Abstract:
A digital TV tuner is included in an audio or video device that typically does not have a TV tuner or is expected to have a TV tuner. Such provisioning affords a user free access to broadcast (e.g., NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, PBS, etc.) channels that may otherwise be provided by another third party via paid subscription or other service level as part of a package, thus allowing consumers the choice of bypassing their cable or satellite or other video content service provider by providing access to readily available broadcast video content services. Devices in which the digital TV tuner include but are not limited to Blu-ray players; streaming media players; audio receivers; soundbars; multi-room audio speakers or source devices; cameras; camcorders; personal audio players; and portable DVD or Blu-ray players.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present application relates generally to passing through digital TV signals through non-TV CE devices. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Consumers of video-enabled devices such as modern digital TVs typically are required to pay for a suite of video content services that includes local broadcast channels that are otherwise mandated as available for free. Examples include major television network stations. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Uniqueness is accorded to a non-TV consumer electronic (CE) device such as a home theater speaker system known as a “Soundbar”, or an audio receiver, or disk player such as a Btu-ray player, or a CE device docking station, etc. by providing a TV tuner in the device for access to over the air broadcasts for free. Additional uniqueness comes in to play when combined with a network identifier that allows a user to send/receive this content on other video enabled devices in the home. 
         [0004]    A consumer electronic (CE) device includes a TV tuner in a housing and an output port to send out a signal received by the TV tuner. A processor is included in the housing and accesses/executes instructions stored on a computer readable medium also in the housing. The CE device receives free broadcast signals through the TV tuner and provides the signals through the output port to an apparatus that has a video display for presentation of the signals on the apparatus having a video display. The housing of the CE device further holds one or more of the following: a Blu-ray disk player, a streaming media player, an audio receiver, a home theater system soundbar, multi-room audio speakers, a camera, a camcorder, a personal audio player, and/or a portable video disk player. 
         [0005]    The CE device may include a coaxial cable or high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable interconnecting the CE device to the apparatus having a video display. The output port can be established at least in part by a wireless transceiver. The signals from the TV tuner may be sent to the apparatus having a video display through the wireless transceiver. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, the method in which a CE device of a type ordinarily not having a TV tuner but nevertheless provided with a TV tuner to receive, for free, over-the-air (OTA) broadcast TV signals receives the free, OTA broadcast TV signals at the CE device. The CE device sends the free, OTA broadcast TV signals from the CE device to a video display apparatus to enable the video display apparatus to display TV programming represented by the free, over-the-air (OTA) broadcast TV signals without requiring a subscription with a TV signal provider. 
         [0007]    In another aspect, an apparatus has a digital TV tuner in an audio or video device that typically does not have a TV tuner or is expected to have a TV tuner to afford a user free access to broadcast channels that otherwise are provided by another third party via paid subscription or other service level as part of a package, thus allowing consumers a choice of bypassing cable or satellite or other video content service provider by providing access to readily available broadcast video content services. 
         [0008]    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 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system in accordance with present principles; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an example CE device with TV tuner embodied as a camera; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an example CE device with TV tuner embodied as a Blu-ray disc player; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an example CE device with TV tuner embodied as a personal audio player. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0013]    A digital TV tuner may be included inside some or all consumer electronics (CE) devices, in which the tuner allows for access to broadcast content services (e.g. NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, PBS). Such a CE device is shown in  FIG. 1  at reference numeral  10  and includes a TV tuner  12 . Consumers can connect their tuner-enabled CE devices such as the device  10  to their television or other video playback device or video playback pass through device such as the TV  14  shown in  FIG. 1 , and receive and play digital video signals without the use of a standalone digital converter or traditional MSO/Satellite/other provider set-top box type device inputting signals to the TV  14 . A preferred method is a direct connection to any CE device. An alternative method is a digital video tuner switch that provides wired or wireless distribution of such content to other devices that may or may not have ability to directly connect to a digital video tuner. An example is a computing or mobile phone device that accesses the digital video tuner wirelessly for playback on the device. 
         [0014]    Accordingly, the TV  14  includes a housing  16  bearing a digital processor  18 . The processor  18  can control a visual display  20  and an audible display  22  such as one or more speakers. The visual display  20  may be a touch screen display or high definition TV display or other appropriate video display. 
         [0015]    The processor  18  may access one or more computer readable storage media  24  such as but not limited to RAM-based storage (e.g., a chip implementing dynamic random access memory (DRAM)) and/or flash memory and/or disk-based storage. 
