KR20100004282A - Apparatus and method for downloading software and receiving in cable broadcast - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a software receiver for a broadcast receiver and a cable broadcast. The present invention receives the software download code information and determines whether the software download is suitable based on the received software download code information, if the software download is suitable, determines the software download mode based on the pre-set host mode information, When the host mode information is the user selection mode, the user is requested to input a download selection command and the software download decision is made based on the download selection command input from the user. According to the present invention, since the broadcast receiver side, not the broadcaster side, has the right to determine the software download mode, the user can select an appropriate software download mode according to the broadcast receiver situation, and the user is provided with an opportunity to select the start time of downloading. It can prevent user's viewing satisfaction due to the interruption of broadcasting viewing, and also allow the manufacturer to determine the most appropriate download start time according to the characteristics and condition of the broadcasting receiver, and unconditionally download the software regardless of the user's intention. And restart can be prevented.

Description

Software receiver for broadcast receivers and cable broadcasts {Apparatus and method for downloading software and receiving in cable broadcast}

The present invention relates to a broadcast receiver and a software receiving method of cable broadcasting, and more particularly, to a broadcast receiver and a software receiving method for efficiently installing or updating software in a cable broadcasting system.

Cable broadcasting is a digital broadcasting based on OCAP (OpenCable Application Platform) or DVB-C (Digital Video Broadcasting-Cable) standard, and digitally performs the production and transmission of broadcasting contents to provide high quality and high quality contents. Refers to broadcast services provided through. Such cable broadcasting is rapidly developing due to the development of data communication technology and the demand for high definition and high quality contents of viewers. Digital broadcasting is expected to play an important role in various fields such as education, medical care, and military as it can process complex and diverse information digitally than analog broadcasting.

A cable broadcasting system that provides such cable broadcasting may be divided into a cable broadcasting station transmitting cable broadcasting and a cable broadcasting receiving apparatus receiving the transmitted cable broadcasting. Generally, cable stations are called SO (System Operator) headends, or MSO (Multiple System Operator) headends. In this case, a system operator (SO) refers to a general cable broadcasting service provider (ie, a local cable TV broadcasting service provider), and a plurality of system operators (SOs) are collectively called an MSO (multiple system operator).

A cable headend or plant may receive a broadcast signal from a television broadcast station through various communication networks. The cable headend delivers the cable broadcast received through the network to the cable broadcast receiver. The cable broadcast receiving apparatus may receive or transmit a signal from the cable headend through a cable network capable of transmitting data in both directions.

The cable broadcast receiving apparatus may have a manner in which a cable card including a conditional access (CA) system is separated from a main body. For example, a card of a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standard may be used as the cable card, and the cable card may be mounted or detached in a main slot of the cable broadcast receiving apparatus.

Also, a main body into which a cable card is inserted in a cable broadcasting receiving apparatus is called a host. For example, a digital built in television or a digital ready television may be a host.

The host is shipped with the appropriate software at the time the product is released. The embedded software refers to software for controlling the operation of the host or the user, such as a user interface, or the host itself. Such software needs to be upgraded as the broadcast environment changes or to further improve its performance.

There are several ways to upgrade the host's software. First, there is a method in which the serviceman of the manufacturer of the host upgrades the software. Second, there is a method in which the user accesses the manufacturer's website and downloads and upgrades. Third, there is a method in which the host receives the corresponding software from the headend of the cable broadcast and automatically performs the software upgrade process. Here, the third method is called an over the air method, and in some cases, the term OAD (Over Air Download) method is used interchangeably.

OpenCable's Common Download standard adopts the Over The Air method so that a cable operator can transmit a software code through a cable signal. Software can be updated remotely. That is, when the headend of the cable broadcast transmits the software code that can be executed in the cable broadcast receiving device through the cable, the cable broadcast receiving device receives the software code and installs new software using the received software code. Or update existing installed software.

Here, the host may receive information about the software code to download before receiving the software code. In other words, the host can check the software download code transmitted through the cable card and check whether the software download is necessary based on the information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a software receiving method for a broadcast receiver and a cable broadcast in which a broadcast receiver has a right to determine a software download mode rather than a broadcast provider.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a broadcast receiver and a software reception method of a cable broadcast so that the broadcast receiver can download the software at a desired time.

Another technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a broadcast receiver and a software reception method of a cable broadcast so that the broadcast receiver can determine whether to download the software according to its characteristics and status.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is a broadcast receiver and a software receiver for cable broadcasting, which allows the broadcast receiver to install the downloaded software at a desired time or update the existing software through the downloaded software code. To provide a way.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for receiving software in a cable broadcast, the method comprising: receiving software download code information and determining whether the software download is suitable based on the received software download code information. If appropriate, determining a software download mode based on pre-set host mode information; if the host mode information is a user selection mode, requesting a user for input of a download selection command; and And determining whether to start the software download based on the input download selection command.

Preferably, the software reception method of cable broadcasting according to the present invention further includes the step of determining whether to start the software download through the manufacturer application when the host mode information is the manufacturer selection mode.

Preferably, the software reception method of cable broadcasting according to the present invention further includes the step of receiving software on the basis of the software download code information when it is determined to start the software download.

Preferably, the software receiving method of the cable release according to the present invention, if the software reception is completed, requesting the user to input the reboot selection command, and whether to reboot based on the reboot selection command input from the user; It further has a step of determining.

Preferably, the software receiving method of the cable release according to the present invention further includes the step of performing a software download according to the download mode information included in the software download code information when the host mode information is a broadcaster selection mode.

The software download code information includes one or more of manufacturer information and hardware information. For example, the software download code information may be a code version table (CVT) defined in a common download standard of OpenCable.

Preferably, the software receiving method of the cable release according to the present invention further comprises the step of receiving a setting value for the host mode information from a user, and changing the host mode information to the input setting value.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, a broadcast receiver according to the present invention, a communication interface for receiving software download code information; A user interface unit displaying information or commands and receiving information or commands from a user; And a controller for determining whether software download is suitable based on the received software download code information, and if the software download is suitable, determining a software download mode based on pre-set host mode information.

Preferably, when the host mode information is the user selection mode, the controller controls the software download execution according to the download selection command received by the user interface unit. In addition, when the determined download mode is the manufacturer selection mode, the controller controls the manufacturer application to determine whether to start the software download. Here, when the software download is completed, the controller determines whether to reboot based on the reboot selection command received by the user interface unit.

Preferably, when the host mode information is a broadcaster selection mode, the controller controls the software download according to the download mode information included in the software download code information. The software download code information includes one or more of manufacturer information and hardware information.

Preferably, the controller may change the host mode information to a setting value received by the user interface unit.

According to the broadcast receiver and cable reception software reception method according to the present invention, since the broadcast receiver determines the software download mode based on preset host mode information, the broadcast receiver side has the right to determine the software download mode. The software download mode can be selected according to the broadcast receiver situation, and the user can select the download mode by the software download mode, thus providing the user with the opportunity to select the start point of the download. In addition, since the manufacturer select mode is provided as a software download mode, the manufacturer can be given authority to determine the most appropriate download start time according to the characteristics and status of the broadcast receiver.

In addition, when the software download is completed, the user is given the opportunity to select whether or not to reboot, so that the user can install the downloaded software at the desired time or update the existing software through the downloaded software code.

In addition, since it maintains the existing default mode and monitor application selection mode, there is backward compatibility without affecting the operation of the existing broadcast receivers. Especially, regardless of the user's intention, software download and restart are unconditionally performed or various The existing problem of not being able to select an appropriate download method suitable for the characteristics and current state of the broadcast receiver can be solved.

In addition, since the user can reset the host mode information, the user can appropriately select the software download method of the broadcast receiver according to his or her taste and situation.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention that can specifically realize the above object will be described. At this time, the configuration and operation of the present invention shown in the drawings and described by it will be described as at least one embodiment, by which the technical spirit of the present invention and its core configuration and operation is not limited.

The terms used in the present invention have been selected as general terms widely used as possible in consideration of the functions in the present invention, but may vary according to the intention or custom of a person skilled in the art or the emergence of a new technology. In addition, in certain cases, there is also a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the terms used in the present invention should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the general contents of the present invention rather than the names of the simple terms.

1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a cable broadcasting network including a host and a cable card according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the headend / plant 10 receives a broadcast signal through a television station 20, a satellite, an antenna, and the like, and then receives each cable broadcast receiver through a cable network including nodes. (31–34). In addition, the cable broadcast receiver and the headend / plant may exchange various data including software codes for executing data broadcasting related applications through a cable network infrastructure capable of transmitting data in both directions. The cable broadcast receiver is chapter. Includes removable cable card.

The present invention describes a cable broadcast receiver that simultaneously includes an OOB QPSK modem and a DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications) modem and supports a DOCSIS Settop Gateway (DSG).

In addition, the present invention describes a cable broadcast receiver equipped with OCAP for an interactive data broadcast service as an embodiment.

Here, the data broadcast is a service that enables various additional information in addition to the existing A / V (Audio / Video) broadcast (or also called a TV program). The additional information may include additional information related to the TV program being displayed (e.g., program introduction, personal details, etc.), and additional information not related to the TV program being displayed (e.g., news, stock, weather, Travel information, etc.). In addition, when interactive data services are available, viewers can use interactive services such as home shopping, home banking, games, life information, entertainment, and education with a simple remote control. The data service corresponds to an application and may be implemented using an OCAP mounted in a broadcast receiver.

2 is a diagram illustrating a Broadcast Inter ORB Protocol (BIOP) message format.

Referring to FIG. 2, a BIOP message includes a message header, a message subheader, and a message body. The message header 212 provides information about the version of the BIOP protocol and the length of the BIOP message. The message subheader 214 includes information about the transmitted object, such as the object type (file, stream, directory), object key. The message body 216 contains data of actual U-U objects.

The BIOP message is broadcast in the form of a module 220 of the data carousel. One module 220 is formed of one or more connected BIOP messages. Each object in the module is identified by an object key. According to the DSM-CC data carousel specification, each module is fragmented into one or more blocks. These blocks are transmitted in a download data block (DDB) 230 message. Each DDB message is transmitted in the form of MPEG-2 Section 240 in order. Blocks may be obtained directly from the transport stream using a hardware filter of the demultiplexer. To obtain an object from the broadcast network, you must acquire all the modules containing that object. Therefore, you need to know the module's transmission parameters such as module version, module size, block size, timing, broadcast channel. Since these parameters are transmitted in a DownloadInfoIndication (DII) message, a DII message must be obtained first to obtain a module. As a result, the process of acquiring the object from the broadcast network goes through two stages: DII message acquisition and module acquisition.

3 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a relationship between object carousel messages transmitted from a cable broadcasting system to a broadcast receiver.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the cable broadcast headend transmits a software code, the software code may be divided into one or more DDB messages and transmitted. That is, a DDB message is a block containing a part of one receivable software code, and a plurality of DDBs may be a module, and a plurality of DDBs or modules may be formed by a group of DII messages. One or more groups may be formed as a super group by a Download Server Initiate message (DSI) message. That is, the DSI message includes information about a group in the super group. Therefore, in order to download the software, it may be necessary to first obtain a DSI message and interpret the ServiceGatewayInfo structure included therein.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software download process.

Referring to FIG. 4, the cable card 420 requests a session open (open_session_request) from the host 430 when the host 430 is booted, and the host 430 is responsible for opening the session. In response (open_session_response), the cable card 420 may request (host_info_request) the information of the host 430 and receive hardware and software information (host_info_response) from the host 430.

The cable card 420 may transmit (host_online_notification) the information received from the host 430 to the head end 410, and the head end 410 transmits a new software code to the host 430. You can decide whether to send the software code.

To transmit the software code, the cable headend 410 may transmit code version and locator data related to the software code to be transmitted, such as software version information or software location information, through the cable.

For ease of explanation, hereinafter, data related to a software code to be received by the cable broadcast receiving apparatus is referred to as software download code information. In addition, when the cable broadcast receiving apparatus receives specific information from the cable head end 410, the term download is used.

The software download code information may include one or more of download mode information, manufacturer information, and hardware information. The download mode information is information about the download mode for determining when the host 430 starts downloading and when the downloaded software is applied. The download mode information includes one of a default mode and a monitor application selection mode as a value of the download mode information. Can be set.

If the download mode information is set to the default mode, the host 430 downloads the software immediately after receiving the software download code information. When the download of the software is completed, the host 430 reboots unconditionally so that the downloaded software can be applied. However, because the tuner and decoder are used to download the software during the software download process, the default mode of downloading the software immediately after receiving the software download code information hinders the user's behavior if the user is watching or recording a specific program. There is a problem. In addition, since the default mode allows the downloaded software to be applied unconditionally, there is a problem that the unconditional reboot interferes with the viewing and recording of the user.

If the download mode information is set to the monitor application selection mode, the host 430 may determine whether to start the software download through a monitor application created and provided by the broadcasting company (MSO). In this case, the monitor application checks whether it is the right time to determine the time of downloading the software, and if it is not the right time, it waits and starts downloading when the time is right. When the download of the software is completed, the host 430 reboots to apply the downloaded software. However, since the monitor application is developed by the broadcasting company collectively, there is a limit in properly identifying and reflecting the specificity such as the number of tuners and decoders of the broadcast receiver, the state of viewing or recording, and the like. Determining a suitable download start time according to the situation of the broadcast receiver has a problem that is difficult in reality, and it is also practically impossible to determine a suitable download start time that does not inconvenience the user.

To this end, in the present invention, before parsing the download mode information and downloading the software according to the parsed download mode information, the host 430 downloads the software according to the download mode information based on the host mode information, or the host mode information. Decide whether to download the software according to the separate mode instructed. In this case, the host mode information may be set by the broadcast receiver manufacturer as a default, and in the future, the user may change a value set through a menu provided by the broadcast receiver.

The host mode information may be set to any one of a broadcaster selection mode, a user selection mode, and a manufacturer selection mode.

If the host mode information is the broadcaster selection mode, the host 430 performs software download according to the download mode information.

If the host mode information is the user selection mode, when the host 430 receives the software download code information, the host 430 asks the user whether to start the software download, and determines whether to proceed with the download according to the user's response. That is, if the user wants to perform the download immediately, the host 430 immediately starts downloading the software, and if the user wants to perform the next download, the host 430 next starts the software downloading. When the software download is completed, the host 430 asks the user whether to reboot or not, and determines whether to reboot according to the user's response. That is, the host 430 performs a reboot if the user wants to perform a reboot, and the host 430 performs the next reboot if the user wants to perform a next reboot. This gives users the opportunity to choose when to start downloading, preventing users from interrupting their broadcasts due to software downloads. Updates to the software can be performed.

If the host mode information is the manufacturer selection mode, the host 430 may determine whether to start the software download through the manufacturer application. In this case, the manufacturer application can determine receiver characteristics such as the number of tuners, the number of decoders, and the number of tuners and decoders that are not currently used in the receiver. You can then decide whether to start the appropriate software download. For example, if it is determined that all tuners and decoders are currently being used for viewing or recording a program, the manufacturer application may allow the software download to be started next or allow the user to select, such as a user selection mode. As another example, if it is determined that there are tuners and decoders that are not currently used, the manufacturer application may cause the software download to begin. In this case, the host 430 can download new software using an extra tuner and decoder without interrupting the user's viewing of the program, and can inform the user of the download process via a small message window, You can also proceed with the download. When the software download is completed, the host 430 asks the user whether to reboot or not, and determines whether to reboot according to the user's response. That is, the host 430 performs a reboot if the user wants to perform a reboot, and the host 430 performs the next reboot if the user wants to perform a next reboot.

When the cable headend 410 transmits the software download code information via the cable, the cable card 420 may host the software download code information if the host 430 to which the card is mounted is associated with the software download code information. 430 filters 421 to receive.

The host 430 may obtain the software code version to be downloaded from the software download code information filtered by the cable card 420 or the location information of the software.

When the host 430 receives the software download code information (code_version_table) from the cable card 420 and responds (code_version_table_reply), the host 430 uses frequency information 431 to use the software's locator information. A specific channel may be opened 432 to receive a software code block (DSM-CC data download formatted code file) from the opened specific channel.

The software code block may be transmitted in the DDB message described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The host 430 may transmit download control information (host_download_control) for the start and completion of the reception of the software code block to the cable card 420.

