JP5721974B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing apparatus program, and computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that records a broadcast program, an information processing method thereof, a program for the information processing apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium.

  In recent years, service forms of program broadcasting such as terrestrial digital broadcasting, satellite digital broadcasting, cable television broadcasting, IP broadcasting, and video on demand have been expanded. With the expansion of service forms, the number of channels of broadcast programs to be provided is also increasing, and it is expected that the number of channels will increase with the development and spread of the service forms as described above.

  As described above, in a situation where there are many broadcast program channels that can be viewed by the user, it takes a considerable amount of time to list all the channels in order to search for a program that the user likes. Furthermore, even if a list is made, the number of channels is too large, and by the time the list is finished, the user may not always remember which program he / she liked. Then, it becomes difficult to find again a program that the user likes among the broadcast programs. On the other hand, if the user finds a favorite program in the middle of the list and ends the list there, the user cannot confirm the program contents of the channel scheduled to be listed thereafter.

  Thus, Patent Document 1 discloses a device for solving such a problem. Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses a recommended program in which a program having a high priority in a predetermined number of hours (several days) is displayed in a one-dimensional manner with the horizontal axis as a time axis based on the user's viewing history. Techniques for generating tables are disclosed. Further, this document discloses a configuration in which a recommended program guide is used as a UI and the channel is automatically selected along the program guide.

  According to this, it becomes easy for the user to grasp a program with a high priority, and it is not necessary to select a desired channel from a plurality of channels, and the time required to select a desired program is greatly reduced. Is possible.

JP 2000-333085 A (released on November 30, 2000)

  However, when the user is out or working, the broadcast program cannot be viewed. In such a case, the user needs to register in advance a recording reservation for a program that the user wants to view. However, selecting a desired program from a program table on which a huge number of programs are published, or a recommended program table disclosed in Patent Document 1, and registering a recording reservation for the program, A burden is placed on the user.

  In addition, when a user selects a program that the user wants to watch from the program guide, the user may miss the registration of recording reservation, and as a result, the user misses the desired program.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that records a program close to a user's preference without a recording reservation registration operation by the user, and an information processing method therefor And an information processing apparatus program and a computer-readable recording medium.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus including a receiving unit that receives a broadcast wave and a recording unit that records a broadcast program on a recording medium. An acquisition section for acquiring an electronic program guide from the broadcast wave, a holding section for holding a viewing history of the program viewed by a user, and a recommended program recommended for viewing based on the viewing history. And the recording unit records the recommended program on the recording medium at the time of broadcasting.

  According to the above configuration, a program recommended for viewing is automatically recorded based on the viewing history of the program viewed by the user. That is, a program that the user normally watches or a program that is estimated to meet the user's preference is extracted, and the program is automatically recorded. According to this, it is possible to prevent the user from overlooking the program because he / she misses the program he / she wants to watch, or he / she registers the recording reservation. Further, even if the user does not select a program that seems to be close to his / her preference from the program table himself / herself, it is possible to propose a new program that the user is likely to like to the user. In particular, since the information processing apparatus according to the present invention automatically records recommended programs, it is possible to save the troublesome task of registering recording reservations for programs.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes a list holding unit that holds a recording reservation list including information on the program reserved for recording, and the extraction unit is configured to perform the above-described recording reservation list based on the recording reservation list. The recommended program is extracted so as not to overlap with the program reserved for recording, and the information of the extracted recommended program is added to the recording reservation list, and the recording unit performs the program based on the recording reservation list. Is preferably recorded.

  According to the above configuration, the recommended program that is broadcast in the idle time between the programs for which the user has registered the recording reservation is automatically recorded. That is, a recording reservation for a recommended program to be broadcasted during a time period when no recording reservation is registered is registered. This makes it possible to record a recommended program while reliably recording a program for which a user has registered a recording reservation.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the extraction unit adds the information of the recommended program to the recording reservation list, and the number of the recommended program information included in the recording reservation list is determined in advance. It is preferable to carry out so that it may become below.

  According to the above configuration, since the extraction unit registers only up to a predetermined number of recording reservations for recommended programs, it can sequentially register recording reservations for recommended programs based on the latest program guide.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, a capacity allocated for recording the recommended program in the recording medium is set in advance, and the recording unit stores the recommended program recorded in the recording medium. The recommended program with the oldest recorded time is deleted from the recommended programs recorded on the recording medium according to the comparison result of the total capacity and the capacity allocated for recording the recommended program. Is preferred.

  According to the above configuration, even when the capacity of the recording medium becomes full, it is possible to always keep recording the latest recommended program by automatically deleting the oldest recommended program. Become.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the recording unit sets a capacity allocated for recording the recommended program when at least the recording medium is initialized for recording.

