The present invention relates to a control device and a control target device, and particularly, to a method for transmitting a content list of a control target device and a control device. A method for allowing a control point device to receive a content list from a control target device, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises the steps of: transmitting a content list request message to the control target device; receiving a response message which includes a fragment of the content list; and displaying the content list based on the fragment, wherein the fragment includes a plurality of content objects corresponding to the number of content objects for one content list fragment.

[Object] To improve the reliability of an application processed together with broadcast content. [Solving Means] An application controller of an information processing apparatus acquires an application information table to which an electronic signature is attached and in which location information necessary for acquiring an application processed together with broadcast content is stored, and validates the electronic signature. The application controller can acquire the application based on the location information in a case of succeeding at least in the validation.

A method and a system are provided for achieving integration of smart TV program channels with applications. The method may include performing normalization processing on data of TV program channel information, maintaining a data structure for each TV program channel, and obtaining a program table with items thereof being the information of multiple TV program channels. The method may also include performing normalization processing on data of application information, maintaining a data structure for each application, and obtaining an application table with items thereof being information of multiple applications. The method may further include mixing and arranging items in the program table and the application table to obtain a mixed table and, upon receiving a control command, looking for an item corresponding to said control command in said mixed table and displaying the corresponding content.

A method for program guide update includes: at an electronic device, acquiring program guide update data; comparing whether the program guide update data is the same as local program guide data; if not, comparing whether a quantity of program items contained in the program guide update data is the same as a quantity of program items contained in the local program guide data; recording primary item information and focus item information in a visual range of the program guide if the quantity of program items contained in the program guide update data is different from the quantity of program items contained in the local program guide data; updating the program guide according to the program guide update data; setting a visual range of an updated program guide according to the primary item information; and setting a focus item of the updated program guide according to the focus item information.

An apparatus, method and data structure for generating at least one table in a broadcast environment, are provided. The apparatus includes a generator to generate an event information table (EIT) and an extended text table (ETT). The ETT has program guide information for an n-hour span and has a transmission interval. The ETT has a transmission interval and program description information according to the EIT. The transmission interval of the EIT is shorter than the transmission interval of the ETT.

The present invention provides a method of transmitting broadcast signals. The method includes, encoding Data Pipe, DP, data according to a code rate, wherein the encoding further includes Low-Density Parity-Check, LDPC, encoding the DP data, Bit interleaving the LDPC encoded DP data, and mapping the bit interleaved DP data onto constellations; building at least one signal frame by mapping the encoded DP data; and modulating data in the built signal frame by an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM, method and transmitting the broadcast signals having the modulated data.

The present disclosure relates to a method for updating service information tables in a digital content decoder comprising: a reception (E1) of a service information table, a filtering (E2) the content of the table to remove or reset to zero, in the table, a table identifier and an item of information unnecessary to the execution of at least one service by the decoder, a calculation (E4) of a hash code relating to an item of information, of the filtered table, a comparison (E5) of the hash code with a hash code relating to an item of information of a previous table, a storage (E6) of said item of information of the table if the hash code of the filtered table and the hash code of the previous table are not identical.

A system and method for communicating content to a user device includes a head end that communicates a plurality of upcoming content metadata that includes a content title to the user device. The user device displays the upcoming content metadata and selects at least one upcoming content metadata from the plurality of upcoming content metadata to form selected data. The user device communicates the selected data to the head end. The head end adjusts head end communication parameters for the content associated with the selected data based on the selected data and communicates the content to a user device based on the head end communication parameters.

Various embodiments for delivering application content signaling information to a receiver device may include a server generating a metadata fragment for application content items of an application to be acquired by a receiver device, adding to the metadata fragment a first set of attributes including a list of other linear services that use the application content items described by the metadata fragment, and transmitting the metadata fragment to the receiver device. The first set of attributes further may include an application launch page or launch file indicator for the application and/or an indication of required capabilities for rendering the application and its associated one or more application content items. The first set of attributes further may include a start time and an end time for at least one distribution window for the application, the distribution window may be associated with information about auxiliary application content delivered during the distribution window.

A method and an apparatus are used to target interactive virtual objects to subscribers in a television delivery system. Programs are selected and virtual object locations are defined in the selected programs. The virtual objects available for targeting are categorized and the categories are correlated to subscriber information to determine the optimum targeting of the virtual objects. The virtual objects may be targeted based on individual subscriber information or on information related to groups of subscribers. When a frame of a program includes a virtual object location, a default or an alternate virtual object is displayed. The virtual object location may change over space or time. The virtual object may be interactive, and may be used to link a subscriber to a remote location, such as an Internet web site. An operations center or a cable headend may generate a group assignment plan that assigns the subscribers' television terminals to groups, based on factors such as area of dominant influence and household income. A retrieval plan is then generated that instructs the television terminals to select the desired virtual object for display. The television terminals record which virtual objects were displayed, and report this information to the cable headends and the operations center. The reported information is used to generate billing for commercial advertisers, and to analyze viewer watching habits. Interactive virtual objects are received by the television terminal with directions on actions to be taken upon selection of the interactive virtual object. Actions may result in the initiation of processes locally at the television terminal, or communication with a remote site for the initiation of processes to be performed remotely. The invention uses upstream data reception hardware, databases and processing hardware and software, and corresponding features in the televisions to accomplish these functions.