Control of broadcast radio and television receivers

Abstract

Abstract A television or, as shown, radio receiver (10) is provided with a light pen (12) capable of reading bar codes in a broadcasting periodical (18), these codes then being applied to a store (30) in the receiver. The programme codes comprise a station reference number and a time indication. When the time approaches, the station reference number is addressed in a frequency directory (34) and the corresponding frequencies located. A detector (42) determines which of the frequencies provides the strongest signal. In the absence of a frequency in the directory, or in response to manual actuation of a button (50), the tuning is successively swept across the entire tuning range and signalling carried by the radio signal is detected (48). These signals may include information characteristic of the station and of the transmitted programme, i.e. a channel code and a time code. The time code is compared (36) with the stored programme time and an alarm (60) activated. If a button (62) is depressed, the receiver A.F. circuits (24) are de-muted, but if the button is not depressed the programme is recorded (64). Frequency information can be directly entered into the directory (34) using the light pen (12). <IMAGE>

Inventors

No inventors recorded.

Bibliographic Details