JP2002057953A - Remote setting system for television broadcast receiver and remote setting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote setting system for a television broadcast receiver by which a user can easily obtain information such as a program guide required for setting through remote control even at a remote place and the user can easily set revision or the like of a received program in details. SOLUTION: A terminal at a remote place accesses a television broadcast receiver placed at a user's own home via a network, and when the terminal and the television broadcast receiver are connected via the network, the television broadcast receiver transmits program information or setting information having already been set to the terminal in a browsing form, and when the terminal receives the program information or the setting information, the terminal display it, then the user refers to the displayed program information or setting information to enter entry setting information to the terminal and to transmit the entry setting information from the terminal to the television broadcast receiver so as to remotely control detailed settings such as revision of a received program.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control of a television broadcast receiving apparatus for remotely setting information such as a received program in a television broadcast receiving apparatus which is a TV tuner apparatus including a video apparatus by using a network communication technique. The present invention relates to a setting system and a remote setting method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some home appliances, such as a television broadcast receiving apparatus, can set a general received program from a remote place by remote control.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a conventional method for setting a received program or the like of a television broadcast receiver from a remote place. As shown in FIG. 7A, as hardware,
A system having a configuration in which a telephone 73 capable of transmitting a dial tone is connected via a general telephone line 72 to a normal television broadcast receiving device 71 having a built-in general telephone line interface. The types of signals transmitted and received between the television broadcast receiving apparatus 71 and the telephone 73 of this system include a tone signal generated by a dial operation and a synthesized voice prepared in advance.

In the above-described conventional system, a setting change operation is performed according to a procedure shown in FIG. (1) The power of the television broadcast receiving apparatus 71 is turned on in advance. (2) From telephone 73 to general telephone line 72
Dial-up to a telephone number of a general telephone line interface built in the television broadcast receiving apparatus 71 through the. (3) The television broadcast receiving apparatus 71 goes on-hook to establish a line connection, and transmits a confirmation tone to the telephone 73 via the general telephone line 72. (4) Television broadcast receiving device 71 using dial button or the like of telephone 73
, The corresponding DTMF signal is transmitted to the general telephone line interface of the television broadcast receiving apparatus 71 via the general telephone line 72. As a result, the received program is set in the television broadcast receiving apparatus 71, and (5) the setting completion notification is transmitted from the interface to the general telephone line 72.
(6) The telephone 73 receiving the call disconnects the line by going off-hook.

[0005]

A dedicated control device (general telephone line) is used to set a program to be received by the television broadcast receiving apparatus 71 by conventional remote control or to make a recording reservation for a video device as described above. An interface or the like is connected to the telephone line 72 and set by dialing the telephone 73, but the operation is complicated as described above, and the usability is low in practical terms.

Further, in the conventional remote control system, since the telephone 73 is used for inputting setting information, a push signal is output to set a program to be received by the television broadcast receiver 71 from a remote place. Phone 7 that can
3, some could be completed only by operating the numbers and the "#" and "*" keys. However, the user can check the setting status of the device and the contents of program reservations from outside, control, or set, or make reservations. It is very difficult to perform detailed remote operations such as changing the contents. Also in this case,
Available lines were limited to ordinary telephone lines, and it was not possible to confirm from computer networks.

As described above, the television broadcast receiving apparatus 7
Since it is difficult to change the received program, recording on a video device or the like has to be dealt with by a method of setting with a timer in advance, and setting change after going out is extremely difficult.

[0008] Further, in order to set while referring to information such as the title and contents of a broadcast program, the name of the program and the names of performers,
If you have to rely on information from other media such as publications, and you cannot get a program guide magazine at a remote location, you can not set a received program.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable information such as a program guide required for setting by remote control to be easily obtained even in a remote place. It is another object of the present invention to provide a remote setting system for a television broadcast receiving apparatus and a remote setting method for a television broadcast receiving apparatus, which enable a remote control to easily perform detailed settings such as a change in a received program.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a feature of the invention of claim 1 is a feature of the present invention, which includes a video recording device.
In a remote setting system for a television broadcast receiving device that performs various settings of a television broadcast receiving device as a V tuner device from a remote terminal, a method of connecting the television broadcast receiving device directly to the network or via a public network. A first interface unit, a storage unit for storing setting information obtained from the first interface unit,
A control unit that controls the operation of the television broadcast receiving apparatus based on the setting information stored by the storage unit; and a second interface unit that connects the terminal to the network directly or via a public network. The terminal and the television broadcast receiver are connected via the network, and the terminal is operated to transmit desired setting information to the television broadcast receiver.

The control section of the television broadcast receiving apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention receives program information to be broadcast and stores it in the storage section, and the television broadcast receiving apparatus and the terminal are connected to the network. When connected via
The program information or the setting information in the storage unit is converted into a format that can be browsed by the terminal, and then transmitted to the terminal via the network.

A feature of the invention according to claim 3 is that, when the broadcast program information cannot be received, the control section supplies program information on the network from the first interface section according to setting information from the terminal. Accessing a site and downloading the program information from the site to the storage unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the terminal is a portable terminal, and is connected to the network via a wireless line.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for remotely setting a television broadcast receiving apparatus for performing various settings of a television broadcast receiving apparatus, which is a TV tuner apparatus including a video recording apparatus, from a remote terminal. Accessing the television broadcast receiving apparatus via a network, and when the terminal and the television broadcast receiving apparatus are connected via the network, the television broadcast receiving apparatus is set to program information or already set. Transmitting the setting information to the terminal in a browsable format, when the terminal receives the program information or setting information, displaying the program information or setting information, and the user refers to the displayed program information or setting information. Inputting setting information to the terminal, and transmitting the television broadcast receiving device from the terminal. Transmitting the input setting information, the television broadcast receiver after storing the received setting information is to comprise the steps of controlling the operation of the device based on the setting information.

According to the present invention, a television broadcast receiver is provided with a simple Web server function and a communication interface function so that a user can connect to the television broadcast receiver from a Web browser of an external computer using a user ID and a password. Then, by referring to the current setting status on the screen of the Web browser, the program contents obtained by the electronic program guide (EPG), and additional information regarding the programs on the network, the television is checked while confirming the setting information. The broadcast receiver can be set.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration according to an embodiment of a remote setting system for a television broadcast receiver of the present invention. In the user's home 10, a television broadcast receiving device 1 and a television monitor 2, which are TV tuner devices (including a recording device such as a VTR), are installed. The television broadcast receiver 1 has an antenna 1
5 is connected to the telephone line 4 or the ISDN 5 or directly to the Internet 7. It is assumed that a user who is away from the user's home 10 has the mobile terminal 9 or a terminal such as a nearby external computer terminal 11 can be used. However, it is assumed that the mobile terminal 9 or the external computer terminal 11 is equipped with a Web browser and can be connected to an external Internet connection environment or a telephone line. Further, there is a broadcasting station 12 having a server 121 provided with an environment for connecting to the Internet 7, and a company 13 having program information for transmitting and receiving information to and from the broadcasting station 12 through a dedicated line or the like. The broadcasting station 13 broadcasts the contents of the program site to the TV tuner of the user's home 10 by data broadcasting or EPG (electronic program guide) via a communication satellite, a broadcasting satellite, or a terrestrial broadcasting 14.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the television broadcast receiver 1. The television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 includes a control unit 21 for controlling the operation of the apparatus, a storage unit 22 for storing set information and the like, a communication interface unit 23 for transmitting and receiving information for remote control, and a radio wave supplemented by the antenna 15. A tuner unit 24 for receiving a desired channel, a data demodulation unit 25 for demodulating received data received by the tuner unit 24, and a broadcast program signal received by the tuner unit 24 are demodulated.
It has a video / audio output unit 26 for outputting to the external television monitor 2 and an input unit 27 for key-inputting setting information such as a program by the user.

The communication interface unit 23 has a network adapter function 231, a communication modem function 232, and a terminal adapter function 233. The network adapter function 231 is connected to a computer communication network (Internet) 7, and the communication modem function 232 is a general telephone line 4. And the terminal adapter function 223 is connected to the ISDN line 5, and the network 7 and the lines 4 and 5 are connected to, for example, an external computer terminal 11.

Here, the communication interface unit 23 is a part which provides one interface to the telephone line 4, the ISDN line 5, or the computer communication network 7, and each of the two lines is a telephone line. , A U point in ISDN, and a mechanical and electrical connection terminal for connection to Ethernet (registered trademark) used for the computer communication network 7, and is connected to a corresponding line.

The communication interface unit 23 has a function of confirming the normality of the line according to an instruction from the control unit 21 when the power of the main unit is turned on, and notifying the control unit 21 of the result. Further, the communication interface unit 23 has a function of performing a dial-up connection and an IP connection operation with respect to a specific partner in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 21.

The input unit 27 receives an input of a key button operation of the main body and the remote controller, and inputs the input contents to the control unit 2.
It has the function of inputting to 1.

The tuner section 24 receives a broadcast of a specific channel from a high-frequency signal input from the antenna 15 and demodulates the television broadcast in accordance with the broadcast system, and outputs it as a video and audio signal. Has a function of receiving the data of (1) and sending it to the data demodulation unit 25 and a function of changing the reception channel number according to an instruction from the control unit 21.

The video / audio output section 26 has a function of generating a screen signal in accordance with a signal from the tuner section 24 or an instruction from the control section 21 and outputting the screen signal to the external television monitor 2.

The storage unit 22 includes a communication interface 23
Dial-up destination, ID, password, availability of constant connection, standby condition, login ID, password, and data demodulation unit 2 of the Web function in control unit 21
5, additional information, detailed information, and the like regarding the television broadcast program (program information) received from the control unit 21. It also has a function of storing information for reserving a reception channel together with time.

The data demodulation section 25 extracts additional information and time information relating to a television broadcast program from the data received from the tuner section 24 and sends the information to the storage section 22.

The control unit 22 has a function of transmitting and receiving information to and from each unit, and instructing each unit. The control unit 22 also has internal date and time information, and includes the latest time information in the data from the data demodulation unit 25. If so, make corrections accordingly. The control unit 22 has a function of requesting, receiving, and setting an address used for IP communication from the network 7 connected through the communication interface unit 23, and has a function of automatically generating a page by HTML as a Web server. Have.

First, an outline of a remote setting operation of the television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 in the system of FIG. 1 will be described. The television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 receives a radio wave broadcast from a broadcast station 12 via a communication satellite or a broadcast satellite or a terrestrial broadcast 14 with an antenna 15 and receives the received video and audio to an external television monitor 2. Projected on. The broadcast station 12 temporarily stores the program information provided by the company 13 in the program guide site server 121, and then broadcasts the program information by data broadcasting or EPG (electronic program guide) via the communication satellite or the broadcasting satellite 14. Therefore, the television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 receives and stores this.

On the other hand, a user 100 at a remote location
1 and the like, access the Internet 7 and connect to the television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 via the Internet 7, and then operate the terminal 11 with keys to change the received program to the television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 such as changing the received program. Remote settings. At this time, program information stored in the television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 is sent to the terminal 11 via the Internet 7, and the above-described remote setting is performed while displaying program information and the like on the screen of the terminal 11.

Next, with regard to the remote setting operation of the television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 having the above configuration, each operation of an initial setting routine, a line connection routine, a Web operation routine, a timer operation routine, and a method for acquiring additional information / detailed information are sequentially described. This will be described in detail.

(Initial Setting Routine) For the first time, the main body of the television broadcast receiver 1 is turned on, or
In a state where the power is turned on (step 301), when the setting key button of the input unit 27 is pressed, the control unit 21 is pressed.
Reads the current setting information from the storage unit 22 and
The contents are transmitted to the audio output unit 26, and an instruction to generate a screen is issued. The video / audio output unit 26 outputs and displays the setting information on the external television monitor 2 according to the instruction from the control unit 21 (step 302).

The user follows the output screen, and
By operating the key buttons, the date and time setting, the line type and the connection type of the communication interface unit 23 (selection of constant connection / automatic connection / manual connection) (step 303), and the telephone number of the dial-up destination , ID,
A password is set (step 304), and a login name and a password for the Web server of the control unit 21 are set (step 305), and a method of requesting and receiving an address used for IP communication in the control unit 21 is set (step 304). Step 306). Further, conditions for acquiring additional information / detailed information and address information of a computer from which the information is acquired are set. The contents of the items set by the user are transmitted from the control unit 21 to the storage unit 2 by pressing the registration key button of the input unit 27.
2 is written.

