JP2000092345A - Program selection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the program selection device that properly selects a program through a viewer obtaining proper program information of each channel without outputting program information to retrieve channels on a screen of a monitor. SOLUTION: The program selection device 1 is provided with a channel selection receiver 4 that receives a broadcast radio wave 3 sent from a broadcast station 2 and selects a desired channel from the radio wave, a display device 5 that displays a program of the channel selected by the channel selection receiver 4, and a remote controller 6 that controls remotely the channel selection receiver. The channel selection receiver 4 acquires various data from the broadcast radio wave 3 in the case of receiving the broadcast radio wave 3. The remote controller 6 is provided with a display means 12 that displays program information based on the data acquired by the channel selection receiver 4, changeover means 13a, 13b that switch display contents of the display means 12, and a channel changeover input switch to select channels displayed on the display means 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a program selecting apparatus suitable for a multi-channel broadcasting system such as satellite broadcasting and CATV (cable television) broadcasting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, television broadcasts with a very large number of channels, such as satellite broadcasts and CATV (cable television) broadcasts, have become widespread. In such a multi-channel broadcast, programs of various genres are broadcasted from each channel, and a viewer can select a program with a high degree of specialty according to each individual's taste from among the many channels. Has improved. However, on the contrary, since the number of channels is large, there is a problem that it is difficult for a viewer to find an appropriate channel without accurate information on which channel is performing what program.

[0003] In multi-channel broadcasting, a broadcast wave is transmitted from a broadcasting station in a state where various digital data related to a program are superimposed on video data and audio data.
The receiving device for receiving the broadcast wave acquires, stores, and stores various digital data transmitted from the broadcasting station. The digital information includes a time table (EPG) showing programs broadcast on each channel.
Data = hereinafter simply referred to as a program guide). Therefore, by displaying the program guide stored and stored in the receiving device on the monitor device, the viewer can select a channel by referring to the program guide. However, even if this program table is referred to, the search operation becomes very difficult if the number of channels is large.

[0004] In view of the above situation, various devices for facilitating channel selection for viewers have been studied. For example, a receiving broadcast station selecting apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-6130 (hereinafter referred to as Reference 1) selects a genre such as “news”, “sports”, “movie”, or “drama”. A key is provided on a remote controller, and one of these genre selection keys is operated and input, thereby selecting a channel broadcasting a program of the specified genre without displaying a program guide on a monitor device. Device. That is,
In this receiving broadcast station selecting apparatus, the program code specified by operating the input key is compared with the program code of all broadcasts added to the broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcast station, and the broadcast program code is compared and identified. By making a selection, a channel that matches the genre that the viewer prefers can be selected.

[0005] Therefore, when the viewer inputs the genre selection key, the apparatus appropriately searches and selects a channel within a certain narrow range (within a specified genre).
A viewer can display a program of his / her favorite genre without having to refer to information on a program such as a program table on a monitor device. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-2
In the device described in Japanese Patent No. 84476 (hereinafter referred to as Reference 2), similarly to Reference 1 described above, a remote controller is provided with an input button for each genre, and by inputting it, the channel of the designated genre is input. This is a device for selecting.

Also, for example, as in the invention described in JP-A-6-236593 (hereinafter referred to as Reference 3),
A unique program table created based on digital data obtained from broadcast radio waves is displayed on a monitor device, and a desired program column in the program table is indicated by a cursor or the like, thereby easily selecting a channel. Devices capable of doing so have also been proposed. A unique program guide to be output to the monitor device by this device is created by arranging the channels selected by the viewer in the order of the number of times of channel selection. Therefore, it is a highly convenient device that can call a channel with a high viewing frequency of the viewer on the screen.

[0007]

However, in the devices of the cited examples 1 and 2, the viewer selects a rough genre such as "news", "sports", "movie" or "drama" using a remote controller. Thus, one program is randomly selected from the genre and output to the monitor device. That is, the remote controller for remotely operating the receiving device has only means for selecting a genre, but does not have means for acquiring information on the program itself, for example, a program name. For this reason, it is not possible to specify which program in the genre such as “news”, “sports”, “movie”, “drama”, etc., and to completely control and select the channel desired by the viewer. Not.

In the device of the cited reference 3, the viewer can obtain program information by displaying a unique program guide on the screen of the monitor device. For example, there is another person. When watching a program, if you use the screen of the monitor device to search for what kind of program other channels are doing, it will disturb the viewer watching the currently displayed program. Will be lost.

