JP4346585B2 - Recording apparatus and recording reservation allocation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus capable of receiving a video signal including a plurality of programs and recording the received plurality of video signals in parallel, and to efficiently perform recording reservation in the recording apparatus. The present invention relates to a method for assigning a recording reservation.

  In recent years, terrestrial digital television broadcasting has been started and has begun to spread. In terrestrial digital television broadcasting, high-definition broadcasting that delivers high-quality video and standard broadcasting that delivers standard-definition video can be performed. Since there is a difference in the amount of data to be distributed between high-definition broadcasting and standard broadcasting, each broadcasting station can simultaneously distribute two or three programs when performing standard broadcasting. For this reason, one broadcast station can distribute different programs such as sports, news, and dramas during the same time period, and the user can select and view them.

  On the other hand, video recorders have conventionally been used for recording TV broadcasts, and in recent years DVD recorders and hard disk recorders have become widespread. These apparatuses have a scheduled recording function that allows a user to record a program while the user is away by setting a recording start time and an end time in advance. There is also a device that includes a plurality of tuners and can record a plurality of programs simultaneously.

Patent Document 1 proposes a recording / playback apparatus that includes a tuner capable of receiving digital broadcasts, and that can record a program received by the tuner on a hard disk and a DVD. However, it has improved usability by providing a function for recording other programs on the DVD and a function for switching the recording target when the remaining capacity of the hard disk and the DVD decreases.
JP 2004-159225 A

  However, the recording / reproducing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is configured to include one tuner that receives digital broadcasts, and does not refer to a case where a plurality of tuners are included to simultaneously record a plurality of programs.

  Conventionally, in an apparatus including a plurality of tuners, when a plurality of programs are reserved and recorded, the correspondence between the reservation and the tuner needs to be set by the user, particularly in digital broadcasting in which high-definition broadcasting and standard broadcasting are mixed. A plurality of tuners cannot always be used efficiently, and a program that can be originally recorded cannot be recorded.

  FIGS. 16 and 17 are schematic diagrams showing allocation of reservations to tuners in a conventional recording apparatus, and show a case where the recording apparatus includes two tuners. Reservation 1 for recording CH1 (channel 1) of A broadcast standard broadcast from 10:00 to 11:00 Reservation 2 and 12 for recording CH2 of standard broadcast of A broadcast from 10:30 to 11:30 With reservation 3 for recording B broadcast high-definition broadcast from 00 to 13:00 already set, reservation 4 for recording CH1 of C broadcast standard broadcast is set from 10:40 to 11:40 When reservation 1 and reservation 2 are assigned to different tuners as shown in FIG. 16, reservation 4 cannot be assigned, but reservation 1 and reservation 2 are assigned to the same tuner as shown in FIG. If so, reservation 4 can be assigned. Thus, reservation 1 and reservation 2 are both A broadcasts and can be received by one tuner. However, if the user does not appropriately assign reservation 1 and reservation 2 to the tuner, reservation 4 There is a problem that cannot be set.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to overlap the recording reservation assigned to the receiving means with the recording reservation to which the recording reservation received from the user has already been assigned. Providing a recording apparatus capable of efficiently using a plurality of receiving means by adopting a configuration in which the receiving means is based on whether or not it can be received by the same receiving means as a recording reservation that has already been assigned There is to do.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a configuration in which when recording reservations are assigned to receiving means, the recording means are assigned to receiving means in order from the earliest recording start time in a plurality of recording reservations. Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of efficiently and reliably allocating recording reservations.

  Another object of the present invention is that, when part or all of the recording time related to the recording reservation overlaps, if the overlapping recording reservations can be received by the same receiving means, they overlap. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that can efficiently use the receiving means and record more programs by assigning the recording reservation to the same receiving means.

  Another object of the present invention is that when allocating a recording reservation to the receiving means, the recording end time is set to the recording start time of the allocating recording reservation among the already allocated recording reservations. Recording with which recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means to which the nearest recording reservation is assigned, so that the recording apparatus can make the free time in which no recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means be a continuous long time. To provide an apparatus.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a warning to the user by adopting a configuration in which when the recording reservation received from the user cannot be assigned to the receiving means, the recording reservation is output. It is to provide a recording apparatus.

  Another object of the present invention is whether or not the recording reservation received from the user overlaps with an already allocated recording reservation, and whether or not it can be received by the same receiving means as the already allocated recording reservation. Recording reservation allocation that can efficiently use a plurality of receiving means by determining whether or not a recording reservation can be assigned based on whether or not and assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means based on the determination It is to provide a method.

  Another object of the present invention is that when a part or all of the recording time of the recording reservation to be allocated overlaps with the allocated recording reservation, the overlapping recording reservation can be received by the same receiving means. In some cases, by assigning overlapping recording reservations to the same receiving means, it is possible to efficiently use the receiving means and to provide a recording reservation assigning method capable of recording more programs. .

  Another object of the present invention is to perform allocation to receiving means in order from the earliest start time of recording among a plurality of recording reservations, and assign the end time of recording among the already reserved recording reservations. By assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means to which the recording reservation closest to the recording start time of the recording reservation to be performed is performed, a continuous time in which the recording reservation is not assigned to the receiving means is continuously long. It is to provide a recording reservation allocation method that can be timed.

  The recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of receiving means capable of receiving a broadcast signal including one or a plurality of programs, and a recording means capable of simultaneously recording a program included in the broadcast signal received by the receiving means. And a receiving unit that receives a recording reservation including a time related to the recording of the program by the receiving unit and the recording unit, and a recording apparatus that records the program based on the recording reservation, the recording received by the receiving unit Determining whether or not reservations can be assigned to the receiving means based on whether or not the times related to recording reservations overlap and whether or not the broadcast signals including programs related to recording reservations are the same Means and assigning means for assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means.

  In the present invention, based on whether or not the recording reservation received from the user overlaps with the already allocated recording reservation, and whether or not it can be received by the same receiving means as the already allocated recording reservation Allocate a recording reservation to the means. Thereby, when one receiving unit can receive a broadcast signal including a plurality of programs, a recording reservation can be efficiently allocated to the receiving unit.

  In the recording apparatus according to the present invention, the allocation unit includes a unit that selects a recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording among unallocated recording reservations as a recording reservation to be allocated. Accordingly, the recording reservations are assigned sequentially.

  In the present invention, when recording reservations are assigned to the receiving means, assignment to the receiving means is performed in the order from the earliest start time of recording among the plurality of recording reservations. Thereby, a plurality of recording reservations can be allocated to the receiving means efficiently and reliably.

  In the recording apparatus according to the present invention, when the recording unit to be allocated partly or entirely overlaps the allocated recording reservation, the allocation unit assigns the program related to the overlapping recording reservation to the same broadcast signal. It has a means for determining whether or not it is included, and when it is determined by the means that it is included in the same broadcast signal, a duplicate recording reservation is assigned to the same receiving means.

  In the present invention, it is determined whether or not the recording reservation to be allocated overlaps with the allocated recording reservation, and when a part or all of the recording reservation overlaps, the overlapping recording reservation is received by the same receiving means. If possible, duplicate recording reservations are assigned to the same receiving means. This makes it possible to assign another recording reservation to other receiving means, and it is possible to perform reservation recording of a larger number of receiving means and the product number of programs included in one broadcast signal at the maximum. .

  Further, in the recording apparatus according to the present invention, the allocating unit includes a unit that searches the allocated recording reservation for a recording reservation that has a recording end time closest to the recording start time of the recording reservation to be allocated. The recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means to which the recording reservation searched by the means is assigned.

  In the present invention, when allocating a recording reservation to the receiving means, among the already allocated recording reservations, the recording reservation closest to the recording start time of the recording reservation to which the recording end time is allocated is allocated. The recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means. By assigning the end time of the previous recording reservation and the start time of the subsequent recording reservation close to each other, a continuous free time of other recording resources becomes long, and a new recording reservation can be easily assigned.

  The recording apparatus according to the present invention further comprises means for outputting that the recording reservation accepted by the accepting means cannot be assigned when the assigning means cannot be assigned to the receiving means. To do.

  In the present invention, if the recording reservation received from the user cannot be assigned to the receiving means, a message indicating that the recording reservation cannot be assigned is output and a warning is given to the user. This can prompt the user to delete or modify the recording reservation.

  Also, the recording reservation allocation method according to the present invention simultaneously records a plurality of receiving means capable of receiving a broadcast signal including one or a plurality of programs and a program included in the broadcast signal received by the receiving means. A recording device comprising: a recording unit capable of receiving, and a receiving unit that receives a recording reservation including a time relating to recording of a program by the receiving unit and the recording unit; A recording reservation assigning method to be assigned, wherein whether or not the recording reservation received by the receiving means can be assigned to the receiving means, whether or not the times related to the recording reservation overlap, and the program related to the recording reservation And a determination step of determining based on whether or not the broadcast signals included are the same, and an allocation step of allocating a recording reservation to the receiving means.

  In the present invention, based on whether or not the recording reservation received from the user overlaps with an already allocated recording reservation, and whether or not it can be received by the same receiving means as the already allocated recording reservation It is determined whether or not the reservation can be allocated, and the recording reservation is allocated to the receiving means based on the determination. Thus, when one receiving unit can receive a broadcast signal including a plurality of programs, a recording reservation can be efficiently allocated to the receiving unit.

  In the recording reservation allocation method according to the present invention, when the recording step to be allocated partly or entirely overlaps with the allocated recording reservation, the allocation step includes the same broadcast as the program related to the recording reservation. A step of determining whether or not a signal is included in a signal, and a step of assigning overlapping recording reservations to the same receiving means when it is determined in the step that the signal is included in the same broadcast signal. .

  In the present invention, when a part or all of the recording time of a recording reservation to be allocated overlaps with an allocated recording reservation, if the overlapping recording reservation can be received by the same receiving means, the overlapping recording Assign reservations to the same receiving means. This makes it possible to assign another recording reservation to other receiving means, and more programs can be recorded in the same time zone.

  Further, in the recording reservation allocation method according to the present invention, the allocation step selects a recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording among unallocated recording reservations as an allocation target recording reservation, and an allocated recording reservation. Of these, the step of searching for the recording reservation whose recording end time is closest to the recording start time of the recording reservation to be allocated, and the allocation target to the receiving means to which the recording reservation searched in the step is allocated Allocating the recording reservation of the recording medium.

  In the present invention, allocation to receiving means is performed in the order from the earliest start time of recording among a plurality of recording reservations, and among the recording reservations that have already been allocated, the recording end time of the recording reservations to be allocated is recorded. The recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means to which the recording reservation closest to the start time is assigned. By assigning the end time of the previous recording reservation and the start time of the subsequent recording reservation close to each other, a continuous free time of other recording resources becomes long, and a new recording reservation can be easily assigned.

  In the case of the present invention, whether the recording reservation assigned to the receiving means overlaps with the recording reservation already assigned by the user, and the same receiving means as the already assigned recording reservation. By adopting a configuration based on whether or not it can be received, it is possible to perform reservation recording of overlapping programs by efficiently using a plurality of receiving means, so that reservation recording of programs desired by the user can be ensured It can be carried out.

  Further, according to the present invention, when assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means, the configuration is such that the recording start time among the plurality of recording reservations is assigned to the receiving means in ascending order, thereby ensuring efficient and reliable. Recording reservations can be assigned to.

  Further, in the case of the present invention, when a part or all of the recording time related to the recording reservation is overlapped, if the overlapping recording reservation can be received by the same receiving means, the overlapping recording reservation is the same. Since the receiving means can be used efficiently and a larger number of programs can be recorded, the reservation recording of the program desired by the user can be reliably performed. .

  Further, according to the present invention, when assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means, among the already reserved recording reservations, the recording reservation whose recording end time is closest to the recording start time of the recording reservation to be assigned By assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means to which the recording means is assigned, it is possible to make a free time in which no recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means to be a continuous long time, and a new recording reservation. Therefore, it is possible to allocate recording reservations efficiently and reliably.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the recording reservation received from the user cannot be assigned to the receiving means, a warning can be given to the user by providing a configuration in which the assignment cannot be made. The recording reservation can be deleted or modified, and the program desired by the user can be reliably reserved.

  Further, in the case of the present invention, based on whether or not the recording reservation received from the user overlaps with the already allocated recording reservation, and whether or not it can be received by the same receiving means as the already allocated recording reservation. And determining whether or not a recording reservation can be assigned, and assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means based on the determination, thereby making a reservation recording of overlapping programs efficiently using a plurality of receiving means Therefore, reservation recording of a program desired by the user can be reliably performed.

  Further, in the case of the present invention, when a part or all of the recording time of the recording reservation to be allocated overlaps with the allocated recording reservation, when the overlapping recording reservation can be received by the same receiving means, By assigning overlapping recording reservations to the same receiving means, the receiving means can be used efficiently and more programs can be recorded, so that reservation recording of the program desired by the user is performed reliably. be able to.

