Broadcast reception device, broadcast station device, transmission signal processing method, and content protection method
By processing transmission signals using the CMAF standard and setting decoder and browser resolution based on acquired SI information, the system ensures compatibility with existing digital broadcasting services, enabling the transition to advanced services with enhanced functionality and UHD video capabilities.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/JP2025/032217
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2025-03-19
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing digital broadcasting systems struggle to maintain compatibility with current digital broadcasting services while transitioning to advanced digital broadcasting services with higher functionality, such as UHD video signals, without replacing the existing viewing environment.
A method for processing transmission signals using the CMAF standard, where a broadcasting receiving device acquires SI information before CMAF information and sets decoder and browser resolution based on this information, enabling simultaneous reception of both current and advanced digital broadcasting services.
Facilitates the transmission and reception of advanced digital broadcasting services with higher functionality while maintaining compatibility with existing systems, allowing seamless integration and improved viewing experience.
Smart Images

Figure JP2025032217_19032026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Broadcast receiving equipment, broadcasting station equipment, method for processing transmission signals, and content protection method
[0001] The present invention relates to a broadcast receiving device, a broadcasting station device, a method for processing transmission signals, and a content protection method.
[0002] Replacing traditional analog broadcasting services, digital broadcasting services were launched in various countries from the late 1990s. Digital broadcasting services enabled improvements in broadcast quality using error correction technology, multi-channel capabilities using compression coding technology, and multimedia services using HD (High Definition), BML (Broadcast Markup Language), and HTML5 (Hyper Text Markup Language version 5).
[0003] In recent years, various countries have been exploring advanced digital broadcasting systems with the aim of further improving frequency utilization efficiency, increasing resolution, and enhancing functionality.
[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-144020
[0005] The current digital broadcasting service has been in operation for over 10 years, and broadcasting receiving equipment capable of receiving the current digital broadcasting service is widely available. Therefore, when launching the advanced digital broadcasting service currently under consideration, it is necessary to consider compatibility with the current digital broadcasting service. In other words, it is preferable to maintain the viewing environment of the current digital broadcasting service while achieving UHD (Ultra High Definition) of video signals, etc.
[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.
[0008] As a means to solve the aforementioned problems, the technology described in the claims is used.
[0009] For example, a method for processing a transmission signal sent from a broadcasting station to a broadcasting receiving device is used, wherein the transmission signal is a signal to which the CMAF standard is applied, and the broadcasting receiving device acquires SI information from the received transmission signal before CMAF information and encoding information, and sets the resolution in the decoder and browser based on the resolution information contained in the acquired SI information prior to acquiring the CMAF information and encoding information.
[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology for more favorably transmitting or receiving advanced digital broadcasting services.
[0011] This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a detailed block diagram of the first tuner / demodulator unit of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a detailed block diagram of the second tuner / demodulator unit of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a detailed block diagram of the third tuner / demodulator unit of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a detailed block diagram of the fourth tuner / demodulator unit of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a detailed block diagram of the first decoder unit of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a detailed block diagram of the second decoder unit of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a software configuration diagram of a broadcasting receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a configuration diagram of a broadcasting station server according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a configuration diagram of a service provider server according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram of a mobile information terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a software configuration diagram of a mobile information terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the segment configuration related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the hierarchical assignment in hierarchical transmission related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the OFDM transmission wave generation process related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the basic configuration of the transmission path coding unit related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the segment parameters of an OFDM system for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the transmission signal parameters for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the arrangement of pilot signals for a synchronous modulation segment for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the arrangement of pilot signals for a differential modulation segment for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the bit allocation of a TMCC carrier for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the bit allocation of TMCC information for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the transmission parameter information of TMCC information for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the system identification of TMCC information for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the carrier modulation mapping method for TMCC information for digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention.This figure illustrates the frequency conversion processing identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the physical channel number identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the main signal identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the 4K signal transmission layer identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the additional layer transmission identification of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the coding rate identification of the internal code of TMCC information related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the bit allocation of AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the configuration identification of AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates earthquake motion warning information of AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates the signal identification of earthquake motion warning information of AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates detailed earthquake motion warning information of AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates additional information relating to the transmission control of modulated waves of AC signals related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating additional transmission parameter information for an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating an error correction method for an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the constellation format of an AC signal related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating a dual-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system using a dual-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system using a dual-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating frequency conversion processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a pass-through transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the pass-through transmission bandwidth according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a pass-through transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the pass-through transmission bandwidth according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the pass-through transmission bandwidth according to one embodiment of the present invention.This is a diagram illustrating a single-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system using a single-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a system configuration diagram of a broadcasting system using a single-polarization transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating a hierarchical division multiplex transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention. 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. This is a diagram illustrating a frequency conversion amplification process according to one embodiment of the present invention. 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. This is a diagram illustrating the protocol stack of MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of tables used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of tables used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MPEG-2 TS. This is a diagram illustrating the protocol stack in the MMT broadcast transmission line. This is a diagram illustrating the protocol stack in the MMT communication line. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of tables used in MMT TLV-SI. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT TLV-SI. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of messages used in MMT-SI. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of tables used in MMT-SI. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT-SI. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT-SI. This is a diagram illustrating the names and functions of descriptors used in MMT-SI. This is a diagram illustrating the relationship between data transmission in the MMT system and each table. This is an operation sequence diagram of the channel setting process of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the network information table. This is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the terrestrial distribution system descriptor.This is a diagram illustrating the data structure of a service list descriptor. This is a diagram illustrating the data structure of a TS information descriptor. This is an external view of a remote controller according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the banner display when selecting a channel according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the speaker arrangement. This is a diagram illustrating the speaker arrangement. This is a diagram illustrating the speaker arrangement. This is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship when headphones are used. This is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship when headphones are used. This is an example of the configuration of an audio decoder for an audio signal consisting only of channel-based signals. This is an example of the configuration of an audio decoder for an advanced audio signal. This is an example of speaker system arrangement information. This is the default value of the downmix coefficient from a 22.2ch signal to a 5.1ch signal. This is the default value of the downmix coefficient from a 5.1ch signal to a 2ch signal. This is an example of a screen for selecting the speaker system to be used for audio playback. This is a diagram illustrating the metadata of an object-based signal. This is an example of metadata specifying the playback position of an object-based signal. This is an example of a screen for selecting the playback position of an object-based signal. This is an example of a screen for setting the playback position of an object-based signal. This is an example of metadata specifying the playback position of an object-based signal. This is an example of stream data specifying the playback position of an object-based signal. This is a diagram illustrating the number of signals in an HOA system signal. This is a diagram of the selection screen for selecting audio signals for each output device. This is a diagram explaining audio playback in a linked device. This is a diagram explaining the parameters that describe the number of audio signals to be transmitted and their acquisition destination. This is a diagram explaining the data structure of the audio component descriptor. This is a diagram explaining the data of the audio component type. This is an example of displaying the transmitted audio signals in an electronic program guide. This is an example of displaying the transmitted audio signals in an electronic program guide. This is an example of displaying the signal source and output device. This is a diagram explaining an example of control example of content protection processing according to this embodiment. This is a diagram explaining an example of control example of content protection processing according to this embodiment. This is a diagram explaining an example of control example of content protection processing according to this embodiment. This is a diagram explaining an example of control example of content protection processing according to this embodiment. This is a diagram explaining the data structure of the MMT package table.This diagram illustrates the asset type identification of the MMT package table according to this embodiment. This diagram illustrates the names and functions of the descriptors used in MMT-SI of the MMT according to this embodiment. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the MH-HEVC descriptor. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the MH-VVC descriptor. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the video component descriptor. This diagram illustrates the video aspect ratio identification of the video component descriptor according to this embodiment. This diagram illustrates the video frame rate identification of the video component descriptor according to this embodiment. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the MH-MPEG-4 audio descriptor. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the MH-MPEG-H audio descriptor. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the MH-MPEG-H audio descriptor. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the AC-4 audio descriptor. This diagram illustrates the data structure of the extended ground distribution system descriptor. This diagram illustrates the guard interval identification of the extended ground distribution system descriptor according to this embodiment. This diagram illustrates the mode information identification of the extended ground distribution system descriptor according to this embodiment. This diagram illustrates the frequency offset identification of the extended ground distribution system descriptor according to this embodiment. This is a block diagram of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the generation process of OFDM transmission waves related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the generation process of OFDM transmission waves related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the display of the basic layer image according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the display of sublayer image according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the display of sublayer image according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the basic layer image and sublayer image according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the generation process of OFDM transmission waves and network transmission data related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the generation process of OFDM transmission waves and network transmission data related to digital broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the display of sublayer image according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the MH-hierarchical coding descriptor. This is a diagram illustrating the bit allocation of the hierarchical coding type.This is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the MH-extended hierarchical coding descriptor. This is a diagram illustrating the bit allocation for hierarchical coding service types. This is a diagram illustrating the bit allocation for hierarchical coding service importance types. This is a diagram illustrating the protocol stack in the broadcast transmission line when the CMAF standard is applied. This is a diagram illustrating the protocol stack in the communication line when the CMAF standard is applied. This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the MMTP payload. This is a diagram illustrating the track data structure specified in the CMAF standard. This is a table showing the fragment type types. This is a diagram illustrating the difference in data transmission range between advanced BS broadcasting and CMAF. This is a diagram illustrating a part of the example of an NAL unit that shows video parameters in the VVC standard. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sample entry used by a video track in the CMAF standard. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a video sample entry used when the video track is VVC in the NAL standard. This is a diagram illustrating an example of box data used when the video track is VVC in the NAL standard. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a class in the NAL standard where parameters related to the VVC decoder are stored. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a class in the NAL standard where parameters related to the VVC profile, tier, and level are stored. This is a table showing the correspondence between the level in the class and the specified values such as resolution in the NAL standard. This diagram shows the processing flow related to the setting of the decoder and browser resolution on the broadcast receiving device side. This diagram shows the current operating regulations for advanced digital broadcasting. This diagram shows the operating regulations for advanced digital broadcasting that are proposed to be added in addition to the conventional operating regulations. This diagram shows the data structure of a partial transport stream descriptor. This diagram shows an example of a Sample description box defined in ISOBMFF. This diagram shows the processing flow related to the resolution conversion of video when stream output is performed in the broadcast receiving device. This diagram shows the processing flow related to the conversion of the transmission protocol in the broadcast receiving device. This diagram illustrates an example of a control example of content protection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. This diagram illustrates an example of a control example of content protection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. This diagram illustrates the display of a broadcast receiving device and a mobile information terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. This diagram illustrates the switching of the display of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention.This is a diagram illustrating the switching of the display of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the switching of the display of a portable information terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the switching of the display of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing the processing flow related to the switching of the display of a broadcast receiving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the switching of the display of a broadcast receiving device and a portable information terminal according to a modified example of one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of a reference for the timing of data transmission, reception, and decoding. This is a diagram showing a first example of the timing of data transmission, reception, and decoding in one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing a second example of the timing of data transmission, reception, and decoding in one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing a third example of the timing of data transmission, reception, and decoding in one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of data processing in a broadcasting station device according to one embodiment of the present 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 the configuration of a broadcasting system.
[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 800 such as the Internet and a router device 800R. In addition, various server devices and communication equipment may be further 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 integration 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. The broadcast receiving device 100 may be configured as a display device equipped with a flat-panel display having fixed pixels. Alternatively, the broadcast receiving device 100 may be configured as a projector equipped with a liquid crystal or digital mirror display panel and a projection optical system, which projects images onto a surface such as a screen.
[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 mutually send and receive data 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 content data and metadata to service providers based on a contract. 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 broadcasting 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 broadcasting 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 combined with those of the broadcasting 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. 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 Device] Figure 2A is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the broadcast receiving device 100. 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.
[0021] 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.
[0022] 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. In addition, ROM 103 stores operational setting values necessary for the operation of the broadcast receiving device 100. RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 is the work area when basic operating programs and other operational programs are executed. 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 use a portion of the storage area within the storage unit 110.
[0023] 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 Disk Drive) are used.
[0024] 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.
[0025] 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®. The LAN communication unit 121 is equipped with an encoding circuit, a decoding circuit, etc. The broadcast receiving device 100 may also be equipped with other communication units such as a Bluetooth® communication unit, an NFC communication unit, or an infrared communication unit. When the LAN communication unit 121 communicates via a wired connection, it may be equipped with hardware having a terminal compliant with an Ethernet standard such as 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, or 1000BASE-T, and communicate via this. When the LAN communication unit 121 communicates wirelessly, it may be configured as a wireless communication interface. The LAN communication unit 121 may function as an IP interface, which is one of the high-speed digital interfaces of the broadcast receiving device 100. For example, the broadcast receiving device 100 may be configured to output a packet stream containing encoded digital video data and / or digital audio data of the content it receives as an IP interface output. When outputting copy-protected content to an external device as an IP interface output via the LAN communication unit 121, the content is protected and output according to various DTCP specifications, such as the DTCP (Digital Transaction Content Protection) specification and the DTCP2 specification.
[0026] 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 predetermined service channels based on the control of the main control unit 101. Furthermore, they perform demodulation and waveform shaping of the modulated waves of the received signals, as well as reconstruction of frame and hierarchical structures, despreading energy, error correction decoding, etc., to regenerate the packet stream. They also extract and decode the transmission TMCC (Transmission Multiplexing Configuration Control) signal from the received signal.
[0027] The first tuner / demodulator 130C can receive digital broadcast signals from the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by the antenna 200C, which is the antenna used to receive current terrestrial digital broadcasts. The first tuner / demodulator 130C can also receive broadcast signals of one of the polarizations of the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service (horizontal (H) polarization signal and vertical (V) polarization signal), as 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 single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service, as 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 service, as described later, and demodulate segments of the layer that employ the same modulation scheme as the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service.