The present invention solves the above two problems by providing a viewer with accurate program information of each channel without outputting program information for searching for a channel on a screen of a monitor device. To provide a program selection device capable of selecting a program accurately by using the program selection device.

[0010]

In view of the above-mentioned object,
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program selection device which receives a broadcast wave transmitted from a broadcast station and selects a desired channel from the received broadcast radio waves, and a program selected by the channel selection device. In a program selection device comprising a display device for displaying a program and a remote control device for remotely controlling the tuning reception device, the remote device sends a broadcast signal from the broadcast radio wave when the tuning reception device receives the broadcast radio wave. Display means for displaying program information based on the acquired data; and switching means for switching the display content of the display means, and channel switching for switching the tuning receiver to a channel displayed on the display means. An input switch is provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the program information is displayed on the display means of the remote control device for remotely controlling the channel selection receiving device without displaying the program information on the monitor device, The viewer can obtain the program information without disturbing the program displayed on the device. In addition, since the name of the program currently being broadcast or the program to be broadcasted in the future can be displayed on the display means of the remote control device for each channel, the viewer can obtain accurate information when selecting a channel. be able to.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the program selection device according to the first aspect, the remote operation device can display program information to be broadcast on the display means based on the data, and A reception reservation input switch is provided for causing the channel selection receiving device to make a reservation for reception of the broadcast-scheduled program displayed on the display means. Therefore, the viewer can make a reservation for reception based on accurate program information using the remote control device without calling the program table to the monitor device.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A program selecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the program selection device 1 receives a broadcast radio wave 3 transmitted from a broadcast station 2 and selects a desired channel from the broadcast radio wave 3, and a tuner 4 as a channel selection reception device. And a remote control 6 as a remote control device for remotely controlling the tuner 4.

The remote controller 6 has a light emitting section 7 for transmitting an infrared command signal for causing the tuner 4 to perform various operations. The remote controller 6 is a tuner 4
Has an interface 8 for acquiring data acquired from the broadcast radio wave 3 when receiving the broadcast radio wave 3. The interface 8 is connected to a transmission unit 10 of the tuner 4 by a transmission cable 9. The remote controller 6 further includes a data storage unit 11 for storing data obtained from the tuner 4, a liquid crystal screen 12 as display means for displaying program information based on the data in the data storage unit 11, and a liquid crystal screen 12. A first jog dial 13a and a second jog dial 13b are provided as switching means for switching the display content of. In the present embodiment, the program information displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 is composed of a channel number, a program name, and a broadcast time. However, other information, for example, program contents may be added.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first jog dial 13a is attached to a side surface of the main body of the remote controller 6 so as to be rotatable and movable in the pushing direction. The first jog dial 13a switches a channel displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 by rotating the first jog dial 13a. Also, the first jog dial 13
“a” is also a channel switch input switch for switching the tuner 4 to the displayed channel by pushing the switch toward the main body.

The second jog dial 13b is connected to the first jog dial 13b.
The remote controller 6 has the same shape as the jog dial 13a, and is rotatable and movable in the pushing direction.
It is attached to the side of the main body. The second jog dial 13b switches the set time displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 by rotating. In other words, the second jog dial 13b is for rotating and switching the time so that the program name of the selected channel for each time is displayed one after another. Also, the second jog dial 13b
Is a reception reservation input switch for causing the tuner 4 to make a reservation for reception of a broadcast-scheduled program displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 when pushed in the direction of the main body.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a broadcast radio wave 3 transmitted from the broadcast station 2 includes data related to a broadcast program and the like.
Various digital data are stored in a plurality of packets and transmitted as a transponder 14 which is formed by continuously connecting them. Each of the transponders 14 has a radio frequency (RF = Radio Frequency).
Are assigned, and the tuner 4 adjusts its radio frequency to transmit a plurality of transponders 1.
4 can be received.

Each transponder 14 has video data 14a and audio data 14a of each program for 4 to 8 channels.
b is included. The video data 14a stores data relating to video of a program for 4 to 8 channels in one packet. The data for one channel includes a plurality of screen data such as data for displaying the program on a standard screen and data for displaying the program on a wide screen. And Tuner 4
By selecting the channel and the form of the screen, necessary data in the video data 14a is extracted and transmitted to the monitor device 5. As a result, the video of the program transmitted on the channel is output to the display 15 of the monitor device 5. In the present embodiment, the video data 14a is stored in one packet, but may be stored in two or more packets.

The audio data 14b is data in which data relating to audio of a program for 4 to 8 channels is stored in one packet. The data for one channel is composed of a plurality of data such as data for outputting the sound of the program in the standard sound, data for outputting the sound in the auxiliary sound, and data for outputting in another language. It is configured. The tuner 4 selects the channel and the form of the sound, so that the sound data 1
The necessary data in 4b is extracted and transmitted to the monitor device 5. As a result, the sound of the program transmitted on the channel is output to the speaker 16 of the monitor device 5. Although the audio data 14b is stored in one packet in the present embodiment, like the video data 14a, it may be stored in two or more packets.

On the other hand, the transponder 14 has program data 14c, EPG data 14d, and clock data 14e.
And the program information consisting of the office data 14f and the video data 14a and the audio data 1 in the transponder 14.
4b are included together.

The program data 14c is composed of a plurality of pieces of program information such as a broadcast date, a broadcast time, a channel, a genre, a program content, and a program name of each of four to eight channels stored in the transponder 14. Have been. The program data 14c is updated with new information each time the broadcast time is changed midway or the broadcast time is extended, for example. When the transponder 14 is received by the receiving unit 17 of the tuner 4 via the antenna 18, the program data 14 c
The data is extracted from the transponder 14 by the data extraction unit 19 of the tuner 4. The extracted program data 14c is stored in the program data storage unit 20. The program data 14c stored in the program data storage unit 20 can be operated by operating the remote controller 6 to call up necessary information on the display 15 of the monitor device 5.

The EPG data 14d is composed of data relating to information on all programs transmitted from the broadcasting station 2 on each channel, and is a time table showing program names and broadcast times for each channel in a table format. ing. This E
When the transponder 14 is received by the receiving unit 17 of the tuner 4 via the antenna 18, the PG data 14 d
The data is extracted from the transponder 14 by the data extraction unit 19 of the tuner 4. Then, the extracted EPG data 14d is stored in the data storage unit 21.

The clock data 14e is data relating to the current time, and is sent in an updated state every few seconds. Further, the administrative data 14f includes information on the contract status of the viewer for each channel, information on whether the channel is paid (pay-per-view, etc.) / Free, and the like. When the transponder 14 is received by the receiving unit 17 of the tuner 4 via the antenna 18, the clock data 14 e and the business data 14 f are extracted from the transponder 14 by the data extracting unit 19 of the tuner 4. Then, the extracted clock data 14e and office data 14f are extracted.
Are stored in the data storage unit 21.

The EPG stored in the data storage unit 21
The data 14d, the clock data 14e, and the business data 14f can be called up on the display 15 of the monitor device 5 by operating the remote controller 6 to obtain necessary information. The EPG data 14d, the clock data 14e, and the business data 14f are processed into program information for each channel by the program information creation unit 22 provided in the tuner 4 and transmitted from the transmission unit 10 to the remote controller 6. Has become. For this reason, the remote controller 6
The program information based on each data 14d, 14e, 14f is
The program information is stored and stored in the data storage unit 11, and the program information can be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12. As a result, in the program selection device 1 of the present embodiment, the remote control 6 can be used without displaying the program information on the monitor 5.
To obtain program information.

The tuner 4 as a tuning receiver receives a transponder 14 transmitted from the broadcasting station 2 at a radio frequency matching the channel number by designating the channel number, and receives the transponder 14. A desired program is displayed on the monitor device 5 by extracting data relating to a program that matches the channel number from among the 4 to 8 channels among them and transmitting the data to the monitor device 5.

The tuner 4 can transmit program information based on various data obtained when the broadcast radio wave 3 is received to the remote controller 6. For this reason, the viewer can confirm the program of each channel by displaying the program information on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 without using the monitor device 5. In addition,
The tuner 4 can be switched to a channel displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 by an input operation of the remote controller 6. The tuner 4 can also make a reservation for receiving a program displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6.

