A display device and a method for caching program data

Abstract

The present application provides a display device and a method for caching program data. When the display device receives a power-on command sent by a user, it first determines whether the program data provided by the corresponding power-on channel after the device is turned on is valid. If the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, that is, the audio and video content can be played, the display device will automatically turn on the program data caching function without user instructions to cache the program data corresponding to the power-on channel. In this way, the time node for caching program data can be effectively started in advance to expand the integrity of the cached program data forward, thereby providing users with more replayable program data. In addition, when the user forgets or delays sending the time-shift instruction, the above-mentioned program data caching method can also provide users with more complete replayable program data to improve the user's viewing experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of intelligent display devices, and in particular to a display device and a method for caching program data. Background Art

[0002] Display devices refer to terminal devices that can output specific display images, which can be terminal devices such as smart TVs, mobile terminals, smart advertising screens, projectors, etc. Taking smart TVs as an example, smart TVs are based on Internet application technology, have open operating systems and chips, have open application platforms, can realize two-way human-computer interaction functions, and are TV products that integrate multiple functions such as audio and video, entertainment, and data to meet the diverse and personalized needs of users.

[0003] The replay function of the display device can improve the user experience. When the user misses certain programs or wants to watch certain programs again, he can choose the replay function. At this time, the display device will reacquire the program data that the user wants to watch again and play these program data. The display device pre-caches program data to obtain program data for replay. The display device usually starts to cache the currently playing program data after receiving the time-shift instruction sent by the user. If the user forgets to send the time-shift instruction, the display device will not cache the program data, and will not have the program data used to support the user's replay. Or, if the user does not send the time-shift instruction in time, the program data cached by the display device will be incomplete, so that the user may not be able to watch the content he wants to watch again. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a display device and a method for caching program data to improve the timeliness of caching currently playing program data.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a display device, including:

[0006] a display configured to display a user interface corresponding to the program data;

[0007] The controller is configured as:

[0008] Receive the power-on command sent by the user;

[0009] In response to the power-on instruction, acquiring program data corresponding to the power-on channel;

[0010] When the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is cached.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for caching program data, which is applied to the display device described in the first aspect, and the method includes:

[0012] Receive the power-on command sent by the user;

[0013] In response to the power-on instruction, acquiring program data corresponding to the power-on channel;

[0014] When the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is cached.

[0015] It can be seen from the above technical solution that when the display device receives the power-on command sent by the user, it first determines whether the program data provided by the corresponding power-on channel after the device is turned on is valid. If the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, that is, the audio and video content can be played, the display device will automatically turn on the program data caching function without user instructions to cache the program data corresponding to the power-on channel. In this way, the time node for caching program data can be effectively started in advance to expand the integrity of the cached program data forward, thereby providing users with more replayable program data. In addition, when the user forgets or delays sending the time-shift instruction, the above-mentioned program data caching method can also provide users with more complete replayable program data to improve the user's viewing experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a usage scenario of the display device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a hardware configuration block diagram of the control device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a hardware configuration block diagram of the control device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 A hardware configuration diagram of a display device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 A software configuration diagram of a display device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of caching program data based on time-shift instructions in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a method for caching program data in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 8A comparison diagram of program data of a cached power-on channel in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a process of caching program data of a display device in response to a channel switching instruction in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Fig.10 A flow chart showing channel switching of a display device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a caching process of program data for which a time shift instruction sent by a user has been received before a display device receives a channel switching instruction sent by a user in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of a caching process of program data for which a time shift instruction sent by a user has been received before a display device receives a channel switching instruction sent by a user in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Fig.13 A flowchart of a process of determining the cached program data to be executed after a display device receives a time-shift instruction sent by a user in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of a program data caching process in which a time-shift instruction is performed before a display device starts automatically caching program data in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Fig.15 This is a flow chart of using a timer to determine continuous and rapid channel switching in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Fig.16 This is a flowchart of playing back cached program data in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Fig.17 A schematic diagram of a process of a display device playing back cached program data in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Fig.18 This is a user interface corresponding to playing cached program data in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following embodiments are described in detail, and examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. They are only examples of systems and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the claims.

[0036] It should be noted that the brief description of terms in this application is only for the convenience of understanding the embodiments described below, and is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Unless otherwise specified, these terms should be understood according to their common and usual meanings.

[0037] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar or similar objects or entities, and do not necessarily mean to limit a specific order or sequence, unless otherwise noted. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances.

