JP4718195B2 - Cable TV management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable television management system, and more particularly to an operation between a cable television management organization and a cable television station.

  Current cable television stations (hereinafter referred to as CATV stations) have started a service for retransmitting BS digital broadcasting, CS digital broadcasting, and terrestrial digital broadcasting (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Japan Cable Lab defines these cable television retransmission standards, but the standard for transmitting to terrestrial digital broadcasting retransmission standards (OFDM modulation) to cable television (terrestrial digital television broadcasting pass-through) There are two types of specifications (operational specifications JCL SPEC-006) and standards (terrestrial digital television broadcast transmodulation operational specifications JCL SPEC-007) that are converted into cable television modulation (QAM modulation) and transmitted. Similarly, there are two types of pass-through and trans-modulation methods similar to the above in BS digital broadcasting and CS digital broadcasting. In addition, there are some voices from CATV stations that wish to use the OFDM system used in terrestrial digital broadcasting, in addition to sending them out using the QAM modulation system.

  Thus, under the situation where multiple standards exist for the same broadcast media, current CATV stations are independent of BS pass-through / trans modulation, terrestrial digital pass-through / trans modulation, OFDM / QAM independent broadcasting, etc. Receivers that match the services provided by the station are purchased from manufacturers and rented to subscribers.

  That is, only the subscriber who has made a subscription contract can receive the receiver and receive services related to the subscribed cable television. At present, the retail system that users can purchase at stores is not introduced for CATV receivers like ordinary TVs.

JP 2002-320213 JP

  However, the retail system for CATV receivers may be lifted in the future, following the United States. When the retail system is lifted, the CATV station cannot determine the type of receiver connected to the station. In addition, since the contact between the CATV station and the user is reduced, the following problems occur.

  1) There is a mismatch between the reception method of the receiver owned by the user and the service provided by the station, and as a result, broadcast media that cannot be received are generated. 2) The CATV network to which the user is connected does not know where the CATV station is. Especially in rental apartments, etc., if you connect a coaxial cable, you can watch free broadcasts, so you may not even know that you are receiving broadcasts via CATV stations.

  These problems are particularly likely to occur when a user moves and connects to the CATV network at the new location.

  An object of this invention is to provide the cable television management system which can respond to the retail system of the receiver for CATV.

  The model IDs (model identification information) and receivable services of all retailed receivers are sent to each CATV station as receiver information from the CATV receiver management organization. Each CATV station multiplexes station information describing its own contact information, service code, service area code, station name, etc. with the above receiver information, and sends it to the CATV network. The receiver determines the connected CATV station from the set address and the above station information, and stores the station contact information, service code and station name. When there is a difference between the received station information and the stored information, the receiver displays the different contents (contact information, station name, provided service) on the TV screen to call attention.

  The cable television management system of the present invention has the following effects. 1) Even if the user does not know the CATV station to which the receiver is connected, it can be found on the TV screen. 2) Since the user can directly know the service mismatch caused by the move of the user, there is an advantage that inquiries and complaints to the CATV station / receiver manufacturer are reduced.

  The premise for explaining the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First, as an operation between the CATV management organization and the station, the CATV station notifies the CATV management organization using a dedicated line or the like when the station information (ID, telephone number, name) is changed. The CATV management organization updates the station / receiver information after incrementing the version number and transmits it to each CATV station. Alternatively, the receiver information transmitted from the CATV management organization is multiplexed with the local station information, and the version number is incremented and transmitted to the CATV network. In addition, it is assumed that the station / receiver information related to the model ID of the receiver registered in the management organization is always transmitted from the station (the manufacturer is obligated to report it to the management organization when the receiver is shipped).

  For operation of the receiver, at the time of manufacture, the manufacturer writes the model ID of the receiver in, for example, a nonvolatile memory (a first nonvolatile memory described later). Since the receiver constantly monitors the version number of the station / receiver information, the internal circuit operates even in the power standby state. The address set by the user is registered when the receiver is first activated. This address is also stored in a nonvolatile memory (a first nonvolatile memory described later).

  The cable television management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a cable television management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the cable television management system according to the present embodiment, the CATV management organization centrally manages the receiver information and the station information. Here, the receiver information is information indicating a reception service method for each manufacturer model. The station information is information such as a station ID, a service method, an area, and a station name. As shown in FIG. 1, the cable television management system X according to the present embodiment includes a CATV management organization 1, a receiver manufacturer 3, CATV stations A to N (5A to 5N), and a receiver on the subscriber side. A to N (7A to 7N).

