Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
METHOD OF PROCESSING CHANNEL INFORMATION AND
RECEIVER
Technical Field
[1] The present invention relates to a method of processing channel
information and a receiver, and more particularly, to a method and a receiver
capable
of distinguishing various content channels from one another.
Background Art
[2] Existing television (TV) services have been provided in such a manner
that contents produced by broadcasting stations are transmitted through radio
transmission media, such as terrestrial, cable or satellite broadcasting, and
the user
watches the transmitted contents through a TV receiver capable of receiving
the
transmitted contents via the respective transmission media.
[3] However, as digital TV technologies based on digital broadcasting are
developed and are commercially available, breaking from existing analog
broadcasting, various types of content services, such as real-time broadcasts,
Contents on Demand (Col)), games and news, can be provided to the user using
an
Internet network connected to each home, besides the existing transmission
media.
[4] An Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) may be taken as an example of the
provision of content services using the Internet network. The IPTV refers to a
service
that transmits and provides various information services, moving image
contents,
broadcast contents, etc. to the user's TV using a very high-speed Internet
network.
[5] This IPTV is different from general terrestrial broadcasting or satellite
broadcasting in that bidirectionality is additionally provided and the user
can watch a
desired content service at his/her convenient time.
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Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[6] However, in the case where an existing channel number management
system is applied to the IPTV as it is, there is a problem that
characteristics based on
the Internet network are not reflected and it is difficult to make a
distinction among
various types of content services provided over the Internet network.
Technical Solution
[7] Accordingly, some embodiments of the present invention are directed to
a method of processing channel information of a transmitter/receiver and a
receiver
that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and
disadvantages
of the related art.
[8] An object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a
method of processing channel information of a transmitter/receiver and a
receiver
that can distinguish various content channels from one another.
[9] Additional advantages, objects, and features will be set forth in part in
the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having
ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned
from
practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of some
embodiments of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure
particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well
as the
appended drawings.
[9a] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
processing channel information of a transmitter, the method comprising:
generating a
first channel number indicating a content provider which provides a content, a
second
channel number indicating a location where the content is originated from a
geographical location where a local station of the content provider is located
in and a
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third channel number indicating a service provider which provides a delivery
channel
for the content; generating channel number information including at least two
of the
first channel number, the second channel number, and the third channel number;
inserting the channel number information to service identification
information; and
transmitting the service identification information, wherein at least two of
the first
channel number, the second channel number and the third channel number is
combined to generate a multi-part channel number.
[9b] A further aspect of the invention provides a method of processing
channel information of a receiver, the method comprising: attaching to an IPTV
service entry point and receiving provisioning information from the IPTV
service entry
point; receiving service identification information including channel number
information by using the provisioning information, wherein channel number
information includes at least two of a first channel number indicating a
content
provider which provides a content, a second channel number indicating a
geographical location where a local station of the content provider is located
in and a
third channel number indicating a service provider which provides a delivery
channel
for the content; parsing the service identification information and obtaining
the
channel number information; and downloading the content of the content
provider
from the location or through the delivery channel according to the channel
number
information, wherein at least two of the first channel number, the second
channel
number and the third channel number is combined to generate a multi-part
channel
number.
[9c] There is also provided a receiver comprising: a network interface for
receiving a packet including service identification information, and the
service
identification information including channel number information, wherein the
channel
number information includes a first channel number indicating a content
provider
providing a content, a second channel number indicating a geographical
location
where a local station of the content provider is located in, and a third
channel number
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indicating a service provider which provides a delivery channel for the
content; a
service information decoder for decoding the packet and obtaining the service
identification information including the channel number information; a
database for
storing the service identification information; and a channel manager for
generating a
channel map by using at least two of the channel numbers included in the
channel
number information and for performing a control operation to receive a content
corresponding to the channel numbers with reference to the channel map,
wherein at
least two of the first channel number, the second channel number and the third
channel number is combined to generate a multi-part channel number.
[10] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, as embodied and
broadly described herein, a channel information processing method of a
receiver
includes receiving at least two of provider identification information, region
identification information, content source identification information, content
genre
identification information, content data characteristic identification
information,
channel level identification information and content existing channel number
identification information; forming multi-part channel information using the
received
identification information according to a preset channel information format;
and
connecting to a content service server of a channel corresponding to the multi-
part
channel information.
[11] In another aspect of the present invention, a channel information
processing method of a receiver includes parsing a packet including at least
one of
content information and provider information to extract the information
included in the
packet; storing the extracted content information and provider information,
and
creating and managing a channel map using the stored information; receiving a
plurality of channel identification information and forming multi-part channel
information using the received channel identification information; and
connecting to a
content service server of a channel corresponding to the multi-part channel
information using the channel map.
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[12] In another aspect of the present invention, a channel information
processing method of a receiver includes receiving service provider discovery
information including service provider identification information; receiving
service
discovery information including content provider identification information
and content
service identification information; and storing the identification information
included in
the service provider discovery information and the identification information
included
in the service discovery information and creating a channel map using the
stored
information.
[13] In another aspect of the present invention, a receiver includes a first
manager, a database, a channel manager, and a second manager. The first
manager may receive a packet including service provider discovery information
including service provider identification information, and a packet including
service
discovery information including content provider identification information
and content
service identification information and extracting the information included in
the
packets. The database may store the extracted information. The channel manager
may create and manage a channel map using the stored information. The second
manager may perform a control operation to form multi-part channel information
using the identification information included in the service provider
discovery
information and the identification information included in the service
discovery
information and receive a content service of a channel corresponding to the
multi-part
channel information with reference to the channel map.
[14] In another aspect of the present invention, a receiver comprises: a first
manager for parsing a packet including at least one of content information and
provider information to extract the information included in the packet; a
database for
storing the extracted content information and provider information; a channel
manager for creating and managing a channel map using the stored information;
and
a second manager for receiving a plurality of channel identification
information,
forming multi-part channel information using the received channel
identification
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information, and connecting to a content service server of a channel
corresponding to
the multi-part channel information using the channel map.
[15] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and
the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are
intended to
provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
Advantageous Effects
[16] The method of processing channel information and receiver according
to some embodiments of the present invention have effects as follows.
According to
some embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to easily
distinguish various
content channels from one another. Further, using various information about
channels, a channel information format can be edited and a desired channel can
be
readily searched for.
[17] Furthermore, according to some embodiments of the present invention,
it is possible to make a channel distinction under the condition of utilizing
existing
channel numbers used by content providers as they are.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[18] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further
understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part
of this
application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the
description
serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
[19] FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of use of provider identification
information as a part of channel information, according to one embodiment of
the
present invention;
[20] FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of use of region identification
information as a
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part of channel information, according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[21] FIG. 3 is a view showing a region code table about region identification
information
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[22] FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of use of content source
identification in-
formation as a part of channel information, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
[23] FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of use of content genre
identification in-
formation as a part of channel information, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
[24] FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of use of content data characteristic
identi-
fication information as a part of channel information, according to one
embodiment of
the present invention;
[25] FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of use of channel level
identification in-
formation as a part of channel information, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
[26] FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of use of region identification
information as a
part of multi-part channel information, according to one embodiment of the
present
invention;
[27] FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of use of content source
identification in-
formation as a part of multi-part channel information, according to one
embodiment of
the present invention;
[28] FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of use of region identification
information and
content source identification information as parts of multi-part channel
information,
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[29] FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of use of provider identification
information,
region identification information, and content source identification
information as parts
of multi-part channel information, according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[30] FIG. 12 is a view showing a record including information of a service
provider
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[31] FIG. 13 is a view showing an implementation example of the record shown
in FIG.
12 according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[32] FIG. 14 is a view showing a record including content information
according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
[33] FIG. 15 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a
receiver
according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
[34] FIG. 16 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a process of processing
multi-part
channel information, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[35] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the
present
invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Wherever
possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to
refer to
the same or like parts. In the following description of the present invention,
a detailed
description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be
omitted
when it may make the subject matter of the invention rather unclear.
[36] Besides, although terms used in the present invention are possibly
selected from the
currently well-known ones, some terms are arbitrarily chosen by the inventor
in some
cases so that their meanings are explained in detail in the following
description. Hence,
the present invention should be understood with the intended meanings of the
cor-
responding terms chosen by the inventor instead of the simple names or
meanings of
the terms themselves.
[37] The operations of a method of processing channel information, method of
receiving
broadcast contents, and receiver according to the present invention will
hereinafter be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[38] An Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) system, which is an example of a system
capable of
providing various contents using the Internet, can be broadly divided into a
server, a
network, and a receiver.
[39] The server of the IPTV system includes servers taking charge of various
functions,
such as a service discovery & selection information server, a streaming
server, a
contents guide information server, a customer information server and a payment
in-
formation server.
[40] The streaming server, among these servers, transmits Moving Picture
Experts Group
(MPEG)2 or MPEG4-encoded moving image data stored therein to the user over the
network. A Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP: RFC1889), RTP Control Protocol
(RTCP: RFC3605), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP: RFC2326), etc. may be
used as protocols for the transmission.
[41] Using the RTSP, the streaming server may control playback of a moving
image
stream to some degree through a function called Network Trick Play, including
Pause,
Replay, Stop, etc.
[42] The contents guide information server is a server that provides
information about
various contents. The contents guide information corresponds to Electronic
Program
Guide (EPG) information and includes various information about contents. The
contents guide information server stores contents guide information data and
provides
the stored data to the receiver.
[43] The service discovery & selection information server provides the
receiver with
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connection information, playback information, etc. about servers providing
various
content services such as broadcasting, Contents On Demand (COD) and games.
[44] The network of the IPTV system includes an Internet-based network, and
gateways.
The gateways can perform multicast group management using an Internet Group
Management Protocol (IGMP), etc., Quality of Service (QoS) management and so
forth, as well as general data transfer.
[45] The receiver of the IPTV system refers to a receiver capable of receiving
data
transmitted over the Internet network and providing the received data to the
user. The
receiver may be, for example, an IPTV settop, homenet gateway, or IPTV-
embedded
TV.
[46] In the case where the IPTV system is of a hybrid type, it can provide
various contents
of the Internet, as well as various existing broadcast contents. That is, the
IPTV system
can provide the user with various broadcast contents, such as a terrestrial
broadcast,
cable broadcast, satellite broadcast and private broadcast, or various
Internet image
contents and data contents, etc. These contents may be provided in real time
or on
demand.
[47] When the types of contents that can be provided as stated above become
more
various, it is difficult to distinguish various content channels from one
another with
only an existing channel number system, and the user may feel difficulty in
selecting
the content channels.
[48] Therefore, differently from an existing channel information system that
identifies
each channel using a single number or distinguishes channels from one another
using
major channel numbers and minor channel numbers of each major channel number,
a
feature of the present invention is to readily distinguish various content
channels from
one another using a channel information system including a plurality of parts.
[49] Each part is a channel information distinction unit, and may include a
number or a
text corresponding to the number. Hereinafter, the channel information
composed of a
plurality of parts will be referred to as multi-part channel information.
[50] In the multi-part channel information system, the number, attributes,
order, etc. of
parts may be implemented in various ways in consideration of easiness of
channel dis-
tinction, the user's convenience, characteristics of contents provided, etc.
For example,
the number of parts may be 2 or more. Also, one or more new parts may be addi-
tionally provided under the condition that an existing number system is used
for com-
patibility with existing broadcasting systems. Hereinafter, a detailed example
of the
multi-part channel information will be described.
[51] FIG. 1 shows an example of use of provider identification information as
a part of
channel information, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[52] In terms of provision of a content service, the IPTV system can be
divided into a
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content provider (CP), service provider (SP), network provider (NP), and
customer or
user. The content provider creates and provides various contents, and the
service
provider packages the various contents provided from the content provider into
a
service and provides the packaged service. The network provider provides a
network
for provision of the packaged service to the user. The user can construct a
Home
Network End User (HNED) to receive the service.
[531 In the embodiment of FIG. 1, channels of various contents can be
distinguished from
one another using respective provider identification information as one or
more parts.
That is, in the multi-part channel information, parts can be classified
according to in-
formation about the types of the providers and channels can be distinguished
from one
another according to the classified parts. For example, in the case where
content
provider identification information is set as one part, channels of contents
can be dis-
tinguished from one another according to the types of content providers.
Similarly, in
the case where service provider identification information or network provider
identi-
fication information is set as one part, channels of contents can be
distinguished from
one another according to the types of service providers or network providers.
[541 In the example of FIG. 1, a code identifying each content provider (CP)
is 0 to 999,
and a code identifying each service provider (SP) is 0 to 99. Also, a code
identifying
each network provider (NP) is 0 to 99, and a sequential number for channel
identi-
fication at the user side is 0 to 999. It is possible to identify the same
number of
providers of each unit as that of identification numbers of each unit. When
the number
of providers of each unit increases, the number of identification numbers of
each unit
can increase. Thus, the number of identification numbers is nothing but one
example,
and the spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto.
[551 In this manner, the present invention can implement the multi-part
channel in-
formation using the provider identification information. For example, in the
case of
distinguishing content channels from one another using all the information
about the
providers of the three types, it is possible to implement 4-part channel
information.
When the 4-part channel information is implemented, the channel information
system
has a format such as `content provider'-'service provider'-'network
provider'-'sequential number'.
[561 Assume that the code of `MBC' which is one of the content providers is
100, the
code of 'HanaTV' which is one of the service providers is 2, and the code of
`DACOM' which is one of the network providers is 1. In order to watch a
broadcast
content of the MBC which is provided from the HanaTV using a DACOM network,
the user can input `100-2-1-xxx'. When the sequential number at the user side
for
broadcast contents provided from the MBC is 003, the user can input `100-2-1-
003' to
watch the desired content. An existing broadcast channel number or the like
may be
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used as the sequential number. Also, the multi-part channel information, such
as
`100-2-1-003', may be displayed on a portion of the screen when the
corresponding
content is displayed.
[57] For the respective parts, texts corresponding to the code values may be
used instead
of the code values, and a combination of the code values and texts may also be
used.
For example, the 4-part channel information may have a format of
`MBC-HanaTV-DACOM-003' or `MBC-2-1-003'.
[58] The multi-part channel information using the information of the
respective providers
is nothing but one example, and the order of the parts may be different or
some of the
parts may be omitted, according to different embodiments. For example, the
multi-part
channel information may have a 3-part format such as `service provider'-
`content
provider'-`sequential number'. In this case, the broadcast content of the MBC
provided
from the HanaTV can be selected or displayed by a format such as `2-100-003'
or
'2-MBC-003'.
[59] Alternatively, one or more provider identification information and other
types of in-
formation may be together used to implement the multi-part channel
information. For
example, an existing channel number and the provider identification
information may
be together used to implement the multi-part channel information. The existing
channel
number is an identification number used by each content provider, and may be a
single
number or a number consisting of a major channel number and a minor channel
number.
[60] For example, assume that 'KBS', which is a broadcaster providing a
terrestrial
broadcast over a `11-1 (major channel - minor channel)' channel, provides a
broadcast
content to the IPTV user through 'HanaTV', which is an IPTV service provider.
In the
case where the user uses multi-part channel information of a 2-part format
such as
`service provider'-`existing channel number', he/she can watch the broadcast
content
of the KBS provided from the HanaTV by inputting `2-11-1'. For each part, a
text cor-
responding to the code value may be used instead of the code value.
[61] In each of the above examples, the types, number and order of parts are
nothing but
examples, and the number of parts may increase or reduce and the types of
parts may
be changed, according to different embodiments.
[62] The code values about each content provider, service provider and network
provider
and about the sequential number at the user side must be predefined in the
receiver.
These values may be received and stored together with information about each
provider when the information about each provider is received by the receiver.
[63] FIG. 2 shows an example of use of region identification information as a
part of
channel information, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In
the em-
bodiment of FIG. 2, content channels can be distinguished from one another
using
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content provision region code information, service provision region code
information,
network provision region code information and user region code information as
one or
more parts.
[64] For example, in the case where content provision region identification
information is
set as one part, channels of contents can be distinguished from one another
according
to regions where the contents are provided. Similarly, in the case where
service
provision region identification information or network provision region
identification
information is set as one part, channels of contents can be distinguished from
one
another according to regions where the service or network is provided.
[65] FIG. 3 shows a region code table about region identification information
according to
one embodiment of the present invention. The region code table may be, for
example,
an administrative computer network region code table that represents
respective region
codes of Korea. The region codes distinguishing regions from one another have
an
`AABBCCCC00' format, in which `AA' represents information of a city or
province
unit, 'BB' represents information of a city, county or district unit, and
`CCCC'
represents information of a town, myeon or dong unit. This region code system
may be
different according to countries, and the above example is nothing but one em-
bodiment. The region code table as stated above may be prestored in the
receiver, or be
downloaded and stored in the receiver by the user.
[66] The region identification information and region codes as stated above
can be used to
implement multi-part channel information. For example, all the four types of
region
identification information may be used to implement 4-part channel information
such
as `content provision region'-'service provision region'-'network provision
region'-'user region'. Alternatively, the region identification information
may be used
as one or more parts to implement multi-part channel information.
[67] For example, assume that two region identification information, `content
provision
region'-`service provision region', are used to implement 2-part channel
information.
Provided that an IPTV service provider in Jongno-gu Seoul provides a broadcast
content provided in Seongsan-eup Namjeju-gun to the user, the user can watch
the
content provided in Seongsan-eup Namjeju-gun by inputting
`4972025900-1111000000'. Here, `4972025900' is the region code of Seongsan-eup
Namjeju-gun, and `1111000000' is the region code of Jongno-gu Seoul.
[68] For the respective parts, texts corresponding to the code values may be
used instead
of the code values, and a combination of the code values and texts may also be
used.
For example, in the example of the 2-part channel information, a format of
`Seongsan-eup Namjeju-gun-1111000000' or `4972025900-Jongno-gu Seoul' may be
used.
[69] The multi-part channel information using the respective region
identification in-
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formation is nothing but one example, and the order of the parts may be
different or
some of the parts may be omitted, according to different embodiments.
Alternatively,
the region identification information and other types of information may be
together
used to implement the multi-part channel information.
[70] Next, assume that the service provider identification information
described in FIG. 1
and the region identification information described in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are
used
together. If the content provision region identification information and the
service
provider identification information are used to implement 2-part channel
information
and the user wants to watch a content provided in Seongsan-eup Namjeju-gun
among
contents provided from 'HanaTV', the user can watch the desired content by
inputting
`4972025900-2'. Here, `4972025900' is the region code of Seongsan-eup Namjeju-
gun, and the next `2' is identification information assigned to the 'HanaTV',
which is a
service provider.
[71] Similarly, for the respective parts, texts corresponding to the code
values may be
used instead of the code values.
[72] Alternatively, an existing channel number and the region identification
information
may be together used to implement multi-part channel information.
[73] For example, assume that 'KBS', which is a broadcaster providing a
terrestrial
broadcast, provides a terrestrial broadcast content over a `11-1 (major
channel - minor
channel)' channel in Seongsan-eup Namjeju-gun and also provides a terrestrial
broadcast content over the `11-1' channel in Jongno-gu Seoul. The channel
number
`11-1' is an existing channel number in each region to which the terrestrial
broadcast
of the KBS is applied.