  Further, according to the present invention, the recording reservations are assigned to the receiving means in the order from the earliest recording start time among the plurality of recording reservations, and the recording end time is assigned to the recording end time among the already assigned recording reservations. By assigning a recording reservation to the receiving means to which the recording reservation closest to the start time of recording is assigned, the idle time in which no recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means is made a continuous long time. Since it is easy to assign a new recording reservation, the recording reservation can be allocated efficiently and reliably.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a hard disk recorder according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a control unit of the hard disk recorder. The control unit 1 controls each part of the hard disk recorder to record the program related to the broadcast signal received by the two tuners 2 and 2 on the hard disk 6, or to the hard disk recorder. Processing such as displaying a program on the connected external display device 51 is performed.

  The hard disk recorder includes two tuners 2 and 2 that receive digital broadcast signals, and can receive high-definition high-definition broadcasts and standard-definition standard broadcasts. The digital broadcast signals received by the tuners 2 and 2 are moving picture data compressed by the MPEG system, and one moving picture data is composed of one program in the case of high-definition broadcasting, and a plurality of programs in the case of standard broadcasting. Thus, one moving image data is configured.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a broadcast example of digital broadcasting. For example, the A broadcast station performs high-definition broadcasts at 6 o'clock and 8 o'clock, and three standard broadcasts at 7 o'clock, and the B and C broadcast stations combine high-definition broadcasts and standard broadcasts. Various programs are offered. When viewing a high-definition broadcast program, the user can view the high-definition broadcast program by selecting the target broadcast station. When viewing the standard broadcast program, the user can view the target broadcast station. The user can view a standard broadcast program by selecting one of the three channels.

  The moving image data related to the broadcast signal received by the tuners 2 and 2 is given to the control unit 1. When the moving image data is displayed on the display device 51 such as a CRT monitor or a liquid crystal monitor, the control unit 1 displays the moving image data. The video data that is given to the decoder 4 and compressed by the decoder 4 is decompressed. The expanded moving image data is supplied from the decoder 4 to the output unit 3, converted into a monitor output signal by the output unit 3 and supplied to the display device 51, and the moving image is displayed on the display device 51. At this time, when the moving image data is of the standard broadcast, the control unit 1 extracts the moving image data related to one standard broadcast program from the moving image data given from the tuners 2 and 2, and the moving image data related to the target program. Only to the decoder 4.

  When recording the moving image data from the tuners 2 and 2 on the hard disk 6, the control unit 1 gives the moving image data to the hard disk controller 7, and the hard disk controller 7 records the moving image data. The hard disk controller 7 can simultaneously record two programs on the hard disk 6 in the case of high-definition broadcasting, and can simultaneously record six programs on the hard disk 6 in the case of standard broadcasting. And three high-definition broadcasts can be recorded simultaneously. When the moving image data to be recorded is that of the standard broadcast, the control unit 1 extracts the moving image data related to one standard broadcast program from the moving image data given from the tuners 2 and 2, and the moving image data related to the target program Only to the hard disk controller 7.

  When the moving image data recorded on the hard disk 6 is displayed on the display device 51, the hard disk controller 7 reads the moving image data from the hard disk 6 and supplies it to the control unit 1, and the moving image data is displayed on the display device 51 by the decoder 4 and the output unit 3. Is displayed. Further, the hard disk controller 7 can read moving image data already recorded on the hard disk 6 in parallel with the process of recording on the hard disk 6. However, in reality, the hard disk controller 7 seems to perform a plurality of processes simultaneously by alternately switching the reading of moving image data and recording of moving image data in a time division manner.

  The hard disk recorder also includes an operation unit 5 having a plurality of buttons. By operating the buttons of the operation unit 5, the user selects a channel, records a program, plays a program, sets a program recording reservation, and the like. It can be performed. The hard disk recorder also includes a ROM 8 composed of a mask ROM or flash memory, and a RAM 9 composed of DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, or the like. A program executed by the control unit 1 is stored in the ROM 8, and the control unit 1 reads the program from the ROM 8 and starts processing after the hard disk recorder is powered on. The RAM 9 can temporarily store setting values related to the operation of the hard disk recorder, and is particularly used to store recording reservations for programs.

