The present invention relates to a television device which receives television broadcasts, such as a liquid crystal television or a plasma television.
A television device which receives television broadcasts, such as a liquid crystal television or a plasma television, receives broadcast signals of a plurality of systems, such as ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) surface wave signals, digital cable broadcasts, and the like, and displays videos based upon these broadcast signals. The user sets the broadcast signal of the system which he wishes to view by actuating a remote control device or the like.
Furthermore, there are many channels in the broadcast signal of each system, and the user tunes the desired channel by actuating the remote control device or the like. As actuation at this time for performing tuning, the user may perform actuation by pressing a key so as to tune through the channels in ascending order, or in descending order, or to set the channel directly.
Although there are typically many channels in the broadcast signal of each system, it is unusual for the user to view programs upon all of the channels; he normally limits his viewing to a certain set of preferred channels. Due to this, in consideration of convenience of channel tuning by the user, it is made to be possible to store a channel map in the television device, in which only the channels which are to the user's taste are registered. Such a channel map is built up for each of the broadcast signals of the plurality of systems, and each channel map is only applied to the broadcast signal of the system for which it has been set up. Thus, when changing the setting of the broadcast signal system, this channel map must also be changed.
The user is also able, by actuating the remote control device or the like, to tune only the channels which are registered in this channel map. As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication H09-55894, with actuation for tuning in this case as well, in the same manner as described above, it is possible to perform actuation to tune the channels in ascending order, or to perform actuation to tune them in descending order, or to perform actuation for designating the channel directly. Furthermore if, when performing tuning by using the channel map, a channel which is not registered is tuned directly, then a display is provided to the effect that this channel is not registered.
Furthermore, with a modern television device, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2004-134866, there is a type in which, in consideration of convenience of channel tuning by the user, it is arranged, if the same channel is present in the broadcast signals of different systems, to append an identifier to this channel, and to select the broadcast signal of the system to be received, and to receive the program, from the channel and the identifier which have been tuned.
However, with a television device such as the one disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication H09-55894 or the like, if for example, during tuning for the channel map, in the state in which the user has forgotten to change the setting to the broadcast signal of the system which he desires, he directly tunes a channel which is registered in the channel map of the broadcast signal of the system which he desires, then, since the channel which has been tuned is not registered in the channel map of the broadcast signal of the system which is currently set, accordingly a message to that effect is displayed, which is not desirable. Due to this, the user must tune the channel again after having changed to the setting of the broadcast system which he desires, and this entails rather a lot of labor.
The object of the present invention is to provide a television device which, even if a channel has been tuned which is registered in the channel map of a broadcast signal of another system which is not the one currently set, can receive the channel which has thus been tuned, thus enhancing the convenience to the user of performing channel tuning.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds