Automatic signal error display and user guided signal recovery in a digital television signal receiver

1. In a digital television signal receiver, a method of providing system state information regarding signal disturbance of a digital television signal comprising:

initiating a channel tune for the digital television signal;

attempting to provide the digital television signal for presentation by the digital television signal receiver;

determining if a disturbance in the digital television signal, for presentation to the digital television signal receiver, has occurred; and

after determining the signal disturbance causing a failure to provide the digital television signal has occurred for a predetermined period of time:

determining a nature of the signal disturbance including characteristics related to the signal disturbance;

providing an error condition representation of the system state information regarding the nature of the signal disturbance and characteristics related to the signal disturbance to a display; and

providing user-selectable intervention options, based upon the nature of the signal disturbance and the characteristics related to the signal disturbance, to the display that are operative to guide a user in recovery of the digital television signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein initiating the channel tune for the digital television signal includes receiving a user request for a particular television channel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein attempting to provide the digital television signal for presentation by the digital television signal receiver includes attempting to lock a front end of the digital television signal.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein attempting to provide the digital television signal for presentation by the digital television signal receiver includes attempting to process guide information of the digital television signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein attempting to provide the digital television signal for presentation by the digital television signal receiver includes attempting to buffer at least one of a transport, audio and video of the digital television signal.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein attempting to provide the digital television signal for presentation by the digital television signal receiver includes attempting to decode at least one of a transport, audio and video of the digital television signal.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing an error condition representation regarding the signal disturbance to the display upon determining the signal disturbance has occurred includes providing a graphical representation of the error condition.

8. In a digital television signal receiver, a method of providing system state information regarding a digital television signal comprising:

initiating a channel tune for the digital television signal;

detecting signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal; and

after detection of signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal, the signal disturbance causing a failure to provide the digital television signal occurring for a predetermined period of time, determining a nature of the signal disturbance including characteristics related to the signal disturbance; providing an on-screen display of system state information regarding the nature of the signal disturbance and characteristics related to the signal disturbance; and providing user-selectable intervention options, based upon the nature of the signal disturbance and the characteristics related to the signal disturbance, to the on-screen display that are operative to guide a user in resolution of the signal disturbance of the digital television signal.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein initiating the channel tune for the digital television signal includes receiving a user request for a particular television channel.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal includes attempting to lock a front end of the digital television signal.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal includes attempting to process guide information of the digital television signal.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal includes attempting to buffer at least one of a transport, audio and video of the digital television signal.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal includes attempting to decode at least one of a transport, audio and video of the digital television signal.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein providing the on-screen display representative of the signal disturbance includes providing a graphical representation of the signal disturbance.

15. A digital television signal receiver comprising:

processing circuitry operative to process a digital television signal;

a digital tuner coupled to said processing circuitry;

an on-screen display generator connected to said processing circuitry; and

memory coupled to said processing circuitry and containing program instructions which when executed by said processing circuitry, causes the digital television signal receiver to:

initiate a channel tune for the digital television signal;

detect a signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal; and

after detection of the signal disturbance causing a failure to provide the digital television signal occurring for a predetermined period of time, determining a nature of the signal disturbance including characteristics related to the signal disturbance; providing an on-screen display of system state information regarding the nature of the signal disturbance and characteristics related to the signal disturbance; and providing user-selectable intervention options, based upon the nature of the signal disturbance and the characteristics related to the signal disturbance, to the on-screen display that are operative to guide a user in resolution of the signal disturbance of the digital television signal.

16. The digital television signal receiver of claim 15 , wherein said memory has further program instructions which, when executed by said processing circuitry causes the digital television signal receiver to tune the channel for the digital television signal that includes receiving a user request for a particular television channel.

17. The digital television signal receiver of claim 15 , wherein said memory has further program instructions which, when executed by said processing circuitry causes the digital television signal receiver to detect the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal that includes attempting to lock a front end of the digital television signal.

18. The digital television signal receiver of claim 15 , wherein said memory has further program instructions which, when executed by said processing circuitry causes the digital television signal receiver to detect the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal that includes attempting to process guide information of the digital television signal.

19. The digital television signal receiver of claim 15 , wherein said memory has further program instructions which, when executed by said processing circuitry causes the digital television signal receiver to detect the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal that includes attempting to buffer at least one of a transport, audio and video of the digital television signal.

20. The digital television signal receiver of claim 15 , wherein said memory has further program instructions which, when executed by said processing circuitry causes the digital television signal receiver to detect the signal disturbance with respect to the digital television signal that includes attempting to decode at least one of a transport, audio and video of the digital television signal.

21. The digital television signal receiver of claim 15 , wherein said memory has further program instructions which, when executed by said processing circuitry causes the digital television signal receiver to provide the on-screen display representative of the signal disturbance that includes providing a graphical representation of the signal disturbance.