there are 3 layers, with Layer A consisting of 1 segment (Segment 0), Layer B consisting of 7 segments (Segments 1-7), and Layer C consisting of 5 segments (Segments 8-12). In the example in Figure 4B(2), there are 3 layers, with Layer A consisting of 1 segment (Segment 0), Layer B consisting of 5 segments (Segments 1-5), and Layer C consisting of 7 segments (Segments 6-12). In the example in Figure 4B(3), there are 2 layers, with Layer A consisting of 1 segment (Segment 0) and Layer B consisting of 12 segments (Segments 1-12). The number of OFDM segments and transmission path coding parameters for each layer are determined according to the configuration information and transmitted by TMCC signals, which are control information to assist the operation of the receiver.

[0098] As an example of how to use the segment hierarchy assignments in (1), (2), and (3) of Figure 4B, the following example is possible.

[0099] For example, the hierarchical assignment in Figure 4B(1) can be used in the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, and the same segment hierarchical assignment can be used for both horizontal and vertical polarization. Specifically, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service can be transmitted using the above 1 segment for horizontal polarization as hierarchical A. (Note that the same current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service can also be transmitted using the above 1 segment for vertical polarization. In this case, this will also be treated as hierarchical A.) Furthermore, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, can be transmitted using the above 7 segments for horizontal polarization as hierarchical B. (Note that a terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels may also transmit the same service using the above 7 segments with vertical polarization. In this case, this will also be treated as layer B.) Furthermore, as layer C, an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels may be configured to transmit using the above 5 segments with both horizontal and vertical polarization, for a total of 10 segments. Details of this transmission will be described later. The transmission waves assigned to this segment layer can be received, for example, by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0100] For example, the hierarchical assignment in Figure 4B(2) can be used as a different example from Figure 4B(1) in the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, and the same segment hierarchical assignment can be used for both horizontal and vertical polarization. Specifically, the current mobile reception service for terrestrial digital broadcasting can be transmitted using the above 1 segment for horizontal polarization as hierarchical A. (Note that the same mobile reception service for terrestrial digital broadcasting can also be transmitted using the above 1 segment for vertical polarization. In this case, this will also be treated as hierarchical A.) Furthermore, hierarchical B may be configured to transmit an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels using the above 5 segments for both horizontal and vertical polarization, a total of 10 segments. Alternatively, hierarchical C may be configured to transmit the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, using the above 7 segments for horizontal polarization. (Note that a terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels may also transmit the same service using the above 7 segments with vertical polarization. In this case, this will also be treated as layer C.) Details of this transmission will be described later. The transmission wave assigned to this segment layer can be received, for example, by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment.

[0101] For example, the hierarchical assignment in Figure 4B(3) can be used in hierarchical multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment and in current terrestrial digital broadcasting. Specifically, when used in hierarchical multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service can be transmitted in the 1 segment shown in the figure as hierarchical A. Furthermore, it may be configured to transmit an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels in the 12 segments shown in the figure as hierarchical B. The transmission waves of this segment hierarchical assignment can be received, for example, by the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L of the broadcasting receiver 100 in this embodiment. When used in current terrestrial digital broadcasting, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service can be transmitted in the 1 segment shown in the figure as hierarchical A, and the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, can be transmitted in the 12 segments shown in the figure as hierarchical B. The transmission waves assigned to the segment hierarchy can be received, for example, by the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment.

[0102] Figure 4C shows an example of a broadcasting station system that realizes the generation process of OFDM transmission waves, which are digital broadcast waves for polarized terrestrial digital broadcasting and hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment. The source coding unit 411 codes video, audio, and various data respectively. The multiplexing unit / limited reception processing unit 415 multiplexes the video, audio, and various data coded by the source coding unit 411, and further performs appropriate processing corresponding to limited reception, outputting it as a packet stream. Multiple source coding units 411 and multiplexing unit / limited reception processing units 415 can exist in parallel to generate multiple packet streams. The transmission path coding unit 416 remultiplexes these multiple packet streams into a single packet stream, performs transmission path coding processing, and outputs it as an OFDM transmission wave. The configuration shown in Figure 4C, although the details of the source coding and transmission path coding methods differ, is common to the ISDB-T method in terms of realizing the generation process of OFDM transmission waves. Therefore, some of the multiple source encoding units 411 and multiplexing / restricted reception processing units 415 may be configured for ISDB-T terrestrial digital broadcasting services, and some may be configured for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, and packet streams of multiple different terrestrial digital broadcasting services may be multiplexed in the transmission path encoding unit 416. If the multiplexing / restricted reception processing unit 415 is configured for ISDB-T terrestrial digital broadcasting services, it is sufficient to generate an MPEG-2TS, which is a TSP (Transport Stream Packet) stream as defined by the MPEG-2 Systems. If the multiplexing / restricted reception processing unit 415 is configured for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, it is sufficient to generate an MMT packet stream, a TLV stream containing MMT packets, or a TSP stream as defined by other systems. Of course, all of the multiple source encoding units 411 and multiplexing / restricted reception processing units 415 may be configured for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, and all packet streams multiplexed in the transmission path encoding unit 416 may be packet streams for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services.

[0103] Figure 4D shows an example of the configuration of the transmission line coding unit 416.

[0104] First, let's explain Figure 4D(1). Figure 4D(1) shows the configuration of the transmission path coding unit 416 when generating only OFDM transmission waves for the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service. The OFDM transmission wave transmitted with this configuration has, for example, the segment configuration shown in Figure 4B(3). The packet stream input from the multiplexing unit / limited reception processing unit 415 and remultiplexed is given redundancy for error correction, as well as various interleaving processes such as byte interleaving, bit interleaving, time interleaving, and frequency interleaving. After that, it is processed by IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) together with the pilot signal, TMCC signal, and AC signal, and after a guard interval is added, it becomes an OFDM transmission wave through quadrature modulation. Note that the outer code processing, power spreading processing, byte interleaving, inner code processing, and mapping processing are configured to be processed separately for each layer, such as layer A and layer B. (Note that while the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service uses a two-layer system for operational purposes, it is possible to transmit up to three layers, so Figure 4D(1) shows an example of a three-layer system.) The mapping process is the modulation process of the carrier. The packet stream input from the multiplexing unit / limited reception processing unit 415 may have information such as TMCC information, mode, and guard interval ratio multiplexed into it. The packet stream input to the transmission path coding unit 416 may be a TSP stream as defined by the MPEG-2 Systems, as described above. The OFDM transmission wave generated with the configuration in Figure 4D(1) can be received, for example, by the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment.

[0105] Next, Figure 4D(2) will be explained. Figure 4D(2) shows the configuration of the transmission path coding unit 416 when generating an OFDM transmission wave for dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment. The OFDM transmission wave transmitted with this configuration has, for example, the segment configuration shown in Figure 4B(1) or (2). In Figure 4D(2) as well, the packet stream input from the multiplexing unit / limited reception processing unit 415 and remultiplexed is given redundancy for error correction, as well as various interleaving processes such as byte interleaving, bit interleaving, time interleaving, and frequency interleaving. After that, it is processed by IFFT together with the pilot signal, TMCC signal, and AC signal, and after guard interval addition processing, it becomes an OFDM transmission wave through quadrature modulation.

[0106] In the configuration example shown in Figure 4D(2), the outer code processing, power spreading, byte interleaving, inner code processing, mapping, and time interleaving are configured to be processed separately for each layer, such as layer A, layer B, and layer C. However, in the configuration example shown in Figure 4D(2), not only horizontally polarized (H) OFDM transmission waves but also vertically polarized (V) OFDM transmission waves are generated, and the processing flow branches into two systems. When branching from the horizontally polarized (H) processing system to the vertically polarized (V) processing system, whether the same data as the horizontally polarized (H) processing system is branched to the vertically polarized (V) processing system, whether different data from the horizontally polarized (H) processing system is branched to the vertically polarized (V) processing system, or whether data is not branched to the vertically polarized (V) processing system, can be made different for each layer, corresponding to the segment configuration explained in Figure 4B(1) or (2).

[0107] The processing of external codes, internal codes, mapping, etc., shown in the configuration of Figure 4D(2) can utilize not only processing compatible with the configuration of Figure 4D(1), but also more advanced processing not employed in the processing of each component in the configuration of Figure 4D(1). Specifically, in the part of the configuration of Figure 4D(2) where processing is performed for each layer, in the layer where current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception services and current terrestrial digital broadcasting services that transmit video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels are transmitted, processing of external codes, internal codes, mapping, etc., is performed in a manner compatible with the configuration of Figure 4D(1). In contrast, in the part of the configuration of Figure 4D(2) where processing is performed for each layer, in the layer that transmits advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, the processing of external codes, internal codes, mapping, etc., should be configured to use more advanced processing not employed in the processing of each component in the configuration of Figure 4D(1).

[0108] Furthermore, in the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, the assignment of layers and transmitted terrestrial digital broadcasting services can be switched using TMCC information, as described later. Therefore, it is desirable to configure the processing such as external codes, internal codes, and mapping applied to each layer to be switchable using TMCC information.

[0109] Furthermore, for the layers transmitting advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, byte interleaving, bit interleaving, and time interleaving may be performed in a manner compatible with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services, or more advanced and different processing may be performed. Alternatively, for the layers transmitting advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, some interleaving may be omitted.

[0110] Furthermore, in the configuration of Figure 4D(2), the input stream that serves as the source for the layer to which the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service and the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels are transmitted may be a TSP stream defined by the MPEG-2 system used in the current terrestrial digital broadcasting, among the packet streams input to the transmission path coding unit 416. The input stream that serves as the source for the layer to which the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service in the configuration of Figure 4D(2) is transmitted may be a stream defined by a system other than the TSP stream defined by the MPEG-2 system, such as an MMT packet stream or a TLV containing MMT packets, among the packet streams input to the transmission path coding unit 416. However, the TSP stream defined by the MPEG-2 system may be adopted in the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service.

[0111] In the configuration shown in Figure 4D(2) described above, until an OFDM transmission wave is generated from the input stream, the layer to which the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service and the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels are transmitted maintains a stream format and processing compatible with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting. As a result, even if an existing receiving device for the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service receives either the horizontally polarized OFDM transmission wave or the vertically polarized OFDM transmission wave generated in the configuration of Figure 4D(2), it will be possible to correctly receive and demodulate the terrestrial digital broadcasting service's broadcast signal in the layer to which the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service and the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels are transmitted.

[0112] Furthermore, in the configuration shown in Figure 4D(2), in a layer using segments of both horizontally polarized OFDM transmission waves and vertically polarized OFDM transmission waves, it is possible to transmit an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, and the broadcast signal of this advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service can be received and demodulated by the broadcast receiving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0113] In other words, with the configuration shown in Figure 4D(2), it is possible to generate digital broadcast waves that can be suitably received and demodulated, both in broadcast receiving equipment compatible with advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services and in existing receiving equipment for current terrestrial digital broadcasting services.

[0114] Next, Figure 4D(3) will be explained. Figure 4D(3) shows the configuration of the transmission path coding unit 416 when generating an OFDM transmission wave for hierarchical division multiplexed terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment. In Figure 4D(3) as well, the packet stream input from the multiplexing unit / limited reception processing unit 415 and remultiplexed is given redundancy for error correction, as well as various interleaving processes such as byte interleaving, bit interleaving, time interleaving, and frequency interleaving. After that, it is processed by IFFT together with the pilot signal, TMCC signal, and AC signal, and after a guard interval is added, it becomes an OFDM transmission wave through quadrature modulation.

[0115] However, in the configuration shown in Figure 4D(3), modulated waves transmitted in the upper layer and modulated waves transmitted in the lower layer are generated separately, multiplexed, and then an OFDM transmission wave, which is a digital broadcast wave, is generated. The processing system shown on the upper side of the configuration in Figure 4D(3) is the processing system for generating the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer, and the processing system shown on the lower side is the processing system for generating the modulated wave transmitted in the lower layer. The data transmitted by the processing system for generating the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer in Figure 4D(3) is the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service and the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, and the various processes in the processing system for generating the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer in Figure 4D(3) are the same as or compatible with the various processes in Figure 4D(1). The modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer in Figure 4D(3) has, for example, the segment configuration of Figure 4B(3), similar to the transmission wave in Figure 4D(1). Therefore, the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer of Figure 4D(3) is a digital broadcast wave compatible with current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception services and current terrestrial digital broadcasting services that transmit video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels. In contrast, the data transmitted for the processing system to generate the modulated wave transmitted in the lower layer of Figure 4D(3) is an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels. For example, the processing of external codes, internal codes, mapping, etc., should be configured to use more advanced processing than that used in each process of the configuration in Figure 4D(1).

[0116] The modulated waves transmitted in the lower layer of Figure 4D(3) may, for example, be allocated to an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, with all 13 segments designated as Layer A. Alternatively, the segment configuration of Figure 4B(3) may be used to transmit the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service in Layer A of 1 segment, and an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels in Layer B of 12 segments. In the latter case, as with Figure 4D(2), the processing should be configured to switch between Layer A and Layer B, etc., from external code processing to time interleaving processing. As explained in Figure 4D(2), the layer transmitting the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service needs to maintain processing compatible with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting.

[0117] In the configuration shown in Figure 4D(3), an OFDM transmission wave, which is a terrestrial digital broadcast wave, is generated by multiplexing a modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer and a modulated wave transmitted in the lower layer. Since the technology to separate the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer from this OFDM transmission wave is already installed in existing terrestrial digital broadcasting service receiving equipment, the broadcast signals of existing terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile receiving services and existing terrestrial digital broadcasting services that transmit video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, which are included in the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer, are correctly received and demodulated by existing terrestrial digital broadcasting service receiving equipment. In contrast, the broadcast signals of advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services that can transmit video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, which are included in the modulated wave transmitted in the lower layer, can be received and demodulated by the broadcast receiving equipment 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0118] In other words, the configuration shown in Figure 4D(3) can generate digital broadcast waves that can be suitably received and demodulated by both broadcast receiving equipment compatible with advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services and existing receiving equipment for current terrestrial digital broadcasting services. Furthermore, unlike the configuration shown in Figure 4D(2), the configuration in Figure 4D(3) does not require the use of multiple polarizations, making it possible to generate a more easily receivable OFDM transmission wave.

[0119] In the OFDM transmission wave generation process shown in Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, three modes with different numbers of carriers are provided, taking into consideration the suitability of the SFN to the inter-station distance and the tolerance to Doppler shift in mobile reception. Further modes with different numbers of carriers may also be provided. In modes with a large number of carriers, the effective symbol length increases, and with the same guard interval ratio (guard interval length / effective symbol length), the guard interval length increases, making it possible to provide tolerance to multipath with long delay time differences. On the other hand, in modes with a small number of carriers, the carrier spacing increases, making it less susceptible to inter-carrier interference caused by Doppler shift that occurs in mobile reception, etc.

[0120] In the OFDM transmission wave generation process shown in Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, parameters such as the carrier modulation scheme, the coding rate of the internal code, and the time interleave length can be set for each layer composed of one or more OFDM segments. Figure 4E shows an example of the transmission parameters for one segment of an OFDM segment identified by the mode of the system according to this embodiment. Note that the carrier modulation scheme in the figure refers to the modulation scheme of the 'data' carrier. The SP signal, CP signal, TMCC signal, and AC signal employ a different modulation scheme from the 'data' carrier modulation scheme. Since these signals are more sensitive to noise than to information, they employ a modulation scheme that maps to a constellation with fewer states (BPSK or DBPSK, i.e., 2 states) than the 'data' carrier modulation scheme (all of which are QPSK or higher, i.e., 4 states or higher), thereby improving their sensitivity to noise.

[0121] Furthermore, the values ​​for the number of carriers are as follows: the value to the left of the diagonal line is the value when QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, etc. are set as the carrier modulation scheme, and the value to the right of the diagonal line is the value when DQPSK is set as the carrier modulation scheme. In the figure, the underlined parameters are parameters that are not compatible with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service. Specifically, the 'data' carrier modulation schemes of 256QAM, 1024QAM, and 4096QAM are not used in the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service. Therefore, in the OFDM broadcast wave generation processing related to Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, the processing at the layer where compatibility with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service is required does not use the 'data' carrier modulation schemes of 256QAM, 1024QAM, or 4096QAM. For data carriers transmitted at a layer compatible with advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, in addition to modulation schemes such as QPSK (4 states), 16QAM (16 states), and 64QAM (64 states) that are compatible with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services, even higher-level modulation schemes such as 256QAM (256 states), 1024QAM (1024 states), and 4096QAM (4096 states) may be applied. Furthermore, modulation schemes different from these may also be adopted.

[0122] Furthermore, the modulation scheme for the pilot symbol (SP and CP) carriers should be BPSK (2 states), which is compatible with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service. The modulation scheme for the AC carrier and TMCC carrier should be DBPSK (2 states), which is compatible with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service.

[0123] Furthermore, LDPC coding is not used as an internal coding method in current terrestrial digital broadcasting services. Therefore, in the OFDM broadcast wave generation process shown in Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, LDPC coding is not used in the processing at layers where compatibility with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services is required. For data transmitted at layers corresponding to advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, LDPC coding may be applied as internal coding. Furthermore, BCH coding is not used as an external coding method in current terrestrial digital broadcasting services. Therefore, in the OFDM broadcast wave generation process shown in Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, BCH coding is not used in the processing at layers where compatibility with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services is required. For data transmitted at layers corresponding to advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, BCH coding may be applied as external coding.

[0124] Furthermore, Figure 4F shows an example of transmission signal parameters per physical channel (6MHz bandwidth) for the OFDM broadcast wave generation process related to Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment. In the OFDM broadcast wave generation process related to Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, in order to maintain compatibility with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services, the parameters in Figure 4F are, in principle, adopted to be compatible with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services. However, if all segments of the modulated wave transmitted in the lower layer of Figure 4D(3) are allocated to advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, it is not necessary to maintain compatibility with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services for that modulated wave. Therefore, in this case, parameters other than those shown in Figure 4F may be used for the modulated wave transmitted in the lower layer of Figure 4D(3).

[0125] Next, the carriers of the OFDM transmission wave according to this embodiment will be described. The OFDM transmission wave according to this embodiment includes carriers that transmit data such as video and audio, carriers that transmit pilot signals (SP, CP, AC1, AC2) that serve as a reference for demodulation, and carriers that transmit TMCC signals, which contain information such as the carrier modulation format and convolution coding rate. For these transmissions, a number of carriers equivalent to 1 / 9 of the number of carriers per segment is used. Furthermore, concatenated codes are used for error correction, with a shortened Reed-Solomon (204,188) code used for the outer code and a punctured convolution code with a constraint length of 7 and a coding rate of 1 / 2 as the mother code used for the inner code. Different codings may be used for both the outer and inner codes. The information rate varies depending on parameters such as the carrier modulation format, convolution coding rate, and guard interval ratio.

[0126] Furthermore, 204 symbols constitute one frame, and each frame contains an integer number of TSPs. Transmission parameter switching occurs at the boundaries of these frames.

[0127] The pilot signals used as a reference for demodulation include SP (Scattered Pilot), CP (Continual Pilot), AC (Auxiliary Channel) 1, and AC2. Figure 4G shows an example of the placement of pilot signals within a segment in the case of synchronous modulation (QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, 1024QAM, 4096QAM, etc.). SP is inserted into the segment of synchronous modulation and transmitted once every 12 carriers in the carrier number (frequency axis) direction and once every 4 symbols in the OFDM symbol number (time axis) direction. Since the amplitude and phase of SP are known, it can be used as a reference for synchronous demodulation. Figure 4H shows an example of the placement of pilot signals within a segment in the case of differential modulation (DQPSK, etc.). CP is a continuous signal inserted at the left end of the segment of differential modulation and is used for demodulation.

[0128] AC1 and AC2 are signals that carry information over CP (Power Packet), and in addition to serving as pilot signals, they are also used for transmitting information for broadcasters. They may also be used for transmitting other types of information.

[0129] Note that the arrangement images shown in Figures 4G and 4H are examples for Mode 3, where the carrier numbers range from 0 to 431. In Mode 1 and Mode 2, the carrier numbers range from 0 to 107 or 0 to 215, respectively. Furthermore, the carriers transmitting AC1, AC2, and TMCC may be predetermined for each segment. In order to mitigate the effects of periodic dips in the transmission path characteristics caused by multipath, the carriers transmitting AC1, AC2, and TMCC should be arranged randomly in the frequency direction.

[0130] [TMCC signal] The TMCC signal transmits information related to the receiver's demodulation operation, such as the hierarchical structure and transmission parameters of OFDM segments (TMCC information). The TMCC signal is transmitted using a carrier defined within each segment for TMCC transmission. Figure 5A shows an example of the bit allocation for the TMCC carrier. The TMCC carrier consists of 204 bits (B0 to B203). B0 is the demodulation reference signal for the TMCC symbol and has a predetermined amplitude and phase reference. B1 to B16 are synchronization signals and consist of a 16-bit word. Two types of synchronization signals, w0 and w1, are defined, and w0 and w1 are transmitted alternately in each frame. B17 to B19 are used to identify the segment format and identify whether each segment is a differential modulation section or a synchronous modulation section. B20 to B121 contain the TMCC information. B122 to B203 are parity bits.

[0131] The TMCC information of the OFDM transmission wave in this embodiment may be configured to include, for example, information to assist the receiver's demodulation and decoding operations, such as system identification, transmission parameter switching index, activation control signal (activation flag for emergency warning broadcast), current information, next information, frequency conversion processing identification, physical channel number identification, main signal identification, 4K signal transmission layer identification, and additional layer transmission identification. The current information indicates the current layer configuration and transmission parameters, and the next information indicates the layer configuration and transmission parameters after switching. The switching of transmission parameters is performed on a frame-by-frame basis. Figure 5B shows an example of bit allocation for TMCC information. Figure 5C shows an example of the configuration of transmission parameter information included in current information / next information. Note that the concatenated transmission phase correction amount is control information used in cases such as terrestrial digital audio broadcasting ISDB-TSB (ISDB for Terrestrial Sound Broadcasting) where the transmission method is common, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0132] Figure 5D shows an example of bit allocation for system identification. Two bits are allocated to the system identification signal. In the case of current terrestrial digital television broadcasting systems, '00' is set. In the case of terrestrial digital audio broadcasting systems with a common transmission method, '01' is set. In the case of advanced terrestrial digital television broadcasting systems such as polarization-based terrestrial digital broadcasting or hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, '10' is set. In advanced terrestrial digital television broadcasting systems, it is possible to simultaneously transmit 2K broadcast programs (broadcast programs with video resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, and may include broadcast programs with lower resolution video) and 4K broadcast programs (broadcast programs with video resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels) within the same service by broadcast wave transmission using polarization-based transmission methods or hierarchical division multiplexing methods.

[0133] The transmission parameter switching index is used to notify the receiver of the switching timing by counting down when a transmission parameter is switched. Normally, this index has a value of '1111', and when a transmission parameter is switched, it is decremented by 1 frame at a time starting 15 frames before the switch. The switching timing is synchronized with the next frame after '0000' is transmitted. After '0000', the index value returns to '1111'. The countdown is performed when switching one or more of the transmission parameters, frequency conversion processing identifier, main signal identifier, 4K signal transmission layer identifier, or additional layer transmission identifier included in the TMCC information system identification or current / next information shown in Figure 5B. The countdown is not performed when only the TMCC information activation control signal is switched.

[0134] The activation control signal (activation flag for emergency warning broadcasts) is set to '1' if activation control is performed on the receiver during an emergency warning broadcast, and to '0' if activation control is not performed.

[0135] The partial reception flag for each current / next information is set to '1' if the segment in the middle of the transmission bandwidth is set to partial reception, and '0' otherwise. When segment 0 is set for partial reception, its hierarchy is defined as hierarchy A. If no next information exists, the partial reception flag is set to '1'.

[0136] Figure 5E shows an example of bit allocation for the carrier modulation mapping scheme (data carrier modulation scheme) in each layer transmission parameter for current information / next information. If this parameter is '000', it indicates that the modulation scheme is DQPSK. If it is '001', it indicates that the modulation scheme is QPSK. If it is '010', it indicates that the modulation scheme is 16QAM. If it is '011', it indicates that the modulation scheme is 64QAM. If it is '100', it indicates that the modulation scheme is 256QAM. If it is '101', it indicates that the modulation scheme is 1024QAM. If it is '110', it indicates that the modulation scheme is 4096QAM. If there is no unused layer or next information, this parameter is set to '111'.

[0137] Settings such as coding rate and time interleave length may be set according to the organization information of each layer for each current / next information. The number of segments is indicated by a 4-bit number. Set to '1111' if there are no unused layers or next information. Note that settings such as mode and guard interval ratio are detected independently by the receiver, so transmission of TMCC information is not required.

[0138] Figure 5F shows an example of bit assignment for frequency conversion processing identification. The frequency conversion processing identification bit is set to '0' when frequency conversion processing (in the case of a dual-polarization transmission system) or frequency conversion amplification processing (in the case of a hierarchical division multiplex transmission system) is performed in the conversion unit 201T or conversion unit 201L shown in Figure 2A. It is set to '1' when no frequency conversion processing or frequency conversion amplification processing is performed. This parameter may be configured to be set to '1' when transmitted from the broadcasting station, and then rewritten to '0' in the conversion unit 201T or conversion unit 201L when frequency conversion processing or frequency conversion amplification processing is performed in the conversion unit 201T or conversion unit 201L. In this way, when the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T or third tuner / demodulation unit 130L of the broadcasting receiving device 100 receives the signal, if the frequency conversion processing identification bit is '0', it can be identified that frequency conversion processing or the like has been performed after the OFDM transmission wave was transmitted from the broadcasting station.

[0139] In the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, the frequency conversion processing identification bit can be set or rewritten for each of the multiple polarizations. For example, if neither of the multiple polarizations is frequency converted by the conversion unit 201T in Figure 2A, the frequency conversion processing identification bit included in the OFDM transmission waves of both should remain at '1'. If only one of the multiple polarizations is frequency converted by the conversion unit 201T, the frequency conversion processing identification bit included in the OFDM transmission wave of the frequency converted polarization should be rewritten to '0' in the conversion unit 201T. If both of the multiple polarizations are frequency converted by the conversion unit 201T, the frequency conversion processing identification bit included in the OFDM transmission waves of both frequency converted polarizations should be rewritten to '0' in the conversion unit 201T. In this way, the broadcast receiving device 100 can identify whether or not frequency conversion has been performed for each of the multiple polarizations.

[0140] Furthermore, since the frequency conversion processing identification bit is not defined in current terrestrial digital broadcasting, it will be ignored in terrestrial digital broadcasting receiving devices already in use by users. However, the bit may be introduced in a new terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, which is an improvement over current terrestrial digital broadcasting. In this case, the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C of the broadcasting receiving device 100 in the embodiment of the present invention may also be configured as a first tuner / demodulation unit that corresponds to the new terrestrial digital broadcasting service.

[0141] As an alternative, assuming that frequency conversion processing and frequency conversion amplification processing are performed on the OFDM transmission wave by the conversion unit 201T or conversion unit 201L in Figure 2A, this parameter may be set to '0' in advance when it is transmitted from the broadcasting station. Furthermore, if the received broadcast wave is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, this parameter may be configured to be set to '1'.

[0142] Figure 5G shows an example of bit assignment for physical channel number identification. The physical channel number identification consists of a 6-bit code that identifies the physical channel number (13-52ch) of the received broadcast wave. If the received broadcast wave is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, this parameter is set to "111111". These physical channel number identification bits are not defined in current terrestrial digital broadcasting, and current terrestrial digital broadcasting receivers could not obtain the physical channel number of the broadcast wave specified by the broadcasting station from TMCC signals, AC signals, etc. In the broadcasting receiver 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the physical channel number identification bits of the received OFDM transmission wave can be used to determine the physical channel number set by the broadcasting station for the OFDM transmission wave without demodulating carriers other than TMCC signals or AC signals. Note that the physical channels 13-52ch are pre-assigned to the frequency band of 470-710MHz with a bandwidth of 6MHz per channel. Therefore, the fact that the broadcast receiving device 100 can determine the physical channel number of the OFDM transmission wave based on the physical channel number identification bit means that it can determine the frequency band in which the OFDM transmission wave was transmitted in the air as a terrestrial digital broadcast wave.

[0143] In the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, in the OFDM transmission wave generation process on the broadcasting station side, it is sufficient to place the physical channel number identification bit on each of the multiple polarization pairs in the bandwidth that originally constitutes one physical channel and assign the same physical number to them. However, depending on the installation environment of the broadcasting receiving device 100, the conversion unit 201T in Figure 2A may convert only the frequency of one of the multiple polarizations. As a result, if the frequencies of each of the multiple polarization pairs received by the broadcasting receiving device 100 are different from each other, the broadcasting receiving device will not be able to demodulate the advanced terrestrial digital broadcast using both polarizations of the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting unless it is possible to somehow determine that the multiple polarizations with different frequencies were originally a pair. Even in such cases, by using the physical channel number identification bit described above, if there are multiple transmission waves with the same value of the physical channel number identification bit at different frequencies in the broadcasting receiving device 100, it is possible to identify them as transmission waves that were originally transmitted as a polarization pair that constituted one physical channel on the broadcasting station side. This makes it possible to achieve advanced demodulation of dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting using multiple transmission waves exhibiting the same value.

[0144] Figure 5H shows an example of bit allocation for main signal identification. In this example, the main signal identification bit is placed at bit B117.

[0145] If the transmitted OFDM transmission wave is a transmission wave for dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, this parameter is set to '1' in the TMCC information for the transmission wave transmitted in the primary polarization. It is set to '0' in the TMCC information for the transmission wave transmitted in the secondary polarization. The transmission wave transmitted in the primary polarization refers to the polarization signal, among the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal, that has the same polarization direction as the polarization direction used for transmission in the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service. In other words, in areas where the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service uses horizontal polarization transmission, in dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service, horizontal polarization is the primary polarization and vertical polarization is the secondary polarization. Also, in areas where the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service uses vertical polarization transmission, in dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service, vertical polarization is the primary polarization and horizontal polarization is the secondary polarization.

[0146] In the broadcast receiving device 100 that receives a transmission wave of a dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcast according to an embodiment of the present invention, by using the main signal identification bit, it is possible to identify whether the received transmission wave was transmitted in the primary polarization or in the secondary polarization at the time of transmission. For example, by using the primary and secondary polarization identification process, during the initial scan described later, it becomes possible to perform an initial scan on the transmission wave transmitted in the primary polarization first, and then, after the initial scan of the transmission wave transmitted in the primary polarization is completed, perform an initial scan on the transmission wave transmitted in the secondary polarization.

[0147] Details of the hierarchy, segments, and configuration example of the digital broadcasting service to be transmitted for the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment will be described later. However, when transmitting the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a hierarchy consisting of segments included only in the primary polarization, and transmitting the advanced terrestrial digital service using a hierarchy that includes segments included in both the primary and secondary polarizations, it is also possible to first perform an initial scan of the transmission waves transmitted in the primary polarization to complete the initial scan of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, and then perform an initial scan of the transmission waves transmitted in the secondary polarization to perform an initial scan of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service. This is preferable because it allows the initial scan of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service to be performed after the initial scan of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service is completed, and the settings from the initial scan of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service can be reflected in the settings from the initial scan of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service. Note that the definitions of the '1' and '0' bits for main signal identification can be the reverse of the explanation above.

[0148] Alternatively, instead of the main signal identification bit, a polarization direction identification bit may be used as a parameter of the TMCC information. Specifically, for transmission waves transmitted with horizontal polarization, the broadcasting station should set the polarization direction identification bit to '1', and for transmission waves transmitted with vertical polarization, the broadcasting station should set the polarization direction identification bit to '0'. In the broadcasting receiving device 100 that receives a transmission wave of a dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcast according to an embodiment of the present invention, by using the polarization direction identification bit, it is possible to identify which polarization direction the received transmission wave was transmitted in during transmission. For example, by using this polarization direction identification process, it becomes possible to perform an initial scan of transmission waves transmitted with horizontal polarization first during the initial scan described later, and then perform an initial scan of transmission waves transmitted with vertical polarization after the initial scan of transmission waves transmitted with horizontal polarization is completed. The effect of this process can be explained by simply replacing "primary polarization" with "horizontal polarization" and "secondary polarization" with "vertical polarization" in the initial scan section of the explanation of the main signal identification bits mentioned above, so a further explanation is omitted.

[0149] Note that the definitions of the polarization direction identification bits '1' and '0' can be the reverse of the explanation above.

[0150] Alternatively, instead of the main signal identification bit mentioned above, the first and second signal identification bits may be used as parameters of the TMCC information. Specifically, one of the horizontal and vertical polarizations can be defined as the first polarization, the broadcast signal of the transmission wave transmitted with the first polarization can be defined as the first signal, and the broadcasting station can set the first and second signal identification bits to '1'. The other polarization can be defined as the second polarization, the broadcast signal of the transmission wave transmitted with the second polarization can be defined as the second signal, and the broadcasting station can set the first and second signal identification bits to '0'. In the broadcasting receiving device 100 that receives the transmission wave of a dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcast according to the embodiment of the present invention, by using the first and second signal identification bits, it is possible to identify in which polarization direction the received transmission wave was transmitted during transmission. Furthermore, the first signal and second signal identification bits are simply a variation of the definition of the main signal identification bits described above, with the concepts of "main polarization" and "secondary polarization" replaced by "first polarization" and "secondary polarization." The processing and effects in the broadcast receiving device 100 can be explained by simply replacing "main polarization" with "first polarization" and "secondary polarization" with "secondary polarization" in the section concerning the processing of the broadcast receiving device 100 in the explanation of the main signal identification bits described above. Therefore, a further explanation is omitted.

[0151] Note that the definitions of '1' and '0' in the first signal and second signal identification bits can be the reverse of the explanation above.

[0152] Next, in the transmission wave of the hierarchical multiplexed terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, the upper / lower layer identification bit may be used as one of the parameters of the TMCC information instead of the main signal identification bit described above. Specifically, the upper / lower layer identification bit described above should be set to '1' in the TMCC information of the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer, and the upper / lower layer identification bit described above should be set to '0' in the TMCC information of the transmission wave transmitted in the lower layer. Also, if the received broadcast wave is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, this parameter should be set to '1'.

[0153] In the hierarchical multiplexed terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, in the OFDM transmission wave generation process on the broadcasting station side, frequency conversion and signal amplification may be performed in the conversion unit 201L shown in Figure 2A for the lower layer of the multiple modulated waves that were originally transmitted in the upper and lower layers of a single physical channel, depending on the installation environment of the broadcasting receiving device 100. When the broadcasting receiving device 100 is receiving the transmission waves of hierarchical multiplexed terrestrial digital broadcasting, it is possible to identify whether the modulated wave was originally transmitted in the upper layer or the lower layer based on the upper / lower layer identification bit described above. For example, this identification process makes it possible to perform the initial scan of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmitted in the lower layer after the completion of the initial scan of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmitted in the upper layer, and to reflect the settings from the initial scan of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service in the settings from the initial scan of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service. Furthermore, the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L of the broadcast receiving device 100 can also use the identification result to switch the processing between the demodulation unit 133S and the demodulation unit 133L.

[0154] In the following descriptions of dual-polarization transmission systems in each embodiment, unless otherwise specified, an example will be given in which horizontal polarization is the primary polarization and vertical polarization is the secondary polarization. However, the relationship between primary and secondary polarization may be reversed. Figure 5I shows an example of bit allocation for 4K signal transmission hierarchy identification.

[0155] If the broadcast wave to be transmitted is the transmission wave of the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service according to this embodiment, the 4K signal transmission layer identification bit should indicate whether or not to transmit 4K broadcast programs using both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals for each of the B and C layers. One bit is allocated to the B layer setting and the C layer setting. For example, if the 4K signal transmission layer identification bit for each layer is '0' in the B and C layers, it indicates that 4K broadcast programs will be transmitted using both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals in that layer. If the 4K signal transmission layer identification bit for each layer is '1' in the B and C layers, it indicates that 4K broadcast programs using both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals will not be transmitted in that layer. In this way, the broadcast receiving device 100 can use the 4K signal transmission layer identification bit to identify whether or not to transmit 4K broadcast programs using both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals in each of the B and C layers.

[0156] Furthermore, if the broadcast wave to be transmitted is the broadcast wave of the hierarchical multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting service of this embodiment, the bit for 4K signal transmission hierarchical identification should indicate whether or not to transmit 4K broadcast programs at the lower hierarchical level. If the value of parameter B119 is '0', 4K broadcast programs will be transmitted at the lower hierarchical level. If the value of parameter B119 is '1', 4K broadcast programs will not be transmitted at the lower hierarchical level. In this way, the broadcast receiving device 100 can use the bit for 4K signal transmission hierarchical identification to determine whether or not to transmit 4K broadcast programs at the lower hierarchical level.

