JP4764068B2 - Program display device and program display method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a program display device and a program display method used in a video recording apparatus.

  In recent years, with the increase in broadcasting channels, video recording apparatuses such as video tape recorders, hard disk (HDD) recorders, DVD recorders, etc. require a long time for recording program recording, and it is desirable that recording reservations can be made easily. It is coming. In addition, since the capacity of storage media has been increased and a large number of programs can be reserved, simplification of reservation is desired. As an example of this simplification, preference information relating to a reservation record of a favorite program is supplied from the reservation person to the network, and the favorite program information generated based on the search result on the network based on the supplied preference information is displayed. A reservation method has been developed in which settings are made regarding reservation recording based on preference program information that is transmitted to a reservation person from a network (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, this method aims at automatic reservation, and the reservation status is supplied to the display, and the display shows the contents of the program reservation and the setting status of the recorder. There is no function to display.
JP 2002-262265 A (Claim 1, paragraphs 0024 to 0031)

  Thus, conventionally, there has been no function for downloading and displaying a recommended program list that assists recording reservation from the outside via a network.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a program display device and a program display method for efficiently displaying menus of different sizes in a plurality of hierarchies for displaying a recommended program list supplied from a server.

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention uses the following means.

(1) The program display device according to an aspect of the present invention displays a plurality of menus for displaying a recommended program list supplied from a server, and each menu is displayed in a predetermined item frame and the frame. In a program display device consisting of a variable number of characters, each menu data consists of variable-size character data contained in a data structure of a predetermined size and zero data added to the end of the character data, and is downloaded from the server a cache memory for storing menu data, taken out means for displaying the data in the cache memory, the character data variable size from the data structure of the menu data downloaded from the server, means for writing into the cache memory, the highest layer When the menu screen display request is received, the cache memory is cleared and the menu is cleared. Deta is intended to and means to download from the server.

(2) A program display apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention displays a plurality of menus for displaying a recommended program list supplied from a server, and each menu is displayed in a predetermined item frame and the frame. Each menu data is composed of variable-size character data stored in a data structure of a predetermined size and zero data added to the end of the character data. A cache memory for storing the downloaded menu data, a means for displaying the data in the cache memory, a means for extracting variable-size character data from the data structure of the menu data downloaded from the server, and writing it into the cache memory, and a lower hierarchy When the menu screen display request is received, the menu data is stored in the cache memory. It determines whether it is exist, if not stored, clear the cache memory, in which comprises means for downloading a menu data from the server, the.

(3) A program display method according to another aspect of the present invention is a program display method for displaying a plurality of menus of different sizes for displaying a recommended program list supplied from a server, wherein each menu data is data of a predetermined size. It consists of variable-size character data stored in the structure and zero data added to the end of the character data. The variable-size character data is extracted from the menu data data structure downloaded from the server and written to the cache memory. A step of displaying data in the cache memory, and a step of clearing the cache memory and downloading the menu data from the server when a display request for the menu screen of the highest hierarchy is received. .

(4) A program display method according to another aspect of the present invention is a program display method for displaying a plurality of menus of different sizes for displaying a recommended program list supplied from a server, wherein each menu data is data of a predetermined size. It consists of variable-size character data stored in the structure and zero data added to the end of the character data. The variable-size character data is extracted from the menu data data structure downloaded from the server and written to the cache memory. A step of displaying data in the cache memory, and a display request for a menu screen in a lower hierarchy, determining whether or not the menu data is stored in the cache memory. Clear memory and download menu data from server A step, those having a.

  As described above, according to the present invention, only necessary information is stored in a cache memory of a limited size, so that menus of different sizes in a plurality of hierarchies for displaying a recommended program list supplied from the server can be efficiently used. It is possible to provide a program display device and a program display method that display well.