Thereafter, when the cable card 420 receives information about the start and completion of the reception of the software code block from the host 430, the cable card 420 may notify the headend 410 of the information.

If the cable card 420 transmits the reception failure information for the entire code block of software to the cable headend 410, the cable headend 410 may receive the software code block for which the host 430 failed to receive. Resend it, if possible.

Alternatively, if the host 430 does not receive a certain software code block within a predetermined time, the host 430 attempts to receive the entire code block again from the beginning. If the reception fails in spite of the predetermined number of retries, the cable card 420 may send information indicating the reception failure to the headend 410.

Alternatively, when the host 430 receives the entire software block, the host 430 may transmit the download control information on whether the reception is completed to the cable card 420 again.

FIG. 5 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a code version table (CVT).

Referring to FIG. 5, a code version table (CVT) is exemplified below as an example of software download code information that can be used in a cable broadcasting system. The Code Version Table (CVT) is an example of data related to software received code information including the manufacturer of the host 430 or its hardware version. The code version table CVT may include information such as the MAC address of the host 430 or the host 430 ID.

The code version table (CVT) is divided into a CVT 510 including a code_version_table_tag 511 and a CVT2 520 including a code_version_table2_tag 521. The CVT 510 and the CVT2 520 are each classified according to the number of descriptors. descriptor_tag, descriptor_len and descriptor_data () may be set (512, 522).

The CVT 510 and the CVT2 520 may correspond one-to-one with the hardware version of the host 430 using the values of the descriptor_tag and descriptor_data (). As an example, when descriptor_tag = 0x00, descriptor_data () may indicate vendor_id, and when descriptor_tag = 0x01, descriptor_data () may indicate hardware_version_id.

vendor_id refers to the manufacturer of the host 430, and hardware_version_id refers to the hardware version of the host 430. In addition, when descriptor_tag = 0x02, descriptor_data () may indicate host_MAC_address and when descriptor_tag = 0x03, host_ID.

When the host 430 receives the CVT 510 or CVT2 520, the host 430 determines whether the received CVT 510 or CVT2 520 is suitable. If the CVT 510 or CVT2 520 is suitable, the host 430 checks the host mode information and reads the values of download_type and download_command when the value of the host mode information is the broadcaster selection mode. The host 430 determines the download mode based on the read value of the download_command. Here, the value of the download_command is an example of the download mode information, and the download_command 530 may be set to any one of Download Now (0x00) and Deferred Download (0x01). Download Now (0x00) and Deferred Download (0x01) refer to the default mode and monitor application selection mode, respectively.

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a preferred embodiment of a broadcast receiver according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the cable broadcast receiver 600 includes a host 650 and a cable card 690. In this case, the cable card 690 may be inserted into or detached from the host 650, and may be a single (S) -card capable of processing a single stream or a multi (M) -card capable of processing multiple streams.

The host 650 may receive only cable broadcast, or may receive digital broadcast of any one or more of cable broadcast, terrestrial broadcast, or satellite broadcast. To this end, the host 650 includes a first tuner 601a, a second tuner 601b, a first demodulator 602, a multiplexer 603, a demultiplexer 604, a decoder 605, a first tuner. 2 demodulator (DOCSIS) 606, third tuner 607, switching unit 608, modulator 609, control unit 610, OCAP memory control unit 620, memory 630 and user interface unit ( 640.

On the other hand, there are two types of bidirectional communication methods between the cable broadcast receiver 600 and the headend. An OOB (Out Of Band) method and a DSG (DOCSIS Settop Gateway) method are possible. Accordingly, the viewer may select and view a desired program through the host 650 using any one of an out of band (OOB) method and a DOCSIS settop gateway (DSG). Alternatively, the viewer may directly participate in a broadcast program or select and view necessary information, and a data broadcast service may be provided through an OOB method / DSG method.

The first tuner 601a tunes only a specific channel frequency among terrestrial A / V (Audio / Video) broadcasts transmitted through an antenna or cable A / V broadcasts transmitted in-band through a cable. Output to one demodulator 602.