[0157] If this parameter is set to '0', in addition to the basic modulation scheme shown in Figure 5C, the NUC (Non-Uniform Constellation) modulation scheme can be used as the carrier modulation mapping method. In this case, current / next information of the transmission parameter additional information related to the B layer / C layer can be transmitted using AC1, etc.

[0158] Furthermore, if the broadcast wave being transmitted is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, these parameters may be set to '1'.

[0159] Note that the definitions of '0' and '1' bits for 4K signal transmission layer identification, as explained above, can be reversed from the explanation given above.

[0160] Figure 5J shows an example of bit allocation for additional layer transmission identification. The bits for this additional layer transmission identification should indicate whether the broadcast wave to be transmitted is the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service of this embodiment, and whether the B layer and C layer of the transmission wave transmitted with the secondary polarization are to be used as a virtual D layer or a virtual E layer, respectively.

[0161] For example, in the example shown in the diagram, the bit placed at B120 is the D layer transmission identification bit. When this parameter is '0', the B layer transmitted with a secondary polarization is used as a virtual D layer. More precisely, this means that among the segments transmitted with a secondary polarization, the group of segments that have the same segment number as the segments belonging to the B layer transmitted with the primary polarization are treated as a D layer, which is a different layer from the B layer transmitted with the primary polarization. When this parameter is '1', the B layer transmitted with a secondary polarization is not used as a virtual D layer, but is used as the B layer.

[0162] Furthermore, for example, the bit placed in B121 is the E-layer transmission identification bit. If this parameter is '0', the C-layer transmitted with the secondary polarization is used as a virtual E-layer. More precisely, this means that among the segments transmitted with the secondary polarization, the group of segments that have the same segment number as the segments belonging to the C-layer transmitted with the primary polarization are treated as an E-layer, which is a different layer from the C-layer transmitted with the primary polarization. If this parameter is '1', the C-layer transmitted with the secondary polarization is not used as a virtual E-layer, but is used as a C-layer.

[0163] In this way, the broadcast receiving device 100 can use the additional layer transmission identification bits (D layer transmission identification bit and / or E layer transmission identification bit) to identify the presence or absence of D and E layers transmitted with secondary polarization. That is, in the terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, by using the additional layer transmission identification parameters shown in Figure 5J, it is possible to operate new layers (D and E layers in the example of Figure 5J) beyond the three layers currently limited to A, B, and C layers in terrestrial digital broadcasting.

[0164] If this parameter is set to '0', it is possible to make the parameters such as the carrier modulation mapping method, coding rate, and time interleave length shown in Figure 5C different for the virtual D layer / virtual E layer and the B layer / C layer. In this case, if the current / next information for the parameters such as the carrier modulation mapping method, convolution coding rate, and time interleave length for the virtual D layer / virtual E layer is transmitted using AC information (e.g., AC1), the broadcast receiving device 100 can grasp the parameters such as the carrier modulation mapping method, convolution coding rate, and time interleave length for the virtual D layer / virtual E layer.

[0165] As a variation, if the additional layer transmission identification bits (D layer transmission identification bit and / or E layer transmission identification bit) are '0', the system may be configured to switch the transmission parameters of the B layer and / or C layer of the current information / next information of the TMCC information transmitted in the secondary polarization to the meaning of the transmission parameters of the virtual D layer and / or virtual E layer. In this case, when the virtual D layer and / or virtual E layer are used, the A layer, B layer, and C layer are used in the primary polarization, and the transmission parameters of these layers should be transmitted in the current information / next information of the TMCC information transmitted in the primary polarization. Also, the A layer, D layer, and E layer are used in the secondary polarization, and the transmission parameters of these layers should be transmitted in the current information / next information of the TMCC information transmitted in the secondary polarization. Even in this case, the broadcast receiving device 100 can grasp parameters such as the carrier modulation mapping method, convolution coding rate, and time interleave length related to the virtual D layer / virtual E layer.

[0166] Furthermore, if the broadcast wave to be transmitted is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, or if it is an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service but uses a hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method, this parameter may be configured to be set to '1' in each case.

[0167] The parameters for additional layered transmission identification may be stored in both the primary polarization TMCC information and the secondary polarization TMCC information, but all of the above processing can be achieved as long as they are stored in at least the secondary polarization TMCC information.

[0168] Furthermore, the definitions of '0' and '1' in the additional layer transmission identification bits described above may be reversed from the explanation given above.

[0169] Furthermore, if the above-mentioned 4K signal transmission layer identification parameter indicates that 4K broadcast programs will be transmitted at layer B, the broadcast receiving device 100 may ignore the D layer transmission identification bit even if it indicates that layer B will be used as a virtual D layer. Similarly, if the 4K signal transmission layer identification parameter indicates that 4K broadcast programs will be transmitted at layer C, the broadcast receiving device 100 may be configured to ignore the E layer transmission identification bit even if it indicates that layer C will be used as a virtual E layer. By clearly defining the priority of the bits used in the decision-making process in this way, conflicts in the decision-making process in the broadcast receiving device 100 can be prevented.

[0170] Furthermore, in the broadcast wave being transmitted, the bits for frequency conversion processing identification, physical channel number identification, main signal identification, 4K signal transmission identification, and additional layer transmission identification should, in principle, all be set to '1' if the system identification parameter is not '10'. Even if the system identification parameter is not '10', and exceptionally for some reason the bits for frequency conversion processing identification, physical channel number identification, main signal identification, 4K signal transmission identification, and additional layer transmission identification are not '1', the broadcast receiving device 100 may be configured to ignore the non-'1' bits and determine that all of these bits are '1'.

[0171] Figure 5K shows an example of the bit allocation for the "code rate" bit shown in Figure 5C, i.e., the bit allocation for error correction code rate identification.

[0172] In the current 2K terrestrial digital broadcasting system, an identification bit is transmitted that transmits a coding rate specifically for "convolutional coding." However, in the digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, the 4K advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service can be broadcast together with the 2K terrestrial digital broadcasting service. And as already explained, the 4K advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service can use LDPC coding as the internal coding.

[0173] Therefore, the coding rate identification bit for error correction in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5K, is configured to support LDPC codes as well, unlike the current 2K terrestrial digital broadcasting system, which uses a coding rate identification bit exclusively for convolutional codes.

[0174] Here, regardless of whether the internal encoding of the target terrestrial digital broadcasting service is a convolutional code or an LDPC code, bits placed in a common range are used as identification bits for encoding rate transmission, thereby saving bits. Furthermore, even with the same identification bits, by independently setting the encoding rate for the case where the internal encoding of the target terrestrial digital broadcasting service is a convolutional code and the case where it is an LDPC code, the digital broadcasting system can adopt a set of encoding rate options that are suitable for each encoding method.

[0175] Specifically, in the example in Figure 5K, if the identification bit is '000', it indicates that the coding rate is 1 / 2 if the inner code is a convolutional code, and 2 / 3 if the inner code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '001', it indicates that the coding rate is 2 / 3 if the inner code is a convolutional code, and 3 / 4 if the inner code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '010', it indicates that the coding rate is 3 / 4 if the inner code is a convolutional code, and 5 / 6 if the inner code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '011', it indicates that the coding rate is 5 / 6 if the inner code is a convolutional code, and 2 / 16 if the inner code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '100', it indicates that the coding rate is 7 / 8 if the inner code is a convolutional code, and 6 / 16 if the inner code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '101', it indicates that it is undefined if the inner code is a convolutional code, and 10 / 16 if the inner code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '110', it indicates that the code is undefined if the internal code is a convolutional code, or that the coding rate is 14 / 16 if the internal code is an LDPC code. If there are no unused layers or next information, this parameter is set to '111'.

[0176] Furthermore, the identification of whether the internal code of the target terrestrial digital broadcasting service is a convolutional code or an LDPC code may be performed using the result of identifying whether the terrestrial digital broadcasting service is a current terrestrial digital broadcasting service or an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service. This identification can be performed using the identification bits described in Figure 5D or Figure 5I. Here, if the target terrestrial digital broadcasting service is a current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, it is sufficient to identify that the internal code is a convolutional code. Also, if the target terrestrial digital broadcasting service is an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, it is sufficient to identify that the internal code is an LDPC code.

[0177] Another example of how to identify whether the internal code of the target terrestrial digital broadcasting service is a convolutional code or an LDPC code is to use the identification bit of the error correction method, as described later in Figure 6I.

[0178] The error correction coding rate identification bits shown in Figure 5K described above are preferable because they can support multiple internal coding schemes while preventing an increase in the number of identification bits.

[0179] Furthermore, in advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services using a dual-polarization transmission system, the TMCC information for transmission waves transmitted with horizontal polarization and the TMCC information for transmission waves transmitted with vertical polarization may be the same or different. Similarly, in advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services using a hierarchical division multiplex transmission system, the TMCC information for transmission waves transmitted in the upper layer and the TMCC information for transmission waves transmitted in the lower layer may be the same or different. In addition, the aforementioned parameters for frequency conversion processing identification, main signal identification, and additional layer transmission identification may be described only in the TMCC information for transmission waves transmitted with secondary polarization or transmission waves transmitted in the lower layer.

[0180] In the above explanation, we described an example in which the parameters for frequency conversion processing identification, main signal identification, polarization direction identification, first signal / second signal identification, upper / lower layer identification, 4K signal transmission layer identification, and additional layer transmission identification are included in the TMCC signal (TMCC carrier) and transmitted. However, these parameters may also be included in the AC signal (AC carrier) and transmitted. In other words, these parameters only need to be transmitted in a carrier signal (TMCC carrier, AC carrier, etc.) modulated with a modulation scheme that performs mapping with fewer states than the data carrier modulation scheme.

[0181] [AC signal] The AC signal is an additional information signal related to broadcasting, such as additional information regarding the transmission control of modulated waves or earthquake warning information. Earthquake warning information is transmitted using the AC carrier in segment 0. On the other hand, additional information regarding the transmission control of modulated waves can be transmitted using any AC carrier. Figure 6A shows an example of the bit allocation for the AC signal. The AC signal consists of 204 bits (B0 to B203). B0 is the demodulation reference signal for the AC symbol, and has predetermined amplitude and phase references. B1 to B3 are signals for identifying the configuration of the AC signal. B4 to B203 are used for transmitting additional information regarding the transmission control of modulated waves or earthquake warning information.

[0182] Figure 6B shows an example of bit assignment for AC signal configuration identification. When transmitting earthquake motion warning information using AC signal bits B4-B203, this parameter is set to '001' or '110'. The configuration identification parameter ('001' or '110') when transmitting earthquake motion warning information has the same code as the first 3 bits (B1-B3) of the TMCC signal synchronization signal, and is transmitted alternately frame by frame at the same timing as the TMCC signal. If this parameter is a value other than those mentioned above, it indicates that additional information regarding the transmission control of the modulated wave is being transmitted using AC signal bits B4-B203. Additional information regarding the transmission control of the modulated wave may also be transmitted using AC signal bits B4-B203. In this case, the configuration identification parameter of the AC signal is transmitted alternately as '000' and '111', or '010' and '101', or '011' and '100', frame by frame.

[0183] AC signals B4 to B203 are used for transmitting additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves or for transmitting earthquake motion warning information.

[0184] The transmission of additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves may be performed using a variety of bit configurations. For example, the frequency conversion processing identification, physical channel number identification, main signal identification, 4K signal transmission layer identification, and additional layer transmission identification described in the explanation of the TMCC signal may be transmitted by assigning bits to additional information related to the transmission control of the modulated AC signal, either in place of the TMCC signal or in addition to the TMCC signal. In this way, the broadcast receiving device 100 can perform the various identification processes already described in the explanation of the TMCC signal using these parameters. Furthermore, current / next information of transmission parameters related to the transmission layer of the 4K broadcast program may be assigned when any of the parameters of the 4K signal transmission layer identification is '0', or transmission parameters related to the virtual D layer / virtual E layer may be assigned when any of the parameters of the additional layer transmission identification is '0'. In this way, the broadcast receiving device 100 can obtain the transmission parameters of each layer using these parameters and control the demodulation process of each layer.

[0185] The transmission of earthquake motion warning information may be performed using the bit allocation shown in Figure 6C. The earthquake motion warning information consists of a synchronization signal, start / end flags, update flags, signal identification, detailed earthquake motion warning information, CRC, parity bit, etc. The synchronization signal consists of a 13-bit code and is the same code as the 13 bits (B4~B16) of the TMCC signal's synchronization signal, excluding the first 3 bits. If the AC signal's configuration identification indicates that earthquake motion warning information is being transmitted, the 16-bit code combining the configuration identification and the synchronization signal becomes the same 16-bit synchronization word as the TMCC's synchronization signal. The start / end flag consists of a 2-bit code and serves as a flag for the start / end timing of the earthquake motion warning information. The start / end flag is changed from '11' to '00' when the transmission of earthquake motion warning information begins, and from '00' to '11' when the transmission of earthquake motion warning information ends. The update flag consists of a 2-bit code and is incremented by 1 each time there is a change in the content of the series of earthquake alarm details transmitted when the start / end flags are '00', starting from the initial value of '00'. After '11', it returns to '00'. If the start / end flags are '11', the update flag will also be '11'.

[0186] Figure 6D shows an example of bit assignment for signal identification. Signal identification consists of a 3-bit code and is used to identify the type of earthquake motion warning details. If this parameter is '000', it means 'earthquake motion warning details (applicable area)'. If this parameter is '001', it means 'earthquake motion warning details (not applicable area)'. If this parameter is '010', it means 'test signal for earthquake motion warning details (applicable area)'. If this parameter is '011', it means 'test signal for earthquake motion warning details (not applicable area)'. If this parameter is '111', it means 'no earthquake motion warning details'. Note that if the start / end flag is '00', the signal identification will be '000', '001', '010', or '011'. If the start / end flag is '11', the signal identification will be '111'.

[0187] The earthquake motion warning details consist of an 88-bit code. When the signal identifier is '000', '001', '010', or '011', the earthquake motion warning details transmit information such as the current time the earthquake motion warning is being sent, information indicating the area covered by the earthquake motion warning, and the latitude / longitude / seismic intensity of the earthquake's epicenter. An example of the bit allocation for the earthquake motion warning details when the signal identifier is '000', '001', '010', or '011' is shown in Figure 6E. Furthermore, when the signal identifier is '111', it is possible to transmit codes for identifying broadcasters, etc., using the bits of the earthquake motion warning details. An example of the bit allocation for the earthquake motion warning details when the signal identifier is '111' is shown in Figure 6F.

[0188] The CRC is a code generated using a predetermined generating polynomial for B21 to B111 of the earthquake motion warning information. The parity bit is a code generated using the abbreviated code (187,105) of the difference set cyclic code (273,191) for B17 to B121 of the earthquake motion warning information.

[0189] The broadcast receiving device 100 can perform various controls to deal with emergencies using the parameters related to earthquake motion warnings described in Figures 6C, 6D, 6E, and 6F. For example, it can perform controls such as displaying information related to earthquake motion warnings, switching low-priority display content to displays related to earthquake motion warnings, and ending the display of an application and switching to displays related to earthquake motion warnings or broadcast program video.

[0190] Figure 6G shows an example of bit allocation for additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves. Additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves consists of a synchronization signal, current information, next information, parity bit, etc. The synchronization signal consists of a 13-bit code and is the same code as the 13 bits (B4~B16) of the TMCC signal's synchronization signal, excluding the first 3 bits. If the AC signal's configuration identification indicates that additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves is being transmitted, the 16-bit code combining the configuration identification and the synchronization signal becomes a 16-bit synchronization word similar to the TMCC's synchronization signal. Current information indicates the current information of additional transmission parameters when transmitting 4K broadcast programs in Layer B or Layer C, or transmission parameters related to virtual Layer D or virtual Layer E. Next information indicates the information after switching of additional transmission parameters when transmitting 4K broadcast programs in Layer B or Layer C, or transmission parameters related to virtual Layer D or virtual Layer E.

[0191] In the example in Figure 6G, current information B18-B30 represents the current information of the B-layer transmission parameter supplement, indicating the current information of the transmission parameter supplement when transmitting a 4K broadcast program in the B-layer. Current information B31-B43 represents the current information of the C-layer transmission parameter supplement, indicating the current information of the transmission parameter supplement when transmitting a 4K broadcast program in the C-layer. Next information B70-B82 represents the information of the B-layer transmission parameter supplement after the transmission parameter switch, indicating the information of the transmission parameter supplement after the transmission parameter switch when transmitting a 4K broadcast program in the B-layer. Next information B83-B95 represents the information of the C-layer transmission parameter supplement after the transmission parameter switch, indicating the information of the transmission parameter supplement after the transmission parameter switch when transmitting a 4K broadcast program in the C-layer. Here, the transmission parameter supplement refers to the modulation-related transmission parameters that extend the specifications in addition to the transmission parameters of the TMCC information shown in Figure 5C. The specific contents of the transmission parameter supplement will be described later.

[0192] In the example in Figure 6G, current information B44-B56 represents the current transmission parameters for the virtual D layer when the virtual D layer is in operation. Current information B57-B69 represents the current transmission parameters for the virtual E layer when the virtual E layer is in operation. Next information B96-B108 represents the transmission parameters for the virtual D layer after switching when the virtual D layer is in operation. Current information B109-B121 represents the transmission parameters for the virtual E layer after switching when the virtual E layer is in operation. The parameters to be stored in the transmission parameters for the virtual D layer and the transmission parameters for the virtual E layer can be the same as those shown in Figure 5C.

[0193] The virtual D layer and virtual E layer are layers that do not exist in current terrestrial digital broadcasting. Increasing the bit count of the TMCC information in Figure 5B is not easy because it needs to maintain compatibility with current terrestrial digital broadcasting. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the transmission parameters for the virtual D layer and virtual E layer are stored in the AC information, as shown in Figure 6G, instead of the TMCC information.

[0194] This makes it possible to transmit modulation information for the new virtual D layer and virtual E layer to the receiving device while maintaining compatibility with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting system for TMCC information. As a result, in the case of the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service according to this embodiment, when the B layer / C layer of the transmission wave transmitted with the secondary polarization is used as the virtual D layer / virtual E layer, it becomes possible to set the transmission parameters of the virtual D layer / virtual E layer of the transmission wave transmitted with the secondary polarization to be different from the transmission parameters of the B layer / C layer of the transmission wave transmitted with the primary polarization.

[0195] Furthermore, if the virtual D or virtual E layer is not used, the broadcast receiving device 100 can ignore the transmission parameter information for the unused layer. For example, if the parameter for additional layer transmission identification in the TMCC information in Figure 5J for the virtual D or virtual E layer is '1' (indicating that the virtual D / virtual E layer will not be used), the broadcast receiving device 100 can be configured to ignore any value in the transmission parameter shown in Figure 6G for the unused virtual D or virtual E layer.