  Embodiments of a program display device and a program display method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment This embodiment realizes a “recommended service” in which an electronic program information integrated provision (DEPG) system is expanded to enhance a network cooperation function. In the “recommended service”, “recommended program” data for each recorder is generated on the server side using the reservation history of the recorder and the actual recording history, and distributed to each recorder. It also distributes ranking information from recorders that use the Internet-connected program information providing service (iNET).

  When program data distributed from these servers is displayed, there is a possibility that recommended programs may be added or expanded as distribution data from the server, and provision of information such as notifications may be started. The display function is flexible and can be received from the server, including menus and transition information, and displayed dynamically.

  The outline of the “recommended service” in the present embodiment is as follows.

1. “Recommended Program” List Display Function Function to receive and display “Recommended Program” list data for each HDD & DVD recorder calculated on the server side based on the usage history (recording history and reservation history) for each HDD & DVD recorder. .

2. Function for dynamically displaying menus provided by the server Function for dynamically displaying menus and information provided by the server, assuming that screen patterns and transition patterns are limited (several types).

3. Recommended setting function A function that allows the user to make usage settings for the “Recommended” function.

  The following functions bring about the following user merits.

  1. Providing a function that automatically selects programs according to the usage history of the corresponding HDD & DVD recorder without registering keywords.

  2. Automatically learns your preferences and recommends programs.

  3. The latest reservation ranking information is available.

  4). It is possible to receive services with high palatability on HDD & DVD recorders through network cooperation. It is also possible to receive services that change dynamically.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an HDD & DVD recorder 10 including a program display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

(Constitution)
The recorder 10 has two types of disk drive units: an optical disk drive unit 19 that rotates and drives an optical disk D such as a DVD as a first medium that is an information recording medium that can construct a video file, and a first optical disk drive unit 19 that reads and writes information. And a hard disk drive (HDD) unit 18 for driving a hard disk as a second medium.

  The recorder 10 is mainly composed of an encoder unit 21 which is a main part on the recording side, an MPEG decoder part 23 which is a main part on the reproduction side, and a control unit 30 which controls the operation of the apparatus main body. The control unit 30 is connected to each unit via a data bus so as to control the overall operation.

  The recorder 10 includes an input-side selector unit 16 and an output-side selector unit 17. The input-side selector unit 16 includes a communication unit 11 connected to the Internet, a LAN, etc., and a so-called satellite broadcast ( BS / CS) tuner unit 12 and so-called terrestrial tuner unit 13 are connected to output a signal to encoder unit 21. A multiplexing unit 28 is connected to the encoder unit 21. A satellite antenna is connected to the BS / CS tuner unit 12, and a terrestrial antenna is connected to the terrestrial tuner unit 13, and broadcast radio waves are received from the broadcasting station T1.

  The communication unit 11 is connected to the Internet, a LAN, or the like via a modem M, and downloads program information from the program information providing server S connected to the Internet, or downloads content information from the Internet broadcasting station T2. Further, in order to tabulate ranking information to be described later, information on the program reserved from the recorder 10 and information on the actually recorded program are uploaded to the program information providing server S with the attribute information of the user of the recorder.

  The program information providing server S, in addition to creating the “recommended program” list data and reservation ranking information for each recorder based on the usage history (recording history and reservation history) for each recorder uploaded from the recorder 10, Program guide information including program identification information for identifying a program name and broadcast time information (for example, including broadcast start time, broadcast time, maximum extension time, etc.) of a program corresponding to the program identification information is generated. A program information generation unit 51 and a communication unit 53 that transmits information generated by the program information generation unit 51 to the recorder 10 via a network or the like. In addition to the form in which the program information from the program information providing server S is provided to the recorder 10 via the Internet, the program information is provided to the broadcast station T1, and the broadcast signal of the broadcast station T1 (digital terrestrial, terrestrial) (Analog, satellite broadcast digital, satellite broadcast analog, etc.) may be superimposed and provided to the recorder 10. In the Internet-connected program information providing service (iNET), program information is updated once a day and distributed for 24 hours. The contents of distribution are an electronic program guide (EPG), performers, personal name keywords, program search function (two-way), standard time (NTP), extension information, and recommended service (two-way).

