JP2009111468A - Broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a broadcast receiver capable of receiving analog broadcast and digital broadcast which is capable of preventing the degradation of operability after wave stop of analog broadcast and allows viewing analog broadcast as long as analog broadcast continues. <P>SOLUTION: Channels capable of being received are stored in a channel memory 104, and a CPU 101 acquires time information multiplexed with a digital broadcast signal by performance of an acquisition program 105a and determines whether the current time is past a predeterminate end date of analog broadcast or not on the basis of time information acquired by performance of a first determination program and, when the current time is past the predeterminate end date of analog broadcast, searches for channels capable of being received of digital broadcast and analog broadcast by performance of a first search program 105c and updates the channel memory 104 by performance of an update program 105d. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast receiver capable of receiving analog broadcasts and digital broadcasts.

  Currently, digital broadcasting and analog broadcasting are mixed in television broadcasting services, and broadcast receivers having a function of receiving both digital broadcasting and analog broadcasting are widely used. However, in the future, analog broadcasting is scheduled to end at a certain time determined for each region. Therefore, in a broadcast receiver capable of receiving digital and analog broadcasts, an unnecessary function for analog broadcast signal processing remains after the analog broadcast ends.

  Therefore, for example, a broadcast recording / playback apparatus in which the power supply to the analog broadcast reception processing unit is stopped by switching the switch after the analog broadcast is stopped, and the function related to the analog broadcast is also invalidated. Is known (see Patent Document 1). Further, for example, when the user selects off of the analog broadcast related function on the menu screen, the analog broadcast related function is invalidated, and the analog broadcast digital broadcast shared receiver in which the menu display content is changed to digital only is known. (See Patent Document 2). In the above Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of unnecessary devices after the analog broadcast is stopped, and at the same time, the user skips the analog broadcast channel after the analog broadcast is stopped. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is possible to omit an unnecessary operation for the purpose and an erroneous operation such as selecting an analog broadcast, and to prevent a decrease in operability.

  However, in the devices disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the user himself / herself grasps that analog broadcasting has ended, and performs a predetermined operation such as switching a switch or selecting off of an analog broadcast-related function on a menu screen. There is a problem that it takes time and effort. In addition, if the user does not know the end of the analog broadcast, the program is not displayed even if the analog broadcast channel is switched after the analog broadcast is stopped, which may cause confusion for the user.

Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 3, a message is displayed so as to shift to a digital broadcast channel so that a conventional program can be viewed even after the analog broadcast is stopped at the end of analog broadcast, or analog There has been proposed a broadcast receiving device having a function of automatically shifting to a digital broadcast channel that performs simulcast of the same program as the broadcast channel.
JP 2006-108974 A JP 2007-208783 A JP 2004-320449 A

  In the broadcast receiving apparatus of Patent Document 3, when there is a digital broadcast that performs simulcast, the user is informed that there is a digital broadcast even before the analog broadcast is stopped, and before the analog broadcast ends. There is a case to shift to digital broadcasting. In such a case, for example, if any trouble occurs in the reception function of the digital broadcast after shifting to the digital broadcast, the desired digital broadcast cannot be viewed. And even if the analog broadcast simulcast continues, it is not possible to easily switch to the analog broadcast channel, resulting in a disadvantage for the user.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent deterioration in operability after stopping analog broadcasting in a broadcast receiver capable of receiving analog broadcasting and digital broadcasting, and as long as analog broadcasting continues, analog broadcasting It is to provide a broadcast receiver that can watch TV.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a broadcast receiver capable of receiving a digital broadcast signal and an analog broadcast signal.
Storage means for storing receivable channels;
Acquisition means for acquiring time information multiplexed on the digital broadcast signal;
Based on the time information acquired by the acquisition means, a determination means for determining whether the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting;
Search means for searching for receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channels when the determination means determines that the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcast;
Updating means for updating the storage means based on a search result by the search means;
It is characterized by providing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the broadcast receiver according to the first aspect, a second determination for determining whether or not an analog broadcast channel remains based on the storage means updated by the update means. Means,
Second search means for searching for a receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channel when it is determined by the second determination means that an analog broadcast channel remains;
It is characterized by providing.

The invention according to claim 3 is a broadcast receiver capable of receiving a digital broadcast signal and an analog broadcast signal.
Storage means for storing receivable channels;
Acquisition means for acquiring time information multiplexed on the digital broadcast signal;
Based on the time information acquired by the acquisition means, a first determination means for determining whether or not the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting;
After the first determination means determines that the current time has passed the scheduled end date and time of the analog broadcast, the digital broadcast and the analog broadcast that can be received when the broadcast receiver is first put into a standby state. A first search means for searching for channels of
Updating means for updating the storage means based on a search result by the first search means;
Second judgment means for judging whether or not an analog broadcast channel remains in the storage means every time a predetermined time has elapsed after updating by the updating means;
And a second search means for searching for a receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channel when the second determination means determines that an analog broadcast channel remains.

According to the present invention, in a broadcast receiver capable of receiving a digital broadcast signal and an analog broadcast signal, a receivable channel is stored by a storage unit, and time information multiplexed on the digital broadcast signal is acquired by an acquisition unit. Based on the time information acquired by the acquisition unit, the determination unit determines whether or not the current time has passed the scheduled end date and time of the analog broadcast. The search unit determines whether the current time is When it is determined that the scheduled end date and time has passed, receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channels are searched, and the storage means is updated by the update means based on the search result by the search means.
Therefore, in a broadcast receiver capable of receiving analog broadcast and digital broadcast, after analog broadcast is stopped, an extra operation for skipping an analog broadcast channel can be omitted, and deterioration of operability can be prevented. In addition, as long as the analog broadcast continues, the analog broadcast can be viewed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The broadcast receiver 100 of this embodiment includes a digital broadcast processing unit 1 that processes digital broadcast signals, an analog broadcast processing unit 2 that processes analog broadcast signals, and a common unit that processes digital broadcasts and analog broadcasts in common. It is possible to receive both digital broadcast and analog broadcast television broadcast signals.

  The broadcast receiver 100 of this embodiment includes, for example, a digital broadcast processing unit 1 that receives a digital broadcast signal and performs processing such as demodulation and decoding, and an analog broadcast processing unit that receives an analog broadcast signal and performs processing such as demodulation. 2, a switching unit 3 that switches a path to an output from the digital broadcast processing unit 1 and the analog broadcast processing unit 2, a video processing unit 4 that performs predetermined video processing on the video signal, and predetermined audio processing on the audio signal An audio processing unit 5 to perform, an OSD circuit 6 for adding OSD data to a video signal input from the video processing unit 4 to the video output unit 7, a video output unit 7 to output a video signal input from the video processing unit 4, and an audio An audio output unit 8 for outputting an audio signal input by the processing unit 5; a remote controller for operating the receiver body by the user transmitting various instructions to the receiver body Key input unit 9 consisting of, is configured to include a like control unit 10 which controls the whole broadcast receiver 100.

  The digital broadcast processing unit 1 includes, for example, a digital antenna 11, a digital tuner 12, a digital demodulation unit 13, a decoder unit 14, and the like.

For example, the digital antenna 11 is arranged outdoors in a predetermined direction, and receives a high-frequency (RF) digital broadcast signal (RF signal) transmitted from a television broadcast station (not shown) or the like.
The digital tuner 12 extracts and amplifies a signal of a specific frequency band from a digital broadcast data of a high frequency signal input by the digital antenna 11 or the like by a BPF (band pass filter), and converts the frequency by a local oscillator and a mixer. . Further, a signal in a specific frequency band is extracted by the BPF, converted into a low frequency signal, subjected to AD conversion or the like via an LPF (low pass filter), and output to the digital demodulator 13.
For example, according to an instruction from the control unit 10, the digital demodulation unit 13 performs a demodulation process using a predetermined demodulation method (for example, 8VSB: Vestigial Side Band) on the intermediate frequency signal output from the digital tuner 12 or a predetermined error. An error correction process or the like by a correction method (for example, an error correction method based on a trellis as an inner code or a Reed-Solomon as an outer code) is executed, and a transport stream (TS) is generated and output to the decoder unit 14.

  The decoder unit 14 includes, for example, a separation unit 141, a video decoder 142, an audio decoder 143, a data decoder 144, and the like.

The separation unit 141 separates the TS input from the digital demodulation unit 13 into a plurality of streams. In the TS, for example, video data, audio data, program data, and the like are multiplexed in the MPEG-2 Systems method.
Here, the program data multiplexed in the TS and sent to the broadcast receiver 100 is, for example, PSIP (Program and System Information Protocol). PSIP is an STT (system time table) as time information that describes the current time, an MGT (master guide table) that describes information (for example, PID, etc.) regarding all other PSIP tables except STT, List of all virtual channels scheduled to be broadcast, VCT (virtual channel table) describing the number and name of each virtual channel, RRT (rating region table) describing rating information for each region, broadcast schedule in virtual channel It includes various tables such as EIT (event information table) describing program titles and technical information of programs, and ETT (extended text table) describing detailed information of virtual channels and programs.
The CPU 101 analyzes the PSIP to acquire necessary TS packets from the separated streams, the video stream to the video decoder 142, the audio stream to the audio decoder 143, and data such as PSIP to the data decoder 144. Output.