  The CATV management organization 1 includes a station / receiver information management unit 1a, a station / receiver information transmission unit 1b, a management organization reception unit 1c, receiver information (database) 1d, station information (database) 1e, have. Receiver information is transmitted from the receiver manufacturer 3 to the receiver information database 1d. The CATV station A receives a satellite / terrestrial digital tuner 5a that selects a broadcast program from the broadcast satellite S, a self-broadcast content 5c, and a station / receiver information transmitter 1b of the CATV management organization 1 via a dedicated line L1. A station / receiver information receiving unit 5d that receives the transmitted station / receiver information, a multiplexing unit 5b that multiplexes these, a station information (database) 5f, and a station information (database) 5f via a dedicated line L1 And a station transmitter 5e for transmitting to the management organization receiver 1c. Other CATV stations B to N have the same configuration.

  The information multiplexed by the multiplexing unit 5b is sent to the subscriber side receiver (receivers 7A-1 to 7A-n for the A station, or the receiver 7N-1 for the N station via the line L2. To 7N-m).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a transmission format example of station / receiver information according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission format Y of the station / receiver information according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a header 11, a version number 12, a station ID 13, a station Tel (telephone number) 14, and a station name 15 And a service type 16, a service area 17, and receiver model information 18.

  As shown in Table 1, the header 11 gives Table_id that is not used in the broadcast standard, and the version number 12 is a number that is incremented by 1 when there is a change in the station information that subscribes to the management organization. . The station ID 13 is a station identification ID uniquely given by the management organization, and the station Tel14 is the telephone number of the station. The station name 15 is the name of the CATV operator, and the service format is a service method that is permitted to be distributed. For example, BS digital broadcasting is defined as 00 (corresponding), 01 (pass-through), and 10 (TM). Similarly, 110 degree CS broadcasting is defined as 00 (non-corresponding) and 10 (TM). : 00 (corresponding), 01 (pass-through), 10 (TM), and independent broadcasting is 00 (non-corresponding) 01 (QAM), 10 (OFDM). Note that TM is an abbreviation for the above-mentioned transmodulation method. The service area is a code (such as a zip code) that identifies the area.

  As shown in Table 2, the service format indicates the retransmission method adopted by each station, and is for judging and examining service mismatch.

  For example, in Table 2, if BS digital broadcast is 10, 110 degree CS broadcast is 10, terrestrial digital broadcast is 01, independent broadcast is 00, BS digital broadcast and 110 degree CS broadcast are transmodulation methods in this CATV station. The terrestrial digital broadcasting is transmitted by the pass-through method, and the independent broadcasting is not distributed.

  Table 3 shows the receiver model information 18, and every CATV receiver manufacturer applies to the administrator every time the receiver is shipped. Specifically, the reception method corresponding to each receiver model is described in 8 bits. The breakdown of this 8-bit code is that the least significant 2 bits (to the right) are BS digital broadcast receivable systems, the next 2 bits are 110 degree CS broadcast receivable systems, and the next 2 bits are The terrestrial digital broadcast receivable system and the most significant 2 bits (left side of the table) represent the self-receivable broadcast system.

  For example, 00 01 00 01 which is receiver model information of Company A model 1 can receive BS pass-through and terrestrial digital pass-through, and cannot receive CS 110 degree broadcast and independent broadcast. Similarly, Company A model 2 can only receive BS-TM and 110CS-TM, Company P model 1 can only receive AM self-broadcasting, BS / 110 / terrestrial digital-TM, Company P model 2, This indicates that only / 110 / terrestrial digital-TM can be received.

  According to the transmission format example of the station / receiver information, information can be exchanged between the station and the receiver.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a receiver according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the receiver according to the present embodiment includes a broadcast RF tuner 21 that selects a broadcast from a CATV station, a QAM demodulator 22 that demodulates the selected broadcast, and a demodulated signal. A DEMUX 23, an AV decoder 24, an OSD processing unit 25, and a transport stream signal such as an EPG are extracted from the demodulated signals, and the header shown in FIG. The TS filter unit 26 that extracts information, the determination processing unit 27 that determines the difference between the transmission service and the reception service, and the difference between the current content and the new content, and the determination processing unit 27 are connected. A first nonvolatile memory 28 and a second nonvolatile memory 29; The audio output 30 and the video (video) output 31 of the AV decoder 24 are output to the TV. At this time, the output of the determination processing unit 27 is superimposed on the video output 31 in the OSD processing unit 25 and output.

  The first non-volatile memory 28 stores the installation address and model ID of the receiver, and the second non-volatile memory 29 stores the station ID, station Tel number, station name, and station service described later. System and the service system supported by the receiver, Ver. No.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the receiver according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, in the receiver according to the present embodiment, when the power is turned on in step S1, the contents of the first and second nonvolatile memories are read in step S2. Next, in step S3, the TS filter is activated (set), and station / receiver information matching the own model ID is acquired. In step S4, it is determined whether or not the version number matches. If the version numbers match (yes), the process proceeds to step S5. If they do not match (no), the process proceeds to step S7. In step S5, it is monitored whether the receiver is turned off. When the power of the receiver is turned off (yes), the process proceeds to step S6 to enter a standby state, and returns to step S3.

  Here, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the video and audio output to the TV is stopped in the standby state, and the other components are activated even in the standby state. / Monitor receiver information. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 3, the AV decoder 24 and the OSD processing unit 25 are stopped in the standby state, and audio / video is not output to the TV.

  If the version numbers do not match in step S4 (no), the process proceeds to step S7, where it is determined whether the station ID stored in the nonvolatile memory matches the current station ID. If the station IDs match (yes), the process proceeds to step S8, and based on the service area and the address set by the user, it is determined whether or not there is a corresponding distribution area. If the station IDs do not match (no), the process proceeds to step S12, display 2 (Table 5) described later is executed, and the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, when it does not correspond to a distribution area (yes), it progresses to step S13, prompts the user to change the installation address setting, and proceeds to step S9. In step S8, when corresponding to the distribution area (no), the process proceeds to step S9, and it is determined whether or not the station names match. If the station names do not match (no), the process proceeds to step S14, display 3 (Table 6) is displayed, and the process proceeds to step S10. If the station name recorded in the second non-volatile memory matches the currently distributed station name in step S9 (yes), the process proceeds to step S10 to determine whether the service format matches. To do. If the service format recorded in the second non-volatile memory does not match the service format currently distributed in step S10, the process proceeds to step S15, display 1 (Table 4) is executed, and the process proceeds to step S11. move on. If the service format matches (yes), the process proceeds to step S11, the update information is written to the second nonvolatile memory, and the process returns to step S3.

  Table 4 (Display 1) shows, for example, “This receiver does not support the digital terrestrial pass-through method, so you cannot view digital terrestrial broadcasting. To view it, you need to purchase a receiver. It is displayed. By this display, the user can know that there is a service that cannot be received among the distribution services of the new cable television station in the receiver owned by the relocation, and the receiver needs to be replaced. Table 5 (Display 2) shows, for example, “The cable TV station to which the customer is connected has been changed to the following. XXX Cable TV, Tel ○○○-○○○-○○○○” It is a display. As a result, the user can know the names of cable television stations that are area-distributed at the new location, and can contact the cable television stations by telephone or the like. Table 6 (Indication 3) is an indication such as “Thank you for changing the company name as follows. XXX Cable TV Co., Ltd.”. / Users can know immediately even if the company name changes due to acquisitions. With these displays, even if the user does not know the CATV station to which the receiver is connected, the user can know on the TV screen and can inform the user of the cause of the problem and the countermeasures. Therefore, there is an advantage that the user can appropriately know how to deal with a defect or the like based on the display without looking at the manual or the like. In addition, since the user can directly know the service mismatch that occurs due to the move of the user, there is an advantage that inquiries and complaints to the CATV station / receiver manufacturer are reduced.

  Next, a cable television management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a cable television management system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the cable television management system according to the present embodiment, the CATV management organization manages the receiver information and the station information in the first embodiment, whereas the station information is not managed in the present embodiment. It is managed by a cable television station, and station information and receiver information transmitted by a CATV management organization are multiplexed into a broadcast program.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cable TV management system Z according to the present embodiment includes a CATV management organization 101, a receiver manufacturer 103, CATV stations A to N (105A to 105N), and a receiver on the subscriber side. A to N (107A to 107N). The cable TV management system Z according to the present embodiment is different from the cable TV management system X according to the first embodiment in that station information (database) 105e is provided for each CATV station, not for the CATV management organization. Is a point. Due to this structural difference, the burden on the CATV management organization is reduced. However, since the station information needs to be multiplexed with the broadcast program at each cable television station, the multiplexing unit 105b is more than the first multiplexing unit 5b. High performance is required, and the burden on the CATV station side is increased.

  The present invention is applicable to a cable television system.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the cable television management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the transmission format example of the station / receiver information by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the receiver by this Embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of operation | movement of the receiver by this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the cable television management system by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

S ... broadcast satellite, L1 and L101 ... dedicated line, X and Z ... cable television management system, 1 and 101 ... CATV management organization, 1a ... station / receiver information manager, 1b ... station / receiver information transmitter, 1c ... Management organization receiving unit, 1d and 101C ... Receiver information (database), 1e ... Station information (station database on the management organization side), 3 and 103 ... Receiver manufacturers, 5A-5N and 105A-105N ... CATV station A- N, 7A-7N and 107A-107N ... Receivers on subscriber side, 5a and 105a ... Satellite / terrestrial digital tuner, 5b and 105b ... Multiplexer, 5c and 105c ... Independent broadcast content, 5d ... Station / receiver information Receiving unit, 5f and 105e ... Station information (station side database), 5e ... Station transmitting unit, L2, L3, L102 and L 03 ... CATV network, 21 ... broadcast RF tuner, 22 ... QAM demodulation, 23 ... DEMUX, 24 ... AV decoder, 25 ... OSD processing unit, 26 ... TS filter unit, 27 ... judgment processing unit, 28 ... non-volatile memory 1, 29 ... Non-volatile memory 2, 30 ... Audio output signal, 31 ... Video output signal, 101a ... Receiver information management unit, 101b ... Receiver information transmission unit, 105d ... Receiver information reception unit.

Claims (12)

A management unit that manages receiver information for identifying a cable television receiver and station information about the cable television station; and a transmission unit that transmits the receiver information managed by the management unit to each cable television station. Cable TV management means having,
A cable television station that multiplexes the receiver information received from the cable television management means and the station information with a broadcast program and transmits it to the receiver of each cable television subscriber;
The station information includes a retransmission scheme,
The cable television system, wherein the receiver information includes information for identifying a retransmission method for each receiver model. A cable television management means comprising: a management unit that manages receiver information for identifying a cable television receiver; and a transmission unit that transmits the receiver information managed by the management unit to each cable television station;
The receiver information received from the cable television management means, the station information related to the cable television station managed by the cable television station, and the cable television station that multiplexes the broadcast program and transmits it to the receiver of each cable television subscriber; Have
The station information includes a retransmission scheme,
The cable television system, wherein the receiver information includes information for identifying a retransmission method for each receiver model.   3. The cable television system according to claim 1, wherein the station information further includes at least one of a station ID, a distribution area, and a station name in addition to the contact information of the local station. The cable television system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the receiver information further includes identification information for each manufacturer and receiver model. The receiver includes a first storage unit that stores a set installation position;
Based on the installation position and the distribution area included in the received station information, a determination processing unit that determines the cable television station to which the station is connected;
5. The cable television system according to claim 1, further comprising: a second storage unit that stores a contact address, a service code, and a station name of the cable television station.   When there is a difference between the newly received station information and the cable TV station information stored in the second storage unit, the receiver has a different content and a contact address to the cable TV station. 6. The cable television system according to claim 5, wherein information including at least one of a cable television station name and a provided service is displayed. A cable television management means for managing a plurality of cable television stations,
A management unit that manages receiver information for identifying a receiver of a cable television, and a transmission unit that transmits the receiver information managed by the management unit to a receiver of each cable television subscriber. The cable television management means according to 2.   2. The cable television management means according to claim 1, wherein the management unit manages station information related to a cable television station in addition to the receiver information.   Receiver information for identifying a cable television receiver received from a cable television management means for managing a plurality of cable television stations, station information relating to the cable television station received from the cable television management means, and a broadcast program are multiplexed into each cable television. 2. The cable television station according to claim 1, which transmits to a subscriber's receiver.   Receiver information for identifying a cable television receiver received from a cable television management means that manages a plurality of cable television stations, and the cable television station manages and multiplexes the station information related to the cable television station and a broadcast program to each cable television. 3. The cable television station according to claim 2, wherein the cable television station transmits to a subscriber's receiver. A first storage unit for storing the set installation position;
Based on the installation position and the distribution area included in the received station information about the cable TV station, a determination processing unit that determines the cable TV station to which the self is connected;
A second storage unit for storing the contact information, service code, and station name of the cable television station;
When there is a difference between the newly received station information and the cable TV station information stored in the second storage unit, the contents are different and the provided service , the contact information to the cable TV station, A cable television receiver, wherein information including at least one of a cable television station name is displayed. Sending the cable TV receiver model identification information and receivable service as receiver information to each cable TV station;
A cable TV station or a cable TV management means, multiplexing station information including at least one of a service code, a contact address, a service area code, and a station name of the cable TV station with the receiver information, and sending the multiplexed information to the cable TV network; ,
Based on the installation position set in the receiver and the station information, the connected cable TV station is determined, the station contact information, the service code and the station name are stored, and the stored information and the received A cable television management method, comprising: a step of displaying the contents of the difference when the station information is different.

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