1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to broadcast programs, and more particularly, to a system and method for synchronizing video indexing between an audio/video signal and data during recording and playback of a broadcast program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, high-speed storage devices such as a hard disc have been implemented in digital television (DTV) receivers to record and playback broadcast programs, thereby developing a digital video recorder/player. Such recorder/player can be considered a personal TV receiver.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,444, entitled “A simultaneous writing and playback apparatus” discloses a method for a simple write/playback of a broadcast program, and cannot be regarded as a personal TV. Also, a personal video recorder (PVR) has recently been proposed by Tivo and ReplayTV. A PVR is generally designed to enable simultaneous writing of broadcast programs from different broadcasting stations for a maximum of 30 hours by implementing a hard disc in a TV or STB. Thus, the PVR allows a user to select and view a program from a variety of programs.
However, the PVR, as described above, is more for analog broadcastings and considers only the writing/playback of broadcast programs. Actual functions of a personal TV, for example, timed recordings of programs on an electronic program guide (EPG) using a guide information such as a program and system information protocol (PSIP), and application methods for TV functions related to broadcast programs with respect to standards have not yet been proposed. Also, the PVR in the related art lacks a separate logic for a simultaneous writing/playback, making application to a digital broadcasting difficult.
FIG. 1 is a simultaneous recording/playback device of a digital broadcasting receiver in the related art for high-definition TV (HDTV) or standard-definition TV (SDTV) multichannel program.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional receiver includes a tuner 1 for tuning a broadcasting signal received through a broadcasting network; a demodulator 2 for demodulating a digital broadcasting signal output from the tuner 1 and outputting a live stream; an encoder 10 for encoding an analog broadcasting signal output from the tuner 1 and outputting transport stream (TS) signals; a data PID filter unit 3 for detecting the TS signals to be stored by filtering the live stream output from the demodulator 2; a time stamp header unit 4 for constructing a header by considering TS signals other than the TS signals detected by the data PID filter unit 3 and by counting figures of a NULL packet, and inserting the header among the partial TS signals; a storage unit 7 for storing the TS signal produced from the time stamp header unit 4 and the TS signal produced from the encoder 10; a stamp control unit 5 for controlling edition and reading of the TS signal stored in the storage unit 7; a storage control unit 6 for managing information stored in the storage unit 7; a multiplexer (MUX) 8 for selecting and outputting one of the TS signals output from the stamp control unit 5 and the demodulator 2; and a decoder unit 9 for decoding a signal selected by the MUX 8.
The conventional receiver as shown in FIG. 1 can also store general data such as text or Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) data, graphic/image data, Hypertext/Extended Markup Language (HTML/XML) data and java applet data. However, when storing a broadcast program using the conventional broadcast program recording/playback apparatus as described above, specific points of a video cannot randomly be accessed. Therefore, a video index based on contents cannot be provided to users.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds