JP2007049538A - Video recording system, video recorder, and proxy video recording instruction program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To record not only a broadcast signal, independently of the residual capacity for video recording but also effectively utilize a network. <P>SOLUTION: A video recording system includes TV receivers 100 and 100A connected to a network 2, and each of TV receivers 100 and 100A includes a tuner having the broadcast signal inputted thereto, a video recorder 121 for recording the broadcast signal, a reservation setting part 11 having video recording reservation information inputted thereto, and a comparison part 12 for determining whether the broadcast signal for a video recording time determined by video recording reservation information can be recorded with the residual capacity remaining in the video recorder 121, in response to the inputting of the video recording reservation information. The TV receiver 100 includes a proxy video recording instruction part 15 for instructing video recording to the TV receiver 100A, and the TV receiver 100A includes a video recording control part 17 which records video, in accordance with video recording reservation information, in response to reception of the vicarious video recording instruction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording system, a recording apparatus, and a substitute recording instruction program, and more particularly, to a recording system configured by a recording apparatus connected to a network, a recording apparatus connected to a network, and a substitute recording instruction program executed by the recording apparatus. .

  In recent years, recording devices that are equipped with a hard disk and record broadcast signals received by digital broadcasting have been distributed. A hard disk can record a large amount of data, but its recording capacity is limited. For this reason, the broadcast signal is divided into a plurality of hard disks by transmitting a transport stream, which is a large-capacity broadcast signal, over the network from a device that receives the broadcast signal to a plurality of hard disks connected to the network. A technique for recording is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-199012 (Patent Document 1).

However, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-199012 has a problem that a network resource is used and communication efficiency deteriorates because a transport stream is transmitted during recording. In addition, there is a problem in that power consumption increases because at least two devices, that is, a device that receives a video signal during recording and a hard disk that receives and records a transport stream must be powered on.
JP 2003-199012 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one of the objects of the present invention is to be able to record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording and to effectively use the network. It is to provide a recording system, a recording apparatus, and a substitute recording instruction program that can be performed.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording system, a recording apparatus, and a substitute recording instruction program capable of recording a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording and reducing power consumption. It is.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a recording system includes a plurality of recording devices connected to a network, and each of the plurality of recording devices inputs a broadcast signal. Broadcast signal input means for recording, recording means for recording the input broadcast signal, reservation setting means for inputting recording reservation information including at least the recording time, and broadcasting for the recording time determined by the input recording reservation information Determination means for determining whether or not the recording means can record the signal with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording means, and the plurality of recording devices include a first recording device and a second recording device. The first recording apparatus further includes substitute recording instruction means for instructing the second recording apparatus to perform recording based on the recording reservation information based on the determination result by the determining means, and the second recording apparatus includes the first recording apparatus Recording If placed al substitutional recording instruction has been received, further comprising recording control means based on the determination result by the determination means, by controlling the recording means for recording in accordance with recording reservation information included in the received proxy recording instruction.

  According to the present invention, the recording apparatus includes a first recording apparatus and a second recording apparatus connected to a network, each of which includes recording means for recording the input broadcast signal, and recording reservation information is input. Then, it is determined whether or not the broadcast signal corresponding to the recording time determined by the recording reservation information can be recorded in the recording unit with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording unit. The first recording apparatus instructs the second recording apparatus to perform recording based on the recording reservation information based on the determination result, and the second recording apparatus receives a substitute recording instruction from the first recording apparatus Based on the determination result, the recording means is controlled to record according to the recording reservation information included in the received substitute recording instruction. For this reason, even if there is no remaining capacity for recording in the recording device, the broadcast signal is recorded in any of the recording devices connected to the network. Furthermore, it is not necessary to transmit a broadcast signal from the first recording device in order to record with the second recording device. As a result, it is possible to provide a recording system that can record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording and can effectively use the network. In addition, since it is not necessary for the first recording device to be turned on during recording by the second recording device, it is possible to record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording, and to reduce power consumption. A recording system that can be reduced can be provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a recording apparatus is a recording apparatus connected to a network and capable of communicating with another recording apparatus connected to the network, and a broadcast signal input means for inputting a broadcast signal Recording means for recording the input broadcast signal, reservation setting means for inputting recording reservation information including at least the recording time, and recording broadcast signals for the recording time determined by the input recording reservation information in the recording means. Recording capacity calculation means for calculating the recording capacity required for the recording, comparison means for comparing the calculated recording capacity with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording means, and other recording based on the comparison result by the comparison means Proxy recording instruction means for causing the apparatus to record according to the recording reservation information.

  According to the present invention, the recording means for recording the input broadcast signal is provided, and when the recording reservation information is input, the broadcast signal for the recording time determined by the recording reservation information is represented by the remaining capacity remaining in the recording means. Whether or not recording is possible is determined by the recording means, and based on the determination result, other recording devices are recorded according to the recording reservation information. For this reason, even if there is no remaining capacity for recording, the recording is performed on another recording device connected via the network. Furthermore, it is not necessary to transmit a broadcast signal for recording with another recording device. As a result, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that can record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording and can effectively use the network. In addition, since it is not necessary to turn on the power during recording in another recording device, it is possible to record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording, and to reduce power consumption. A system can be provided.

  Preferably, the substitute recording instruction means includes substitute recording availability checking means for transmitting recording reservation information to another recording device and receiving substitute recording availability information indicating whether recording according to the recording reservation information is possible. .

  According to the present invention, the recording reservation information is transmitted to the other recording device, and the substitute recording availability information indicating whether the recording according to the recording reservation information is possible or not is received. be able to.

  Preferably, the information processing device further comprises recording information display means for displaying recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal, and the recording information display means displays proxy request information indicating that the recording is instructed by the proxy recording instruction means. It includes proxy request information display means for displaying.

  According to the present invention, when displaying the recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal, the substitute request information indicating that the substitute recording is instructed and recorded is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user that the broadcast signal has been recorded on another recording device.

  Preferably, a reproduction instruction receiving means for receiving a reproduction instruction for the broadcast signal recorded in the recording means, and the broadcast signal when the reproduction instructed broadcast signal has been recorded by a substitute recording instruction by the substitute recording instruction means. And a playback requesting means for requesting playback to another recording device that has performed the proxy recording.

  According to the present invention, when a playback instruction for a recorded broadcast signal is received, if the broadcast signal for which playback has been instructed is recorded by a substitute recording instruction, the other recording device that substitute-records the broadcast signal Request playback. For this reason, when an instruction to reproduce a broadcast signal recorded in another recording apparatus is given, the other recording apparatus can reproduce and receive it.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a recording apparatus is a recording apparatus that is connected to a network and is communicable with another recording apparatus connected to the network, and is a broadcast signal input for inputting a broadcast signal. Means, recording means for recording the input broadcast signal, reservation setting means for inputting recording reservation information including at least the recording time, and broadcast signals for recording time determined by the input recording reservation information to the recording means. A recording capacity calculating means for calculating a recording capacity required for recording, a comparing means for comparing the calculated recording capacity with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording means, Recording reservation information receiving means for receiving from the recording device, and when the recording reservation information is received from the other recording device by the recording reservation information receiving means, based on the comparison result by the comparison means, Controlled to a and a recording control means for recording in accordance with recording reservation information with the received.