[0038] The terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover but not exclude inclusion, for example, a product or device comprising a list of components is not necessarily limited to all the components expressly listed but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such product or device.

[0039] The term "module" refers to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and / or software code that is capable of performing the functions associated with that element.

[0040] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a usage scenario of a display device according to an embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the display device 200 can communicate digital signals with the transmitting device 300 , the display device 200 can communicate with the server 400 through the Internet, and the user can operate the display device 200 through the control device 100 .

[0041] In some embodiments, the control device 100 may be a remote controller, and the communication between the remote controller and the display device includes infrared protocol communication or Bluetooth protocol communication, and at least one of other short-range communication methods, to control the display device 200 wirelessly or wired. The user may control the display device 200 by inputting user commands through at least one of buttons on the remote controller, voice input, and control panel input.

[0042] In some embodiments, the control device 100 may also be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone, etc. The communication between the mobile terminal and the display device 200 includes Internet protocol communication or Bluetooth protocol communication, and at least one of other short-distance communication and long-distance communication methods. The user may input user commands by at least one of buttons, voice input, and control panel input on the mobile terminal to control the display device 200. Figure 2 1 shows a block diagram of a configuration of a control device 100 taking a remote controller as an example. Figure 2As shown, the control device 100 includes a controller, a communication interface, a user input / output interface, a memory, and a power supply. The control device 100 can receive the user's input operation instructions, and convert the operation instructions into instructions that the display device 200 can recognize and respond to, playing the role of an interactive intermediary between the user and the display device 200.

[0043] Figure 3 1 shows a block diagram of a configuration of a control device 100 taking a mobile terminal as an example. Figure 3 As shown, the control device 100 includes at least one of a radio frequency (RF) circuit, a memory, a display unit, a camera, a sensor, an audio circuit, a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) circuit, a processor, a Bluetooth circuit, and a power supply.

[0044] Figure 4 A hardware configuration block diagram of a display device 200 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0045] In some embodiments, the display apparatus 200 includes at least one of a tuner 210, a communicator 220, a detector 230, an external device interface 240, a controller 250, a display 260, an audio output interface 270, a memory, a power supply, and a user interface.

[0046] In some embodiments, the communicator 220 is a component for communicating with an external device or server according to various communication protocol types. For example, the communicator may include at least one of a Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, a wired Ethernet module, or other network communication protocol chips or near field communication protocol chips, and an infrared receiver. The display device 200 may establish transmission and reception of control signals and data signals with the control device 100 or the server 400 through the communicator 220.

[0047] In some embodiments, the external device interface 240 may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following: a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), an analog or digital high-definition component input interface (component), a composite video input interface (CVBS), a USB input interface (USB), an RGB port, etc. It may also be a composite input / output interface formed by the above multiple interfaces.

[0048] In some embodiments, the controller 250 and the tuner-demodulator 210 may be located in different separate devices, that is, the tuner-demodulator 210 may also be located in an external device of the main device where the controller 250 is located, such as an external set-top box.

[0049] In some embodiments, the controller 250 controls the operation of the display device and responds to user operations through various software control programs stored in the memory. The controller 250 controls the overall operation of the display device 200. For example, in response to receiving a user command for selecting a UI object to be displayed on the display 260, the controller 250 can perform operations related to the object selected by the user command.

[0050] In some embodiments, the user may input a user command in a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on the display 260, and the user input interface receives the user input command through the graphical user interface (GUI). Alternatively, the user may input a user command by inputting a specific sound or gesture, and the user input interface receives the user input command by recognizing the sound or gesture through a sensor.

[0051] In some embodiments, "user interface" is a medium interface for interaction and information exchange between an application or operating system and a user, which realizes the conversion between the internal form of information and the form acceptable to the user. A common form of user interface is a graphical user interface (GUI), which refers to a user interface related to computer operation displayed in a graphical manner. It can be an interface element such as an icon, window, or control displayed on a display screen of an electronic device, wherein a control may include at least one of icons, buttons, menus, tabs, text boxes, dialog boxes, status bars, navigation bars, widgets, and other visual interface elements.

[0052] See also Figure 5 In some embodiments, the system is divided into four layers, from top to bottom, namely, the application layer (Applications) layer (referred to as "application layer"), the application framework layer (Application Framework) layer (referred to as "framework layer"), the Android runtime (Android runtime) and system library layer (referred to as "system runtime library layer"), and the kernel layer.