  Since the hard disk recorder according to the present invention can record a plurality of programs in the same time zone, recording can be performed within the range of programs that can be received by the two tuners 2 and 2 in the same time zone. It is possible to set a recording reservation that overlaps part or all of the time. When the user inputs a new recording reservation from the operation unit 5, the control unit 1 can receive the target program at the tuners 2 and 2 during the recording time zone related to the new recording reservation. Whether or not recording reservation is assigned to the tuners 2 and 2 is performed.

  FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing a process for assigning recording reservations to the tuners 2 and 2 performed by the control unit 1 of the hard disk recorder according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. First, the control unit 1 checks whether or not a new recording reservation has been input from the operation unit 5 by the user (step S1). If no new recording reservation has been input (S1: NO), a new recording reservation is made. Wait until a reservation is entered.

  When a new recording reservation is input (S1: YES), it is checked whether the new recording reservation can be assigned to the two tuners 2 and 2 (first tuner and second tuner) (step S2). At this time, it is checked whether or not there is an overlap in recording time between the new recording reservation and the recording reservation already assigned to the tuners 2 and 2, and at least one of the tuners 2 and 2 has the recording time overlapping. If no reservation is assigned, it is determined that a new recording reservation can be assigned. In addition, when there is an overlap in recording time, it is determined that the program can be received if the overlapping recording reservation program can be received by the same tuners 2 and 2.

  When a new recording reservation cannot be assigned to the tuners 2 and 2 (S2: NO), an error message is displayed to the user that a program related to the new recording reservation cannot be recorded (step S3). The process is terminated. If a new recording reservation can be assigned (S2: YES), all the already assigned recording reservations are canceled (step S4), and the new recording reservation is reassigned to tuners 2, 2 Optimize recording reservation allocation to

  For reassignment of a recording reservation, first, a recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording is selected from unassigned recording reservations (step S5), and a recording reservation overlapping with the selected recording reservation is already assigned to the first tuner. It is checked whether or not it has been (step S6). If a duplicate recording reservation has already been assigned to the first tuner (S6: YES), whether or not the selected recording reservation and the duplicate assigned recording reservation can be received by the same tuner 2 or 2 is determined. If the same tuners 2 and 2 can be received (step S7), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner (step S9) and cannot be received by the same tuners 2 and 2. In this case (S7: NO), a new recording reservation is assigned to the second tuner (step S8).

  In step S6, if a duplicate recording reservation is not assigned to the first tuner (S6: NO), it is checked whether a recording reservation that overlaps the selected recording reservation is already assigned to the second tuner (step S6). S10). If a duplicate recording reservation has already been assigned to the second tuner (S10: YES), whether or not the selected recording reservation and the duplicate assigned recording reservation can be received by the same tuner 2 or 2 is determined. Inspect (step S11), if the same tuners 2 and 2 can be received (S11: YES), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the second tuner (step S13) and cannot be received by the same tuners 2 and 2. In this case (S11: NO), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner (step S12).

  If a recording reservation that overlaps the selected recording reservation is not assigned to the second tuner in step S10 (S10: NO), no overlapping recording reservation is assigned to both tuners 2 and 2, and the selected recording reservation is not assigned. Since the reservation can be assigned to both tuners 2 and 2, it is determined which tuner 2 and 2 are assigned. First, the recording reservation with the latest recording end time is searched for among the recording reservations already assigned (step S14). Since the recording reservations are assigned in the order from the earliest recording start time, the recording reservation with the latest recording end time is searched for by searching for the recording reservation with the later recording end time. Can do. It is checked whether the recording reservation with the latest end time is assigned to the first tuner (step S15). If the recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner (S15: YES), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner. (Step S16). If the recording reservation with the latest end time is not assigned to the first tuner (S15: NO), it is checked whether or not the recording reservation is assigned to the second tuner (step S17), and is assigned to the second tuner. (S17: YES), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the second tuner (step S18).

  In step S17, if the recording reservation with the latest end time is not assigned to the second tuner (S17: NO), the recording reservation is not assigned to both tuners 2 and 2, so the default processing is performed. The selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner (step S19).

  Since the selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner or the second tuner by the above flow, the control unit 1 checks whether or not the assignment has been completed for all the recording reservations (step S20), and unassigned recording reservations. Is present (S20: NO), the process returns to step S5 to select the recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording from the unallocated recording reservation, and assigns it to the tuners 2 and 2. When all the recording reservations have been allocated (S20: YES), the process is terminated.