  According to the present invention, the recording means for recording the input broadcast signal is provided, and when the recording reservation information is received from another recording device, the broadcast signal for the recording time determined by the recording reservation information is recorded. The required recording capacity is calculated, the calculated recording capacity is compared with the remaining remaining capacity, and recording is performed according to the received recording reservation information based on the comparison result. For this reason, when recording reservation information is input from another recording device, recording is performed if recording is possible with the remaining capacity, so that a broadcast signal is recorded in place of another recording device connected to the network. For this reason, it is not necessary to receive a broadcast signal from another recording device for recording. As a result, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that can record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording and can effectively use the network. In addition, since it is not necessary for the other recording device to be powered on during recording, it is possible to record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording, and to reduce power consumption. An apparatus can be provided.

  Preferably, the recording control means includes substitute recording availability information sending means for sending substitute recording availability information determined by a comparison result by the comparison means to another recording device.

  Preferably, it further comprises recording information display means for displaying recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal, and the recording information display means is recorded according to the recording reservation information received from another recording device by the recording reservation information receiving means. The proxy recording information display means for displaying the proxy recording information indicating the fact is included.

  According to the present invention, when displaying the recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal, the proxy recording information indicating that the recording was performed according to the recording reservation information received from another recording device is displayed. It is possible to notify the user that the broadcast signal thus recorded has been recorded on behalf of another recording device.

  Preferably, the recording unit further includes a reproduction instruction receiving unit that receives a reproduction instruction of the recorded broadcast signal, and the reproduction instruction receiving unit includes a reproduction instruction receiving unit that receives a reproduction instruction from another recording device, and receives the reproduction instruction. When a playback instruction is received by the means, broadcast signal transmitting means is further provided for transmitting a broadcast signal specified by the playback instruction to another recording apparatus that has transmitted the playback instruction.

  According to the present invention, when a playback instruction is received from another recording apparatus, the broadcast signal specified by the playback instruction is transmitted to the other recording apparatus that has transmitted the playback instruction, and therefore input by the other recording apparatus. The broadcast signal recorded according to the recording reservation information can be reproduced by another recording device.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, the substitute recording instruction program is a substitute recording instruction program that is connected to a network and is executed by a recording apparatus that can communicate with other recording apparatuses connected to the network. A step of inputting a broadcast signal; a step of inputting recording reservation information including at least a recording time; a step of calculating a recording capacity necessary for recording a broadcast signal for a recording time determined by the input recording reservation information; The computer executes the steps of comparing the calculated recording capacity with the remaining remaining capacity, and causing another recording apparatus to record according to the recording reservation information based on the comparison result by the comparison means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substitute recording instruction program that can record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording and can effectively use the network. In addition, since it is not necessary for the recording device to be powered on during recording, it is possible to record a broadcast signal regardless of the remaining capacity for recording, and a substitute recording instruction that can reduce power consumption A program can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a recording system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a recording system 1 includes television receivers 100 and 100 </ b> A, each of which is connected to a network 2, and a computer 200.

  The computer 200 is a general personal computer, and since its configuration is well known, description thereof will not be repeated here. The computer 200 is a recording device and includes a tuner for receiving a broadcast signal and an AV decoder for decoding the received broadcast signal. The computer 200 can record the received broadcast signal on the hard disk unit. The tuner and the AV decoder have the same functions as those provided in the television receivers 100 and 100A, which will be described later.

  Further, the computer 200 is detachably attachable to a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) 201 in which a substitute recording instruction program is recorded. The computer 200 reads the substitute recording instruction program from the CD-ROM 201 and stores it in the hard disk unit. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the computer 200 loads a substitute recording instruction program stored in the hard disk unit into a RAM (Random Access Memory) and executes it.

  The recording medium for storing the program is not limited to the CD-ROM 201, but a flexible disk, a cassette tape, an optical disk (MO (Magnetic Optical Disc) / MD (Mini Disc) / DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)), an IC card ( It may be a medium carrying a fixed program such as a semiconductor memory such as a memory card), an optical card, a mask ROM, an EPROM (Erasable and Programmable ROM), and an EEPROM (Electronically EPROM). Further, the computer 200 may download a program from another computer connected to the Internet.

  The program here includes not only a program directly executable by the CPU but also a program in a source program format, a compressed program, an encrypted program, and the like.

  In computer 200 in the present embodiment, an area for recording a broadcast signal on the hard disk unit is determined in advance, and when the substitute recording instruction program is executed, the state of the area for recording the broadcast signal of the hard disk unit In accordance with this, the substitute recording instruction process is executed. This substitute recording instruction process is the same as the substitute recording instruction process executed by the television receivers 100 and 100A, and will be described later.

  Since the television receivers 100 and 100A have the same function and configuration, the television receiver 100 will be described here as an example. The network 2 is a local area network (LAN), and the connection form may be wired or wireless. The network 2 is not limited to a LAN, and may be a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a network using a general public line, or the like.

  Although an example in which two television receivers 100 and 100A and a computer 200 are connected to the network 2 is shown here, the number of them is not limited. In the recording system, a plurality of television receivers 100 and 100A may be connected via the network 2.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the television receiver. Referring to FIG. 2, television receiver 100 is connected to an antenna 102 that receives broadcast radio waves, and a broadcast signal output from antenna 102 is input to tuner 103. The broadcast signal is a high frequency digital modulation signal including video data and audio data. The tuner 103 extracts a signal having a specific frequency from the high frequency digital modulation signal input from the antenna 102. The tuner 103 includes a deinterleave circuit and an error correction circuit. The tuner 103 demodulates the extracted high-frequency digital modulation signal having a specific frequency to demultiplex a transport stream (hereinafter referred to as “TS”) 105. Output to. The specific frequency selected by the tuner 103 is designated by the system controller 101 described later.

  The DEMAX 105 separates the TS received from the tuner 103 into MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group2) video transport packets, audio transport packets, PSI (Program Specific Information), and download program packets. The DEMAX 105 supplies the video transport packet and the audio transport packet to the AV decoder 107 and the switching unit 119, and supplies the service information and the download program included in the PSI to the system controller 101. Note that a plurality of channels are multiplexed in the TS, and the process for selecting an arbitrary channel from among these is data such as which packet ID is multiplexed in the TS from the PSI. It becomes possible by taking it out. Also, the download program itself and the ID for extracting it can be extracted from the PSI. Furthermore, TS selection (transponder selection) can be performed based on PSI information.