The video decoder 142 decodes the video stream compressed by the MPEG-2 Video method or the like input from the separation unit 141. Specifically, the video decoder 142 performs various processes such as variable length decoding, inverse quantization, inverse DCT, and motion correction on the video stream, thereby decoding the video stream at a predetermined timing and converting the video data into Generate and output to the switching unit 3.
The audio decoder 143 decodes the audio stream compressed by the Dolby AC-3 method or the like input from the separation unit 141, generates audio data, and outputs the audio data to the switching unit 3.

  The data decoder 144 decodes input data such as PSIP and outputs the decoded data to the control unit 10, the OSD circuit 6, and the like. The PSIP input to the control unit 10 is stored in an EPG memory (not shown) and provided to the user as EPG information. The STT (time information) included in the PSIP is acquired in the execution of the acquisition program 105a described later, and in the execution of the first determination program 105b described later, it is determined whether or not the current time has passed the scheduled end date and time of analog broadcasting. Used for etc.

  The analog broadcast processing unit 2 includes, for example, an analog antenna 21, an analog tuner 22, an analog demodulation unit 23, and the like.

For example, the analog antenna 21 is arranged in a predetermined direction outdoors, and receives a high-frequency (RF) analog broadcast signal (RF signal) transmitted from a television broadcast station or the like (not shown).
The analog tuner 22 includes, for example, a high-frequency amplifier circuit and a frequency conversion circuit including a local oscillation circuit and a mixing circuit, which are not shown in the figure. The analog tuner 22 receives an analog broadcast signal input from the analog antenna 21. The signal is amplified by the high frequency amplifier circuit and mixed with the local oscillation signal output from the local oscillation circuit by the mixing circuit. Furthermore, an intermediate frequency signal (IF signal) in a specific frequency band is received according to a control output from the control unit 10 for selecting a specific frequency, and is output to the analog demodulation unit 23.
For example, the analog demodulation unit 23 performs a process such as demodulation on the intermediate frequency signal output from the analog tuner 22 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 10, and outputs the result to the switching unit 3.

  The switching unit 3 switches the path to the output from the digital broadcast reception / processing unit 1 or the output from the analog broadcast reception / processing unit 2 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 10.

  The video processing unit 4 performs various video processes on the input video data to generate a video signal. The audio processing unit 5 performs various audio processes on the audio data input from the audio decoder 143 to generate an audio signal. The generated video signal is output to the video output unit 7 and the audio signal is output to the audio output unit 8.

  The OSD circuit 6 performs a process of combining OSD data (not shown) stored in the ROM 105 with a video signal input to the video processing unit 4 in response to an instruction output from the control unit 10.

The video output unit 7 includes a display screen such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or PDP (Plasma Display Panel), and displays a video based on the video signal input from the video processing unit 4 on the display screen at a predetermined timing. Let
The audio output unit 8 includes, for example, a speaker, and causes the speaker to output audio based on the audio signal input from the audio processing unit 5.

  The key input unit 9 is, for example, a remote controller for remotely operating the receiver body, and includes a plurality of keys. The plurality of keys provided in the key input unit 9 are, for example, a power key, a channel up / down key, a digital broadcast channel selection key, an analog broadcast channel selection key, a numeric keypad, etc. A remote control signal (hereinafter referred to as a remote control signal) corresponding to the key is output.

  The control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a time measuring unit 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a channel memory 104, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, and the like.

  The CPU 101 executes various programs stored in the ROM 105 in accordance with input signals input from each unit of the receiver body, input operation signals input by key operations in the key input unit 9, and the like. The overall operation of the broadcast receiver 100 is comprehensively controlled by outputting an output signal to each part of the receiver body based on the program.

  The RAM 103 is used as a work area of the CPU 101, and stores processing results generated when various programs are executed by the CPU 101, input data, and the like.