(Line Connection Routine) In the transmission operation from the apparatus shown in FIG.
The line type and the connection type (always connected / automatic connection / manual connection) of the communication interface unit 23 are read out from Step 2 (Step 401).

The control section 21 has a communication interface section 23
On the other hand, if the set connection type is always-on connection, the connection operation is immediately instructed. In the case of automatic connection, a connection operation is instructed according to the set connection cycle. For a manual connection,
A connection operation instruction is given in response to a connection key button operation of the input unit 27.

When the set line type is a general telephone line or an ISDN line (step 402), the control unit 21 dials up to the line connected to the connection terminal when transmitting a connection operation instruction. To the communication interface unit 23 (step 40).
3). Upon receiving this, the communication interface unit 23 dials up and, when the line is connected (step 40).
4), and notifies the control unit 21 to that effect. When the control unit 21 knows that the line connection has been completed,
D, reads out the password, communication interface unit 23
And log-in to the dial-up connection destination through (step 405).

The control unit 21 includes the general telephone line 4 and the ISD
If the user logs in to the other party on the N-line 5 (step 405) or if the setting of the line type is Ethernet (step 402), the setting of the method of requesting and receiving the address used for IP communication is read from the storage unit 22, Based on this, the IP address of the own Web server unit is acquired through the communication interface unit 23, and this is recorded in the storage unit 22 (step 406).

In the call originating operation from the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, when a connection is made to the general telephone line 4 and the ISDN line and a call is made to the line, the communication interface unit 23 connects the line (step 50).
1), this is notified to the control unit 21. Upon receiving this notification, the control unit 21 determines that the other party is a computer, and assigns an IP address (step 502).

(Web Connection Routine) As described in the preceding paragraph, when the external computer terminal 11 to be connected specifies the IP address set in the Web browser in a state where the line is connected (step 601), the control unit 21 performs communication. A signal for inputting an ID and a password is sent to the external computer terminal 11 to be connected via the interface unit 23 (step 602). An input screen for an ID and a password is displayed on the screen of the external computer terminal 11 at the connection destination. The user at the connection destination inputs an ID and a password according to the display on the screen (step 603),
This is transmitted to the television broadcast receiver 1. Control unit 21
Confirms the ID and password entered by the user, compares them with those set in advance, and if they match (step 60).
4) The current setting status, channel change reservation status, and additional information regarding the television broadcast program received as data (program title, program start and end time, program content, broadcast channel to be received) are transmitted to the Web browser. The external computer terminal 11 of the user in a format that can be browsed by the user
(Step 605). This screen is displayed on the Web browser of the external computer terminal 11 of the connection destination user.

The user changes the current settings displayed on the Web browser by operating the keyboard and mouse of the computer (step 606), and transmits the changed settings to the television broadcast receiver 1. The control unit 21 writes the changed contents into the storage unit 22.

(Timer Operation Routine) Controller 21
Always monitors the reception start time and end time of the reception channel set in the storage unit 22, and if there is any corresponding to the date and time information in the control unit 21, the tuner unit 2
4 is instructed to start or end reception of the designated channel. In addition, if it has a recording function, it instructs start and end.

(Method of Acquiring Additional Information / Detailed Information) Additional information (a program title, a program start and end time, a program content, a broadcast channel to be broadcasted) on a television broadcast program is used as data by the tuner section 24. In the case where reception is not possible, the control unit 21 instructs a connection operation to the communication interface unit 23 by setting, automatically or by operating an information acquisition key button, and uses the computer communication network 5 to set a preset address. , And additional information and detailed information on the television broadcast program recorded in advance on an external computer (program guide site server 121) (the name of the music used in the program, the name of the performer, the costume of the performer, etc.). Information on providers, decorations and other carrying tools and shooting locations). The acquired data is written to the storage unit 22.

According to the present embodiment, the television broadcast receiver 1 located at the user's home 10 and the terminal 1 remote
1 is connected via the Internet 7 so that information such as a program guide required for setting by remote control can be easily obtained even in a remote place, and detailed setting such as change of a received program can be easily performed by remote control. Can be done.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a received program of the television broadcast receiving apparatus 1 is set or changed by remote control from a remote computer terminal 11. Since the remote setting can be performed regardless of the place, further convenience can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be embodied in various other forms in terms of a specific configuration, function, operation, and effect without departing from the gist thereof. .