  The AV decoder 107 includes a video decoder that decodes video transport packets and an audio decoder that decodes audio transport packets. The video decoder decodes the input variable length code to obtain a quantization coefficient and a motion vector, performs inverse DCT conversion, motion compensation control based on the motion vector, and the like to generate a video signal. The audio decoder generates an audio signal by decoding the input encoded signal. The video signal generated by the AV decoder 107 is output to the video processing circuit 109, and the audio signal is output to the audio processing circuit 111.

  The video processing circuit 109 receives the video signal from the AV decoder 107, performs D / A (digital / analog) conversion, and outputs it to the video output circuit 113 and the AV encoder 117. The video output circuit 113 amplifies the video signal and outputs it to the outside. A display device is connected to the video output circuit 113, and an image is displayed on the display device in accordance with a video signal output from the video output circuit 113. The display device is, for example, a plasma display panel, a liquid crystal display device, or a cathode ray tube (CRT). The audio processing circuit 111 receives an audio signal from the AV decoder 107, performs D / A conversion, generates a right (R) sound analog signal and a left (L) sound analog signal, and outputs an audio output circuit 115 and an AV encoder 117. Output to. The audio output circuit 115 amplifies the audio signal and outputs it to the outside. A speaker is connected to the audio output circuit 115, and sound is output from the speaker in accordance with the audio signal output from the audio output circuit 115.

  The AV encoder 117 receives an analog video signal from the video processing circuit 109 and receives an analog audio signal from the audio processing circuit 111. The AV encoder 117 includes an A / D (analog / digital) converter, a video encoder, and an audio encoder. An analog video signal is input to the video encoder. The video encoder converts the input analog video signal to digital, encodes it according to the MPEG video standard, and outputs the encoded video data to the multiplexer 118.

  The A / D converter receives an analog audio signal. The A / D converter converts an input analog audio signal into digital and outputs it to an audio encoder. The audio encoder encodes the input digital audio signal in accordance with either MPEG / AC3 or linear PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) audio standards, and outputs the encoded audio signal to the multiplexer 118. The multiplexer 118 packetizes the encoded video signal and the encoded audio signal and performs time division multiplexing. The time-division multiplexed data is called MPEG-PS (Program Stream). MPEG-PS is output to the switching unit 119.

  The switching unit 119 receives TS from the DEMAX 105 and receives MPEG-PS from the multiplexer 118. The switching unit 119 receives a control signal from the system controller 101 and outputs either TS or MPEG-PS to the recording device 121 for recording. TS is a variable bit rate, and MPEG-PS is a fixed bit rate. A recording method for recording TS is referred to herein as TS recording, and a recording method for recording MPEG-PS is referred to herein as re-encoding recording. Since the re-encoded recording method records data encoded at a fixed bit rate, the recording capacity required to record in the recording device 121 can be calculated if the time of the program to be recorded is known. . On the other hand, since the recording method of TS recording records data encoded at a variable bit rate, the recording capacity required for recording in the recording device 121 can be accurately calculated from the time of the program to be recorded. Although there is some error, it is possible to predict the recording capacity.

  The recording device 121 is a hard disk unit and is controlled by the system controller 101. The recording device 121 is not limited to a hard disk, but is a flexible disk, an optical disk (MO (Magnetic Optical Disc / MD (Mini Disc) / DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)), an optical card, a mask ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), and an EEPROM (EEPROM). It may be a semiconductor memory, such as an electronically erasable and programmable ROM, etc. The system controller 101 can acquire the free capacity (remaining capacity) of the recording device 121. The recording device 121 is also a system controller. In accordance with a command from 101, TS or MPEG-PS output from switching section 119 is recorded.

  The nonvolatile memory 133 is an EEPROM connected to the system controller 101. The nonvolatile memory 133 records recording reservation information and recording information. The recording reservation information includes at least program identification information for identifying a program for which recording is reserved, recording time, and recording location information. The recording time may be a start time and an end time. The recording information is information relating to the program recorded in the recording device 121.

  The OSD (On Screen Display) display circuit 123 outputs bitmap data based on character information instructed to be output from the system controller 101 to the adder 110. The OSD display circuit 123 outputs an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) screen, an operation guide screen, or a download software selection screen based on service information included in the PSI received by the system controller 101 to the video output circuit 113. The OSD display circuit 123 outputs a recording initial setting screen, a recording reservation setting screen, and a recording file list screen, which will be described later, to the video output circuit 113 and displays them on the display device.

  The remote control transmitter 131 is a transmitter for sending commands to the television receiver 100. When a key provided on the remote control transmitter 131 is operated by the user, signal light (remote control signal) indicating a command corresponding to the key is transmitted from the light emitting unit. The remote control light receiver 129 receives a remote control signal sent from the remote control transmitter 131. The received remote control signal is output to the system controller 101. Thus, the user can input a command to the system controller 101 by operating the remote control transmitter 131.

  The operation unit 135 is a keyboard provided on the front surface of the television receiver 100. When a key provided on the operation unit 135 is operated by the user, a signal indicating a command corresponding to the key is input to the system controller 101. Therefore, the user can input a command to the system controller 101 by operating the operation unit 135.

  The television receiver 100 further includes a power supply circuit 127 for supplying power to the television receiver 100 and a communication I / F 125 for connecting the television receiver 100 to the network 2. The power circuit 127 is connected to a power outlet, and supplies power supplied from the power outlet to the television receiver 100. The power supply circuit 127 supplies power to the system controller 101 and the communication I / F 125 even when the main power supply of the television receiver 100 is in an OFF state. The communication I / F 125 is a communication interface for connecting the television receiver 100 to the network 2. Accordingly, the television receiver 100 can communicate with another television receiver 100A or the computer 200. The television receiver 100, the other television receiver 100A, and the computer 200 are connected via the network 2, but may be directly connected using a serial interface or a parallel interface. The communication I / F 125 uses an interface according to the connection form between the television receiver 100, another television receiver 100 </ b> A, and the computer 200.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a recording initial setting screen. Referring to FIG. 3, the recording initial setting screen is a screen for setting a process when the remaining capacity of recording device 121 is insufficient at the time of recording reservation execution. The following three settings are possible.
(1) Record the remaining capacity. Recording is performed until recording can be performed with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording device 121. In this case, not all the programs are recorded.
(2) Act as a recording agent on a device on the network. In the recording apparatus to which this setting has been made, a substitute recording process described below is executed.
(3) Do not execute recording.

  In the recording system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the television receiver 100 is set to “(2) Record on a network device” on the initial setting screen, the remaining capacity of the recording device 121 is small. Even if it exists, the recording based on the recording reservation is recorded by another recording device. Here, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the recording device 121 of the television receiver 100 has a small remaining capacity, and the user sets the recording reservation by operating the television receiver 100, and the recording reservation is set by the television receiver 100A. In the following, an example of recording is described. Here, for the sake of explanation, the television receiver 100 on which the user performs a recording reservation operation is referred to as a recording reservation setting device, and the television receiver 100A that actually sets the recording reservation and records it is referred to as a substitute recording device.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing functions at the time of recording reservation setting of the system controller. Referring to FIG. 4, system controller 101 of television receiver 100 that is a recording reservation setting device includes reservation setting unit 11, comparison unit 13, and substitute recording instruction unit 15. The reservation setting unit 11 is connected to the OSD display circuit 123 and causes the OSD display circuit 123 to output a recording reservation setting screen. Thereby, the recording reservation setting screen is displayed on the display device.