The channel memory 104 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), for example, and stores a channel determined to be receivable by an automatic channel scanning process.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the channel memory 104 stores a major channel number and a minor channel number for a physical channel of the broadcast signal determined to be receivable in the automatic scanning process. The channel number (minor channel number) is stored in association with the classification of whether it is a digital broadcast signal or an analog broadcast signal. Each physical channel is associated with a carrier frequency selected by the tuner at the time of channel selection.

  The ROM 105 includes a program storage area, and includes, for example, an acquisition program 105a, a first determination program 105b, a first search program 105c, an update program 105d, a second determination program 105e, a second search program 105f, and the like.

The acquisition program 105a is a program for realizing, for example, a function of acquiring time information multiplexed on a digital broadcast signal in the CPU 101.
Specifically, when a TS as a digital broadcast signal is input to the decoder unit 14, the CPU 101 analyzes the PSIP multiplexed in the TS in the data decoder 144 and obtains an STT included in the PSIP. To do. The STT is a table having “table_id” of “0xCD”, and the current time is described in “system_time” in the STT.
The CPU 101 functions as an acquisition unit by executing the acquisition program 105a.

For example, the first determination program 105b causes the CPU 101 to realize a function of determining whether the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting based on the time information acquired by executing the acquisition program 105a. It is a program for.
Specifically, the scheduled end date and time of analog broadcasting is stored in advance in a predetermined storage area. When the time information (STT) multiplexed in the TS as the digital broadcast signal is acquired by executing the acquisition program 105a, the CPU 101 acquires the current time based on the acquired time information and the analog broadcast stored in advance. Are compared with each other (for example, February 17, 2009 in North America), and it is determined whether the acquired current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting. Then, in the execution of the first determination program 105b, when it is determined that the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting, a first search program 105c described later is executed.
The CPU 101 functions as first determination means (determination means) by executing the first determination program 105b.

For example, the first search program 105c first sets the broadcast receiver 100 in a standby state after the CPU 101 determines that the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcast by executing the first determination program 105b. It is a program for realizing a function of searching for a receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channel when it is in a state.
Specifically, after determining that the current time has passed the analog broadcast end scheduled date and time, the CPU 101 first determines whether or not the broadcast receiver 100 is in a standby state (standby state). Then, after the scheduled end date and time of analog broadcasting has passed, when the broadcast receiver 100 is put into a standby state by operating the power key of the remote controller or the like, the CPU 101 sets the digital tuner 12 and the analog tuner. 22 is used to perform automatic scan processing for automatically scanning all analog broadcast and digital broadcast channels within the broadcast band one by one in order.
The CPU 101 functions as first search means (search means) by executing the first search program 105c.

The update program 105d is, for example, a program for causing the CPU 101 to realize a function of updating the channel memory 104 (storage unit) based on a search result obtained by executing the first search program 105c.
Specifically, in the scanning process by the execution of the first search program 105 c, channels that can receive broadcast signals are sequentially stored in the channel memory 104, and the channel memory 104 is updated.
The CPU 101 functions as an update unit by executing the update program 105d.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the channel memory 104 updated based on the first channel search process executed after the scheduled end date and time of the analog broadcast. The channel memory 104 in FIG. 3 does not store the “8-0” analog broadcast channel stored in the channel memory 104 in FIG. 2, and this channel is not received in the first channel search process. You can see that it was possible. In the channel memory 104 of FIG. 3, the analog broadcast channels “6-0” and “7-0” are still stored as receivable channels.

For example, the second determination program 105e determines whether or not an analog broadcast channel remains in the channel memory 104 every predetermined time after the CPU 101 updates the channel memory 104 (storage means) by executing the update program 105d. This is a program for realizing the function of determining whether or not.
Specifically, when the channel memory 104 is updated based on the automatic scan process, the CPU 101 sets an analog broadcast channel in the channel memory 104 every time a predetermined time (for example, one hour) elapses. It is determined whether it remains. For example, “6-0” and “7-0” are stored as receivable analog broadcast channels in the channel memory 104 of FIG. 3, and the CPU 101 can perform analog broadcast even after the analog broadcast is stopped. Determine that the channel remains.
The CPU 101 functions as a second determination unit by executing the second determination program 105e.

The second search program 105f has a function of searching for receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channels, for example, when the CPU 101 determines that analog broadcast channels remain due to the execution of the second determination program 105e. It is a program for realizing.
Specifically, when the CPU 101 determines that the analog broadcast channel remains even after the analog broadcast is stopped, the CPU 101 automatically repeats all the analog broadcast and digital broadcast channels in the broadcast band one by one. The scan process to scan automatically. Then, the channel that can be received as a result of the scanning process is stored in the channel memory 104.
The CPU 101 functions as a second search unit by executing the second search program 105f.

