JP2008092094A - Display controller, display control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to visually grasp the progress status of a broadcast program without preventing the user from viewing this program. <P>SOLUTION: Information is acquired from EPG data, which includes a start time and a finish time of a program received and tuned by a television tuner 11 and under display at present. Further, present time information is acquired from a clock function owned in a broadcast receiver itself. Then, an occupation rate of an elapsed time length between the start time and the present time in a broadcast time band of the program under a display output is obtained as a progress status from the time information, and a progress status indication image of a display mode in which an occupation rate is reflected in a progress bar format is combined to an image in the program under the display output and the combined image is displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast receiving apparatus having a function of receiving a broadcast such as a television broadcast, and a display control to be applied to a component as a display control apparatus that can be mounted on such a broadcast receiving apparatus. With respect to methods. The present invention also relates to a program to be executed by such a display control device.

JP 2000-270276 A JP 2005-175695 A

As a service related to television broadcasting in recent years, EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) data is provided to users. The EPG data is transmitted, for example, in a format superimposed on a broadcast, or uploaded by a server on the Internet. On the user side using a device that receives a television broadcast, the EPG data is transmitted together with the broadcast. EPG data is obtained by receiving or downloading from the Internet. In general, the EPG data obtained in this way is used to display a program guide on the display screen.
As a technique relating to the display output of the program guide using such EPG data, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc., the progress status of the program currently being broadcast on the program guide is shown. There is known one that presents displayable contents.

  However, in practice, for example, when viewing a broadcast program, it is often considered that the user may want to know the progress of the program being viewed. In such a case, in the configuration in which the progress of the program is displayed in the program table as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the program table is displayed from the image of the program that has been viewed so far. You will have to switch to the image. Then, in this case, while the program guide is displayed to know the progress, viewing of the program so far is interrupted, and the user cannot grasp the contents.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention is configured as follows as a broadcast receiving apparatus.

  As a broadcast receiving apparatus having the above-described configuration, for example, a broadcast station is selected for broadcasting to obtain content signals that are video and audio signals. This content signal can be finally output as video and audio, for example, in a broadcast receiving apparatus or externally. In addition, the program start time information and the program end time information about the broadcast program are acquired, and based on these program start time information and program end time information and the current time information, the content signal is currently The progress status of the broadcast program (output program) that is being output is recognized. Then, according to the recognition result, a progress status instruction image, which is an image indicating the progress status, is generated, and the video signal is output to a path that can be displayed and output as an image. That is, the display of the progress status instruction image is performed. As a result, the broadcast receiving apparatus of the present invention displays an image of the output program, and simultaneously displays and outputs an image indicating the progress of the program.

  Thus, according to the present invention, an image showing the progress status is displayed together with an image of a broadcast program that is currently being viewed. That is, while continuously viewing the image of the broadcast program, it is possible to simultaneously grasp the progress of the broadcast program being displayed simultaneously. In other words, for example, it is possible to grasp the progress of the broadcast program while viewing the program without switching from the program image to the electronic program guide image on one display screen, and the convenience is improved accordingly. It is what.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be described. In this embodiment, a broadcast receiving device configured based on the present invention is applied to a DVD recorder. A DVD recorder, for example, an AV (Audio that can record (record) video (and audio) information on a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) obtained by receiving a television broadcast by a tuner function. Video / Audio Visual) equipment.
In addition, the actual DVD recorder 1 handles audio information that is to be reproduced in synchronization with the video information as well as the video information. Here, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, a signal processing system for audio information is used here. The illustration and description of this configuration are omitted.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a DVD recorder 1 according to the present embodiment.
First, the television tuner 11 executes reception channel selection and demodulation processing corresponding to television broadcasting, and inputs a video signal (video signal: content signal) of the selected channel (broadcast station). The data is output to the output processing unit 12. Note that in this case, the television tuner 11 performs an operation as reception by inputting a television broadcast signal in the RF signal format from the signal input terminal 24. Further, the television broadcasting system supported by the television tuner 11 is not particularly limited, but here, it is assumed to be digital broadcasting by terrestrial broadcasting or satellite broadcasting.

  The input / output processing unit 12 is a part for controlling input / output of video signals in the DVD recorder 1 and input / output of video signals between the DVD recorder 1 and external video equipment. The video signal input / output control (path control) in the input / output processing unit 12 will be described later.

The video signal processing unit 13 is necessary for reproducing various video signal data required for recording video signal data on the DVD or HDD 15 and reproducing video signal data read from the DVD or HDD 15. It is provided to execute the required video signal processing. Typical examples of such video signal processing are video compression encoding at the time of recording and demodulation (decompression) processing corresponding to the video compression encoding method at the time of reproduction.
Further, in this case, the video signal processing unit 13 has a so-called OSD (On Screen Display) function, and an OSD processing unit 13a is provided therein correspondingly. The OSD processing unit 13a generates image data (OSD image data) representing an image of a character (including symbols) or an image of a symbol having a predetermined shape, if necessary, and video as the OSD image data. For example, the signal component is synthesized at a predetermined position of the video signal as the main image. As a display image of a video signal subjected to signal processing as such an OSD function, an image portion such as a character or a pattern corresponding to the OSD image data appears to be superimposed on a predetermined position in the main image. . Such display by the OSD function is generally used for visually presenting information necessary for the operation status of the device to the user, for example, display indicating a channel of a broadcasting station, etc. It is done.

The DVD drive 14 can be loaded with a DVD, which is a removable optical disc-shaped recording medium, and can record a video signal transferred as recording data on the loaded DVD. ing. Further, it is possible to read video signal data recorded on the loaded DVD. The read video signal data is transferred to an appropriate functional part as described later, for example, under the control of the control unit 17.
Instead of the DVD drive 14, for example, a drive corresponding to an optical disc-shaped recording medium other than a DVD such as Blu-Ray Disc (trademark) may be provided. It is also conceivable to include a drive corresponding to a removable recording medium including a semiconductor memory element.