[0028] The second tuner / demodulator 130T receives the digital broadcast waves of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by the antenna 200T, which is a dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting receiving antenna, via the conversion unit 201T. Alternatively, the second tuner / demodulator 130T may also receive the digital broadcast waves of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by a single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting receiving antenna (not shown). When the second tuner / demodulator 130T receives the digital broadcast waves of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service from a single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting receiving antenna (not shown), the conversion unit 201T is not required. The antenna 200T that receives the digital broadcast waves of dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting comprises an element that receives horizontal polarization signals and an element that receives vertical polarization signals. The single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting receiving antenna (not shown) comprises either an element that receives horizontal polarization signals or an element that receives vertical polarization signals. The antenna for receiving single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting (not shown) may be shared with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting antenna, Antenna 200C.
[0029] The third tuner / demodulator 130L receives the digital broadcast waves of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service received by the antenna 200L, which is a hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting receiving antenna, via the conversion unit 201L.
[0030] The fourth tuner / demodulator 130B receives digital broadcast signals from advanced BS (Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcasting services and advanced CS (Communication Satellite) digital broadcasting services received by antenna 200B, which is a BS / CS shared receiving antenna, via the conversion unit 201B. The term "tuner / demodulator" refers to a component equipped with both tuner and demodulator functions.
[0031] 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.
[0032] Also, the above-mentioned current terrestrial digital broadcast is a broadcast signal of a terrestrial digital broadcast service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 pixels horizontally × 1080 pixels vertically.
[0033] Also, the details of dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcast (advanced terrestrial digital broadcast adopting the dual-polarization transmission method) and single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcast (advanced terrestrial digital broadcast adopting the single-polarization transmission method) will be described later. It is a broadcast signal of a terrestrial digital broadcast service that can transmit video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 pixels horizontally × 1080 pixels vertically. The dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcast is a terrestrial digital broadcast that uses multiple polarizations of horizontal (H) polarization and vertical (V) polarization. In both polarizations of the multiple polarizations, in a part of the segmented segments, it transmits a terrestrial digital broadcast service that can transmit video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 pixels horizontally × 1080 pixels vertically. The single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcast is a terrestrial digital broadcast that uses either the horizontal (H) polarization or the vertical (V) polarization. In a part of the segmented segments, it transmits a terrestrial digital broadcast service that can transmit video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 pixels horizontally × 1080 pixels vertically.
[0034] In the description 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 "polarized signals." 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. Furthermore, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting can transmit the aforementioned current terrestrial digital broadcasting, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, using the same modulation scheme in a divided portion of the segment. In other words, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting can simultaneously transmit the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, and a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, in different segments of each embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Also, although the details of hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting (advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting adopting the hierarchical division multiplex transmission method) will be described later, it is a broadcast signal of a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a pixel count exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels as the maximum resolution. Hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting multiplexes a plurality of digital broadcast signals with different signal levels. Note that digital broadcast signals with different signal levels mean that the transmission power of the digital broadcast signals is different. The hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting of each embodiment of the present invention uses, as the plurality of digital broadcast signals with different signal levels, the broadcast signal of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels as the maximum resolution and the broadcast signal of a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a pixel count exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels as the maximum resolution, and can transmit them in a hierarchical multiplex manner in the frequency band of the same physical channel. That is, in the hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting of each embodiment of the present invention, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels as the maximum resolution and a terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a pixel count exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × x 1080 vertical pixels as the maximum resolution can be transmitted simultaneously in a plurality of layers with different signal levels.
[0036] Note that the broadcast receiving device in each embodiment of the present invention only needs to be configured to be able to preferably receive advanced digital broadcasting, and it is not essential to include 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. Also, in order to realize more advanced functions, in addition to one of the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T or the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L, one or more of the above four tuner / demodulation units may be provided together.
[0037] 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.
[0038] The first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U each receive packet streams output 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, 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 the format of MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)-2 TS (Transport Stream), MPEG-2 PS (Program Stream), TLV (Type Length Value), MMT (MPEG Media Transport), etc.
[0039] The first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U perform the following, respectively: Conditional Access (CA) processing; multiplexing and extraction of 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 and audio data; acquisition of program information and generation of an EPG (Electronic Program Guide); and playback of data broadcast screens and multimedia data. They also perform processing to superimpose the generated EPG and played-back multimedia data with the decoded video and audio data.
[0040] 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 appropriate scaling processing and OSD (On Screen Display) data superposition processing. 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. The video output unit 193 may also be a video output interface via an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal. Alternatively, a video output interface that outputs video to an external device via wireless communication may also be used. When outputting video of copy-protected content from the video output unit 193, the video is output with protection processing in accordance with the HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) specification.
[0041] 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. The audio output unit 196 may be an audio output interface via an HDMI terminal. Alternatively, it may be an audio output interface that outputs audio to the outside via wireless communication. When outputting audio from content with copy protection from the audio output unit 196, protection processing is applied according to the HDCP specification before output.
[0042] Alternatively, the video output unit 193 and the audio output unit 196 may be integrated to form a video and audio output interface via an HDMI terminal.
[0043] 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 control the input of video data and audio data received from an external source via the digital interface unit 125 to the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U, or to store them in the storage unit 110. As an example, the digital interface unit 125 may be an output interface that outputs as an HDMI Ethernet Channel via an HDMI terminal. When outputting copy-protected content to an external device as an IP interface output via the digital interface unit 125, the content is protected and output according to various DTCP specifications, such as the DTCP (Digital Transaction Content Protection) specification and the DTCP2 specification.
[0044] The expansion interface unit 124 is a group of interfaces for expanding the functions 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 receives analog video / audio signals from an external video / audio output device and outputs analog video / audio signals to an external video / audio input device. The USB interface connects to a PC or the like to send and receive 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 to send and receive data.
[0045] 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) and an operation key with a row of button switches. Either one or the other may be used. 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. Note that in the following embodiments, the "keys" on the remote control can all be referred to as "buttons".
[0046] 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 essential 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, an STB (Set-Top Box), etc. It may also be a PC (Personal Computer) or tablet terminal equipped with a digital broadcasting service receiving function. If the broadcast receiving device 100 is a DVD recorder, HDD recorder, STB, etc., the monitor unit 192 and the speaker unit 195 are not essential 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 can be achieved. Figure 2B is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C.
[0047] 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 acquires various TMCC information. The acquired TMCC information is used to control each subsequent process. Details of the TMCC signal and TMCC information will be described later.
[0048] The demodulation unit 133C receives a modulated wave modulated using methods such as QPSK (Quadraturium Phase Shift Keying), DQPSK (Differential QPSK), 16QAM (Quadraturium 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.
[0049] The stream playback unit 134C performs hierarchical segmentation, internal code error correction processing such as Viterbi decoding, energy despreading processing, stream playback processing, external code error correction processing such as RS (Reed Solomon) decoding, etc. Note that error correction methods different from 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.
[0050] Figure 2C is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the second tuner / demodulator 130T.
[0051] 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 into 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 into two different channels of a digital broadcasting service transmitted using only horizontal polarization (or only vertical polarization).
[0052] 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. The configurations for the horizontal (H) polarized signal, the vertical (V) polarized signal, and their reception described below may also be reversed.
[0053] The TMCC decoding unit 132H extracts the TMCC signal from the output signal of the tuning / detection unit 131H and acquires various TMCC information. The TMCC decoding unit 132V extracts the TMCC signal from the output signal of the tuning / detection unit 131V and acquires 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.
[0054] Demodulation units 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, 1024QAM, etc., based on TMCC information, and perform demodulation processing including frequency deinterleaving, time deinterleaving, and carrier demapping. Demodulation units 133H and 133V may also be capable of supporting modulation methods different from those described above.
[0055] The stream playback units 134H and 134V perform hierarchical segmentation, internal code error correction processing such as Viterbi decoding and LDPC (Low Density Partity Check) decoding, energy despreading processing, stream playback processing, external code error correction processing such as RS decoding and BCH decoding, etc. Note that error correction processing methods different from 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, a TLV containing MPEG-2 TS or MMT packet streams. Other types of packet streams may also be used.
[0056] Furthermore, when the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T receives a digital broadcast wave of single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, the tuning / detection unit 131V, the TMCC decoding unit 132V, and the demodulation unit 133V do not need to be provided. Also, when the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service and the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service are transmitted simultaneously on different segments, the signal from the segment transmitting the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service is input to the stream playback unit 134H, and the signal from the segment transmitting the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service is input to the stream playback unit 134V.
[0057] Figure 2D is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the third tuner / demodulator 130L.
[0058] 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.
[0059] 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 acquires 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.
[0060] 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. Figure 2E is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B.
[0061] The channel selection / detection unit 131B receives digital broadcast waves from the advanced BS digital broadcasting service and advanced CS digital broadcasting service received by the antenna 200B and selects channels based on the channel selection control signal. Other operations are the same as those of the channel selection / detection unit 131H and channel selection / detection unit 131V, so a detailed explanation is 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 a detailed explanation is omitted.
[0062] Figure 2F is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the first decoder unit 140S.
[0063] 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.
[0064] 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 (for example, MPEG-2 PS, etc.) 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 unit 125, and can also receive packet streams acquired from the outside via the digital interface unit 125.
[0065] The video decoder 145S processes the video data input from the multiplexing / separation 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 x 2160 vertical pixels), HD (1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels), and SD (720 horizontal pixels x 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 multiple video and audio data decoding processes simultaneously.
[0066] The data decoder 144S performs processes such as generating an EPG based on program information data, generating a data broadcast screen 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 broadcast 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.
[0067] 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.
[0068] Figure 2G is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the second decoder unit 140U.
[0069] 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 the like as the video compression method. 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.
[0070] 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., 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 unit 125, and can also receive packet streams acquired from the outside via the digital interface unit 125.
[0071] The multimedia decoder 144U performs processes such as generating an EPG 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.
[0072] 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, further detailed explanations are omitted.
[0073] [Software Configuration of Broadcast Receiving Device] 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, hereinafter 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.
[0074] 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.
[0075] 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.
[0076] 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 and separation processing (stream decoding processing), video data decoding processing, and audio data decoding processing in the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U. The multimedia (MM) data playback unit 1102d primarily controls the BML data playback processing, text superimposed data decoding processing, subtitle data decoding processing, and communication link application control processing in the first decoder unit 140S, and the HTML data playback processing, multimedia screen generation processing, and communication link application control processing in the second decoder unit 140U. The EPG generation unit 1102e primarily controls the EPG generation processing and the display processing of the generated EPG in the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U. The presentation processing unit 1102f controls colorimetry conversion processing, dynamic range conversion processing, resolution conversion processing, and audio downmix processing in the first decoder unit 140S and the second decoder unit 140U, as well as controlling the video selection unit 191 and the audio selection unit 194.
[0077] The BML browser 1103a and HTML browser 1103b of the browser engine 1103 interpret the BML document and HTML document during the aforementioned BML data playback processing and HTML data playback processing, and perform data broadcast screen generation processing and multimedia screen generation processing.
[0078] The content management unit 1104 manages the time schedule and execution control when making recording and viewing reservations for broadcast programs, manages copyright when outputting broadcast programs and recorded programs from the digital interface unit 125, LAN communication unit 121, etc., and manages the expiration date of linked applications acquired based on the broadcast communication linkage function.
[0079] 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 or optical disc may be acquired via the expansion interface unit 124, etc. They may also be newly acquired or updated via broadcast waves.
[0080] [Broadcasting station 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, a RAM 404, a storage unit 410, a LAN communication unit 421, and a digital broadcast signal transmission unit 460.
[0081] 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.
[0082] The storage unit 410 stores a basic operation program 4001, a content management / distribution program 4002, and a 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.
[0083] 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.
[0084] 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.
[0085] The content management / distribution control unit 4102 manages the 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 the contract. Furthermore, when providing content data and metadata to the service providers, the content management / distribution control unit 4102 also performs authentication processing of the service provider server 500 as necessary.
[0086] 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 of the program content, etc., of broadcast programs stored in the metadata storage area 4012, via the digital broadcast signal transmission unit 460.
[0087] 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 of each broadcast program stored in the content data storage area 4011 and transmits it as a digital broadcast wave via the radio tower 300.
[0088] [Configuration of the Service Provider Server] 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, a RAM 504, a storage unit 510, and a LAN communication unit 521.
[0089] 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.
[0090] 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.
[0091] 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.
[0092] 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.
[0093] 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.
[0094] 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 portable information terminal 700 via the router device 800R. The LAN communication unit 521 is equipped with encoding circuits, decoding circuits, and the like.
[0095] [Hardware Configuration of the Personal Information Terminal] Figure 3C is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the personal information terminal 700. The personal information terminal 700 consists of a main control unit 701, a system bus 702, a ROM 703, a RAM 704, a storage unit 710, a communication processing unit 720, an expansion interface unit 724, an operation unit 730, an image processing unit 740, an audio processing unit 750, and a sensor unit 760.
[0096] The main control unit 701 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire portable information terminal 700 according to a predetermined operating program. The system bus 702 is a communication path for sending and receiving various data and commands between the main control unit 701 and each operating block within the portable information terminal 700.
[0097] ROM 703 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 or flash ROM is used. ROM 703 also stores operational settings necessary for the operation of the portable information terminal 700. RAM 704 serves as the work area during the execution of basic operating programs and other operational programs. ROM 703 and RAM 704 may be integrated with the main control unit 701. Furthermore, ROM 703 may not have an independent configuration as shown in Figure 3C, but may instead utilize a portion of the storage area within the storage unit 710.
[0098] The storage unit 710 stores the operating program and settings of the personal information terminal 700, as well as the personal information of the personal information terminal 700 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 videos, still images, and audio downloaded via the Internet 800. A portion of the storage unit 710 may replace all or part of the functions of the ROM 703. In addition, the storage unit 710 needs to retain the stored information even when the personal information terminal 700 is not supplied with external power. Therefore, devices such as semiconductor memory such as flash ROM or SSD, or magnetic disk drives such as HDDs are used.