  The output of the encoder unit 21 is supplied to the data editing unit 20, and desired data processing such as data editing is performed. A hard disk drive unit 18 and an optical disk drive unit 19 are connected to the data editing unit 20. The data editing unit 20 receives signals from the hard disk drive unit 18 and the optical disk drive unit 19, performs data processing opposite to that at the time of recording, and supplies the data to the buffer unit 22 of the MPEG decoder unit 23. A separation unit 29 is also connected to the MPEG decoder unit 23. The output of the MPEG decoder unit 23 is supplied to the output-side selector unit 17 via the audio / video processing unit 24. The output of the selector unit 17 is supplied to an external receiver 41 or is supplied to an external device (not shown) via an interface unit 27 that communicates with the external device.

  Also connected to the data bus are a reserved recording unit 42 for automatically recording from a reserved start time to an end time, and a program guide generating unit 43 for generating a reservation list and a program guide image.

  Further, the recorder 10 has an operation unit 32 that is connected to the control unit 30 via a data bus and receives an operation instruction signal from a user operation or a remote control R. The remote controller R is capable of almost the same operation as the operation unit 32 provided in the main body of the recorder 10, and performs recording / playback instructions, editing instructions, and tuner operations of the hard disk drive unit 18 and the optical disk drive unit 19. Various settings such as setting for scheduled recording are possible. The operation result of the operation unit 32 is displayed on the screen of the receiver 41 and also partially displayed on the display unit 33 on the front surface of the main body.

(Operation)
Basic Operation In the recorder 10 having such a configuration, an outline of reproduction processing and recording processing will be described taking an example of an optical disc. Under the control of the control unit 30, the optical disc D rotated at a predetermined speed is a laser beam. The reflected light is detected by an optical pickup, and a detection signal based on this is output. Based on this detection signal, an RF signal is generated, and a reproduction process is performed following the data reading process.

  In the optical disc recording process, the data supplied from the communication unit 11 and the tuner units 12 and 13 via the selector unit 16 under the control of the control unit 30 is supplied to the encoder unit 21 and is encoded and output. . In accordance with the coded output and the output of the control unit 30, the drive current of the laser driver is supplied to the optical pickup, and the recording process is performed by irradiating the storage area of the optical disc D.

-Recording process etc. Next, operation | movement of the recorder 10 which has such a structure is demonstrated in detail. First, the operation during recording will be mainly described in detail. The communication unit 11 is connected to an external device, and communicates with the program information providing server S via a communication path such as the Internet via a modem M or the like, or downloads content information from the broadcasting station T2. To do. The BS / CS tuner unit 12 and the terrestrial tuner unit 13 select a broadcast signal via an antenna, demodulate it, and input a video signal and an audio signal, and correspond to a wide variety of broadcast signals. For example, it covers terrestrial analog broadcasting, terrestrial digital broadcasting, BS analog broadcasting, BS digital broadcasting, CS digital broadcasting, and the like, but is not limited thereto. Also, it is not always necessary to provide only one. For example, it has two or more tuners for terrestrial analog broadcasting and two or more BS / CS tuners, and functions in parallel according to the reservation recording request. This includes cases where

  The communication unit 11 may be an IEEE 1394 interface and can receive digital content from an external device on the network. It is also possible to receive a luminance signal, a color difference signal, a video signal such as a composite, and an audio signal from an input end (not shown). These are controlled by the selector unit 16 controlled by the control unit 30 and the like, and are selectively supplied to the encoder unit 21 by being controlled.

  The encoder unit 21 includes a video and audio analog-to-digital converter that digitizes an analog video signal and an analog audio signal input by the selector unit 16, a video encoder, an audio encoder, and a sub-picture encoder. The output of the encoder unit 21 is converted into a predetermined compression format such as MPEG and supplied to the control unit 30.

  The BS / CS tuner 12 or the like does not necessarily need to be built in, and is supplied externally via a data input terminal and supplies the received digital signal to the encoder unit 21 and the control unit 30 via the selector unit 16. Is also suitable.

  Here, the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 sends information encoded by the encoder unit 21 (pack of video, audio, sub-picture data, etc.) and created management information to the hard disk drive unit 18 or the optical disc drive via the control unit 30. It can be supplied to the unit 19 and recorded on the hard disk drive unit 18 or the optical disc D. Information recorded on the hard disk drive unit 18 or the optical disk D can also be recorded on the optical disk D or the hard disk drive unit 18 via the control unit 30 and the optical disk drive unit 19.

Editing processing etc. The data editing unit 20 performs editing processing such as deleting a part of video objects of a plurality of programs recorded on the hard disk drive unit 18 or the optical disc D, or connecting objects of different programs. You can also.

-Reproduction process etc. Next, the reproduction | regeneration process of the mainly recorded information is demonstrated in detail. The MPEG decoder unit 23 includes a video processor that appropriately synthesizes the decoded sub-video with the decoded main video, and outputs a menu, a highlight button, subtitles, and other sub-videos superimposed on the main video.

  The output audio signal of the MPEG decoder unit 23 is analog-converted by a digital / analog converter (not shown) via the selector unit 17 and supplied to the speaker, or is supplied to an external device via the I / F unit 27. The selector unit 17 is controlled by a select signal from the control unit 30. Accordingly, the selector unit 17 can directly select a signal that has passed through the encoder unit 21 when directly monitoring the digital signals from the tuner units 12 and 13.

Reservation recording process Recording reservation process can be performed based on the electronic program information acquired from the communication unit 11 or the like. Based on the reserved scheduled recording information (stored in the scheduled recording unit 42), the BS / CS tuner unit 12 or the terrestrial tuner unit 13 receives the scheduled time due to the functions of the control unit 30 and the scheduled recording unit 42. The video / audio signal from which the program information is demodulated is recorded (reserved video recording) on, for example, the hard disk drive 18 through an encoding process by the encoder 21 or the like.

  The recorder 10 of this embodiment has a comprehensive function as described above, and performs recording / playback processing by the optical disc D or the hard disk drive unit 18 for many sources.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the software module related to the “recommended function” of the present embodiment.

  A user interface (UI) module 102 is a module that is the center of the main body of the recorder 10 and performs command transmission / reception relay, exclusive control, and the like between the modules.

  A graphic user interface (GUI) module 104 performs screen control of the main body GUI. Programs and search results are displayed based on program information acquired from an electronic program guide (EPG) module 106 described later. The GUI module 104 displays a program navigation main menu screen including addition of a “recommended service” button, a recommended function screen, such as a top option screen, a general option screen, a text display screen, a recommended program list display screen, a recommended service setting screen, and the like. indicate.

  A real time record (RTR) module 108 accesses the HDD unit 18.

  The EPG module 106 manages EPG data. Specifically, the recommended data is cached, cache control (obtained from the server if not available), the next screen display data / previous one scene display data is fetched, and the data is passed to the GUI module 104. The cache memory is in the program guide generation unit 43.

  The status manager (StatusMng) module 110 manages setting values of the recorder 10 main body. Specifically, recommended service setting and setting change time holding, reservation source, and reservation means holding are performed.

  An event manager module 112 registers and updates reservations.

  A net manager (NET) module 114 downloads menus and program lists from the network via the communication unit 11 and performs mail transmission / reception. Specifically, reception of “recommended” data, tag analysis, data creation, and reservation history (region, reservation source, reservation means, automatic set, etc.) are transmitted.

  The recorder 10 according to the present embodiment has a function of receiving and displaying “recommended program” list data for each recorder from the program information providing server S (“recommended program” list display function). The “recommended program” list is created on the server S side and distributed in response to a request from the recorder 10. The format of the data to be received is based on the data format of the Internet connection type program information providing service (iNET), and uses a format in which several kinds of tags are added. The order of data in the current data format is the date and channel code order. Therefore, in the initial state, the devices are rearranged and displayed in descending or ascending order designated by the server on the device side according to the value of the point added to each program.

  The recorder 10 of the present embodiment also has a function of dynamically displaying a menu provided from the program information providing server S (a function of receiving and displaying a service menu and transition information from the server).

  Hereinafter, the operation of the “recommended service” of the present embodiment will be described.

When the “program navigator” button is operated with the remote controller R, the “program navigator” main menu shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. This screen performs network communication and is displayed based on the data received from the server. When each button (each menu) is focused, the explanatory text of that menu is displayed in the upper right of the screen. For example, when the focus is on the “Recommended Services” menu, the explanation text of the menu at the upper right of the screen “Services such as reservation rankings and your recommended programs when using iNET in a constantly connected Internet environment” Is displayed. When the “Favorites 1 to 3” menu is focused, a list of programs that meet the conditions of “Favorites Set 1 to 3” is displayed in the upper right of the screen. “Automatically recorded programs are reserved.” Is displayed. Thus, although the explanatory text display area is a fixed size, the explanatory text varies depending on the menu, and the size of the character data is variable depending on the menu.

When the “recommended service” menu is selected on the main menu screen of FIG. 3, a “program navigation” recommended menu list (service menu) shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. This screen also performs network communication and is displayed based on (cached) data received from the server. Table 1 shows the items to be changed dynamically.

  This screen is a screen that can always be displayed even when communication with the server is not possible. For this reason, a 64 KB area is developed in an area secured by setting a new identifier in the memory map, and data is held here. The state of the memory map is assumed to be at the time of search. This memory (cache memory) is in the program guide generation unit 43. This is because the usage setting function can always be set only in the recorder regardless of whether or not the network communication is possible. Therefore, when the connection with the server cannot be established, the data corresponding to the display item on the service menu screen in Table 1 displays the default contents prepared in advance in the recorder. The “recommended setting” button at the lower right of the screen and the image image items at the upper right of the screen always display the same fixed data.

  When the “recommended setting” menu is selected on the service menu screen of FIG. 4, a “program navigation” recommended service setting screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. This screen is a screen for setting whether to use the recommended service, and displays the following items.

・ Heading (recommended service setting)
・ Notes such as terms of use (use of services)
-Use / do not select function-"Register" button When "menu that changes the menu of the service menu" is selected in the service menu screen of FIG. 4, for example, "program navigation" reservation ranking menu screen shown in FIG. (Submenu) is displayed. This screen is almost the same as the service menu screen of FIG. 4 except for the following points.

  ・ The heading is “Reservation Ranking Menu”.

  -The “Recommended Settings” button at the lower right of the service menu screen is not displayed.

This screen is also displayed based on the data received from the server. However, the server connection is not performed immediately before the display, but the received (cached) data is displayed in advance. The items to be dynamically changed are the same as the items on the service menu screen, and Table 2 shows a list.

When the “menu for text transition of service menu” is selected on the service menu screen of FIG. 4 or the submenu screen of FIG. 6, a notification screen from the “program navigation” recommended service shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. This screen is also displayed based on the data received from the server. However, the server connection is not performed immediately before the display, but the received (cached) data is displayed in advance. Table 3 shows a list of items to be dynamically changed.

  The following items are generated and displayed on the recorder side, not on the received data from the server side.

・ Current page ・ Total number of all pages When “menu that changes program list of service menu” is selected on the service menu screen of FIG. 4 or the submenu screen of FIG. 6, the “program navigation” recommended service shown in FIG. The notification screen (recommended list) from is displayed. This screen also performs network communication and is displayed based on (cached) data received from the server. Table 4 shows the items to be changed dynamically.