As is well known, the HDD 15 includes a magnetic hard disk as a recording medium, and is currently widely used as a storage device that can easily ensure a large capacity. In this case, the video signal transferred as the recording data can also be recorded on the HDD 15. The data stored in the HDD 15 is read out, for example, under the control of the control unit 17 and transferred to the functional part.
The HDD 15 in this case is mainly provided for storing and saving data as a video signal as described above. For example, various programs to be executed by the control unit 17 (CPU) are stored. You can also remember it.

  The network communication unit 16 is a functional part for connecting the DVD recorder 1 to a network. In this embodiment, the network communication function corresponding to Ethernet (registered trademark) is provided.

The control unit 17 includes a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, and executes various control processes related to the DVD recorder 1. To do.
Further, the control unit 17 in this case has a clocking function using, for example, a crystal clock, and a clock unit 17a is shown as corresponding to this clocking function. In the present embodiment, information on the current time measured by the clock unit 17a is actively used as will be described later.

The EPG memory 18 is a part provided for storing and holding EPG data.
EPG data is also referred to as electronic program guide data. Basically, EPG data is used to display and output a program guide image referred to as an electronic program guide to generate an image of the appearance of the program guide. Data. In general, the EPG data is created on the television broadcasting side and is provided to the viewer side.
Currently, EPG data is provided in a manner (method). One method is to superimpose and synthesize the EPG data on a broadcast signal by a predetermined method and transmit it together with a broadcast such as a program. In another system, a server for providing EPG data is provided on the Internet, and EPG data is transmitted (uploaded) in response to a request for EPG data to the server. Is also being built.

For example, in response to the case where EPG data is superimposed (synthesized) and transmitted to a television broadcast, the DVD recorder 1 acquires EPG data to be stored in the EPG memory 18 as follows.
As one method for superimposing EPG data on television broadcasting, it is known to insert EPG data into a vertical blanking period of a video signal. Such a method is also called VBI (Vertical Blanking Information). When acquiring EPG data in correspondence with this method, the television tuner 11 is provided with a configuration capable of detecting, extracting and acquiring EPG data inserted in the vertical blanking period. Is done.
In addition, when the television broadcast is a digital television broadcast, for example, a method of multiplexing the data of a normal broadcast program as data broadcast or additional information and transmitting it as a broadcast is also known. In the case of supporting this method, the television tuner 11 detects a packet in which EPG data is stored, for example, by referring to an identifier indicating the packet content from the packet as a broadcast signal, and from this packet What is necessary is just to comprise so that EPG data may be extracted and acquired.
Further, when the EPG data is to be downloaded and acquired from a server on the Internet, the server is accessed by the communication function of the network communication unit 16 according to the control of the control unit 17 and the EPG data is requested. To be. Since the EPG data is transmitted from the server in response to this request, the DVD recorder 1 receives and acquires the EPG data by the network communication unit 16.
Then, the DVD recorder 1 writes the EPG data obtained by extracting and separating from the broadcast signal as described above or the EPG data received and obtained via the network into the EPG memory 18 under the control of the control unit 17 and stores it therein. Like that.
Actually, the EPG memory 18 may be a RAM or a non-volatile memory (for example, a flash memory) provided in the control unit 17 having a configuration as a microcomputer. Alternatively, a partial storage area of an external memory (RAM or nonvolatile memory) connected so as to be accessible by the control unit 17 (CPU) may be used. If a non-volatile memory is adopted as the EPG memory 18, even if power supply to the DVD player 1 is stopped, EPG data can be stored.

The display unit 19 includes a display screen unit of a relatively small predetermined size that is provided so as to be visible to the user in the main body of the DVD recorder 1, for example. Under the control of the system control unit 24, for example, It is a part where various required contents are displayed corresponding to the operation status of the DVD recorder 1 at that time.
The operation unit 20 collectively shows various operators provided for the DVD recorder 1 and an operation signal output unit that generates an operation information signal corresponding to an operation on the operator and outputs the operation information signal to the control unit 17. Yes. When the DVD recorder 1 is configured to be operated by a remote controller, the remote controller and an operation code signal wirelessly transmitted from the remote controller on the main body side are received, and a control unit is provided as an operation signal. The receiving unit that outputs to 17 is also included in the operation unit 20.
In practice, IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) can be used for data exchange between the devices of the DVD drive 14 and the HDD 15 and other functional units.

Next, the main functional operations that can be executed in the DVD recorder 1 configured with the above-described parts and the operations of the parts corresponding thereto will be briefly described.
First, the most main function of the DVD recorder 1 is a television broadcast recording function including so-called reserved recording.
When recording a television broadcast, a video signal of a channel obtained by receiving and selecting a channel by the television tuner 11 is input to the input / output processing unit 12. In this case, the input / output processing unit 12 forms a signal path so that the input video signal is output to the video signal processing unit 13. The video signal processing unit 13 executes video signal processing for recording on the HDD or DVD on the input video signal. For example, at least compression encoding processing corresponding to the format of the recording medium, recording encoding processing, and the like are executed. When a video signal as recording data processed by the video signal processing unit 13 is designated as a recording destination, for example, in the case of FIG. For example, in actuality (via IDE), the data is written to the HDD 15 and data is written. When a DVD is designated as the recording destination, the data is transferred to the DVD drive 14 (via IDE) and the loaded DVD is recorded. Execute data writing. In this manner, the video signal of the broadcast channel received and selected by the television tuner is recorded on the HDD or DVD. That is, recording is performed.

Further, the sources that can be recorded on the HDD 15 or the DVD are not only the video signals of the broadcast channels received and selected by the television tuner 11 but also the video sources output from the external device can be recorded. .
For example, the input / output processing unit 12 includes a DV terminal 21 so that a digital video signal in a so-called DV format can be input. Also, by providing the analog video input terminal 22, an analog video signal in a predetermined format can be input. For example, in the DVD recorder 1, when a digital video signal input from the DV terminal 21 is selected as a recording source by a user operation or the like, the input / output processing unit 12 receives the digital video input from the DV terminal 21. The signal is output to the video signal processing unit 13. Alternatively, when an analog video signal input from the analog video input terminal 22 is selected as a recording source, the input / output processing unit 12 stores the analog video signal input from the analog video input terminal 22 Is converted into a digital video signal by an A / D converter, which is assumed to be provided in the above, and then output to the video signal processing unit 13. Thereafter, recording is performed on the HDD or DVD after video signal processing for recording is executed in the video signal processing unit 13 in the same manner as described above.

Further, the DVD recorder 1 includes a DV terminal 21 and an analog video output terminal 23, so that it can output a video signal in a digital format and an analog format. In this case, the video source that can be output from the DVD recorder 1 includes a broadcast channel video signal obtained by the television tuner 11, a video signal read out from the HDD 15 and reproduced, and a read out from the DVD drive 14 for reproduction. For example, in practice, a video source selected in response to a user operation is used as a terminal (DV terminal 21 or analog video output terminal 23) selected in response to the user operation. To be output from.
First, when the video signal of the broadcast channel obtained by the television tuner 11 is output to the outside, the input / output processing unit 12 sends the input video signal of the broadcast channel according to an instruction by a user operation or the like. Output is performed from at least one of the DV terminal 21 and the analog video output terminal 23. In this case, the broadcast corresponding to the television tuner 11 is a digital broadcast, and therefore the video signal of the broadcast channel is in a digital format. Therefore, when outputting from the analog video input terminal 22, the input / output processing unit 12 converts the video signal into an analog format.
When a video source recorded on a DVD is reproduced and output as a video signal, the video signal data of the target video source is read from the DVD loaded on the DVD 14 under the control of the control unit 17, for example. Thus, the signal is output to the video signal processing unit 13 via the control unit 17. Similarly, when the video source recorded in the HDD 15 is played back and output as a video signal, the video signal data of the target video source is read from the HDD 15 and passed through the control unit 17. Output to the video signal processing unit 13. Then, the video signal processing unit 13 performs necessary reproduction signal processing such as demodulation processing for recording coding and compression coding on the video signal data read from the DVD or HDD in this way. The input / output processing unit 12 outputs the digital video signal in a predetermined format. The input / output processing unit 12 operates to output the input video signal from at least one of the DV terminal 21 and the analog video output terminal 23 in the same manner as the video signal of the broadcast channel.
Thus, in this embodiment, the video signal is output in the DV format or the predetermined analog format. Then, by connecting the DV terminal 21 and the analog video output terminal 23 on the DVD recorder 1 side to the DV terminal and the analog video input terminal of the external display device, the external display device can connect to the television tuner 11 of the DVD recorder 1. Thus, it is possible to display the video signal of the broadcast channel being selected for reception, the video signal of the video source reproduced from the DVD, or the video signal of the video source reproduced from the HDD 15 as an image. Here, outputting a video signal (video signal) from the DV terminal 21 and the analog video output terminal 23 of the DVD player 1 means outputting the video signal to a path that can be displayed as an image externally. To do. Then, the video signal output operation to the DV terminal 21 and the analog video output terminal 23 can be regarded as an operation to finally display and output a video signal as an image. Thus, hereinafter, the video signal output to the DV terminal 21 and the analog video output terminal 23 is referred to as “display output”.

  Further, as in the case of the DVD recorder 1 of the present embodiment, if the configuration handles two types of media, HDD and DVD, the video from the HDD 15 to the DVD and the DVD to the HDD 15 in the DVD recorder 1. Signal data can be recorded. For this purpose, for example, in the case of recording from the HDD 15 to a DVD, the video signal data to be recorded is read out under the control of the control unit 17 and, if necessary, recorded by the video signal processing unit 13. After performing the recording support process corresponding to the previous DVD, the video signal data may be transferred to the DVD drive 14 to execute the data recording on the DVD.

The DVD recorder 1 acquires EPG data and holds it in the EPG memory 18 as described above. This is performed by the DVD recorder 1 according to the original function of the EPG data. The main purpose is to display and output a program guide.
For example, it is assumed that an operation for displaying and outputting an electronic program guide is performed on the operation unit 20. In response to this operation, the control unit 17 executes a control process for generating a video signal as an electronic program guide and outputting it from the video signal output terminal (DV terminal 21, analog video output terminal 23). That is, the control unit 17 accesses the EPG memory 18 to read EPG data, controls the OSD processing unit 13a in the video signal processing unit 13 based on the content of the read EPG data, and the image content as an electronic program guide Is generated and output as a video signal from the input / output processing unit 12 to the video signal output terminal. As a result, for example, the electronic program guide is displayed on the screen portion of the external display device that receives and displays the video signal output from the video signal output terminal.
For example, the user can know the program organization scheduled to be broadcast after the current time, for example, by viewing the electronic program guide displayed in this way. In general, such an electronic program guide is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen. By operating the electronic program guide, for example, broadcast of a specified program or channel is received and selected, and the video signal is output. be able to. In particular, in the case of the DVD player 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to make a reservation recording setting by a simple operation such as designating a program to be reserved recording using an electronic program guide.

  In the DVD player 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, as a characteristic operation, a video signal of a broadcast channel received and selected by the television tuner 11 is sent to a video signal output terminal (DV terminal). 21, a program (output program) that is being broadcast on the broadcast channel that is being selected for reception by the television tuner 11 during output (ie, display output) from the analog video output terminal 23). ) Is displayed so as to be superimposed on the image displayed and output to the outside at this time. In other words, the image of the program broadcast on the channel that is currently being selected as the main image (background image), so that the progress of the program can be visually grasped The progress status image that is the displayed image is superimposed and displayed. Hereinafter, this point will be described.

First, with reference to FIG. 2, an example of a display mode for a program progress status image according to the present embodiment will be described together with an example of an operation procedure therefor.
For example, it is assumed that the user of the DVD player 1 selects a broadcasting station called “Japan TV” one day by the television tuner 11 and then outputs it to the outside for viewing. To do. Assuming that the time at this time is a little after 21:00 (before 21:30), in Japan TV, the program start time is 21:00 and the program end time is 23 It is assumed that a program titled “Neighborhood”, which is set at 0:00, is being broadcast. Therefore, the image displayed on the display screen 31 such as an external display device, for example, is displayed and output to the outside at this time, so that the program “Neighborhood of the neighborhood” is displayed as shown in FIG. It will be the image of.

  Then, for example, when watching the program “Neighborhood” displayed as shown in FIG. 2 (a) and the time is exactly 21:30, the user can read the program “Neighborhood”. Suppose you want to know the time progress of "Tokoro no Tokoro" and perform an operation to display the progress image of the program. Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, for example, on the lower side of the image of the program “Neighborhood” displayed so far, a progress status indication image 32 indicating the progress status of the program is displayed in a superimposed manner. Is done.

The progress status instruction image 32 indicates the progress status in a so-called progress bar format. That is, in this case, a bar frame 33 whose longitudinal direction is horizontal is first arranged as the progress status instruction image 32, and a bar 34 is arranged in the bar frame 33. In this case, the start end of the bar 34 is the left end portion of the bar frame 33, and the end is the right end portion of the bar frame 33.
In this case, the horizontal length “a” of the entire bar frame 33 corresponds to the broadcast time zone of the program “Neighborhood”. That is, the left end portion of the bar frame 33 indicates the program start time (21:00), the right end portion indicates the program end time (23:00), and the entire bar frame 33 indicates 2 hours. In addition, the elapsed time from the program start time to the current time can be determined by the ratio (ratio) of the area as the length a of the bar 34 displayed in the entire area as the bar frame 33 having the length a. The percentage of the Tokoro broadcast period is shown. In other words, the progress status of the program “Neighborhood” is shown as to how far the program has progressed in terms of broadcasting time at the current time.
In the case of the situation corresponding to FIG. 2B, the program “Neighborhood” is supposed to be broadcast in a two-hour broadcast period from 21:00 to 23:00, and the current time is Since it is 21:30, the elapsed time length from the program start time to the current time is 30 minutes. Accordingly, the progress status at this time is a quarter of 2 hours that is the entire broadcast time zone of the program “Neighborhood”, but the progress status in the progress bar format in FIG. In order to reflect this, the indication image 32 is displayed on the bar 34 with the length b represented by b = a × (1/4). That is, the bar 34 is arranged and displayed in the bar frame 33 so as to occupy a length of ¼ from the left end (start end) and extend to the right.

  If the state where the progress status instruction image 32 is displayed and output together with the image of the program “Neighborhood” as shown in FIG. 2B is continued, the bar 34 in the progress status instruction image 32 is displayed. The length b is changed and displayed so as to become longer as the current time advances as time elapses. For example, if 15 minutes have passed since the state of FIG. 2B and 21:45 has been reached, the bar 34 is 3/8 in the bar frame 33 as the progress state instruction image 32 at this time. That is, the display is extended to the length b corresponding to (= 45/120).

Several triggers for deleting the progress status instruction image 32 displayed on the display screen 31 can be considered. For example, a case where an operation for deleting the progress status instruction image 32 is performed as an operation on the operation unit 20 can be considered. It is also conceivable that the display of the progress status instruction image 32 is automatically deleted when a predetermined time length of, for example, several seconds elapses after the display of the progress status instruction image 32 is started. As for the relationship with channel switching, even if the channel is switched, for example, the display of the progress status instruction image 32 is continued unless any of the above triggers occurs, or when the channel switching is performed. The display of the progress status instruction image 32 so far can be deleted.
As a trigger for erasing the progress status instruction image 32 in the present embodiment, display is continued regardless of whether or not the channel is switched until an erasing operation is performed.

According to the trigger rule for erasing the progress status instruction image, when the channel is switched while the progress status instruction image 32 is displayed, the progress status instruction image 32 continues without being erased. Will be displayed. An example of the display mode in this case is shown by the transition from FIG. 2 (b) to FIG. 2 (c).
Here, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the progress status instruction image 32 is displayed and output together with the image of the program “Neighborhood” at the current time 21:30, the user switches the channel. Suppose you have performed an operation for. In response to this operation, the broadcasting station as the receiving channel is changed to the TSB television, and accordingly, the image of the program to be displayed and output is started by the TSB television as shown in FIG. It will be changed to “Friday's husbands”, which is broadcast in a one-hour broadcast period from 21:00 to 22:00.
In accordance with the change in the program displayed and output in this way, the progress instruction image 32 displayed together with the program “Friday's husbands” is said to be currently being displayed and output. ”Is switched to the content indicating the progress status.
That is, at this time, the start time and end time of the program “To Friday's Husbands” are 21:00 and 22:00, respectively, and the current time is 21:30. In response to this, the bar 34 in the progress status instruction image 32 changes so as to be displayed with the length b indicated by b = a × (1/2).

In this way, in this embodiment, it is assumed that an image of a channel (broadcast station) currently selected by the television tuner 11 and being displayed and output is currently being broadcast by the broadcast station. The program is handled as an image of the program, and is superimposed on the image of the program that is currently being displayed and output, and the progress status of the program that is being displayed and output is displayed. By performing such display, the user can grasp the progress status while viewing the program image without interruption.
For example, as mentioned in the previous patent document, if the configuration is such that the progress of a program that is currently being broadcast on the electronic program guide is shown in some form, the user can watch the program while viewing it. When grasping the progress status, for example, it is necessary to interrupt the image display of the program and switch to the program guide display. Therefore, during the period when the electronic program guide is displayed, the user cannot see the program image, and if he does not want to miss the program, he must give up grasping the progress status. It was inconvenient. This point is eliminated in the present embodiment.
Note that the electronic program guide is also displayed in a superimposed manner with a certain degree of transparency set on the display image of the program. In this case, the program image is also displayed in the electronic program guide. It is difficult to see clearly because it is obscured by the image, and the same problem as above will remain.

In addition, there are already known video recording devices that can display the progress of video content even in the current state. However, what can be executed in such a video recording device is that, for example, when the video content stored in a predetermined medium is reproduced and displayed and output by program recording or the like, This is an operation to display and display the progress of the playback of both. That is, in this case, the display is performed so as to indicate the current playback time in the total recording time of the video content that is assumed to be during playback output, and the total recording time of the video content necessary for this is displayed. Is already secured in the medium when the recording on the medium is completed.
On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, it is necessary to acquire information on the start time and end time of a program that is currently broadcast in real time. However, these pieces of information cannot be read and acquired from media or the like as described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, EPG data is used. In this way, the present embodiment grasps the progress by acquiring necessary information with a technical configuration different from that for displaying the progress of the recorded content being played back by the video recording device so far. The progress status instruction image is displayed and output.
Also, for example, some users who frequently use the operation to display and output the progress status when playing the recorded content with a video recording device have become accustomed to such an operation. Even when watching a program of John Broadcasting, it seems that there may be some inconvenience that somehow it seems that the user wants to perform such an operation to display the progress status. The DVD player 1 of the present embodiment can eliminate such dissatisfaction felt by the user, for example.

