JP5011800B2 - Personal computer with TV function - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique suitable for activating a television viewing function of a personal computer with a television viewing function (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) at high speed.

  In recent years, PCs with a TV function equipped with a TV tuner have been widely used. A processor (CPU) mounted on a PC with a television function has higher performance than a processor included in a television receiver or an HDD recorder. For this reason, functions that are not installed in television receivers or HDD recorders, such as digest playback that performs feature extraction of video and plays back a characteristic scene, can be used more conveniently.

  On the other hand, in order to realize such a function, more complicated and highly functional software is necessary, and the startup time of a PC with a TV function is much longer than that of a TV receiver or HDD recorder. There is an increasing need to use a PC with a TV function more comfortably, and attention has been focused on PCs that can watch TV in a few seconds after the user turns on the power.

  The configuration of a PC with a television function is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 implements high-speed activation of these functions by installing application functions such as a TV and a DVD player in a device-specific software program called BIOS. By installing the application function in the BIOS and making it unnecessary to start the operating system, it is possible to reduce the waiting time of the operating system (OS) that starts the function that is not related to the desired application function.

  As another solution, in the case of Patent Document 2, a TV viewing function including a remote control receiving / control function including a TV operating function is independently provided in the PC, and power is independently supplied and controlled. After the PC block that is activated at a high speed and activated independently of the block is activated, the high-performance and multi-function of the above-described PC can be used.

  By the way, the specifications of video signals are different between a TV and a PC. In many cases, a PC uses a RGB color signal for display, and a TV uses a YUV color difference signal for display. For this reason, the input is switched on the display. In addition, in the case of performing digital broadcast screen output with analog RGB output, there is a resolution limitation with an upper limit of 520,000 pixels per frame, and high-definition display of digital broadcast cannot be performed on a PC. For this reason, high-definition TV display units are often provided separately from PC display units in PCs with a TV function.

JP 2004-164537 A JP 2005-303935 A

  According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, since it is not necessary to start up the OS, the waiting time until the television can be viewed is shortened. On the other hand, when the user wants to use the PC function, it is necessary to reset the application function execution state by the BIOS once and restart the operating system, and to wait for the restart to be completed.

  On the other hand, especially considering recent digital TV functions, more advanced usage forms such as data broadcasting and interactive services are provided. When these functions are installed, the BIOS code size storing application functions is small. There is a high possibility that the ROM cannot be stored in the ROM having an enlarged capacity and economical capacity.

  In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, the TV function block has a remote control reception / control function block that operates independently without using an interface that a standard PC has as standard. In addition, a state control unit for the entire information processing system is required, and a dedicated power source is required to operate the function.

  By the way, when enabling TV viewing in a few seconds after the power-on operation, it is preferable that the user can select whether to activate the TV function or the PC function. This is to avoid having the user watch TV every time the PC is started up, even though the user does not want to watch TV. When the PC function is activated, it is desirable that the system video and audio output behave in the same manner as when a normal PC is activated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a personal computer with a TV function that can solve the above-mentioned problems and can watch a digital broadcast with high resolution in a short time and can be activated in accordance with the user's selection of the TV / PC function. is there.

  In order to solve the above problems, a personal computer with a TV function according to the present invention includes a CPU that controls the TV function by a program on an operating system, a system control unit that performs power control of the personal computer body, a TV image, A display unit for displaying an execution result of the CPU; a program ROM; a TV display control unit for generating a television image in accordance with the program ROM independently of the TV function control of the CPU; And receiving the TV display control unit and a remote control control unit for notifying the system control unit of a code corresponding to the operation, and when the TV display button of the remote control is pressed, power supply to the personal computer is started. Depending on the program on the operating system The launch earlier of Levi function, was to enable the TV display by the TV display control unit.

  In the personal computer with a TV function according to the present invention, the display unit includes a selection signal input of a TV image generated by the TV display control unit and a PC image as a result of execution of the CPU, and a boot block. A BIOS-ROM having a main block is provided, and the selection signal input is set to a television video selection state before the processing of the main block is started.

  Furthermore, the personal computer with a television function according to the present invention includes a power button for instructing activation of the personal computer, and the system control unit performs power control of the personal computer main body by pressing the power button, and the main block Before starting the process, the selection signal input is set to the PC video selection state which is the execution result of the CPU.