[0053] In some embodiments, at least one application is running in the application layer, and these applications can be window programs, system settings programs, clock programs, etc. provided by the operating system, or applications developed by third-party developers. In specific implementations, the application packages in the application layer are not limited to the above examples.

[0054] The framework layer provides application programming interfaces (APIs) and programming frameworks for applications in the application layer. The application framework layer includes some predefined functions. The application framework layer is equivalent to a processing center that determines the actions that applications in the application layer take. Through the API interface, applications can access system resources and obtain system services during execution.

[0055] like Figure 5 As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the application framework layer includes managers, content providers, etc., wherein the manager includes at least one of the following modules: an activity manager (ActivityManager) is used to interact with all activities running in the system; a location manager (Location Manager) is used to provide system services or applications with access to system location services; a package manager (Package Manager) is used to retrieve various information related to the application package currently installed on the device; a notification manager (NotificationManager) is used to control the display and clearing of notification messages; a window manager (Window Manager) is used to manage icons, windows, toolbars, wallpapers, and desktop components on the user interface.

[0056] In some embodiments, the display device 200 can communicate data with the transmitting device 300, which can be a cable TV station front end or a satellite. The transmitting device 300 broadcasts digital TV signals to the outside, and the display device 200 can receive the digital TV signals through a receiver such as an antenna.

[0057] Based on the above display device 200, in order to enrich the user's viewing function and improve the user's viewing experience, the display device 200 is configured to provide the user with a playback function. The sources of the program data for playback can be divided into two categories. The first category is provided by the Internet. In this category, the display device 200 communicates with the server 400, and the Internet can provide complete program data. The playback function for this type of program data mainly relies on the program data storage function provided by the Internet. The second category is provided by the buffer of the display device 200. In this category, the display device 200 communicates with the transmitting device 300 to receive the digital TV signal sent by the transmitting device 300, that is, to receive the audio and video data corresponding to each channel. The communication between the display device 200 and the transmitting device 300 is a one-way communication from the transmitting device 300 to the display device 200. Therefore, the program data provided by the transmitting device 300 itself is not replayable. The playback function for this type of program data is mainly realized by the display device 200. The display device 200 pre-caches the received program data, and when the user needs to watch it back, it plays the pre-cached program data to achieve the effect of program data playback. It can be seen that the program data that the display device 200 can play back refers to the program data that is pre-cached. The more program data that is pre-cached, the more program data the display device 200 supports for playback.

[0058] For the playback process of the second type of program data, first, the user sends a time shift instruction to the display device 200, instructing the display device 200 to enable the cache function of the program data. In response to the time shift instruction, the display device 200 starts to cache the program data corresponding to the current channel. Figure 6 As shown, the display device 200 starts to display the user interface corresponding to the program data of the current channel after receiving the power-on instruction from T0, and receives the time-shift instruction sent by the user at T1. In response to the time-shift instruction, the display device 200 starts to cache the program data of the current channel from T1. The display device 200 receives the stop time-shift instruction sent by the user at T2, and stops caching the program data of the current channel in response to the stop time-shift instruction. It can be seen that the program data cached by the display device 200 corresponds to T1~T2, that is, the program data supported by the display device 200 for playback is the program data corresponding to T1~T2, and because the display device 200 does not cache the program data corresponding to T0~T1, the display device 200 does not support the playback of the program data corresponding to T0~T1. Therefore, this method of caching program data based on responding to the time-shift instruction sent by the user, because the cached program data is incomplete, causes the user to be unable to watch the complete program data.

[0059] In order to solve the above problem, the display device 200 is as follows Figure 7 The method shown caches program data, as follows:

[0060] S701: Receive a power-on instruction sent by a user.

[0061] The user sends a power-on command to the display device 200 through the control apparatus 100, for example, by using a power button on a remote control to send a power-on command to the display device 200. The user may also send a power-on command by directly controlling the display device 200, for example, by using a power button on the display device 200 to send a power-on command to the display device 200.

[0062] S702: In response to the power-on instruction, obtain program data corresponding to the power-on channel.

[0063] In this embodiment, the channel displayed after the display device 200 is turned on is called a power-on channel. The power-on channel can be a default power-on channel of the display device 200, or can be a channel displayed before the display device 200 is turned off.

