JP4695547B2 - Recording / reproducing apparatus and recording capacity management method for recording / reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording / playback apparatus having a function of recording and playing back audio and video provided via a television broadcast or a network, and more particularly to a method for managing a recording capacity of a CM recorded in the recording / playback apparatus. .

  Many recording / playback apparatuses such as DVD recorders and hard disk recorders that are generally sold now have functions such as fast-forwarding and skipping. Therefore, by using these functions, the user of the recording / playback apparatus can easily avoid viewing a recorded CM that he / she does not want to view.

Many of the programs that are broadcast free of charge are made up of commercial advertising revenue. Therefore, avoiding viewing of the CM leads to a break in the premise of free broadcasting. For this reason, various methods for forcing the user of the recording / playback apparatus to view the CM have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording / playback apparatus having a function of protecting a recorded CM so that the program cannot be deleted unless the CM is viewed during playback of the recorded program.
JP 2001-266482 A

  As described above, in the case of a recording / playback apparatus that does not have a function for forcibly watching a CM during program playback (assuming that the content including the CM is recorded when the program is recorded), fast-forwarding, skipping, etc. By using this function, CM viewing can be avoided. For this reason, the advertising effect of CM cannot be achieved as compared with the case of viewing in real time.

  On the other hand, in the case of a recording / playback apparatus having a function for forcibly viewing a CM (in the case of an apparatus having a function that cannot fast-forward or skip a CM when playing a program including a CM), the user wants to view it. There is a possibility that you can watch a non-CM. In this case, the user feels dissatisfied and wastes the time required to view the CM. In this case, the advertising effect of the CM cannot be sufficiently obtained.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus and a recording capacity management method that can obtain a high advertising effect for a CM advertiser and also allow a viewer to select a CM to view.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following configuration.
A recording / playback apparatus having a protection function that cannot delete a program unless the CM is viewed during playback of the program, and in the initial state of the recording / playback apparatus, a recording area in which a CM or a program including a CM is recorded , When an unrecorded free space to be used for recording is set and a CM or a program including a CM recorded in the recording area is viewed, it is limited to the viewed CM or a program including the CM. In addition, a specific number or capacity of a CM or a program including a CM can be arbitrarily selected, and the selected CM or a recording area of the program including the CM can be used for recording after canceling protection that cannot be deleted. The free space is set so that the viewed CM or the program including the CM is not erased, and the program including the unviewed CM or CM which is not expected to be viewed can be erased .

Also, a recording / playback apparatus having a protection function that cannot delete a program unless the CM is viewed during program playback, in the initial state of the recording / playback apparatus, a recording area in which a CM or a program including a CM is recorded; An unrecorded non-recorded area protected so that it cannot be used for recording and an unrecorded free space to be used for recording a program are set and includes a CM or CM recorded in the recording area. When a program is viewed, it is not limited to the watched CM or the program including the CM, but a specific number or capacity of the CM or a program containing the CM is arbitrarily selected, and the selected CM or CM is included. The erasure protection for the program recording area is canceled to make it erasable, and the number of CMs that have been viewed or the capacity or the recording capacity of the program that includes the CM is limited. Razz, with respect to the unrecorded area corresponding to a predetermined expanded recording capacity of a structure to be space available for recording to remove protection that can not be erased.

In addition, in the initial state of the recording / reproducing apparatus, the recording capacity of the recording / reproducing apparatus in which CM or a recording area in which a program including the CM is recorded and an unrecorded free space used for recording the program are set. A management method comprising: viewing a CM or a program including a CM recorded in the recording area; and not limited to the viewed CM or a program including a CM, but a specific number or capacity of CMs or CMs Arbitrarily selecting the included program, and removing the protection that cannot be erased from the recording area of the selected CM or the program including the CM, and setting the viewed CM or CM as a free space usable for recording. A recording capacity of the recording / reproducing apparatus, comprising: erasing an unviewed CM that is not expected to be viewed or a program including a CM without deleting the included program; Management method.

  According to the present invention, since the user can select and watch a CM of interest, a high advertising effect can be expected for the advertiser of the CM recorded in the recording / playback apparatus. Also, by deducting the advertising cost, the selling price of the recording / reproducing apparatus can be reduced, and sales promotion of the recording / reproducing apparatus can also be expected.

  In addition, the user can delete the CMs that have been viewed without deleting them, and delete unnecessary CMs that are not expected to be viewed. Furthermore, even when the capacity of the recorded CM is small, it becomes possible for the user to view the CM, and a high advertising effect can be expected.

“First Embodiment”
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a recording capacity management method of the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a transition of the usage state of the recording capacity. The recording / playback apparatus according to the first embodiment is sold with CMs recorded in advance. Here, it is natural that the CM is recorded together with the contents of the program (drama, sports, etc.) as in normal broadcasting, or the CM and the contents of the program may be recorded separately. The recorded CM is protected so that it cannot be deleted unless it is viewed (a specific technique for protecting or releasing the protection may use a conventionally known technique). In the first embodiment, the protection can be canceled by the capacity of viewing the recorded CM.