  When the recording reservation setting screen is displayed on the display device, the user operates the operation unit 135 or the remote control transmitter 131 to input the recording reservation information, and the recording reservation can be set. The reservation setting unit 11 is connected to the remote control light receiver 129 and the operation unit 135, and receives recording reservation information input by the user. Note that an EPG screen may be output to the OSD display circuit 123 in order to specify a program specified by the user on the reservation setting screen. The recording reservation information input to the reservation setting unit 11 is output to the comparison unit 13. The recording reservation information includes at least program identification information (program name) for specifying a program for which recording is reserved, and may include a recording method and image quality. Here, a case where the recording reservation information includes program identification information, image quality, and a recording method will be described as an example.

  Here, the recording reservation setting screen will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a recording reservation setting screen. Referring to FIG. 5, the recording reservation setting screen can specify a program to be reserved for recording, an image quality to be recorded, and a recording method. The program to be reserved for recording is designated by the date of the program, the start time and the end time, and the program name. The image quality to be recorded designates the degree of image quality, and the highest image quality is designated in the figure. As the recording method, either re-encoding recording or TS recording described above is specified. The figure shows an example in which re-encoding recording is designated.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the comparison unit 13 includes a recording capacity calculation unit 14 for calculating a recording capacity required to record a broadcast signal of a program based on the recording reservation information. The recording capacity calculation unit 14 acquires the broadcast time of the program specified from the program identification information, and calculates the recording capacity necessary for recording video and audio for that time. When the recording method included in the recording reservation information is re-encoding recording, an accurate recording capacity is calculated from the bit rate. When the recording method is TS recording, the recording capacity is predicted from the recording time. For example, the recording capacity per time may be determined in advance and the recording capacity may be calculated. The comparison unit 13 detects the remaining capacity of the recording device 121 and compares the detected remaining capacity with the recording capacity calculated by the recording capacity calculation unit 14. Then, the comparison result is output to the substitute recording instruction unit 15.

  The substitute recording instruction unit 15 includes a substitute recording availability check unit 16. If the comparison result input from the comparison unit 13 indicates that the remaining capacity is less than the recording capacity, the substitute recording instruction unit 15 transmits a substitute recording instruction to the substitute recording apparatus. The substitute recording availability investigation unit 16 determines a substitute recording apparatus for transmitting a substitute recording instruction. The proxy recording availability checking unit 16 stores in advance position information on the network 2 such as IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of the television receiver 100A and the computer 200, and the reserved recording information input to the reservation setting unit 11 is stored. Then, the information is transmitted to the television receiver 100A and the computer 200, and the proxy recording availability information is received. The proxy recording availability information is information indicating whether recording based on the recording reservation information is possible. Then, the device that has transmitted the substitute recording availability information indicating that the substitute recording is possible is determined as the substitute recording device. Here, it is assumed that the television receiver 100A is determined to be the substitute recording apparatus. The substitute recording instruction unit 15 transmits the substitute recording instruction to the television receiver 100 </ b> A determined as the substitute recording apparatus, and stores the recording reservation information in the nonvolatile memory 133. The recording reservation information stored here includes program identification information, substitution request information indicating that the substitution recording apparatus has reserved recording, and apparatus identification information for identifying the substitution recording apparatus that has transmitted the substitution recording instruction. Including at least.

  Normally, when recording is performed according to the recording reservation information, the recording information is generated, and the recording information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 133. However, when substitution request information is included in the recording reservation information, the recording reservation setting apparatus generates only the recording information without actually recording the broadcast signal, and stores the recording information in the nonvolatile memory 133. Similar to the recording reservation information, the recording information includes at least program identification information, proxy request information, and device identification information of the proxy recording device.

  The system controller 101 of the television receiver 100 </ b> A that is a substitute recording apparatus includes a reservation setting unit 11, a comparison unit 13, and a recording control unit 17. The reservation setting unit 11 includes a reservation information receiving unit 12. The reservation information receiving unit 12 receives the recording reservation information transmitted from the television receiver 100. The reservation information receiving unit 12 outputs the received recording reservation information to the comparison unit 13.

  The recording capacity calculation unit 14 of the comparison unit 13 calculates the recording capacity required to record the program based on the recording reservation information input from the reservation information receiving unit 12. The comparison unit 13 compares the remaining capacity of the recording device 121 with the recording capacity calculated by the recording capacity calculation unit 14 and outputs the comparison result to the recording control unit 17.

  The recording control unit 17 includes a substitute recording availability transmission unit 18. The proxy recording availability transmission unit 18 transmits the proxy recording availability information to the television receiver 100 according to the comparison result input from the comparison unit 13. The proxy recording permission / inhibition information is proxy recording permission / inhibition information indicating that recording cannot be performed when the comparison result indicates that the remaining capacity is less than the recording capacity.

  In addition, when a substitute recording instruction is received from the television receiver 100, the recording control unit 17 sets the recording reservation by storing the recording reservation information included in the substitute recording instruction in the nonvolatile memory 133. The recording reservation information stored here includes program identification information, proxy recording information indicating that recording is performed by proxy recording instructions from the television receiver 100, and a recording reservation setting device that has transmitted the proxy recording instructions. And device identification information for identifying the device.

  When recording is performed according to the recording reservation information by the television receiver 100A, which is an alternative recording device, a broadcast signal is recorded in the recording device 121 in TS or MPEG-ST. When the recording is completed, recording information is generated, and the recording information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 133. When the recording reservation information includes substitute recording information, the recording information generated corresponding to the recording reservation information is the program identification information, substitute recording information, and device identification of the recording reservation setting device, similarly to the recording reservation information. And at least information.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of substitute recording processing executed in the recording system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6A shows the flow of the recording reservation setting process executed by the recording reservation setting apparatus in which the user sets the recording reservation. FIG. 6B shows the flow of a substitute recording reservation setting process executed by a substitute recording apparatus for which substitute recording is set. Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, television receiver 100 as a recording reservation setting device is in a standby state until a recording reservation is made (NO in step S01), and the recording reservation is made. If there is, the process proceeds to step S02. That is, the recording reservation setting process is a process executed on condition that there is a recording reservation. The recording reservation is determined by detecting that the recording reservation setting screen is instructed by the operation unit 135 or the remote control light receiver 129 and the recording reservation information is input.