[0064] In this embodiment, the audio and video data provided by the channel is referred to as the program data corresponding to the channel, and the audio and video data provided by the power-on channel is the program data corresponding to the power-on channel. After the display device 200 is powered on, it identifies the current corresponding power-on channel, that is, determines the corresponding frequency band, and demodulates the received audio and video signals to the frequency band to obtain the program data corresponding to the power-on channel.

[0065] S703: When the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, cache the program data corresponding to the power-on channel.

[0066] In order to ensure the integrity of the program data cached by the display device 200, the display device 200 is configured to automatically cache the program data immediately upon acquiring the program data corresponding to the power-on channel, without waiting for the time shift instruction sent by the user. Generally, the time for acquiring program data is relatively short, and no special indication is made for this time in this embodiment.

[0067] In order to further ensure the quality of the cached program data, that is, the cached program data has real content, that is, the cached program data is valid, before the display device 200 turns on the automatic caching of program data, it first determines whether the program data of the startup channel obtained is valid. If the program data is invalid, for example, the startup channel does not provide program data, etc., the program data of the startup video is not cached to avoid problems such as the cached program data being empty or the cached program data not corresponding to any content. If the program data is valid, the automatic caching of program data is turned on. Usually, the time to identify whether the program data is valid is also relatively short, and no special indication is made for this time in this embodiment.

[0068] Figure 8The comparison diagram of program data of the cached power-on channel is shown as an example. Among them, the schematic diagram located at the top corresponds to the situation where the program data is cached in response to the user's time-shift instruction. It can be seen that the display device 200 starts to cache the program data from T1, and stops caching the program data in response to the user's stop time-shift instruction at T2. The schematic diagram located at the bottom corresponds to the situation where the display device 200 automatically caches the program data in response to the user's power-on instruction. It can be seen that the display device 200 receives the power-on instruction sent by the user at T0, and the display device 200 responds to the power-on instruction at T0 to obtain the program data corresponding to the power-on channel. If the program data is determined to be valid, the display device 200 starts to cache the program data corresponding to the power-on channel from T0. For the convenience of comparison, it is assumed that the display device 200 also receives the stop time-shift instruction sent by the user at T2, and the display device 200 responds to the stop time-shift instruction at T2 and stops caching the program data.

[0069] By comparing the two schematic diagrams, it can be clearly seen that the program data caching method provided in this embodiment can effectively extend the time node for starting to cache program data forward, that is, the time node for starting to cache program data is advanced to T0. In this way, more program data corresponding to T0~T1 can be cached, and more program data that can be reviewed can be provided to users.

[0070] In some embodiments, if the user wants to watch a different channel, a channel switching instruction is sent to the display device 200 to switch the current channel to another channel. In one implementation, the user can input a channel switching instruction through the control device 100, such as a "program + / -" button on a remote control. In this implementation, the channel switching instruction indicates switching to the previous channel of the current channel, or the next channel. In another implementation, the user can input a channel switching instruction through the control device 100, such as a digital button on a remote control. In this implementation, the channel switching instruction indicates the channel number to be switched to. In another implementation, the user can input a channel switching instruction through the control device 100, such as a jump button on a remote control. In this implementation, the channel switching instruction indicates a preset target channel to jump to, such as a specified channel, or the last channel that stayed for a long time.

[0071] In response to the channel switching instruction, the display device 200 obtains the program data corresponding to the channel indicated by the channel switching instruction, that is, the switched channel, and determines whether the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid. The process of obtaining the program data and determining whether the program data is valid is similar to the process of obtaining the program data of the power-on channel and determining whether the program data of the power-on channel is valid, and will not be repeated here.

[0072] The display device 200 is configured to cache program data starting from responding to a power-on instruction, and to stop caching program data in response to a stop time shift instruction or a power-off instruction sent by a user. If the display device 200 receives a channel switching instruction sent by a user during the process of responding to a power-on instruction to receiving a stop time shift instruction or a power-off instruction, the display device 200 switches the current channel to the channel indicated by the channel switching instruction in response to the channel switching instruction. At this time, the display device 200 stops caching program data of the channel before the switching and starts caching program data of the channel after the switching.