[0196] Next, we will explain the details of the transmission parameter information described in Figure 6G.

[0197] Figure 6H shows a specific example of additional transmission parameter information. This additional information can include parameters for error correction methods, constellation-type parameters, and so on.

[0198] The error correction scheme setting indicates the encoding scheme used for error correction of the internal and external codes when transmitting 4K broadcast programs (advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services) at Layer B or Layer C. Figure 6I shows an example of bit allocation for the error correction scheme. When this parameter is set to '000', convolutional coding is used as the internal code and shortened RS coding is used as the external code when transmitting 4K broadcast programs at Layer B or Layer C. When this parameter is set to '001', LDPC coding is used as the internal code and BCH coding is used as the external code when transmitting 4K broadcast programs at Layer B and Layer C. Other combinations may also be set and selectable.

[0199] Furthermore, when transmitting 4K broadcast programs in layers B and C, it is possible to use not only a uniform constellation but also a non-uniform constellation (NUC) as the carrier modulation mapping method. Figure 6J shows an example of bit allocation in constellation format. When this parameter is '000', the carrier modulation mapping method selected in the TMCC information transmission parameters is applied as a uniform constellation. When this parameter is any of '001' to '111', the carrier modulation mapping method selected in the TMCC information transmission parameters is applied as a non-uniform constellation. Note that when applying a non-uniform constellation, the optimal value of the non-uniform constellation differs depending on the type of error correction method and its coding rate. Therefore, when the parameter of the constellation format is any of '001' to '111', the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment should determine the non-uniform constellation used in demodulation processing based on the parameters of the carrier modulation mapping method, the parameters of the error correction method and its coding rate. This decision can be made by referring to a predetermined table that the broadcast receiving device 100 has stored in advance.

[0200] [Transmission method 1 for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services] To achieve 4K (3840 horizontal pixels x 2160 vertical pixels) broadcasting while maintaining the current viewing environment for terrestrial digital broadcasting services, a dual-polarization transmission method will be described as an example of a transmission method for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dual-polarization transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method that shares some specifications with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting system. For example, 13 segments within a 6MHz band corresponding to one physical channel are divided, and 7 segments are allocated for the transmission of 2K (1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels) broadcast programs, 5 segments for the transmission of 4K broadcast programs, and 1 segment for mobile reception (so-called One-Seg broadcasting). Furthermore, the 5 segments for 4K broadcasting use not only horizontally polarized signals but also vertically polarized signals to secure a total transmission capacity of 10 segments using MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technology. Furthermore, 2K broadcast programs will maintain image quality through optimization of the latest MPEG-2 Video compression technology, making them receivable on existing television receivers. 4K broadcast programs will ensure image quality through optimization of HEVC compression technology, which is more efficient than MPEG-2 Video, and through multi-level modulation. The number of segments allocated to each broadcast may differ from those mentioned above.

[0201] Figure 7A shows an example of a dual-polarization transmission system in an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service according to an embodiment of the present invention. A frequency band of 470 to 710 MHz is used for transmitting broadcast waves for terrestrial digital broadcasting services. The number of physical channels in the aforementioned frequency band is 40 channels, from 13 to 52ch, and each physical channel has a bandwidth of 6 MHz. In the dual-polarization transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention, both horizontally polarized signals and vertically polarized signals are used within a single physical channel.

[0202] Figure 7A shows two examples of 13-segment allocation, (1) and (2). In example (1), 2K broadcast programs are transmitted using horizontal polarization signal segments 1-7 (layer B). 4K broadcast programs are transmitted using a total of 10 segments: horizontal polarization signal segments 8-12 (layer C) and vertical polarization signal segments 8-12 (layer C). Vertical polarization signal segments 1-7 (layer B) may be used to transmit the same broadcast program as the 2K broadcast program transmitted using horizontal polarization signal segments 1-7 (layer B). Alternatively, vertical polarization signal segments 1-7 (layer B) may be used to transmit a different broadcast program than the 2K broadcast program transmitted using horizontal polarization signal segments 1-7 (layer B). Alternatively, vertical polarization signal segments 1-7 (layer B) may be used for other data transmission, or may be left unused. Identification information regarding how to use segments 1-7 (layer B) of the vertically polarized signal can be transmitted to the receiving device using parameters for 4K signal transmission layer identification and additional layer transmission identification of the TMCC signal, as previously described. The broadcast receiving device 100 can identify how to handle segments 1-7 (layer B) of the vertically polarized signal using these parameters. Furthermore, a 2K broadcast program transmitted using layer B of the horizontally polarized signal and a 4K broadcast program transmitted using layer C of both horizontal and vertically polarized signals may be simulcasts transmitting the same program content at different resolutions, or they may be broadcasts transmitting different content. Segment 0 of the both horizontal and vertically polarized signal transmits the same one-segment broadcast program.

[0203] Example (2) in Figure 7A is a different modification from (1). In example (2), a total of 10 segments, consisting of horizontal polarization signal segments 1-5 (B layer) and vertical polarization signal segments 1-5 (B layer), are used to transmit 4K broadcast programs. Horizontal polarization signal segments 6-12 (C layer) are used to transmit 2K broadcast programs. In example (2), vertical polarization signal segments 6-12 (C layer) may also be used to transmit the same broadcast program as the 2K broadcast program transmitted by horizontal polarization signal segments 6-12 (C layer). Vertical polarization signal segments 6-12 (C layer) may also be used to transmit a different broadcast program than the 2K broadcast program transmitted by horizontal polarization signal segments 6-12 (C layer). Furthermore, vertical polarization signal segments 6-12 (C layer) may be used for other data transmission or may be left unused. The identification information is the same as in example (1), so a further explanation is omitted.

[0204] Note that while the examples in Figure 7A (1) and (2) both illustrate cases where horizontal polarization is the primary polarization, depending on the operation, the horizontal and vertical polarizations may be reversed.

[0205] Figure 7B shows an example of the configuration of a broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a dual-polarization transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention. This shows both the transmitting and receiving systems for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a dual-polarization transmission method. The configuration of the broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a dual-polarization transmission method is basically the same as the configuration of the broadcasting system shown in Figure 1, but the radio tower 300T, which is part of the broadcasting station's equipment, becomes a dual-polarization transmitting antenna capable of simultaneously transmitting horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals. Also, in the example in Figure 7B, only the tuning / detection section 131H and tuning / detection section 131V of the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T are shown in the broadcasting receiving device 100, and other operating parts are omitted from the description.

[0206] The horizontally polarized signal transmitted from radio tower 300T is received by the horizontal polarization receiving element of antenna 200T, which is a polarization-sharing receiving antenna, and input to the tuning / detection unit 131H from connector unit 100F1 via coaxial cable 202T1. On the other hand, the vertically polarized signal transmitted from radio tower 300T is received by the vertical polarization receiving element of antenna 200T and input to the tuning / detection unit 131V from connector unit 100F2 via coaxial cable 202T2. An F-type connector is generally used for the connector section connecting the antenna (coaxial cable) and the television receiver.

[0207] Here, there is a possibility that the user might mistakenly connect coaxial cable 202T1 to connector 100F2 and coaxial cable 202T2 to connector 100F1. In this case, the tuning / detection unit 131H and tuning / detection unit 131V may experience malfunctions such as being unable to identify whether the input broadcast signal is horizontally polarized or vertically polarized. To prevent the aforementioned malfunctions, one possible solution is to make the connector for one of the connectors connecting the antenna (coaxial cable) and the television receiver, for example, the connector for coaxial cable 202T2 and connector 100F2 that transmits vertically polarized signals, a different shape from the F-type connector for coaxial cable 202T1 and connector 100F1 that transmits horizontally polarized signals. Alternatively, the tuning / detection unit 131H and tuning / detection unit 131V could be controlled to identify whether the input broadcast signal is horizontally polarized or vertically polarized by referring to the main signal identification of the TMCC information of each input signal.

[0208] Figure 7C shows an example of a configuration different from the one described above for a broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a polarization-dual transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The configuration shown in Figure 7B, in which the broadcasting receiver 100 is equipped with two broadcast signal input connectors and two coaxial cables are used to connect the antenna 200T and the broadcasting receiver 100, is not always suitable in terms of equipment cost and handling during cable wiring. Therefore, in the configuration shown in Figure 7C, the horizontally polarized signal received by the horizontal polarization receiving element of the antenna 200T and the vertically polarized signal received by the vertical polarization receiving element of the antenna 200T are input to the converter 201T, and the converter 201T and the broadcasting receiver 100 are connected by a single coaxial cable 202T3. The broadcast signal input from the connector 100F3 is decoupled and input to the tuning / detection unit 131H and the tuning / detection unit 131V. The connector section 100F3 may have the function of supplying operating power to the conversion section 201T.

[0209] The conversion unit 201T may belong to the facilities of the environment in which the broadcast receiving device 100 is installed (for example, an apartment building). Alternatively, it may be configured as a device integrated with the antenna 200T and installed in a house or the like. The conversion unit 201T performs frequency conversion processing on either the horizontally polarized signal received by the horizontal polarization receiving element of the antenna 200T or the vertically polarized signal received by the vertical polarization receiving element of the antenna 200T. This processing separates the horizontally polarized signal and the vertically polarized signal transmitted from the radio tower 300T to the antenna 200T using horizontal and vertical polarization in the same frequency band into different frequency bands, making it possible to transmit them simultaneously to the broadcast receiving device 100 via a single coaxial cable 202T3. If necessary, frequency conversion processing may be performed on both the horizontally polarized signal and the vertically polarized signal, but in this case as well, the frequency bands of the two signals after frequency conversion must be different from each other. The broadcast receiving device 100 only needs to be equipped with one broadcast signal input connector unit 100F3.

[0210] Figure 7D shows an example of frequency conversion processing. In this example, frequency conversion processing is performed on a vertically polarized signal. Specifically, of the horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals transmitted in the 470-710 MHz frequency band (corresponding to UHF channels 13-52), the frequency band of the vertically polarized signal is converted from the 470-710 MHz frequency band to the 770-1010 MHz frequency band. This processing allows signals transmitted using horizontal and vertical polarization in the same frequency band to be transmitted simultaneously to the broadcast receiving device 100 via a single coaxial cable 202T3 without mutual interference. Frequency conversion processing may also be performed on the horizontally polarized signal.

[0211] Furthermore, it is preferable to perform frequency conversion processing on signals transmitted with secondary polarizations, depending on the result of referring to the primary signal identification of the TMCC information. As explained using Figure 5H, signals transmitted with primary polarizations are more likely to include current terrestrial digital broadcasting services than signals transmitted with secondary polarizations. Therefore, in order to better maintain compatibility with current terrestrial digital broadcasting services, it is preferable to perform frequency conversion on signals transmitted with secondary polarizations, rather than on signals transmitted with primary polarizations.

[0212] Furthermore, when frequency-converting a signal transmitted with a secondary polarization, it is desirable to set the frequency band of the signal transmitted with the secondary polarization higher than the frequency band of the signal transmitted with the primary polarization in the converted signal. This allows the initial scan of the broadcast receiving device 100 to start from the low-frequency side and proceed to the high-frequency side, enabling the initial scan of the signal transmitted with the primary polarization to be performed before the signal transmitted with the secondary polarization. This makes it possible to more effectively reflect the settings from the initial scan of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service in the settings from the initial scan of an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service.

[0213] Furthermore, frequency conversion processing may be performed for all physical channels used in the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, or it may be performed only for physical channels that use a dual-polarization transmission method for signal transmission.

[0214] Furthermore, it is preferable that the frequency band after conversion by the frequency conversion process be between 710 and 1032 MHz. That is, when attempting to receive both terrestrial digital broadcasting services and BS / CS digital broadcasting services simultaneously, it is conceivable to mix the broadcast signal of the terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by antenna 200T and the broadcast signal of the BS / CS digital broadcasting service received by antenna 200B and transmit them to the broadcast receiving device 100 via a single coaxial cable. In this case, since the BS / CS-IF signal uses a frequency band of approximately 1032 to 2150 MHz, if the frequency band after conversion by the frequency conversion process is set to be between 710 and 1032 MHz, it is possible to avoid interference between horizontally polarized signals and vertically polarized signals, as well as interference between the broadcast signal of the terrestrial digital broadcasting service and the broadcast signal of the BS / CS digital broadcasting service. Furthermore, considering the reception of retransmitted broadcast signals by cable television (Community Antenna TV or Cable TV: CATV) stations, since cable television stations use a frequency band of 770 MHz or less (a band equivalent to UHF channels 62 or lower) for television broadcast distribution, it is preferable to set the frequency band after conversion by frequency conversion processing to between 770 and 1032 MHz, which exceeds the band equivalent to UHF channel 62.

[0215] Furthermore, it is preferable to set the bandwidth of the region between the frequency band before conversion and the frequency band after conversion (part a in the figure) to be an integer multiple of the bandwidth of one physical channel (6 MHz). This has advantages such as making frequency setting control easier when the broadcast receiving device 100 performs a frequency scan on both the broadcast signal in the frequency band before conversion and the broadcast signal in the frequency band after conversion.

[0216] As mentioned above, the dual-polarization transmission system according to the embodiment of the present invention uses both horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals for transmitting 4K broadcast programs. Therefore, in order to correctly reproduce 4K broadcast programs, the receiving side needs to correctly determine the combination of physical channels of the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization. Even when frequency conversion processing is performed and the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization for the same physical channel are input to the receiving device as signals in different frequency bands, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can correctly determine the combination of the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization for the same physical channel by appropriately referring to the parameters of the TMCC information shown in Figures 5F to 5J (for example, main signal identification and physical channel number identification). As a result, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can suitably receive, demodulate, and reproduce 4K broadcast programs.

[0217] Note that while Figures 7B, 7C, and 7D illustrate examples where horizontal polarization is the primary polarization, depending on the operation, the horizontal and vertical polarizations may be reversed.

[0218] As described above, the terrestrial digital broadcast waves transmitted using the dual-polarization transmission method can be received and reproduced by the second tuner / demodulator 130T of the broadcast receiving device 100, but they can also be received by the first tuner / demodulator 130C of the broadcast receiving device 100. When the terrestrial digital broadcast waves are received by the first tuner / demodulator 130C, the broadcast signals transmitted at the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service level are ignored, but the broadcast signals transmitted at the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service level are reproduced.

[0219] <Pass-through transmission method for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services> The broadcast receiving device 100 is capable of receiving signals transmitted using a pass-through transmission method. The pass-through transmission method is a method in which broadcast signals received by cable television stations, etc., are sent to the CATV distribution system in their original signal format, at the same frequency or with frequency conversion.

[0220] The pass-through method includes (1) a method that extracts the transmission signal bandwidth and adjusts the level of each terrestrial digital broadcast signal from the terrestrial receiving antenna output and transmits it to the CATV facility at the same frequency as the transmission signal frequency, and (2) a method that extracts the transmission signal bandwidth and adjusts the level of each terrestrial digital broadcast signal from the terrestrial receiving antenna output and transmits it to the CATV facility at the frequency of the VHF band, MID band, SHB band, or UHF band set by the CATV facility manager. An OFDM signal processor (OFDM-SP) is a device that constitutes a receiving amplifier for signal processing in the first method, or a device that constitutes a receiving amplifier and frequency converter for signal processing in the second method.

[0221] Figure 7E shows an example of a system configuration when the first pass-through transmission method is applied to an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a dual-polarization transmission method. Figure 7E shows the headend equipment 400C and broadcast receiving equipment 100 of a cable television station. Figure 7F shows an example of the frequency conversion process in that case. In Figure 7F, the notation (H·V) indicates a state of broadcast signals where both broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization and broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization exist in the same frequency band, with (H) indicating a broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and (V) indicating a broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization. The notations in Figures 7H and 7I below have the same meaning.

[0222] When applying the first pass-through transmission method to an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using the dual-polarization transmission method of an embodiment of the present invention, for broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization, the cable television station's headend equipment 400C performs signal bandwidth extraction and level adjustment, and transmits the signal at the same frequency as the transmission signal frequency. On the other hand, for broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization, the cable television station's headend equipment 400C performs signal bandwidth extraction and level adjustment, and transmits the signal after performing frequency conversion processing (processing to convert the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization to a frequency band higher than the 470-770MHz frequency band, which corresponds to the UHF 13ch-62ch band) as described in Figure 7D. This processing prevents the frequency bandwidths of the broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization from overlapping, making it possible to transmit the signal using a single coaxial cable (or optical fiber cable). The transmitted signal can be received by the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the process of receiving and demodulating the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization included in the signal in the broadcast receiving device 100 is the same as described in Figure 7D, so a further explanation is omitted.

[0223] Figure 7G shows an example of a system configuration when the second method, a pass-through transmission method, is applied to an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a dual-polarization transmission method. Figure 7G shows the headend equipment 400C and broadcast receiving equipment 100 of a cable television station. Figure 7H shows an example of the frequency conversion process in that case.

[0224] When applying the second pass-through transmission method to the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service of the dual-polarization transmission method of the embodiment of the present invention, for broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization, signal bandwidth extraction and level adjustment are performed at the cable television station's headend equipment 400C, and frequency conversion processing to the frequency set by the CATV facility manager is performed before transmission. On the other hand, for broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization, signal bandwidth extraction and level adjustment are performed at the cable television station's headend equipment 400C, and frequency conversion processing similar to that described in Figure 7D (processing to convert the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization to a frequency band higher than the 470-770MHz frequency band, which is the UHF 13ch-62ch band) is performed before transmission. The frequency conversion processing shown in Figure 7H differs from that in Figure 7F in that the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization is not limited to the 470-770MHz frequency band, which is the UHF 13ch-62ch band, but extends to a lower frequency band, and the frequency conversion is performed so that it is rearranged in the range of 90-770MHz. This process prevents the frequency bands of the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization from overlapping, making it possible to transmit the signal using a single coaxial cable (or optical fiber cable). The transmitted signal can be received by the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment. The process of receiving and demodulating the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization contained in the signal in the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment is the same as described in Figure 7D, so a further explanation is omitted.

[0225] Furthermore, as another variation of the frequency conversion process of the cable television station's headend equipment 400C in Figure 7G, the broadcast signal at the time of pass-through output after frequency conversion may be changed from the state shown in Figure 7H to the state shown in Figure 7I. In this case, signal bandwidth extraction and level adjustment may be performed on both the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization, and then the signal may be transmitted after frequency conversion to the frequency set by the CATV facility manager. In the example in Figure 7I, both the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization are frequency converted to be rearranged within the range of 90 to 770 MHz (from VHF 1ch to UHF 62ch), and since the frequency band beyond UHF 62ch is not used, the frequency band utilization efficiency of the broadcast signal is higher than in Figure 7H.

