With recent advances in digital transmission technology, subscriber television systems are now capable of providing much more than the traditional analog broadcast video. In implementing enhanced programming, the home communication terminal (“HCT”), otherwise known as the set-top box, has become an important computing device for accessing content services (and content within those services) and navigating a user through a maze of available services. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, digital HCTs (or “DHCTs”) now also support an increasing number of two-way digital services such as video-on-demand and personal video recording.
Typically, a DHCT is connected to a cable or satellite, or generally, a subscriber television system, and includes hardware and software necessary to provide the functionality of the digital television system at the user's site. Some of the software executed by a DHCT can be downloaded and/or updated via the subscriber television system. Each DHCT also typically includes a processor, input/output capabilities, communication components, and memory, and is connected to a television set or other display device, such as a personal computer. While many conventional DHCTs are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a television, a DHCT and/or its functionality may be integrated into a television or personal computer or even an audio device such as a programmable radio, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.
Technological advances now permit generation and transmission of a variety of higher resolution pictures and video formats. Coincident with the advancing technology of transmission equipment is the technological improvements of the DHCTs and the television set to receive and display a plurality of video formats. There are a wide range of television sets available today, including the conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) styles, overhead projection, rear projection, liquid crystal display based technology, and plasma television sets that can be mounted on a wall. These variations in television sets often lead to a wide variety of characteristics that affect processing of a television picture for display. A sourced television or video signal is typically processed for display by considering its characteristics, as well as the TV set's characteristics such as the size of the screen, the aspect ratio of the display, and whether the display implements an interlaced or progressive scan format, among other characteristics. Due to the increasing complexity and variation of DHCTs and television sets (and thus a multitude of characteristics to consider in processing a video signal), connecting a television set to, or otherwise communicating with, a DHCT and achieving a viewable picture and a desired display quality is often a challenge to even the most technologically adept. Thus a need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned and/or other deficiencies and/or inadequacies.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds