HK1171598A - Display device, control method for said display device, program, and computer-readable recording medium having program stored thereon - Google Patents

Description

Display device, method for controlling display device, program, and computer-readable recording medium containing program

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a display device, a method of controlling the display device, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium having the program recorded thereon, and more particularly, to a display device, a method of controlling the display device, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium having the program recorded thereon, in which image quality parameters are changed according to the type of content.

Background

There is an image quality adjustment method for displaying contents of a specific category and finely adjusting the image quality of the category so as to obtain a video most suitable for a user when performing adjustment corresponding to the category. For example, patent document 1 discloses an image quality adjustment method in which the change frequency of image quality parameters for each category is stored in advance in association with the degree of satisfaction of the user with the image quality parameters, and a video that is most suitable for the user is obtained based on the degree of satisfaction.

Further, in a method of changing the image quality of a video according to a category, there are cases where: that is, when the genre is changed by switching the program or the like, viewing is not performed in a smooth manner if the image quality is instantaneously changed at the switching portion. Therefore, in order to avoid such a mismatch, there is also a method of gradually changing image quality parameters at the time of the type switching. This operation is performed, for example, in the following cases: that is, when a movie starts to be discharged when a sports program being broadcast ends, when a sports program is switched to a movie due to a user switching a channel, or when category detection is switched from a movie to a program of another category due to switching to an advertisement during the broadcasting of a movie.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. JP-A-2004-228788 (published 8/12/2004) "

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, the technique of gradually changing the image quality parameter as described above is insufficient in the following respects when the user views the program.

For example, when the user wants to adjust the image quality parameter value of a movie, which is broadcast later, to match his or her preference while watching a sports program, it is preferable that the image quality parameter value be adjusted immediately after the sports program is ended and the movie is started. However, in the conventional method of gradually changing the image quality parameter value from the moment when the category of the content being displayed is switched to another category, the user cannot accurately adjust the image quality parameter value.

That is, when the sports program ends and the movie starts, the display device gradually changes the image quality parameter value to correct the image quality corresponding to the movie. At this time, when the user adjusts the image quality parameter value by himself/herself, the user adjusts the image quality to the image quality that the user prefers while viewing the image being displayed. However, immediately after the switching of the category, the image quality of the image as the adjustment reference does not reach the image quality parameter value set in advance in the category after the switching. When the user adjusts the image quality parameter in this state, the image quality may be different from the image quality desired by the user at the end time of the change to the preset image quality parameter value. Therefore, the user must wait for the end of the change of the image quality parameters on the apparatus side in order to accurately adjust the image quality parameter values.

Further, patent document 1 does not disclose a technique for changing the timing of changing the image quality parameter value according to the type of content, but a problem arises in image quality adjustment even when the user switches the type of content being displayed to a different type.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device that can smoothly adjust image quality according to user preferences.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, a display device according to the present invention is a display device that receives and displays content, the display device including: a category determination unit that determines which of a plurality of categories different from each other the category of the content is; a content display unit that corrects and displays the content using an image quality parameter indicating an image quality corresponding to the category, the image quality parameter being set in advance in association with the category thus determined; an adjustment item display unit that displays an adjustment item for adjusting an image quality parameter value indicating an image quality corresponding to any one of the plurality of categories during display of the content; a parameter value adjusting unit that adjusts the image quality parameter value corresponding to the adjustment item based on an input of the adjustment item by a user; and a parameter value changing unit that changes the image quality parameter value used when the content display unit corrects the content from a value set in association with a category before switching to a value set in advance in association with a category after switching when the category determined by the determination unit is switched from one of the categories to another category different from the category, the parameter value changing unit changing the image quality parameter value at different times depending on whether or not the adjustment item is displayed.

In order to solve the above problem, a control method according to the present invention is a control method for a device that receives and displays a content, the control method including: a category determination step of determining which of a plurality of categories different from each other the category of the content is; a content display step of correcting and displaying the content using an image quality parameter indicating an image quality corresponding to the category, the image quality parameter being set in advance in correspondence with the category determined in the category determination step; an adjustment item display step of displaying an adjustment item for adjusting an image quality parameter value indicating an image quality corresponding to any one of the plurality of categories during display of the content in the content display step; a parameter value adjustment step of adjusting the image quality parameter value corresponding to the adjustment item based on an input of the adjustment item displayed in the adjustment item display step by a user; and a parameter value changing step of changing the image quality parameter value used when the content is corrected in the content displaying step from a value set in association with a category before switching to a value set in advance in association with a category after switching when the category determined in the determining step is switched from one of the plurality of categories to another category different from the one of the plurality of categories, wherein the parameter value changing step changes the image quality parameter value at different times depending on whether or not the adjustment item is displayed.

According to the above configuration, in the present invention, the received content is corrected by the preset image quality parameter value and then displayed. Specifically, first, it is determined which of a plurality of mutually different categories the category of the received content is. In addition, image quality parameter values are set in advance for each of these different types. Therefore, when the type of the content being displayed is switched, the image quality parameter value set corresponding to the type before switching is changed to the image quality parameter value set corresponding to the type after switching. In the display device, each time the type of content being displayed is switched, the display device corrects the content using the changed image quality parameter and displays the content.

In addition, during the display of the content, an adjustment item for adjusting an image quality parameter value indicating an image quality corresponding to any one of the plurality of categories may be displayed. In the display device, the image quality parameter value corresponding to the adjustment item can be adjusted based on the input of the user to the adjustment item displayed.

That is, when the user desires to arbitrarily adjust the image quality parameter corresponding to any one of the plurality of categories, the user can adjust the image quality parameter by displaying the adjustment item so that the content is corrected to the image quality that the user prefers.

When the type of the received content is switched to another type different from the type, the image quality parameter value may be changed at different times depending on whether or not the adjustment item is displayed.

For example, when the user views a program being broadcast normally and does not display the adjustment items, the user does not receive any adjustment of the image quality parameters. Therefore, when the category of the content being displayed is switched to another different category, the image quality parameter value set in advance in association with the other category is gradually changed. Thus, even if the image quality parameter value corresponding to the switched category is changed every time the category is switched, the image quality of the content displayed after correction using the changed value does not change rapidly. Thus, the user can be prevented from viewing the image without coordination.

On the other hand, for example, when the user displays an adjustment item for adjusting the image quality parameter of a specific category to an arbitrary value, when the category of the content being displayed is switched to a different category, the image quality parameter value set in advance in association with the different category is immediately changed. Thus, when the type of the content being displayed is switched to a specific type selected by the user, the user can immediately adjust the image quality parameters so as to have image quality according to the preference of the user. Thus, the display device according to the present invention can smoothly adjust the image quality to the user's preference.

Effects of the invention

The invention is a device for receiving and displaying content, comprising: a category determination unit that determines which of a plurality of categories different from each other the category of the content is; a content display unit that corrects and displays the content using an image quality parameter indicating an image quality corresponding to the category, the image quality parameter being set in advance in association with the category thus determined; an adjustment item display unit that displays an adjustment item for adjusting an image quality parameter value indicating an image quality corresponding to any one of the plurality of categories during display of the content; a parameter value adjusting unit that adjusts the image quality parameter value corresponding to the adjustment item based on an input of the adjustment item by a user; and parameter value changing means for changing the image quality parameter value used when the content display means corrects the content from a value set in accordance with a type before switching to a value set in advance in accordance with a type after switching when the type determined by the determination means is switched from one of the plurality of types to another type different from the type, wherein the parameter value changing means changes the image quality parameter value at different times in accordance with whether or not the adjustment item is displayed, and therefore, the image quality can be smoothly adjusted to the image quality that meets the user's preference.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of one embodiment of a display device according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a graph showing changes in image quality parameter values in one embodiment of the display device according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in one embodiment of a display device according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in one embodiment of a display device according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another display example of the screen shown in fig. 3.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 1 to 5. In the following description, various preferable limitations are added to practice of the present invention, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the descriptions of the following embodiments and the drawings.

[ overview of television receiver 10 ]

First, a main configuration of a television receiver (display device) 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a television receiver 10.

As shown in fig. 1, the television receiver 10 includes a CPU6, a memory (storage unit) 7, a bus 8, an analog tuner unit 12, an AV switch unit 13, a digital tuner unit 14, a digital demodulation unit 15, a separation unit (DMUX)16, a video decoding/capturing unit 17, a video selector unit 18, a video processing unit (content display unit) 19, an addition circuit 20, a display control unit (adjustment item display unit, description information display unit) 21, a liquid crystal display unit 22, an IP broadcast tuner unit 23, an EPG/OSD/reservation processing unit 24, an audio decoding unit 25, an audio selector unit 26, an audio output conversion unit 27, a speaker 28, an external input unit 31, a recording/playback unit 32, a channel selection unit 33, a communication control unit 34, a remote controller light receiving unit 35, an OPC sensor 38, a parameter value adjustment unit (parameter value adjustment unit) 41, a parameter value change unit (parameter value change unit) 42, a video processing unit (content display unit) 19, an addition circuit 20, and a category determination section (category determination means) 43.

The television receiver 10 is a device that corrects the image quality of received content according to the type of the content and displays the content. Specifically, first, the type of the received content is specified, and the content is corrected by using the image quality parameter value set in advance according to the specified type, and the corrected content is displayed. Then, when the type of the content being displayed is switched to another type different from the content, the image quality parameter value used when the content is corrected is changed to a value set in advance in correspondence with the other type.

At this time, in the television receiver 10, the method of changing the image quality parameter value at the time of the category switching, specifically, the time of changing the image quality parameter value is changed depending on whether or not the setting of the adjustment of the image quality parameter value by the user is accepted.

For example, when the setting of the image quality parameter value is accepted by the user, when the type of the content being displayed is switched, the image quality parameter value corresponding to the type before and after the switching is changed immediately. In contrast, when the setting is such that the adjustment is not accepted, when the type of the content being displayed is switched, the image quality parameter value corresponding to the type before and after the switching is changed step by step. By changing the image quality parameter values in this way, image quality adjustment in accordance with the user's needs can be performed. The details of the image quality adjustment in the television receiver 10 will be described later.

[ Structure of television receiver 10 ]

The television receiver 10 according to the present embodiment includes an analog tuner unit 12 and a digital tuner unit 14, and can receive analog broadcasting and digital broadcasting via an antenna 11 for analog broadcasting reception or an antenna 40 for digital broadcasting reception. The external input unit 31 is connectable to various external devices 30 such as a solid-state memory such as an HDD or an SD card, or an optical disc device such as a BD (blu-ray disc), a DVD, or a CD, and a recording/reproducing unit 32 for the BD/DVD/CD is further incorporated in the main body of the television receiver 10. Further, the IP broadcast tuner unit 23 is included, so that IP broadcasts can be received.

A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 6 is connected to the bus 8 and controls various operations of the television receiver 10.

The memory 7 stores a plurality of different types of image quality parameter values in association with each other. The memory 7 is connected to the bus 8, and stores various control programs. Therefore, the CPU6 may control the operation of the television receiver 10 according to the control program stored in the memory 7. That is, in the television receiver 10 of the present embodiment, the control is performed by a computer system including the CPU6, and a program for operating the television receiver 10 by the computer system is stored in the memory 7.

The Memory 7 is usually constituted by a RAM (Random Access Memory), but may partially include a ROM (Read Only Memory), a rewritable flash Memory, or the like. The memory 7 stores, for example, an OS (operating system) for operating the CPU, various control software, and the like, and may store data related to Program information such as EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data received via broadcast waves, OSD image data required for OSD (on-screen display) display, and the like. The memory 7 has a work area that functions as a work memory necessary for various control operations.

The analog tuner unit 12 selects an analog television broadcast signal received via the analog broadcast receiving antenna 11 in accordance with a channel selection command from the channel selector unit 33. The received signal from the analog tuner unit 12 is separated into an audio signal and a video signal in the AV switch unit 13. The separated video signal is input to the video selector portion 18, and the audio signal is input to the audio selector portion 26.

The digital tuner unit 14 selects a digital television broadcast signal received via the digital broadcast receiving antenna 40 in accordance with a channel selection command from the tuner unit 33. The received signal from the digital tuner unit 14 is demodulated by a digital demodulation unit 15 and sent to a separation unit (DMUX) 16.

The IP broadcast tuner unit 23 selects an IP broadcast received via a communication control unit 34 connected to a telephone line, LAN, or the like, in accordance with a channel selection instruction from the selector unit 33. The specific IP broadcast obtained by channel selection is output and sent to the separation unit (DMUX) 16.

The external input unit 31 is connected to various external devices 30 such as a solid-state memory such as an HDD or an SD card, or an optical disk device such as a BD, a DVD, or a CD, and inputs contents from the external devices 30. The recording/reproducing unit 32 receives content from an optical disc device such as a BD, DVD, or CD.

The communication control unit 34 performs control so that communication is established via a network such as a telephone line, a LAN, and the internet.

The remote controller light receiving section 35 receives a light signal from a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 36 to receive a control signal from the remote controller 36. Various settings input by the user are performed via the remote control 36.

The separation unit (DMUX)16 separates the multiplexed video data and audio data input from the digital demodulation unit 15 or the IP broadcast tuner unit 23. The separated video data is sent to the video decoding/capturing unit 17, and the audio data is sent to the audio decoding unit 25. The separation unit (DMUX)16 extracts data such as EPG data included in the broadcast signal and transmits the extracted data to the EPG/OSD/reservation processing unit 24. Further, the broadcast signal extracted by the separation section (DMUX)16 is stored in the memory 7 by write control by the CPU6 as necessary.

The video decoding/capturing unit 17 decodes the video data separated by the separation unit (DMUX)16, and captures video information included in the video data as a still image. The video signal decoded by the video decoding/capturing section 17 is sent to the video selector section 18.

The video decoding/capturing unit 17 decodes the video data separated by the separation unit (DMUX)16, and captures video information included in the video data as a still image. The video signal decoded by the video decoding/capturing section 17 is sent to the video selector section 18.

As described above, the video selector unit 18 receives the video signal from the analog tuner unit 12 and also receives the video signal from the external input unit 31. Upon receiving the control signal from the CPU6, the video selector 18 selects one of the input video signals, outputs the selected video signal, and sends the selected video signal to the video processor 19.

The category specifying unit 43 specifies the category of the content being displayed. Specifically, the category information is extracted from the video signal transmitted to the video processing unit 19, and the category of the content is determined to be any one of a plurality of different categories. When the content is received by any one of the separation unit 16, the external input unit 31, and the recording/reproducing unit 32, the category specifying unit 43 specifies the category of the content.

When the specified category is switched to another category different from the category, the parameter value changing unit 42 changes the image quality parameter value used for content correction. That is, when the specified category is switched to another category, the parameter value changing unit 42 changes the image quality parameter value from the image quality parameter value corresponding to the category before switching to the image quality parameter value corresponding to the category after switching. The details of changing the image quality parameter value by the parameter value changing unit 42 will be described later.

The video processing unit 19 corrects the video signal sent from the video selector unit 18. Specifically, the content to be displayed is corrected by using the image quality parameter value set in advance in accordance with the category specified by the category specifying unit 43. When the specified category is switched to another category, the video processing unit 19 receives the changed image quality parameter value from the parameter value changing unit 42, and corrects the content using the value.

The EPG/OSD/reservation processing section 24 draws EPG data or OSD data stored in advance in the memory 7. In the present embodiment, the OSD data may include an adjustment item for adjusting the image quality parameter value. The data may include various information such as a setting menu screen, volume adjustment, current time, and channel selection information stored in the memory 7. The EPG/OSD/reservation processing unit 24 may generate an electronic program table based on EPG data that is periodically updated and stored, or may generate information for accepting reservation processing performed by the user.

The display control unit 21 outputs the content corrected by the video processing unit 19 to the liquid crystal display unit 22. The display control unit 21 also transmits the EPG data or the OSD data added by the adder circuit 20 from the EPG/OSD/reservation processing unit 24 to the liquid crystal display unit 22 so as to be superimposed on the video data, in addition to the video data transmitted from the video processing unit 19.

The parameter value adjusting unit 41 adjusts the picture parameter value based on the user input received via the remote control light receiving unit 35. That is, when an input for adjusting the image quality parameter value corresponding to an adjustment item is received from a user when the adjustment item is displayed, the adjustment is performed based on the input. Examples of the adjustment include video processing such as noise reduction processing, sharpness adjustment, and contrast adjustment performed on an input video signal.

The liquid crystal display unit 22 displays the video data and the EPG data or the OSD data transmitted from the display control unit 21 on the screen. In addition, although the liquid crystal display is used as the display portion in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and other displays such as a plasma display and an EL (electroluminescence) display may be used.

The audio decoding unit 25 decodes the audio data separated by the separation unit (DMUX) 16. The audio decoding section 25 sends the decoded audio signal to the audio selector section 26.

The audio selection unit 26 receives the audio signal from the AV switch unit 13, the audio signal from the external input unit 31, and the audio signal from the audio decoding unit 25, selects an audio signal corresponding to the video signal selected by the video selector unit 18 under the control from the CPU6, and transmits the audio signal to the speaker 28 via the audio output conversion unit 27.

The audio output conversion section 27 converts the received audio signal into a signal most suitable for reproduction in the speaker 28 and supplies the signal to the speaker 28.

The OPC sensor 38 detects ambient brightness. The OPC sensor 38 is preferably an illuminance sensor including a low-pass filter, for example. This can alleviate a temporal change in the human passing in front of the sensor, for example, and can smoothly acquire the illuminance.

[ Change of image quality parameter corresponding to Category ]

As described above, when receiving a content, the television receiver 10 according to the present embodiment corrects the image quality according to the type of the content and displays the content. Here, the category means a content feature associated with the content, and includes a plurality of categories such as "news/reports", "information/thematic reports", "art", "movies", "sports programs", and the like.

In the television receiver 10, the image quality parameter values used for correcting the content are preset for each of the plurality of different types of categories. Therefore, when the category identification unit 43 identifies which of the plurality of different categories the category of the received content belongs to, the content is corrected according to the identified category.

Then, when the type of the content being displayed is switched to another type different from the content, the image quality parameter value used when the content is corrected is changed from a value preset in association with the type before switching to a value preset in association with the type after switching. That is, when the type specifying unit 43 detects that the type of the content being displayed has been switched, the image quality parameter value corresponding to the switched type is changed.

In this case, when the setting of the image quality parameter value by the user is not accepted, that is, when the adjustment item is not displayed, the image quality parameter value is gradually changed from the value preset in association with the type before the switching to the value preset in association with the type after the switching. Thus, even if the image quality parameter value corresponding to the switched category is changed every time the category is switched, the image quality of the content displayed after correction using the changed value does not change rapidly. Thus, the user can be prevented from viewing the image without coordination.

On the other hand, when the setting of the adjustment of the image quality parameter value by the user is accepted, that is, when the adjustment item is displayed, the image quality parameter value is immediately changed from the value preset in association with the type before the switching to the value preset in association with the type after the switching. Thus, when the type of the content being displayed is switched to a specific type selected by the user, the user can immediately adjust the image quality parameters so as to have image quality according to the preference of the user.

For example, when the user views the content of the category of "sports program", the adjustment item for adjusting the image quality parameter is not displayed unless the user intends to adjust the image quality parameter value. In this case, when the content of the category "sports program" or "movie" being viewed ends, the image quality parameter of the content is gradually changed from the value set in association with the "sports program" to the value set in advance in association with the "movie" (the section indicated by "t" in fig. 2 a) as shown in fig. 2 a. Fig. 2 is a graph showing changes in the image quality parameter value in the television receiver 10 according to the present embodiment. After that, since the video processing unit 19 corrects the content based on the image quality parameter value changed step by step, the image quality of the content does not change abruptly before and after the type switching. Thus, the user can be prevented from viewing the image without coordination.

Here, the image quality parameter value stepwise changing method may be performed by a conventionally known image quality parameter value changing method, and for example, as shown in a graph shown in fig. 2(a), an image quality parameter value preset in accordance with a type before switching and an image quality parameter value preset in accordance with a type after switching may be connected by a straight line, and stepwise changed so as to obtain an arbitrary value on the straight line among a plurality of values including an intermediate value therebetween.

On the other hand, when the "sports program" and the "movie" broadcast that the user is watching are ended, the adjustment items are displayed so that the image quality of the "movie" is adjusted to the image quality parameter value that is preferred by the user. In this case, when the category of the content being viewed is switched from "sports program" to "movie", as shown in fig. 2(b), the image quality parameter of the content is immediately changed from the value set in association with "sports program" to the value set in advance in association with "movie". Here, since the image processing unit 19 immediately corrects the image quality based on the changed image quality parameter value, the user can immediately adjust the image quality parameter so as to have an image quality that is in accordance with the user's preference. Thus, the television receiver 10 can smoothly adjust the image quality to the user's preference.

The switching of the image quality parameter value according to the display/non-display of the adjustment item is not limited to the switching of the image quality parameter value according to the display/non-display of the adjustment item when a channel switching instruction from the user via the remote controller 36 is received when a certain category ends and another category different from the certain category starts.

Preferably, the parameter value adjustment unit 41 receives the adjustment of the image quality parameter value when the type of the content being displayed matches the type of the image quality parameter value adjusted by the adjustment item.

That is, when the category of the content being displayed does not match the category corresponding to the adjustment item, that is, any category selected by the user, the adjustment of the image quality parameter value by the user is not accepted. Therefore, when the user wants to adjust the image quality parameter value, the user may wait until the category of the content being displayed matches any selected category, or may switch the content being displayed to a category matching the category selected in the adjustment item. In this way, when the category to be adjusted of the image quality parameter value is not displayed, the user is not allowed to adjust the image quality parameter value, and therefore, erroneous adjustment of the image quality parameter value can be prevented.

For example, in the case of a system in which it is detected by 3-2 pull-down (3-2 pull-down) or the like that the type of content being viewed is "movie", it is preferable to accept adjustment of the image quality parameter value when the type of content being displayed matches the type in which the image quality parameter value is adjusted by the adjustment item.

That is, if the category of the content being viewed is "movie", 3-2 pull-down is performed, and if the advertisement is entered, 3-2 pull-down is no longer performed, and therefore, it can be determined that the category is switched to a category other than "movie". In this case, since the image quality parameter value is changed by the category switching as described above, for example, when the user adjusts the image quality parameter value while watching "movie" and switches to advertisement during the adjustment, the image quality of the content being displayed as a reference becomes a parameter value different from the image quality of the "movie" as the adjustment target. Therefore, even in the method of changing the image quality parameter value every time the advertisement is switched, if the advertisement is not matched with the category selected in the adjustment item, the adjustment of the image quality parameter value by the user is not accepted, and thus the erroneous adjustment of the image quality parameter value can be prevented.

In the television receiver 10, it is preferable that the display control unit 21 displays explanatory information explaining that the content is different in category when the category of the content being displayed is different from the category corresponding to the adjustment item.

For example, in the example shown in fig. 3, the category corresponding to the content being displayed on the screen 201 is "sports program", and the category corresponding to the adjustment item is "movie". At this time, on the screen 201, a warning character for warning that the category of the content is different from the category to be adjusted is displayed in an area 204 on the screen so as to overlap the content being displayed. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in the television receiver 10 according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in fig. 3, a category of the content being displayed is displayed in the area 202, and an adjustment item corresponding to the selected category is displayed in the area 206.

Thereafter, as shown in fig. 4, when the category corresponding to the content being displayed is switched from "sports program" to "movie", the category of the content being displayed matches the category of the adjustment item, and therefore, the user's adjustment is accepted. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in the television receiver 10 according to the present embodiment.

Thus, even when the type of the category being displayed cannot be determined at a glance, the user can recognize that the image quality parameter cannot be accurately adjusted unless the category is switched by displaying the explanatory information. Therefore, erroneous adjustment can be prevented.

In the example shown in fig. 3, the warning characters are displayed so as to overlap with the display of the screen 201, but the warning characters may be displayed so as not to overlap with the screen 201. That is, the television receiver 10 may be configured to further include a scaling unit that enlarges and reduces the image of the content displayed on the screen 201 with a predetermined aspect ratio. In this case, it is preferable that the display control unit 21 displays the warning character in a blank space on the display generated by reducing the image by the scaling means.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another display example of the screen shown in fig. 3, specifically showing the following states: the screen 201, which is an image representing the content, is reduced by the scaling means with a predetermined aspect ratio (16: 9 in the present embodiment), and a blank space is generated on the display 103. By zooming the screen 201 and displaying the warning characters in the generated blank space in this manner, the screen 201 can be displayed without being affected.

[ operation of television receiver 10 ]

An example of the operation of the television receiver 10 according to the present embodiment will be described below. Here, a case where the adjustment item is displayed when the category of the content is switched will be described.

First, when the power supply is turned on, any one of the analog tuner unit 12, the digital tuner unit 14, the external input unit 31, and the recording/reproducing unit 32 receives the content. Next, the category identification unit 43 identifies which of a plurality of different categories the category corresponding to the received content belongs to. As a result, when the category "sports program" is specified, for example, the video processing unit 19 corrects the content using the image quality parameter values stored in advance in the memory 7 in association with the category "sports program". The content thus corrected is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 22.

Next, when an instruction of the user to adjust the image quality is received via the remote controller 36, the display control unit 21 displays the adjustment item in superimposition with the content. In the adjustment items displayed in this manner, the user selects a category for which image quality adjustment is desired. In the example shown in fig. 3, the category selected by the user is "movie", and on the screen 201, an adjustment item corresponding to "movie" is displayed in superimposition with the video of "sports program" being displayed.

Here, as the adjustment items that can be set by the user, adjustment bars for adjusting the color saturation, the sharpness, and the gamma are displayed, but the parameters for adjusting the image quality are not limited to these, and various parameters such as the brightness and the black level may be adjusted. The display form of the adjustment items displayed in the area 206 is not limited to this.

In this state, when the user transmits an instruction to adjust each parameter via the remote controller 36, the type of the content being displayed is different from the type corresponding to the adjustment item, and the image quality parameter cannot be accurately adjusted. Therefore, an explanatory text explaining that the category of the content being displayed is different from the category corresponding to the selected adjustment item may be displayed. In fig. 3, explanatory characters are displayed in an area 204 so as to overlap with the content. This allows the user to interrupt the operation when he or she erroneously attempts to adjust the image quality parameters when displaying different types of content.

In addition, when the category of the content being displayed is different from the category corresponding to the adjustment item, as described above, a character for warning the user that the categories are different may be displayed.

When the type of the content being viewed is switched from "sports program" to "movie", the parameter value changing unit 42 immediately changes the image quality parameter value used for content correction from the value set in association with "sports program" to the value set in association with "movie". Therefore, even if the user instructs to perform parameter adjustment via the remote controller 36 while specifying that the type of the content being displayed is switched to "movie", the image quality of the content being displayed as a reference has already been changed, and therefore, the image quality of the content can be accurately adjusted.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the adjustment of the image quality parameter by the user is accepted for the category after the switching every time the category of the content being displayed is switched has been described, but the image quality parameter value of the category once adjusted by the user may be stored in the memory 7 and may be automatically displayed next time with the image quality parameter according to the preference of the user. In this case, the following structure may be adopted: that is, when the type of the content being displayed is switched, if the adjustment item is not displayed, the image quality parameter value is changed step by step.

In the above description, a television receiver has been described as an example, but it is obvious that the display method of the invention of the present application can be applied to a case where a television program is received in a mobile device capable of receiving and playing the television program, for example, a mobile phone, a car navigation system, a portable game machine terminal, or the like.

[ program and recording Medium ]

Finally, each section included in the television receiver 10 may be constituted by hardware logic. Alternatively, the software may be implemented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as described below.

Namely, the television receiver 10 includes: a CPU for executing instructions of a program for realizing each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing the program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program into an executable format, and a storage device (recording medium) such as a Memory for storing the program and various data. With this configuration, the object of the present invention can be achieved by a predetermined recording medium.

The recording medium may have a program code (executable program, intermediate code program, source program) of the program of the television receiver 10, which is software for realizing the above functions, recorded thereon in a computer-readable manner. The recording medium is supplied to the television receiver 10. Thus, the television receiver 10 (or CPU, MPU) as a computer may read out and execute the program code recorded in the supplied recording medium.

The recording medium on which the program code is supplied to the television receiver 10 is not limited to a specific structure or kind. That is, the recording medium may be a tape such as a magnetic tape or a cassette, a disk including a magnetic disk such as a floppy disk (registered trademark) or a hard disk or an optical disk such as a CD-ROM or MO or MD or DVD or CD-R, a card such as an IC card (including a memory card) or an optical card, or a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, or a flash ROM.

The object of the present invention can also be achieved by configuring the television receiver 10 to be connectable to a communication network. In this case, the above-described program code is supplied to the television receiver 10 via a communication network. The communication network is not limited to a specific kind or manner as long as the program code can be supplied to the television receiver 10. For example, it may be the internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network (virtual private network), telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication network, etc.

The transmission medium constituting the communication network is not limited to a specific configuration or kind, as long as it is any medium that can transmit the program code. For example, a wired system such as IEEE 1394, USB (Universal Serial bus), wire carrier, cable television Line, telephone Line, ADSL (asymmetric digital Subscriber Line) Line, or a wireless system such as infrared ray such as IrDA or remote controller, Bluetooth (registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite Line, and terrestrial digital network may be used. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and embodied in the program code by electronic transmission.

In the display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the parameter value changing means gradually changes the image quality parameter value when the adjustment item is not displayed, and immediately changes the image quality parameter value when the adjustment item is displayed.

In the display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the parameter value adjustment means receives adjustment of the image quality parameter value when the category of the content being displayed matches the category corresponding to the adjustment item.

According to the above configuration, when the category corresponding to the adjustment item to be adjusted of the image quality parameter value is not displayed, the adjustment by the user is not accepted, and thus erroneous adjustment of the image quality parameter value can be prevented.

Preferably, the display device according to the present invention further includes explanatory information display means for displaying explanatory information explaining a case where the category of the content being displayed is different from the category corresponding to the adjustment item.

According to the above configuration, even when the type of the category being displayed cannot be determined at a glance, the user can recognize that the image quality parameter cannot be accurately adjusted unless the category is switched by displaying the explanatory information. Therefore, erroneous adjustment can be prevented.

Preferably, the display device according to the present invention further includes a scaling unit that enlarges and reduces an image representing the content with a predetermined aspect ratio, and the explanatory information display unit displays the explanatory information in a space on a screen generated by reducing the image by the scaling unit.

Preferably, the display device according to the present invention further includes a storage unit that stores the plurality of categories in association with the image quality parameter values, respectively.

According to the above configuration, since it is not necessary to set the image quality parameter value to be changed every time the type being displayed is switched, the processing is fast.

In the display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the content display means displays the content on a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or an EL (electroluminescence) display. This makes it possible to support various display devices.

The display device according to the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, a program for realizing a display device on a computer by operating the computer as the above-described means and a computer-readable recording medium recording the program are also included in the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability of the invention

The present invention is applicable to display devices such as television receivers.

Description of the reference symbols

10 television receiver (display device)

19 video processing part (content display unit)

21 display control part (adjustment item display unit, description information display unit)

22 liquid crystal display unit

41 parameter value adjusting part (parameter value adjusting unit)

42 parameter value changing part (parameter value changing means)

43 Category specifying section (Category specifying means)

Claims (10)

1. A display device that receives and displays content, the device comprising:

a category determination unit that determines which of a plurality of categories different from each other the category of the content is;

a content display unit that corrects and displays the content using an image quality parameter indicating an image quality corresponding to the category, the image quality parameter being set in advance in association with the category thus determined;

an adjustment item display unit that displays an adjustment item for adjusting an image quality parameter value indicating an image quality corresponding to any one of the plurality of categories during display of the content;

a parameter value adjusting unit that adjusts the image quality parameter value corresponding to the adjustment item based on an input of the adjustment item by a user; and

parameter value changing means for changing the image quality parameter value used when the content display means corrects the content from a value set in association with the category before switching to a value set in advance in association with the category after switching when the category determined by the determination means is switched from one of the plurality of categories to another category different from the one of the plurality of categories,

the parameter value changing means changes the image quality parameter value at different times according to whether or not the adjustment item is displayed.

2. The display device of claim 1,

the parameter value changing means gradually changes the image quality parameter value when the adjustment item is not displayed, and immediately changes the image quality parameter value when the adjustment item is displayed.

3. The display device according to claim 1 or 2,

the parameter value adjustment means receives adjustment of the image quality parameter value when the category of the content being displayed matches the category corresponding to the adjustment item.

4. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the information processing apparatus further includes explanatory information display means for displaying explanatory information for explaining that the category of the content being displayed is different from the category corresponding to the adjustment item.

5. The display device of claim 4,

further comprises a scaling unit for enlarging and reducing an image representing the content with a prescribed aspect ratio,

the caption information display unit displays the caption information in a blank space on a screen generated by reducing the image by the scaling unit.

6. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the image quality control device further includes a storage unit that stores the plurality of categories in association with the image quality parameter values, respectively.

7. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the content display unit causes the content to be displayed on a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or an EL (electro luminescence) display.

8. A control method for a device that receives and displays content, the control method comprising:

a category determination step of determining which of a plurality of categories different from each other the category of the content is;

a content display step of correcting and displaying the content using an image quality parameter indicating an image quality corresponding to the category, the image quality parameter being set in advance in correspondence with the category determined in the category determination step;

an adjustment item display step of displaying an adjustment item for adjusting an image quality parameter value indicating an image quality corresponding to any one of the plurality of categories during display of the content in the content display step;

a parameter value adjustment step of adjusting the image quality parameter value corresponding to the adjustment item based on an input of the adjustment item displayed in the adjustment item display step by a user; and

a parameter value changing step of changing the image quality parameter value used when the content is corrected in the content displaying step from a value set in association with a category before switching to a value set in advance in association with a category after switching when the category determined in the determining step is switched from one of the plurality of categories to another category different from the category,

in the parameter value changing step, the image quality parameter value is changed at different times according to whether the adjustment item is displayed or not.

9. A program, characterized in that,

the program causes the display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 to operate so as to cause a computer to function as each of the above-described means.

10. A computer-readable recording medium characterized in that,

the program according to claim 9 is recorded.