  In step S02, the recording capacity is calculated from the input recording reservation information. The time of the program specified from the program identification information included in the recording reservation information is acquired, and the recording capacity necessary for recording video and audio for that time is calculated. When calculating the recording capacity, the calculation method differs depending on the recording method included in the recording reservation information. When the recording method is re-encoded recording, the bit rate is determined from the image quality, and the recording capacity is calculated from the bit rate. When the recording method is TS recording, the recording capacity is calculated from the recording capacity per unit time predetermined for each image quality and the program time.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the calculated recording capacity is smaller than the remaining capacity of the recording device 121 (step S03). If true, the process proceeds to step S12 to record in the recording device 121 of the television receiver 100. If false, the process proceeds to step S04 to perform proxy recording. In step S12, the recording reservation information input in step S01 is stored in the non-volatile memory 133 in order to perform normal recording reservation setting.

  In step S04, it is determined whether or not recording with another device is permitted. This determination is made on the above-described recording initial setting screen whether or not “substitute recording on a device on the network” is set. If it is set to “substitute for recording on a device on the network”, the process proceeds to step S05, and if not, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, an error message is output, and processing is performed according to the setting on the initial setting screen. In other words, when “(1) Record the full remaining capacity” is set on the recording reservation setting screen, the recording reservation information input in step S01 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 133 in order to set the recording reservation. Remember. In this case, recording is performed until the remaining capacity remaining in the recording device 121 can be recorded, and all the programs reserved for recording are not recorded. If “(3) Do not execute recording” is set on the recording reservation setting screen, the processing is terminated.

  On the other hand, in step S05, the recording reservation information is transmitted to the television receiver 100A. Here, with reference to FIG. 6B, the television receiver 100A, which is a substitute recording apparatus, is in a standby state until it receives recording reservation information (NO in step S21), and the recording reservation information is received. Then, the process proceeds to step S22. That is, the substitute recording reservation setting process executed by the television receiver 100A is a process executed on condition that the recording reservation information is received.

  In step S22, the recording capacity is calculated based on the received recording reservation information. This process is the same as the process executed in step S02. Then, it is determined whether or not the calculated recording capacity is smaller than the remaining capacity of the recording device 121 of the television receiver 100A (step S23). If true, the process proceeds to step S24, and if false, the process proceeds to step S26. In step S24, it is determined whether or not the recording reservation information received in step S21 overlaps the recording reservation time already set. If they overlap, the process proceeds to step S26, and if they do not overlap, the process proceeds to step S25. This is because only one program can be recorded at the same time. In step S25, proxy recording enabled information indicating that proxy recording is possible is transmitted to the television receiver 100, and then the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, the process stands by until a substitute recording instruction is received. On the other hand, in step S26, after the proxy recording rejection information indicating that the proxy recording is impossible is transmitted to the television receiver 100, the process is terminated.

  Referring to FIG. 6A again, in step S06, when proxy recording availability information is received, the process proceeds to step S07. In step S07, it is determined whether or not the received substitute recording availability information indicates that substitute recording is possible. If the received alternate recording availability information is the alternate recording availability information, the process proceeds to step S08. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S10. Here, the process proceeds to step S08 in order to receive the proxy recording enabled information from the television receiver 100A.

  In step S10, it is determined whether there is a next recording device. When the proxy recording rejection information is received from the television receiver 100A, the computer 200 is set in the next recording device, the process proceeds to step S05, and the processes in steps S05 to S06 are executed. That is, in the recording reservation setting process executed by the television receiver 100 according to the present embodiment, the device for proxy recording is inquired by transmitting the recording reservation information to the devices connected to the network 2 in order. The device that has transmitted the substitute recording enable information to the device is determined as the substitute recording device. In this case, the recording reservation information is sequentially transmitted to the devices connected to the network 2 to make an inquiry. However, the recording reservation information is transmitted by broadcast, and the substitute recording enabled information is transmitted first. May be determined as an alternate recording apparatus. If it is determined in step S10 that the next recording device does not exist, in other words, if there is no other device for proxy recording, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11 in this case, for example, an error message “Cannot perform substitute recording” is displayed.

  In step S08, a substitute recording instruction is transmitted to the television receiver 100A. Then, the recording reservation information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 133 (step S09). The recording reservation information stored here includes at least program identification information, proxy request information indicating that the television receiver 100A has reserved recording, and apparatus identification information of the television receiver 100A.

  Referring again to FIG. 6B, when a substitute recording instruction is received from the television receiver 100 in step S27, the process proceeds to step S28, and recording reservation information is generated from the program identification information included in the substitute recording instruction. And stored in the non-volatile memory 133. The recording reservation information stored here includes program identification information, proxy recording information indicating that recording is performed in response to a proxy recording instruction from the television receiver 100, and device identification information of the television receiver 100. Including at least.

  In this way, a recording reservation is set in each of the television receiver 100 as a recording reservation setting device and the television receiver 100A as a substitute recording device. When the recording reservation information includes substitution request information, the television receiver 100 that is a recording reservation device does not record a broadcast signal even when the time of the recording reservation information is reached, but generates recording information and stores the recording information in a non-volatile manner. Stored in the memory 133. This recording information includes at least program identification information, substitution request information, and apparatus identification information of the television receiver 100A that is a substitution recording apparatus. Note that the television receiver 100 that is a recording reservation device records a broadcast signal in TS or MPEG-ST at the time of the recording reservation information when substitution request information is not included in the recording reservation information. When recording is completed, recording information is generated, and the recording information is stored in the non-volatile memory 133. This recording information includes at least program identification information and an address of a broadcast signal recorded in the recording device 121.

  On the other hand, the television receiver 100A, which is an alternative recording device, records a broadcast signal in TS or MPEG-ST at the time of the recording reservation information. When recording is completed, recording information is generated, and the recording information is stored in the non-volatile memory 133. When the recording reservation information includes substitute recording information, this recording information is recorded in the program identification information, the substitute recording information, the device identification information of the television receiver 100 that is the recording reservation setting device, and the recording device 121. And at least a broadcast signal address. That is, the recording information is information that associates the program identification information with the recorded broadcast signal. Note that the recording information includes at least the program identification information and the address of the broadcast signal recorded in the recording device 121 when the substitute recording information is not included in the recording reservation information.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a recording file list screen displayed on the recording reservation setting device. The recorded file list screen is a screen for displaying a part of the recorded information stored in the nonvolatile memory 133. Referring to FIG. 7, the recorded file list screen is recorded in another device by program name as program identification information, thumbnail, recording date and time, recording time, image quality, and proxy recording. The proxy request information indicating that is displayed for each recorded program. The thumbnail is an image obtained by reducing the first screen of the program. The proxy request information is expressed by placing a right arrow next to the character string of “substitute recording” and indicates that the video is recorded by the proxy recording device. Note that the recording file list screen shown in the figure does not include device identification information such as the device name of the substitute recording device, but if the device identification information of the substitute recording device is displayed, the device that recorded the program is displayed to the user. I can inform you. The user can input a reproduction instruction for reproducing the program by designating the recorded program (file) on the recording file list screen.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a recording file list screen displayed on the substitute recording apparatus. Referring to FIG. 8, the recorded file list screen displayed on television receiver 100A is divided into three files to which proxy information is added in the recorded file list screen displayed on the recording reservation setting device shown in FIG. Three pieces of corresponding recording information are included. Among the recording information, the thumbnail, the recording date and time, the recording time, and the image quality are the same information as those shown in FIG. 7, but the proxy request information displayed in FIG. Instead, the substitute recording information is displayed. The proxy information is expressed by arranging a character string of “substitute recording” next to the right arrow, and indicates that the recording has been performed in accordance with the proxy recording instruction from the recording reservation setting device. The user can input a reproduction instruction for reproducing the program by designating the recorded program (file) on the recording file list screen.

