Abstract:
An analog and digital receiver includes an analog broadcasting receiver section for receiving and reproducing analog broadcasting signals, and a digital broadcasting receiver section for receiving and reproducing digital broadcasting signals, which receiver sections are installed within a single housing. The analog and digital receiver include an analog tuner for selecting an analog broadcasting and a digital tuner for selecting a digital broadcasting, wherein an output stage of the digital tuner is wire-connected to an input stage of the analog tuner or an output stage of the analog tuner is wire-connected to an input stage of the digital tuner.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-15587, filed on Mar. 8, 2004 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to an analog and digital broadcasting receiver, which is capable of receiving both of analog and digital broadcastings.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Recently, signals delivered by each broadcasting station tend to change from an analog format to a digital format so as to provide high density pictures, and newly marketed television sets are implemented to be capable of outputting digital signals to meet with such a tendency. However, so as to receive such digital broadcasting, it is necessary for a television set to be provided with an exclusive tuner for receiving digital broadcasting. However, because many television sets are only provided with an analog tuner, it is requested that these sets be separately equipped with a device provided with a digital broadcasting receiving tuner (such a device is named “set-top box”). In addition, if two different tuners are installed in a television set, there is a problem in that both of the digital and analog broadcastings can be received only when an antenna is connected to each of the tuners.  
         [0006]     Therefore, what is demanded so as to minimize user&#39;s inconvenience is to develop an analog and digital broadcasting receiver provided with a function of a digital tuner for receiving a digital broadcasting along with an analog tuner for receiving an analog broadcasting.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
         [0008]     Accordingly, aspects of the present invention have been conceived to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide an analog and digital broadcasting receiver capable of receiving both of analog and digital broadcastings even if an antenna is connected to any one of a digital tuner and an analog tuner.  
         [0009]     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analog and digital receiver including an analog broadcasting receiver for receiving and reproducing analog broadcasting signals, and a digital broadcasting receiver for receiving and reproducing digital broadcasting signals, which receivers are installed within a single housing, the analog and digital receiver comprising: an analog tuner for selecting an analog broadcasting, and a digital tuner for selecting a digital broadcasting, wherein an output stage of the digital tuner is wire-connected to an input stage of the analog tuner or an output stage of the analog tuner is wire-connected to an input stage of the digital tuner. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view showing an analog and digital broadcasting receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a rear side elevational view of the analog and digital broadcasting receiver; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram for describing the analog and digital broadcasting receiver according the embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. The matters defined in the description such as a detailed construction and elements are nothing but the ones provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the invention. Thus, it is apparent that the present invention can be carried out without those defined matters. Also, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.  
         [0015]     As shown in the embodiments in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , an analog and digital broadcasting receiver is that formed by adding a digital tuner for digital broadcasting selection to a combo type system. Such an analog and digital broadcasting receiver comprises: a housing  10 ; a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) deck  20  installed within the housing  10 ; a VCR deck  30  installed adjacent to the DVD deck  20  within the housing  10 ; a main board for controlling the DVD deck  20  and the VCR deck  30 , wherein a video and sound outputting stage  41  and an analog tuner  42  for analog broadcasting selection are mounted on the main board  40 ; and a digital tuner  52  for digital broadcasting selection.  
         [0016]     The DVD deck  20  and the VCR deck  30  are adapted to reproduce a DVD media and a video cassette media, wherein the DVD deck  20  and the VCR deck  30  are respectively connected to the main board  40  and operated by a first central processing unit  53 , which respectively controls the DVD deck  20  and the VCR deck  30  in unison. However, it is understood that additional decks can be used instead of or in addition to the decks  20 ,  30  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , such as decks which use other media (such as Bluray, Advanced Optical Discs, CDs), Digital Video Records or other drives using hard drives or other decks usable with magnetic, magneto-optical, semiconductor, and/or optical media.  
         [0017]     A first central processing unit  53  is provided so as to control the digital tuner  52 , which is intended for digital broadcasting selection.  