[0099] Furthermore, the aforementioned operating programs stored in ROM 703 and storage unit 710 can be added, updated, and have their functions expanded through download processes from server devices on the Internet 800.
[0100] The communication processing unit 720 consists of a LAN communication unit 721, a mobile telephone network communication unit 722, and an NFC communication unit 723. The LAN communication unit 721 is connected to the Internet 800 via a router device 800R and transmits and receives data with various server devices and other communication devices on the Internet 800. The connection with the router device 800R is made via a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The mobile telephone network communication unit 722 performs telephone communication (calls) and data transmission and reception via wireless communication with a base station 600B of the mobile telephone communication network. The NFC communication unit 723 performs wireless communication when in proximity to a corresponding reader / writer. The LAN communication unit 721, the mobile telephone network communication unit 722, and the NFC communication unit 723 are each equipped with coding circuits, decoding circuits, antennas, etc. The communication processing unit 720 may also further include other communication units such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit or an infrared communication unit.
[0101] The expansion interface section 724 is a group of interfaces for expanding the functions of the portable information terminal 700, and in this embodiment, it consists of a video / audio interface, a USB interface, a memory interface, etc. The video / audio interface handles the input of video / audio signals from an external video / audio output device, the output of video / audio signals to an external video / audio input device, etc. The USB interface connects to a PC or the like to send and receive data. It may also be used to connect a keyboard or other USB devices. The memory interface connects to a memory card or other memory medium to send and receive data.
[0102] The operation unit 730 is an instruction input unit that inputs operation instructions for the portable information terminal 700. In this embodiment, it consists of a touch panel 730T superimposed on the display unit 741 and an operation key 730K with a row of button switches. Either one or the other may be used. The portable information terminal 700 may also be operated using a keyboard or the like connected to the expansion interface unit 724. The portable information terminal 700 may also be operated using a separate terminal device connected by wired or wireless communication. That is, the portable information terminal 700 may be operated from the broadcast receiving device 100. Furthermore, the touch panel function may be provided by the display unit 741.
[0103] The image processing unit 740 consists of a display unit 741, an image signal processing unit 742, a first image input unit 743, and a second image input unit 744. The display unit 741 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, and provides the image data processed by the image signal processing unit 742 to the user of the portable information terminal 700. The image signal processing unit 742 includes a video RAM (not shown), and the display unit 741 is driven based on the image data input to the video RAM. The image signal processing unit 742 also has functions to perform format conversion, menu and other OSD (On Screen Display) signal superposition processing as needed. The first image input unit 743 and the second image input unit 744 are camera units that input image data of the surroundings and objects by converting light input from the lens into electrical signals using electronic devices such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensors.
[0104] The audio processing unit 750 consists of an audio output unit 751, an audio signal processing unit 752, and an audio input unit 753. The audio output unit 751 is a speaker and provides the audio signal processed by the audio signal processing unit 752 to the user of the portable information terminal 700. The audio input unit 753 is a microphone and inputs the user's voice and other sounds as audio data.
[0105] The sensor unit 760 is a group of sensors for detecting the state of the portable information terminal 700. In this embodiment, it consists of a GPS receiver 761, a gyro sensor 762, a geomagnetic sensor 763, an acceleration sensor 764, an illuminance sensor 765, and a proximity sensor 766. These sensors enable the detection of the position, tilt, direction, movement, ambient brightness, proximity of surrounding objects, etc., of the portable information terminal 700. The portable information terminal 700 may also be equipped with other sensors, such as a barometric pressure sensor.
[0106] The personal digital information terminal 700 may be a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, etc. It may also be a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or a notebook PC. It may also be a digital still camera, a video camera capable of recording video, a portable game console, a navigation device, or other portable digital device.
[0107] The example configuration of the portable information terminal 700 shown in Figure 3C includes many components that are not essential to this embodiment, such as the sensor unit 760. However, the effectiveness of this embodiment will not be impaired even if these components are not included. Furthermore, additional components not shown, such as a digital broadcasting reception function or an electronic money payment function, may also be included.
[0108] [Software Configuration of the Portable Information Terminal] Figure 3D is a software configuration diagram of the portable information terminal 700, showing an example of the software configuration in the ROM 703, RAM 704, and storage unit 710. The ROM 703 stores the basic operation program 7001 and other operation programs. The storage unit 710 stores the cooperation control program 7002 and other operation programs. The storage unit 710 also includes a content storage area 7200 for storing content data such as video, still images, and audio, an authentication information storage area 7300 for storing authentication information necessary when accessing the television receiver and various server devices, and various information storage areas for storing other various information.
[0109] The basic operation program 7001 stored in the ROM 703 is loaded into the RAM 704, and the main control unit 701 then executes the loaded basic operation program to constitute the basic operation execution unit 7101. Similarly, the cooperation control program 7002 stored in the storage unit 710 is loaded into the RAM 704, and the main control unit 701 then executes the loaded cooperation control program to constitute the cooperation control execution unit 7102. The RAM 704 also includes a temporary storage area that temporarily holds data created when each operation program is executed, as needed.
[0110] For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the process in which the main control unit 701 controls each operation block by loading the basic operation program 7001 stored in the ROM 703 into the RAM 704 and executing it will be described as if the basic operation execution unit 7101 controls each operation block. The same description will be applied to other operation programs.
[0111] The collaborative control execution unit 7102 manages device authentication and connection, transmission and reception of various data, etc., when the mobile information terminal 700 performs collaborative operations with the television receiver. The collaborative control execution unit 7102 also includes a browser engine function for executing applications that work in conjunction with the television receiver.
[0112] Each of the aforementioned operating programs may be pre-stored in the ROM 703 and / or storage unit 710 at the time of product shipment. After product shipment, they may be obtained from a server device on the Internet 800 via the LAN communication unit 721 or the mobile telephone network communication unit 722. Alternatively, each of the aforementioned operating programs stored on a memory card, optical disc, etc., may be obtained via the expansion interface unit 724, etc.
[0113] [Digital Broadcast Waves] Here, an example of digital broadcast waves received by the broadcast receiving device of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0114] 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 and single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting that the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T can receive are advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services that share some specifications with the ISDB-T system. Furthermore, the hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting that the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L can receive is also an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service that shares some specifications with the ISDB-T system. Note that the current terrestrial digital broadcasting that the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C can receive is ISDB-T terrestrial digital broadcasting. Furthermore, the advanced BS digital broadcasts and advanced CS digital broadcasts that the fourth tuner / demodulator 130B can receive are digital broadcasts that differ from the ISDB-T system.
[0115] In this embodiment, the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, and hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting employ OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), one of the multi-carrier transmission methods, as with the ISDB-T system. Because OFDM is a multi-carrier system, the symbol length is long, and it is effective to add a redundant portion in the time axis direction called a guard interval, which can reduce 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.
[0116] In this embodiment, the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, and hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting divide 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 sequentially assigned above and below it. Transmission path coding for the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, and hierarchical division multiplex terrestrial digital broadcasting in 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 three layers. Figure 4B shows an example of OFDM segment hierarchical assignment when the number of hierarchies is 3 or 2. In the example in Figure 4B(1), the number of hierarchies is 3, with hierarchy A consisting of 1 segment (segment 0), hierarchy B consisting of 7 segments (segments 1-7), and hierarchy C consisting of 5 segments (segments 8-12). In the example in Figure 4B(2), the number of hierarchies is 3, with hierarchy A consisting of 1 segment (segment 0), hierarchy B consisting of 5 segments (segments 1-5), and hierarchy C consisting of 7 segments (segments 6-12). In the example in Figure 4B(3), the number of hierarchies is 2, with hierarchy A consisting of 1 segment (segment 0) and hierarchy B consisting of 12 segments (segments 1-12). The number of OFDM segments in each hierarchy, transmission path coding parameters, etc., are determined according to the organization information and are transmitted by TMCC signals, which are control information to assist the operation of the receiver.
[0117] As an example of how to use the segment hierarchy assignments (1), (2), and (3) in Figure 4B, the following example is possible.
[0118] 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 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, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 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 x 1080 vertical pixels may also transmit the same service using the seven vertically polarized segments mentioned above. In this case, this will also be treated as layer B.) Furthermore, a C layer may be configured to transmit an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels using the five horizontally polarized segments mentioned above, 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.
[0119] Furthermore, the hierarchical assignment shown in Figure 4B(1) can be used in the single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment. Specifically, the current mobile reception service for terrestrial digital broadcasting can be transmitted using the 1 segment as the A hierarchical layer. Alternatively, 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 7 segments as the B hierarchical layer. Furthermore, the C hierarchical layer can be configured to transmit an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels using the 5 segments. In this case, the C hierarchical layer uses a carrier modulation method, error correction coding method, video coding method, etc., that are more efficient than those used in current terrestrial digital broadcasting. Details of this transmission will be described later. The transmission waves of this segment hierarchical assignment can be received, for example, by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcasting receiver 100.
[0120] Furthermore, as an example not shown in the figures, in the single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service may be transmitted in one segment of layer A, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels may be transmitted in eight segments of layer B, and an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels may be transmitted in four segments of layer C. In this case as well, layer C will use a carrier modulation method, error correction coding method, video coding method, etc., that are more efficient than the current terrestrial digital broadcasting. Details of the transmission will be described later. The transmission waves assigned to the segment layers can be received, for example, by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcasting reception device 100.
[0121] 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-mentioned 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-mentioned 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-mentioned 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-mentioned 7 segments for horizontal polarization. (Note that a terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels may also transmit the same service using the seven vertically polarized segments mentioned above. In this case, this will also be treated as a C layer.) 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.
[0122] Furthermore, the hierarchical assignment in Figure 4B(2) can be used as a different example from Figure 4B(1) in the single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment. Specifically, the current mobile reception service for terrestrial digital broadcasting can be transmitted in the above 1 segment as hierarchical A. Furthermore, the above 5 segments may be configured to transmit an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels as hierarchical B. In this case, hierarchical B uses a carrier modulation method, error correction coding method, video coding method, etc., that are more efficient than those used in current terrestrial digital broadcasting. Also, the above 7 segments may be used as hierarchical C to transmit the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels. Details of this transmission will be described later. The transmission waves of this segment hierarchical assignment can be received, for example, by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcasting receiver 100 in this embodiment.
[0123] 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 the A layer. Furthermore, the B layer can be configured to transmit an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution exceeding 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, or the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels × 1080 vertical pixels, in the 12 segments shown in the figure. The transmission waves of this segment hierarchical assignment can be received, for example, by the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L of the broadcasting reception device 100 in this embodiment. When used in current terrestrial digital broadcasting, the A layer, represented by 1 segment in the diagram, should transmit the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service, and the B layer, represented by 12 segments in the diagram, should transmit the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, which transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels. The transmission waves assigned to this segment layer can be received, for example, by the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C of the broadcasting reception device 100 in this embodiment.
[0124] 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 dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, and hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment. The source encoding unit 411 encodes video, audio, and various data respectively. The multiplexing unit / limited reception processing unit 415 multiplexes the video, audio, and various data encoded by the source encoding unit 411, and further performs processing corresponding to limited reception as appropriate, outputting it as a packet stream. Multiple source encoding units 411 and multiplexing units / limited reception processing units 415 can exist in parallel to generate multiple packet streams. The transmission path encoding unit 416 remultiplexes these multiple packet streams into a single packet stream, performs transmission path encoding processing, and outputs it as an OFDM transmission wave. The configuration shown in Figure 4C, although the details of the source encoding and transmission path encoding methods differ, is common to the ISDB-T method as a configuration that realizes the generation process of OFDM transmission waves. Therefore, among the multiple source encoding units 411 and multiplexing / restricted reception processing units 415, some 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. When 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. When 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. Naturally, all of the multiple source encoding units 411 and the multiplexing / limited reception processing units 415 may be configured for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, and all packet streams multiplexed by the transmission path encoding unit 416 may also be packet streams for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services.
[0125] Figure 4D shows an example of the configuration of the transmission line coding unit 416.
[0126] 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, bit interleaving 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 carrier modulation process. The packet stream input from the multiplexing / limited reception processing unit 415 may have TMCC information, mode, guard interval ratio, and other information multiplexed into it. The packet stream input to the transmission path coding unit 416 may be a TSP stream as defined by 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.
[0127] Next, Figure 4D(2) will be described. 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 subjected to remultiplexing processing has error correction redundancy added, 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.
[0128] In the configuration example shown in Figure 4D(2), the outer code processing, power spreading processing, byte interleaving, inner code processing, bit interleaving processing, mapping processing, 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).
[0129] 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 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, the processing of external codes, internal codes, mapping, etc., is 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 an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service capable of transmitting video with a maximum resolution of more than 1920 horizontal pixels x 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).
[0130] 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.
[0131] 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.
[0132] 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 x 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.
[0133] 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 terrestrial digital broadcasting service receiving device 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 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.
[0134] 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.
[0135] 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 in both broadcast receiving equipment compatible with advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services and existing receiving equipment for current terrestrial digital broadcasting services.
[0136] In this embodiment, when generating OFDM transmission waves for single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, the transmission path coding unit 416 shown in Figure 4D(2) only needs to consist of either a system for generating horizontally polarized (H) OFDM transmission waves or a system for generating vertically polarized (V) OFDM transmission waves. In this case as well, the OFDM transmission waves transmitted with this configuration have, for example, the segment configuration shown in Figure 4B(1) or (2). However, unlike the case of generating OFDM transmission waves for dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting described above, only one of the horizontally polarized OFDM transmission waves or the vertically polarized OFDM transmission waves is transmitted. Other configurations and operations are the same as in the case of generating OFDM transmission waves for dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting described above.