The tuner 4 stores the EPG data 14
d on the display 15 of the monitor 5
, And by designating a broadcast-scheduled program from the program table, it is possible to make a reservation for receiving the broadcast program. Further, if the designated program is currently being broadcast, the channel is immediately switched. As described above, the channel change and the reception reservation are performed using the program table based on the EPG data 14d. Therefore, even when the broadcast time is changed or the time is extended in the middle, the updated data is transmitted. Therefore, it can be handled flexibly based on the data.

In the program selecting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the EPG data 14 stored in the tuner 4 is stored.
d, the program information created based on the clock data 14e and the business data 14f is acquired by the remote controller 6, and can be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6. Therefore, the program information based on the various data acquired by the tuner 4 can be confirmed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 without disturbing the program currently being broadcast displayed on the monitor device 5.

The tuner 4 includes a receiving unit 17 having a function of switching a receiving frequency to a radio frequency matching a designated channel number, and a plurality of channels of the transponder 14 of the broadcast radio wave 3 received by the receiving unit 17. And a data extracting unit 19 for extracting necessary data in a channel matching the designated channel as needed.

The video data 14a and the audio data 14b of the channels extracted by the data extraction unit 19 out of the 4 to 8 channels in the transponder 14 received by the reception unit 17 are output from the data extraction unit 19, respectively. The signal is transmitted to the monitor device 5 via the detection circuit 23 and the audio detection circuit 24. Thus, the program of the channel selected by the tuner 4 is displayed on the monitor device 5. The data extraction unit 19 extracts not only the video data 14a and the audio data 14b in the transponder 14, but also the program data 14c, the EPG data 14d, the clock data 14e, and the office data 1
4f is also extracted. Then, the extracted program data 14
c stores the EPG data 14d,
The clock data 14e and the business data 14f are transmitted to the data storage unit 21, respectively.

The tuner 4 includes a light receiving unit 25 for receiving a command signal based on an infrared signal from the remote controller 6, a control unit 26 for controlling and driving each unit of the tuner 4 according to the command signal input to the light receiving unit 25, A program information creating unit 22 for creating program information to be transmitted to the remote controller 6 based on various data obtained from the radio wave 3 and stored in the data storage unit 21; And a transmission unit 10 for transmitting the data to Further, the tuner 4 has an LED 27 for outputting a reservation completion sign when the reception reservation of the program is completed by an operation from the remote controller 6.

The light receiving section 25 serves as a means for receiving a command signal based on an infrared signal generated by the remote controller 6.
The command signal received by the light receiving unit 25 is input to the control unit 26. By obtaining this command signal, the control section 26 controls and drives each section. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 26 includes a frequency switching drive circuit 28, a tuning circuit 29, a comparison circuit 30, a memory 31, a timer 32, and a CPU 33 that controls the driving of these units. It is configured. When an instruction signal such as channel selection or program reception reservation is input from the remote controller 6 to the light receiving unit 25, the CPU 33 starts operating according to the instruction signal, and the CPU 33 controls and drives each unit of the control unit 26. It is supposed to.

The frequency switching drive circuit 28 includes a CPU 3
3 is controlled and driven. The frequency switching driving circuit 28 is a driving circuit for switching the receiving frequency of the receiving unit 17. Also, the tuning circuit 29 is controlled and driven by the CPU 33 in the same manner as the frequency switching drive circuit 28. The tuning circuit 29 is one of the transmitted data in the transponder 14 and the data relating to the program of the selected channel. Is extracted by the data extraction unit 19 and output to the monitor device 5.

The comparison circuit 30 stores the program data 14c stored in the program data storage 20 and the data storage 2
1 is a circuit for comparing and referring to the EPG data 14d stored and stored in 1. When a channel selection is instructed by operating the remote controller 6, the comparison circuit 30 determines whether the data of the instructed channel is present in the transponder 14 currently being received, that is, stores the data in the program data storage unit 20. Compare and detect if it is stored. Then, this detection result is sent to the CPU 3
3 is transmitted.

As a result of this detection, if there is no data of the selected channel in the transponder 14 currently being received, the CPU 33 switches the frequency of the receiving unit 17 using the frequency switching drive circuit 28. ing. Note that the EPG data 14d in the transponder 14 is a reference table for making it possible to compare the channel with the frequency. Therefore, the CPU 33
When there is no data of the selected channel in the program data storage unit 20, E is stored in the data storage unit 21.
The PG data 14d is searched. Thereby, the CPU 3
3 is a transponder 14 containing the selected channel
Can be detected and received. When a program cannot be received with the input channel number, that is, when there is no broadcast allocated to the input channel, a signal notifying the monitor device 5 is transmitted from the CPU 33. This allows, for example,
It is possible to display on the monitor device 5 a message such as "Broadcast radio waves cannot be received on that channel".