[74] If it is assumed that the 'HanaTV', which is an IPTV service provider,
provides both
the KBS broadcast contents of the above regions, the user can make a channel
dis-
tinction using multi-part channel information of a 3-part format such as
`service
provider'-`content provision region'-`existing channel number'.
[75] That is, when the service provider code value of the HanaTV is 2, the
user can watch
the KBS broadcast provided in Seongsan-eup Namjeju-gun through the HanaTV
service by inputting `2-4972025900-11-1'. If the user inputs `2-1111000000-11-
1', he/
she can watch the KBS broadcast provided in Jongno-gu Seoul through the HanaTV
service.
[76] In the case where the region identification information is used to
implement multi-
part channel information, the code values about each content provision region,
each
service provision region of each service provider, each network provision
region of
each network provider and each user region must be predefined in the receiver.
Upon
receiving information about each provider, the receiver receives the
information
together with a code value about each region, and uses the received
information and
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code values to distinguish channels of contents from one another. The receiver
may
compare the received code values with the values of the region code table as
shown in
FIG. 3 to express each part in text and make a channel distinction.
[77] FIG. 4 shows an example of use of content source identification
information as a part
of channel information, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Contents provided through the IPTV service may be provided from various types
of
sources. For example, various broadcast contents, such as a terrestrial
broadcast, cable
broadcast, satellite broadcast and private broadcast, or various Internet
image contents
and data contents, etc. on the Internet may be provided.
[78] In the embodiment of FIG. 4, channels of various contents can be
distinguished from
one another using source identification information of the respective contents
as one or
more parts. That is, in multi-part channel information, channels can be
distinguished
from one another according to the source types of the contents.
[79] In the example of FIG. 4, a terrestrial broadcast content has a code
value of 001, a
cable broadcast content has a code value of 002, a satellite broadcast content
has a
code value of 003, a private broadcast content has a code value of 004, an
educational
institution broadcast content has a code value of 005, and other contents have
a code
value of 999. It is possible to identify the same number of source types as
that of code
values. When the number of source types increases, the number of code values
can
increase and the order thereof may also be changed. Thus, the number of code
values is
nothing but one example, and the spirit of the present invention is not
limited thereto.
[80] Multi-part channel information can be implemented using the content
source identi-
fication information as one or more parts. For example, the content source
identi-
fication information and an existing channel number may be used to implement
multi-
part channel information.
[81] Assume that 'KBS', which is a broadcaster providing a terrestrial
broadcast, provides
a terrestrial broadcast content over a `11-1 (major channel - minor channel)'
channel,
`Kangnam Cable Broadcast', which is a cable broadcasting company, provides
cable
broadcast contents over three channels of numbers `4', `5' and `6', and
`Skylife',
which is a satellite broadcasting company, provides satellite broadcast
contents over
four channels of numbers `1', `5', `6' and `10'. Here, the channel numbers are
existing
channel numbers that the respective broadcasting companies use.
[82] Hence, the user can make a channel distinction according to sources using
multi-part
channel information of a 2-part format such as `content source'-'existing
channel
number'. If it is assumed that each content source has a code value as shown
in FIG. 4,
the user can watch the terrestrial broadcast, the KBS broadcast, by inputting
`001-11-1'. Also, the user can watch the cable broadcast, the channel 5 of the
Kangnam Cable Broadcast, by inputting `002-5', and the satellite broadcast,
the
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channel 5 of the Skylife by inputting `003-5'.
[83] If the source code value of Internet image contents is defined as `006',
the user can
watch a desired content by inputting a 2-part format such as `006-IP address
or channel
number'. That is, the user can watch a desired Internet image content by
personally
inputting an IP address at which the desired Internet image content is stored
or
inputting a channel number defined correspondingly to the IP address.
[84] Here, the number, order, types, etc. of parts are nothing but examples
and may be
different according to different embodiments. For example, assume that
'HanaTV',
which is an IPTV service provider, packages the terrestrial broadcast, cable
broadcast,
satellite broadcast and Internet image content taken as the above examples
into a
service and provides the packaged service to the user. In order to select and
watch one
of the contents provided by the HanaTV among various service providers, the
user can
use channel information of a 3-part format with a service provider
identification in-
formation indicating part added.
[85] That is, channel information of a format such as `service provider'-
`content
source'-'existing channel number' can be used. Assuming that the service
provider
code value of the HanaTV is 2, the user can watch the terrestrial broadcast,
the channel
11-1 of the KBS, provided from the HanaTV by inputting `2-001-11-1', and the
cable
broadcast, the channel 5 of the Kangnam Cable Broadcast, provided from the
HanaTV
by inputting `2-002-5'.
[86] In the case where the source code value of the Internet image content is
defined as
`006', the user can watch the Internet image content provided from the HanaTV
by
inputting channel information such as `2-006-IP address or channel number'. In
this
case, the user can watch the desired Internet image content by personally
inputting an
IP address at which the desired Internet image content is stored or inputting
a channel
number defined correspondingly to the IP address.
[87] Similarly, in each of the above examples, for the respective parts, texts
corresponding
to the code values may be used instead of the code values.
[88] The code values about the respective content sources must be predefined
in the
receiver. These values may be received and stored together with information
about
content providers or service providers when the information is received by the
receiver.
[89] FIG. 5 shows an example of use of content genre identification
information as a part
of channel information, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Contents of various genres can be provided through the IPTV service.
Therefore,
multi-part channel information can be implemented by distinguishing channels
from
one another according to the genres of the contents provided.
[90] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, channels of various contents can be
distinguished from
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one another using genre identification information of the respective contents
as one or
more parts. That is, in multi-part channel information, channels can be
distinguished
from one another according to the genres of the contents.
[91] In the example of FIG. 5, a content of a sports genre has a code value of
001, a
content of a movie genre has a code value of 002, a content of a news genre
has a code
value of 003, a content of a drama genre has a code value of 004, a content of
a doc-
umentary genre has a code value of 005, and contents of other genres have a
code
value of 999. It is possible to identify the same number of content genres as
that of
code values. When the number of content genres increases, the number of code
values
can increase and the order thereof may also be changed. Thus, the number of
code
values is nothing but one example, and the spirit of the present invention is
not limited
thereto.
[92] The content genre identification information can be used as one or more
parts to
implement multi-part channel information to manage and watch channels
according to
content genres. For example, the content genre identification information and
an
existing channel number may be used to implement multi-part channel
information.
[93] Assume that 'KBS', which is a broadcaster providing a terrestrial
broadcast, provides
a sports broadcast content over a `11-2 (major channel - minor channel)'
channel, and
`Kangnam Cable Broadcast', which is a cable broadcasting company, provides a
sports
broadcast content over a channel `5' and a movie content over a channel `6',
re-
spectively. Here, the channel numbers are existing channel numbers that the
respective
broadcasting companies use.
[94] The user can make a channel distinction according to content genres using
multi-part
channel information of a 2-part format such as `content genre'-`existing
channel
number'. If it is assumed that each content genre has a code value as shown in
FIG. 5,
the user can watch the terrestrial broadcast, the sports channel broadcast of
the KBS,
by inputting `001-11-2'. Also, the user can watch the sports channel broadcast
of the
Kangnam Cable Broadcast by inputting `001-5', and the movie channel broadcast
of
the Kangnam Cable Broadcast by inputting '002-6'.
[95] Here, the number, order, types, etc. of parts are nothing but examples
and may be
different according to different embodiments. For example, assume that
'HanaTV',
which is an IPTV service provider, packages the contents taken as the above
examples
into a service and provides the packaged service to the user. In order to
select and
watch one of the contents provided by the HanaTV among various service
providers,
the user can use channel information of a 3-part format with a service
provider identi-
fication information indicating part added.
[96] That is, channel information of a format such as `service provider'-
'content
genre'-`existing channel number' can be used. Assuming that the service
provider code
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value of the HanaTV is 2, the user can watch the terrestrial broadcast, the
sports
channel broadcast of the KBS, provided from the HanaTV by inputting `2-001-11-
2',
and the cable broadcast, the sports channel broadcast of the Kangnam Cable
Broadcast,
provided from the HanaTV by inputting `2-001-5'.
[97] In the case where the content genres are used as two or more parts, it is
possible to
subdivide the content genres and make a channel distinction based on the
subdivided
content genres. For example, assume that 'KBS', which is a broadcaster
providing a
terrestrial broadcast, provides a sports news content over a `11-3 (major
channel ?
minor channel)' channel and a sports movie content over a `11-4' channel, re-
spectively, and `Kangnam Cable Broadcast', which is a cable broadcasting
company,
provides a sports news content over a channel `4' and a sports documentary
content
over a channel `5', respectively. Here, the channel numbers are existing
channel
numbers that the respective broadcasting companies use.
[98] By using multi-part channel information of a 3-part format such as
`content
genre'-'detailed content genre'-'existing channel number', the user can
subdivide the
content genres and make a channel distinction based on the subdivided content
genres.
Assuming that each content genre has a code value as shown in FIG. 5, the user
can
watch the terrestrial broadcast, the sports news channel (11-3) broadcast of
the KBS,
by inputting `001-003-11-3'. Also, the user can watch the sports news channel
(4)
broadcast of the Kangnam Cable Broadcast by inputting `001-003-4', and the
sports
documentary channel (5) broadcast of the Kangnam Cable Broadcast by inputting
'001-005-5'.
[99] Here, the number, order, types, etc. of parts are nothing but examples
and may be
different according to different embodiments. For example, assume that
'HanaTV',
which is an IPTV service provider, packages the contents taken as the above
examples
into a service and provides the packaged service to the user. In order to
select and
watch one of the contents provided by the HanaTV among various service
providers,
the user can use channel information of a 3-part format with a service
provider identi-
fication information indicating part added, such as `service provider'-
`detailed content
genre'-'existing channel number'.