[0137] 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.
[0138] However, in the configuration of Figure 4D(3), modulated waves transmitted in the upper layer and modulated waves transmitted in the lower layer are generated separately, and after multiplexing, an OFDM transmission wave, which is a digital broadcast wave, is generated. The processing system shown on the upper side of the configuration of 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 of Figure 4D(3) is the current mobile reception service for terrestrial digital broadcasting and the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service that transmits video with a maximum resolution of 1920 horizontal pixels x 1080 vertical pixels, and the various processes in the processing system for generating the modulated wave transmitted in the upper layer of 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 of 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 x 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 x 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).
[0139] 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 (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 (12 segments). In the latter case, as in 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.
[0140] 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 the 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 x 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 x 1080 vertical pixels, which are included in the modulated wave transmitted in the lower layer, can be received and demodulated by the broadcast receiving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0141] 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.
[0142] In the OFDM transmission wave generation process shown in Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, three modes with different carrier counts are provided, taking into consideration the suitability of the SFN to the inter-station distance and its resistance to Doppler shift in mobile reception. Further modes with different carrier counts 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 resistance to multipath interference with long delay time differences. On the other hand, in modes with a small number of carriers, the carrier spacing widens, making it less susceptible to inter-carrier interference caused by Doppler shift that occurs in mobile reception, etc.
[0143] 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 modulation scheme different from the modulation scheme of the 'data' carrier. 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 modulation scheme of the 'data' carrier (all QPSK or higher, i.e., 4 states or higher), thereby improving their sensitivity to noise.
[0144] 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 incompatible with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting mobile reception service. Specifically, the 256QAM, 1024QAM, and 4096QAM modulation schemes for the 'data' carrier 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 256QAM, 1024QAM, and 4096QAM modulation schemes for the 'data' carrier are not used in the processing at the layer where compatibility with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service is required. 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.
[0145] Furthermore, the modulation scheme for the pilot symbol (SP and CP) carrier 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.
[0146] Furthermore, LDPC coding is not used as an internal coding method in current terrestrial digital broadcasting services. Therefore, in the OFDM broadcast wave generation processing shown in Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, LDPC coding is not used in 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 processing shown in Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment, BCH coding is not used in 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.
[0147] Furthermore, Figure 4F shows an example of transmission signal parameters per physical channel (6 MHz bandwidth) for the OFDM broadcast wave generation process according to Figures 4D(1), 4D(2), and 4D(3) of this embodiment. In the OFDM broadcast wave generation process according 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 in 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).
[0148] 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.
[0149] 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.
[0150] 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 synchronous modulation segment 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 differential modulation segment and is used for demodulation.
[0151] AC1 and AC2 are signals that carry information over the CP (Control Panel). 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.
[0152] 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.
[0153] [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 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 predetermined amplitude and phase references. B1 to B16 are synchronization signals and consist of 16-bit words. 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 TMCC information. B122 to B203 are parity bits.
[0154] 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), which uses a common transmission method, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.
[0155] Figure 5D shows an example of bit allocation for system identification. Two bits are allocated to the system identification signal. In the case of the current terrestrial digital television broadcasting system, '00' is set. In the case of the terrestrial digital audio broadcasting system with a common transmission method, '01' is set. Furthermore, in the case of the advanced terrestrial digital television broadcasting system, such as the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, or hierarchical division multiplexing terrestrial digital broadcasting according to this embodiment, '10' is set. In the advanced terrestrial digital television broadcasting system, it is possible to simultaneously transmit 2K broadcast programs (broadcast programs with horizontal 1920 pixels × vertical 1080 pixels, and may include broadcast programs with lower resolutions) and 4K broadcast programs (broadcast programs with more than horizontal 1920 pixels × vertical 1080 pixels, and not limited to broadcast programs with horizontal 3840 pixels × vertical 2160 pixels) within the same service by broadcast wave transmission using the dual-polarization transmission method, single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting, or hierarchical division multiplexing method.
[0156] The transmission parameter switching index is used to notify the receiver of the switching timing by counting down when switching transmission parameters. Normally, this index has a value of "1111", and when switching transmission parameters, 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 sent. The index value returns to "1111" after "0000". The countdown is performed when switching one or more of the parameters shown in Figure 5B, such as the system identification of the TMCC information, the transmission parameter information included in the current information / next information, the frequency conversion processing identification, the main signal identification, the 4K signal transmission layer identification, and the additional layer transmission identification. The countdown is not performed when only the activation control signal of the TMCC information is switched.
[0157] 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.
[0158] 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'.
[0159] Figure 5E shows an example of bit allocation for the carrier modulation mapping method (data carrier modulation method) in each layer transmission parameter for current information / next information. If this parameter is '000', it indicates that the modulation method is DQPSK. If it is '001', it indicates that the modulation method is QPSK. If it is '010', it indicates that the modulation method is 16QAM. If it is '011', it indicates that the modulation method is 64QAM. If it is '100', it indicates that the modulation method is 256QAM. If it is '101', it indicates that the modulation method is 1024QAM. If it is '110', it indicates that the modulation method is 4096QAM. If there is no unused layer or next information, this parameter is set to '111'.
[0160] Settings such as coding rate and time interleave length may be set according to the organization information of each layer for current information / 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.
[0161] Figure 5F shows an example of bit assignment for frequency conversion processing identification. The frequency conversion processing identification bit is set to '0' when the 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) described later is performed in the conversion unit 201T or conversion unit 201L 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 the signal is transmitted from the broadcasting station, and then rewritten to '0' in the conversion unit 201T or conversion unit 201L when the 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.
[0162] 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.
[0163] 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.
[0164] As a variation, 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'.
[0165] 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". The bits for physical channel number identification 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 13ch to 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.
[0166] 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 physical channel number identification bit value 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.
[0167] 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.
[0168] 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 the 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 the dual-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service, vertical polarization is the primary polarization and horizontal polarization is the secondary polarization.
[0169] 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.
[0170] 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 wave 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 wave 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 definition of the meanings of '1' and '0' in the main signal identification bits may be the reverse of the explanation above.
[0171] 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 primary signal identification bits above, so a further explanation is omitted. Note that the definitions of the meanings of "1" and "0" in the polarization direction identification bits can be the reverse of the explanation above.
[0172] 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'. Alternatively, 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 an 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.
[0173] 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.
[0174] Note that the main signal identification, polarization direction identification, and first / second signal identification mentioned above are not essential when the broadcast wave is a single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service according to this embodiment or when it is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service; in such cases, these parameters can be set to '1'.
[0175] 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 broadcast wave is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, this parameter should be set to '1'.
[0176] In the hierarchical multiplex 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 a transmission wave of hierarchical multiplex 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 allows the initial scan of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmitted in the lower layer to be performed after the initial scan of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmitted in the upper layer 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. Furthermore, the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L of the broadcasting receiving device 100 can also use this identification result to switch the processing between the demodulation unit 133S and the demodulation unit 133L.
[0177] In the following descriptions of dual-polarization transmission methods 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.
[0178] 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.
[0179] Furthermore, if the transmitted broadcast wave is the single-polarization terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmission wave according to this embodiment, the 4K signal transmission layer identification bit should indicate whether or not 4K broadcast programs will be transmitted 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 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 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 4K broadcast programs will be transmitted in each of the B and C layers.
[0180] Furthermore, if the broadcast wave to be transmitted is the broadcast wave of the hierarchical multiplexed terrestrial digital broadcasting service of this embodiment, the bit for 4K signal transmission hierarchical identification should indicate whether or not 4K broadcast programs are transmitted in the lower hierarchical layer. If B119 of this parameter is '0', 4K broadcast programs are transmitted in the lower hierarchical layer. If B119 of this parameter is '1', 4K broadcast programs are not transmitted in the lower hierarchical layer. In this way, the broadcast receiving device 100 can use the bit for 4K signal transmission hierarchical identification to determine whether or not 4K broadcast programs are transmitted in the lower hierarchical layer. Note that if the broadcast wave to be transmitted is the broadcast wave of the hierarchical multiplexed terrestrial digital broadcasting service of this embodiment, B118 of this parameter may be undefined.
[0181] Furthermore, if this parameter is set to '0', in addition to the basic modulation scheme shown in Figure 5E, the NUC (Non-Uniform Constellation) modulation scheme can be adopted 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.
[0182] Furthermore, if the broadcast wave being transmitted is not an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, these parameters may be set to '1'.
[0183] Note that the definitions of '0' and '1' bits for 4K signal transmission layer identification, as explained above, may be reversed from the explanation given above.
[0184] 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.
[0185] 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 the secondary polarization is used as a virtual D-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 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 the secondary polarization is not used as a virtual D-layer, but is used as the B-layer.
[0186] 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.
[0187] 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.
[0188] 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 of 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.
[0189] As a variation, if the additional layer transmission identification bit (D layer transmission identification bit and / or E layer transmission identification bit) is '0', 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 may be configured to switch 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.
[0190] 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 single-polarization transmission method or a hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method, this parameter may be configured to be set to '1'.
[0191] 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.
[0192] Furthermore, the definitions of '0' and '1' in the additional layer transmission identification bits described above may be reversed from the explanation given above.
[0193] 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 of the broadcast receiving device 100 can be prevented.
[0194] Furthermore, in the transmitted broadcast wave, 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'.
[0195] Figure 5K shows an example of the bit allocation for the "coding rate" bit shown in Figure 5C, i.e., the bit allocation for error correction coding rate identification.
[0196] In the current 2K terrestrial digital broadcasting system, an identification bit that transmits a coding rate specifically for "convolutional coding" is transmitted. 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.
[0197] Therefore, the code 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 code rate identification bits exclusively for convolutional codes.
[0198] 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.
[0199] Specifically, in the example in Figure 5K, if the identification bit is '000', it indicates that the coding rate is 1 / 2 if the internal code is a convolutional code, and 2 / 3 if the internal code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '001', it indicates that the coding rate is 2 / 3 if the internal code is a convolutional code, and 3 / 4 if the internal code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '010', it indicates that the coding rate is 3 / 4 if the internal code is a convolutional code, and 5 / 6 if the internal code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '011', it indicates that the coding rate is 5 / 6 if the internal code is a convolutional code, and 2 / 16 if the internal code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '100', it indicates that the coding rate is 7 / 8 if the internal code is a convolutional code, and 6 / 16 if the internal code is an LDPC code. If the identification bit is '101', it indicates that the code is undefined if the internal code is a convolutional code, and that the coding rate is 10 / 16 if the internal 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, and 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'. Note that the coding rate 2 / 3 mentioned above may be replaced by a coding rate of 81 / 120. The coding rate 3 / 4 may be replaced by a coding rate of 89 / 120. The coding rate 5 / 6 may be replaced by a coding rate of 101 / 120. In addition, coding rates such as 8 / 16 and 12 / 16 may be assigned.
[0200] 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.
[0201] 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 identify it based on the identification bit of the error correction method, as described later in Figure 6I.
[0202] 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.
[0203] Furthermore, in a dual-polarization transmission system for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, 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 a hierarchical division multiplexing transmission system for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services, 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.
[0204] 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.
[0205] [AC Signal] The AC signal is an additional information signal related to broadcasting, such as additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves or earthquake warning information. The earthquake warning information is transmitted using the AC carrier of segment 0. On the other hand, the additional information related to 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 a predetermined amplitude and phase reference. B1 to B3 are signals for identifying the configuration of the AC signal. B4 to B203 are used for transmitting additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves or for transmitting earthquake warning information.
[0206] Figure 6B shows an example of bit assignment for AC signal configuration identification. When transmitting earthquake motion warning information using AC signal bits B4 to 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 three bits (B1 to B3) of the TMCC signal synchronization signal, and is sent alternately frame by frame at the same timing as the TMCC signal. If this parameter has a value other than those described above, it indicates that additional information related to the transmission control of the modulated wave is being transmitted using AC signal bits B4 to B203. In this case, the AC signal configuration identification parameter sends alternately '000' and '111', or '010' and '101', or '011' and '100' frame by frame.
[0207] 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.
[0208] 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.
[0209] The transmission of earthquake motion warning information may be performed by 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 to 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 to be 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 two-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'.
[0210] 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 (no 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 (no 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'.
[0211] 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.
[0212] 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.
[0213] 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.
[0214] Figure 6G shows an example of bit allocation for additional information related to the transmission control of modulated waves. The 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 to B16) of the TMCC signal's synchronization signal, excluding the first 3 bits. The synchronization signal does not have to be the same code as the 13 bits (B4 to 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. It may also be a 16-bit synchronization word different from the TMCC's synchronization signal. The current information indicates the current information of additional transmission parameters when transmitting 4K broadcast programs in the B or C layer, or transmission parameters related to the virtual D or E layer. Next information indicates the transmission parameter information added when transmitting 4K broadcast programs on layer B or C, and the transmission parameter information after switching for virtual layer D or virtual layer E.
[0215] In the example in Figure 6G, current information B18 to 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 to 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 to 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 to 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.
[0216] In the example in Figure 6G, current information B44 to B56 represents the current transmission parameters for the virtual D layer when the virtual D layer is in operation. Current information B57 to B69 represents the current transmission parameters for the virtual E layer when the virtual E layer is in operation. Next information B96 to B108 represents the transmission parameters for the virtual D layer after switching when the virtual D layer is in operation. Current information B109 to 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 may be the same as those shown in Figure 5C.
[0217] 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.
[0218] 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.
[0219] If the virtual D or 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 E layer is '1' (indicating that the virtual D / 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 E layer. Next, the details of the additional transmission parameter information explained in Figure 6G will be described.
[0220] 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.
[0221] The error correction scheme setting indicates what encoding scheme to use 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', when transmitting 4K broadcast programs at Layer B or Layer C, convolutional codes are used as the internal code and shortened RS codes are used as the external code. When this parameter is set to '001', when transmitting 4K broadcast programs at Layer B or Layer C, LDPC codes are used as the internal code and BCH codes are used as the external code. Other combinations may also be set and selectable.