<Variation of recording reservation setting process>
FIG. 9 is another flowchart showing the flow of the substitute recording process executed in the recording system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing another flow of the recording reservation setting process executed by the recording reservation setting apparatus. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a flow of a substitute recording reservation setting process executed by the substitute recording apparatus. FIG. 9A differs from FIG. 6A in that steps S31 to S35 are executed instead of steps S07 to S10. FIG. 9B is the same as the flow of the proxy recording reservation setting process shown in FIG.

  In step S31, it is determined whether or not the next recording apparatus exists. If it exists, the process returns to step S05, and if not, the process proceeds to step S32. That is, step S05 and step S06 are executed for all devices connected to the network 2. For this reason, at the stage of proceeding to step S32, substitute recording availability information is received from all other devices connected to the network 2, here, the television receiver 100A and the computer 200, respectively. In step S06, in addition to the proxy recording availability information, the remaining capacity of the recording device 121 included in each device and information indicating that another recording reservation exists when the recording reservation overlaps are received.

  In the next step S32, the status of other devices is displayed. The status includes the proxy recording availability information received in step S06, the remaining capacity, and information indicating the other recording reservation if any. Then, the user can select a device that performs substitute recording from the displayed state of the other device. It is determined whether or not the user operates the operation unit 135 or the remote control transmitter 131 to instruct an apparatus to perform substitute recording (step S33). If an alternate recording apparatus is instructed, the process proceeds to step S34, but if not, the process returns to step S32. In step S34, the designated device is set as a substitute recording device, and a substitute recording instruction is transmitted. Then, the recording reservation information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 133 (step S35).

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a recording reservation setting screen displayed on the television receiver. Referring to FIG. 10, it differs from the recording reservation setting screen shown in FIG. 5 in that the status of each device is displayed below. The status of each device indicates the remaining capacity and whether or not substitute recording is possible for each of the device (the unit) for which the user has set a recording reservation and all other devices connected to the network 2. Information. In the figure, the remaining capacity of this unit is “1 hour 30 minutes”, and the recording availability information is “insufficient capacity”. Thereby, a state in which the designated program cannot be recorded is shown. The remaining capacity of the device A connected to the network is “2 hours 30 minutes”, and the recording availability information is “can record”. As a result, a state is shown in which the designated program can be recorded on behalf of the user. For the device B connected to the network, the remaining capacity is “3 hours 30 minutes” and the recording availability information is “There is another reservation”. As a result, a state is shown in which the designated program cannot be recorded by proxy. For the device C connected to the network, the remaining capacity is “6 hours and 10 minutes”, and the recording availability information is “can record”. As a result, a state is shown in which the designated program can be recorded on behalf of the user.

  In this alternative recording process, the user can designate an alternative recording apparatus by looking at the remaining capacity of the recording apparatus 121 of another apparatus.

<Playback>
Next, the reproduction of the broadcast signal recorded in substitution will be described. Here, an operation when the television receiver 100 is operated to reproduce a broadcast signal recorded on behalf of the television receiver 100A will be described. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing functions during playback of the system controller. Referring to FIG. 11, system controller 101 of television receiver 100 includes a recorded information display unit 21, a reproduction instruction input unit 23, a reproduction instruction transmission unit 25, and a broadcast signal reception unit 27.

  The recording information display unit 21 is connected to the OSD display circuit 123, reads the recording information stored in the nonvolatile memory 133, and causes the OSD display circuit 123 to output a recording file list screen. Thereby, the recorded file list screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display device.

  The recorded file list screen is a screen that displays a part of the recorded information, and displays at least program identification information of the recorded broadcast signal. When the recorded file list screen is displayed on the display device, the user can input a reproduction instruction by operating the operation unit 135 or the remote control transmitter 131 and specifying program identification information desired to be reproduced. The reproduction instruction input unit 23 is connected to the remote control light receiver 129 and the operation unit 135, and receives designation of program identification information by the user. When the recording information corresponding to the designated program identification information includes substitution request information, the reproduction instruction input unit 23 outputs the apparatus identification information of the substitution recording apparatus included in the recording information to the reproduction instruction transmission unit 25. To do. Note that the reproduction instruction input unit 23 reads the broadcast signal stored at the address included in the recording information from the recording device 121 when the proxy request information is not attached to the designated file, and the AV decoder 107 To decrypt. Here, it is assumed that the program identification information recorded on behalf of the television receiver 100A is designated.

  The reproduction instruction transmitting unit 25 receives the program identification information and the device identification information of the television receiver 100A that is a substitute recording device. The reproduction instruction transmission unit 25 is connected to the communication I / F 125 and transmits a reproduction instruction to the television receiver 100A. The reproduction instruction includes at least program identification information. This is because it is necessary to specify the broadcast signal recorded in the recording device 121 in the proxy device.

  The broadcast signal receiving unit 27 is connected to the AV decoder 107 and the communication I / F 125, receives a broadcast signal transmitted from the television receiver 100A that is a substitute recording device via the communication I / F 125, and receives the AV signal. Output to the decoder 107. As a result, the substitute-recorded broadcast signal is decoded by the AV decoder 107 of the television receiver 100 and output from the display device and the speaker.

  The system controller 101 of the television receiver 100 </ b> A that is a substitute recording apparatus includes a reproduction instruction receiving unit 31, a power-on unit 35, a broadcast signal transmission unit 33, and a recording information display unit 21.

  The reproduction instruction receiving unit 31 is connected to the communication I / F 125, and a reproduction instruction is input from the television receiver 100. Power is always supplied to the system controller 101 and the communication I / F 125 from the power supply circuit 127, but when the main power supply is OFF, power is not supplied to other circuits, for example, the recording device 121. For this reason, when the reproduction instruction is received, the reproduction instruction receiving unit 31 causes the power-on unit 35 to switch the main power on to supply power to the recording device 121 when the main power is off. Thereafter, the reproduction instruction receiving unit 31 outputs the program identification information included in the received reproduction instruction and the device identification information of the television receiver 100 that has transmitted the reproduction instruction to the broadcast signal transmission unit 33.

  The broadcast signal transmission unit 33 is connected to the recording device 121 and the communication I / F 125, and reads recording information specified by the input program identification information from the nonvolatile memory 1333. And the address of the memory | storage device 121 where the broadcast signal is memorize | stored is acquired from the read video recording information, and a broadcast signal is read from the recording device 121. FIG. Then, the read broadcast signal is transmitted to the television receiver 100 that has transmitted the reproduction instruction via the communication I / F 125.

