Patent ID: 6714264
Filing Date: 2004-03-30
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A digital television receiver that includes a channel surfing function, the television receiver comprising:a plurality of tuners that receive digital television signals provided by respective successive radio frequency (RF) channels and demodulate the digital television signals provided by the respective RF channels to provide a plurality of respective baseband digital television signals; at least one transport decoder coupled to receive the plurality of respective baseband digital television signals the at least one transport decoder being configured to concurrently decode multiple transport streams in a single baseband digital television signal into respective multiple bit-streams and to provide at least one of the multiple bit-strearns as an output bit-stream, wherein each concurrently decoded bit-stream provided by the at least one transport decoder represents a respectively different minor channel in the single baseband digital television signal; at least one audio/video decoder that decodes the at least one output bit-stream provided by the plurality of transport decoders to produce respective output audio and video signals; and a microprocessor coupled to control the plurality of tuners, the at least one transport decoder, and the at least one audio/video decoder, the microprocessor reassigning one of the plurality of tuners to receive another digital television signal provided by a next respective successive RF channel responsive to the channel surfing function in preparation for a next channel selection using the channel surfing function.