[0222] Furthermore, when transmitting 4K broadcast programs in Layer B or Layer 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.
[0223] [Transmission Method 1 for Advanced Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting Services] In order to realize 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 advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services 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 method. 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 (Multi-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. For 4K broadcast programs, image quality will be ensured 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.
[0224] 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 52 channels, 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.
[0225] 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 to 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 to 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 broadcast program at different resolutions, or they may be broadcast programs with different content. Segment 0 of the both horizontal and vertically polarized signal transmits the same one-segment broadcast program.
[0226] The example in (2) of Figure 7A is a different modification from (1). In example (2), a total of 10 segments, consisting of horizontal polarization signal segments 1 to 5 (B layer) and vertical polarization signal segments 1 to 5 (B layer), are used to transmit 4K broadcast programs. Horizontal polarization signal segments 6 to 12 (C layer) are used to transmit 2K broadcast programs. In example (2), vertical polarization signal segments 6 to 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 to 12 (C layer). Vertical polarization signal segments 6 to 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 to 12 (C layer). Furthermore, vertical polarization signal segments 6 to 12 (C layer) may be used for other data transmission or may be left unused. The identification information for these is the same as in example (1), so a further explanation is omitted.
[0227] 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.
[0228] 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.
[0229] 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.
[0230] 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 problems such as being unable to identify whether the input broadcast signal is a horizontally polarized or vertically polarized signal. To prevent the aforementioned problems, 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 a vertically polarized signal, a different shape from the F-type connector for coaxial cable 202T1 and connector 100F1 that transmits a horizontally polarized signal. Alternatively, the tuning / detection unit 131H and tuning / detection unit 131V could be controlled to identify whether the input broadcast signal is a horizontally polarized or vertically polarized signal by referring to the main signal identification of the TMCC information of each input signal. Alternatively, instead of using two coaxial cables, coaxial cable 202T1 and coaxial cable 202T2, the antenna 200T and the broadcast receiving device 100 may be connected using a single multi-core coaxial cable.
[0231] 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 dual-polarization 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 preferable 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 conversion unit 201T and the broadcasting receiver 100 are connected by a single coaxial cable 202T3. The broadcast signal input from the connector 100F3 is split 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.
[0232] 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.
[0233] 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 the UHF 13ch-52ch band), 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.
[0234] Furthermore, it is preferable to perform frequency conversion processing on signals transmitted with secondary polarization, depending on the result of referring to the main signal identification of the TMCC information. As explained using Figure 5H, signals transmitted with primary polarization are more likely to include the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service than signals transmitted with secondary polarization. Therefore, in order to better maintain compatibility with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, it is preferable to perform frequency conversion on signals transmitted with secondary polarization, rather than on signals transmitted with primary polarization.
[0235] 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.
[0236] 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.
[0237] 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 the terrestrial digital broadcasting service broadcast signal and the BS / CS digital broadcasting service broadcast signal while avoiding interference between the horizontally polarized signal and the vertically polarized signal. 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 less), 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.
[0238] 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.
[0239] 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.
[0240] 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.
[0241] 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.
[0242] <Pass-through transmission method for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service> The broadcast receiving device 100 is capable of receiving signals transmitted using the pass-through transmission method. The pass-through transmission method is a method in which the broadcast signal received by the cable television station, etc., is sent to the CATV distribution system in the same signal format, at the same frequency or with frequency conversion.
[0243] The pass-through method includes (1) a method in which the transmission signal bandwidth and level adjustment of each terrestrial digital broadcast signal from the terrestrial receiving antenna output are performed and transmitted to the CATV facility at the same frequency as the transmission signal frequency, and (2) a method in which the transmission signal bandwidth and level adjustment of each terrestrial digital broadcast signal from the terrestrial receiving antenna output are performed and transmitted to the CATV facility at the frequency of the VHF band, MID band, SHB band, or UHF band set by the CATV facility manager. The equipment that constitutes the receiving amplifier for signal processing in the first method, or the equipment that constitutes the receiving amplifier and frequency converter for signal processing in the second method, is an OFDM signal processor (OFDM-SP).
[0244] 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 device 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 the state of a broadcast signal in which both the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization exist in the same frequency band, with (H) indicating the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and (V) indicating the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization. The notations in Figures 7H and 7I thereafter have the same meaning.
[0245] 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 470-770 MHz frequency band, which corresponds to the UHF 13ch-62ch band) as described in Figure 7D. This processing prevents the frequency bands of the broadcast signals transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signals transmitted with vertical polarization from overlapping, making it possible to transmit signals 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.
[0246] 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 device 100 of a cable television station. Figure 7H shows an example of the frequency conversion process in that case.
[0247] When applying the second 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 then transmits the signal after frequency conversion to a frequency set by the CATV facility manager. 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 then transmits the signal after frequency conversion processing (processing to convert the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization to a frequency band higher than the 470-770 MHz band, which is the UHF 13ch-62ch band) as described in Figure 7D. Unlike Figure 7F, the frequency conversion processing shown in Figure 7H converts the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization not only to the 470-770 MHz frequency band, which is the UHF 13ch-62ch band, but also to a lower frequency band, rearranging it in the range of 90-770 MHz. 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.
[0248] Furthermore, as another modification 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 processing to the frequency set by the CATV facility manager. In the example of Figure 7I, both the broadcast signal transmitted with horizontal polarization and the broadcast signal transmitted with vertical polarization are redistributed in 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.
[0249] Furthermore, since the bandwidth for rearranging broadcast signals is wider than the 470-710 MHz 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 for 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.
[0250] 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.
[0251] Furthermore, as described above, while terrestrial digital broadcast waves using the dual-polarization transmission method with the pass-through transmission method described above can be received and reproduced by the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcast receiving device 100, they can also be received by the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C of the broadcast receiving device 100. When the terrestrial digital broadcast waves are received by the first tuner / demodulation unit 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.
[0252] [Transmission Method 2 for Advanced Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting Services] In order to realize 4K broadcasting while maintaining the current viewing environment for terrestrial digital broadcasting services, a single-polarization transmission method will be described as an example of a transmission method for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services according to an embodiment of the present invention, different from the above. The single-polarization transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method that shares some specifications with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting method, and is a method that transmits data using either a horizontally polarized signal or a vertically polarized signal with SISO (Single-Input Single-Output) technology. For example, 13 segments within a band of approximately 6 MHz, which corresponds to one physical channel, are divided, and 8 segments are allocated for the transmission of 2K broadcast programs, 4 segments for the transmission of 4K broadcast programs, and 1 segment for mobile reception. 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 employ HEVC or VVC compression technologies, which are more efficient than MPEG-2 Video, and further enhance image quality through technologies such as multi-level modulation and NUC. The number of segments allocated to each broadcast may differ from those mentioned above.
[0253] Figure 7J shows an example of a single-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 52 channels, and each physical channel has a bandwidth of 6 MHz. In the single-polarization transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the transmission of 2K broadcasting services and 4K broadcasting services is performed simultaneously within a single physical channel.
[0254] Figure 7J shows two examples of 13-segment allocation, (1) and (2). In example (1), segments 1 to 4 (layer B) are used to transmit 4K broadcast programs. Segments 5 to 12 (layer C) are used to transmit 2K broadcast programs. The 4K broadcast programs transmitted using layer B and the 2K broadcast programs transmitted using layer C may be simulcasts of the same content transmitted at different resolutions, or they may be broadcast programs with different content. Example (2) is a different modification from (1). In example (2), segments 1 to 8 (layer B) are used to transmit 2K broadcast programs. Segments 9 to 12 (layer C) are used to transmit 4K broadcast programs.
[0255] Figure 7K shows an example of the configuration of a broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a single-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 single-polarization transmission method. The configuration of the broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a single-polarization transmission method is basically the same as the configuration of the broadcasting system shown in Figure 1, but the radio tower 300S, which is part of the broadcasting station's equipment, becomes a single-polarization transmitting antenna capable of transmitting either a horizontally polarized signal or a vertically polarized signal. Also, in the example in Figure 7K, only the tuning / detection unit 131H of the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T is shown in the broadcasting receiving device 100, and other operating parts are omitted from the description.
[0256] The single-polarization signal transmitted from the radio tower 300S is received by the single-polarization receiving antenna, antenna 200S, and input to the tuning / detection unit 131H via the coaxial cable 202S through the connector unit 100F3. An F-type connector is commonly used for the connector unit connecting the antenna (coaxial cable) and the television receiver. In the configuration of a broadcasting system for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services using a single-polarization transmission method, it is possible to connect the antenna 200S and the broadcast receiving device 100 with a single coaxial cable 202S, and frequency conversion processing (conversion unit) is unnecessary, making it preferable.
[0257] As described above, the terrestrial digital broadcast waves transmitted using the single-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.
[0258] As mentioned above, in the broadcast receiving device 100, among the terrestrial digital broadcast waves transmitted using a single-polarization transmission method, broadcast signals transmitted at the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service layer (the layer that transmits 2K broadcasts in Figure 7J) can also be received by the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C. Therefore, by using a double tuner configuration that simultaneously uses the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T and the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C, it becomes possible to simultaneously receive and reproduce broadcast signals transmitted at the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service layer and broadcast signals transmitted at the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service layer.
[0259] Figure 7L shows an example of a broadcasting system configuration for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a single-polarization transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which has the aforementioned double tuner configuration. This shows both the transmitting and receiving systems for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a single-polarization transmission method. The configuration of the broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a single-polarization transmission method is basically the same as the configuration of the broadcasting system shown in Figure 1, but the radio tower 300S, which is part of the broadcasting station's equipment, becomes a single-polarization transmitting antenna capable of transmitting either a horizontally polarized signal or a vertically polarized signal. Also, in the example in Figure 7L, the broadcasting receiving device 100 is shown with only the tuning / detection unit 131C of the first tuner / demodulation unit 130C and the tuning / detection unit 131H of the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T extracted, and other operating parts are omitted from the description.
[0260] The single-polarization signal transmitted from radio tower 300S is received by antenna 200S, which is a single-polarization receiving antenna, and input to the broadcast receiving device 100 via coaxial cable 202S through connector section 100F3. The single-polarization signal input to the broadcast receiving device 100 is split and input to tuning / detection unit 131C and tuning / detection unit 131H, respectively. Tuning / detection unit 131C performs tuning / detection processing for broadcast waves of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service, and tuning / detection unit 131H performs tuning / detection processing for broadcast waves of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service.
[0261] This configuration makes it possible to simultaneously receive both the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service and the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service in a broadcasting system that provides both services. In particular, it enables more efficient processing in areas such as channel setting. The current terrestrial digital broadcasting service and the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service may be transmitted using the same physical channel or using different physical channels. Furthermore, the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service and the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service may or may not be a pair of simulcast services.
[0262] Furthermore, while the example in Figure 7L is an example of receiving broadcast services of an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a single-polarization transmission method, a similar configuration can also be applied when receiving broadcast services of an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a dual-polarization transmission method. In this case, the dual-polarization signal received by the antenna 200T, which is a dual-polarization receiving antenna, and input to the broadcast receiving device 100 from the connector 100F3 via the conversion unit 201T, should be split and input to the tuning / detection unit 131C, tuning / detection unit 131H, and tuning / detection unit 131V, respectively. The tuning / detection unit 131C performs tuning / detection processing on the broadcast waves of the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmitted as either a horizontally polarized signal or a vertically polarized signal, while the tuning / detection units 131H and 131V perform tuning / detection processing on the broadcast waves of the advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmitted as either a horizontally polarized signal or a vertically polarized signal.
[0263] [Transmission Method 3 for Advanced Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting Services] In order to realize 4K broadcasting while maintaining the current viewing environment for terrestrial digital broadcasting services, a hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method will be described as an example of an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention, different from the above. The hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method that shares some specifications with the current terrestrial digital broadcasting method. For example, the broadcast waves of the 4K broadcasting service, which have a low signal level, are multiplexed and transmitted on the same channel as the broadcast waves of the current 2K broadcasting service. The reception level of the 4K broadcast is suppressed to a required C / N or lower for 2K broadcasting, and reception is performed as before. For 4K broadcasting, the 2K broadcast wave is canceled using reception technology that corresponds to LDM (Hierarchical Division Multiplexing) technology, while expanding the transmission capacity by modulating with multiple levels, etc., and reception is performed using the remaining 4K broadcast wave.
[0264] Figure 8A shows an example of a hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method in an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upper layer is composed of the modulated wave of the current 2K broadcast, and the lower layer is composed of the modulated wave of the 4K broadcast. The upper and lower layers are multiplexed and output as a composite wave in the same frequency band. For example, the upper layer may use a modulation scheme such as 64QAM, and the lower layer may use a modulation scheme such as 256QAM. The 2K broadcast program transmitted using the upper layer and the 4K broadcast program transmitted using the lower layer may be simulcasts transmitting the same content at different resolutions, or they may be broadcast programs with different content. 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 level of the upper layer and the modulated wave level of the lower layer is called the injection level (IL), and this is a value set by the broadcasting station. The injection level is generally expressed as a logarithmic relative ratio (dB) of the difference in modulated wave levels (difference in power).
[0265] Figure 8B shows an example of the configuration of a broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a hierarchical division multiplex transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the broadcasting system for an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a hierarchical division multiplex transmission method is basically the same as the configuration of the broadcasting system shown in Figure 1, but the radio tower 300L, which is part of the broadcasting station's equipment, is a transmitting antenna that sends out a broadcast signal that is multiplexed with 2K broadcasting on the upper layer and 4K broadcasting on the lower layer. Also, in the example in Figure 8B, the broadcasting receiving device 100 is shown with only the tuning / detection unit 131L of the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L extracted, and other operating units are omitted from the description.