  The recording information display unit 21 of the television receiver 100A reads the recording information stored in the nonvolatile memory 133 and outputs a recording file list screen to the OSD display circuit 123. Thereby, the recording file list screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display device. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce the substitute recorded broadcast signal by the television receiver 100A alone as the substitute recording apparatus.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of reproduction processing executed in the recording system in the present embodiment. Here, the recording reservation setting apparatus will be described as the television receiver 100, and the substitute recording apparatus will be described as the television receiver 100A. FIG. 12A shows the flow of playback processing executed by the recording reservation setting device, and FIG. 12B shows the flow of proxy playback processing executed by the alternative recording device.

  Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, television receiver 100 is in a standby state until a reproduction instruction is issued (NO in step S41). If there is a reproduction instruction, the process proceeds to step S42. . In other words, the reproduction process is a process executed on condition that there is a reproduction instruction. The determination that there is a playback instruction is made by detecting that the display of the recorded file list screen is instructed by the operation unit 135 or the remote control light receiver 129 and the program identification information is specified.

  In step S42, it is determined whether or not the broadcast signal specified by the instructed program identification information has been recorded by proxy. If it is proxy recording, the process proceeds to step S43, and if not, the process proceeds to step S51. Judgment as to whether or not it is substitute recording is made based on whether or not the recording information specified by the program identification information includes substitute request information. In step S51, the recording information specified by the program identification information is read from the nonvolatile memory 133, and the broadcast signal stored at the address included in the read recording information is read from the recording device 121. Then, the read broadcast signal is decoded and reproduced (step S52). In step S53, it is determined whether or not the reproduction is finished. If the reproduction is not finished, the process returns to step S51, and if the reproduction is finished, the process is finished.

  In step S43, a power supply confirmation signal is transmitted to the television receiver 100A that is a substitute recording apparatus. This is because the broadcast signal cannot be transmitted unless the main power source of the substitute recording device is turned on, and therefore the main power source of the substitute recording device is turned on before the recording reservation setting device sends a reproduction instruction. The transmission destination of the power confirmation signal is specified by the device identification information included in the recording information.

  The power confirmation signal is received by the television receiver 100A, which is an alternative recording device (step S61). The substitute recording apparatus is in a standby state until a power supply confirmation signal is received (NO in step S61), and if a power supply confirmation signal is received, the process proceeds to step S62. In other words, the proxy playback process is a process executed on condition that a signal is received from the recording reservation setting device. In the alternative recording device, it is determined whether or not the main power supply is ON (step S62). If it is ON, the process proceeds to step S64. If not, the process proceeds to step S63. In step S64, a power ON signal is transmitted to the recording reservation setting apparatus, and the process proceeds to step S68. In step S63, a power OFF signal is transmitted to the recording reservation setting apparatus, and the process proceeds to step S65.

  Then, the reservation setting device determines whether or not the main power source of the substitute recording device is ON based on the signal returned from the substitute recording device (step S44). If the main power supply of the substitute recording apparatus is ON, the process proceeds to step S47. If not, the process proceeds to step S45. In step S45, a power-on instruction is transmitted to the substitute recording device.

  The substitute recording apparatus is in a standby state until a power-on instruction is received (NO in step S65). When the power-on instruction is received, the process proceeds to step S66, and the main power is turned on to turn on the power. To do. Then, a power-on completion signal is transmitted to the recording reservation setting device (step S67). The recording reservation setting apparatus is in a standby state until a power-on completion signal is received from the substitute recording apparatus (NO in step S46), and when the power-on completion signal is received, the process proceeds to step S47.

  The recording reservation setting apparatus transmits a reproduction instruction to the substitute recording apparatus (step S47). The substitute recording apparatus is in a standby state until a reproduction instruction is received (NO in step S68), and when the reproduction instruction is received, the process proceeds to step S69. In step S69, the recording information specified by the program identification information included in the recording information is read from the nonvolatile memory 133, and the broadcast signal stored in the address included in the read recording information is read from the recording device 121. Then, the read broadcast signal is transmitted to the recording reservation setting apparatus that has transmitted the reproduction instruction (step S70). In step S71, it is determined whether or not the transmission of the broadcast signal is completed. If the transmission is not completed, the process returns to step S69. If the transmission is completed, the main power is turned off in step S72 and the process is terminated. .

  The broadcast signal transmitted by the substitute recording device is received by the reserved recording setting device (step S48). In the reserved recording setting device, the received broadcast signal is decoded and reproduced (step S49). Then, it is determined whether or not the reproduction is finished (step S50). If finished, the process is finished, and if not finished, the process returns to step S48.

  As described above, the recording system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the television receiver 100 that is a recording reservation setting device connected to the network 2 and the television receiver 100A that is a substitute recording device. When the television receiver 100 that is a recording reservation setting device receives recording reservation information, the television receiver 100 determines that the broadcast signal for the recording time determined by the recording reservation information cannot be recorded with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording device 121. Then, a substitute recording instruction is transmitted to the television receiver 100A which is a substitute recording device. When the television receiver 100A, which is a substitute recording device, receives the substitute recording instruction and determines that the broadcast signal for the recording time determined by the recording reservation information can be recorded with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording device 121, The broadcast signal specified by the program identification information included in the received substitute recording instruction is recorded. For this reason, even when there is no remaining capacity to be recorded in the television receiver 100 which is a recording reservation setting device, a broadcast signal is recorded in the television receiver 100A which is a substitute recording device connected to the network. Can be made. In addition, since the broadcast signal is recorded by the substitute recording device, it is not necessary to transmit the broadcast signal from the recording reservation setting device, and the network can be used effectively. Furthermore, since it is not necessary for the recording reservation setting apparatus to be turned on during recording by the substitute recording apparatus, power consumption can be reduced.

  In addition, the television receiver 100 as a recording reservation setting device displays a recording file list screen that displays a list of recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal, and the recording file list screen is recorded in response to an alternate recording instruction. The proxy request information indicating that is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user that the broadcast signal has been recorded on another recording device.

  In addition, the television receiver 100A, which is a substitute recording device, displays a recording file list screen that displays a list of recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal, and the recording file list screen is received from another recording device. Since the alternate recording information indicating that the recording is performed according to the recording reservation information is displayed, it is possible to notify the user that the recorded broadcast signal is recorded on behalf of another recording device.