[0226] Furthermore, since the bandwidth for rearranging broadcast signals is wider than the 470-710MHz frequency band, which is the UHF band from channels 13 to 52 when receiving signals with an antenna, it is possible to rearrange broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization and broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization alternately, as shown in the example in Figure 7I. In this case, as shown in the example in Figure 7I, if pairs of broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization and broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization that were on the same physical channel when receiving signals with an antenna are rearranged alternately in the order of the physical channels at the time of antenna reception, then when the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment performs an initial scan from the low frequency side, it is possible to proceed with the initial setup sequentially with pairs of broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization and broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization that were originally on the same physical channel, in units of the originally same physical channel, and the initial scan can be performed efficiently.

[0227] Note that while Figures 7E, 7F, 7G, 7H, and 7I illustrate examples where horizontal polarization is the primary polarization, depending on the operation, the horizontal and vertical polarizations may be reversed.

[0228] Regarding the broadcast wave of the polarization - multiplexed transmission system with the pass - through transmission system described above, as described above, it can be received and played back by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcast receiving device 100, but it can also be received by the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C of the broadcast receiving device 100. When the broadcast wave of the terrestrial digital broadcast is received by the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, among the broadcast signals of the broadcast wave of the terrestrial digital broadcast, the broadcast signals transmitted in the layer of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcast service are ignored, but the broadcast signals transmitted in the layer of the current terrestrial digital broadcast service are played back.

[0229] [Transmission Method 2 of Advanced Terrestrial Digital Broadcast Service] In order to realize 4K broadcast while maintaining the viewing environment of the current terrestrial digital broadcast service, as an example different from the above - mentioned transmission method of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcast service according to the embodiment of the present invention, the hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method will be described. The hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method according to the embodiment of the present invention is a method that has some specifications in common with the current terrestrial digital broadcast method. For example, the broadcast wave of the 4K broadcast service with a low signal level is multiplexed and transmitted on the same channel as the broadcast wave of the current 2K broadcast service. Note that the 2K broadcast suppresses the reception level of the 4K broadcast below the required C / N and performs reception as before. For the 4K broadcast, while expanding the transmission capacity by modulation multi - valueization, etc., a reception technology corresponding to the LDM (hierarchical division multiplexing) technology is used to cancel the 2K broadcast wave and perform reception with the remaining 4K broadcast wave.

[0230] Fig. 8A shows an example of a hierarchical division multiplex transmission method in a high-definition terrestrial digital broadcast service according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upper layer is composed of a modulated wave of the current 2K broadcast, the lower layer is composed of a modulated wave of the 4K broadcast, the upper layer and the lower layer are multiplexed, and output as a composite wave in the same frequency band. For example, 64QAM or the like may be used as the modulation method in the upper layer, and 256QAM or the like may be used as the modulation method in the lower layer. Note that the 2K broadcast program transmitted using the upper layer and the 4K broadcast program transmitted using the lower layer may be simulcast that transmits broadcast programs of the same content at different resolutions, or may transmit broadcast programs of different contents. Here, the upper layer is transmitted at high power, and the lower layer is transmitted at low power. The difference (power difference) between the modulated wave levels of the upper layer and the lower layer is called the injection level (IL: Injection Level), which is a value set on the broadcast station side. The injection level is generally expressed as a relative ratio (dB) in logarithmic representation of the difference (power difference) between the modulated wave levels.

[0231] Fig. 8B shows an example of the configuration of a broadcast system of a high-definition terrestrial digital broadcast service using the hierarchical division multiplex transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the broadcast system of the high-definition terrestrial digital broadcast service using the hierarchical division multiplex transmission method is basically the same as the configuration of the broadcast system shown in Fig. 1, but the radio tower 300L, which is equipment of the broadcast station, is a transmission antenna that transmits a broadcast signal multiplexing the 2K broadcast of the upper layer and the 4K broadcast of the lower layer. In the example of Fig. 8B, the broadcast receiving device 100 only extracts and describes the station selection / detection unit 131L of the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, and the description of other operation units is omitted.

[0232] The broadcast signal received by antenna 200L is input to the tuning / detection unit 131L from connector unit 100F4 via converter unit 201L and coaxial cable 202L. In this configuration, when the broadcast signal is transmitted from antenna 200L to broadcast receiving device 100, frequency conversion amplification processing may be applied to the broadcast signal in converter unit 201L, as shown in Figure 8C. That is, if antenna 200L is installed on the roof of an apartment building, and the broadcast signal is transmitted to the broadcast receiving device 100 in each room via a long coaxial cable 202L, the broadcast signal may be attenuated, potentially causing a problem in the tuning / detection unit 131L, where 4K broadcast waves, especially those on lower floors, cannot be properly received.

[0233] Therefore, to prevent the aforementioned problems, the conversion unit 201L performs frequency conversion and amplification processing on the lower-level 4K broadcast signal. The frequency conversion and amplification processing converts the frequency band of the lower-level 4K broadcast signal from the 470-710MHz frequency band (corresponding to UHF channels 13-52) to a frequency band of 770-1010MHz, which exceeds the band corresponding to, for example, UHF channel 62. Furthermore, it amplifies the lower-level 4K broadcast signal to a signal level at which the effects of cable attenuation are not a problem. By performing such processing, it is possible to avoid interference between 2K and 4K broadcast signals while also avoiding the effects of attenuation of the broadcast signal during coaxial cable transmission. Note that if the cable length of the coaxial cable 202L is short and the effects of attenuation are not a problem, the conversion unit 201L and the frequency conversion and amplification processing may be unnecessary.

[0234] Furthermore, it is preferable that the frequency bandwidth after conversion by frequency conversion amplification processing be between 710 and 1032 MHz, exceeding the bandwidth corresponding to UHF channel 52, or between 770 and 1032 MHz, exceeding the bandwidth corresponding to UHF channel 62 (in the case of retransmission by cable television stations, etc.), that the bandwidth of the region between the frequency bandwidth before conversion and the frequency bandwidth after conversion by frequency conversion amplification processing be set to an integer multiple of the bandwidth of one physical channel (6 MHz), and that frequency conversion amplification processing may be performed only on physical channels using hierarchical division multiplexing transmission. These points are all the same as those described in this embodiment regarding frequency conversion already explained, so a further explanation is omitted.

[0235] Furthermore, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can identify whether the received broadcast signal is a broadcast signal transmitted at a lower or upper layer using the upper / lower layer identification bit of the TMCC information described in Figure 5H. The broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can also identify whether the received broadcast signal is a broadcast signal that has undergone frequency conversion after antenna reception using the frequency conversion processing identification bit of the TMCC information described in Figure 5F. Additionally, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can identify whether the received broadcast signal is transmitting a 4K program at a lower layer using the 4K signal transmission layer identification bit of the TMCC information described in Figure 5I. While it is not impossible to perform these identification processes by demodulating the data carrier and referring to the control information contained within the stream, this requires data carrier demodulation and complicates the process. Referring to the parameters of the TMCC information described above is simpler and faster, allowing for, for example, faster initial scanning of the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0236] Furthermore, as previously explained, the tuning / detection unit 131L of the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L of the broadcast receiving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a receiving function that corresponds to LDM (Layered Division Multiplexing) technology, so the conversion unit 201L shown in Figure 8C is not necessarily required between the antenna 200L and the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0237] As described above, the terrestrial digital broadcast waves transmitted using the hierarchical division multiplex transmission method can be received and reproduced by the third tuner / demodulator 130L of the broadcast receiving device 100, but they can also be received by the first tuner / demodulator 130C of the broadcast receiving device 100. When the terrestrial digital broadcast waves are received by the first tuner / demodulator 130C, the broadcast signals transmitted at the hierarchical level of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service are ignored, but the broadcast signals transmitted at the hierarchical level of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service are reproduced.

[0238] [MPEG-2 TS format] The broadcasting system of this embodiment is compatible with MPEG-2 TS, which is used in current terrestrial digital broadcasting services, as a media transport method for transmitting data such as video and audio. Specifically, the stream format transmitted by the OFDM transmission wave in Figure 4D(1) is MPEG-2 TS, and among the OFDM transmission waves in Figures 4D(2) and 4D(3), the stream format transmitted at the layer to which current terrestrial digital broadcasting services are transmitted is MPEG-2 TS. Furthermore, the stream format obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C of the broadcasting receiver 100 in Figure 2 is MPEG-2 TS. In addition, among the streams obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, the stream format corresponding to the layer to which current terrestrial digital broadcasting services are transmitted is MPEG-2 TS. Similarly, among the streams obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, the format of the stream corresponding to the layer to which the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service is transmitted is MPEG-2 TS.

[0239] MPEG-2 TS is characterized by multiplexing video, audio, and other components that make up a program into a single packet stream along with control signals and a clock signal. Because it treats everything, including the clock signal, as a single packet stream, it is suitable for transmitting a single piece of content over a single transmission path with guaranteed transmission quality, and is therefore used in many current digital broadcasting systems. Furthermore, it enables bidirectional communication via bidirectional networks such as fixed and mobile networks, and can be linked to digital broadcasting services using broadband networks. This allows for broadcast-communication integration systems that combine digital broadcasting services with functions such as acquiring additional content via broadband networks, processing calculations on server equipment, and display processing in conjunction with mobile terminal devices.

[0240] Figure 9A shows an example of a protocol stack for transmission signals in a broadcast system using MPEG-2 TS. In MPEG-2 TS, PSI, SI, and other control signals are transmitted in section format.

[0241] [Control signals for broadcast systems using the MPEG-2 TS format] The control information for the MPEG-2 TS format consists of two main types: one used primarily for program sequence information and another used for information other than program sequence information. The tables are transmitted in section format, and descriptors are placed within the tables.

[0242] Figure 9B shows a list of tables used in the program sequence information of an MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following tables are used as the program sequence information.

[0243] (1) PAT (Program Association Table) (2)CAT(Conditional Access Table) (3) PMT (Program Map Table) (4) NIT (Network Information Table) (5) SDT (Service Description Table) (6) BAT (Bouquet Association Table) (7) EIT (Event Information Table) (8) RST (Running Status Table) (9) TDT (Time and Date Table) (10) TOT (Time Offset Table)

[0244] (11) LIT (Local Event Information Table) (12) ERT (Event Relation Table) (13) ITT (Index Transmission Table) (14) PCAT (Partial Content Announcement Table) (15) ST (Stuffing Table) (16) BIT (Broadcaster Information Table) (17) NBIT (Network Board Information Table) (18) LDT (Linked Description Table) (19) AMT (Address Map Table) (20) INT (IP / MAC Notification Table) (21) Tables set by the operator

[0245] <Tables used in digital broadcasting> Figure 9C shows a list of tables used other than the program arrangement information in the MPEG-2 TS system broadcast system. In this embodiment, the following tables are used as tables used other than the program arrangement information.

[0246] (1)ECM(Entitlement Control Message) (2)EMM(Entitlement Management Message) (3)DCT(Download Control Table) (4) DLT (Download Table) (5)DIT(Discontinuity Information Table) (6)SIT(Selection Information Table) (7)SDTT(Software Download Trigger Table) (8) CDT (Common Data Table) (9) DSM-CC section (10)AIT(Application Information Table) (11)DCM(Download Control Message) (12)DMM(Download Management Message) (13) Table set by the business operator

[0247] <Descriptors used in program scheduling information> Figures 9D, 9E, and 9F show a list of descriptors used in the program sequence information of an MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the descriptors listed below are used in the program sequence information.

[0248] (1) Conditional Access Descriptor (2) Copyright Descriptor (3) Network Name Descriptor (4) Service List Descriptor (5) Staff Descriptor (6) Satellite Delivery System Descriptor (7) Terrestrial Delivery System Descriptor (8) Bouquet Name Descriptor (9) Service Descriptor (10) Country Availability Descriptor

[0249] (11) Linkage Descriptor (12) NVOD Reference Descriptor (13) Time Shifted Service Descriptor (14) Short Event Descriptor (15) Extended Event Descriptor (16) Time Shifted Event Descriptor (17) Component Descriptor (18) Mosaic Descriptor (19) Stream Identifier Descriptor (20) CA Identifier Descriptor

[0250] (21) Content Descriptor (22) Parental Rating Descriptor (23) Hierarchical Transmission Descriptor (24) Digital Copy Control Descriptor (25) Emergency Information Descriptor (26) Data Component Descriptor (27) System Management Descriptor (28) Local Time Offset Descriptor (29) Audio Component Descriptor (30) Target Region Descriptor

[0251] (31) Hyperlink Descriptor (32) Data Content Descriptor (33) Video Decode Control Descriptor (34) Basic Local Event Descriptor (35) Reference Descriptor (36) Node Relation Descriptor (37) Short Node Information Descriptor (38) STC Reference Descriptor (39) Partial Reception Descriptor (40) Series Descriptor

[0252] (41) Event Group Descriptor (42) SI Transmission Parameter Descriptor (43) Broadcaster Name Descriptor (44) Component Group Descriptor (45) SI Prime TS Descriptor (46) Board Information Descriptor (47) LDT Linkage Descriptor (48) Connected Transmission Descriptor (49) TS Information Descriptor (50) Extended Broadcaster Descriptor

[0253] (51) Logo Transmission Descriptor (52) Content Availability Descriptor (53) Carousel Compatible Composite Descriptor (54) Conditional Playback Descriptor (55) AVC Video Descriptor (56) AVC Timing and HRD Descriptor (57) Service Group Descriptor (58) MPEG-4 Audio Descriptor (59) MPEG-4 Audio Extension Descriptor (60) Registration Descriptor

[0254] (61) Data Broadcast Id Descriptor (62) Access Control Descriptor (63) Area Broadcasting Information Descriptor (64) Material Information Descriptor (65) HEVC Video Descriptor (66) Hierarchical Descriptor (67) Hybrid Information Descriptor (68) Scramble Descriptor (69) Descriptors set by the operator

[0255] <Descriptors used in digital broadcasting> Figure 9G shows a list of descriptors used in the MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system other than program sequence information. In this embodiment, the descriptors used other than program sequence information are as follows.

[0256] (1) Partial transport stream descriptor (Partial Transport Stream Descriptor) (2) Network Identification Descriptor (3) Partial Transport Stream Time Descriptor (Partial Transport Stream Time Descriptor) (4) Download Content Descriptor (5) CA EMM TS Descriptor (6) CA Contract Information Descriptor (7) CA Service Descriptor (8) Carousel Identifier Descriptor (9) Association Tag Descriptor (10) Deferred Association tags Descriptor (Deferred Association tags Descriptor) (11) Network Download Content Descriptor (Network Download Content Descriptor) (12) Download Protection Descriptor (13) CA Startup Descriptor (14) Descriptor set by the operator

[0257] <Descriptor used in INT> Figure 9H shows a list of descriptors used in INT of the MPEG-2 TS broadcast system. In this embodiment, the following descriptors are used as descriptors used in INT. Note that the descriptors used in the above program arrangement information and the descriptors used other than the program arrangement information are not used in INT.

[0258] (1) Target Smartcard Descriptor (2) Target IP Address Descriptor (3) Target IPv6 Address Descriptor (4) IP / MAC Platform Name Descriptor (5) IP / MAC Platform Provider Name Descriptor (IP / MAC Platform Provider Name Descriptor) (6) IP / MAC Stream Location Descriptor (7) Descriptor set by the operator

[0259] <Descriptor used in AIT> Figure 9I shows a list of descriptors used in the AIT of an MPEG-2 TS broadcast system. In this embodiment, the following descriptors are used as descriptors in the AIT. Note that the descriptors used in the above program arrangement information and the descriptors used other than the program arrangement information are not used in INT.

[0260] (1) Application Descriptor (2) Transport Protocol Descriptor (3) Simple Application Location Descriptor (Simple Application Location Descriptor) (4) Application Boundary and Permission Descriptor (Application Boundary and Permission Descriptor) (5) Autostart Priority Descriptor (6) Cache Control Info Descriptor (7) Randomized Latency Descriptor (8) External application control descriptor (External Application Control Descriptor) (9) Playback Application Descriptor (10) Simple recording playback application location descriptor (Simple Playback Application Location Descriptor) (11) Application Expiration Descriptor (12) Descriptors set by the business operator

[0261] [MMT method] The broadcasting system of this embodiment can also support the MMT method as a media transport method for transmitting data such as video and audio. Specifically, the stream method transmitted at the layer where advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services are transmitted among the OFDM transmission waves in Figures 4D(2) and 4D(3) is, in principle, the MMT method. Also, among the streams obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the second tuner / demodulator 130T of the broadcasting receiver 100 in Figure 2, the stream method corresponding to the layer where advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services are transmitted is, in principle, the MMT method. Similarly, among the streams obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the third tuner / demodulator 130L, the stream method corresponding to the layer where advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services are transmitted is, in principle, the MMT method. As a modification, an MPEG-2 TS stream may be used for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services. Also, the stream method obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the fourth tuner / demodulator 130B is the MMT method.

[0262] The MMT method is a newly developed media transport method that addresses the limitations of the MPEG-2 TS method in the face of recent environmental changes related to content distribution, such as the diversification of content, the devices that use content, the transmission lines for content distribution, and the content storage environments.

[0263] The video and audio signals of broadcast programs are encoded in MFU (Media Fragment Unit) / MPU (Media Processing Unit) format, loaded into an MMTP (MMT Protocol) payload, and transmitted as IP packets. Similarly, data content and subtitle signals related to broadcast programs are also encoded in MFU / MPU format, loaded into an MMTP payload, and transmitted as IP packets.

[0264] For MMTP packet transmission, UDP / IP (User Datagram Protocol / Internet Protocol) is used on broadcast transmission lines, while UDP / IP or TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) is used on communication lines. Furthermore, TLV multiplexing may be used on broadcast transmission lines for efficient transmission of IP packets.

[0265] Figure 10A shows the MMT protocol stack in a broadcast transmission line. Figure 10B shows the MMT protocol stack in a communication line. The MMT system provides a mechanism for transmitting two types of control information: MMT-SI and TLV-SI. MMT-SI is control information that indicates the structure of a broadcast program, etc. It is in the format of an MMT control message, placed on an MMTP payload, and then packetized into an MMTP packet and transmitted as an IP packet. TLV-SI is control information related to IP packet multiplexing and provides information for channel selection and information on the correspondence between IP addresses and services.

