Patent Publication Number: US-2009228948-A1

Title: Viewer selection of subtitle position on tv screen

Description:
I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to allowing viewers to select a position for subtitle display on a TV screen. 
     II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Subtitles are text transcripts of TV dialogue that can be displayed on a portion of the TV screen. For purposes of the present invention, closed captioning is a species of subtitles, with the difference being that in addition to translating dialogue into on-screen text, closed captions also describe significant audio content and “non-speech information,” such as the identity of speakers and their manner of speaking, along with music or sound effects using words or symbols. 
     As understood herein, TVs that are enabled for subtitles typically give a viewer the option of displaying subtitles or not, and when displayed, the subtitles appear on screen in a position designated by the broadcaster, which may vary within or between programs. As further understood herein, this may be disruptive for the viewer because depending on the program and the broadcaster-defined subtitle screen position, parts of the video in which the viewer might be most interested can be blocked by the subtitles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A method presents a graphic user interface (GUI) on a TV screen listing plural on screen position options for subtitles received in TV signals. A viewer selection of one of the position options is received and a subtitle address altered in response as necessary to present subtitles at the position option selected by the viewer. 
     The method may include presenting predetermined on screen position options. At least one position option may be one in which subtitles are overlaid on video and another option may be one in which subtitles are displayed on screen but not overlaid on video. In the latter instance, subtitles can be displayed in a subtitle pane in which no video appears. 
     In non-limiting embodiments the position options include top of screen overlaid on video, bottom of screen overlaid on video, top of screen not overlaid on video, bottom of screen not overlaid on video. The position options may further include a position as received in broadcast TV signals. 
     In another aspect, a system includes a TV display, a processor associated with the TV display, and a tuner controllable by the processor to cause programming including subtitle text from a tuned-to channel number to be presented on the display. The processor is configured to change a screen position at which the subtitle text is displayed in response to a viewer command. 
     In still another aspect, an apparatus is provided for allowing a user to display subtitles on a TV without blocking an area of video on the TV that would otherwise be blocked by subtitles in a broadcaster-defined subtitle position. The apparatus includes a processor receiving a viewer subtitle position command and in response presenting subtitles in an area of the TV corresponding to the position command instead of presenting subtitles in an area of the TV corresponding to the broadcaster-defined subtitle position. 
     The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a non-limiting block diagram of a system in accordance with present principles; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart of logic that may be employed by the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a screen shot of an example graphic user interface (GUI) that can be used to allow a viewer to select a screen position for subtitles; 
         FIG. 4  is a screen shot illustrating a viewer selection of “top overlay” for the subtitles; and 
         FIG. 5  is a screen shot illustrating a viewer selection of “top pane” for the subtitles. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a system is shown, generally designated  10 , which includes a television  12  defining a TV chassis  14  and receiving, through a TV tuner  16  from a cable or satellite or other source or sources  18  audio video TV programming. The tuner  16  may be contained in the set box described below. 
     The TV  12  typically includes a TV processor  20  accessing a tangible computer readable medium  22 . The tangible computer readable medium  22  may be established by, without limitations solid state storage, optical or hard disk storage, etc. The medium  22  may store software executable by the TV processor  20  to, e.g., control a display driver  24  that drives a TV visual display  26  in accordance with one or more settings such as brightness, contrast, and the like that may be stored in, e.g., the medium  22 . The display  26  may be a flat panel matrix display, cathode ray tube, or other appropriate video display, and typically is associated with one or more audio speakers  27 . The medium  22  may also contain additional code including backend software executable by the TV processor  20  for various non-limiting tasks. One or more of the processors described herein may execute the logic below, which may be stored as computer code on one or more the computer readable media described herein. 
     In the non-limiting embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  the TV  12  may receive programming from external components such as but not limited to a video disk player  28  such as a Blu-Ray or DVD player and a personal video recorder (PVR)  30  that can contain audio-video streams on a hard disk drive. 
     Additionally, the TV  12  can communicate via a network such as the Internet with a server  32 . To this ends the TV  12  may be Internet-enabled, although it is to be understood that the server  32  may be combined with the TV program source  18  when the source  18  is a remote entity accessible over a wide area network, in which case no modem need be provided, with the TV sending signals through a reverse link to the source  18 /server  32 . 
     In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the server  32  is separate from the source  18  and the TV  12  communicates with the server  32  through a set-back box (SBB)  34 . In some implementations a set-top box (STB) may be used, and the SBB/STB may itself include the tuner  16  or otherwise communicate with the source  18 . 
     In any case, the SBB  34  shown in  FIG. 1  may include a SBB processor  36  and SBB computer readable medium  38 . The SBB  34  may also include a network interface such as but not limited to a modem  40  to communicate with the server  32  over the Internet. In other implementations the modem  40  may be incorporated into the TV chassis  14 . 
     A wireless remote control  42  can be provided to input commands such as the below-described subtitle position commands into the system  10 . The remote control  42  can be a conventional TV remote control or other portable hand-held device. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 2 , at block  44  a subtitle position graphic user interface (GUI) such as the example GUI shown in  FIG. 3  and described below is presented on the display  26 . Typically this occurs in response to a viewer using the remote control  42  to navigate through menus, e.g., to select a “settings” entry on a main menu to invoke the subtitle position GUI. 
     At block  46 , a viewer selection of one of the positions presented for selection is received. Then, at block  48  in the event that the viewer has selected a position other than the current subtitle position (which can default to the position received in the broadcast TV signal), the screen address or addresses for subtitle text are changed as necessary to satisfy the viewer&#39;s selection. 
       FIG. 3  shows an example subtitle position GUI that may be presented when a viewer navigates to it through upper level menus such as a “settings” menu. In one implementation the GUI is configured in conjunction with the present assignee&#39;s cross-menu bar (XMB) GUI. 
     As Shown on the left side of the GUI, a viewer may be provided with plural subtitle-related selection options, including turning subtitle display on and off and selecting between analog and digital subtitles. Of focus to the present invention is a subtitle position selection  50  which, if selected by the viewer, can invoke a sub-menu  52  of position options on the right part of the display  26  as shown. 
     While some implementations may allow fine-granularity viewer definition of subtitle position by, e.g., allowing a viewer to key in numbers representing the address of a desired subtitle area or by allowing a viewer to drag and drop a subtitle box at a desired location on the display, in the preferred embodiment the viewer is permitted to select an option from a predetermined set of subtitle position options as indicated in  FIG. 3 . For example, the viewer may be permitted to choose from among five options, including to have the subtitles displayed in whatever screen area is defined by subtitle address information received in the broadcast signal. The viewer may be further given the option to have subtitles displayed at the top of the screen or at the bottom regardless of what the broadcasted subtitle address is. These two selections may be further broken down as shown into allowing die viewer to select to have subtitles displayed at the top of the screen overlaid on video  54  as shown in  FIG. 4 , or not overlaid but rather displayed in a subtitle pane  56  that is separate from a video pane  58  as shown in  FIG. 5 . In essence the video in the video pane  58  is squeezed from what would otherwise be a full screen video display. Similar overlay/pane options can be provided for bottom of the screen subtitle display. Additional sub-options for a top or bottom selection may be to center the subtitle text on screen or to left- or right-justify the subtitle text. 
     While the particular VIEWER SELECTION OF SUBTITLE POSITION ON TV SCREEN is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.