  In the above-described embodiment, the television receivers 100 and 100A have been described. However, the recording reservation setting process shown in FIG. 6A or 9A and the reproduction shown in FIG. It goes without saying that the present invention can be understood as a method for causing a computer to execute processing or a substitute recording instruction program.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

<Appendix>
(1) The proxy recording instructing unit of the first recording device transmits the recording reservation information to the second recording device and receives proxy recording availability information indicating whether or not proxy recording is possible. Including recording availability investigation means,
The recording control unit of the second recording device includes a substitute recording availability information transmitting unit that transmits, to the first recording device, alternate recording availability information determined by a comparison result by the comparison unit. Recording system.
(2) The recording system according to claim 2, wherein the substitute recording instruction unit of the first recording apparatus further includes a selecting unit that selects the second recording apparatus from the plurality of recording apparatuses.
(3) When there are a plurality of the other recording devices, the substitute recording instruction unit instructs the recording device that first transmitted substitute recording availability information indicating that substitute recording is possible, to record based on the recording reservation information. The recording device according to claim 3.
(4) The substitution recording instruction means further includes selection means for selecting any one of the recording apparatuses that have transmitted substitution recording availability information indicating that substitution recording is possible when there are a plurality of other recording apparatuses. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
(5) An alternate recording instruction program that is connected to a network and executed by a recording device that can communicate with other recording devices connected to the network,
Inputting a broadcast signal;
Receiving recording reservation information including at least the recording time from the other recording device;
Calculating a recording capacity required to record a broadcast signal for a recording time determined by the received recording reservation information;
Comparing the calculated recording capacity with the remaining capacity;
A substitute recording program for causing a computer to execute a step of recording the input broadcast signal according to the received recording reservation information based on the comparison result.

It is a figure which shows the whole video recording system outline | summary in one of the embodiments of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of a television receiver. It is a figure which shows an example of a video recording initial setting screen. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function at the time of the recording reservation setting of a system controller. It is a figure which shows an example of a recording reservation setting screen. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the substitute video recording process performed with the video recording system in this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the recording file list screen displayed with a recording reservation setting apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the recording file list screen displayed with a substitute recording device. It is another flowchart which shows the flow of the substitute video recording process performed with the video recording system in this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of the recording reservation setting screen displayed on a television receiver. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function at the time of the file reproduction of a system controller. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the reproduction | regeneration processing performed with the video recording system in this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording system, 2 networks, 11 Reservation setting part, 12 Reservation information receiving part, 13 Comparison part, 14 Recording capacity calculation part, 15 Substitute recording instruction | indication part, 16 Surrogate recording availability investigation part, 17 Recording control part, 18 Surrogate recording possibility Transmission unit, 21 Recording information display unit, 23 Playback instruction input unit, 25 Playback instruction transmission unit, 27 Broadcast signal reception unit, 31 Playback instruction reception unit, 33 Broadcast signal transmission unit, 35 Power-on unit, 37 Recording information display unit, 100, 100A television receiver, 101 system controller, 102 antenna, 103 tuner, 105 demultiplexer, 107 AV decoder, 109 video processing circuit, 110 adder, 111 audio processing circuit, 113 video output circuit, 115 audio output circuit, 117 AV encoder, 118 multiplexer, 119 Switching unit, 121 recording device, 123 OSD display circuit, 125 communication I / F, 127 power supply circuit, 129 remote control light receiver, 131 remote control transmitter, 133 non-volatile memory, 135 operation unit, 200 computer.

Claims (10)

A recording system including a plurality of recording devices connected to a network,
Each of the plurality of recording devices is
Broadcast signal input means for inputting a broadcast signal;
Recording means for recording the input broadcast signal;
Reservation setting means for inputting recording reservation information including at least the recording time;
Determination means for determining whether or not a recording signal for a recording time determined by the input recording reservation information can be recorded in the recording means with a remaining capacity remaining in the recording means,
The plurality of recording devices include a first recording device and a second recording device,
The first recording device further includes substitute recording instruction means for instructing the second recording apparatus to perform recording based on the recording reservation information based on a determination result by the determination means,
When the substitute recording instruction is received from the first recording apparatus, the second recording apparatus controls the recording means based on the determination result by the determining means to change the received substitute recording instruction to A recording system further comprising recording control means for recording according to the recording reservation information included. A recording device connected to a network and capable of communicating with other recording devices connected to the network,
Broadcast signal input means for inputting a broadcast signal;
Recording means for recording the input broadcast signal;
Reservation setting means for inputting recording reservation information including at least the recording time;
A recording capacity calculating means for calculating a recording capacity necessary for recording a broadcast signal for a recording time determined by the input recording reservation information on the recording means;
Comparing means for comparing the calculated recording capacity with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording means;
A recording apparatus comprising: a substitute recording instruction means for causing the other recording apparatus to record according to the recording reservation information based on a comparison result by the comparison means.   The substitute recording instruction means transmits substitute recording information to the other recording device, and receives substitute recording availability information indicating whether or not recording according to the recording reservation information is possible. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: A recording information display means for displaying recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal;
The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording information display means includes substitution request information display means for displaying substitution request information indicating that the substitution recording instruction is given by the substitution recording instruction unit and recorded. A playback instruction receiving means for receiving a playback instruction of a broadcast signal recorded in the recording means;
If the broadcast signal instructed to be reproduced is one that has been instructed by the alternate recording instruction unit and recorded, the reproduction request unit that requests the other recording device that has performed the alternate recording of the broadcast signal; The recording device according to claim 3 provided. A recording device connected to a network and capable of communicating with other recording devices connected to the network,
Broadcast signal input means for inputting a broadcast signal;
Recording means for recording the input broadcast signal;
Reservation setting means for inputting recording reservation information including at least the recording time;
A recording capacity calculating means for calculating a recording capacity necessary for recording a broadcast signal for a recording time determined by the input recording reservation information on the recording means;
Comparing means for comparing the calculated recording capacity with the remaining capacity remaining in the recording means;
The reservation setting means includes recording reservation information receiving means for receiving the recording reservation information from the other recording device,
When the recording reservation information is received from the other recording device by the recording reservation information receiving means, the recording means is controlled to record according to the received recording reservation information based on the comparison result by the comparison means. And a recording control means.   The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording control means includes substitute recording availability information transmitting means for transmitting substitute recording availability information determined by a comparison result by the comparison means to the other recording apparatus. A recording information display means for displaying recording information related to the recorded broadcast signal;
The recording information display means includes substitute recording information display means for displaying substitute recording information indicating that recording has been performed according to the recording reservation information received from the other recording device by the recording reservation information receiving means. 6. The recording device according to 6. A playback instruction receiving means for receiving a playback instruction of the broadcast signal recorded in the recording means;
The reproduction instruction receiving means includes a reproduction instruction receiving means for receiving the reproduction instruction from the other recording device,
Broadcast signal transmitting means for transmitting a broadcast signal specified by the playback instruction to the other recording device that has transmitted the playback instruction when the playback instruction is received by the playback instruction receiving means. The recording apparatus according to claim 6. An alternate recording instruction program executed by a recording device connected to a network and capable of communicating with other recording devices connected to the network,
Inputting a broadcast signal;
Inputting recording reservation information including at least the recording time;
Calculating a recording capacity required to record a broadcast signal for a recording time determined by the input recording reservation information;
Comparing the calculated recording capacity with the remaining capacity;
A substitute recording instruction program for causing a computer to execute a step of causing the other recording device to record according to the recording reservation information based on a comparison result by the comparison means.

Images