[100] Similarly, in each of the above examples, for the respective parts,
texts corresponding
to the code values may be used instead of the code values.
[101] The code values about the respective content genres must be predefined
in the
receiver. These values may be received and stored together with information
about
content providers or service providers when the information is received by the
receiver.
[102] FIG. 6 shows an example of use of content data characteristic
identification in-
formation as a part of channel information, according to one embodiment of the
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present invention. Data of contents provided through the IPTV service can have
various formats. For example, various video formats, audio formats, data
broadcasting
formats, etc. may be used. Therefore, multi-part channel information can be im-
plemented by distinguishing channels from one another according to the data
charac-
teristics of the contents provided. In this case, the user can manage and
watch channels
in consideration of the specifications of the receiver.
[103] In the embodiment of FIG. 6, channels of various contents can be
distinguished from
one another using data characteristic identification information of the
respective
contents as one or more parts. That is, in multi-part channel information,
channels can
be distinguished from one another according to the data characteristics of the
contents.
[104] In the example of FIG. 6, content data is classified according to video
formats, audio
formats and data broadcasting formats. In the case of the video formats,
content data of
a `1920*1080p' format has a code value of 001, content data of a `1366*768'
format
has a code value of 002, content data of a `1280*800' format has a code value
of 003,
and content data of a `640*480' format has a code value of 099.
[105] In the case of the audio formats, content data of an `AC3 Dolby 5.1
channel' format
has a code value of 001, content data of an 'MPEG surround audio channel'
format has
a code value of 002, content data of an `MP3 stereo' format has a code value
of 003,
and content data of a `MONO' format has a code value of 099.
[106] In the case of the data broadcasting formats, content data having only
audio/video
data has a code value of 001, content data of an `Advanced Common Application
Platform (ACAP) data broadcasting' format has a code value of 002, content
data of an
`OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) data broadcasting' format has a code
value
of 003, and content data of a `data only broadcasting' format has a code value
of 009.
[107] It is possible to identify the same number of content data
characteristics as that of
code values. When the number of format types increases, the number of code
values
can increase and the order thereof may also be changed. Thus, the number of
code
values is nothing but one example, and the spirit of the present invention is
not limited
thereto. Also, the audio, video and data broadcasting formats are examples of
the
content data characteristics, and the content data may be classified according
to other
characteristics.
[108] The content data characteristic identification information can be used
as one or more
parts to implement multi-part channel information to manage and watch
channels. For
example, the content data characteristic identification information and an
existing
channel number may be used to implement multi-part channel information.
[109] Assume that 'KBS', which is a broadcaster providing a terrestrial
broadcast, provides
a broadcast content of the 1920* 1080p video format, AC3 Dolby 5.1 channel
audio
format and audio/video data only broadcasting format over a `11-1 (major
channel -
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minor channel)' channel, and `Kangnam Cable Broadcast', which is a cable
broadcasting company, provides a broadcast content of the 1280*800 video
format,
MPEG surround audio channel audio format and audio/video data only
broadcasting
format over a channel `5'. Also, assume that the `Kangnam Cable Broadcast'
provides
a broadcast content of the 1920* 1080p video format, MPEG surround audio
channel
audio format and OCAP data broadcasting format over a channel W. Here, the
channel
numbers are existing channel numbers that the respective broadcasting
companies use.
[110] The user can make a channel distinction according to content data
characteristics
using multi-part channel information of a 2-part format such as `content data
charac-
teristic'-`existing channel number'. The code values of the video formats,
audio
formats and data broadcasting formats can be used for the content data
characteristics.
[111] Assuming that each content data characteristic has a code value as shown
in FIG. 6
and a channel distinction is made according to the video formats, the user can
watch
the terrestrial broadcast, the channel 11-1 broadcast content of the KBS,
among
contents of the 1920* 1080p video format by inputting `001-11-1'. If the user
inputs
`001-6', he/she can watch the cable broadcast, the channel 6 broadcast content
of the
Kangnam Cable Broadcast, among contents of the 1920* 1080p video format.
[112] In the case where the channel distinction is made according to the audio
formats, the
user can watch the cable broadcast, the channel 5 broadcast content of the
Kangnam
Cable Broadcast, among contents of the MPEG surround audio channel audio
format
by inputting `002-5'. Also, the user can watch the channel 6 broadcast content
of the
Kangnam Cable Broadcast among contents of the MPEG surround audio channel
audio
format by inputting `002-6'.
[113] Here, the number, order, types, etc. of parts are nothing but examples
and may be
different according to different embodiments. For example, assume that
'HanaTV',
which is an IPTV service provider, packages the contents taken as the above
examples
into a service and provides the packaged service to the user. In order to
select and
watch one of the contents provided by the HanaTV among various service
providers,
the user can use channel information of a 3-part format with a service
provider identi-
fication information indicating part added, such as `service provider'-
`content data
characteristic'-'existing channel number'.
[114] The content data characteristics may be used as two or more parts, like
`content data
characteristic-`content data characteristic'-`existing channel number'. In
this case,
different types of characteristic code values are used for the respective
content data
characteristics.
[115] Similarly, in each of the above examples, for the respective parts,
texts corresponding
to the code values may be used instead of the code values.
[116] The code values about the respective content data characteristics must
be predefined
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in the receiver. These values may be received and stored together with
information
about content providers or service providers when the information is received
by the
receiver.
[117] FIG. 7 shows an example of use of channel level identification
information as a part
of channel information, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Contents provided through the IPTV service can be provided to the user
discriminately
according to levels. For example, contents may be provided discriminately
according
to watching levels or watching cost levels of the contents. Therefore, multi-
part
channel information can be implemented by distinguishing contents and channels
from
one another according to the above levels. In this case, the user can manage
and watch
channels in consideration of the watching levels or watching cost levels.
[118] In the embodiment of FIG. 7, various contents and channels can be
distinguished
from one another using watching cost level identification information as one
or more
parts. That is, in multi-part channel information, channels can be
distinguished from
one another according to the watching cost levels.
[119] In the example of FIG. 7, a free channel has a code value of 001, a
basic channel has
a code value of 002, a middle class channel has a code value of 003, a premium
light
channel has a code value of 004, a high premium channel has a code value of
005, and
other channels have a code value of 999. It is possible to identify the same
number of
levels as that of code values. The number of code values can increase or
reduce and the
order thereof may also be changed. Thus, the number of levels or the number of
code
values is nothing but one example, and the spirit of the present invention is
not limited
thereto.
[120] The channel level identification information as stated above can be used
as one or
more parts to implement multi-part channel information. It is also possible to
manage
and watch channels using the implemented multi-part channel information. For
example, the watching cost level identification information among the channel
level
identification information and an existing channel number may be used to
implement
multi-part channel information.
[121] Assume that, among broadcast contents of channels `1' to `50' provided
by
`Kangnam Cable Broadcast', which is a cable broadcasting company, the user can
watch the channels `1' to `10' when paying no watching cost, the channels `1'
to `20'
when paying a basic watching cost, the channels `1' to `30' when paying a
middle
class watching cost, the channels `1' to `40' when paying a premium light
class
watching cost, and the channels `1' to `50' when paying a high premium class
watching cost. Here, the channel numbers are existing channel numbers that the
Kangnam Cable Broadcast uses for cable broadcasts.
[122] The user can make a channel distinction according to channel levels
using multi-part
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channel information of a 2-part format such as `channel level'-'existing
channel
number'.
[123] Assuming that each channel level has a code value as shown in FIG. 7,
the user can
watch the broadcast content of the channel 34 provided by the Kangnam Cable
Broadcast by inputting `004-34' when he/she pays the premium light class
watching
cost. Also, the user can watch the broadcast content of the channel 11 by
inputting
`004-11'. The high premium class (code value 005) only channels (channels 41
to 50)
may be excluded from the channel list.
[124] Here, the number, order, types, etc. of parts are nothing but examples
and may be
different according to different embodiments. For example, assume that
'HanaTV',
which is an IPTV service provider, packages the contents taken as the above
examples
into a service and provides the packaged service to the user. In order to
select and
watch one of the contents provided by the HanaTV among various service
providers,
the user can use channel information of a 3-part format with a service
provider identi-
fication information indicating part added, such as `service provider'-
`channel
level'-'existing channel number'.
[125] Similarly, in each of the above examples, for the respective parts,
texts corresponding
to the code values may be used instead of the code values.
[126] The code values about the respective channel levels must be predefined
in the
receiver. These values may be received and stored together with information
about
content providers or service providers when the information is received by the
receiver.
[127] The types of information usable in the respective parts in the multi-
part channel in-
formation system have been described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 7. As in
the
above-described examples, the respective information may be individually used
to
implement multi-part channel information or the respective information may be
combined to implement multi-part channel information.
[128] For example, in the case of using 3-part channel information such as
`content
provision region'-`content source'-`existing channel number', the user can
select and
watch a content, such as a terrestrial, cable or satellite broadcast, provided
in each
region. In order to select and watch a content provided by a specific service
provider
among a plurality of IPTV service providers, the user can use 4-part channel
in-
formation such as `service provider'-'content provision region'-'content
source'-`existing channel number'.
[129] Here, the number, order, types, etc. of parts are nothing but examples
and may be
different according to different embodiments. That is, the order of the parts
in the
4-part channel information taken as the above example may be changed like
`content
provision region'-'service provider'-'content source'-'existing channel
number' or
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`content source'-'existing channel number'-'service provider'-'content
provision
region'. In addition, in the case where no content source identification
information is
used, 3-part channel information such as `service provider'-`content provision
region'-'existing channel number' may be implemented and used.
[1301 FIG. 8 shows an example of use of region identification information as a
part of
multi-part channel information, according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
The IPTV system can be divided into a content provider (CP), a service
provider (SP),
a network provider (NP), and a home network end user (HNED) or customer, in
terms
of the provision of content services.