  FIGS. 5 to 13 are schematic diagrams showing an example of allocation of recording reservations to the tuners 2 and 2 performed by the control unit 1 of the hard disk recorder according to the present invention. The control unit 1 performs the processing in order from FIG. 5 to FIG. Processing is shown in time series. For example, as a recording reservation that has already been allocated, reservation 1 for recording high-definition broadcast of A broadcast from 10:00 to 11:00 is recorded in the first tuner, and CH1 of standard broadcast of C broadcast is recorded from 11:30 to 12:10. Reservation 3 to be recorded and reservation 4 to record B2 standard broadcast CH2 from 12:20 to 13:00 are allocated, and B2 standard broadcast CH1 from 10:10 to 10:40 is assigned to the second tuner. Is reserved 2, and from 12:30 to 13:10 is reserved 5 for recording the high-definition broadcast of A broadcast (see FIG. 5), 10:50 to 12:00 as a new recording reservation The reservation 6 for recording the C2 standard broadcast CH2 is input.

  The control unit 1 first determines whether or not the reservation 6 can be assigned to the first tuner or the second tuner. The reservation 6 cannot be assigned to the first tuner because the recording time partially overlaps with the reservation 1 and the reservation 3, but the recording reservation with the overlapping recording time is not assigned to the second tuner. Since it can be assigned to a tuner, it is determined that assignment is possible (see FIG. 6).

  Since it is determined that the reservation 6 can be assigned, the reservations 1 to 6 are reassigned to the first tuner and the second tuner to optimize the assignment. First, reservation 1 with the earliest recording start time among reservations 1 to 6 is assigned. Reservation 1 can be assigned to either the first tuner or the second tuner, and since there is no other recording reservation already assigned, it is assigned to the first tuner (see FIG. 7). This corresponds to step S19 in the flowchart described above.

  Next, reservation 2 having the earliest start time of recording among unallocated recording reservations is assigned. Since reservation 2 has the same recording time as reservation 1 and cannot be received by the same tuner as reservation 1, it is assigned to the second tuner (see FIG. 8). This corresponds to step S8 of the flowchart.

  Next, the reservation 6 having the earliest start time of recording among unallocated recording reservations is assigned. The reservation 6 is allocated to the second tuner because the recording time overlaps with the reservation 1 and cannot be received by the same tuner as the reservation 1 (see FIG. 9). This corresponds to step S8 of the flowchart.

  Next, reservation 3 having the earliest start time of recording among unallocated recording reservations is assigned. The reservation 3 has the same recording time as the reservation 6, but both the reservation 3 and the reservation 6 are C broadcasts and can be received by the same tuner. For this reason, reservation 3 is assigned to the same second tuner as reservation 6 (see FIG. 10). This corresponds to step S13 in the flowchart.

  Next, reservation 4 having the earliest start time of recording among unallocated recording reservations is assigned. The reservation 4 can be assigned to both the tuners 2 and 2 because there is no recording reservation with the same recording time in both the first tuner and the second tuner. In this case, among the recording reservations already assigned to the first tuner and the second tuner, the one with the latest recording end time is the reservation 3, so the reservation 4 is assigned to the second tuner to which the reservation 3 is assigned. Assign (see FIG. 11). This corresponds to step S18 in the flowchart.

  Finally, an unallocated reservation 5 is allocated. Reservation 5 is assigned to the first tuner because the recording time overlaps with reservation 4 and cannot be received by the same tuner as reservation 4 (see FIG. 12). This corresponds to step S12 in the flowchart.

  Thus, optimization of allocation of recording reservations to tuners 2 and 2 has been completed. For example, after that, reservation 7 for recording CH3 of the standard broadcast of D broadcast from 11:20 to 12:20 is newly input. In this case, it can be assigned to the first tuner (see FIG. 13). If the recording reservation is not optimized and reservation 6 is assigned to the second tuner (see FIG. 6), reservation 7 is assigned to both reservation 3 of the first tuner and reservation 6 of the second tuner. Since it overlaps, reservation 7 cannot be assigned.