If the result of the detection indicates that there is data of the selected channel in the transponder 14 currently being received, the CPU 33 sends the video data of that channel to the data extraction unit 19 by using the tuning circuit 29. 14a and audio data 14b are extracted. As a result, the video data 14a and audio data 1 of the selected channel are
4b is a video detection circuit 23 and an audio detection circuit 2 respectively.
4 to a monitor device 5.

When an instruction to make a reservation for reception is made by operating the remote controller 6, the comparison circuit 29 confirms that the data of the specified program exists in the EPG data 14d. Then, the CPU 33 makes a reservation for receiving a broadcast scheduled program that matches the program name. That is, the CPU 33
The frequency switching drive circuit 28 and the tuning circuit 29
A timer 32 is set so that a desired broadcast-scheduled program can be received several minutes before the start of the broadcast program, and this state is stored in the memory 31. As a result, it is possible to make a reservation for receiving a broadcast scheduled program in the EPG data 14d.

The memory 31 stores the control operation of each unit performed by the CPU 33, for example, the radio frequency of the receiving unit 17 and the video data 1 extracted by the data extracting unit 19.
The channel numbers of the data 4a and the audio data 14b, data relating to the program when the reception reservation is made, and the like are stored. Even when the power of the tuner 4 is turned off, the memory 31 stores data in a state before the power is turned off. For this reason, when the power is turned on again after the power is turned off, the tuner 4 rises to the state before the power was turned off.

The program information creating section 22 includes a data storage section 21
Data 14d and clock data 14 stored in
The program information is for creating program information to be transmitted to the remote controller 6 with reference to the e and the business data 14f. Note that the memory capacity of the data storage unit 11 of the remote controller 6 is not so large. For this reason, the program information creation unit 22 uses unnecessary information for the viewer to select a channel, for example,
The program information is transmitted to the remote controller 6 via the transmission unit 25 in a state in which the information on the uncontracted channels and the like are deleted.

A remote controller 6 as a remote control device is shown in FIG.
And a liquid crystal screen 12 as a display means as shown in FIG.
, A first jog dial 13a, a second jog dial 13b, a number input button 34, and a cursor button 35.
, A decision button 36, a screen switching button 37, a voice switching button 38, and the light emitting unit 7. The remote controller 6 includes a power supply battery 39, a command signal generator 40 for outputting a command signal based on the content operated by each button, and a remote controller controller 41 for controlling and driving each unit in the remote controller 6. , Is built-in.

The program selecting device 1 configured as described above
The operation of displaying the program information on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 and switching the tuner 4 to the displayed channel will be described below with reference to FIG.

In the program selecting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, data indicating which channel was being received when the power was turned off is stored in the memory 31 of the tuner 4. From this state, when the power of the tuner 4 and the monitor device 5 is turned on (step S1), the channel when the power is turned off is received by the tuner 4 based on the data stored in the memory 31. by this,
The video data 14a and the audio data 14b of the program broadcast on this channel are output to the monitor device 5 via the video detection circuit 23 and the audio detection circuit 24 (Step S2).

At this time, the transponder 14 including the channel received by the tuner 4 includes the program data 14c of the channel transmitted by the transponder 14, the EPG data 14d, and the video data 14a and the audio data 14b of the broadcast program. It is sent from the broadcasting station 2 in a state where the clock data 14e and the business data 14f are superimposed. When the tuner 4 receives the transponder 14 sent in this way, it extracts necessary information from various digital data in the transponder 14 and stores the extracted information (step S3).

That is, the tuner 4 transmits the program data 1
The necessary information of 4c is extracted by the data extraction unit 19 and stored in the program data storage unit 20. In addition, tuner 4
Extracts the EPG data 14d, the clock data 14e, and the business data 14f by the data extraction unit 19 and stores them in the data storage unit 21. The EPG data 14 in the transponder 14 sent from the broadcasting station 2
d, clock data 14e and business data 14f are:
The content of the data is updated each time. If there is an update in the data content, the tuner 4 stores the updated data in the data storage unit 21 (step S4).