[1311 The HNED or customer connects to the service provider via an IPTV
receiver (or a
client), to receive information about content providers. Using the information
about
content providers, the HNED or customer can connect to the server of a content
provider providing a content desired by the HNED or customer, to watch the
content.
[1321 In the example of FIG. 8, a first terrestrial broadcaster as one of
content providers
provides terrestrial broadcasts over channels `7-1(major channel-minor
channel)', `7-2'
and `7-3' in a Chicago region, and provides terrestrial broadcasts over
channels `7-1',
`7-2' and `7-5' in a New York region. A second terrestrial broadcaster as
another
content provider provides terrestrial broadcasts over channels `32-1 (major
channel-
minor channel)' and `32-5' in the Chicago region, and provides terrestrial
broadcasts
over channels `33-1' and `33-2' in the New York region. Where the broadcasting
regions of the first and second terrestrial broadcasters are different from
each other, the
first and second terrestrial broadcasters may transmit broadcasts, using the
same
channel number or different channel numbers.
[1331 The service provider packages the broadcast contents provided by the
first and
second terrestrial broadcasters into a service, and provides the packaged
service to the
HNED or customer over an Internet network. The network provider provides the
Internet network for the above-described services.
[1341 When it is assumed that an HNED or customer, who resides in San Diego,
desires to
watch broadcast contents provided by the first terrestrial broadcaster, the
service
provider, who provides IPTV services to the HNED or customer, must provide
both
the broadcast contents of the first terrestrial broadcaster provided in the
Chicago region
and the broadcast contents of the first terrestrial broadcaster provided in
the New York
region. To this end, it is necessary to make a distinction between the
broadcasts
provided in the Chicago region and the broadcasts provided in the New York
region at
the side of the HNED or customer.
[1351 In the example of FIG. 8, this requirement can be satisfied, using code
values about
content provision regions as a part of multi-part channel information. For
example,
2-part channel information such as `content provision region'-'existing
channel
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number' information may be used. The `content provision region'-'existing
channel
number' information can be created, using information about the content
provision
region, together with the existing channel number.
[136] For example, where the content provision region code value of Chicago is
110, and
the content provision region code value of New York is 497, the HNED or
customer
can watch the content of the channel `7-2' selected from among the broadcast
contents
of the first terrestrial broadcaster provided in Chicago, by inputting a value
of 110-7-2.
When the HNED or customer inputs a value of 497-7-2, it is possible to watch
the
content of the channel `7-2' selected from among the broadcast contents of the
first ter-
restrial broadcaster provided in New York.
[137] The above-described 2-part channel information has been specified only
for il-
lustrative purposes. The order of the parts in the channel information may be
changed.
In addition, each part may be represented by a text, instead of a numeral
value. For
example, 2-part channel information having an order of `existing channel
number'-'content provision region' may be used. Also, channel information
having a
combination of a numeral and a text, may be created, using a text such as
`Chicago' or
`New York'. For example, channel information `7-2-Chicago' may be used.
[138] FIG. 9 shows an example of use of content source identification
information as a part
of multi-part channel information, according to one embodiment of the present
invention. The content source identification information means information
about the
type of a content provider. There may be various types of content providers,
for
example, types of providers of terrestrial broadcast contents, cable broadcast
contents,
satellite broadcast contents, Internet broadcast contents, various image data
contents,
and data contents other than image data contents. In the example of FIG. 9,
channels
can be distinguished from one another in accordance with the above-described
content
sources.
[139] In the example of FIG. 9, a first terrestrial broadcaster as one content
provider
provides terrestrial broadcasts over channels `5-1', `5-2', and `5-3'. On the
other hand,
a second terrestrial broadcaster as another content provider provides
terrestrial
broadcasts over channels `32-1' and `32-5'. A cable multiple system operator
(MSO)
as another content provider provides various cable broadcasts over channels
`4', `5',
`6', ..., and `121'. A satellite broadcast provider provides various satellite
broadcasts
over channels `1', `5', `6', ..., and `130'. Also, there may be various
Internet
broadcasters providing Internet broadcast contents other than the above-
described
broadcast contents, and private content providers providing contents such as
Internet
images.
[140] The service provider packages the image contents, provided by the first
and second
terrestrial broadcasters, cable MSO, satellite broadcaster, various Internet
broadcasters,
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and private content providers, etc., into a service, and provides the packaged
service to
the HNED or customer over an Internet network.
[1411 When it is assumed that an HNED or customer desires to watch broadcast
contents
provided by the first terrestrial broadcaster, from among the contents
provided by the
above-described various service providers, the service provider, who provides
IPTV
services to the HNED or customer, must provide all the broadcast contents
provided by
the first terrestrial broadcaster, second terrestrial broadcaster, cable MSO,
satellite
broadcast provider, various Internet broadcasters, and private content
providers, etc. In
this case, there may the same existing channel number for different content
providers.
To this end, it is necessary to make a distinction among the contents in terms
of the
content provider type.
[1421 In the example of FIG. 9, this requirement can be satisfied, using code
values about
content sources as a part of multi-part channel information. For example, 2-
part
channel information such as `content source'-'existing channel number'
information
may be used. The `content source'-'existing channel number' information can be
created, using information about the content source, together with the
existing channel
number.
[1431 For example, it is assumed that a terrestrial broadcast content has a
code value of
001, a cable broadcast content has a source code value of 002, a satellite
broadcast
content has a source code value of 003, and a private broadcast content has a
source
code value of 004.
[1441 In this case, when the HNED or customer inputs a value of 001-5-2,
he/she can
watch the content of the channel `5-2' selected from among the broadcast
contents of
the first terrestrial broadcaster. When the HNED or customer inputs a value of
002-5, it
is possible to watch the content of the channel `5' selected from among the
broadcast
contents provided by the cable MSO. Upon inputting a value of 003-5, the HNED
can
watch the content of the channel `5' selected from among the broadcast
contents
provided by the satellite broadcaster.
[1451 For an Internet broadcast content or private content, a channel number
may be used,
if there is an existing channel number corresponding to the channel number. An
IP
address, at which the content is stored, may also be used. If there is no
existing channel
number, the IP address, at which the content is stored, may be input.
[1461 The above-described 2-part channel information has been specified only
for il-
lustrative purposes. The order of the parts in the channel information may be
changed.
In addition, each part may be represented by a text, instead of a numeral
value. Al-
ternatively, each part may be represented by a combination of a numeral and a
text. For
example, 2-part channel information having an order of `existing channel
number'-'content source' may be used. Also, channel information having a
numeral-
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text combination may be created, using a text such as `cable broadcast' for
the content
source part, instead of the corresponding source code value. For example,
channel in-
formation `5-cable broadcast' may be used.
[147] FIG. 10 shows an example of use of region identification information and
content
source identification information as parts of multi-part channel information,
according
to one embodiment of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 10, multi-
part
channel information is implemented using both the region identification
information
and content source identification information.
[148] In the example of FIG. 10, a first terrestrial broadcaster as one
content provider
provides terrestrial broadcasts over channels `5-1', `5-2', and `5-3' in a
Chicago
region, and also provides terrestrial broadcasts over the channels `5-1', `5-
2' and `5-3'
in a New York region. On the other hand, a second terrestrial broadcaster as
another
content provider provides terrestrial broadcasts over channels `32-1' and `32-
5' in the
Chicago region, and also provides terrestrial broadcasts over the channels `32-
1' and
`32-5' in the New York region. Where the broadcasting regions of the first and
second
terrestrial broadcasters are different from each other, the first and second
terrestrial
broadcasters may transmit broadcasts, using the same channel number or
different
channel numbers.
[149] Also, there may be various Internet broadcasters providing Internet
broadcast
contents other than the above-described broadcast contents, and private
content
providers providing contents such as Internet images.
[150] The service provider packages broadcast contents provided by the first
and second
terrestrial broadcasters, contents such as Internet images provided by various
Internet
broadcasters, and contents provided by private content providers into a
service, and
provides the packaged service to the HNED or customer over an Internet
network. The
network provider provides the Internet network for the above-described
services.
[151] When it is assumed that an HNED or customer, who resides in San Diego,
desires to
watch broadcast contents provided by the first terrestrial broadcaster, the
service
provider, who provides IPTV services to the HNED or customer, must provide all
the
broadcast contents of the first and second terrestrial broadcasters provided
in the
Chicago region, the broadcast contents of the first and second terrestrial
broadcasters
provided in the New York region, and the contents provided by various Internet
broadcasters and private content providers. For this reason, there may be the
same
existing channel number for different content provider types or different
content
provision regions. To this end, it is necessary to make a distinction among
the contents
at the side of the HNED or customer, in terms of the content provider type and
content
provision region.
[152] In the example of FIG. 10, this requirement can be satisfied, using code
values about
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content provision regions and code values about content sources as parts of
multi-part
channel information. For example, 3-part channel information such as `content
provision region'-'content source'-'existing channel number' information may
be
used. The `content provision region'-'content source'-'existing channel
number' in-
formation can be created, using information about the content provision region
and
content source, together with the existing channel number.
[153] For example, it is assumed that the content provision region code value
of Chicago is
110, the content provision region code value of New York is 497, a terrestrial
broadcast content has a source code value of 001, and an Internet broadcast or
private
content has a source code value of 004.
[154] In this case, when the HNED or customer inputs a value of 110-001-5-1,
he/she can
watch the content of the channel `5-1' selected from among the broadcast
contents of
the first terrestrial broadcaster provided in Chicago. When the HNED or
customer
inputs a value of 497-002-5-2, it is possible to watch the contents of the
channel `5-2'
selected from among the broadcast contents of the first terrestrial
broadcaster provided
in New York.