  According to the present invention, in an information processing system with a television function, television viewing is possible by high-speed activation as with a single-function television, and some remote control operations that are essential for television viewing such as channel selection and volume adjustment However, usability is improved by sharing with PC operation.

  Furthermore, after the PC is started, a high-function TV function can be used by an application program that runs on the OS.

  Furthermore, when the user selects PC activation, it is possible to improve the usability that the PC can be activated without outputting TV video and audio.

  Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 10 denotes a system control unit of a PC embodying the present invention, which includes a CPU 1001, a system LSI 1002, a main memory 1003, a remote control receiving unit 1004, an HDD 1005, and a ROM 1006. The configuration of the system control unit 10 is the same as that of a general PC, and there are many components to be described in detail. However, portions unnecessary for this description are omitted. With these configurations, the PC control system or various application programs are executed by the system control unit 10.

  Reference numeral 1004 denotes a remote control signal receiving unit of a remote controller that selects a TV channel and sets a volume, receives a remote control signal emitted from the remote control device, and transmits a button code included in the remote control signal to the system LSI 1002. An application program that performs TV display refers to the button code and performs TV display or program recording. The button code included in the remote control signal is also transmitted to the TV control LSI 110, which will be described in detail later, so that channel selection and volume setting can be performed directly.

  Reference numeral 1006 denotes a ROM in which a BIOS code is stored. When the system is powered on, the CPU 1001 accesses the ROM 1006 via the system LSI 1002, reads the BIOS code, and executes system initialization processing and control transfer processing to the operating system according to the BIOS code (details will be described later). ).

  Reference numeral 1011 denotes a PC video signal in the RGB color signal format. The video output of the operating system and application program executed by the system control unit 10 is generated by the system LSI 1002 and output as the PC video signal 1011. Reference numeral 1010 denotes a PC audio signal. Similar to the video signal, the audio output of the operating system or application program is generated by the system LSI 1002 and output as the PC audio signal 1010.

  In this embodiment, the PC video signal 1011 is generated by the system LSI 1002, but the invention can be similarly implemented when the PC video signal is generated by a display LSI connected to the system bus.

  A TV tuner unit 11 is connected to the system LSI 1002 via the system bus 1104 and can be accessed from the CPU 1001. The TV tuner unit 11 includes a TV control LSI 110, a ROM 111, a TV antenna 114, and a TV tuner 115. The ROM 111 stores program codes executed by the TV control LSI 110.

  When the power is turned on, the TV control LSI 110 accesses the ROM 111 and executes processing according to the contents of the program code stored in the ROM 111. For example, the TV reception process is executed as follows. The TV control LSI 110 performs channel switching control on the TV tuner 115. Then, the video / audio signal received from the TV tuner 115 is decoded and output to the TV video signal 112 and the TV audio signal 113. When the received broadcast wave is a digital TV, the received video / audio signal is encrypted, and the TV control LSI 110 also performs the decoding process.

  Furthermore, the remote control receiving unit 1004 of the system control unit 10 is connected via a remote control signal 1009 and can execute processing according to the transmitted button code. In this embodiment, channel up, channel down, volume up, volume down, audio mute, and one-touch channel button codes can be received to perform predetermined processing. For example, when the TV control LSI 110 receives a channel up button code, the TV control LSI 110 changes the setting of the TV tuner 115 and receives a channel with a number larger than the current channel number.

  As described above, since the TV tuner unit 11 includes the ROM 111 for storing the program code, when the power is turned on, the ROM 111 can be accessed and a predetermined TV reception process can be executed without the intervention of the CPU 1001. Furthermore, since the TV control LSI 110 is connected to the system control unit 10 via the system bus 1014, more complicated functions such as time-shifted viewing and recording can be performed by the TV viewing application running on the operating system. This is realized by controlling the TV control LSI 110 via

  Reference numeral 12 in FIG. 1 denotes a power supply unit. When AC power is supplied via the AC cord 121, power supply to the auxiliary power line 122 is started. The auxiliary power line 122 is connected to the system LSI 1002 and the remote control unit 1004 of the system control unit 10 and is supplied with standby power. When the power button 1012 of the PC is pressed, a press signal is notified to the system LSI 1002. The system LSI 1002 is supplied with standby power, and notifies the power supply 12 of a power-on signal 1013 when a press signal of the power button 1012 is input. When the power supply 12 receives the power-on signal 1013 from the system LSI 1002, the power supply 12 starts to supply power to the main power line 120. The main power line 120 is supplied to the system control unit 10, the TV tuner unit 11, the display control unit 13, and the audio control unit 14, and the TV display operation is started.