         [0016]    If desired, in addition to the touch screen the processor  18  can receive user input signals from various input devices, including a keypad, a remote control device  26 , a point and click device such as a mouse, etc. A TV tuner  28  may be provided in some implementations particularly when the CE device is embodied by a TV to receive TV signals from a source such as a set-top box, satellite receiver, cable head end, etc. However, it will be appreciated that in modern home systems terrestrial broadcast antennas are typically not provided so that the tuner  28  must receive signals via an input  30  that is connected to a source requiring a paid subscription, such as a set top box, a TV cable, or a satellite receiver. Present principles enable the TV  14  to present free broadcast TV signals received by the CE device  10  without having to pay for a subscription. 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a network interface  32  such as a wired or wireless modem or wireless telephony transceiver may also communicate with the processor  18  to provide connectivity to one or more Internet servers, including a management server  34  with respective processors  34   a  and respective computer readable storage media  34   b . The management server  34  may provide the AV device  14  with selective access to AV content from one or more asset servers  36 . 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the CE device  10  may communicate with the TV  14  through a link  38  such as a wired link, including a HDMI link or coaxial cable, or a wireless link. The signal from the CE device  10  may be combined with a network identifier, e.g., the identifier of the user&#39;s home network, to allow the user to send/receive this content to other video enabled devices in the home network and only other video devices in the home network. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  shows an implementation  10   a  of the CE device  10  of  FIG. 1  in which the CE device  10   a  is implemented as a camera, principles of  FIG. 2  applying equally to camcorders. A TV tuner  12   a  can be provided in a housing  40  of the CE device  10   a  along with a processor  42  and an antenna  44  that also can be provided in the housing  40 . The processor  42  receives over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals from the antenna  44  through the TV tuner  12   a  and sends them through an output port  46  to the display device such as the TV  14  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0020]    The instructions for the processor  42  to receive OTA broadcast signals from the antenna  44  through the TV tuner  12   a  and to send them to the TV  14  through the output port  46  can be stored on a computer readable storage medium  48  housed within the CE device  10   a , embodied in this implementation as a camera. A direct link is present between the processor  42  and storage medium  48  in order for instructions to be sent to the processor  42 . 
         [0021]    The housing  40  can also contain aspects commonly found in most cameras, such as, but not limited to, a camera imager  50 , shutter button  52 , and a camera display  54 , all of which communicate directly with the processor  42 . Instructions for the processor  42  to communicate with these aspects can be stored on the storage medium  48 . If desired, additional buttons may be included within the housing, such as a power button, a settings button, an image quality button, etc. 
         [0022]    Moving in reference to  FIG. 3 , an implementation of the CE device, designated  10   b , is shown as a Blu-ray disc player, it being understood that other media players may be configured according to the principles shown in  FIG. 3 . A TV tuner  12   b , processor  42   h , and antenna  44   b  can all be held within the housing  40   b . The processor  42   b  receives over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals from the antenna  44   b  through the TV tuner  12   b  and sends them through an output port  46   b  to the display device such as the TV  14  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0023]    The instructions for the processor  42   b  to receive OTA broadcast signals from the antenna  44   b  through the TV tuner  12   b  and to send them to the TV  14  through the output port  46   b  can be stored on a computer readable storage medium  48   b  housed within the CE device  10   b , embodied in this implementation as a Blu-ray disc player. A link is present between the processor  42   b  and storage medium  48   b  in order for instructions to be sent to the processor  42   b.    
         [0024]    In order for the Blu-ray disc player  10   b  to perform its primary function of reading Blu-ray discs, a Blu-ray disc drive  56  can be built the housing  40   b . The processor  42   b  communicates with the disc drive  56  based on instructions stored on the storage medium  48   b  and receives video encoded in Blu-ray format. 
         [0025]    The processor  42   b  also communicates with additional elements commonly housed in Blu-ray disc players, such as, but not limited to, a power button  58  and display clock  60 . Instructions for the processor  42   b  to send and/or receive information to these elements are stored on the storage medium  48   b.    
         [0026]    Now referring to  FIG. 4 , an implementation of a CE device  10   c  is shown as a personal audio player such as a compact disc (CD) player, it being understood that present principles also apply to a home theater system soundbar, multi-room audio speakers, etc. A TV tuner  12   c , processor  42   c , and antenna  44   c  can be in a housing  40   c . The processor  42   c  receives over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals from the antenna  44   c  through the TV tuner  12   c  and sends them through an output port  46   c  to the display device such as the TV  14  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0027]    The instructions for the processor  42   c  to receive OTA broadcast signals from the antenna  44   c  through the TV tuner  12   c  and to send them to the TV  14  through the output port  46   c  can be stored on a computer readable storage medium  48   c  housed within the CE device  10   c , embodied in this implementation as a personal audio player. A link is present between the processor  42   c  and storage medium  48   c  in order for instructions to be sent to the processor  42   c.    
         [0028]    Additional aspects to the CE device, here embodied as a personal audio player, can include, but are not limited to, a volume control  62 , the power button  58  as shown in  FIG. 4 , an equalizer control  64 , etc. The volume control  62  enables listeners with a variety of hearing capabilities to adjust the volume level for music being played. Similarly, the equalizer control enables emphasis of aspects of the music being played, such as bass, treble, etc. 
         [0029]    While the particular PASS THROUGH DIGITAL TELEVISION SIGNAL THROUGH NON-TV CONSUMER ELECTRONICS (CE) DEVICE 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.