Transmission Device and Transmission Method Thereof, and Reception Device of Connected Transmission Channels in a 13-Segment Format

1. A transmission device comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit connected transmission information indicating that connected transmission of a plurality of transmission channels is being performed, the connected transmission information including a field describing that a segment format of a transmission channel is a 13-segment format, wherein the transmission channel in the 13-segment format is transmitted as at least one of the plurality of transmission channels, and wherein the transmission device modulates a plurality of transport streams corresponding to the plurality of transmission channels by orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and synchronizes a plurality of OFDM signals corresponding to the plurality of transmission channels in a direction of a time axis.

2. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein the number of segments of the plurality of transmission channels being subjected to connected transmission is larger than 13.

3. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein the connected transmission information is transmitted in the form of a connected transmission descriptor as control information for transport streams, and the transmission device multiplexes the plurality of OFDM signals in a frequency direction, and transmits the multiplexed signals.

4. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of transmission channels being subjected to connected transmission is a transmission channel in a 13-segment format.

5. The transmission device according to claim 4 , wherein another one of the plurality of transmission channels is a transmission channel in a one-segment format.

6. The transmission device according to claim 4 , wherein another one of the plurality of transmission channels is a transmission channel in a three-segment format.

7. The transmission device according to claim 4 , wherein another one of the plurality of transmission channels is a transmission channel in the 13-segment format.

8. The transmission device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of transmission channels further includes transmission channels in a one-segment format and a three-segment format.

9. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein the number of segments of the plurality of transmission channels being subjected to connected transmission is 33.

10. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the connected transmission information, a value indicating a one-segment format, a three-segment format, or a 13-segment format is stored in the field indicating a segment format of each transmission channel being subjected to connected transmission.

11. The transmission device according to claim 10 , wherein, in the connected transmission information, the field indicating the segment format of each transmission channel being subjected to connected transmission is shown with 2-bit information, the 2-bit information being “00” when the segment format is the one-segment format, the 2-bit information being “01” when the segment format is the three-segment format, the 2-bit information being “10” when the segment format is the 13-segment format.

12. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission channel in the 13-segment format can be subjected to layered transmission in three or more layers, and the connected transmission information further includes a field identifying a modulation method type of each of the three or more layers.

13. A transmission method comprising: transmitting, by a transmission device, connected transmission information indicating that connected transmission of a plurality of transmission channels is being performed, the connected transmission information including a field describing that a segment format of a transmission channel is a 13-segment format, wherein the transmission channel in the 13-segment format is transmitted as at least one of the plurality of transmission channels, and wherein a plurality of transport streams corresponding to the plurality of transmission channels are modulated by orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), and a plurality of OFDM signals corresponding to the plurality of transmission channels are synchronized in a direction of a time axis.

14. A reception device comprising: a receiver configured to receive connected transmission information indicating that connected transmission of a plurality of transmission channels is being performed, the connected transmission information including a field describing that a segment format of a transmission channel is a 13-segment format, wherein the transmission channel in the 13-segment format is transmitted as at least one of the plurality of transmission channels, and wherein signals of transport streams are generated by modulating a plurality of transport streams corresponding to the plurality of transmission channels by orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), and a plurality of OFDM signals that are obtained as a result of the modulation and correspond to the plurality of transmission channels are synchronized in a direction of a time axis.

15. The reception device according to claim 14 , wherein the connected transmission information is received in the form of a connected transmission descriptor as control information for transport streams, and the plurality of OFDM signals are multiplexed in a frequency direction.

16. The reception device according to claim 14 , wherein, based on the connected transmission information, control is performed to receive a desired transmission channel.

17. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is configured to perform connected transmission of up to 33 segments of transmission data formed by connecting at least one piece of transmission data in the 13-segment format, and other pieces of transmission data in different segment formats.

18. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein the 13-segment format corresponds to a piece of multimedia transmission data of the at least one of the plurality of transmission channels.