[155] For the Internet broadcast contents or private contents, it may be
unnecessary to
make a distinction among content provision regions, by virtue of the
characteristics of
the Internet. In this case, it is possible to make a distinction among
channels, using
only the 2 parts of the 3-part channel information, namely, `content source'
and
`existing channel number', without using the content provision region
identification in-
formation part.
[156] For an Internet broadcast content or private content, a channel number
may be used,
if there is an existing channel number corresponding to the channel number. An
IP
address, at which the content is stored, may also be used. If there is no
existing channel
number, the IP address, at which the content is stored, may be input.
[157] The above-described 3-part channel information has been specified only
for il-
lustrative purposes. The order of the parts in the channel information may be
changed.
In addition, each part may be represented by a text, instead of a numeral
value. Al-
ternatively, each part may be represented by a combination of a numeral and a
text.
[158] FIG. 11 shows an example of use of provider identification information,
region iden-
tification information, and content source identification information as parts
of multi-
part channel information, according to one embodiment of the present
invention. In the
example of FIG. 11, multi-part channel information is implemented using the
provider
identification information, region identification information, and content
source identi-
fication information.
[159] Where there are a plurality of service providers each packaging
broadcast contents
provided by content providers into a service, and providing the packaged
service to the
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HNED or customer over an Internet network, the HNED or customer can receive
such
a service from at least one service provider selected from among the service
providers
after subscribing to the selected service provider. Thus, the HNED or customer
can
receive a desired content after selecting a service corresponding to the
content from
among subscribed services.
[1601 In the example of FIG. 11, a first terrestrial broadcaster as one
content provider
provides terrestrial broadcasts over channels `5-1', `5-2', and `5-3' in a
Chicago
region, and also provides terrestrial broadcasts over the channels `5-1', `5-
2' and `5-3'
in a New York region. On the other hand, a second terrestrial broadcaster as
another
content provider provides terrestrial broadcasts over channels `32-1' and `32-
5' in the
Chicago region, and also provides terrestrial broadcasts over the channels `32-
1' and
`32-5' in the New York region. Where the broadcasting regions of the first and
second
terrestrial broadcasters are different from each other, the first and second
terrestrial
broadcasters may transmit broadcasts, using the same channel number or
different
channel numbers.
[1611 A cable MSO in a Los Angeles region as another content provider provides
cable
broadcasts over channels `4', `5', `6', ..., and `121'. Also, there may be
various Internet
broadcasters providing Internet broadcast contents other than the above-
described
broadcast contents, and private content providers providing contents such as
Internet
images.
[1621 A first service provider (SP) provides packages broadcast contents
provided in
Chicago and New York by the first and second terrestrial broadcasters,
contents
provided by various Internet broadcasters, and contents provided by private
content
providers into a service, and provides the packaged service to the HNED or
customer
over an Internet network. A second service provider (SP) provides packages
broadcast
contents provided in New York by the first and second terrestrial
broadcasters,
broadcast contents provided in a Los Angeles region by the cable MSO, and
contents
provided by various Internet broadcasters and private content providers into a
service,
and provides the packaged service to the HNED or customer over an Internet
network.
[1631 For this reason, there may be the same existing channel number for
different service
providers, different content provider types, and different content provision
regions. To
this end, it is necessary to make a distinction among the contents at the side
of the
HNED or customer, in terms of the content provider type and content provision
region.
[1641 In the example of FIG. 11, this requirement can be satisfied, using code
values about
service providers, code values about content provision regions, and code
values about
content sources as parts of multi-part channel information. For example, 4-
part channel
information such as `service provider'-'content provision region'-'content
source'-'existing channel number' information may be used. The `service
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provider'-'content provision region'-'content source'-'existing channel
number' in-
formation can be created, using information about the service provider,
content
provision region, and content source, together with the existing channel
number.
[165] For example, it is assumed that an HNED or customer residing in San
Diego has
subscribed to services of the first and second service providers selected from
among a
plurality of service providers, and desires to watch a broadcast content of
the first ter-
restrial broadcaster.
[166] It is also assumed that the first service provider has a code value of
200, the second
service provider has a code value of 301, Chicago has a content provision
region code
value of 110, New York has a content provision region code value of 497, Los
Angeles
has a content provision region code value of 217, a terrestrial broadcast
content has a
source code value of 001, a cable broadcast content has a source code value of
002,
and an Internet broadcast or private content has a source code value of 004.
[167] In this case, when the HNED or customer inputs a value of 200-110-001-5-
1, he/she
can watch the `5-1'-channel broadcast content of the first terrestrial
broadcaster
provided in Chicago and selected from among the contents provided by the first
service provider. When the HNED or customer inputs a value of 301-497-002-5-2,
it is
possible to watch the contents of the `5-2'-channel broadcast content of the
first ter-
restrial broadcaster provided in New York and selected from among the contents
provided by the second service provider. Upon inputting a value of 301-217-002-
6, the
HNED or customer can watch the contents of the `6'-channel broadcast content
of the
cable MSO provided in Los Angeles and selected from among the contents
provided
by the second service provider.
[168] For the Internet broadcast contents or private contents, it may be
unnecessary to
make a distinction among content provision regions, by virtue of the
characteristics of
the Internet. In this case, it is possible to make a distinction among
channels, using
only the 3 parts of the 4-part channel information, namely, `service
provider', `content
source', and `existing channel number', without using the content provision
region
identification information part.
[169] For an Internet broadcast content or private content, a channel number
may be used,
if there is an existing channel number corresponding to the channel number. An
IP
address, at which the content is stored, may also be used. If there is no
existing channel
number, the IP address, at which the content is stored, may be input.
[170] The above-described 4-part channel information has been specified only
for il-
lustrative purposes. The order of the parts in the channel information may be
changed.
In addition, each part may be represented by a text, instead of a numeral
value.
[171] FIG. 12 shows a record including information of a service provider
according to one
embodiment of the present invention. The receiver is able to receive various
in-
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formation of a content provider, network provider and service provider via the
above-
mentioned record, and at the same time is able to store the same information.
For
example, the above-mentioned information stored in the receiver may include
region
identification information, provider identification information, channel level
identi-
fication information, provider connection information, etc.
[172] In order to provide the user with content data, the receiver must search
for a content
server having user-desired content data stored therein, and must connect to
the
searched content server. The receiver may connect to an entry point of an IPTV
portal
(or system operator (SO)) provided from the network provider. The entry point
is in-
dicative of a kind of access point. The user may enter either the IP
address/port of the
entry point of the IPTV portal or a domain name system (DNS) uniform resource
locator (URL), or may selectively enter a pre-registered address. Otherwise,
the
receiver may automatically access the pre-selected address.
[173] At the entry point of the IPTV portal, the service provider record
including each of
service provider information is transmitted to the receiver.
[174] FIG. 12 shows the service provider discovery record of the digital video
broadcasting
(DVB)-IP. The above-mentioned service provider discovery record is considered
to be
a preferred embodiment including the provider identification information, the
provider
connection information, etc.
[175] In the above-mentioned example, information of the service provider
discovery
record is contained in the "serviceDiscovery". "@ Version" is indicative of
version in-
formation of the record. If the version information is changed, this indicates
that data
of the above-mentioned record has been changed. "LogicalEntryNumber" includes
logical number information of the entry point transferring the service
provider
discovery record. The above-mentioned logical number information may be
adapted to
identify the network provider in multi-part channel information.
[176] The information of the service provider is contained in the
"ServiceDiscovery/ServicProviderDiscovery/ServiceProvider".
[177] "@DomainName" includes Internet DNS domain name information of the
service
provider. This Internet DNS domain name information is used to identify the
service
provider. "@ Version includes version information of the service provider
discovery
record. "@LogoURI" includes a pointer to the logo of the service provider.
[178] "Name" includes a name of the service provider. The service provider's
name may
be provided in one or more languages. "Description" includes description
information
associated with the service provider. The above-mentioned description
information of
the service provider may be provided in one or more languages.
[179] "Offering List" information of the service provider is contained in
"ServiceDiscovery/ServicProviderDiscovery/ServiceProvider/Offering".
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[180] "Push @ Source" "Push @ Address", and "Push @ Port" include a port
number for
providing the DVB IP offering record in multicast (i.e., push mode), and
information
of the IP address. The "DVB IP offering" record includes not only Internet DNS
domain name information for identifying the service provider, but also version
in-
formation of the above-mentioned record.
[181] "Push @ Location" includes address information for providing the DVB IP
offering
record upon receipt of a specific request (i.e., pull mode).
[182] In the case of the pull mode, the "Payload list" information of the
above-mentioned
record is contained in the
"ServiceDiscovery/ServicProviderDiscovery/ServiceProvider/Offering/Pull/Payload
".
In the case of the push mode, the "Payload list" information of the above-
mentioned
record is contained in the
"ServiceDiscovery/ServicProviderDiscovery/ServiceProvider/Offering/Push/Payload
".
[183] "Payloadld@Id" includes identifier (ID) information of the service
discovery in-
formation type for use in the DVB IP offering. There are a variety of service
discovery
information types, for example, a broadcast discovery record or a CoD (Content
on
Demand) discovery record, etc.
[184] "Segment@ Id" includes ID information of a segment including service
discovery in-
formation corresponding to the above-mentioned "Payloadld@Id".
"Segment@ Version" includes version information of a segment identified by the
above-mentioned ID information.
[185] "LogicalSPNumber" includes logical number information of the service
provider.
This "LogicalSPNumber" information may be used as information for
identification of
the service provider in the multi-part channel information.
[186] In the record of FIG. 12, "@DomainName", "@Version", and "name"
information
must be contained mandatorily. In the case of using "Push @ Source"
information, the
record of FIG. 12 must include "Push @ Address" and the Push @ Port"
information.