  The crown mark displayed at the left end of each program indicates the degree of recommendation. The greater the number of marks, the stronger the recommendation.

  The display contents of the following program data are also dynamically changed according to the received data from the server side.

-Date-Start time / End time-Display channel-Program name etc. The following items are generated and displayed on the recorder side, not on the data received from the server side.

-Current page-Total number of all pages FIG. 8 shows recommended programs arranged in order from the start of broadcasting, but FIG. 9 shows a ranking list in which recommended programs are arranged in the order of reserved ranking. The recommended programs in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be automatically reserved and set, but can also be manually set by the user selecting and pressing a reservation button.

  FIG. 10 shows the transition state of the menu screens of FIGS.

  The following three screens can be changed from the service menu.

(1) Submenu screen (2) Information screen (text display screen)
(3) Recommended program list screens The following two screens can be changed from the submenu menu.

(1) Information screen (text display screen)
(2) Recommended Program List Screen Although the return transition is not illustrated, the return transition does not perform server communication. For menu display screens and text display screens other than the recommended program list display screen, it is always possible to transition to the previous screen. In these, since all data is acquired at the time of transition from the main menu to the service menu, the menu, text wording, etc. are always stored in the cache memory. Therefore, it is possible to display without performing server communication.

  However, the return from the recommended program list display screen is always the main menu of the program navigation. However, at this time, the cursor position is “recommended service”.

  In the screen transition of FIG. 10, the following three locations communicate with the server.

(1) When selecting the “Recommend” button on the “Main Menu” screen → When changing to the “Service Menu” screen (2) Select a menu on the “Service Menu” screen or “Sub Menu” screen When transitioning to the “Recommended Program List” / “Ranking List” screen (3) When the “Register” button is selected on the “Usage Settings” screen → When transitioning to the “Service Menu” screen (internally ( Same as 1)
Accordingly, menu items, screen title names, menu descriptions, text descriptions, etc. necessary for the recommended function are all acquired when the “Recommend” button is selected in the main menu.

  Immediately after the data acquisition, data regarding screen transition, data size, etc. is checked to determine whether or not inconsistency occurs in the screen transition. The risk of abnormal operation related to screen transition is reduced by checking the data first. However, since the check process is executed every time, only a check that leads to an abnormal operation is performed without including a check for a display error. These specific check items are determined at the time of design.

  The “recommended” service menu display process by the control unit 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. If there is a menu display request in step S12 (the “program navigation” button on the remote controller R is operated or a menu is selected on each screen), it is determined in step S14 whether or not the display request is a main menu.

  If it is not a display request for the main menu, it is determined in step S16 whether or not the display data is stored in the cache memory in the timer recording unit 42. If the display data is stored in the cache memory, the data stored in the cache memory is read in step S22 and a menu is displayed. As described above, since the display data cache memory is provided, the same data as the data displayed in the past can be displayed immediately without communicating with the server.

  If it is a display request for the main menu, or if the display data is not stored in the cache memory, the cache memory is cleared in step S18, and the server S is accessed via the communication unit 11 to download the menu data. .

  An example of the menu data is shown in FIG. 12A shows a service menu, and FIG. 12B shows an example of notification data. The service menu data includes a menu ID, a data type, a focus button IDX, a title character string, the number of button items, and button data of buttons 1-10. Each button data includes an acquisition destination data ID, a button valid / invalid flag, a button label character string, and a button label explanation character string. Here, each data element has a fixed-size frame, but the title character string, button label character string, and button label description character string are variable, so zero data (¥ 0) is added at the end of the variable-size character data. Is added. The notification data includes a menu ID, a data type, a notification title, and a notification message. Again, each data element has a fixed-size frame, but the notification title and notification message are variable, so zero data (¥ 0) is added to the end of the variable-size character data.