A program for realizing the function of the processing unit in FIG. 1 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read by a computer system and executed to execute remote control. Settings may be made. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. "Computer system"
If a WWW system is used, this also includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment). The “computer-readable recording medium” means a portable medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. . Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted through a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. And those holding programs for a certain period of time.

The above program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" for transmitting a program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. Further, the program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. further,
What can realize the above-mentioned function in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, that is, a so-called difference file (difference program) may be used.

[0046]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a television broadcast program to be recorded or watched can be reserved or changed on a Web browser. Can be confirmed,
By cooperating with a Web site that has information such as titles, performers, and contents of TV programs, a user can use a program at a remote terminal without relying on information in other media such as publications. Detailed reservations and changes can be made while confirming the same on the same screen.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration according to an embodiment of a remote setting system for a television broadcast receiving device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the television broadcast receiving device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an initial setting routine of a remote setting method of the television broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of a line connection routine of a remote setting method of the television broadcast receiver according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of a Web operation routine of a remote setting method of the television broadcast receiver according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of acquiring additional information / detailed information of the television broadcast receiving apparatus in the method of remotely setting the television broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of setting a received program or the like of a conventional television broadcast receiving apparatus from a remote place.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Television broadcast receiver 2 Television monitor 4 Telephone line 5 ISDN network 7 Internet 9 Portable terminal 10 User's house 11 External computer terminal 12 Broadcasting station 13 Company 14 Satellite broadcasting or broadcasting satellite or terrestrial broadcasting 15 Antenna 21 Control unit 22 Storage Unit 23 communication interface unit 24 tuner unit 25 data demodulation unit 26 video / audio output unit 27 input unit 121 program guide site server 231 network adapter function 232 communication modem function 233 terminal adapter function

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04Q 9/00 321 H04Q 9/00 321E (72) Inventor Kengo Tanaka 3rd Babacho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. 15 Nishi Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Seiji Miyazaki 3-15 Babacho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Nishi Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation 5B089 GA21 GA23 GB02 HA01 JA35 JB22 KA01 KE02 KE03 KF05 5C025 AA30 BA01 BA18 BA25 BA26 BA27 DA08 5C056 AA07 AA10 BA01 BA08 BA10 CA06 CA08 CA11 CA13 CA15 DA06 DA11 EA05 5K048 AA04 BA04 BA13 FB15 5K101 KK11 KK18 NN18

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A remote setting system for a television broadcast receiving apparatus for performing various settings of a television broadcast receiving apparatus, which is a TV tuner apparatus including a video recording apparatus, from a remote terminal, wherein the television broadcast receiving apparatus is connected to the network. A first interface unit connected directly or via a public network, a storage unit for storing setting information obtained from the first interface unit, and the television based on the setting information stored by the storage unit A control unit that controls the operation of the broadcast receiving device; and a second interface unit that connects the terminal to the network directly or via a public network. Via the terminal and operating the terminal to transmit desired setting information to the television broadcast receiving apparatus. A remote setting system for a television broadcast receiving apparatus. 2. The control section of the television broadcast receiving apparatus receives program information to be broadcast and stores the program information in the storage section, and connects the television broadcast receiving apparatus and the terminal via the network. 2. The television broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program information or setting information in the storage unit is converted into a format that can be browsed by the terminal, and then transmitted to the terminal via the network. Equipment remote setting system. 3. If the broadcast program information cannot be received, the control unit accesses a program information supply site on the network from the first interface unit based on setting information from the terminal. 3. The remote setting system for a television broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the program information is downloaded to the storage unit from a computer. 4. The remote setting system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is a portable terminal, and is connected to the network via a wireless line. 5. A remote setting method of a television broadcast receiving apparatus for performing various settings of a television broadcast receiving apparatus, which is a TV tuner apparatus including a video recording apparatus, from a remote terminal. Accessing via a network, and when the terminal and the television broadcast receiving apparatus are connected via the network, the television broadcast receiving apparatus can browse program information or setting information that has already been set. Transmitting the program information or setting information to the terminal in a format; and displaying the program information or setting information when the terminal receives the program information or setting information. To transmit input setting information from the terminal to the television broadcast receiver. And storing the received setting information, and then controlling the operation of the apparatus based on the setting information. Setting method.