[0266] [Control Signal of a Broadcasting System Using the MMT Method] As described above, in the MMT method, TLV-SI and MMT-SI are prepared as control information. TLV-SI is composed of tables and descriptors. The tables are transmitted in section format, and the descriptors are arranged within the tables. MMT-SI is composed of three layers: a message storing tables and descriptors, a table having elements and attributes indicating specific information, and a descriptor indicating more detailed information.

[0267] [Tables Used in TLV-SI] Fig. 10C shows a list of tables used in the TLV-SI of the MMT-based broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following tables are used as the TLV-SI tables.

[0268] (1) Network Information Table for TLV (2) Address Map Table (3) Table Set by the Operator

[0269] [Descriptors Used in TLV-SI] Fig. 10D shows a list of descriptors used in the TLV-SI of the MMT-based broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following descriptors are used as the TLV-SI descriptors.

[0270] (1) Service List Descriptor (2) Satellite Delivery System Descriptor (3) System Management Descriptor (4) Network Name Descriptor (5) Remote Control Key Descriptor (6) Descriptor Set by the Operator

[0271] <Message used in MMT-SI> Figure 10E shows a list of messages used in MMT-SI of the MMT-based broadcast system. In this embodiment, the following messages are used as MMT-SI messages.

[0272] (1) PA (Package Access) message (2) M2 section message (3) CA message (4) M2 short section message (5) Data transmission message (6) Message set by the operator

[0273] Figure 10F shows a list of tables used in MMT-SI of the MMT-based broadcast system. In this embodiment, the following tables are used as MMT-SI tables.

[0274] (1) MPT (MMT Package Table) (2) PLT (Package List Table) (3) LCT (Layout Configuration Table) (4) ECM (Entitlement Control Message) (5) EMM (Entitlement Management Message) (6) CAT (MH) (Conditional Access Table (MH)) (7) DCM (Download Control Message) (8) DMM (Download Management Message) (9) MH-EIT (MH-Event Information Table) (10) MH-AIT (MH-Application Information Table)

[0275] (11) MH-BIT (MH-Broadcaster Information Table) (12) MH-SDTT (MH-Software Download Trigger Table) (13) MH-SDT (MH-Service Description Table) (14) MH-TOT (MH-Time Offset Table) (15) MH-CDT (MH-Common Data Table) (16) DDM table (Data Directory Management Table) (17) DAM table (Data Asset Management Table) (18) DCC table (Data Content Configuration Table) (19) EMT (Event Message Table) (20) Tables set by the operator

[0276] <Descriptors used in MMT-SI> Figures 10G, 10H, and 10I show a list of descriptors used in MMT-SI of the MMT-based broadcast system. In this embodiment, the following are used as descriptors of MMT-SI.

[0277] (1) Asset Group Descriptor (2) Event Package Descriptor (3) Background Color Descriptor (4) MPU Presentation Region Descriptor (5) MPU Timestamp Descriptor (6) Dependency Descriptor (7) Access Control Descriptor (8) Scramble Descriptor (9) Message Authentication Method Descriptor (10) Emergency Information Descriptor

[0278] (11) MH-MPEG-4 Audio Descriptor (12) MH-MPEG-4 audio extension descriptor (MH-MPEG-4 Audio Extension Descriptor) (13) MH-HEVC Descriptor (14) MH-Linkage Descriptor (15) MH-Event Group Descriptor (16) MH-Service List Descriptor (17) MH-Short Event Descriptor (18) MH-Extended Event Descriptor (19) Video Component Descriptor (20) MH-Stream Identifier Descriptor

[0279] (21) MH-Content Descriptor (22) MH-Parental Rating Descriptor (23) MH-Audio Component Descriptor (24) MH-Target Region Descriptor (25) MH-Series Descriptor (26) MH-SI Transmission Parameter Descriptor (27) MH-Broadcaster Name Descriptor (28) MH-Service Descriptor (29) IP Data Flow Descriptor (30) MH-CA Startup Descriptor

[0280] (31) MH-Type Descriptor (32) MH-Info Descriptor (33) MH-Expire Descriptor (34) MH-CompressionType descriptor (MH-Compression Type Descriptor) (35) MH-Data Encoding Scheme Descriptor (36) UTC-NPT Reference Descriptor (37) Event Message Descriptor (38) MH-Local Time Offset Descriptor (39) MH-Component Group Descriptor (40) MH-Logo Transmission Descriptor

[0281] (41) MPU Extended Timestamp Descriptor (42) MPU Download Content Descriptor (43) MH-Network Downloadable Content Descriptor (MH-Network Download Content Descriptor) (44) Application Descriptor (MH-Application Descriptor) (45) MH-Transport Protocol Descriptor (46) MH-Simplified Application Location Descriptor (MH-Simple Application Location Descriptor) (47) Application boundary permission descriptor (MH-Application Boundary and Permission Descriptor) (48) MH-Startup Priority Descriptor (49) MH-Cache Control Info Descriptor (50) MH-Randomized Latency Descriptor

[0282] (51) Linked PU Descriptor (52) Locked Cache Descriptor (53) Unlocked Cache Descriptor (54) MH-DL Protection Descriptor (55) Application Service Descriptor (56) MPU Node Descriptor (57) PU Structure Descriptor (58) MH-Hierarchy Descriptor (59) Content Copy Control Descriptor (60) Content Usage Control Descriptor

[0283] (61) Emergency News Descriptor (62) MH-CA Contract Information Descriptor (63) MH-CA Service Descriptor (64) MH - External Application Control Descriptor (MH-External Application Control Descriptor) (65) MH-Recording and Playback Application Descriptor (MH-Playback Application Descriptor) (66) MH - Simple recording and playback application location descriptor (MH-Simple Playback Application Location Descriptor) (67) MH-Application Expiration Descriptor (MH-Application Expiration Descriptor) (68) Related Broadcaster Descriptor (69) Multimedia Service Descriptor (70) Descriptor Set by Operator

[0284] <Relationship between Data Transmission and Each Control Information in MMT System> Fig. 10J shows the relationship between data transmission and representative tables in a broadcast system of the MMT system.

[0285] In the broadcast system of the MMT system, data transmission can be performed through multiple paths, such as a TLV stream via a broadcast transmission path or an IP data flow via a communication line. The TLV stream includes TLV-SI such as TLV-NIT and AMT, and an IP data flow which is a data flow of IP packets. The IP data flow includes a video asset including a series of video MPUs and an audio asset including a series of audio MPUs. Furthermore, a subtitle asset including a series of subtitle MPUs, a character super asset including a series of character super MPUs, a data asset including a series of data MPUs, etc. may also be included. These various assets are associated in package units by the MPT (MMT Package Table) stored in the PA message and transmitted. Specifically, the package ID and the asset ID of each asset included in the package may be associated and described in the MPT.

[0286] The assets constituting the package can be only the assets in the TLV stream, but as shown in Fig. 10J, assets transmitted in the IP data flow of the communication line can also be included. This can be realized by including the location information of each asset included in the package in the MPT so that the broadcast receiving device 100 can grasp the reference destination of each asset. As the location information of each asset, (1) Data that is multiplexed on the same IP data flow as MPT (2) Data multiplexed in IPv4 data flow (3) Data that is multiplexed in IPv6 data flow (4) Data multiplexed in the broadcast MPEG2-TS (5) Data multiplexed in MPEG2-TS format within the IP data flow (6) Data located at the specified URL It is possible to specify various types of data to be transmitted via various transmission paths.

[0287] In the MMT broadcasting system, there is also the concept of an event. An event is a concept that represents a so-called program, handled by the MH-EIT which is included in the M2 section message and sent. Specifically, the data included in the concept of an event is a series of data contained within a period of time from the disclosure time stored in the MH-EIT, in the package pointed to by the event package descriptor stored in the MH-EIT. The MH-EIT can be used in the broadcast receiving device 100 for various processing on an event basis (for example, program guide generation processing, control of recording and viewing reservations, copyright management processing such as temporary storage, etc.).

[0288] [Channel setting process for broadcast receiving equipment] <Initial scan> In current terrestrial digital broadcasting, the network ID differs for each transmission master, and it is common for information on other stations not to be recorded in the NIT (Network Information Terminal). Therefore, the broadcast receiving device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, which is compatible with current terrestrial digital broadcasting, needs to have the function of searching (scanning) all receivable channels at the receiving point and creating a service list (receivable frequency table) based on the service ID for the terrestrial digital broadcasting of the embodiment of the present invention (advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting, or terrestrial digital broadcasting in which advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting and current terrestrial digital broadcasting are transmitted simultaneously at different layers). In areas where the same network ID can be received on different physical channels via MFN (Multi-Frequency Network), it is sufficient for the device to basically select channels with good reception C / N or BER (Bit Error Rate) and store them in the service list.

[0289] Furthermore, in the case of advanced BS digital broadcasting or advanced CS digital broadcasting received by the fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B of the broadcast receiving device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, the broadcast receiving device 100 only needs to acquire and store the service list stored in the TLV-NIT, and there is no need to create a service list. Therefore, for advanced BS digital broadcasting or advanced CS digital broadcasting received by the fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B, initial scanning and the rescan described later are unnecessary.

[0290] <Rescan> The broadcast receiving device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention has a rescan function to prepare for cases such as the opening of a new station, the installation of a new relay station, or a change in the receiving location of a television receiver. When the previously set information is to be changed, the broadcast receiving device 100 can notify the user of this fact.

[0291] <Examples of operation during initial / rescan> Figure 11A shows an example of the operation sequence for channel setting processing (initial / rescan) of the broadcast receiving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Although Figure 11A shows an example where MPEG-2 TS is used as the media transport method, the processing is basically the same when the MMT method is used.

[0292] In the channel setting process, the receiving function control unit 1102 first sets the residential area (selection of the area where the broadcast receiving device 100 is installed) based on the user's instructions (S101). At this time, instead of the user's instructions, the residential area may be set automatically based on the installation location information of the broadcast receiving device 100 obtained by a predetermined process. As an example of the process for obtaining installation location information, the LAN communication unit 121 may obtain information from the network to which it is connected, or the digital I / F unit 125 may obtain information regarding the installation location from an external device to which it is connected. Next, the initial value of the frequency range to be scanned is set, and the tuner / demodulator (the first tuner / demodulator 130C, the second tuner / demodulator 130T, and the third tuner / demodulator 130L are not distinguished in this way; the same applies hereinafter) is instructed to tune to the set frequency (S102).

[0293] The tuner / demodulator performs tuning based on the instructions (S103), and if it successfully locks to the set frequency (S103:Yes), it proceeds to process S104. If it fails to lock (S103:No), it proceeds to process S111. In process S104, the C / N is checked (S104), and if a C / N of a predetermined level or higher is obtained (S104:Yes), it proceeds to process S105 and performs reception confirmation processing. If a C / N of a predetermined level or higher is not obtained (S104:No), it proceeds to process S111.

[0294] In the reception confirmation process, the reception function control unit 1102 first obtains the BER of the received broadcast wave (S105). Next, it obtains and compares the NIT to confirm whether the NIT is valid data or not (S106). If the NIT obtained in the S106 process is valid data, the reception function control unit 1102 obtains information such as the transport stream ID and original network ID from the NIT. It also obtains distribution system information regarding the physical conditions of the broadcast transmission path corresponding to each transport stream ID / original network ID from the terrestrial distribution system descriptor. In addition, it obtains a list of service IDs from the service list descriptor.

[0295] Next, the receiving function control unit 1102 checks the service list stored in the receiving device to confirm whether the transport stream ID obtained in the S106 process has already been obtained (S107). If the transport stream ID obtained in the S106 process has not already been obtained (S107: No), the various information obtained in the S106 process is associated with the transport stream ID and added to the service list (S108). If the transport stream ID obtained in the S106 process has already been obtained (S107: Yes), the BER obtained in the S105 process is compared with the BER obtained when the transport stream ID already listed in the service list was obtained (S109). If the BER obtained in the S105 process is better (S109: Yes), the service list is updated with the various information obtained in the S106 process (S110). If the BER obtained in the S105 process is not better (S109: No), the various information obtained in the S106 process is discarded.

[0296] Furthermore, during the service list creation (addition / update) process described above, the remote key ID may be obtained from the TS information descriptor, and a representative service for each transport stream may be associated with the remote key. This process enables one-touch tuning, as described later.

[0297] After completing the reception confirmation process, the reception function control unit 1102 checks whether the current frequency setting is the final value of the frequency range being scanned (S111). If the current frequency setting is not the final value of the frequency range being scanned (S111: No), the frequency value set in the tuner / demodulation unit is increased (S112), and the processes of S103 to S110 are repeated. If the current frequency setting is the final value of the frequency range being scanned (S111: Yes), the process proceeds to S113.

[0298] In the S113 process, the service list created (added / updated) in the aforementioned process is presented to the user as a result of the channel setting process (S113). If there are duplicate remote control keys, the user may be notified and prompted to change the remote control key settings (S114). The service list created / updated in the aforementioned process is stored in the non-volatile memory of the broadcast receiving device 100, such as the ROM 103 or the storage unit 110.

[0299] Figure 11B shows an example of the NIT data structure. In the figure, 'transportrt_stream_id' corresponds to the transport stream ID mentioned above, and 'original_network_id' corresponds to the original network ID. Figure 11C shows an example of the ground distribution system descriptor data structure. In the figure, 'guard_interval', 'transmission_mode', 'frequency', etc., correspond to the distribution system information mentioned above. Figure 11D shows an example of the service list descriptor data structure. In the figure, 'service_id' corresponds to the service ID mentioned above. Figure 11E shows an example of the TS information descriptor data structure. In the figure, 'remote_control_key_id' corresponds to the remote control key ID mentioned above.

[0300] Furthermore, the broadcast receiving device 100 may be controlled to appropriately change the scanning frequency range according to the broadcast service being received. For example, when the broadcast receiving device 100 is receiving broadcast waves from the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, it is controlled to scan a frequency range of 470 to 770 MHz (corresponding to physical channels 13 to 62). That is, the initial value of the frequency range is set to 470 to 476 MHz (center frequency 473 MHz), the final value of the frequency range is set to 764 to 770 MHz (center frequency 767 MHz), and the processing in S112 is controlled to increase the frequency value by +6 MHz.

[0301] Furthermore, if the broadcast receiving device 100 is receiving broadcast waves including advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, it is controlled to scan the frequency range of 470 to 1010 MHz (because it may be performing the frequency conversion process shown in Figure 7D or the frequency conversion amplification process shown in Figure 8C). Specifically, the initial value of the frequency range is set to 470 to 476 MHz (center frequency 473 MHz), the final value of the frequency range is set to 1004 to 1010 MHz (center frequency 1007 MHz), and the S112 process is controlled to increase the frequency value by +6 MHz. Note that even if the broadcast receiving device 100 is receiving advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, if it is determined that the aforementioned frequency conversion process or frequency conversion amplification process is not being performed, it is sufficient to control it to scan only the frequency range of 470 to 770 MHz. The broadcast receiving device 100 can select the frequency range to scan based on the system identification and frequency conversion process identification of the TMCC information.

[0302] Furthermore, if the broadcast system of the embodiment of the present invention has the configuration shown in Figure 7C, for example, and the broadcast receiving device 100 is receiving an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a dual-polarization transmission system, the tuning / detection unit 131H and the tuning / detection unit 131V may scan the frequency range of 470 to 770 MHz on one side and the frequency range of 770 to 1010 MHz on the other side (provided that frequency conversion processing has been performed on the transmission wave using the polarization detected by the other tuning / detection unit). By controlling in this way based on the system identification and frequency conversion processing identification of the TMCC information, it is possible to omit scanning in unnecessary frequency ranges and reduce the time required for channel setting. In addition, in this case, the operation sequence of Figure 11A may be performed in parallel on both the tuning / detection unit 131H and the tuning / detection unit 131V, and the frequency up loop S112 in the operation sequence of Figure 11A may be synchronized. In this case, if the system is configured to receive in parallel pairs of horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals transmitted on the same physical channel in the same timing loop of the frequency up loop in the operation sequence of Figure 11A, then control information and other data within the packet stream of the advanced terrestrial digital service transmitted by the pair of horizontally polarized and vertically polarized signals can be decoded and obtained during the loop processing. This is preferable because it allows for efficient scanning and service list creation.

[0303] Similarly, if the broadcast receiving device 100 has the configuration shown in Figure 8B and is further equipped with multiple tuners / demodulators (channel selection / detection units), a so-called double tuner configuration (for example, a configuration equipped with multiple third tuners / demodulators 130L), and is receiving an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a hierarchical division multiplex transmission system, then one of the double tuners may be configured to scan the frequency range of 470 to 770 MHz, while the other scans the frequency range of 770 to 1010 MHz (if frequency conversion amplification processing is performed). By controlling it in this way, it is possible to reduce the time required for channel setting, as described above.

[0304] As explained in Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C, in the configuration shown in Figure 8B, the terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmitted on either the upper or lower layer is the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service. Therefore, for example, the first tuner / demodulator 130C may scan the frequency range to which the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service is transmitted, and the third tuner / demodulator 130L may scan the other frequency range in parallel. In this case as well, similar to the parallel scanning by the double tuner of the third tuner / demodulator 130L described above, it is possible to reduce the time required for channel setting. Whether the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service or the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service is being transmitted in the frequency range of 470-770MHz or 770-1010MHz can be determined by receiving signals at two points in each frequency range, for example, 470-476MHz (center frequency 473MHz) and 770-776MHz (center frequency 773MHz), using the third tuner / demodulator 130L before starting the initial scan / rescan operation sequence. This is done by acquiring TMCC information transmitted at each frequency and referring to the parameters (e.g., system identification parameters) stored in the TMCC information.

[0305] In advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services using a dual-polarization transmission system, for example, channels with broadcast programs that use both horizontal and vertical polarization signals for transmission, such as the 4K broadcast program in Layer C shown in Layer Division Example (1) of Figure 7A, will have the same transport ID detected in both the 470-770MHz and 770-1010MHz frequency range scans, but will be listed as a single channel in the service list. Also, in the case of the 2K broadcast program in Layer B shown in Figure 7A, if the same broadcast program is transmitted in Layer B with horizontal polarization and Layer B with vertical polarization, even if the same transport ID is detected, it is sufficient to store it in the service list as a single channel. In other words, if the same broadcast program is transmitted in the same layer with different polarizations, it will be merged into a single channel and not recognized as separate channels. This way, user confusion caused by the existence of identical broadcast programs on different channels can be avoided during channel selection processing using the service list.