  FIG. 1A shows a usage state of a recording capacity (hereinafter referred to as capacity) when a user purchases a recording / playback apparatus. Reference numeral 101 denotes a free space where nothing is recorded, and the user can use it for recording a program such as a broadcast. Reference numeral 102 denotes a capacity used for CM recording. The user can arbitrarily select and view what he / she wants to watch from the recorded CM. An arbitrary CM can be selected by displaying a list by CM genre (food, sports, etc.) at the beginning of the recorded area.

  FIG. 1B shows the usage state of the capacity after the user views the recorded CM. Reference numeral 103 denotes a free space where nothing is recorded. Reference numeral 104 denotes a capacity used by a viewed CM. The CM that has been viewed is released from the protection (non-erasable protection) and can be erased. Reference numeral 105 denotes a capacity used by an unviewed CM.

  FIG. 1C shows the usage state of the capacity after the user erases the CM whose protection has been released. Reference numeral 106 denotes a free space where nothing is recorded. The capacity increases from the capacity 103 by the capacity of the deleted CM. Reference numeral 107 denotes a capacity used by an unviewed CM. The capacity indicated by 107 does not change from the capacity 105.

  With such a configuration, it can be expected that the user views the CM in order to increase the free space that can be used for recording the program. The recording / playback apparatus can be provided at low cost by collecting the advertising fee from the CM advertiser, recording the CM provided by the advertiser, and selling the recording / playback apparatus. Moreover, if the content of the CM to be recorded is good, the number of users who want to view it increases, and therefore the effect of promoting sales can be expected. In FIG. 1A, a part of the capacity of the recording / playback apparatus is shown as the capacity 102 used for CM recording. However, the recording capacity in which the entire capacity is used for CM recording and no free capacity 101 is provided. It may be a management method.

“Second Embodiment”
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the recording capacity management method of the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and shows the transition of the recording capacity usage state. Also in the second embodiment, the recording / playback apparatus is sold in a state where CMs are recorded in advance. The recorded CM is protected so that it cannot be erased. However, when the user views the recorded CM, the protection can be canceled by arbitrarily selecting a specific number or capacity of the CM. That is, when a recorded CM is viewed, the protection can be canceled not only for the capacity of the viewed CM but also for the capacity of the CM that is not viewed. At this time, the protection cancellation target may be related to the viewed CM, or may be a predetermined capacity ratio or an arbitrary number of CMs.

  FIG. 2A shows the capacity usage state at the time when the user purchases the recording / playback apparatus. Reference numeral 201 denotes a free space where nothing is recorded, and the user can use it for recording a program. Reference numeral 202 denotes a capacity used for CM recording. The user can arbitrarily select and view what he / she wants to watch from the recorded CM.

  FIG. 2B shows the usage state of the capacity after the user views the recorded CM and selects the CM whose protection is to be canceled. Reference numeral 203 denotes a free space where nothing is recorded. Reference numeral 204 denotes a capacity used by the CM whose protection has been released. Reference numeral 205 denotes a capacity used by a viewed CM whose protection is not released. Reference numeral 206 denotes a capacity used by an unviewed CM whose protection is not released. In FIG. 2B, the viewed CM is divided into a capacity portion 204 for which protection is released and a capacity portion 205 for which protection is not released.

  FIG. 2C shows the usage state of the capacity after the user erases a part of the CM whose protection is released. Reference numeral 207 denotes a free space where nothing is recorded. The capacity increases from the capacity 203 by the capacity of the deleted CM. Reference numeral 208 denotes a capacity used by the CM whose protection is canceled. The capacity is reduced from the capacity 204 by the capacity of the deleted CM. Reference numeral 209 denotes a capacity used by a viewed CM whose protection is not released. The capacity indicated by 209 does not change from the capacity 205. Reference numeral 210 denotes a capacity used by an unviewed CM whose protection is not released. The capacity indicated by 210 does not change from the capacity 206.

  With such a configuration, the user can leave a viewed CM without erasing it, and can erase an unnecessary CM that is not expected to be viewed.

“Third Embodiment”
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the recording capacity management method of the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and shows the transition of the recording capacity usage state. Also in the third embodiment, the recording / playback apparatus is sold in a state where CMs are recorded in advance. The recorded CM is protected so that it cannot be deleted unless it is viewed. Further, a recording area where nothing is protected so as not to be used for recording is provided, and the protection is canceled according to the number or capacity of CMs viewed. That is, when a recorded CM is viewed, it is not limited to the capacity of the viewed CM, but may be an amount that can be released after being enlarged by a predetermined capacity.