Next, an example of a technical configuration for realizing the display of the progress status instruction image 32 according to the present embodiment described with reference to FIG. 2 will be described.
As can be understood from the above description, the length of the bar 34 in the progress status indication image 32 is determined in the broadcast time zone determined by the start time and end time of the program being output. It becomes the occupation rate of the elapsed time length from the time to the current time. Therefore, for the normal display of the progress status instruction image 32, information on the current time and information on the start time and end time of the program being output are necessary as time information.
The current time information may be obtained by taking in the value of the current time measured by the clock unit 17a in the control unit 17. The current time information acquired in this way is shown in FIG. 5, for example. This figure shows an example of the contents of the current time information obtained at the time of 21:30 shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, for example. In this case, the current time information Is expressed by date, hour, and minute, rounded down to the second. Of course, the current time information may include seconds, but the current time information in this case is used for the progress status instruction image 32 shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C. There is no need for such precise time information. In other words, even if the display is performed such that the length of the bar 34 is changed in units of seconds, it seems that it is difficult to visually recognize the change in units of seconds in the normally considered display screen size. Therefore, here, the second unit is omitted.
Then, with respect to the current time information, information on the start time and end time for the program being displayed and output is acquired from the EPG data held in the EPG memory 18.
As described above, the EPG data has information necessary for displaying the electronic program guide. For example, as a specific example of a part of the EPG data, those corresponding to the programs “Neighborhoods” and “Friday husbands” which are supposed to be being displayed and output in FIGS. These are shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in the EPG data, information items corresponding to one program include broadcast station, broadcast date, start time, end time, genre, title, detailed information, appearance. And so on.
In the case of FIG. 6 (a), the broadcast station indicates “Japan Television”, the broadcast date indicates August 25, 2006, the start time indicates 21:00, and the end time indicates 23:00. Show. Further, the genre indicates the genre of the content as the program, and here indicates “animation (animation)”. The title indicates the program name, and in this case, “Neighborhood”. In addition, although specific information content examples are omitted, the detailed information item stores data describing the content as a program commentary, and the performer item appears in the program. Data indicating the names of performers to be performed is stored. Regarding FIG. 6 (b), although the explanation by the description here is omitted, in relation to the program “To Friday's husbands”, for example, data of appropriate contents in the same items as in FIG. 6 (a), Information is stored.
In this way, as a substantial structure of the EPG data, information in units of programs formed by a set of predetermined items as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B is further gathered for each program scheduled to be broadcast. To be formed. For example, an electronic program guide is created and displayed using such information items. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the start time and end time of the program, which are essential as information items for each program in the EPG data, are used as the start time and end time information for the progress status instruction image 32. To be used as.

  Next, an example of a procedure for acquiring EPG data by the DVD player 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The procedure example shown in this figure is a process realized by executing a program stored in the ROM or HDD 15 that is assumed to be provided in the same control unit 17 by a CPU that is provided in the control unit 17. It can be seen that there is. The same is true for the flowchart of FIG. 4 described later.

During the operation of the DVD player 1, the processing procedure shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing.
In FIG. 3, first, in step S101, it is determined whether or not EPG data is held in the EPG memory 18 with the normal format contents. For example, the EPG data held in the EPG memory 18 does not exist for some reason, or even if the EPG data is held, it is not normal because at least a part is destroyed for some reason. It cannot be denied as a possibility that there is such a case. Still further, the current time is from the start time to the end time for the program that is currently being displayed and output in the EPG data because the program that is currently being displayed and output is temporarily extended. It is also possible that the situation will be out of the time zone. Therefore, in step S101, this point is checked.
If it is determined in step S101 that the EPG data is not normally held and a negative determination result is obtained, the process proceeds to a process for newly acquiring EPG data in step S102.

  When the EPG data is newly acquired in step S102, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the television tuner 11 converts the EPG data transmitted by superimposing and synthesizing the broadcast signal by a predetermined method. The control unit 17 executes control for extracting and acquiring the data and transferring the data to the EPG memory 18 for storage. Alternatively, the control unit 17 controls the network communication unit 16 to access a server uploading EPG data on the Internet and request EPG data. In response to this request, EPG data is returned from the server to the network communication unit 16 of the DVD player 1, so the control unit 17 stores the EPG data received and acquired by the network communication unit 16 in the EPG memory. 18 to be stored and held.

When a positive determination result is obtained in the previous step S101, the process proceeds to step S103.
In step S103, it is determined whether or not the EPG data currently held in the EPG memory 18 is the latest.
For this purpose, for example, information indicating the newness of EPG data (version information) included as additional information in the structure of EPG data is referred to. Such version information is incremented every time the content of EPG data is updated, for example. Therefore, for example, first, only the version information is extracted and acquired from the EPG data currently transmitted along with the broadcast or the EPG data currently provided that is supposed to be uploaded to the server. The version information of the EPG data held in the memory 18 is compared to determine which is newer. If it is determined that the version information of the EPG data held in the EPG memory 18 is the same as or larger than the version information of the EPG data being provided, the version information is held in the EPG memory 18. Assuming that the EPG data is the latest, a positive determination result is obtained in step S103. In this case, for example, the routine shown in this figure is once exited without executing any particular process, and the procedure from step S101 is repeated at a predetermined timing.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the version information of the EPG data held in the EPG memory 18 is smaller than the version information of the currently provided EPG data, in step S103, the EPG data held in the EPG memory 18 is displayed. A negative discrimination result is obtained assuming that the data is not up-to-date. In this case, in step S103, new EPG data is acquired, and the content of the EPG data held in the EPG memory 18 is rewritten to obtain the latest content. After that, the process shown in this figure is temporarily exited, and the process returns to step S101.