[0266] 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 which the tuning / detection unit 131L cannot properly receive 4K broadcast waves, especially from lower floors.
[0267] Therefore, to prevent the aforementioned problems, the conversion unit 201L performs frequency conversion amplification processing on the lower-level 4K broadcast signal. The frequency conversion amplification processing converts the frequency band of the lower-level 4K broadcast signal from the 470-710 MHz frequency band (corresponding to UHF channels 13-52) to a frequency band of 770-1010 MHz, 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 the 2K broadcast signal and the 4K broadcast signal 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 amplification processing may be unnecessary.
[0268] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8D, the tuning / detection section of the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L of the broadcast receiving device 100 may be configured with a tuning / detection unit 131L1 that performs tuning / detection and other processing on the modulated wave of the upper layer (2K broadcast) and a tuning / detection unit 131L2 that performs tuning / detection and other processing on the modulated wave of the lower layer (4K broadcast). With this configuration, it becomes possible to perform tuning / detection and other processing simultaneously on the 2K broadcast signal and the 4K broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcasting station using the same physical channel, for the signal that has undergone frequency conversion amplification processing in the conversion unit 201L, which is particularly suitable for processing during simulcasting.
[0269] Furthermore, it is preferable that the frequency band after conversion by frequency conversion amplification processing be between 710 and 1032 MHz, exceeding the band corresponding to UHF channel 52, or between 770 and 1032 MHz, exceeding the band corresponding to UHF channel 62 (in the case of retransmission by cable television stations, etc.). It is also preferable that the bandwidth of the region between the frequency band before conversion and the frequency band after conversion by frequency conversion amplification processing be set to an integer multiple of the bandwidth of one physical channel (6 MHz). The frequency conversion amplification processing may be performed only on physical channels using a hierarchical division multiplexing transmission method. These points are all the same as those described in this embodiment regarding frequency conversion already explained, so a further explanation is omitted.
[0270] 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.
[0271] 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 8B is not necessarily required between the antenna 200L and the broadcast receiving device 100.
[0272] 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 advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service level are ignored, but the broadcast signals transmitted at the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service level are reproduced.
[0273] [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 format for transmitting data such as video and audio. Specifically, the format of the stream transmitted by the OFDM transmission wave in Figure 4D(1) is MPEG-2 TS, and of the OFDM transmission waves in Figures 4D(2) and 4D(3), the format of the stream transmitted at the layer to which current terrestrial digital broadcasting services are transmitted is MPEG-2 TS. Furthermore, the format of the stream 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. Furthermore, of the stream obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the second tuner / demodulation unit 130T, the format of the stream 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 / demodulator 130L, the format of the stream corresponding to the layer to which the current terrestrial digital broadcasting service is transmitted is MPEG-2 TS.
[0274] 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. Because it treats the clock as well as the content 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 devices, and display processing in cooperation with mobile terminal devices.
[0275] Figure 9A shows an example of a protocol stack for transmission signals in a broadcasting system using MPEG-2 TS. In MPEG-2 TS, PSI, SI, and other control signals are transmitted in section format.
[0276] [Control signals for broadcast systems using the MPEG-2 TS format] Control information for the MPEG-2 TS format mainly consists of tables used for program sequence information and tables used for information other than program sequence information. The tables are transmitted in section format, and descriptors are placed within the tables.
[0277] <Tables used in program scheduling information> Figure 9B shows a list of tables used in program scheduling information for the MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following tables are used in program scheduling information.
[0278] (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)
[0279] (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 service provider
[0280] <Tables used in digital broadcasting> Figure 9C shows a list of tables used in the MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system other than the program sequence information. In this embodiment, the following tables are used as tables other than the program sequence information.
[0281] (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 service provider
[0282] <Descriptors used in program scheduling information> Figures 9D, 9E, and 9F show a list of descriptors used in the program scheduling information of the MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following descriptors are used in the program scheduling information.
[0283] (1) Conditional Access Descriptor (2) Copyright Descriptor (3) Network Name Descriptor (4) Service List Descriptor (5) Stuffing Descriptor (6) Satellite Delivery System Descriptor (7) Terrestrial Delivery System Descriptor (8) Bouquet Name Descriptor (9) Service Descriptor (10) Country Availability Descriptor
[0284] (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
[0285] (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
[0286] (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
[0287] (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
[0288] (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
[0289] (61) Data Broadcast Id Descriptor (62) Access Control Descriptor (63) Area Broadcasting Information Descriptor (64) Material Information Descriptor (65) HEVC Video Descriptor (66) Hierarchy Descriptor (67) Hybrid Information Descriptor (68) Scramble Method Descriptor (69) Descriptors set by the operator
[0290] <Descriptors used in digital broadcasting> Figure 9G shows a list of descriptors used in a broadcasting system other than program sequence information in the MPEG-2 TS format. In this embodiment, the descriptors used other than program sequence information are as follows.
[0291] (1) Partial Transport Stream Descriptor (2) Network Identification Descriptor (3) 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 (11) Network Download Content Descriptor (12) Download Protection Descriptor (13) CA Startup Descriptor (14) Descriptor set by the operator
[0292] <Descriptors used in INT> Figure 9H shows a list of descriptors used in the INT of the MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the descriptors listed below are used in INT. Note that the descriptors used in the program sequence information and descriptors used in information other than program sequence information are not used in INT.
[0293] (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 (6) IP / MAC Stream Location Descriptor (7) Descriptors set by the service provider
[0294] <Descriptors Used in AIT> Figure 9I shows a list of descriptors used in the AIT of an MPEG-2 TS broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the descriptors listed below are used in the AIT. Note that the descriptors used in the program sequence information and descriptors used in information other than the program sequence information are not used in INT.
[0295] (1) Application Descriptor (2) Transport Protocol Descriptor (3) Simple Application Location Descriptor (4) Application Boundary and Permission Descriptor (5) Autostart Priority Descriptor (6) Cache Control Info Descriptor (7) Randomized Latency Descriptor (8) External Application Control Descriptor (9) Playback Application Descriptor (10) Simple Playback Application Location Descriptor (11) Application Expiration Descriptor (12) Descriptors set by the service provider
[0296] [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 method of the stream 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 / demodulation unit 130T of the broadcasting receiver 100 in Figure 2, the method of the stream 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 / demodulation unit 130L, the method of the stream corresponding to the layer where advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services are transmitted is, in principle, the MMT method. As a modification, the MPEG-2 TS stream may be used for advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services. Also, the method of the stream obtained by demodulating the transmission wave in the fourth tuner / demodulation unit 130B is the MMT method.
[0297] The MMT method is a newly developed media transport method that addresses the limitations of the MPEG-2 TS method in response to 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.
[0298] 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. Data content and subtitle signals related to broadcast programs are also in MFU / MPU format, loaded into an MMTP payload, and transmitted as IP packets.
[0299] For the transmission of MMTP packets, 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. In addition, TLV multiplexing may be used on broadcast transmission lines for efficient transmission of IP packets.
[0300] 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, loaded into an MMTP payload, and then packetized into an MMTP packet for transmission as an IP packet. TLV-SI is control information related to the multiplexing of IP packets and provides information for channel selection and information on the correspondence between IP addresses and services.
[0301] [Control signals for broadcast systems using the MMT method] As mentioned above, the MMT method uses TLV-SI and MMT-SI as control information. TLV-SI consists of tables and descriptors. Tables are transmitted in section format, and descriptors are placed within the tables. MMT-SI consists of three layers: a message that stores tables and descriptors, a table with elements and attributes that indicate specific information, and a descriptor that indicates more detailed information.
[0302] <Tables used in TLV-SI> Figure 10C shows a list of tables used in the TLV-SI of the MMT broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following tables are used as TLV-SI tables. Tables equivalent to those shown in Figures 9B and 9C may also be used.
[0303] (1) Network Information Table for TLV (2) Address Map Table (3) Table set by the service provider
[0304] <Descriptors used in TLV-SI> Figure 10D shows a list of descriptors used in the TLV-SI of the MMT broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following descriptors are used as TLV-SI descriptors. In addition, descriptors equivalent to those shown in Figures 9D, 9E, 9F, 9G, 9H, and 9I may also be used.
[0305] (1) Service List Descriptor (2) Satellite Delivery System Descriptor (3) System Management Descriptor (4) Network Name Descriptor (5) Remote Control Key Descriptor (6) Descriptors set by the operator
[0306] <Messages used in MMT-SI> Figure 10E shows a list of messages used in MMT-SI, an MMT broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following messages are used as MMT-SI messages.
[0307] (1) PA (Package Access) message (2) M2 section message (3) CA message (4) M2 short section message (5) Data transmission message (6) Messages set by the carrier
[0308] <Tables used in MMT-SI> Figure 10F shows a list of tables used in MMT-SI, an MMT broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the following tables are used as MMT-SI tables. Tables equivalent to those shown in Figures 9B and 9C may also be used.
[0309] (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)
[0310] (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) MH-DIT (MH-Discontinuity Information Table) (17) MH-SIT (MH-Selection Information Table) (18) DDM Table (Data Directory Management Table) (19) DAM Table (Data Asset Management Table) (20) DCC Table (Data Content Configuration Table) (21) EMT (Event Message Table) (22) Tables set by the service provider
[0311] <Descriptors used in MMT-SI> Figures 10G, 10H, and 10I show a list of descriptors used in MMT-SI of the MMT broadcasting system. In this embodiment, the descriptors shown below are used as MMT-SI descriptors. In addition, descriptors equivalent to those shown in Figures 9D, 9E, 9F, 9G, 9H, and 9I may also be used.
[0312] (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) Scrambler Descriptor (9) Message Authentication Method Descriptor (10) Emergency Information Descriptor
[0313] (11) MH-MPEG-4 Audio Descriptor (12) 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
[0314] (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 Parameter Descriptor (27) MH-Broadcaster Name Descriptor (28) MH-Service Descriptor (29) IP Data Flow Descriptor (30) MH-CA Startup Descriptor
[0315] (31) MH-Type Descriptor (32) MH-Info Descriptor (33) MH-Expire Descriptor (34) MH-Compression Type Descriptor (35) MH-Data Component 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
[0316] (41) MPU Extended Timestamp Descriptor (42) MPU Download Content Descriptor (43) MH-Network Download Content Descriptor (44) MH-Application Descriptor (45) MH-Transport Protocol Descriptor (46) MH-Simple Application Location Descriptor (47) MH-Application Boundary and Permission Descriptor (48) MH-Autostart Priority Descriptor (49) MH-Cache Control Info Descriptor (50) MH-Randomized Latency Descriptor
[0317] (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
[0318] (61) Emergency News Descriptor (62) MH-CA Contract Info Descriptor (63) MH-CA Service Descriptor (64) MH-External Application Control Descriptor (65) MH-Playback Application Descriptor (66) MH-Simple Playback Application Location Descriptor (67) MH-Application Expiration Descriptor (68) Related Broadcaster Descriptor (69) Multimedia Service Descriptor (70) MH-Stuffing Descriptor (71) MH-Broadcast ID Descriptor (72) MH-Network Identification Descriptor (73) Descriptor set by the operator
[0319] <Relationship between data transmission and control information in the MMT system> Figure 10J shows the relationship between data transmission and typical tables in an MMT broadcasting system.
[0320] In an MMT broadcasting system, data can be transmitted via multiple paths, such as TLV streams over broadcast transmission lines and IP data flows over communication lines. A TLV stream includes TLV-SIs such as TLV-NIT and AMT, and IP data flows, which are data flows of IP packets. Within an IP data flow, there are video assets containing a series of video MPUs and audio assets containing a series of audio MPUs. Furthermore, it may also include subtitle assets containing a series of subtitle MPUs, character superimposition assets containing a series of character superimposition MPUs, and data assets containing a series of data MPUs. These various assets are associated on a package basis by an MPT (MMT Package Table) stored and transmitted in a PA message. Specifically, the MPT should be written by associating the package ID with the asset IDs of each asset contained in that package.
[0321] The assets constituting a package can consist only of assets within a TLV stream, but as shown in Figure 10J, they can also include assets transmitted via the IP data flow of a communication line. This can be achieved by including the location information of each asset included in the package within the MPT, allowing the broadcast receiving device 100 to understand the reference destination of each asset. The location information for each asset can specify various types of data transmitted via various transmission paths, such as: (1) data multiplexed in the same IP data flow as the MPT; (2) data multiplexed in an IPv4 data flow; (3) data multiplexed in an IPv6 data flow; (4) data multiplexed in broadcast MPEG2-TS; (5) data multiplexed in MPEG2-TS format within an IP data flow; and (6) data at a specified URL.
[0322] 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. 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.).
[0323] [Channel setting process for broadcast receiving device] <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. 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 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) and creating a service list (receivable frequency table) based on the service ID. In areas where the same network ID can be received on different physical channels by MFN (Multi Frequency Network), it is sufficient for the device to basically select a channel with a good reception C / N or BER (Bit Error Rate) and store it in the service list.
[0324] 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 in 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.
[0325] <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 changing the information that has already been set, the broadcast receiving device 100 can notify the user of this fact.
[0326] <Example of operation during initial scan / rescan> Figure 11A shows an example of the operation sequence of the channel setting process (initial scan / rescan) of the broadcast receiving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, an example is shown when MPEG-2 TS is used as the media transport method, but the process is basically the same when the MMT method is used.
[0327] 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 interface 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 described in this way when they are not distinguished; the same applies hereinafter) is instructed to tune to the set frequency (S102).
[0328] The tuner / demodulator performs tuning based on the instruction (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 to perform reception confirmation processing. If a C / N of a predetermined level or higher is not obtained (S104: No), it proceeds to process S111.
[0329] 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.
[0330] 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.
[0331] 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 channel selection, as described later.
[0332] 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.