[0073] Fig. 9 The following example shows the buffering process of the program data of the display device 200 in response to the channel switching instruction. Fig. 9 As shown, the display device 200 receives a power-on instruction sent by the user at T0, and the display device 200 responds to the power-on instruction at T0 to obtain the program data corresponding to the power-on channel. If the program data is determined to be valid, the display device 200 starts to cache the program data corresponding to the power-on channel from T0. The display device 200 receives a channel switching instruction sent by the user at T1, and the display device 200 responds to the channel switching instruction to switch the power-on channel to the channel indicated by the channel switching instruction, such as the first channel, and the display device 200 obtains the program data of the first channel and determines whether the program data of the first channel is valid. Wherein, when the program data of the first channel is valid, the display device 200 stops caching the program data of the power-on channel from T1, and automatically starts caching the program data of the first channel (in this embodiment, no special indication is made for switching channels, obtaining program data, and identifying the time when program data is valid). The display device 200 receives a stop time shift instruction sent by the user at T2, and the display device 200 stops caching the program data of the first channel at T2, and turns off the function of caching program data. It can be seen that in the process of caching program data in response to the channel switching instruction, the cached program data includes program data corresponding to each channel that is stopped, so that the display device 200 can provide the user with program data that supports watching back multiple channels, so as to Fig. 9 For example, the display device 200 supports playback of program data corresponding to the power-on channel and the first channel.

[0074] In some embodiments, the display device 200, in response to the channel switching instruction, first stops caching the program data of the power-on channel, and after determining that the program data corresponding to the first channel is valid, it starts the caching function of the program data again. The number of processes running simultaneously on the display device 200 can be reduced. Furthermore, the cached program data corresponding to the power-on channel can be deleted, so that the storage space of the buffer of the display device 200 can be effectively released.

[0075] In this embodiment, after responding to the channel switching instruction, the display device 200 automatically starts caching the program data of the switched channel without the need for user instructions to turn on the program data caching function. This ensures the cache integrity of the program data of the switched channel and avoids the problem of incomplete cached program data or failure to cache program data after switching channels due to the user forgetting or delaying in sending a time-shift instruction.

[0076] In some embodiments, before the display device 200 obtains the program data of the switched channel in response to the channel switching instruction, it is configured to execute the corresponding channel switching process according to whether the current cache process of the display device 200 has an interaction process with the user, such as Fig.10 The specific process shown is:

[0077] S1001. Receive a channel switching instruction sent by a user.

[0078] S1002: Determine whether a time shift instruction sent by the user is received before the channel switching instruction is received, wherein the time shift instruction indicates to cache program data corresponding to the current channel.

[0079] In this embodiment, the process of automatically caching program data by the display device 200 is executed in the background program, and the user is not aware of the execution of this process. Therefore, the user may send a time-shift instruction to the display device 200. For example, the user controls the device 100, such as the "up", "down", "left", and "right" buttons on the remote control to move the selection box to the position corresponding to the time-shift option on the user interface, and selects the time-shift option by pressing the "OK" button to send a time-shift instruction to the display device 200.

[0080] S1003: If the time shift instruction is received, a query is sent to the user asking whether to switch channels.

[0081] Since the display device 200 has automatically started the program data caching process before receiving the time-shift instruction, the display device 200 will continue to execute the already started program data caching process in response to the time-shift instruction, and will not repeat the program data caching process. In addition, the display device 200 will record the time-shift instruction to record that the current program data caching process is not an automatic caching process, but a caching process that requires interaction with the user, that is, in the subsequent process of caching program data by the display device 200, if there is a change in the cache state, etc., it will send a query to the user and execute the process based on the user's feedback. For example, if the display device 200 determines that the time-shift instruction has been received, then if the user sends a channel switching instruction again, at this time, the display device 200 will not directly execute the channel switching, but first send a query to the user whether to switch the channel to prompt the user that the program data of the current channel is being cached. Once the channel is switched, the program data of the current channel will not be able to continue to be cached, and the cached program data of the current channel will be lost. In this way, the sense of interaction with the user is enhanced in the form of inquiry and response, so that the user can always perceive that the program data is currently being cached.

[0082] S1004: If a first response is received from the user to confirm the channel switching, stop caching the program data corresponding to the current channel; if a second response is received from the user not to switch the channel, terminate the channel switching.

[0083] If the user decides to switch channels, a first response is sent to the display device 200 to instruct the display device 200 to switch channels. In response to the first response, the display device 200 actually executes the process of switching channels, that is, stops caching the program data of the current channel, and when the program data of the switched channel is obtained, starts caching the program data of the switched channel.