The program information creating section 22 provided in the tuner 4 sends the program information to the remote controller 6 with reference to the EPG data 14d, the clock data 14e and the business data 14f stored in the data storage section 21 in step S3 or step S4. The program information for transmission is created (step S5). This program information is re-created every time data is updated in step S4.

As described above, in the tuner 4, step S
When the power is input in step 1, the process automatically proceeds from step S2 to step S5, and preparations are made to transmit program information to be transmitted to the remote controller 6. In this state, one end of the transmission cable 9 is connected to the interface 8 of the remote controller 6, and the other end of the transmission cable 9 is connected to the transmission unit 10 of the tuner 4. The created program information,
The remote controller 6 acquires the information from the tuner 4 (step S
6). That is, the program information input to the interface 8 is stored in the data storage unit 11 of the remote controller 6.

As described above, the remote controller 6 that has acquired the program information based on the data acquired by the tuner 4 from the broadcast wave 3
The data storage unit 11 is controlled by the remote control unit 41.
Is transmitted to the LCD screen 12, and the LCD information is transmitted to the LCD screen 12.
To be displayed. The channel and the program information displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 at this time are those currently being received by the tuner 4 (step S7).

At this time, if the program being received by the tuner 4 does not meet the viewer's preference, the viewer operates the remote controller 6 to transmit the program information based on the EPG data 14d, that is, the program of another channel. Searching can be performed while looking at the liquid crystal screen 12. That is, the viewer rotates the first jog dial 13a of the remote controller 6 from the state in which the currently received channel and its program information are displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 in step S7. Then, the channel displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 and the name of the program being broadcast on that channel are sequentially switched (step S8).

The channel desired by the viewer is selected from the channels switched in order in step S8 and the programs performed on the channel. That is, the rotation of the first jog dial 13a is stopped while the desired channel is displayed on the liquid crystal screen (step S9). In this state, the first jog dial 13a is pushed toward the remote control main body (step S10). Then, the LCD screen 12
Is transmitted from the remote controller 6 to the tuner 4 (step S11).

Thus, the CPU 33 of the tuner 4
Controls and drives the receiving unit 17 and the data extracting unit 19 so as to correspond to the input channel number,
A channel switching operation is performed (step S1).
2). Then, the program of the channel displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 by the operation of the viewer is output to the monitor device 5 (step S13).

In steps S1 to S13, the operation of switching the display content of the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 and switching the tuner 4 to the channel displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 has been described. Switching is possible. For example, the viewer may input a channel number of a desired channel using the number input button 34 of the remote controller 6, or output a program table based on the data of the EPG data 7d on the display 15 of the monitor device 5. , While watching the program table.

Next, the operation of displaying a program to be broadcast on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 and making a reservation for receiving the displayed program will be described with reference to FIG.

By performing the above-described operations from step S1 to step S7, the tuner 4 can transmit the broadcast wave 3
The remote controller 6 that has acquired the program information based on the data acquired from the PC displays the currently receiving channel on the liquid crystal screen 12. From this state, the desired channels are displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 by performing the operations of steps S7 and S8. Further, the viewer rotates the second jog dial 13b of the remote controller 6. Then, the set time displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 is switched, and the program name broadcast at the set time on the channel is sequentially switched (step S14).

At step S14, a broadcast-scheduled program desired by the viewer is selected from the set times sequentially switched and the programs performed on the channel at the set time.
That is, the rotation of the second jog dial 13b is stopped with the desired broadcast-scheduled program displayed on the liquid crystal screen (step S15). In this state, the second jog dial 13
b is pushed in the direction of the remote control main body (step S16).
Then, a signal for making the tuner 4 make a reservation to receive the broadcast-scheduled program displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 is transmitted from the remote controller 6 to the tuner 4 (step S17).

As a result, the tuner 4 starts a reservation operation for receiving the program displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 (step S18). That is, tuner 4
Sets the timer 32 according to the reception reservation command received by the light receiving unit 25 so as to correspond to the broadcast start time, and stores the channel number of the channel reserved for reception in the memory 31 under the control of the CPU 33. At the same time, the CPU 28 outputs an LED for outputting a reception completion sign.
26 is turned on (step S19).