  The second determination program 105e and the second search program 105f are repeatedly executed until the analog broadcast channel is completely removed from the channel memory 104 as long as the analog broadcast channel remains in the channel memory 104. It ends when there are no more analog broadcast channels. That is, after the channel re-search by executing the second determination program 105e, the CPU 101 executes the second determination program 105e again to determine whether an analog broadcast channel remains. When the analog broadcast channel remains, the second search program 105f is executed again to perform a re-search for receivable channels. When the analog broadcast channel does not remain, the process ends.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the channel memory 104 updated based on the second channel re-search process executed after the scheduled end date and time of analog broadcasting. In the channel memory 104 of FIG. 4, the analog broadcast channel “6-0” stored in the channel memory 104 of FIG. 3 is not stored, and this channel is not received in the second channel search process. You can see that it was possible. On the other hand, the analog broadcast channel “7-0” is still stored as a receivable channel.
FIG. 5 exemplifies the channel memory 104 updated based on the third channel re-search process executed after the scheduled end date and time of the analog broadcast. The channel memory 104 in FIG. 5 does not store the “7-0” analog broadcast channel stored in the channel memory 104 in FIG. 4, and this channel is not received in the third channel search process. You can see that it was possible. Although not shown in detail, the channel memory 104 of FIG. 5 does not store any analog broadcast channel, and all analog broadcasts are completed.

The determination process by the second determination program 105e and the channel search process by the execution of the second search program 105f are executed, for example, when the broadcast receiver 100 is in a standby state (standby state).
In the automatic scanning process, the output of video / audio from the video output unit 7 and the audio output unit 8 is stopped, and the appearance of the broadcast receiver 100 is shut down.

  Next, channel search processing executed in the broadcast receiver 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S <b> 1, the CPU 101 determines whether or not there is a power key input in the key input unit 9. If the CPU 101 determines in step S1 that the power key is input (step S1; Yes), the current time is the end of the analog broadcast based on the time information (eg, STT) acquired from the digital broadcast signal in step S2. It is determined whether the scheduled date has passed. If the CPU 101 determines in step S2 that the scheduled end date and time of analog broadcasting has not passed (step S2; No), the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, when CPU 101 determines in step S2 that the current time has passed the scheduled end date and time of analog broadcasting (step S2; Yes), it proceeds to step S3.
In step S3, the CPU 101 determines whether or not it is the first shutdown after the analog broadcast is stopped. If the CPU 101 determines in step S3 that it is not the first shutdown after the stop of analog broadcasting (step S3; No), it proceeds to step S7, and if it is determined that it is the first shutdown after the stop of analog broadcasting (step S3). S3; Yes), the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S <b> 4, the CPU 101 uses the analog tuner 22 and the digital tuner 12 to execute an automatic scan process for searching for receivable analog broadcast channels and digital broadcast channels. In step S5, the channel memory 104 is updated based on the result of the automatic scan process in step S4.
In step S6, the CPU 101 performs a shutdown process for the broadcast receiver 100 and ends the process.

On the other hand, in step S <b> 7, the CPU 101 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed after the channel memory 104 is updated. If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (step S7; Yes), in step S8, it is determined whether or not an analog broadcast channel remains in the updated channel memory 104. If the CPU 101 determines in step S8 that the analog broadcast channel remains in the channel memory 104 (step S8; Yes), the CPU 101 re-searches the receivable analog broadcast channel and digital broadcast channel in step S9. Perform automatic scan processing. Further, in step S10, the channel memory 104 is updated based on the automatic scan process in step S9, and the process proceeds to step S6.
On the other hand, if the CPU 101 determines in step S11 that no analog broadcast channel remains in the channel memory 104 (step S11; No), the CPU 101 performs a stop process for the second determination program 105e and the second search program 105f. Proceed to S6.