[0084] S1005: If the time shift instruction is not received, stop caching the program data corresponding to the current channel.

[0085] If the display device 200 does not receive the time-shift instruction, it means that the display device 200 is always in a state of automatically caching program data, and its caching process does not require interaction with the user, so as to avoid the display device 200 suddenly asking the user questions, affecting the user's smoothness in switching channels, and also avoiding the user from responding to these sudden inquiries, causing the user to perform unnecessary operations.

[0086] Fig.11 The exemplary embodiment shows the caching process of the program data that has received the time shift instruction sent by the user before the display device receives the channel switching instruction sent by the user. Fig.11As shown, the display device 200 receives a power-on instruction sent by the user at T0, and in response to the power-on instruction, caches the program data of the power-on channel from T0. The display device 200 receives a time-shift instruction sent by the user at T1, and in response to the time-shift instruction, the display device 200 continues to execute the cache process of the program data of the power-on channel, and records that the cache process of subsequent program data starting from T1 needs to be completed in an interactive form with the user. The display device 200 receives a channel switching instruction sent by the user at T2, and in response to the channel switching instruction, sends a query to the user (whether to switch channels). The display device 200 receives a first response sent by the user at T3, that is, confirming to switch channels, and the display device 200 switches the power-on channel to the channel indicated by the channel switching instruction, such as the first channel, from T3. The display device 200 obtains the program data of the first channel, and when it is determined that the program data of the first channel is valid, it stops caching the program data corresponding to the power-on channel from T3, and starts caching the program data of the first channel.

[0087] Fig.12 The exemplary embodiment shows the caching process of the program data that has received the time shift instruction sent by the user before the display device receives the channel switching instruction sent by the user. Fig.11 The difference between the processes shown is that if the display device receives the second response sent by the user at T3, ie, does not switch channels, the display device 200 does not execute the channel switching process and will continue to cache the program data of the power-on channel.

[0088] If the display device 200 does not receive the time shift instruction sent by the user before receiving the channel switching instruction sent by the user, the caching process of the corresponding program data can refer to Fig. 9 , which will not be elaborated here.

[0089] After receiving the time-shift instruction sent by the user, the display device 200 first performs the following steps: Fig.13 The process shown in the figure determines the process of caching program data to be executed, which is as follows:

[0090] S1301. Receive a time-shift instruction sent by the user, where the time-shift instruction instructs to cache program data corresponding to the current channel.

[0091] S1302: In response to the time shift instruction, determine the cache status of the program data corresponding to the current channel.

[0092] S1303: If the cache status is caching, continue to execute the current cache program.

[0093] S1304: If the cache status is not cached, start caching the program data corresponding to the current channel.

[0094] In some embodiments, the time node when the user sends the time-shift instruction to the display device 200 is at the time node when the display device 200 automatically starts caching program data. For example, the display device 200 is pre-set by the user to not allow the automatic activation of the cached program data function, the display device 200 controls the logical judgment process of starting the cached program data for a long time, and the channels are switched continuously and quickly. At this time, the display device 200 will give priority to responding to the time-shift instruction of the display device 200, and turn on the caching function of the program data to start caching the program data as soon as possible.

[0095] Fig.14 The example shows the program data caching process in which the time shift instruction starts automatically caching program data before the display device starts caching program data. Fig.14 As shown, taking the channel switching process as an example, the display device 200 receives a channel switching instruction sent by the user at Tn, and the display device 200 responds to the channel switching instruction and starts the judgment process of caching the program data after switching. For example, the judgment process ends at Tm, then, for the program data in the time period of Tn to Tm, the display device 200 will not cache any program data. If the display device 200 receives a time shift instruction sent by the user in the time period of Tn to Tm, for example, at Tp, the display device 200 responds to the time shift instruction, terminates the current judgment process, and caches the program data of the switched channel from Tp. In this way, it can be ensured that the display device 200 responds to the user's instructions first, so as to quickly respond to the user's instructions and improve the user's experience.