Next, an example of the procedure of the control process that is executed by the control unit 17 to display the progress status instruction image 32 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S <b> 201, the operation unit 20 waits for an instruction operation for starting display of the progress status instruction image 32 as an operation on the operation unit 20, and instructs the display of the progress status instruction image 32 here. When it is determined that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to a procedure for displaying and outputting the progress status instruction image 32 in and after step S202.

In step S202, information on the start time and end time is read from the EPG data stored in the EPG memory 18 for a program that is currently selected by the television tuner 11 and is currently being displayed and output. get.
At the same time, in the next step S203, the current time information is acquired from the clock unit 17a. This current time information is assumed to have the structure illustrated in FIG. 5, for example.

Next, in step S204, the control unit 17 uses the information on the start time and end time of the program being displayed and acquired in step S202 and the information on the current time acquired in step S203 to display and output. As the progress status of the program in the middle, the ratio (occupancy rate) occupied by the passage of time from the start time to the current time is calculated for the broadcast time zone (start time to end time) of this program.
For this purpose, for example, the occupation rate is RateOP, the current time is Tpre, the start time is Tstt, and the end time is Tend.
RateOP = (Tpre−Tstt) / (Tend−Tstt) (Equation 1)
It is made to ask for. That is, the elapsed time length (Tpre-Tstt) from the start time of the program to the current time is divided by the time length (Tend-Tstt) as a broadcast time zone.
For example, as an actual example, in the case of the program “Neighborhood” shown in FIG. 2B, the current time Tpre is 21:30, the start time Tstt is 21:00, and the end time Tend is 23:00. Substituting this into (Equation 1) results in Tpre-Tstt = 30 (minute) and Tend-Tstt = 120 (minute), so RateOP = (30/120) = 1/4 = 0.25 Become. That is, the progress status of the temporal program is obtained in step S204 as 25%.
For confirmation, the RateOP obtained by (Equation 1) is not necessarily divisible within the range of the effective digits, but in this case, it is determined according to a predetermined rule. The approximate value may be RateOP.

Then, in the next step S205, for example, a process for superimposing the progress status instruction image 32 shown in FIG. 2B on the display image of the program and outputting it is executed.
For this purpose, first, on-screen image data as the progress state instruction image 32 is created. At this time, the bar 34 which is an image part to be displayed over the image part as the bar frame 33 is displayed. The length (that is, the progress status) is obtained in the following manner using the value of the occupation rate RateOP obtained in step S204.
Here, first, N is the total number of segments corresponding to the length a (horizontal direction) length a of the image of the bar frame 33. The segment here refers to a unit section when the length of the bar 34 is varied in the bar frame 33. Therefore, the total number of segments N indicates the number obtained by dividing the bar frame 33 by this unit section, in other words, the length of the bar 34 with respect to the length a of the bar frame 33 as the progress status. Indicates the resolution for expressing the ratio. For example, if N = 100, it can be considered that the longitudinal direction of the image of the bar frame 34 is formed by an array of 100 segments.
The length of the image part of the bar 34 displayed in the bar frame 33 is obtained from the number of segments (the number of occupied segments) that the bar 34 occupies in the bar frame 33 according to the value of RateOP. . In other words, using the occupied rate RateOP and the total number of segments N, where the number of occupied segments is Seg,
Seg = RateOP × N ... (Formula 2)
It calculates | requires by the formula represented by. Note that the number of occupied segments Seg may be approximated in the same manner as the occupation rate RateOP.
Then, the control unit 17 generates the image part data of the bar 34 formed according to the occupied segment number Seg obtained by the above equation 2, and the image of the image superimposed on the image part as the bar frame 33 is generated. To generate data. Then, the image of the progress status instruction image 32 formed in this way is output from the television tuner 11 so as to be arranged at a position as shown in FIG. The image data (video signal component) of the progress state instruction image 32 is synthesized with the video signal to be processed.
As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the generation of the image data having the image content as the above-described progress status instruction image 32 and the process of combining this image data with the video signal output from the television tuner 11 are performed. The OSD processing unit 13a in the video signal processing unit 13 executes. The control unit 17 performs control for causing the OSD processing unit 13a to execute the graphic processing and the video signal processing. By such control and processing as step S205, for example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the progress state instruction image 32 corresponding to the program is displayed superimposed on the program image being displayed and output. It will be.

  In step S206, the process waits for a channel switching operation. When it is determined that there is no channel switching operation, the progress status instruction image 32 displayed so far is further displayed in step S208. The system waits for an instruction operation to delete the. If it is determined in step S208 that an operation for instructing deletion of the progress status instruction image 32 is not performed, the process returns to step S202. In other words, once the progress status instruction image 32 is displayed, the steps S202 to S205 are repeated unless a channel switching operation and a progress status instruction image erasing operation are performed. In this process, the current time acquired in step S203 also changes as time progresses and passes. Then, based on the current time, the progress status (RateOP) is calculated again in step S204, and the progress status instruction image 32 is generated and combined and displayed in step S205. That is, it is realized that the bar 34 of the progress state instruction image 32 is extended as time progresses.

In addition, the procedure from step S203 to S205 is not repeated when the length of the bar 34 of the progress status instruction image 32 is changed and displayed according to the progress of the current time as described above. The procedure from step S202 to S205 is repeated. In other words, the start time and end time of the program being displayed and output are acquired every time, and this has the following meaning.
For example, the broadcast time zone of a program may be changed from the original schedule, such as when the broadcast time is extended during the broadcast of a sports broadcast program or the like (the end time is extended). Although it depends on the response of the EPG data providing side, EPG data can be provided by updating its contents so as to reflect the change of the broadcasting time zone as described above. In the present embodiment, when the EPG data is updated on the providing side by the EPG data acquisition procedure shown in FIG. 2, the updated EPG data can be quickly acquired and held in the EPG memory 18. It is possible. The acquisition source of the start time and end time information in step S202 is EPG data held in the EPG memory 18 so as to be updated as needed.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the procedure of step S202 is included in continuing the display of the progress state instruction image 32, so that the EPG data providing side immediately sends the EPG data in response to the change of the broadcast time zone. As long as it is updated and provided, it is possible to display the bar 34 having a length reflecting the change of the broadcast time zone (end time) even in the progress status instruction image 32 for the same program. Become. For example, for the user, such a function shows an accurate progress status regardless of the change of the broadcast time zone, and also allows visual confirmation that the broadcast time zone has changed. It will be useful.

  If a positive determination result is obtained in step S206 that the channel switching operation has been performed, control for channel switching is executed in step S207. That is, the television tuner 11 performs control so that the designated channel (broadcast station) is selected. As a result, first, the image of the program to be displayed and output is switched to that of the program being broadcast at that time in the channel after being switched in step S207. And after performing the procedure of step S207, it returns to the procedure of step S202.

  In step S202, which is executed first after the processing in step S207, information on the start time and end time of the program that is being broadcast on the channel after switching in step S207 is acquired again. In addition, the following steps S203, S204, and S205 are executed. As a result, the image displayed on the display screen 31 includes the broadcast time zone and the current time of the program that is currently broadcast on the channel, together with the image broadcast on the channel switched according to the user operation. The progress indication image 32 having the length of the bar 34 determined by the above is switched to the displayed content. That is, display switching as shown as a transition from FIG. 2B to FIG. 2C is realized.

  If it is determined in step S208 that an operation for instructing deletion of the progress status instruction image has been performed at a certain time, the progress status instruction image 32 displayed so far is deleted in step S209. To be done. For this purpose, for example, generation of on-screen image data as a progress status instruction image that has been executed so far in the OSD processing unit 13a, and synthesis of data of the progress status instruction image with a video signal output from the television tuner 11 are performed. Stop processing.

  The program for causing the control unit 17 (CPU) to execute the process shown in FIG. 4 and the process shown in FIG. 3 is, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM (or a flash memory) provided in the control unit 17. (It may also be a memory), or it is written and stored in a storage device such as the HDD 15 at the time of manufacture or the like, and is stored in a removable storage medium and then installed from this storage medium. It can be considered that the data is stored in a storage device in the player 1. It is also conceivable that the data is stored in a storage device such as a server on the network and then downloaded from the server using the function of the network communication unit 16 and installed in a predetermined storage device. .

By the way, in the description so far, the progress state instruction image 32 is in the progress bar format. It can be said that this is designed to be more sensual when visually grasping the progress by adopting a graphic design. However, under the concept of the present invention, for example, if it is displayed so that the temporal progress of a broadcast program that is currently being displayed and output (during reception tuning) can be visually grasped, the progress The display mode as the situation instruction image is not particularly limited.
Therefore, as another display mode example of the progress status instruction image, an example in which the occupation rate of the elapsed time length from the start time to the current time in the program broadcasting time zone as the progress status is displayed by letters and numbers is shown in FIG. Shown in Depending on the user, as shown in FIG. 7, it may be preferable that the progress status instruction image is displayed with letters and numbers because, for example, it is felt that the progress status of the program is more accurate. It is thought that there are many.

Here, FIGS. 7A and 7B assume that the same program as that shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C is displayed and output at the same current time (21:30). . Therefore, in the case of FIG. 7A, the progress status is 1/4 (25%) with respect to the program broadcast time zone, and in the case of FIG. 7B, the program broadcast time. That is 1/2 (50%) of the band. Correspondingly, in the case of FIG. 7A, the progress status of the program is displayed at the current time by displaying the progress status instruction image 32A as, for example, “25% of the progress status”. The user recognizes that it is 25%. Similarly, in the case of FIG. 7B, the progress status instruction image 32A is displayed as “progress status 50%” so that the progress status is recognized as 50%. It is what.
As described above, as a process for displaying the contents of the progress status instruction image with letters and numbers, a number indicating the value of the occupation rate RateOP obtained in the previous step S204 in step S205 of FIG. The OSD processing unit 13a is controlled so as to execute a process of generating on-screen image data such as required characters including characters and the like and synthesizing it with a video signal output from the television tuner 11. What is necessary is just to comprise.

Here, another display mode example for the progress status instruction image (32, 32A) as the present embodiment will be described.
2B and 2C, for example, with respect to the graphical display progress status instruction image 32, for example, the start end (left end) and the end (of the bar frame 33 shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C) It is conceivable that the broadcast start time and the end time are displayed by letters and numbers in correspondence with the positions on the right end). Further, it is conceivable that the current time is also displayed by letters and numbers corresponding to the position of the tip of the bar 34.
In addition, the progress status instruction image 32 is formed by the bar frame 33 and the bar 34. The design, such as the color, the pattern, and the shape of the outer frame, is appropriately changed. I do not care. For example, in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the bar frame 33 and the bar 34 are continuous in the longitudinal direction. However, as is often the case, the segments may be continuously arranged. Good.
2 (b) and 2 (c), the bar frame 33 has an arrangement mode in which the longitudinal direction is horizontal, but may be an arrangement mode in which the longitudinal direction is vertical, for example. Furthermore, it is also possible to use a progress state instruction image in a form like a pie chart instead of a bar format.
In addition, regarding the progress status instruction image 32A by the display of letters and numbers as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, for example, it is a character shape (font shape), or other than the numeric characters as the progress status. The design may be changed as appropriate, such as whether to add a comment character, design, icon, or the like.
Further, as the relationship between the progress status indication image by the graphical display and the progress status indication image by the letters and numbers, for example, only one of them may be adopted as the progress status indication image that can be displayed by the DVD player 1. It is good also as employ | adopting this progress condition instruction image. In the case of adopting both, for example, both the progress status instruction images may be displayed and output at the same time, for example, in response to a user operation or automatically switched every predetermined time, Either one of the progress status instruction images may be displayed.
Furthermore, it is also possible to display the progress status on a display unit such as the main body of the DVD player 1 separately from the display screen on which the main image is displayed.