Here, since the terrestrial broadcast and the cable broadcast have different transmission methods, the first demodulator 602 may perform different demodulation processes for signals of different transmission methods. For example, a terrestrial A / V broadcast modulated and transmitted in a VSB (Vestigial Sideband Modulation) method performs demodulation in the inverse of VSB modulation. In addition, a cable A / V broadcast modulated and transmitted in a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) scheme performs demodulation in reverse of the QAM.

The signal demodulated by the first demodulator 602 is output through the multiplexer 603 in a stream form. At this time, if there are a plurality of in-band tuners capable of receiving cable A / V broadcast, and different channels are tuned simultaneously in each in-band tuner and demodulated in each demodulator, the multiplexer 603. Multiplexed at output.

If the signal demodulated by the first demodulator 602 is a stream of terrestrial broadcast, the demodulated stream is output to the demultiplexer 604 through the multiplexer 603 and, if the stream is cable broadcast, the multiplexer 603. It is output to the demultiplexer 604 through the cable card 690 mounted in the slot. The cable card 690 includes a conditional access (CA) system for copy protection and limited access to high value-added broadcast content, and is also referred to as a point of deployment (POD) module.

The cable card 690 descrambles the single stream or the multi-stream of the cable broadcast output from the multiplexer 603 and descrambles the outputted signal to the demultiplexer 604. If the cable card 690 is not mounted, the single stream or the multi-stream of the cable broadcast demodulated by the first demodulator 602 is directly output to the demultiplexer 604. In this case, scrambled cable broadcasts cannot descramble, so they cannot watch normally.

The demultiplexer 604 separates the audio, video, and data streams from the multiplexed broadcast stream and outputs the decoded data to the decoder 605. The decoder 605 may include an audio decoder, a video decoder, and a data decoder. That is, the demultiplexer 604 decodes the audio stream in the audio decoder, the video stream in the video decoder, and the data stream in the data decoder.

The second tuner 601b tunes a specific channel frequency among data broadcasts transmitted through a cable in a DSG manner and outputs the specific channel frequency to the second demodulator 606. The second demodulator 606 may demodulate the DSG data broadcast and output the demodulated broadcast signal to the controller 610.

The third tuner 607 tunes a specific channel frequency for the downlink data broadcast transmitted by the OOB method through the cable and outputs the specific channel frequency to the cable card 690. That is, the third tuner 607 receives software download code information and software transmitted by the headend 410 and outputs it to the cable card 690. The cable card 690 filters the software download code information and transmits the software download code information related to the cable broadcast receiver 600 to the controller 610.

In addition, when bidirectional communication is possible between the headend and the cable broadcast receiver 600, uplink information transmitted from the cable broadcast receiver 600 to the headend (for example, hardware and software information of a host and a paid program). Application, diagnostic information of the host, etc.) may be transmitted in the OOB method or DSG method. Therefore, an embodiment of the cable broadcast receiver according to the present invention may be provided with a switching unit 608 to transmit information by selecting one of the OOB method and the DSG method. For example, the host_online_notification is transmitted to the headend 410 through the switching unit 608 in an OOB manner.

In the OOB method, hardware and software information of a host, user information, or system diagnostic information is output to the modulator 609 through the cable card 690 and the switching unit 608, and the modulator 609 is the switching unit 608. The output signal can be modulated by Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation and transmitted to the headend via cable. If the broadcast information of the user is transmitted in the DSG method, the broadcast information of the user is output to the modulator 609 through the control unit 610 and the switching unit 608, and the modulator 609 has a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). It can be modulated with the -16 modulation scheme and then sent to the headend via cable.

The controller 610 determines the software download mode based on the host mode information stored in the memory 630.

If the determined download mode is the user selection mode, the controller 610 controls the software download execution according to the download selection command received by the user interface 640. That is, the controller 610 outputs a guide message to the user interface 640 asking the user whether to start downloading the software. An example message is "New software. Do you want to download it now? If no tuner or decoder is used, your current broadcast will stop." It can be a message or window that includes a prompt, such as a button that allows the user to select "Yes", "No", and the like. Here, if the user selects a "no" button as a download selection command, the controller 610 does not start the software download process and maintains a normal broadcast viewing state. If the user selects the "Yes" button as the download selection command, the controller 610 controls the tuner and the decoder to download the software and store it in the memory 630.