[0333] In the process of S113, the service list created (added / updated) in the above process is presented to the user as a result of the channel setting process (S113). If there are duplicate remote control keys, etc., the user may be notified of this and prompted to change the remote control key settings (S114). The service list created / updated in the above process is stored in the non-volatile memory of the broadcast receiving device 100, such as the ROM 103 or the storage unit 110.
[0334] Figure 11B shows an example of the NIT data structure. In the figure, 'transport_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.
[0335] 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.
[0336] 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 processing in S112 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.
[0337] 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, one of the tuning / detection unit 131H and the other tuning / detection unit 131V may scan the frequency range of 470 to 770 MHz, and the other may scan the frequency range of 770 to 1010 MHz (when frequency conversion processing has been performed on the transmission wave with 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. Moreover, in this case, the operation sequence of Figure 11A may be carried out in parallel in 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.
[0338] 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, as shown in Figure 8D), and is receiving an advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service using a hierarchical division multiplex transmission system, one of the double tuners may scan the frequency range of 470 to 770 MHz, and the other may scan 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.
[0339] 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, from the frequency range of 470 to 770 MHz and the frequency range of 770 to 1010 MHz, while 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 470-770 MHz or 770-1010 MHz can be determined by receiving signals at two points in each frequency range, for example, 470-476 MHz (center frequency 473 MHz) and 770-776 MHz (center frequency 773 MHz), using the third tuner / demodulation unit 130L before starting the initial scan / rescan operation sequence. The TMCC information transmitted at each frequency is then acquired, and the parameters stored in the TMCC information (for example, system identification parameters) can be referenced to determine this.
[0340] Furthermore, in advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting services using a dual-polarization transmission system, for example, in the case of 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, the same transport ID will be detected in scans of both the 470-770 MHz frequency range and the 770-1010 MHz frequency range, but this will be listed in the service list as a single channel. Also, in the case of a 2K broadcast program in Layer B shown in the same figure, if the same broadcast program is transmitted in Layer B with horizontal polarization signals and Layer B with vertical polarization signals, 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 one channel and recognized as a single channel, not as separate channels. In this way, user confusion caused by the existence of completely identical broadcast programs on different channels can be avoided during channel selection processing using the service list.
[0341] 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.
[0342] [Channel Selection Process of Broadcast Receiving Device] The broadcast receiving device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention has the following functions for channel selection: one-touch selection using the one-touch keys on the remote control, channel up / down selection using the channel up / down keys on the remote control, and direct 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, information about the selected channel (three-digit number used for direct selection, sub-number, TS name, service name, logo, video resolution information (distinction between UHD, HD, SD, etc.), presence or absence of video resolution up / down conversion, number of audio channels, presence or absence of audio downmix, 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.
[0343] <Example of one-touch channel selection process> (1) By pressing the one-touch key on the remote control, the service specified by 'service_id' in 'remote_control_key_id' is selected. (2) The last mode is set and the channel information after selection is displayed.
[0344] <Example of up / down channel selection using channel up / down buttons> (1) Pressing the channel up / down key on the remote control selects channels in the order of the three-digit numbers used for direct selection. (1-1) If the up key is pressed, the upper adjacent service of 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 number is selected. (1-2) If the down key is pressed, the lower adjacent service of the three-digit number is selected. However, if the current three-digit number is the minimum value in the service list, the service with the maximum number is selected. (2) The last mode is set and the channel information after selection is displayed.
[0345] <Example of Direct Tuning Process> (1) When direct tuning is selected, the system enters a state of waiting for a three-digit number to be entered. (2-1) If the three-digit number is not entered within the specified time (approximately 5 seconds), the system returns to normal mode and displays the channel information of the currently tuned service. (2-2) Once the three-digit number has been entered, the system checks 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" is displayed. (3) If the channel exists, the tuning process is performed, the last mode is set, and the channel information after tuning is displayed.
[0346] Furthermore, the channel selection operation is performed based on the system indicator (SI), and the system may also have a function to display a message to the user if it determines that broadcasting is suspended.
[0347] <Remote control for broadcast receiving device> 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.
[0348] 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, a select key 180R3 for selecting the item at the cursor position, and a back key 180R4.
[0349] 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 three-digit number when direct tuning. In the example shown in the figure, the 10-key is also used as the one-touch key 180R6, and when direct tuning, a three-digit number can be entered by pressing the key 180R8 directly and then operating the one-touch key 180R6.
[0350] The remote control 180R also includes 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 operated in detail using the cursor keys 180R2, the select key 180R3, and the back key 180R4.
[0351] Furthermore, the remote control 180R includes a d key 180RB for use with 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 keys 180R2, the select key 180R3, the back key 180R4, and the color keys 180RD.
[0352] Furthermore, the remote control 180R includes a video key 180RE for selecting related video, an audio key 180RF for switching audio ES and switching between two languages, and a subtitle key 180RG for switching subtitles on / off and switching subtitle languages. The remote control 180R also 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.
[0353] <Example of network switching processing using advanced terrestrial digital key> The remote control 180R of the broadcast receiving device 100 in the embodiment of the present invention is equipped with 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 advanced terrestrial digital broadcasting service, for example, when simulcasting of 4K broadcast programs and 2K broadcast programs is being carried out on different layers, when the "advanced terrestrial digital key" is pressed, the selection of 4K broadcast programs is prioritized when selecting a channel, and when the "terrestrial digital key" is pressed, the selection of 2K broadcast programs is prioritized 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" makes it possible to forcibly select a 2K broadcast program. Furthermore, if simulcasting of 4K and 2K broadcast programs is being carried out on different levels, and there are many errors in the transmission waves of the 4K broadcast program even when reception of the 4K broadcast program is possible, it is acceptable to select the 2K broadcast program (simulcast of the selected 4K broadcast program) even when the "Advanced Terrestrial Digital Key" is pressed.
[0354] <Example of screen display during channel selection> 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 channel selection, channel up / down channel selection, direct channel selection, etc.
[0355] 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 times, 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.
[0356] 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, via simulcasting, the user can easily determine which broadcast program is being displayed.
[0357] 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.
[0358] (Example 2) [Advanced Audio Signals] This example relates to the handling of advanced audio signals. The audio signals of current systems are channel-based signals corresponding to speakers. There are 5.1ch and 22.2ch (where "ch" is an abbreviation for "channel"). In contrast, this example handles audio signals that include not only channel-based signals but also object-based signals and HOA (Higher Order Ambisonics) signals.
[0359] Object-based signals are audio signals, such as narrator's voice, whose playback position can be changed by the receiver, such as whether it is placed on the right or left side. The playback position does not need to be fixed; it can be changed dynamically.
[0360] A signal using the HOA method is a signal obtained by expanding the sound field as a sum of spherical harmonics. Due to the upper limit of transmission capacity, expansions up to a finite order are used. Channel-based signals are based on recording at microphone positions corresponding to standard speaker arrangements, making them suitable for audio reproduction with standard or near-standard speaker arrangements. In contrast, the HOA method records spatial sound field information independently of specific speaker arrangements, making it suitable for arbitrary speaker arrangements.
[0361] Examples of standard speaker configurations are shown in Figures 13A, 13B, and 13C. As shown in Figure 13A, the speaker group is divided into three groups based on the height of the installation position: upper, middle, and lower. The configuration for each group is shown in Figures 13B and 13C. Figure 13B shows the configuration of a 22.2ch speaker system, and Figure 13C shows the configuration of a 7.1ch speaker system. The decimal number in the channel number indicates the number of channels for low-frequency signals, and the corresponding speakers are LFE1, LFE2, and LFE. The channels for other signals are called main channels. A 5.1ch speaker system is obtained by removing the upper-level speakers from a 7.1ch speaker system.
[0362] In the current system, if the speaker system has the same number of speakers as the number of channels of the channel-based audio signal, it is played back as it is. If the number of speakers in the speaker system is different, format conversion is performed according to the number of speakers in the speaker system and then played back. In particular, when the number of speakers is less than the number of channels of the audio signal, this format conversion is called downmixing. Format conversion is also performed when the position of the speaker system assumed when creating the audio signal is different from the position of the actual speaker system. The sound to be output from the position of the actual speaker is synthesized by weighting and adding the audio signals of each channel. In the standard arrangement of the speaker system, since each speaker is arranged at an equal distance from the assumed standard viewing position of the viewer, adjustment of the playback time is not necessary. However, when the actual speakers are not arranged at an equal distance from the position of the viewer, adjustment of the playback time may also be performed. The format conversion is as shown in Equation 1 below.
[0363]
[0364] Here, s (ch) n (t) is the channel-based audio signal transmitted in broadcasting and communication, n is the signal number, and the number of signals of the channel-based signal is N (ch) is. t is time. p (ch) m (t) is the audio signal input to the speaker, m is the speaker number, and the number of speakers is M. g (ch) mn is the weighting coefficient for the channel-based signal. Δt m is the time for delay time adjustment according to the deviation from the distance R o between the speaker farthest from the reference viewing position and the reference viewing position. Let the distance between the position of the m-th speaker and the reference viewing position be R m , and the speed of sound be c. Then, Δt m is given by Equation 2 below.
[0365]
[0366] Next, in the case of advanced audio signals, object-based signals and HOA-style signals are included, and similar to the format conversion formulas for channel-based signals, the transmitted signals are weighted and added together to convert them into signals that can be input to a speaker, as shown in Equations 3 and 4.
[0367]
[0368]
[0369] Here, the meaning of the symbols is the same as for channel-based signals. If the superscript is (ch), it indicates that it is a symbol for a channel-based signal, (obj) indicates that it is for an object-based signal, and (HOA) indicates that it is for an HOA-type signal. Including these, in systems that handle advanced audio signals, the audio signal p input to the speaker system m (t) is given by equation 5 below.
[0370]
[0371] Here, the weighting coefficient g (*) mn This is determined by the relationship between speaker placement and standard listening position, but also by the weighting coefficient g related to object-based signals. (obj) mn This is determined by taking into account the playback position of each individual object. Note that information common to all signals is represented using a superscript symbol (*).
[0372] When listening to audio with headphones, the above format conversion is performed with M=2. However, in the case of headphones, the position of the audio output unit relative to the receiver screen changes depending on the direction of the listener's face, so this factor is also taken into consideration when applying the weighting coefficient g. (*) mn This is determined. Figure 14A shows the positional relationship with the broadcast receiving device 100 when headphones are used. The midpoint of the line segment connecting the left and right audio output sections is the listening position in this case. Note that in the case of normal headphones, the audio output sections are made symmetrically, so Δt m = 0.
[0373] The sound field created by the audio signal is based on a reference coordinate system with the center of the receiver screen as the reference direction. On the other hand, the audio output section of the headphones changes its position within this reference coordinate system due to the rotation of the user's head (Figure 14B). Therefore, a weighting coefficient g is used to synthesize the input signals to the audio output section of the headphones. (*) mn This is calculated considering the position of the headphone's audio output unit within the reference coordinate system at that time. The position of the headphone's audio output unit can be obtained, for example, by recording the position where the user is facing the center of the receiver screen based on user input, and then detecting subsequent changes in the user's face orientation using a gyro sensor or the like mounted on the headphones. Although Figure 14B shows the arrangement on a plane, the position in the height direction may also be considered.
[0374] Next, an example of the audio decoder configuration is shown. In the overall configuration, this audio decoder is incorporated into the audio decoders 146S and 146U in Figures 2F and 2G. Figure 15A shows an example of the audio decoder 10000 configuration when the transmitted audio signal is only a channel-based signal. First, the audio bitstream transmitted after being multiplexed in broadcasting or communication is decoded into channel-specific signals by the core decoder 10001. Next, the format converter 10002 performs the above-mentioned format conversion and outputs an audio signal for speakers and an audio signal for headphones. Output to external devices may be done wirelessly.
[0375] Figure 15B shows an example configuration of an audio decoder 10100 that supports advanced audio signals. For advanced audio signals, the audio bitstream transmitted via broadcasting or communication is first decoded into individual signals by the core decoder 10101. These signals include channel-based signals, object-based signals, and HOA-style signals. Even with advanced audio signals, output to external devices may be performed wirelessly.
[0376] [Processing of Channel-Based Signals] First, the processing of channel-based signals will be explained. Similar to current audio signals, channel-based signals are converted by the format converter 10102 according to the speaker arrangement using Equation 1. Simultaneously, the channel-based signals are also converted into signals for headphones. Speaker arrangement information is taken from the arrangement information stored in the receiver.
[0377] An example of speaker placement information is shown in Figure 16. The placement information corresponds to a number that distinguishes the speakers and consists of the speaker type (whether it is for the main channel or the low-frequency channel), azimuth position, height position (elevation angle, depression angle), and distance from the listener's head position. Here, azimuth position is defined as the direction rotated to the left when viewed from the listening position, with the front direction being 0°, and a positive value representing the direction rotated to the right. Similarly, height position is defined as the direction rotated to the left when viewed from the listener's head position, with the horizontal direction being 0°, with a positive value representing the elevation angle and a negative value representing the depression angle. Based on this information and the configuration of the channel base signal, the weighting coefficient g described above is determined. (ch) mn This is set. Also, Δt is determined by the distance information. m Delay time adjustment is performed, but if distance information is unavailable, no delay time adjustment is performed. Note that the speaker placement information here is shown in polar coordinates, but it is also acceptable to display it in Cartesian coordinates.
[0378] This speaker placement information may use standard placement information such as that for a 5.1ch speaker system, or it may be speaker placement information specific to the receiver. It may also be speaker placement information for a speaker system customized by the receiver user. In this case, the user-customized placement information should be registered before watching a program, and the user should be able to set which placement information to use. It may also be possible to switch between the speaker system built into the receiver and the speaker system customized by the user. Furthermore, it may be possible to reserve a speaker system to be used for each program. Alternatively, the speaker system to be used may be set for each program type, time slot, or viewer. This allows for audio playback tailored to the program content and the viewing environment at the time, improving convenience for the user.