[0096] In some embodiments, with respect to the process in which the display device 200 caches program data in response to the user's channel switching instruction, if the user switches continuously and quickly from the power-on channel to the fifth channel, where the intermediate channels that are quickly switched include the first channel, the second channel, the third channel, and the fourth channel, it means that the user is not concerned about the program content of these intermediate channels, and usually, the user will not choose to watch the program content of these intermediate channels again. However, if the display device 200 always maintains the state of caching program data as disclosed above, the display device 200 will also cache the program data corresponding to the intermediate channels. The switching process in which the display device 200 stops caching the previous channel and starts caching the next channel will occupy the system resources of the display device 200, and the cached program data corresponding to the intermediate channels will also occupy certain system storage resources. In order to solve the above problem, the display device 200 is configured to start caching the program data of the switched channel only when the duration of stay on the switched channel is equal to the preset duration threshold. It can be done as follows: Fig.15 The process shown in FIG. 1 is to determine the program data of the switched channel that is actually cached, as follows:

[0097] S1501. When the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, start a timer, wherein the timer is used to record the duration of stay on the switched channel.

[0098] S1502: When the duration recorded by the timer is equal to the preset duration threshold, start caching the program data corresponding to the switched channel and clear the timing record of the timer.

[0099] S1503: When the duration recorded by the timer is less than the preset duration threshold, caching the program data corresponding to the switched channel is not started.

[0100] The display device 200 can use a timer to determine the length of stay on the switched channel. Before using the timer, the display device 200 first creates a timer. When the display device 200 responds to the channel switching instruction for the first time after it is turned on, it determines whether the timer has been created, that is, whether the timer can be obtained. If not, a timer is created. When the display device 200 responds to the channel switching instruction later, the created timer can be directly obtained without repeating the process of determining whether the timer exists. When the display device 200 determines that the program data of the switched channel is valid, the timing function of the timer is turned on. At this time, the timer starts timing from 0. If the timer is displayed as 5s, the display device 200 still has not received the channel switching instruction sent by the user again, which means that the display device 200 has stayed on the switched channel for 5s. Assuming that the duration threshold is 5s, the display device 200 starts to cache the program data corresponding to the switched channel and clears the timing record of the timer to prepare for the next timing. However, within 5s, the display device 200 does not start caching the program data of the switched channel. By monitoring the dwell time on the switched channel through the timer, it is possible to effectively determine whether the user's channel switching instruction is a continuous and rapid channel switching instruction, thereby avoiding caching the program data corresponding to the intermediate channel.

[0101] In some embodiments, the Fig.16 The process shown plays back the cached program data, as follows:

[0102] S1601: Receive a playback instruction sent by the user.

[0103] S1602. In response to the playback instruction, obtain cached program data, wherein the cached program data includes program data cached before receiving the playback instruction and program data of the current channel cached after receiving the playback instruction.

[0104] S1603: Display a user interface corresponding to the cached program data.

[0105] Fig.17 The process of display device playing back the cached program data is shown as an example. Fig.17 As shown, the current channel displayed by the display device 200 is the first channel, and the display device 200 starts to cache program data from T0, wherein T0-T1 corresponds to caching program data of the power-on channel, and receives a channel switching instruction sent by the user at T1, and responds to the channel switching instruction at T1, starts to cache program data of the first channel, and deletes the cached program data of the power-on channel, that is, deletes the program data corresponding to T0-T1. If the display device 200 receives a playback instruction sent by the user at T2, the display device 200 responds to the playback instruction and obtains the cached program data, such as the program data of the power-on channel corresponding to T0-T1, and the program data of the first channel corresponding to T1-T2, and since the user does not instruct to stop caching program data, for example, the user does not send a stop time shift instruction or a shutdown instruction, the display device 200 still continues to cache the program data corresponding to the first channel.

[0106] The playback instruction indicates the playback parameters used by the user when playing back the cached program data, for example, indicating to start playing from Tr (T1≤Tr≤T2). For example, Tr corresponds to picture 1, then Fig.18 As shown, the display device 200 will start playing the cached program data of the first channel from Tr. In some embodiments, the playback function can also provide other playback parameters for adjusting the cached program data, such as fast forward playback, pause playback, play the previous channel, play the next channel, etc., to meet the user's viewing needs.

[0107] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the display device and program data caching method provided in the above embodiments, when the display device receives the power-on command sent by the user, first determines whether the program data provided by the corresponding power-on channel after the device is turned on is valid. If the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, that is, the audio and video content can be played, the display device will automatically turn on the program data caching function without user instructions to cache the program data corresponding to the power-on channel. In this way, the time node for caching program data can be effectively started in advance to expand the integrity of the cached program data forward, thereby providing users with more replayable program data. In addition, when the user forgets or delays the instruction to cache program data, the above-mentioned program data caching method can also provide users with more complete replayable program data to improve the user's viewing experience.