When the software download is completed, the controller 610 determines whether to reboot based on the reboot selection command received by the user interface 640. First, the controller 610 outputs a guide message to the user interface unit 640 asking whether the user reboots. An example message is "You have finished downloading new software. Do you want to restart the receiver now?" It may be a message or a window including a button for allowing a user to select "Yes", "No", etc. together with a guide phrase such as the above. If the user selects the "Yes" button as the reboot selection command, the controller 610 proceeds to the reboot process. If the user selects the "no" button as the reboot selection command, the controller 610 returns to the normal broadcast viewing state without starting the reboot. At this time, the downloaded and stored software is stored in the memory 630, and is installed, updated, or executed when the user ends watching the broadcast, turns off the broadcast receiver, and later turns it on again.

If the determined download mode is the manufacturer selection mode, the controller 610 controls the manufacturer application to determine whether to start downloading the software. The manufacturer's application is appropriate software based on the characteristics and current state of the cable broadcasting receiver 600 based on the characteristics of the receiver, such as the number of tuners, the number of decoders, and the number of tuners and decoders not currently used in the receiver. Determine whether to start downloading. When the software download is started and completed according to the determination of the manufacturer application, the controller 610 determines whether to reboot based on the reboot selection command input by the user interface 640. First, the controller 610 outputs a guide message to the user interface unit 640 asking whether the user reboots. An example message is "You have finished downloading new software. Do you want to restart the receiver now?" It may be a message or a window including a button for allowing a user to select "Yes", "No", etc. together with a guide phrase such as the above. If the user selects the "Yes" button as the reboot selection command, the controller 610 proceeds to the reboot process. If the user selects the "no" button as the reboot selection command, the controller 610 returns to the normal broadcast viewing state without starting the reboot. At this time, the downloaded and stored software is stored in the memory 630, and is installed, updated, or executed when the user ends watching the broadcast, turns off the broadcast receiver, and later turns it on again.

If the determined download mode is the broadcaster selection mode, the controller 610 proceeds with the software download according to the download mode information included in the software download code information.

Here, the user may change the host mode information through a menu provided by the user interface 640.

7 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a menu screen for setting host mode information.

Referring to FIG. 7, the user changes the position of the menu indicating means 701 so that any one of the user selection mode 710, the manufacturer selection mode 720, and the broadcaster selection mode 730 is set as a value of the host mode information. Can be selected. Here, when the user selects one of the user selection mode 710, the manufacturer selection mode 720, and the broadcaster selection mode 730 as the menu indicating means 701, a description 705 of the selected mode is displayed on the screen. Can be displayed.

In addition, the controller 610 may perform a DVR function using the storage medium 620 as a storage. That is, the controller 610 may store a recording on the storage medium 620 by performing a personal video recorder (PVR) based on the storage medium 620. In addition, the controller 610 may set a 'time-shift buffer' in the storage medium 620 to perform a time shift function. The storage medium 620 may be embedded in the cable broadcast receiver 600, may be an external storage medium 620 connected to a USB port, IEEE802.11, IEEE802.11n, IEEE802.11g communication It may be a storage medium embedded or external to an information communication device connected to a data network, such as an IEEE802.15.4 communication method, a WiFi communication method, an Ethernet communication method, a WCDMA communication method, and a GRS communication method.

The operation of the controller 610 may be performed by any one of hardware, firmware, middleware, and software, or may be performed by a combination of at least two of them. The computer readable code, host mode information, and other necessary data or information for executing the application, the middleware, and the operating system are stored in the memory 630. In addition, the controller 610 may store the software downloaded from the headend 410 in the memory 630. Applications, middleware and operating systems run when the cable broadcast receiver is powered on, or as required by other applications or users.

The user interface unit 640 displays information or commands and receives information or commands from a user. The user interface 640 may include an OSD generator that generates and outputs an OSD image of information or commands to display information or commands, and may include a remote controller receiver to receive information or commands from a user. The user may look at a screen on which an OSD image is displayed to check information or a command, and input information or a command to the cable broadcast receiver 600 through a remote controller.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a preferred embodiment of the software reception method of cable broadcasting according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the third tuner 607 receives software download code information (S800). The controller 610 determines whether software download is appropriate based on the software download code information received by the third tuner 607 (S805). If the software download is suitable, the controller 610 determines the software download mode based on the host mode information (S810).

