Patent · US Expired

Channel selection in digital television

US6661472B2 · kind B2 · utility

99Cited by
14References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 27, 1999
Grant dateDec 9, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 27, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N21/443
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and apparatus implementing a technique for selecting a channel in a digital television. In one implementation, selecting a channel includes: receiving a major and minor channel number sequence, including a major channel number, a delimiter, and a minor channel number, where the delimiter separates the major channel number and the minor channel number; identifying a physical channel which corresponds to the major and minor channel number sequence by accessing a channel look up table, where the channel look up table includes correspondences between major and minor channel number sequences and physical channels; identifying a virtual channel table which corresponds to the physical channel, where the virtual channel table indicates a virtual channel which corresponds to the major and minor channel number sequence; tuning to the physical channel to receive a signal carried on the physical channel; and decoding the virtual channel from the tuned signal.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.