  Further, standby power is also supplied to the remote control unit 1004, and an operation signal from the remote control is received and a remote control signal is output. A corresponding button code for pressing the TV button of the remote controller is notified to the system LSI 1002, and power supply to the main power line 120 is started in the same manner as when the power button 1012 is pressed.

  As described above, the auxiliary power is a power limited for use such that the system LSI 1002 is used for processing the power-on signal 1013 or storing data in the main memory 1003. The power during normal operation is covered by the main power. Is called.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the system LSI 1002 can control the power-on signal 1013 by two power-on factors. Specifically, the first is the power button 1012 and the other is the remote control receiver 1004. As for the power button 1012, the system LSI 1002 includes means for detecting whether or not the button has been pressed, and when the button press is detected, the power source 12 is instructed to start the main power supply by a power-on signal 1013. . On the other hand, the system LSI 1002 is provided with a button code discriminating means. When a predetermined button code is detected, the power supply 12 can be instructed to start the main power supply via the power-on signal 1013. In this embodiment, the button code of the power button mounted on the remote control is set as the button code discrimination means.

  Reference numeral 13 in FIG. 1 denotes a display control unit. The display control unit 13 includes a video signal switcher 130, a display circuit 131, and an LCD 132. The video signal switcher 130 is a so-called selector circuit that switches between the PC video signal 1011 and the TV video signal 112 according to the video path selection signal 1007.

  The display circuit 131 performs processing for outputting a video signal input via the video signal switch 130 to the LCD 132. Specifically, processing for matching the resolution of the input video signal and the display timing signal with the resolution and display timing of the LCD 132, processing for matching the color space, deinterlacing processing, pixel correction processing, and the like are executed.

  The video path selection signal 1007 is controlled via the system LSI 1002 by a BIOS executed by a CPU 1001 described later. In this embodiment, the video path selection signal 1007 is connected by a general-purpose output signal that the system LSI 1002 has. Since the general-purpose output signal is linked with a specific register setting value of the system LSI 1002, there is an advantage that the number of processing steps for the BIOS to control the video path selection signal 1007 can be reduced. Instead, for example, if the video path selection signal 1007 is to be controlled via the USB bus interface, the number of processing steps is remarkably increased, such as initialization of the USB bus and control in accordance with the access protocol.

  Reference numeral 14 in FIG. 1 denotes an audio control unit. The audio control unit 14 includes an audio signal switcher 140, an amplifier circuit 141, and a speaker 142. The audio signal switcher 140 is a so-called selector circuit that switches between the PC audio signal 1010 and the TV audio signal 113 according to the audio path selection signal 1008. The amplifying circuit 141 is a circuit for amplifying an audio signal input via the audio signal switching unit 140 and outputting the amplified audio signal to the speaker 142. The audio path selection signal 1008 is controlled via the system LSI 1002 by the BIOS executed by the CPU 1001, similarly to the video path selection signal 1007. Further, the audio path selection signal 1008 is connected by a general-purpose output signal that the system LSI 1002 has as described above.

  Next, the flow of processing performed by the CPU 1001 using the BIOS code stored in the ROM 1006 of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. When the main power of the system is turned on 201, the CPU 1001 starts executing the BIOS code stored in the ROM 1006. The BIOS code normally includes a code block called a boot block (in this description, the BIOS code other than the boot block is called a main block), and immediately after the power is turned on, the BIOS code stored in the boot block is executed. .

  In the boot block, an initialization process 202 of the CPU 1001, an initialization process 203 of the main memory 1003, a base address setting process 204 for the system LSI 1002, and the like are executed. These processes are processes for initializing and enabling a minimum function required for the BIOS code to be executed by the system control unit 10 among the functions of the system control unit 10.