Note that steps S14 to S19
When the time set in the timer 32 arrives, the receiving unit 17 and the data extracting unit 19 switch to the channel of the program for which reception has been reserved under the control of the control unit 26 (step S20). Then, the program of the channel displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 by the operation of the viewer is output to the monitor device 5 (step S21).

The program selection device 1 of the above embodiment can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the jog dial for switching the display content of the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6 is set to two.
One is used for changing the channel and the other is used for changing the set time, but one may be used for both. Further, the channel and the set time may be changed by something other than the jog dials 13a and 13b, for example, a cursor key or the like. Further, when it is not necessary to make a reservation for reception, it is possible to provide only the means for switching channels and not the means for switching the set time.

The first jog dial 13a is rotatable and pushable, so that the display content of the liquid crystal screen 12 is switched by the rotation operation, and the channel displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 is selected by the push operation. However, only the rotation operation may be performed, and the channel switching input switch may be formed by another member. Also, the second
Similarly to the first jog dial 13a, the jog dial 13b may be configured to allow only a rotating operation, and the reception reservation input switch may be formed by another member. However, in the above-described embodiment, the operability is improved because the rotation operation and the pushing operation are both performed.

Further, the program selection device 1 of the above-described embodiment
Connects the remote controller 6 to the tuner 4 via the transmission cable 9.
, The program information created by the tuner 4 based on the data obtained from the broadcast wave 3 is transmitted to the remote controller 6, but the data transmission between the remote controller 6 and the tuner 4 may be wireless. . Further, by storing the remote controller 6 in a predetermined holder, the data and the like acquired by the tuner 4 may be acquired.

Further, the program selecting apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment is capable of switching the viewable channels in order and displaying the channels on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the remote controller 6. May be an order in which the viewer is convenient to use, such as, for example, an order in which the number of times of viewing by the viewer is large. At that time, the order of the channels may be rearranged based on a unique table created by the tuner 4,
The remote controller 6 may be provided with a channel rearrangement unit.

[0061]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the program information is displayed on the display means of the remote control device, so that the viewer can be displayed without disturbing the program currently displayed on the monitor device. Is a program selection device that can obtain program information and is highly convenient as a remote control device. In addition, since the name of the program currently being broadcast or the program to be broadcasted in the future can be displayed on the display means of the remote control device for each channel, the viewer can obtain accurate information when selecting a channel. And a highly convenient program selection device that can easily receive a desired program.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the remote control device is provided with the reception reservation input switch for making the channel selection receiving device reserve the reception of the broadcast scheduled program displayed on the display means. Reception reservation can be made without calling a program table to the monitor device, and a highly convenient program selection device that can make a reception reservation without disturbing other viewers is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall schematic structure of a program selection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a remote controller of the program selection device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of a broadcast wave transmitted from a broadcast station to a tuner of the program selection device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram mainly showing a control unit of the program selection device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when a channel switching operation is performed using the program selection device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when making a reservation for receiving a broadcast-scheduled program using the program selection device of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Program selection apparatus 2 Broadcasting station 3 Broadcast radio wave 4 Tuner (selection receiving apparatus) 5 Monitor apparatus (display apparatus) 6 Remote control (remote operation apparatus) 12 Liquid crystal screen (display means) 13a 1st jog dial (switching means and channel switching input) Switch) 13b 2nd jog dial (switching means and reception reservation input switch)) 14c program data 14d EPG data 14e clock data 14f office work data

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 5C025 AA25 BA26 BA27 BA30 CA09 CB05 CB08 DA05 DA10 5C056 AA05 BA02 CA11 CA15 DA08 EA05 EA09 5C063 AB05 CA36 DA03 DA07 EB03 EB29 EB31 EB32 EB33 EB46 EB50

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A tuning receiver for receiving a broadcast wave transmitted from a broadcasting station and selecting a desired channel from the broadcast radio, and a display for displaying a program of the channel selected by the tuning receiver. And a remote control device for remotely controlling the tuning reception device. The program selection device, comprising: Display means for displaying the program information based on the data obtained from the display means, and switching means for switching the display contents of the display means, and for switching the tuning receiver to the channel displayed on the display means. A program selection device comprising a channel change input switch. 2. The remote control device is capable of causing the display means to display broadcast-scheduled program information based on the data, and transmits the broadcast-scheduled program displayed on the display means to the channel selection receiving apparatus. 2. The program selection device according to claim 1, further comprising a reception reservation input switch for making a reception reservation.