According to the broadcast receiver 100 in the present embodiment described above, the receivable channels are stored in the channel memory 104 (storage means) and multiplexed into the digital broadcast signal by the execution of the acquisition program 105a (acquisition means). Time information is acquired, and based on the time information acquired by the acquisition program 105a by execution of the first determination program 105b (first determination means, determination means), the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting. The first search program 105c (first search means, search means) is executed, and the first determination program 105b determines that the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting. After that, when the broadcast receiver 100 is first set to the standby state, The channel of the analog broadcast is searched, and by executing the update program 105d (update means), the channel memory 104 is updated based on the search result by the first search program 105c, and the second determination program 105e (second determination means) As a result of execution, it is determined whether or not an analog broadcast channel remains in the channel memory 104 every predetermined time after the update by the update program 105d, and by executing the second search program 105f (second search means), When the second determination program 105e determines that analog broadcast channels remain, the receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channels are searched.
Therefore, in the broadcast receiver 100 capable of receiving analog broadcasts and digital broadcasts, after analog broadcasts are stopped, unnecessary operations for skipping the channels of analog broadcasts can be omitted, and deterioration in operability can be prevented. . In addition, as long as analog broadcasting continues, it is possible to view analog broadcasting and meet user needs.

In addition, by executing the second determination program 105e, it is determined whether an analog broadcast channel remains in the updated channel memory 104 every predetermined time after the update by executing the update program 105d. When the channel remains, the receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channels are searched again by executing the second search program 105f.
Therefore, even if there is a difference between the scheduled end date and time of the analog broadcast and the actual end date and time, or when each channel of the analog broadcast ends at a different date and time, the analog memory is not stored in the channel memory 104. As long as channels remain, a search for receivable channels is performed at predetermined time intervals. Therefore, the channel of the finished analog broadcast can be deleted from the storage means more reliably. In addition, since the channels are deleted from the storage means in order from the channel on which the broadcast has ended, the convenience is improved.

  The search for receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channels by the execution of the first search program 105c is executed when the broadcast receiver 100 is first put into a standby state. Therefore, the channel search process is automatically executed at an earlier timing after the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting while preventing a decrease in user satisfaction due to the channel search process being executed while viewing the program. Thus, it is convenient for the user.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the broadcasting system of digital broadcasting and analog broadcasting is not limited to the ATSC system / NTSC system exemplified in the above embodiment, and can be configured to execute processing according to the broadcasting system adopted in each region. It is.

It is a block diagram which illustrates the principal part structure of the broadcast receiver in this embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which illustrates the channel memory before the end date and time of analog broadcasting. It is a figure which illustrates the channel memory updated based on the channel search process of the 1st time performed after passing the end date and time of analog broadcasting. It is a figure which illustrates the channel memory updated based on the re-search process of the channel of the 2nd time performed after passing the end date and time of analog broadcasting. It is a figure which illustrates the channel memory updated based on the channel re-search process of the 3rd time performed after the end date and time of the end of analog broadcasting. It is a flowchart which shows the channel search process performed in the broadcast receiver of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 broadcast receiver 101 CPU (acquisition means, first determination means, determination means, first search means, search means, update means, second determination means, second search means)
104 channel memory (storage means)
105a Acquisition program (acquisition means)
105b First judgment program (first judgment means, judgment means)
105c First search program (first search means, search means)
105d Update program (update means)
105e Second judgment program (second judgment means)
105f Second search program (second search means)

Claims (3)

In a broadcast receiver capable of receiving digital broadcast signals and analog broadcast signals,
Storage means for storing receivable channels;
Acquisition means for acquiring time information multiplexed on the digital broadcast signal;
Based on the time information acquired by the acquisition means, a determination means for determining whether the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting;
Search means for searching for receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channels when the determination means determines that the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcast;
Updating means for updating the storage means based on a search result by the search means;
A broadcast receiver comprising: Second determination means for determining whether or not an analog broadcast channel remains based on the storage means updated by the update means;
Second search means for searching for a receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channel when it is determined by the second determination means that an analog broadcast channel remains;
The broadcast receiver according to claim 1, comprising: In a broadcast receiver capable of receiving digital broadcast signals and analog broadcast signals,
Storage means for storing receivable channels;
Acquisition means for acquiring time information multiplexed on the digital broadcast signal;
Based on the time information acquired by the acquisition means, a first determination means for determining whether or not the current time has passed the scheduled end date of analog broadcasting;
After the first determination means determines that the current time has passed the scheduled end date and time of the analog broadcast, the digital broadcast and the analog broadcast that can be received when the broadcast receiver is first put into a standby state. A first search means for searching for channels of
Updating means for updating the storage means based on a search result by the first search means;
Second judgment means for judging whether or not an analog broadcast channel remains in the storage means every time a predetermined time has elapsed after updating by the updating means;
Broadcast receiving comprising: second search means for searching for a receivable digital broadcast and analog broadcast channel when the second determination means determines that an analog broadcast channel remains. Machine.

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