  FIG. 3A shows the capacity usage state when the user purchases the recording / playback apparatus. Reference numeral 301 denotes an unprotected free space, and the user can freely use it for recording a program. Reference numeral 302 denotes a protected free space, and the user cannot use it for recording a program. Reference numeral 303 denotes a capacity used for CM recording. The user can arbitrarily select and view what he / she wants to watch from the recorded CM. The form of CM recording is the same as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 3B shows a usage state of the capacity after the user views the recorded CM. Reference numeral 304 denotes an unprotected free space. The capacity indicated by 304 increases in accordance with the number or capacity of CMs viewed. Reference numeral 305 denotes a protected free capacity. The capacity indicated by 305 decreases by the difference between the capacity 304 and the capacity 301 (the amount of white background increased in FIG. 3B). Reference numeral 306 denotes a capacity used by the viewed CM. The CM that has been viewed is released from the protection state and can be deleted. Reference numeral 307 denotes a capacity used by an unviewed CM. In the example shown in the figure, viewing is performed for the CM capacity of 306, and the increased amount of the white background portion in FIG.

  With such a configuration, the capacity (area 301 in FIG. 3A) that can be used for recording can be reduced even when the capacity of the recorded CM is small (area 303 in FIG. 3A). The person is expected to view the CM in order to increase the capacity that can be used for recording, and can expect a high advertising effect. In the third embodiment, the method for canceling the protection for the CM is such that the protection of the viewed CM is unconditionally released as in the case of the first embodiment. As in the case of the embodiment, the user may be allowed to select a CM whose protection is to be canceled.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention is mainly characterized by having the following configuration and producing effects. That is, in a program recording / playback apparatus having a function for protecting recorded contents so that they cannot be erased, CMs are recorded in advance at the time of sale, and protected so that they cannot be erased until these CMs are viewed. If the user does not watch the CM, the capacity (or an enlarged capacity) may not be used for recording, so the possibility of viewing the recorded CM is increased. Further, when the CM is not viewed, by prohibiting the recording of the area larger than the CM capacity, the CM can be viewed more reliably (the advertiser can obtain a high advertising effect). By collecting a CM advertisement fee from a CM advertiser, the selling price of the recording / playback apparatus can be reduced by the amount of the advertisement fee.

It is a figure explaining the recording capacity management method of the video recording / reproducing apparatus concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure showing the transition of the usage condition of recording capacity. It is a figure explaining the recording capacity management method of the video recording / reproducing apparatus concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure showing transition of the usage condition of recording capacity. It is a figure explaining the recording capacity management method of the video recording / reproducing apparatus concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure showing transition of the usage condition of recording capacity.

Explanation of symbols

101, 103, 106 Free capacity 102 Capacity used by recorded CM 104 Capacity used by viewed CM 105, 107 Capacity used by unviewed CM 201, 203, 207 Free capacity 202 Capacity used by recorded CM 204, 208 Capacity used by a CM whose protection has been released 205, 209 Capacity used by a viewed CM whose protection has not been released 206, 210 Capacity used by an unviewed CM whose protection has not been released 301, 304 Protected Unused free space 302,305 Protected free space 303 Capacity used by recorded CM 306 Capacity used by watched CM 307 Capacity used by unviewed CM

Claims (3)

A recording / playback apparatus having a protection function that cannot delete a program without viewing a CM during program playback,
In the initial state of the recording / playback apparatus, a recording area in which CM or a program including CM is recorded, and an unrecorded free space used for recording the program are set ,
When viewing a CM or a program including a CM recorded in the recording area, not only the viewed CM or a program including a CM, but also a specific number or capacity of a CM or a program including a CM is arbitrarily selected. Select , release the protection that cannot be erased for the selected CM or the recording area of the program containing the CM, and make it free space usable for recording,
Recording and reproducing apparatus, characterized in that the erasable without erasing the program including the watched CM or CM, the program containing a CM or CM unviewed unlikely to watch. A recording / playback apparatus having a protection function that cannot delete a program without viewing a CM during program playback,
In the initial state of the recording / playback apparatus, a recording area in which a CM or a program including a CM is recorded, an unrecorded area that is protected so that it cannot be used for recording, and a recording that is used for recording the program Free space is set , and
When viewing a CM or a program including a CM recorded in the recording area,
Not only the CMs that have been viewed or programs that include CMs, but also a specific number or capacity of CMs or programs that include CMs are arbitrarily selected, and the selected CMs or recording areas of programs that include CMs are selected . Cancel the protection that cannot be erased, make it erasable,
Furthermore, not only the recording capacity of the programs including the CM or the CM number or volume of view, with respect to the unrecorded area corresponding to a predetermined expanded recording capacity of, to remove protection that can not be erased recording Recording / playback device characterized by having free space available for use. Recording capacity management method of recording / reproducing apparatus in which recording area in which CM or a program including CM is recorded and unrecorded free space used for recording the program are set in the initial state of recording / reproducing apparatus Because
Viewing a CM or a program including the CM recorded in the recording area;
Arbitrarily selecting a CM or a program including a CM , not limited to the viewed CM or a program including the CM;
The selected CM or the recording area of the program including the CM is released from the protection that cannot be erased and the available CM can be used for recording without erasing the viewed CM or the program including the CM. A recording capacity management method for a recording / playback apparatus, comprising: an erasure of an unpredictable unviewed CM or a program including a CM .

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