However, it should be noted that the "Push @ Source" is optionally used. If
the above-
mentioned record information is provided to the user during only the pull
mode, the
record of FIG. 12 must mandatorily include the "Segment@Id". Otherwise, if the
above-mentioned record information is provided to the user during only the
push
mode, the above-mentioned "Segment@Id" is optionally used. The remaining in-
formation other than the aforementioned information is optionally used.
[187] FIG. 13 shows an implementation example of the record shown in FIG. 12
according
to one embodiment of the present invention. In more detail, FIG. 13 shows the
imple-
mentation example of the above-mentioned record using the eXtensible Markup
Language (XML), which includes the provider identification information, the
provider
connection information, etc., according to the record structure of FIG. 12.
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[188] "LogicalEntryNumber" includes a logical number "1" of the entry point
which has
transmitted the service provider discovery record.
[189] A lower part of the "ServiceProviderDiscovery" includes information of
each service
provider. A first "ServiceProvider" field includes connection information,
logical
number information, etc. of a first service provider.
[190] The "Name" field of FIG. 13 includes the service provider's domain name
"providerl.com", the pointer of the service provider's logo, and version
information.
In addition, the "Name" field further includes the service provider's name
"Providerl".
"Description" includes "providerl ADSL TV Offer" indicating the description of
the
service provider. "LogicalSPNumber" includes the logical number information
"1" for
identifying the first service provider.
[191] A first "Push" includes not only the IP address (224.1.1.5)/Port number
(1234)
capable of receiving the DVB IP offering record under the multicast (i.e.,
push mode),
but also the source address (192.100.100.70). The "Payload Id" located at a
lower part
of the first "Push" includes ID information of record information received
from the
above-mentioned address. In FIG. 13, specific information, which has the value
of 5
and ID information of the value "5", is indicative of a package discovery
record. The
ID information of the segment including the package discovery record is "0",
and its
version information is "0".
[192] A second "Push" includes the IP address (224.1.1.2)/Port number (1234)
capable of
receiving another DVB IP offering record under the multicast (i.e., push
mode). The
"Payload Id" located at a lower part of the second "Push" includes ID
information of
record information received from the above-mentioned address. In FIG. 13,
specific in-
formation, which has the value of 2 and ID information of the value "2", is
indicative
of a broadcast discovery record. The ID information of the segment including
the
broadcast discovery record is "0", and its version information is "0".
[193] The second "ServiceProvider" located at a lower part of the
"ServiceProviderDiscovery" includes connection information of the second
service
provider, etc.
[194] The "Name" field includes the service provider's domain name
"provider2.com", the
pointer of the service provider's logo, and version information. In addition,
the
"Name" field further includes the service provider's English name "Provider2".
"Description" includes "provider2 ADSL TV Offer" indicating the description of
the
service provider. "LogicalSPNumber" includes the logical number information
"2" for
identifying the second service provider.
[195] The first "Push" includes not only the IP address (224.1.1.6)/Port
number (1234)
capable of receiving the DVB IP offering record under the multicast (i.e.,
push mode),
but also the source address (192.100.100.75). Specific information contained
in the
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"Payload Id" of the first "Push" has the value of 5, and this information is
indicative of
a package discovery record including the above-mentioned ID information. The
above-
mentioned "Payload Id" includes ID information of a segment including the
package
discovery record, and its version information.
[196] The second "Push" includes the IP address (224.1.1.2)/Port number (1234)
capable
of receiving another DVB IP offering record under the multicast (i.e., push
mode).
Specific information contained in the "Payload Id" of the second "Push" has
the value
of 5, and this information is indicative of a broadcast discovery record
including the
above-mentioned ID information. The above-mentioned "Payload Id" includes ID
in-
formation of a segment including the broadcast discovery record, and its
version in-
formation.
[197] The receiver receives the service provider discovery record, and stores
the provider
identification information and the connection information contained in the
record. If
additional information (e.g., the region identification information, the
channel level
identification information, etc.) other than the above-mentioned information
are further
contained in the record, the receiver further stores the above-mentioned
additional in-
formation. The receiver creates a channel map using the above-mentioned stored
in-
formation, and uses the channel map to make a channel distinction according to
multi-
part channel information.
[198] The receiver analyzes the service provider discovery record and thus
connects to a
server of a service provider that provides a service desired by the user.
Then, the
service provider provides a service discovery record including content
information to
the receiver.
[199] FIG. 14 shows a record including content information according to one
embodiment
of the present invention. The receiver is able to receive/store a variety of
information
of contents via the above-mentioned record. For example, the information may
include
provider identification information, region identification information,
content source
identification information, content genre identification information, content
data char-
acteristic identification information, channel level identification
information, provider
connection information, etc.
[200] FIG. 14 shows a broadcast discovery record of DVB-IP as an example of
the service
discovery record. The broadcast discovery record of FIG. 14 includes content
source
identification information, content provider identification information,
content
provision region identification information, content data characteristic
identification
information, provider connection information, etc. The above-mentioned service
discovery record refers to a discovery record of a content service.
[201] There are a variety of service discovery records of the DVB-IP, i.e., a
Content On
Demand (COD) discovery record, a package discovery record, etc. The broadcast
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discovery record includes live media content information such as a real-time
video
stream.
[202] In the above-mentioned example, the broadcast discovery record
information is
contained in the "BroadcastDiscovery". The service list information is
contained in the
`BroadcastDiscovery/ServiceList".
[203] If BCG record's ID information associated with the BCG (Broadband
Content
Guide) discovery exists, "ServiceDescriptionLocation" includes the above-
mentioned
ID information, and "@preferred" includes location information of a preferred
BCG.
The BCG includes content guide information of the DVB-IP corresponding to an
electronic program guide (EPG).
[204] Various information of the content service is contained in
"BroadcastDiscovery/ServiceList/SingleService".
[205] "SourceType" includes information for identifying a source, e.g., a
terrestrial
broadcast, satellite broadcast or cable broadcast with respect to a specific
content
service. "LogicalChannelNumber" includes logical number information of each
content service. The above-mentioned information may also be used as content
source
identification information and content provider identification information in
the multi-
part channel information, respectively. "RegionNumber" includes information of
a
region where the content service is provided. This information may also be
used as
content provision region identification information in the multi-part channel
in-
formation.
[206] "TextualID @ DomainName" includes an Internet DNS domain name for
identifying
a service provider. "TextuallD @ ServiceName" includes a host name of a
service
provided from the service provider.
[207] "DVBTriplet" includes DVB Triplet information associated with the
service. Spe-
cifically, "DVBTriplet@ OrigNetld" includes original_network_id information.
"DVBTriplet@TSId" includes transport-stream-id information.
"DVBTriplet@ @ Serviceld" includes service_id information. "MaxBitrate"
includes
maximum bit rate information of a stream transferring the service.
[208] Location information of the content service is contained in
"BroadcastDiscovery/ServiceList/SingleService/ServiceLocation".
[209] "IPMulticastAddress @ Source", "IPMulticastAddress @ Address", and
"IPMulticastAddress @ Port" inform the user that the Internet Group Management
Protocol (IGMP) for accessing the above-mentioned service has been used, and
include
an URL capable of accessing the service and port information. A unicast
address as-
sociated with a transport stream (TS) source may be optionally included.
[210] "RTSPURL" indicates that the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) for
accessing
the service has been used, and includes information of a URL capable of
accessing the
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service.
[211] "AudioAttributes" includes not only an audio coding algorithm to be used
in the
aforementioned service, but also objective information. "VideoAttributes"
includes
detailed information associated with video coding to be used in the
aforementioned
service. The audio attribute value and the video attribute value may also be
used as
characteristic identification information of the content data in the multi-
part channel
information.
[212] In the record of FIG. 14, "TextuallD@ ServiceName", "DVBTriplet@
OrigNetld",
"DVBTriplet @ TSId", and "DVBTriplet @ Serviceld" information must be
mandatorily
contained. If "IPMulticastAddress @Source" is used, "IPMulticastAddresss
@Address"
and "IPmulticastAddress@Port" must be mandatorily contained in the record of
FIG.
14. The remaining information other than the above-mentioned information is op-
tionally used.
[213] The receiver receives the above-mentioned service discovery record, and
stores a
variety of information contained in the above-mentioned record, for example,
content
source identification information, content provider identification
information, content
provision region identification information, content data characteristic
identification
information, provider connection information, etc. If region identification
information,
content genre identification information, and channel level identification
information
are additionally contained in the above-mentioned record, the receiver also
stores the
above-mentioned additional information. The receiver creates a channel map
using the
above-mentioned stored information, and uses the channel map to make a channel
dis-
tinction according to multi-part channel information.
[214] The receiver analyzes the above-mentioned service discovery record, and
connects to
a server of a content provider capable of providing user-desired content data
according
to the analyzed result, so that it can allow the user to watch the desired
content data.
[215] FIG. 15 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a
receiver
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[216] The receiver includes a network interface 1502, an IP manager 1504,
application/UI
manager 1506, a channel manager 1508, a service information decoder 1510, a
service
information database 1512, a service discovery manager 1514, a service control
manager 1516, CAS/DRM unit 1518, a service delivery manager 1520, a
demultiplexer
1522, an audio/video decoder 1524, a display unit 1526, a storage unit 1528, a
system
manager 1530, a storage medium controller 1532, and a storage medium 1534.
[217] The network interface 1502 receives packets from a network and transmits
packets
from the receiver to the network. The IP manager 1504 engages in packet
delivery
from sources to destinations with respect to a packet which is received by the
receiver
and a packet which is transmitted by the receiver. Also, the IP manager 1504
classifies
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received packets such that the received packets correspond to appropriate
protocols.