         [0018]     Meanwhile, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the digital tuner  52  and the analog tuner  42  are respectively provided with input stages  44 ,  54  connected to an antenna  70  (See  FIG. 3 ), and output stages  45 ,  55  for outputting processed signals to a video output device such as a television set, a plasma display panel, an LCD, an OLED, or other types of screens.  
         [0019]     According to an embodiment of the present invention, the digital tuner  52  and the analog tuner  42  are interconnected by a signal transmission  60 , wherein the signal transmission part  60  comprises a coaxial cable capable of being connected to each of the input stages  44 ,  54  and the output stages  45 ,  55  but the present invention is not limited to this. By way of example, the digital tuner  52  and the analog tuner  42  may be interconnected by a circuit printed on the main board  40  on which the digital tuner  52  and the analog tuner  42  are mounted and/or using wireless technology.  
         [0020]     As the digital tuner  52  and the analog tuner  42  are interconnected by way of the signal transmission part  60 , if the antenna  70  (see  FIG. 3 ) is connected any one of the input stages  44 ,  54 , the user can select both the digital signals and the analog signals.  
         [0021]     The inputted signals are post-processed by the first central processing unit  53  or the second central processing unit  43 , thereby being converted into the signals which can be recognized by the video output device. The converted signals may be outputted from one of the output stages  55 ,  45  of the digital tuner  52  and the analog tuner  42  or through a video and sound output stage  41  separately provided on the main board  40 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  schematically shows the flow of information used for controlling the analog and digital broadcasting receiver according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the antenna  70  is connected to the input stage  54  of the digital tuber  52 . In addition, the signal transmission part  60  formed by a coaxial cable is connected to the output stage  55  of the digital tuner  52  at one end thereof, in which the other end of the signal transmission part  60  is connected to the input stage  44  of the analog tuner  42 .  
         [0023]     If the connection is made in this manner, the user is allowed to select and receive either analog radio waves or digital radio waves by way of a predetermined control algorithm because the radio waves received by the antenna  70  contain digital radio waves as well as analog digital radio waves. Therefore, if the user selects the reception of the digital radio waves, only the digital broadcasting signals are selected from the radio waves received through the antenna  70 , modulated in the digital tuner  52 , from which video and sound signals are extracted, and then post-processed by the first central processing unit  53  mounted on the main board  40  to a state capable of being recognized by a video output device such as a television set.  
         [0024]     Meanwhile, if the user selects the reception of the analog radio waves, the radio waves received through the antenna  70  pass the digital tuner  52  and are transmitted to the analog tuner  42  via the signal transmission part  60 . From the radio waves transmitted to the analog tuner  42 , only analog broadcasting signals are selected, modulated in the analog tuner  42 , from which video and sound signals are extracted, and then post-processed by the second central processing unit  43  mounted on the main board  40  to a state capable of being recognized by a video output device such as a television set.  
         [0025]     The post-processed signals may be outputted to a video output device  80  such as a television set, through the output stage  45  of the analog tuner  42  as shown in  FIG. 3  or through the video and sound output stage  41  shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0026]     Although not shown in the figures, it is also possible to connect the antenna  70  to the input stage  44  of the analog tuner  42 , so that the digital broadcasting signals or the analog: broadcasting signals can be selected according to the broadcasting selection of the user.  
         [0027]     While described in terms of an antenna  70 , it is understood that the analog and digital signals can be input by other media, such as cable and/or satellite transmission. Further, it is understood that the set top box need not include either or both decks  20 ,  30  in all aspects of the invention, and that the set top box need not include any such deck according to aspects of the invention.  
         [0028]     As described above, according to the inventive analog and digital broadcasting receiver, it is possible to receive both of analog and digital broadcastings if an antenna is connected to an input stage of any one of a digital tuner and an analog tuner. As a result, it is possible to cancel the inconvenience that a user has to connect the antenna to each of the tuners.  
         [0029]     Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.