[0306] In contrast, in advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services using a dual-polarization transmission system, if different broadcast programs are transmitted on the horizontal polarization B layer and the vertical polarization B layer (when the vertical polarization B layer is treated as a virtual D layer), they are stored in the service list as different channels. Whether or not the same broadcast program is transmitted on the horizontal polarization B layer and the vertical polarization B layer can be determined by the broadcast receiving device 100 by referring to additional layer transmission identification parameters in the TMCC information.

[0307] [Channel selection process for broadcast receiving equipment] The broadcast receiving device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention has the following functions for selecting channels: one-touch channel selection using one-touch keys on the remote control, channel up / down channel selection using channel up / down keys on the remote control, and direct channel selection by direct input of a three-digit number using the 10-key keypad on the remote control. Any of these channel selection functions can be performed using the information stored in the service list generated by the initial scan / rescan described above. After channel selection, the information of the selected channel (three-digit number used for direct channel selection, sub-number, TS name, service name, logo, video resolution information (distinction between UHD, HD, SD, etc.), whether or not video resolution up / down conversion is performed, number of audio channels, whether or not audio downmixing is performed, etc.) is displayed by banner display or the like. In this way, the user can visually obtain the channel information after selection and confirm whether or not they have selected the desired channel. An example of the processing in each channel selection method is described below.

[0308] <Example of one-touch station selection process> (1) Pressing a one-touch key on the remote selects the service specified by 'service_id' in 'remote_control_key_id'. (2) Set the last mode and display the channel information after selecting a station.

[0309] <Example of channel selection process using channel up / down buttons> (1) Pressing the channel up / down keys on the remote control will select the channel in the order of the 3-digit numbers used for direct tuning. (1-1) If the up key is pressed, the service above the three-digit number is selected. However, if the current three-digit number is the maximum value in the service list, the service with the minimum value is selected. (1-2) If the down key is pressed, the service with the lower adjacent 3-digit number is selected. However, if the current 3-digit number is the lowest value in the service list, the service with the highest number is selected. (2) Set the last mode and display the channel information after selecting a station.

[0310] <Example of direct tuning process> (1) When direct tuning is selected, the system will wait for a 3-digit number to be entered. (2-1) If the 3-digit number is not entered within the specified time (approximately 5 seconds), the system will return to normal mode and display the channel information of the currently selected service. (2-2) Once the 3-digit number has been entered, the system will check if the channel exists in the service list of the receivable frequency table. If it does not exist, a message such as "This channel does not exist" will be displayed. (3) If a channel exists, the system will perform the channel selection process, set the last mode, and display the channel information after selection.

[0311] Furthermore, channel selection is performed based on the system interface (SI), and the system may also have a function to display a message to inform the user if it determines that broadcasting is suspended.

[0312] <Remote control for broadcast receiver> Figure 12A shows an example of the external view of a remote control (remote controller) used to input operation instructions to the broadcast receiving device 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0313] The remote control 180R includes a power key 180R1 for turning the broadcast receiving device 100 on / off (standby on / off), cursor keys (up, down, left, right) 180R2 for moving the cursor up, down, left, and right, an OK key 180R3 for selecting the item at the cursor position, and a back key 180R4.

[0314] Furthermore, the remote control 180R is equipped with a network switching key (Advanced Terrestrial Digital, Terrestrial Digital, Advanced BS, BS, CS) 180R5 for switching the broadcast network received by the broadcast receiving device 100. The remote control 180R is also equipped with one-touch keys (1-12) 180R6 for one-touch tuning, channel up / down keys 180R7 for channel up / down tuning, and a 10-key for entering a 3-digit number when direct tuning. In the example shown in Figure 12A, the 10-key is also used as the one-touch key 180R6, and when direct tuning, a 3-digit number can be entered by pressing the key 180R8 directly and then operating the one-touch key 180R6.

[0315] The 180R remote control also features an EPG key 180R9 for displaying the program guide and a menu key 180RA for displaying the system menu. The program guide and system menu can be accessed in detail using the cursor keys 180R2, the select key 180R3, and the back key 180R4.

[0316] The remote control 180R also includes a d key 180RB for data broadcasting services and multimedia services, a linkage key 180RC for displaying a list of broadcast-communication linkage services and their compatible applications, and color keys (blue, red, green, yellow) 180RD. Detailed operation is possible for data broadcasting services, multimedia services, and broadcast-communication linkage services using the cursor key 180R2, select key 180R3, back key 180R4, and color key 180RD.

[0317] Furthermore, the remote control 180R includes a video key 180RE for selecting related video, an audio key 180RF for switching between audio ES and bilingual modes, and a subtitle key 180RG for switching subtitles on / off and switching subtitle languages. Additionally, the remote control 180R includes a volume key 180RH for increasing / decreasing the volume of the audio output, and a mute key 180RI for switching the audio output on / off.

[0318] <Example of network switching process using advanced digital terrestrial TV key> The remote control 180R of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment of the present invention includes a network switching key 180R5 which includes an "Advanced Terrestrial Digital Key", a "Terrestrial Digital Key", an "Advanced BS Key", a "BS Key", and a "CS Key". Here, the "Advanced Terrestrial Digital Key" and the "Terrestrial Digital Key" may be configured such that, in the case of an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service where, for example, simulcasting of 4K broadcast programs and 2K broadcast programs is being carried out on different layers, pressing the "Advanced Terrestrial Digital Key" prioritizes the selection of 4K broadcast programs when selecting a channel, and pressing the "Terrestrial Digital Key" prioritizes the selection of 2K broadcast programs when selecting a channel. By controlling in this way, for example, if there are many errors in the transmission wave of a 4K broadcast program under conditions where reception of a 4K broadcast program is possible, pressing the "Terrestrial Digital Key" allows for the forced selection of a 2K broadcast program.

[0319] <Example of screen display when selecting a channel> As described above, the broadcast receiving device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention has a function to display information of the selected channel by banner display or the like when channel selection is performed by one-touch tuning, channel up / down tuning, direct tuning, etc.

[0320] Figure 12B shows an example of a banner display during channel selection. Banner display 192A1 is an example of a banner display shown when a 2K broadcast program is selected. For example, it should display the program name, the program's start / end time, the network type, the direct channel selection key number on the remote control, the service logo, and a three-digit number. Banner display 192A2 is an example of a banner display shown when a 4K broadcast program is selected. For example, in addition to the same information as in banner display 192A1, it also displays a symbol representing "Advanced" to indicate that the currently received program is a 4K broadcast program. Furthermore, if resolution conversion processing or downmixing processing has been performed, a display indicating this may also be shown. In the example of banner display 192A2, it shows that downconversion processing from UHD resolution to HD resolution and downmixing processing from 22.2ch to 5.1ch have been performed.

[0321] By displaying these information in the broadcast receiving device 100, when the same content is broadcast simultaneously as programs of different quality, such as 2K and 4K broadcasts, via simulcasting or the like, the user can easily determine which broadcast program is being displayed.

[0322] According to the advanced digital broadcasting service system having some or all of the functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide more advanced digital broadcasting service transmission and reception technologies that also take into account compatibility with existing digital broadcasting services. In other words, it is possible to provide technologies for more favorably transmitting or receiving advanced digital broadcasting services.

[0323] (Example 2) [System configuration for clock synchronization / presentation synchronization of broadcast receiving equipment] This embodiment describes an example of the simultaneous broadcasting presentation switching process and clock synchronization / presentation synchronization in the advanced digital broadcasting service system described in Embodiment 1. For simplicity, this embodiment will only describe the differences from Embodiment 1. Points not mentioned in this embodiment are the same as in Embodiment 1, and therefore repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0324] The MPEG2-TS protocol uses a timestamp based on time information called PCR (Program Clock Reference) for synchronization control. The protocol stack of the MPEG2-TS protocol is shown in Figure 9A. This PCR-based time system consists of an upper 33-bit counter operating at 90kHz and a lower 9-bit counter operating at 27MHz. A count of 300 in the lower 9 bits corresponds to one count in the upper 90kHz. This upper 33-bit counter completes a cycle in approximately 26.5 hours, returning to 0. On the other hand, the MMT protocol uses a timestamp based on time information called NTP (Network Time Protocol) for synchronization control. The protocol stack of the MMT protocol is shown in Figures 10A and 10B. This NTP-synchronized clock consists of an upper 32 bits (seconds) and a lower 32 bits (decimal part). Therefore, the NTP-based clock can represent a period of approximately 136 years, and as a time representation system, it is completely different from the PCR system.

[0325] Figure 13 shows an example of the system clock unit 40000 used by the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment for clock synchronization / presentation synchronization. It has an NTP-based NTP clock counter 40001 and a PCR-based PCR clock counter 40002.

[0326] PCR time information is transmitted in the extended portion (adaptation field) of the TS packet header (Figure 14). It consists of the upper 33 bits, lower 9 bits, and reserved 6 bits.

[0327] Figure 15A shows an example of the structure of time information transmitted by NTP. Figure 15B also shows an example of the data structure of the MPU timestamp descriptor. NTP is transmitted in this data format, but as shown in Figure 10B, it can also be matched with NTP included in signals received along the communication line path (for example, the communication line receivable by the LAN communication unit 121 in Figure 2A).

[0328] In the broadcast system handling MMT content of this embodiment, UTC is transmitted from the broadcast transmission system to the receiver (such as the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment) in a 64-bit NTP timestamp format. In the NTP timestamp format, 32 bits represent "seconds or more" of UTC, and 32 bits represent "less than seconds." However, in practice, it is difficult to reproduce one second with 32-bit precision. Therefore, as the NTP system clock for synchronizing MMT content and the NTP system clock for operating the NTP-formatted clock, for example, an NTP clock counter 40001 using a frequency of "2 to the power of 24" Hz (approximately 16.8 MHz), as shown in Figure 13, may be used. Considering that the PCR system clock in the broadcast system handling MPEG2-TS content was 27 MHz and that the hardware configuration of the receiver can be easily constructed, it is desirable to adopt a frequency of a power of 2, such as "2 to the power of 24" to "2 to the power of 28", as the NTP system clock.

[0329] Furthermore, if the NTP system clock on the broadcast transmission system side or the receiver side handling MMT content is set to a frequency of a power of 2, such as 2 to the power of 24 to 2 to the power of 28, as described above, the lower 8 to 4 bits of the NTP timestamp format transmitted from the broadcast transmission system side to the receiver side, which are not referenced by the NTP system clock or the PLL (Phase Locked Loop) system for reproducing the NTP format clock, may be fixed to 0 or 1. In other words, if the NTP system clock is 2 to the power of n Hz (n=24 in the example in Figure 13), the lower 32-n bits of the NTP timestamp format may be fixed to 0 or 1. Alternatively, the receiver side may process the lower 32-n bits of the NTP timestamp format by ignoring them.

[0330] On the broadcast transmission system side, upon obtaining NTP-formatted time information from an external source, a PLL system is configured using a 32+n bit counter with a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) at 2 to the power of n Hz to realize a transmission system clock that synchronizes with the externally provided time information. Furthermore, the entire signal processing system is operated in synchronization with the 2 to the power of n Hz NTP system clock. In addition, the output of the transmission system clock is periodically transmitted to the receiver side via the broadcast transmission line as time information in NTP length format.

[0331] On the receiver side, time information in NTP format is received via the broadcast transmission line, and the receiver system clock is regenerated by a PLL system based on a VCO of 2 to the power of n Hz, similar to the broadcast transmission system side. As a result, the receiver system clock becomes synchronized with the broadcast transmission system side. Furthermore, by operating the receiver's signal processing system in synchronization with the NTP system clock of 2 to the power of n Hz, clock synchronization between the broadcast transmission system side and the receiver side is achieved, enabling stable signal reproduction. In addition, the decoding time and presentation time for each presentation unit of the video / audio signal are set on the broadcast transmission system side based on the aforementioned NTP format time information. Here, the MPT stored in the PA message transmitted in the broadcast signal contains the MPU timestamp descriptor shown in Figure 15B. In the MPU timestamp descriptor in Figure 15B, the 'mpu_sequence_number' parameter indicates the sequence number of the MPU that describes the timestamp, and the 'mpu_presentation_time' parameter indicates the MPU presentation time in 64-bit NTP timestamp format. Therefore, the receiver can refer to the MPU timestamp descriptor stored in the MPT and control the presentation (display, output, etc.) timing for each MPU of video signals, audio signals, subtitles, text overlays, etc.

[0332] Furthermore, when focusing on the control of the decoding timing and presentation timing for each presentation unit of video / audio signals, as mentioned above, synchronization of video / audio signals can be ensured even with a clock of about 2 to the power of 16 Hz (approximately 65.5 kHz), in which case it is not necessary to refer to the lower 16 bits of the NTP timestamp format described in the MPU timestamp descriptor, etc. That is, if a clock of 2 to the power of m Hz generated by dividing the NTP system clock is used to control the decoding timing and presentation timing, it is not necessary to refer to the lower 32-m bits of the NTP timestamp format described in the MPU timestamp descriptor, etc. Therefore, the lower 32-m bits of the NTP timestamp format described in the MPU timestamp descriptor, etc. may be fixed to 0 or 1.

[0333] <Switching to Simulcast> In this system, as explained in Example 1, it is possible to simulcast 4K and 2K broadcasts on the same physical channel. If, for any reason (e.g., a malfunction in the control information for the 4K broadcast), it becomes difficult to receive, demodulate, or display the 4K broadcast, it may be set up to automatically or manually switch to a 2K simulcast as a backup. Furthermore, if the situation improves and it becomes possible to receive the 4K broadcast, it may be set up to switch to a 4K simulcast automatically or manually. If it is within the same physical channel, the switch will be performed smoothly. In addition, the simulcast may be IP simulcast (Internet broadcast) via a network (communication transmission path). In the case of Internet broadcasting, if it becomes possible to receive the broadcast via radio waves, it is desirable to switch to radio wave reception as soon as possible to alleviate network traffic congestion.

[0334] If there are multiple options for simulcasting as a backup, the system may automatically switch according to a predetermined priority order. For example, if reception of a 4K broadcast transmitted via a broadcast transmission line becomes difficult for any reason, the system may prioritize switching to a simulcast of a 2K broadcast transmitted on the same physical channel via the broadcast transmission line, and prioritize switching to a simulcast via the communication network. Generally, receiving broadcasts via a broadcast transmission line is faster than receiving IP broadcasts via a communication transmission line, so it is preferable to prioritize switching to a simulcast via a broadcast transmission line and lower the priority for switching to a simulcast via a communication transmission line. Another example of how to handle switching to a simulcast when there are multiple options for simulcasting as a backup is to present the user with the options and allow them to select manually. The backup may also be VOD (Video On Demand) content. When switching to VOD, it is desirable to resume playback from where the viewing content left off so that the viewing continues. Figure 16 shows an example of displaying a banner 40020 showing options for switching to a simulcast (alternative broadcast) when the reception of 4K broadcasting deteriorates. In Figure 16, pressing the blue button on the remote control switches to a simulcast of terrestrial digital 2K broadcasting on the same physical channel, and pressing the red button switches to an internet broadcast with the same content. The presentation and selection of these content switching options may also be performed by a mobile information terminal 700 running an application that cooperates with the broadcast receiving device 100 (Figure 17). In either of the above cases, the presentation of content switching options may be limited to the options available at that time.

[0335] Furthermore, if the reception of a 4K broadcast deteriorates while recording a 4K broadcast, you may switch to the simulcast 2K broadcast and continue recording. If you are recording a 2K broadcast from the middle of a broadcast as a backup, you may upconvert the 2K video to 4K video before recording to maintain continuity in video format.

[0336] By simulcasting on the same physical channel in this way, program switching in response to changes in reception conditions becomes smoother. Furthermore, combining this with internet broadcasting expands the backup options.

[0337] <Broadcast during emergency broadcasts> In an advanced digital broadcasting service system, when simulcasting 4K and 2K broadcasts is being conducted, the transmitting side may switch both the simulcasting 4K and 2K broadcasts to emergency broadcasts in the event of an emergency. Alternatively, the transmitting side may switch only the 2K broadcast to emergency broadcasts. Furthermore, when the transmitting side switches both the simulcasting 4K and 2K broadcasts to emergency broadcasts, or when the transmitting side switches only the 2K broadcast to emergency broadcasts, the broadcast receiving device may forcibly switch to viewing (receiving and displaying) the 2K broadcast screen (emergency broadcast program) even while viewing (receiving and displaying) a 4K broadcast program. This switching process can be performed based on emergency warning information received via the 4K broadcast. Technically, 2K broadcasts are more technically simpler than technically more advanced 4K broadcasts, and there is a higher probability that they will be more stable broadcasts. Prioritizing the reception and display of 2K broadcasts in emergencies allows for more reliable transmission of emergency information to viewers. In addition, after the broadcast receiving device switches to emergency broadcasts, viewers may be able to switch back to non-emergency 4K broadcasts at their own discretion. Furthermore, during an emergency broadcast, when either the 4K broadcast or the 2K broadcast, which are simulcasting, is airing an emergency broadcast, it may be prohibited to switch to the other broadcast, which is not an emergency broadcast.

[0338] Furthermore, if the viewer was watching via the internet broadcast, which is a communication transmission channel, they may be forcibly switched to watching the emergency broadcast via radio waves, which is a broadcast transmission channel, at the same time the emergency broadcast begins. In particular, if the emergency broadcast is being transmitted in multiple different transmission stream formats, the viewer may be forcibly switched to watching the emergency broadcast in the MPEG2-TS format, which can be received more stably.

[0339] As explained above, the mandatory switch to emergency broadcasting ensures that emergency information is reliably conveyed to viewers.

[0340] <Standby synchronization> As mentioned above, when content switching occurs depending on the broadcast reception status, the system switches to a different simulcast when the reception deteriorates and returns to the original simulcast when the reception improves. In this case, if the 4K broadcast uses the MMT format and the 2K broadcast uses the MPEG2-TS format, the switching between simulcasts will be a switch between the MMT format and the MPEG2-TS format. Unlike normal channel selection, switching between simulcasts involves programs with the same content, so it is desirable to minimize the interruption during the switch. For this reason, when program display or, if not display, recording is started, it is advisable to synchronize the clock counter (40001 or 40002) of the corresponding format for the simulcast of the MMT format 4K broadcast and the MPEG2-TS format 2K broadcast that is not currently being viewed (displayed) so that display or recording can be performed quickly (standby synchronization). Doing so can shorten or eliminate the interruption time of the video compared to not performing standby synchronization. If standby synchronization is not performed, the internal clock synchronization will start or restart at the start of the display or recording using the corresponding internal clock (40001 or 40002). In this case, it will take time for the synchronization of the internal clock counter (40001 or 40002) to be established.