  The downloaded menu data is stored in the cache memory in step S20. Here, as shown in FIG. 12, the downloaded menu data includes zero data, but only actual character data excluding zero data is stored in the cache memory. Also, when saving in the cache memory, the data is written with no gaps. As a result, download data can be efficiently stored in a limited amount of cache memory, and can be displayed immediately without communicating with the server when displaying the same screen.

  FIG. 13A shows a data area stored in the cache memory. Since the size of the data area is different for each menu and notification as described above, it is necessary to create an index indicating the data storage destination for each screen ID as shown in FIG. Reserve in cache memory.

  In step S22, the data stored in the cache memory is read and a menu is displayed.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an HDD & DVD recorder including a program display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the structure of the software module regarding the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the main menu in the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the service menu in the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the utilization setting screen in the "recommended function" concerning embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the submenu in the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the notification screen in the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the recommended program list in the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the ranking list in the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the mode of the screen transition in the "recommended function" which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process of the recommendation service menu display which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the service menu data which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and notification data. The figure which shows the structure of the preservation | save data of the cache memory which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Communication part, 12 ... BS / CS tuner part, 13 ... Terrestrial tuner part, 18 ... Hard disk drive part, 19 ... Optical disk drive part, 20 ... Data editing part, 21 ... Encoder part, 22 ... Buffer part, 23 ... MPEG decoder unit, 24 ... audio video processing unit, 26 ... display, 27 ... I / F unit, 28 ... multiplexing unit, 29 ... demultiplexing unit, 30 ... control unit, 32 ... operation unit, 33 ... display unit, R ... Remote control, 43... Program table generation unit.

Claims (4)

A plurality of menus for displaying a list of recommended programs supplied from the server are displayed, and each menu is a program display device composed of a predetermined item frame and a variable number of characters displayed in the frame.
Each menu data consists of variable-size character data contained in a data structure of a predetermined size and zero data added to the end of the character data.
A cache memory to store the menu data downloaded from the server,
Means for displaying cache memory data;
Means for extracting character data of variable size from the data structure of menu data downloaded from the server and writing it into the cache memory;
Means for clearing the cache memory and downloading the menu data from the server upon receiving a display request for the menu screen of the highest hierarchy;
A program display device comprising: A plurality of menus for displaying a list of recommended programs supplied from the server are displayed, and each menu is a program display device composed of a predetermined item frame and a variable number of characters displayed in the frame.
Each menu data consists of variable-size character data contained in a data structure of a predetermined size and zero data added to the end of the character data.
A cache memory to store the menu data downloaded from the server,
Means for displaying cache memory data;
Means for extracting character data of variable size from the data structure of menu data downloaded from the server and writing it into the cache memory;
When a display request for a lower-level menu screen is received, it is determined whether or not the menu data is stored in the cache memory. If the menu data is not stored, the cache memory is cleared and the menu data is downloaded from the server. Means,
A program display device comprising: In a program display method for displaying a plurality of menus of different sizes for displaying a recommended program list supplied from a server,
Each menu data consists of variable-size character data contained in a data structure of a predetermined size and zero data added to the end of the character data.
Extracting variable-size character data from the data structure of menu data downloaded from the server and writing it to the cache memory;
Displaying cache memory data; and
Upon receiving a display request for the menu screen of the highest hierarchy, clearing the cache memory and downloading the menu data from the server;
A program display method comprising: In a program display method for displaying a plurality of menus of different sizes for displaying a recommended program list supplied from a server,
Each menu data consists of variable-size character data contained in a data structure of a predetermined size and zero data added to the end of the character data.
Extracting variable-size character data from the data structure of menu data downloaded from the server and writing it to the cache memory;
Displaying cache memory data; and
When a display request for a lower-level menu screen is received, it is determined whether or not the menu data is stored in the cache memory. If the menu data is not stored, the cache memory is cleared and the menu data is downloaded from the server. Steps,
A program display method comprising:

Images