[0108] Similar parts between the embodiments provided in this application can be referenced to each other. The specific implementation methods provided above are only a few examples under the general concept of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of this application. For those skilled in the art, any other implementation methods expanded based on the scheme of this application without creative work belong to the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that: include: a display configured to display a user interface corresponding to program data of a channel; The controller is configured as: Receive the power-on command sent by the user; In response to the power-on instruction, acquiring program data corresponding to the power-on channel; When the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, displaying the power-on channel and caching the program data corresponding to the power-on channel; receiving a channel switching instruction sent by a user, wherein the channel switching instruction is used to instruct to switch a current channel to another channel; In response to the channel switching instruction, acquiring program data corresponding to the switched channel; When the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, displaying the switched channel and caching the program data corresponding to the switched channel; Wherein, in response to the channel switching instruction, before acquiring the program data corresponding to the switched channel, the controller is further configured to: determining whether a time shift instruction sent by the user is received before receiving the channel switching instruction, the time shift instruction instructing to cache program data corresponding to the current channel; If the time shift instruction is received, sending a query to the user whether to switch channels; If a first response sent by the user to confirm the channel switching is received, then the program data corresponding to the current channel is stopped from being cached; if a second response sent by the user not to switch the channel is received, then the execution of the channel switching is terminated; The controller is further configured to: receiving the time shift instruction sent by the user; In response to the time shift instruction, recording the time shift instruction and determining a cache status of program data corresponding to the current channel; If the cache state is caching, continue to execute the current cache program; If the cache status is not cached, start caching the program data corresponding to the current channel.

2. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that The controller is further configured to: If the time shift instruction is not received, the program data corresponding to the current channel is stopped from being cached.

3. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that When the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, the controller displays the switched channel and caches the program data corresponding to the switched channel, and is configured as follows: When the duration of stay on the switched channel is equal to a preset duration threshold, the program data corresponding to the switched channel starts to be cached.

4. The display device according to claim 3, characterized in that When the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, the controller displays the switched channel and caches the program data corresponding to the switched channel, and is configured as follows: When the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, starting a timer, the timer is used to record the duration of stay on the switched channel; When the duration recorded by the timer is equal to the preset duration threshold, start caching the program data corresponding to the switched channel and clear the timing record of the timer; When the duration recorded by the timer is less than the preset duration threshold, caching of the program data corresponding to the switched channel is not started.

5. The display device according to claim 4, characterized in that When the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, the controller displays the switched channel and caches the program data corresponding to the switched channel, and is configured as follows: Determining whether the timer has been created; If the timer has been created, when the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, starting the timer; If the timer is not created, the timer is created, and when the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, the created timer is started.

6. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that The controller is further configured to: receiving a playback instruction sent by the user; In response to the playback instruction, acquiring cached program data, wherein the cached program data includes program data cached before receiving the playback instruction and program data of the current channel cached after receiving the playback instruction; A user interface corresponding to the cached program data is displayed.

7. A method for caching program data, characterized in that: Applied to a display device, the method comprises: Receive the power-on command sent by the user; In response to the power-on instruction, acquiring program data corresponding to the power-on channel; When the program data corresponding to the power-on channel is valid, displaying the power-on channel and caching the program data corresponding to the power-on channel; receiving a channel switching instruction sent by a user, wherein the channel switching instruction is used to instruct to switch a current channel to another channel; In response to the channel switching instruction, acquiring program data corresponding to the switched channel; When the program data corresponding to the switched channel is valid, displaying the switched channel and caching the program data corresponding to the switched channel; Wherein, in response to the channel switching instruction, before acquiring the program data corresponding to the switched channel, the method further includes: determining whether a time shift instruction sent by the user is received before receiving the channel switching instruction, the time shift instruction instructing to cache program data corresponding to the current channel; If the time shift instruction is received, sending a query to the user whether to switch channels; If a first response sent by the user to confirm the channel switching is received, then the program data corresponding to the current channel is stopped from being cached; if a second response sent by the user not to switch the channel is received, then the execution of the channel switching is terminated; The method further comprises: receiving the time shift instruction sent by the user; In response to the time shift instruction, recording the time shift instruction and determining a cache status of program data corresponding to the current channel; If the cache state is caching, continue to execute the current cache program; If the cache status is not cached, start caching the program data corresponding to the current channel.

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