  When the boot block processing ends, the CPU 1001 continues to execute the main block processing. When the main block is implemented, the BIOS code is expanded in the main memory 1003 207 for speeding up the subsequent access, and the CPU 1001 subsequently accesses the main memory 1003 instead of the ROM 1006 to execute the BIOS code. In the main block processing, initialization of various components such as a graphic controller and an HDD controller mounted on the system LSI 1002 is started 208, and when initialization of all components is completed, the operating system is started 209. The above is the flow of processing performed by the CPU 1001 using the BIOS code stored in the ROM 1006.

  Next, the processing flow of the TV display function, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the BIOS boot block processing is executed after the main power-on 201 and before 207 before the BIOS code is expanded in the main memory.

  In the present embodiment, the process 205 for determining whether the cause of the main power-on during the boot block processing is due to the power button 1012 or the remote control receiver 1004, and the determination result. In addition, a process 206 for controlling the video path selection signal 1007 and the audio path selection signal 1008 via the system LSI 1002 is added to the boot block. Since these processes are added to the boot block, the processing time required for the path selection signal output process 206 after the main power-on 201 is executed is the time of the TV video / audio signal after the TV control LSI 110 is powered on. It is shorter than the time required to start output.

  In the following, it will be described in detail how high-speed activation of the TV function is realized based on the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  In this embodiment, when the system is activated with the power button of the remote controller, high-speed TV viewing is activated, and when the system is activated with the system power button 1012, normal PC activation is performed. The user can selectively use the power button of the remote control and the power button of the system according to a desired activation mode.

  When the user activates the system with the power button of the remote controller, the CPU 1001 sequentially executes the processing shown in FIG. 2 and determines in step 205 that the system activation factor is the remote control receiver 1004. When activated by the power button of the remote control, since it is the TV viewing mode, a route selection signal is output so that the route selection becomes a TV video signal and a TV audio signal in processing 206. Thereafter, the output preparation of the video / audio signal from the TV control LSI 110 is completed, the output is started, and the user can use the TV viewing function. After the process 206, the CPU 1001 continues to execute the main memory development 207 to start the OS. During this time, the PC video signal and the PC audio signal may be output from the system LSI 1002, but since the route is selected for the TV video signal and the TV audio signal, the user views and listens to the video and audio by these signals. There is nothing.

  When the user activates the system with the power button of the system, it is determined in process 205 that the system activation factor is the power button 1012. In this case, since the PC activation mode is selected, a route selection signal is output in step 206 so that the route selection is a PC video signal and a PC audio signal. Thereafter, the output of the video / audio signal from the TV control LSI 110 is ready and the output is started. However, since the route is selected between the PC video signal and the PC audio signal, the user can watch the video and audio by these signals. I don't listen. After the process 206, the CPU 1001 continues to execute the main memory development 207 to start the OS. The user views and listens to the PC video and PC sound output during this time, and the PC appears to be normally activated.

  According to the present embodiment, the same button code can be controlled by two control units, the system LSI 1002 and the TV control LSI 110. The normal system LSI 1002 uses the system control unit 10 for the button codes other than power-on, and the PC operating system. Although the control associated with the button code cannot be performed until the application program is executed, the TV control LSI 110 can operate with the program code stored in the ROM 111, and therefore accompanies the button code without intervention of the CPU 1001. Control can be implemented.

  Further, since the system LSI 1002 can receive power-on instructions from the remote controller and start supplying power to the main power line 120, it is not necessary to prepare a dedicated power source for always energizing the TV tuner unit 11.

  Furthermore, the TV control LSI 110 does not carry out extra processing by ignoring the button codes related to functions that are executed by the high-performance and multifunctional system control unit 10 and recording to HDD or DVD, time-shift viewing, etc. In addition, after the PC operating system or application program is executed by the system control unit 10 and the button code can be received by the system LSI 1002, it is sent to the TV control LSI 110 via the system bus 1014. After that, the TV control LSI 110 does not receive any button code, and the system LSI 1002 performs all the control so that the TV control LSI 110 can concentrate on TV-related processing.