[2181 The application/UI manager 1506 provides a Graphic User Interface (GUI)
for the
user using an On Screen Display (OSD), etc., and receives a key input from the
user
and performs an operation of the receiver based on the key input. For example,
if the
application/UI manager 1506 receives a key input for channel selection from
the user,
then it transmits the received key input to the channel manager 1508.
[2191 The channel manager 1508 creates a channel map. Also, the channel
manager 1508
selects a channel based on the key input received from the application/UI
manager
1506, and controls the service discovery manager 1514. The channel manager
1508
receives service information of the selected channel from the service
information
decoder 1510 and performs setting of an audio/video Packet Identifier (PID) of
the
selected channel in the demultiplexer 1522, etc. based on the received service
in-
formation.
[2201 The service information decoder 1510 decodes service information such as
Program
Specific Information (PSI). That is, the service information decoder 1510
receives and
decodes a PSI section, Program and Service Information Protocol (PSIP)
section,
DVB-Service Information (SI) section, etc. demultiplexed by the demultiplexer
1522.
[2211 The service information decoder 1510 decodes the received sections to
create a
database regarding the service information, and stores the database regarding
the
service information in the service information database 1512.
[2221 The service discovery manager 1514 provides information required for
selection of a
service provider. If the service discovery manager 1514 receives a signal for
channel
selection from the application/UI manager 1506, then it searches for a
corresponding
service using the above service information.
[2231 The service control manager 1516 takes charge of selection and control
of a service.
For example, the service control manager 1516 performs the service selection
and
control by using an IGMP or RTSP when the user selects a Live Broadcasting
service
as in an existing broadcasting system, and by using the RTSP when the user
selects a
service such as Video On Demand (VOD). The RTSP can provide a trick mode for
real-time streaming.
[2241 A service-related packet received through the network interface 1502 and
IP manager
1504 is transmitted to the CAS/DRM unit 1518. The CAS/DRM unit 1518 takes
charge of Conditional Access System (CAS) and Digital Rights Management (DRM).
[2251 The service delivery manager 1520 takes charge of control of service
data received.
For example, the service delivery manager 1520 uses a Real-Time Transport
Protocol
(RTP)/RTP Control Protocol (RTCP) for control of real-time streaming data.
Because
the real-time streaming data is transmitted using the RTP, the service
delivery manager
1520 delivers the received data packet to the demultiplexer 1522 by parsing it
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according to the RTP. Also, the service delivery manager 1520 feeds
information
received from the network back to a service providing server using the RTCP.
[226] The demultiplexer 1522 demultiplexes a received packet into audio data,
video data,
Program Specific Information (PSI) data, etc. and transmits the audio data,
video data,
PSI data, etc. to the video/audio decoder 1524 and the service information
decoder
1510, respectively.
[227] The video/audio decoder 1524 decodes the video data and audio data
received from
the demultiplexer 1522. The video data decoded by the video/audio decoder 1524
is
provided to the user through the display unit 1526 and the audio data decoded
thereby
is provided to the user through a speaker (not shown).
[228] The storage unit 1528 stores system setup data, etc. This storage unit
1528 may be,
for example, a NonVolatile RAM (NVRAM) or flash memory. The system manager
1530 controls the entire operation of the receiver system through power.
[229] The storage medium controller 1532 controls the storage medium 1534 to
store
video/audio data on the storage medium 1534 or read and reproduce data stored
on the
storage medium 1534. The storage medium 1534 receives and stores the
video/audio
data from the video/audio decoder 1524 under the control of the storage medium
controller 1532.
[230] The receiver connects to an entry point of an IPTV portal to receive a
packet of a
service provider discovery record as shown in FIG. 12, and the network
interface 1502
transmits the received packet to the IP manager 1504. The IP manager 1504
determines
whether the destination of the received packet is the receiver, and then
transmits the
received packet to an appropriate manager block according to a
transmission/reception
protocol.
[231] The packet including the service provider discovery information is
transmitted using
a protocol associated with service discovery and selection. For example, for
DVB-IP,
the packet is transmitted according to a Service Discovery & Selection (SD&S)
protocol or Service Discovery Protocol (SDP). As a result, the IP manager 1504
transmits the packet including the service provider discovery information to
the service
discovery manager 1514.
[232] The service discovery manager 1514 obtains various information of the
service
provider discovery record included in the received packet by parsing that
packet. Then,
the service discovery manager 1514 transmits the obtained information to the
service
information database 1512 and stores it therein. This information includes
region iden-
tification information, provider identification information, channel level
identification
information, provider connection information, etc.
[233] The receiver can receive a packet including service discovery
information from a
service provider using service provider connection information included in the
service
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provider discovery record. The packet including the service discovery
information is
transmitted/received using the SD&S protocol (or SDP).
[234] The packet including the service discovery information is transmitted to
the IP
manager 1504 via the network interface 1502. The IP manager 1504 determines
whether the destination of the received packet is the receiver, and then
transmits the
received packet to the service discovery manager 1514. The service discovery
manager
1514 obtains the service discovery information included in the received
packet. Then,
the service discovery manager 1514 transmits the obtained information to the
service
information database 1512 and stores it therein. This information includes
provider
identification information, region identification information, content source
identi-
fication information, content genre identification information, content data
charac-
teristic identification information, channel level identification information,
provider
connection information, etc.
[235] The service information database 1512 stores and manages the received
various in-
formation. The channel manager 1508 creates and manages a channel map using
the
various information stored in the service information database 1512. If multi-
part
channel information is inputted, the channel manager 1508 connects to a server
in
which a content of a corresponding channel is stored, using the channel map,
so that
the user can watch the content.
[236] The application/UI manager 1506 receives channel information
corresponding to a
desired content from the user and controls a channel change based on the
channel map.
That is, the application/UI manager 1506 receives, from the user, multi-part
channel
information corresponding to a content that the user wants to watch, and
performs a
channel change to a channel corresponding to the received channel information
based
on the channel map. The received multi-part channel information may be a com-
bination of numerals, a combination of numerals and texts or a combination of
texts.
[237] For input of the multi-part channel information, the user may input
information of all
parts of the multi-part channel information personally or through a kind of
guide menu
using an OSD, such as an EPG. Alternatively, information that can be inputted
for each
part of the multi-part channel information may be displayed or sorted so as to
be
selected by the user. It is also possible to perform a fast search operation
of, if a
specific condition of a specific part is inputted, searching for a
corresponding channel
and allowing the user to select it, or a search operation of, whenever
information of
each part is inputted, excluding channels that do not correspond to the
inputted in-
formation.
[238] Any one of the various embodiments of the multi-part channel information
formats
as stated above must be predefined in the receiver, and the user selects a
desired
channel according to the predefined format. The multi-part channel information
format
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in the receiver can be preset and used by the user. Alternatively, a format
determined
by convention, etc. may be used in common in all receivers.
[2391 The application/UI manager 1506 performs the channel changes and
connects to a
server of the changed channel via the IP manager 1504 and network interface
1502. A
service stream provided from the server is transmitted to the IP manager 1504
via the
network interface 1502. Then, the service stream is delivered to the
demultiplexer 1522
via the CAS/DRM unit 1518 and service delivery manager 1520.
[2401 The demultiplexer 1522 demultiplexes the received stream and transmits
the demul-
tiplexed data to the audio/video decoder 1524. The audio/video decoder 1524
transmits
the decoded data to the display unit 1526 to provide it to the user.
[2411 FIG. 16 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a process of
processing multi-part
channel information, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16
shows the flow and sequence of signals among a service server, a server of a
service
provider, an entry point of an IPTV portal, and a receiver. The service server
refers to a
server that stores contents. For the convenience of description, it is assumed
that the
records described in FIG. 12 and FIG. 14 are used.
[2421 The receiver connects to the entry point of the IPTV portal, which is
provided by a
network provider (S 1600). The IPTV portal can check subscription information,
etc. of
the connected receiver. That is, by checking the subscription information,
etc., the
IPTV portal can determine whether the receiver is a receiver capable of
receiving a
service linked to the IPTV portal.
[2431 The entry point of the IPTV portal transmits a service provider
discovery record
including various information about the network provider or service provider
to the
receiver (S 1602).
[2441 The receiver stores the various information included in the received
service provider
discovery record (S1604). This information includes region identification
information,
provider identification information, channel level identification information,
provider
connection information, etc.
[2451 The receiver connects to the server of the service provider using
service provider
connection information among the aforementioned information (S 1606). If there
is a
connection from the receiver, the server of the service provider transmits a
service
discovery record including various information about contents (S 1608).
[2461 The receiver receives the service discovery record and stores the
various information
included in the received record (S 1610). This information includes provider
identi-
fication information, region identification information, content source
identification in-
formation, content genre identification information, content data
characteristic identi-
fication information, channel level identification information, provider
connection in-
formation, etc.
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[2471 The receiver receives multi-part channel information of a content
desired by the user
and performs a channel change to a channel corresponding to the received multi-
part
channel information using the stored various information. The received multi-
part
channel information may be a combination of numerals, a combination of
numerals
and texts or a combination of texts. Any one of the various embodiments of the
multi-
part channel information formats as stated above must be predefined in the
receiver,
and the user selects a desired channel according to the predefined format.
[2481 If the user inputs the multi-part channel information of the desired
content, the
receiver connects to a service server of the desired content (S 1612). The
service server
transmits a service data streaming, etc. to the connected receiver to start a
service
(S 1614). The receiver displays data received from the service server to
provide the
service to the user (S 1616).
[2491 The multi-part channel information as described above is applicable not
only to IPTV
systems such as DVB in Europe, ATIS in North America and IPTV of ITU-T, but
also
to all broadcasting systems capable of providing the user with various
broadcast
contents in channel form.
[2501 It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations
can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or
scope of the
inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the
modifications and
variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the
appended
claims and their equivalents.
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