Further, the present invention should not be limited to the configuration as the embodiment described so far, except for the display mode of the above-described progress status instruction image.
For example, the signal processing configuration for the OSD function for superimposing and displaying the progress status instruction image on the main image should not be limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, in correspondence with FIG. 1, it may be possible to adopt a configuration in which an OSD function for superimposing and displaying a progress state instruction image is provided in a functional part as the television tuner 11 or the input / output processing unit 12. .
In the above embodiment, the configuration of the broadcast receiving device based on the present invention is applied to a DVD recorder. However, for example, other types of recording devices may be used. Further, it is very useful when applied to a television receiver or the like as a device having a function of receiving and selecting the same television broadcast. In the case of a television receiver, the “path through which a content signal can be output as an image and / or sound” as used in the present invention is a video signal (content signal) obtained by tuning with a television tuner. ) Corresponds to the signal path for displaying as an image on the display. Furthermore, in recent years, mobile phone devices, personal computers, and the like have a television broadcast receiving function, and therefore can be applied to these devices.
Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a broadcast receiving apparatus that receives and selects a radio broadcast. That is, the broadcast receiving apparatus is provided with a function of selecting a certain broadcast station from the radio broadcast, reproducing and outputting the sound, and a function of acquiring and holding EPG data related to the radio broadcast. Then, the progress status of the radio program that is currently outputting audio is determined based on the program start / end time information and the current time information in the EPG data, and an image indicating the determined progress status is displayed on the external terminal. Accordingly, the video signal is output as a video signal or displayed on a display unit included in the broadcast receiving apparatus.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the DVD recorder as embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display mode of the progress condition instruction | indication image as embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence for acquiring EPG data. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence for displaying and outputting the progress condition instruction | indication image of embodiment. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing an example of contents of current time information acquired for display output of a progress situation directions picture. It is a figure which shows the example of the content corresponding to one program part in EPG data. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display mode about the progress condition instruction | indication image as embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 DVD recorder, 11 Television tuner, 12 Input / output processing part, 13 Video signal processing part, 14 DVD drive, 15 HDD, 16 Network communication part, 17 Control part, 18 EPG memory, 19 Display part, 20 Operation part, 31 Display screen, 32 progress indicator image, 33 bar frame, 34 bar

Claims (6)

Content signal acquisition means for selecting a broadcast that is organized based on a program and acquiring a content signal that is a video and / or audio signal of the selected broadcast station;
Content signal output means for outputting the content signal acquired by the content signal acquisition means to a path that can be output as an image and / or sound;
Program start / end time information acquisition means for acquiring program start time information indicating the start time of the program and program end time information indicating the end time of the program, which is information provided from outside by a predetermined providing method ,
Current time information acquisition means for acquiring current time information which is information indicating the current time;
The progress of the output program during the broadcast time, which is the program that is currently acquired by the content signal acquisition means and that corresponds to the content signal being output by the content signal output means, Progress status recognition means for recognizing based on the program start time information and program end time information for the output program acquired by the end time information acquisition means and the current time information acquired by the current time information acquisition means; ,
A progress status image generating means for generating a video signal of a progress status instruction image which is an image in a predetermined mode indicating the progress status recognized by the progress status recognition means;
A progress status instruction image output means for outputting a video signal of the progress status instruction image generated by the progress status image generation means to a path capable of being output as an image;
A broadcast receiving apparatus comprising: The progress status image generation means includes:
Regarding the progress status instruction image, an area of a ratio that is occupied from the start time of the output program to the current time is shown in the entire area having a predetermined shape with the start / end times of the output program as start / end positions, respectively. Generate a video signal so that it becomes a display mode,
The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1. The progress status image generation means includes:
About the progress status instruction image, in a time length from the start time to the end time of the output program, in a display mode including a character number indicating a ratio that the start time of the output program is occupied to the current time, Generate video signal,
The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1. The progress recognition means is
When the broadcasting station to be selected for reception is switched by the receiving means, the program that is currently being broadcast at the broadcasting station that has been switched is recognized as the output program, and the progress status is recognized. To be run,
The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1. A content signal acquisition procedure for acquiring a content signal that is a video and / or audio signal of the selected broadcast station by executing a channel selection for a broadcast that is organized based on a program;
A content signal output procedure for outputting the content signal acquired by the content signal acquisition procedure to a path that can be output as an image and / or sound;
Program start / end time information acquisition procedure for acquiring program start time information indicating the start time of the program and program end time information indicating the end time of the program, which is information provided from outside by a predetermined providing method ,
Current time information acquisition procedure for acquiring current time information, which is information indicating the current time;
The progress of the output program during the broadcast time, which is the program that is currently acquired by the content signal acquisition procedure and is associated with the content signal being output by the content signal output procedure, A progress recognition procedure for recognizing based on program start time information and program end time information for the output program acquired by the end time information acquisition procedure and current time information acquired by the current time information acquisition procedure; ,
A progress status image generation procedure for generating a video signal of a progress status instruction image which is an image of a predetermined mode indicating the progress status recognized by the progress status recognition procedure;
A progress status instruction image output procedure for outputting a video signal of the progress status instruction image generated by the progress status image generation procedure to a path that can be output as an image;
The display control method characterized by performing. A content signal acquisition procedure for acquiring a content signal that is a video and / or audio signal of the selected broadcast station by executing a channel selection for a broadcast that is organized based on a program;
A content signal output procedure for outputting the content signal acquired by the content signal acquisition procedure to a path that can be output as an image and / or sound;
Program start / end time information acquisition procedure for acquiring program start time information indicating the start time of the program and program end time information indicating the end time of the program, which is information provided from outside by a predetermined providing method ,
Current time information acquisition procedure for acquiring current time information, which is information indicating the current time;
The progress of the output program during the broadcast time, which is the program that is currently acquired by the content signal acquisition procedure and is associated with the content signal being output by the content signal output procedure, A progress recognition procedure for recognizing based on program start time information and program end time information for the output program acquired by the end time information acquisition procedure and current time information acquired by the current time information acquisition procedure; ,
A progress status image generation procedure for generating a video signal of a progress status instruction image which is an image of a predetermined mode indicating the progress status recognized by the progress status recognition procedure;
A progress status instruction image output procedure for outputting a video signal of the progress status instruction image generated by the progress status image generation procedure to a path that can be output as an image;
Is executed by the display control apparatus.

Images