  A flow of processing for activating the television viewing function at high speed will be described with reference to FIG. When the power-on button of the remote control device is pressed 201, the remote-control receiving unit 1004 sends a main power-on instruction to the system LSI 1002, and the system LSI 1002 that receives the instruction starts to supply power to the main power line 120 by the main power control signal 1013. Instruct 202. The TV control LSI 110 that has started to operate with the program code stored in the ROM 111 first before the remote controller code is received after the PC operating system or application program is activated by the system control unit 10 is a button code. Receiving and control along the code is possible 211.

  Of course, at this point, the TV control LSI 110 outputs the TV content received by the RF receiving antenna 114 as a TV video signal 112 and a TV audio signal 113. When the system control unit 10 finishes starting the PC operating system and application program and can receive the remote control code, the system LSI 1002 notifies the TV control LSI 110 via the system bus 1014 that the preparation has been completed, and receives the notification. The TV control LSI 110 then stops 212 the process of receiving the remote control code. At the same time, the system LSI 1002 can control all button codes 205.

  During this time, the button code control unit is switched, but the user can watch TV, and the system LSI 1002 does not perform processing in the system control unit 10 until the button code reception preparation is completed. The function can be used by remote control operation.

  In this embodiment, the operating system can be resumed in the process 209 by setting the operating system to the suspended state or the hibernate state during the previous power-off process. The resume of the operating system is a mechanism for returning to the normal state more quickly at the next start-up by storing the register setting values of each component and the contents of the main memory 1003 in the main memory 1003 and the HDD 1005 during normal operation. That is.

  Since the high-speed activation processing of the TV function according to the present embodiment can be performed in combination with the resume function of the operating system, functions such as data broadcasting unique to digital TV, and further, a function to be operated by an application, such as a recording function, can be accelerated. Can be made available.

It is a block diagram of the Example of this invention. It is a BIOS process flowchart of the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart of the button code control of the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... System control part, 1001 ... CPU, 1002 ... System LSI,
1003 ... Main memory, 1004 ... Remote control receiver, 1005 ... HDD,
1006 ... ROM, 1007 ... Video signal path selection signal,
1008 ... Audio signal path selection signal, 1009 ... Remote control signal, 1010 ... PC audio signal,
1011 ... PC video signal, 1012 ... Power button, 1013 ... Main power control signal,
11 ... TV tuner section, 110 ... TV control LSI, 111 ... ROM,
112 ... TV video signal, 113 ... TV audio signal, 114 ... RF receiving antenna,
115 ... TV tuner, 12 ... power supply unit, 120 ... main power supply line,
121 ... AC cord, 122 ... Auxiliary power supply line, 13 ... Display control unit,
130 ... Video signal selector 131 ... Display circuit 132 ... LCD 14 ... Audio control unit
140 ... Audio signal selector 141 ... Audio signal amplifier circuit 142 ... Speaker

Claims (4)

In a personal computer that operates a TV function with a remote control,
A CPU for controlling the television function by a program on an operating system;
A system control unit for controlling the power supply of the personal computer body;
A display unit for displaying a television image and an execution result of the CPU;
A TV display control unit that has a program ROM and generates television images according to the program ROM independently of the TV function control of the CPU;
A remote control controller that receives an operation signal of the remote controller and notifies the TV display controller and a code corresponding to the operation to the system controller;
Power supply to the personal computer is started by pressing the TV display button of the remote controller, and before the TV function is started by the program on the operating system, the TV display control unit can display the television , and the operating system A personal computer with a TV function , wherein the remote control can be operated before the TV function is started by the above program . The display unit has a selection signal input of a TV image generated by the TV display control unit and a PC image which is an execution result of the CPU,
Furthermore, a BIOS-ROM having a boot block and a main block is provided,
2. The personal computer with a television function according to claim 1, wherein the selection signal input is set to a television image selection state before the processing of the main block is started. In addition, it has a power button to instruct the start of the personal computer,
The system control unit performs power control of the personal computer main body by pressing the power button, and before the processing of the main block is started, the selection signal input is set to a PC video selection state as an execution result of the CPU. The personal computer with a television function according to claim 2, wherein the personal computer is set. 4. The power supply unit for supplying power to the personal computer further comprises an auxiliary power supply unit for supplying constant power to the system control unit and the remote control control unit. A personal computer with the described television function.

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