[0379] Here, an example of weighting coefficients for outputting a standard 22.2ch channel-based signal to a standard 5.1ch speaker system is shown below. The format conversion formula is expressed as follows. C'=FC+g1*FLc+g1*FRc+g3*(TpFC+g4*TpC+BtFC) (Formula 6) L'=FL+g1*FLc+g2*SiL+g3*(TpFL+g2*TpSiL+BtFL) (Formula 7) R'=FR+g1*FRc+g2*SiR+g3*(TpFR+g2*TpSiR+BtFR) (Formula 8) Ls'=BL+g5*BC+g2*SiL+g3*(TpBL+g5*TpBC+g2*TpSiL+g4*TpC) (Formula 9) Rs'=BR+g5*BC+g2*SiR+g3*(TpBR+g5*TpBC+g2*TpSiR+g4*TpC) (Formula 10) LFE'=g6*(LFE1+LFE2) (Formula 11)
[0380] The above g1, g2, g3, g4, g5, and g6 are weighting coefficients (downmix coefficients), and their default values are shown in Figure 17A. These downmix coefficients are transmitted as metadata of the audio signal, but the default values are used until reception. This conversion formula and the default values of the weighting coefficients are the same as those used in systems that handle audio signals consisting only of channel-based signals. By standardizing processing across systems, it becomes possible to standardize the signal processing unit, which in the case of a shared receiver leads to a reduction in the overall system size.
[0381] When converting an audio signal with more than 5.1 channels to a signal output to a 2-channel speaker system, the signal is first downmixed to 5.1 channels, and then downmixed again to a 2-channel signal. An example of the conversion formula for this 5.1-channel to 2-channel downmix is shown below: Lt'=L+g7*C+g8*Ls (Equation 12) Rt'=R+g7*C+g8*Rs (Equation 13) g7 and g8 above are weighting coefficients (downmix coefficients), and their default values are shown in Figure 17B. These downmix coefficients are transmitted as metadata of the audio signal, but the default values are used until they are received. These conversion formulas and the default values of the weighting coefficients are the same as those used in systems that handle audio signals with only channel-based signals. By standardizing processing across systems, it becomes possible to standardize the signal processing unit, which in the case of a shared receiver ...
Claims
1. A method for processing a transmission signal sent from a broadcasting station to a broadcasting receiving device, wherein the transmission signal is a signal to which the CMAF standard is applied, and the broadcasting receiving device acquires SI information from the received transmission signal before CMAF information and coding information, and sets the resolution in the decoder and browser based on the resolution information contained in the acquired SI information prior to acquiring the CMAF information and coding information.
2. A method for processing a transmission signal according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast receiving device sets the resolution in the decoder and the browser based on the resolution information contained in the SI information, then acquires the CMAF information, determines whether the resolution information contained in the acquired SI information matches the resolution information contained in the acquired CMAF information, and if it is determined that the resolution information contained in the SI information does not match the resolution information contained in the CMAF information, it resets the resolution in the decoder and the browser based on the resolution information contained in the CMAF information.
3. A method for processing a transmission signal according to claim 2, wherein, after resetting the resolution in the decoder and the browser based on the resolution information contained in the CMAF information, the encoding information is acquired, it is determined whether the resolution information contained in the acquired CMAF information matches the resolution information contained in the acquired encoding information, and if it is determined that the resolution information contained in the CMAF information does not match the resolution information contained in the encoding information, the resolution in the decoder and the browser is reset based on the resolution information contained in the encoding information.
4. A method for processing a transmission signal sent from a broadcasting station to a broadcasting receiving device, wherein the types of transmission signal streams include: a first type employing the DTCP2 standard, HEVC standard, TS standard, and 4K resolution; a second type employing the DTCP2 standard, HEVC standard, TS standard, and 8K resolution; a third type employing the DTCP2 standard, HEVC standard, MMT standard, and 4K resolution; a fourth type employing the DTCP2 standard, HEVC standard, MMT standard, and 8K resolution; in addition, a fifth type employing the DTCP2 standard, VVC standard, TS standard, and 4K resolution; a sixth type employing the DTCP2 standard, VVC standard, TS standard, and 8K resolution; and a seventh type employing the DTCP2 standard, VVC standard, MMT standard, and 4K resolution. A transmission signal processing method is defined as follows: an eighth type employing the DTCP2 standard, VVC standard, MMT standard, and 8K resolution; a ninth type employing the DTCP2 standard, VVC standard, CMAF standard, and 4K resolution; and a tenth type employing the DTCP2 standard, VVC standard, CMAF standard, and 8K resolution.
5. A method for processing a transmission signal sent from a broadcasting station device to a broadcasting receiving device, wherein the broadcasting receiving device is connected to an external device, performs a resolution conversion on the received transmission signal stream and outputs it to the external device, and rewrites the maximum rate information stored in the Sample description box included in the resolution-converted transmission signal stream to a value corresponding to the stream after the resolution conversion.
6. A method for processing a transmission signal according to claim 5, wherein the broadcast receiving device determines whether the resolution of the stream specified by the profile ID from the external device is lower than the resolution of the received stream, and if it is determined in the determination that the resolution is lower, the decoder converts the received stream to the specified resolution.
7. A method for processing a transmission signal according to claim 6, wherein the broadcast receiving device, when converting the resolution of the received stream, rewrites the resolution information contained in the stream with information corresponding to the converted resolution.
8. A method for processing a transmission signal according to claim 7, wherein the broadcast receiving device rewrites at least the resolution information of the VisualSampleEntry of the ISOBMFF.
9. A method for processing a transmission signal according to claim 5, wherein the broadcast receiving device rewrites the maximum rate information stored in the partial TS descriptor stored in the selection information table (SIT) to a value corresponding to the resolution-converted stream.
10. A method for processing a transmission signal sent from a broadcasting station device to a broadcasting receiving device, wherein the broadcasting receiving device is connected to an external device, and when the stream specified by the profile ID from the external device is a partial transport stream and the received stream is a TLV / CMAF, the method for processing a transmission signal comprises converting the received stream into a transport stream.
11. A method for processing a transmission signal sent from a broadcasting station device to a broadcasting receiving device, wherein the broadcasting receiving device is connected to an external device, and the stream specified by the profile ID from the external device is a partial transport stream, and the received stream is configured to obtain a packet stream and related information from a server device on a communication network, the method for processing a transmission signal.
12. A method for processing a transmission signal according to claim 11, wherein the broadcast receiving device superimposes the acquired packet stream and related information onto the transport stream, rewrites the information contained in the transport stream so that it is set not to acquire the packet stream and related information from the server device on the communication network, and outputs the rewritten transport stream.
13. A content protection method comprising: control information for identifying the resolution of the video of the content; a transmission step in which a transmission system transmits the content; a reception step in which a receiving device receives the content and control information for identifying the resolution of the video of the content transmitted in the transmission step; and a content protection processing control step in which the receiving device controls content protection processing for the content received in the reception step, wherein the type of control information for identifying the resolution of the video of the content includes control information for identifying that the content is dynamic resolution content in which the resolution of the video is dynamically changed during the course of the same content, and the receiving device uses the control information for identifying that the content is dynamic resolution content to control protection processing at the IP interface output for the content received in the reception step.
14. A broadcast receiving device comprising a broadcasting system, which receives a broadcast wave data block transmitted using a broadcast wave and a network data block transmitted using a communication network, both transmitted simultaneously from a broadcasting station device and corresponding to the same partial video content, and which has a waiting time set that is longer than the maximum expected delay time from the start of transmission of the broadcast wave data block to the start of reception, and longer than the maximum expected delay time from the start of transmission of the network data block to the start of reception, and which starts decoding both data blocks that have started to be received at the timing when the waiting time has elapsed from the start of transmission of the broadcast wave data block and the network data block.
15. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 14, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content of a first resolution, and the network data block corresponds to interpolation data that, when used together with the broadcast wave data block, yields partial video content of a second resolution higher than the first resolution.
16. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 14, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content from a first broadcast in a simulcast, and the network data block corresponds to partial video content from a second broadcast different from the first broadcast in the simulcast.
17. A broadcast receiving device comprising a broadcasting system, which receives broadcast wave data blocks transmitted using broadcast waves and network data blocks transmitted using a communication network, which are transmitted simultaneously from a broadcasting station device and each corresponds to the same partial video content; a waiting time is set based on a typical delay time assumed to be from the start of transmission of the broadcast wave data blocks to the start of reception, and a typical delay time assumed to be from the start of transmission of the network data blocks to the start of reception; and the device starts decoding the data blocks that have started to be received from the broadcast wave data blocks and the network data blocks, at a timing when the waiting time has elapsed from the start of transmission of the broadcast wave data blocks and the network data blocks.
18. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 17, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content from a first broadcast in a simulcast, the network data block corresponds to partial video content from a second broadcast different from the first broadcast in the simulcast, and the device displays partial video content from the data block whose reception has started at a timing equal to the waiting time.
19. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 17, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content of a first resolution, the network data block corresponds to interpolation data that, when used together with the broadcast wave data block, yields partial video content of a second resolution higher than the first resolution, and when the waiting time has elapsed, the device displays the partial video content of the second resolution if reception of both the broadcast wave data block and the network data block has started, and displays the partial video content of the first resolution if reception of only the broadcast wave data block has started.
20. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 17, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content of a first resolution, the network data block corresponds to interpolation data that, when used together with the broadcast wave data block, yields partial video content of a second resolution higher than the first resolution, and when the waiting time has elapsed, the device displays the partial video content of the second resolution when reception of both the broadcast wave data block and the network data block has started, and when reception of only the broadcast wave data block has started, it converts the partial video content of the first resolution to partial video content of a higher resolution than the first resolution and displays it.
21. A broadcast receiving device comprising a broadcasting system, which receives a broadcast wave data block transmitted using a broadcast wave and a network data block transmitted using a communication network, both transmitted simultaneously from a broadcasting station device and corresponding to the same partial video content; a waiting time is set based on a typical delay time assumed for the period from the start of transmission to the start of reception of the broadcast wave data block and a typical delay time assumed for the period from the start of transmission to the start of reception of the network data block; and if reception of both the broadcast wave data block and the network data block has not started after the waiting time has elapsed from the start of transmission of the broadcast wave data block and the network data block, a further waiting period is performed, and decoding of both data blocks is started after reception of both data blocks has started.
22. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 21, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content of a first resolution, the network data block corresponds to interpolation data that, when used together with the broadcast wave data block, yields partial video content of a second resolution higher than the first resolution, and when reception of both the broadcast wave data block and the network data block has started at the time when the waiting period has elapsed, the partial video content of the second resolution is displayed, and while further waiting is taking place, the image of the last frame constituting the previously obtained partial video content of the second resolution is continuously displayed as a still image.
23. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 21, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content of a first resolution, the network data block corresponds to interpolation data that, when used together with the broadcast wave data block, yields partial video content of a second resolution higher than the first resolution, and when the reception of both the broadcast wave data block and the network data block has started at the timing when the waiting time has elapsed, the partial video content of the second resolution is displayed, and while further waiting is taking place, the images of the last multiple frames constituting the immediately obtained partial video content of the second resolution are displayed in slow motion.
24. A broadcast receiving device according to claim 21, wherein, when the further waiting is performed, the waiting time is updated to the same time as or longer than the delay time from the start of transmission of the broadcast wave data block and the network data block to the start of reception of both data blocks.
25. Broadcasting station equipment constituting a broadcasting system, wherein when transmitting a broadcast wave data block transmitted using a broadcast wave and a network data block transmitted using a communication network, each corresponding to the same partial video content, the broadcast wave data block is transmitted only after a first time has elapsed since the start of transmission of the network data block.
26. A broadcasting station apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content of a first resolution, and the network data block corresponds to interpolation data that, when used together with the broadcast wave data block, yields partial video content of a second resolution higher than the first resolution.
27. A broadcasting station apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the broadcast wave data block corresponds to partial video content from a first broadcast in a simulcast, and the network data block corresponds to partial video content from a second broadcast different from the first broadcast in the simulcast.
28. A broadcasting station apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the first time is determined based on a typical delay time assumed to be from the start of transmission of the broadcast wave data block to the start of reception in the broadcast receiving device, and a typical delay time assumed to be from the start of transmission of the network data block to the start of reception in the broadcast receiving device.
29. A broadcast receiving device capable of communicating with a personal information terminal, comprising: a receiving unit that receives content via broadcast waves or a communication line; a control unit; a communication unit that transmits and receives information with the personal information terminal; and a display unit that displays video based on the content received by the receiving unit, wherein, in the broadcast receiving device in which a first program is being played and the first video is displayed on the display unit, when the communication unit receives information of the second program transmitted from the personal information terminal in which a second program is being played, the control unit displays the second video of the second program on a part of the display unit, and the broadcast receiving device plays the second program by selecting and confirming the second video displayed on the part of the display unit in accordance with the remote control operation performed by the viewer.
30. A broadcast receiving device capable of communicating with a personal information terminal, comprising: a receiving unit that receives content via broadcast waves or a communication line; a control unit; a communication unit that transmits and receives information with the personal information terminal; and a human presence sensor, wherein the receiving unit plays a program based on the content received by the receiving unit, and the control unit, when the human presence sensor detects that a viewer has moved away from the vicinity of the broadcast receiving device during program playback, transmits information about the program to the personal information terminal via the communication unit, thereby causing the personal information terminal to play the program.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Digital broadcasting device, digital broadcasting reception method, digital broadcasting reception program, and computer-readable recording medium
JP2002218344A
Receiving method, transmitting method, receiver and transmitter
JP2015050768A
Display control method
JP2021083027A
Transmitting device, receiving device, program of the same, and transmission system
JP2023010156A
Sending device and receiving device
JP2024106334A