Patent ID: 7053964

Claim:
A channel switching method to facilitate channel identification for a user of a digital television having a channel selection key signal, a video signal processing unit, a central processing unit, a main memory unit, an auxiliary storage memory unit and an icon display unit to facilitate channel identification, the method comprising: first, inputting from the auxiliary memory unit, data for operating a program of the main memory unit, when a channel is selected; second, searching for the selected channel and receiving a broadcast signal corresponding to the searched channel from the signal processing unit; third, selecting a pertinent channel icon for the selected channel by comparing an icon corresponding with the channel with an icon of the channel stored in the main memory unit; fourth, displaying the pertinent channel icon; fifth, determining whether another channel is selected; sixth, determining whether processing of a video signal corresponding to a signal outputted from the video signal processor is finished, if another channel is not selected; seventh, displaying the broadcast signal of the selected channel, if the video signal processing is finished; eighth, displaying the pertinent channel icon of the searched channel, if the video signal processing is not finished; ninth, repeatedly performing the previous steps, if another channel selection is not made; tenth, searching a newly selected channel if a new channel selection is made before the video signal processing is finished; and eleventh, repeating the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth steps with respect to the newly selected channel to facilitate identification of a selected channel.