  In the hard disk recorder according to the first embodiment, when overlapping recording reservations can be received by the same tuners 2 and 2, more recordings can be made by assigning the overlapping recording reservations to the same tuners 2 and 2. Reservations can be assigned. Further, when optimization of allocation of recording reservations to the tuners 2 and 2 is performed in advance and the optimization process is performed, among the recording reservations that have already been allocated, By assigning a recording reservation to the tuners 2 and 2 to which the recording reservation closest to the start time is assigned, continuous free time to which the recording reservations of the tuners 2 and 2 are not assigned can be lengthened. When a new recording reservation is input, it can be easily determined whether or not a new recording reservation can be assigned, and the plurality of tuners 2 and 2 can be used efficiently. Can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the hard disk recorder includes two tuners 2 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which three or more tuners 2 are provided may be used. Further, the configuration in which one hard disk 6 is provided and the hard disk controller 7 records a plurality of programs in a time-sharing manner is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of hard disks 6 are provided to simultaneously record a plurality of programs. It may be a configuration. Further, the hard disk recorder has been described as an example of the recording device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the same configuration can be applied to a recording device that records a program on another recording medium such as a DVD disc or a Blu-ray disc. can do. Further, in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the configuration for optimizing the allocation of the recording reservation every time a new recording reservation is input is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, The input recording reservation may be allocated appropriately so as not to overlap, and the configuration may be such that optimization processing is performed only when allocation is impossible, and optimization is performed when the user gives an instruction to perform optimization processing The structure which performs a process may be sufficient.

(Embodiment 2)
The hard disk recorder according to the second embodiment is not a digital broadcast tuner that can receive one high-definition broadcast or three standard broadcasts, but an analog broadcast 2 that can receive one analog standard broadcast. Two tuners 2 and 2 are provided.

  FIGS. 14 and 15 are flowcharts showing the recording reservation allocation process to the tuners 2 and 2 performed by the control unit 1 of the hard disk recorder according to the second embodiment of the present invention. First, the control unit 1 checks whether or not a new recording reservation has been input by the user from the operation unit 5 (step S31). If no new recording reservation has been input (S31: NO), a new recording reservation is made. Wait until a reservation is entered.

  When a new recording reservation is input (S31: YES), it is checked whether the new recording reservation can be assigned to the two tuners 2 and 2 (step S32). At this time, it is checked whether or not there is an overlap in recording time between the new recording reservation and the recording reservation already assigned to the tuners 2 and 2, and at least one of the tuners 2 and 2 has the recording time overlapping. If no reservation is assigned, it is determined that a new recording reservation can be assigned.

  If a new recording reservation cannot be assigned to the tuners 2 and 2 (S32: NO), an error message is displayed to the user that a program related to the new recording reservation cannot be recorded (step S33). The process is terminated. If a new recording reservation can be assigned (S32: YES), all the already assigned recording reservations are released (step S34), and the new recording reservation is reassigned to tuners 2, 2 Optimize recording reservation allocation to

  For reassignment of a recording reservation, first, a recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording is selected from unassigned recording reservations (step S35), and a recording reservation overlapping with the recording reservation selected by the first tuner is already assigned. It is checked whether it has been set (step S36). If an overlapping recording reservation has already been assigned to the first tuner (S36: YES), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the second tuner (step S37).

  If a duplicate recording reservation is not assigned to the first tuner in step S36 (S36: NO), it is checked whether or not a duplicate recording reservation is already assigned to the second tuner (step 36). S38). If an overlapping recording reservation has already been assigned to the second tuner (S38: YES), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner (step S39).

  If a recording reservation that overlaps the selected recording reservation is not assigned to the second tuner in step S38 (S38: NO), no overlapping recording reservation is assigned to both tuners 2 and 2, and the selected recording reservation is not assigned. Since the reservation can be assigned to both tuners 2 and 2, it is determined which tuner 2 and 2 are assigned. First, the recording reservation with the latest recording end time is searched for among the recording reservations already assigned (step S40). It is checked whether the recording reservation with the latest end time is assigned to the first tuner (step S41). If the recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner (S41: YES), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner. (Step S42). When the recording reservation with the latest end time is not assigned to the first tuner (S41: NO), it is checked whether or not it is assigned to the second tuner (step S43), and is assigned to the second tuner. (S43: YES), the selected recording reservation is assigned to the second tuner (step S44).

  In step S43, if the recording reservation with the latest end time is not assigned to the second tuner (S43: NO), the recording reservation is not assigned to both the tuners 2 and 2, so the default processing is performed. The selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner (step S45).