If the host mode information is the broadcaster mode, the controller 610 checks the value of the download mode information included in the software download code information received by the third tuner 707 (S815). If the download mode information is the default mode, the controller 610 downloads the software code from the headend 600 by adjusting a channel of the first tuner 601a or the second tuner 601b based on the software download code information. (S820). The controller 610 stores the downloaded software code in the memory 630 (S825). When the download is completed, the controller 610 reboots the cable broadcast receiver 600 (S830). Alternatively, when the download mode information is the monitor application selection mode, the controller 610 allows the monitor application to determine whether to start downloading (S835).

If the host mode information is the user selection mode, the controller 610 requests the user to input a download selection command (S840). The controller 610 determines whether to start the software download based on the download selection command input from the user (S845).

If it is determined to start the software download, the controller 610 adjusts the channel of the first tuner 601a or the second tuner 601b based on the software download code information to download the software code from the headend 410 ( S850). The controller 610 stores the downloaded software code in the memory 630 (S855). When the download is complete, the controller 610 requests an input for a reboot selection command from the user (S860). The controller 610 determines whether to reboot based on the reboot selection command input from the user (S865).

When it is determined that the reboot is started, the controller 610 reboots the cable broadcast receiver 600 in order to upgrade the software installed or the previously installed software by the downloaded software code (S830).

If the host mode information is the manufacturer selection mode, the controller 610 may determine whether to start the software download through the manufacturer application (S870).

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer device is stored. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet). Include. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer devices so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific preferred embodiments described above, and the present invention belongs to the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and such changes are within the scope of the claims.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a cable broadcasting network including a host and a cable card according to the present invention;

2 is a diagram illustrating a Broadcast Inter ORB Protocol (BIOP) message format;

3 conceptually illustrates a relationship between object carousel messages transmitted to a broadcast receiver in a cable broadcasting system;

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software download process;

5 is a diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of a code version table (CVT),

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a preferred embodiment of a broadcast receiver according to the present invention;

7 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a menu screen for setting host mode information, and FIG.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a preferred embodiment of the software reception method of cable broadcasting according to the present invention.

Claims (14)

Receiving software download code information and determining software download suitability based on the received software download code information; If the software download is suitable, determining the software download mode based on pre-set host mode information; If the host mode information is a user selection mode, requesting an input for a download selection command from a user; And Determining whether to start the software download based on the download selection command input from the user. The method of claim 1, If the host mode information is the manufacturer selection mode, determining whether or not to start the software download via the manufacturer application; cable reception software further comprising a. The method according to claim 1 or 2, If it is determined to start the software download, receiving the software on the basis of the software download code information; further comprising the cable broadcasting software reception method. The method of claim 3, wherein Requesting input of a reboot selection command from the user when the software reception is completed; And And determining whether or not to reboot based on a reboot selection command input from the user. The method of claim 1, If the host mode information is a broadcaster selection mode, performing the software download according to the download mode information included in the software download code information. The method of claim 1, The software download code information includes any one or more of manufacturer information and hardware information. The method of claim 1, Receiving a setting value for the host mode information from a user, and changing the host mode information to the input setting value. A tuner for receiving software download code information; A user interface unit displaying information or commands and receiving information or commands from a user; And And a controller for determining whether software download is suitable based on the received software download code information, and if the software download is suitable, determining a software download mode based on preset host mode information. Broadcast receiver. The method of claim 8, And the controller, if the host mode information is a user selection mode, controlling the software download execution according to a download selection command received by the user interface unit. The method of claim 8, And the controller controls the manufacturer application to determine whether to start downloading the software when the host mode information is the manufacturer selection mode. The method according to claim 9 or 10, When the software download is completed, the control unit determines whether to reboot based on a reboot selection command received by the user interface unit. The method of claim 8, And the control unit controls to perform a software download according to the download mode information included in the software download code information when the host mode information is a broadcaster selection mode. The method of claim 8, The software download code information includes at least one of manufacturer information and hardware information. The method of claim 8, And the control unit changes the host mode information to a setting value received by the user interface unit.

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