[0341] Furthermore, standby synchronization may be performed continuously as long as time information from NTP used in the MMT method or PCR used in the MPEG2-TS method is received, or it may be performed only when a switch is anticipated. For example, when receiving a 4K broadcast, if it is anticipated that the reception of the 4K broadcast will deteriorate and it will become difficult to continue receiving, standby synchronization of the PCR clock counter 40002 may be started using the PCR of the corresponding 2K simulcast. Alternatively, if it is anticipated that the reception of the 4K broadcast, which had deteriorated, will recover and it will become possible to resume reception, standby synchronization of the NTP clock counter 40001 may be started using the NTP of the 4K broadcast that you wish to resume viewing.

[0342] If reception deteriorates, making it difficult to watch 4K broadcasts, and the system switches to 2K simulcasts, and then the 4K broadcast reception improves, the NTP clock counter 40001 will quickly regain synchronization if the system is in standby synchronization mode, allowing for a quick return to 4K broadcasting. The return to 4K broadcasting can be done automatically once reception improves, or viewers can be informed that a return to 4K broadcasting is possible after the NTP clock counter synchronization is restored while they are watching the backup 2K broadcast, and the system will wait for a return instruction.

[0343] When recording a 4K broadcast, if the 4K broadcast reception deteriorates and you switch to a simulcast 2K broadcast to continue recording, setting the device to standby sync mode will ensure that the internal clock counter (40001 or 40002) is synchronized before the switch, either when switching to 2K broadcasting or when switching back to 4K broadcasting when the 4K broadcast reception improves. This will shorten or eliminate the interruption time in the video.

[0344] In this way, by performing standby synchronization of the system clock, the viewing environment can be improved when switching between transmission methods.

[0345] <Adjustment for leap seconds> Unlike PCR, the NTP time system uses absolute time, and therefore requires adjustment for leap seconds. Leap second adjustments can be made by either inserting a leap second into the NTP time or removing a leap second from the NTP time. If a leap second is inserted, 8:59:59 will last for 2 seconds, and if a leap second is removed, 8:59:58 will become 9:00:00 one second later.

[0346] In the broadcast receiving device 100, when the receiver's internal NTP system clock (NTP clock counter 40001 in Figure 13) is being used for display or recording (referred to as "viewing" in this embodiment), one of two methods is used to reflect leap second adjustments to the NTP system clock.

[0347] (1) Adjustment operation 1 The receiver's internal NTP system clock is synchronized directly with the received NTP time, and any leap second adjustments made on the broadcast side are reflected in the receiver's internal NTP system clock. In other words, when a leap second adjustment is made, if a leap second is added, 8:59:59 will last for 2 seconds, and if a leap second is removed, 8:59:59 will not exist.

[0348] (2) Adjustment operation 2 Adjustment operation 2 is a different adjustment operation from adjustment operation 1. In adjustment operation 2, even if the broadcast side makes a leap second adjustment, the receiver's internal NTP system clock continues to advance the time by one second independently without reflecting the leap second adjustment. This prevents time overlap or discontinuity in the receiver at the moment of leap second adjustment. Therefore, after the broadcast side makes a leap second adjustment, there will be a one-second difference between the NTP time transmitted by the broadcast wave and the receiver's internal NTP system clock. This state is maintained until a predetermined operation such as channel selection or simulcast switching is performed, during which time the NTP time and the receiver's internal NTP system clock remain one second apart, and the broadcast side's leap second adjustment is not reflected. In this state, the receiver's internal NTP system clock may be in a so-called free-run state, not synchronizing with the NTP time.

[0349] Alternatively, the NTP time and the receiver's internal NTP system clock may remain out of 1 second, while maintaining synchronization in units of less than 1 second. Subsequently, when the above predetermined operation is performed, the receiver's internal NTP system clock should be adjusted to reflect the leap second adjustment of the NTP time (eliminating the 1-second difference). In this way, overlaps or discontinuities in the receiver's internal NTP system clock time will not occur during user viewing, and the user will not be presented with image distortions or other issues resulting from these. The above predetermined operation may include switching to a full-screen EPG display. The same effect can be obtained by including other operations in the above predetermined operation, such as switching from the MMT video decoding screen using the receiver's internal NTP system clock to another screen. Note that if the receiver's internal NTP system clock is no longer used after channel selection or simulcast switching and the above standby synchronization is not performed, it is not necessary to synchronize the NTP time and the receiver's internal NTP system clock in the first place.

[0350] Next, we will explain the case where leap second adjustments are made to the receiver's NTP system clock when the receiver's internal NTP system clock is not being used (referred to as "standby" in this embodiment). This case occurs when the above-mentioned standby synchronization is being performed in preparation for the start of displaying or recording MMT content. In this case, it is desirable to keep the receiver's internal NTP system clock constantly synchronized with the NTP time in preparation for the start of using the NTP system clock, so the above-mentioned adjustment operation 1 is performed.

[0351] The broadcast transmission system transmits leap second adjustment information (information indicating the type of leap second adjustment process) as a descriptor 'time_leap_indicator' along with the information to be presented, and the broadcast receiving device 100 adjusts the NTP system clock inside the receiver based on this leap second adjustment information. The value set for 'time_leap_indicator' is 1 if the time of presentation of the information to be presented is between 9:00:00 AM on the day before the leap second insertion day and the first 8:59:59 AM on the leap second insertion day in Japan Standard Time; 2 if it is between 9:00:00 AM on the day before the leap second deletion day and the 8:59:58 AM on the leap second deletion day; and 0 otherwise.

[0352] Based on the descriptor value for this leap second adjustment and the value of the receiver's internal NTP system clock, the leap second correction state can be classified into several states as follows: a: Leap second correction occurs within 24 hours (descriptor value is 1 or 2) b: No leap second correction within 24 hours (descriptor value is 0) c: Receiver's NTP system clock leap second adjustment complete (synchronization in progress) d: 8:59:59, 2 seconds after the time was added. e: Asynchronous state (progress) f: Asynchronous state (delay)

[0353] Here, states c through f represent the state immediately after a leap second correction, and since leap second corrections do not usually occur frequently, state b is also present. These states, along with the operation of leap second adjustment in the receiver's internal NTP system clock, are shown in Figures 18A and 18B. Figure 18A shows the case of adding time, and Figure 18B shows the case of deleting time. The cases where leap second adjustment is performed during viewing and when leap second adjustment is performed while in standby are shown. Note that "channel selection, etc." refers to predetermined events such as channel selection, switching to simulcast, power-on, etc., which change the service being viewed, and switching to full-screen EPG display. The states thereafter are shown assuming that clock synchronization operation is being performed. Furthermore, the time and time range for "channel selection, etc." are merely examples.

[0354] As shown in Figures 18A and 18B, during viewing, adjustment operation 2 may be used in addition to adjustment operation 1. When adjustment operation 2 is performed, a discrepancy occurs between the NTP time of the transmission system and the time of the NTP system clock inside the receiver. Since the MPU for video, etc., has a descriptor called 'mpu_presentation_time' which is the presentation time based on the transmission system's time, the broadcast receiving device 100 corrects the value of this descriptor to match the time of the NTP system clock inside the receiver. In contrast, during standby, there is no need to consider the impact on the user's viewing, so adjustment operation 1 can be used. Therefore, in a broadcast receiving device 100 that uses adjustment operation 2 as the adjustment operation during viewing, when the broadcasting station performs leap second adjustment, if the broadcast receiving device 100 is viewing a program that is played back using the receiver's NTP system clock, adjustment operation 2 will be performed, and if the broadcast receiving device 100 is in a standby state and is not viewing a program that is played back using the receiver's NTP system clock, adjustment operation 1 will be performed. In this way, leap second adjustment can be performed quickly while suitably reducing the impact on the user's viewing.

[0355] <Handling cases where there are multiple types of leap second adjustment descriptors> In the above example, there was only one type of leap second adjustment descriptor, 'time_leap_indicator', but it is also possible to have multiple types of descriptors corresponding to the type of information to be presented. For example, it is possible to have two types: one for subtitle display ('reference_start_time_leap_indicator') and one for video / audio presentation ('mpu_presentation_time_leap_indicator').

[0356] When using different in-receiver NTP system clocks for each content display, leap second adjustments should be made to the in-receiver NTP system clocks using the corresponding leap second adjustment descriptors. For example, one in-receiver NTP system clock may be provided for video and audio presentation, and another in-receiver NTP system clock may be provided separately for subtitle display. In this case, as a general rule, the in-receiver NTP system clock for video and audio presentation should use 'mpu_presentation_time_leap_indicator' as the leap second adjustment descriptor. Similarly, as a general rule, the in-receiver NTP system clock for subtitle display should use 'reference_start_time_leap_indicator' as the leap second adjustment descriptor.

[0357] Alternatively, the receiver's internal NTP system clock can be standardized to a single clock. Since the value of the leap second adjustment descriptor should be the same regardless of the type of information to be presented, the receiver's internal NTP system clock can be adjusted for leap seconds using any leap second adjustment descriptor.

[0358] However, since the types are separated, there is a possibility that the values ​​of these leap second adjustment descriptors may differ depending on the type due to some malfunction in the transmitting system. In that case, one method for the broadcast receiving device is to follow the leap second adjustment descriptor value corresponding to the information for which higher accuracy of presentation synchronization is required. In this case, the 'mpu_presentation_time_leap_indicator' used for video and audio presentation should be given priority, and the descriptor may also be used for presentation processing other than video and audio, such as subtitle display.

[0359] Furthermore, considering the complexity of the transmission system's processing, a leap second adjustment descriptor that corresponds to simpler information is less likely to produce an incorrect value, so following that descriptor is one option. In this case, we will prioritize 'reference_start_time_leap_indicator'.

[0360] Furthermore, information about leap second adjustment descriptors only needs to be obtained after a leap second correction is scheduled but before the correction is actually performed. If the information is accurate, the value will not change once it indicates that a leap second correction will be performed, until the correction is actually executed. Therefore, it is also effective to monitor the value of leap second adjustment descriptors, regardless of type, and treat the value that appears most frequently among the monitored values ​​as the accurate value.

[0361] The time management methods described above enable rapid display switching and precise display control.

[0362] (Example 3) [Time management methods for content management] This embodiment describes an example of a time management method used for generating program guides, controlling recording and viewing reservations, and copyright management processes such as temporary storage. For simplicity, this embodiment will only describe the differences from Embodiment 1. Points not mentioned in this embodiment are the same as in Embodiment 1, and therefore repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0363] The broadcast receiving device of this embodiment is equipped with two types of time management functions. The first time management function is a time management function based on NTP or PCR, and is used for content decoding and presentation synchronization control as described in the above embodiment. The second time management function is the time managed by "Time_Offset_Table", and is used for program guide generation processing, recording reservation and viewing reservation control, and copyright management processing such as temporary storage. The time information of "Time_Offset_Table" is transmitted by TOT shown in Figure 9B in the MPEG2-TS format, and by MH-TOT (MH-Time_Offset_Table) shown in Figure 10F in the MMT format. Since both transmit the same information, unless otherwise specified, TOT in the MPEG2-TS format and MH-TOT in the MMT format will be collectively referred to as TOT in this embodiment.

[0364] As explained in the previous embodiment, NTP and PCR are used for content presentation synchronization and are capable of managing time intervals less than a second, but the information transmitted by TOT is as follows. The broadcast receiving device 100 is assumed to be able to obtain the current date and Japan Standard Time via TOT. Figure 19A shows an example of the data structure of TOT. The broadcast receiving device 100 can obtain the current date and current time from the 'JST_time' parameter of the TOT. As shown in Figure 19B, the 'JST_time' parameter includes the lower 16 bits of encoded data of the current date using Modified Julian Date (MJD) and 24 bits of information representing Japan Standard Time (JST) using six 4-bit binary-coded decimal (BCD) numbers. The current date can be calculated by performing a predetermined operation on the 16-bit encoded data of the MJD. Six 4-bit binary-coded decimal numbers represent the 'hours' in two decimal digits using two 4-bit binary-coded decimal numbers, the 'minutes' in two decimal digits using the next two 4-bit binary-coded decimal numbers, and the 'seconds' in two decimal digits using the last two 4-bit binary-coded decimal numbers.

[0365] In the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment, a time management function based on "JST_time," which contains 24 bits of information represented by six 4-bit binary-coded decimal numbers of TOT, is used for processing the current time to the user or for processing the event information table. The event information table is transmitted by the EIT shown in Figure 9B in the MPEG2-TS format and by the MH-EIT (MH-Event_Information_Table) shown in Figure 10F in the MMT format. Since both transmit information with the same structure, unless otherwise specified, the EIT in the MPEG2-TS format and the MH-EIT in the MMT format will be collectively referred to as EIT in this embodiment. An example of the data structure of this EIT is shown in Figure 20. "start_time" in Figure 20 is the start time of the event and is stored in the same format as in Figure 19B. Furthermore, 'duration_time' in Figure 20 represents the duration of the event, and is stored as 24 bits of information represented by six 4-bit binary-coded decimal numbers, in the format of 'hours', 'minutes', and 'seconds', each in two decimal digits.

[0366] Generally, the process of displaying the current time to the user in broadcast receiving equipment rarely requires accuracy down to the second. Furthermore, the time information described in the EIT is compatible with the time information format in the TOT, as mentioned above. Specifically, processes that use the EIT include program guide generation, control of recording and viewing reservations, and copyright management processes such as temporary storage. None of these processes require accuracy down to the second; accuracy to the second is sufficient. Thus, considering the required accuracy of time management and the data format, using time management functions based on the TOT for displaying the current time and for processes that use the EIT eliminates processing waste and leads to cost reduction.

[0367] In this embodiment, the broadcast receiving device 100 may receive both MPEG2-TS and MMT programs on a single physical channel. In this case, the TOT can receive both the MPEG2-TS TOT and the MMT MH-TOT, but it uses the TOT of the program being viewed.

[0368] <Variation of time management by TOT> However, considering that the 2K program in the MPEG2-TS format and the 4K program in the MMT format are simulcast, and there may be a situation where the reception status of the 4K program deteriorates and it switches to the 2K program as a backup, regardless of which program is being viewed, the time management of the broadcast receiver 100 may be performed using the TOT transmitted in the more stable MPEG2-TS format.

[0369] Furthermore, when switching to viewing VOD content via the Internet as backup content, since the deterioration of the reception status of the 4K program is the cause in the first place, it is advisable to use the TOT transmitted in the MPEG2-TS format as the TOT for time management of the broadcast receiver 100. During the viewing of the 4K program, time management is performed using the MH-TOT transmitted in the MMT format, and after switching to the viewing of the backup VOD content, it is also possible to switch to time management using the TOT transmitted in the MPEG2-TS format.

[0370] As described above, by using the TOT transmitted by the MPEG2-TS format that can be received more stably on the physical channel during reception for the time management of the broadcast receiving device 100, more stable time management can be realized.

[0371] According to the system of the advanced digital broadcast service having some or all of the functions of each function according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a transmission technology and a reception technology for a more highly functional advanced digital broadcast service that also takes into account compatibility with the current digital broadcast service. That is, it is possible to provide a technology for more suitably transmitting or receiving an advanced digital broadcast service.

[0372] Although examples of embodiments of the present invention have been described above using Examples 1 to 3, the configurations that realize the technology of the present invention are not limited to the above examples, and various modifications are conceivable. For example, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. All of these fall within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the numbers and messages that appear in the text and figures are merely examples, and using different ones will not impair the effects of the present invention.

[0373] The functions of the present invention described above may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them, for example, using an integrated circuit. Alternatively, they may be implemented in software by having a microprocessor unit or the like interpret and execute an operating program that implements each of these functions. Hardware and software may also be used in combination.

[0374] The software that controls the broadcast receiving device 100 may be pre-stored in the ROM 103 and / or storage unit 110 of the broadcast receiving device 100 at the time of product shipment. Alternatively, it may be acquired after product shipment from other application servers 500 on the Internet 200 via the LAN communication unit 121. Furthermore, the software stored on a memory card or optical disc may be acquired via the expansion interface unit 124. Similarly, the software that controls the personal information terminal 700 may be pre-stored in the ROM 703 and / or storage unit 710 of the personal information terminal 700 at the time of product shipment. Alternatively, it may be acquired after product shipment from other application servers 500 on the Internet 200 via the LAN communication unit 721 or the mobile telephone network communication unit 722. Furthermore, the software stored on a memory card or optical disc may be acquired via the expansion interface unit 724.

[0375] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown in the diagram are those deemed necessary for explanation and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines on the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0376] 100: Broadcast receiving device, 101: Main control unit, 102: System bus, 103: ROM, 104: RAM, 110: Storage unit, 121: LAN communication unit, 124: Expansion interface unit, 125: Digital interface unit, 130C, 130T, 130L, 130B: Tuner / Demodulation unit, 140S, 140U: Decoder unit, 180: Operation input unit, 191: Video selection unit, 192: Monitor unit, 193: Video output unit, 19 4: Audio selection unit, 195: Speaker unit, 196: Audio output unit, 180R: Remote controller, 200, 200T, 200L, 200B: Antenna, 300, 300T, 300L: Radio tower, 400C: Cable television station headend, 400: Broadcast station server, 500: Service provider server, 600: Mobile telephone communication server, 600B: Base station, 700: Personal digital assistant, 800: Internet, 800R: Router device.

Claims

1. A time management method for a broadcast receiving device that manages the time using NTP transmitted from a broadcast transmission system, A synchronization step which involves performing synchronization processing of the receiver's internal NTP system clock using the NTP transmitted from the broadcast transmission system, Information reception step: receiving information regarding leap second adjustment transmitted from the broadcast transmission system, A control step in which the time is controlled by the NTP system clock inside the receiver, Equipped with, In the control step described above, When leap second adjustments are made in the NTP transmitted from the broadcast transmission system, if the broadcast receiving device is not currently viewing a program played back using the receiver's internal NTP system clock, it inserts or removes a leap second from the time based on the information received in the information reception step. If the program is currently being viewed using the receiver's internal NTP system clock, it does not insert or remove a leap second from the time. The aforementioned leap second adjustment information includes information regarding leap second adjustments for subtitle display and information regarding leap second adjustments for presentation. Time management method.

2. In the time management method described in claim 1, In the control step described above, When leap second adjustments are made in the NTP transmitted from the broadcast transmission system, if the broadcast receiving device is watching a program that is being reproduced using the receiver's internal NTP system clock, it will not insert or remove leap seconds from the time, but when a predetermined process is performed in the broadcast receiving device, it will insert or remove leap seconds from the time based on the information received in the information reception step. Time management method.

3. In the time management method described in claim 2, The aforementioned predetermined process is at least one of the following: a channel selection operation, a simulcast switching operation, and an EPG display operation. Time management method.

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