  Since the selected recording reservation is assigned to the first tuner or the second tuner by the above flow, the control unit 1 checks whether or not all the recording reservations have been assigned (step S46), and the unassigned recording reservation. Is present (S46: NO), the process returns to step S35, and the recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording is selected from the unallocated recording reservations, and allocation to the tuners 2 and 2 is performed. If all the recording reservations have been assigned (S46: YES), the process ends.

  In the hard disk recorder according to the second embodiment, when the allocation of recording reservations to the tuners 2 and 2 is optimized in advance and the optimization process is performed, the recording end time in the already allocated recording reservations The recording reservation of the tuners 2 and 2 is not assigned by assigning the recording reservation to the tuners 2 and 2 to which the recording reservation closest to the recording start time is assigned. Since continuous free time can be lengthened, when a new recording reservation is input, it can be easily determined whether a new recording reservation can be assigned, and a plurality of tuners 2 and 2 can be used efficiently. Therefore, user convenience can be improved.

  Since the other configuration of the hard disk recorder according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the hard disk recorder according to the first embodiment, the corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the hard disk recorder which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a broadcast of digital broadcasting. It is a flowchart which shows the allocation process of the recording reservation to a tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows the allocation process of the recording reservation to a tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of allocation of the recording reservation to the tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows the allocation process of the recording reservation to a tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows the allocation process of the recording reservation to a tuner which the control part of the hard-disk recorder which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the reservation to the tuner in the conventional recording device. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the reservation to the tuner in the conventional recording device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control part 2 Tuner 4 Decoder 5 Operation part 6 Hard disk 7 Hard disk controller

Claims (8)

A plurality of receiving means capable of receiving a broadcast signal including one or a plurality of programs, a recording means capable of simultaneously recording a program included in the broadcast signal received by the receiving means, the receiving means and the recording A recording apparatus for receiving a recording reservation including a time related to recording of the program by the means, and recording a program based on the recording reservation;
Whether the recording reservation accepted by the accepting means can be assigned to the receiving means, whether the times related to the recording reservation overlap, and whether the broadcast signal including the program related to the recording reservation is the same Determination means for determining based on whether or not
An allocating unit that allocates a recording reservation to the receiving unit. The assigning means includes
Means for selecting a recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording among unassigned recording reservations as a recording reservation to be allocated;
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein recording reservations are sequentially assigned in accordance with selection of the means. The assigning means includes
Means for determining whether or not a program related to an overlapping recording reservation is included in the same broadcast signal when the recording reservation to be allocated partially or entirely overlaps with the allocated recording reservation;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when it is determined by the means that they are included in the same broadcast signal, an overlapping recording reservation is assigned to the same receiving means. The assigning means includes
Among the allocated recording reservations, there is means for searching for a recording reservation that is closest to the recording start time of the recording reservation in which the recording end time is allocated,
4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recording reservation is assigned to the receiving means to which the recording reservation searched by the means is assigned.   5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that outputs that the recording reservation received by the receiving unit cannot be allocated when the allocation unit cannot allocate the recording reservation to the receiving unit. 6. Recording device. A plurality of receiving means capable of receiving a broadcast signal including one or a plurality of programs, a recording means capable of simultaneously recording a program included in the broadcast signal received by the receiving means, the receiving means and the recording A recording reservation allocating method for allocating a recording reservation accepted by the accepting means to the receiving means using a recording device comprising a accepting means for accepting a recording reservation including a time relating to recording of a program by the means,
Whether the recording reservation accepted by the accepting means can be assigned to the receiving means, whether the times related to the recording reservation overlap, and whether the broadcast signal including the program related to the recording reservation is the same A determination step for determining based on
An allocation step of allocating a recording reservation to the receiving means. The assigning step includes
Determining whether or not a program related to an overlapping recording reservation is included in the same broadcast signal when a recording reservation to be assigned partially or entirely overlaps with an already assigned recording reservation;
The recording reservation assigning method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of assigning overlapping recording reservations to the same receiving means when it is determined in the step that they are included in the same broadcast signal. The assigning step includes
Selecting the recording reservation with the earliest start time of recording among unassigned recording reservations as the recording reservation to be allocated;
Searching for a recording reservation that is closest to the recording start time of the recording reservation to which the recording end time is allocated, among the allocated recording reservations;
The recording reservation allocation method according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising the step of allocating the recording reservation to be allocated to the receiving unit to which the recording reservation searched in the step is allocated.

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