  According to said structure, the capacity | capacitance allocated for recording of the said recommended program can be set reliably about the said recording medium.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the extraction unit may extract the recommended program broadcast in a preset time zone.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to record the recommended program only during the time zone set by the user.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the recording medium is an external recording medium, and may further include a connection unit connectable to the external recording medium. The recording medium is an internal recording medium. And a recording medium holding unit for holding the internal recording medium.

  According to the above configuration, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a solid-state memory such as a USB-HDD (Universal Serial Bus-Hard Disc Drive), a Blu-ray Disc (BD), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a compact disc ( A program can be recorded on various external recording media such as a disk device such as a CD) or an internal recording medium such as an internal memory.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information processing method according to the present invention is an information processing method of an information processing apparatus that receives a broadcast wave and records a broadcast program on a recording medium, from the received broadcast wave Obtaining an electronic program guide, extracting a recommended program recommended for viewing from the electronic program guide based on a viewing history of the program viewed by a user, and recording the recommended program at the time of broadcasting. And a step of recording on a medium.

  According to the above method, it is possible to provide an information processing method for recording a program close to the user's preference without registering a recording reservation by the user.

  The information processing apparatus described above may be realized by a computer. In this case, a program that causes the information processing apparatus to be realized by the computer by causing the computer to operate as each unit, and a computer reading that records the program. Possible recording media also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, a program recommended for viewing is automatically recorded based on the viewing history of the program viewed by the user. That is, a program that the user normally watches or a program that is estimated to meet the user's preference is extracted, and the program is automatically recorded. According to this, a program close to the user's preference can be recorded without the recording reservation being registered by the user.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the reservation process part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the digital broadcast receiver containing the information processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the program which carries out recommended recording, when performing recommended recording in a specific time slot | zone. (A) is a figure which shows the recording reservation condition in which the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is recording a program, (b) is the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the recording reservation condition at the time of finishing the recording of a program, (c) shows the recording reservation condition at the time of the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention registers the recording reservation of a recommended program. FIG. 4D is a diagram showing a recording reservation state at the time when the digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention completes registration of reserved recording of a recommended program. It is a figure which shows the flow which registers the recording reservation of the recommended program which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow which sets the format of USB-HDD which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display at the time of setting the format of USB-HDD which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display at the time of setting the format of USB-HDD which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow which the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention ensures the capacity | capacitance of USB-HDD. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display at the time of the setting change of USB-HDD which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display at the time of the setting change of USB-HDD which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the example of a detailed setting screen when changing the setting of a recommended recording function, (b) is a display example of the detailed setting screen when changing the setting of a recording time zone (C) is a figure which shows the example of a display of the detailed setting screen in the case of changing a recording broadcast setting.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the recommended program is a program recommended by the apparatus based on viewing history or the like. A higher-level concept of the recommended program is a specific program selected by a certain standard (program genre or the like).

(Configuration of digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100)
First, FIG. 2 shows a main configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 including the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 23 and a memory unit 25 (holding unit, recording medium holding unit) connected to a bus. The operation of 100 is controlled by various control programs stored in the CPU 23 and the memory unit 25. That is, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is controlled by a computer system including the CPU 23, and a program for operating the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 by the computer system is stored in the memory unit 25.

  The memory unit 25 is generally configured by a RAM (Random Access Memory), but may partially include a ROM (Read Only Memory). Further, a rewritable flash memory or the like may be included. The memory unit 25 stores an OS (Operating System) or various control software for operating the CPU 23, and program information such as electronic program guide (EPG) data received via broadcast waves. Data concerning OSD, image data for OSD necessary for OSD (On Screen Display) display, and the like are stored. The memory unit 25 has a work area that functions as a work memory necessary for various control operations.

  The front end 1 (reception unit) includes a tuner that selects a broadcast program from broadcast signals received via the antenna AT, a demodulation unit that demodulates the received broadcast signal, and the like. Data demodulated by the front end 1 is sent to the demultiplexer 3.

  The demultiplexer 3 separates the multiplexed video data and audio data input from the front end 1 and sends the separated video data and audio data to the video / audio decoding unit 5. Furthermore, the demultiplexer 3 extracts data such as SI included in the broadcast signal and sends the data to the program guide information decoding unit 6. The broadcast signal extracted by the demultiplexer 3 is recorded in the memory unit 25 by the recording unit 14 (recording unit) under the control of the CPU 23 as necessary.

  The video / audio decoding unit 5 decodes the video data separated by the demultiplexer 3 and captures video information included in the video data as a still image. The video signal decoded by the video / audio decoding unit 5 is sent to the screen synthesis unit 15. The video / audio decoding unit 5 decodes the audio data separated by the demultiplexer 3, and the decoded audio signal is converted into a signal optimal for reproduction by the audio output unit 7, and then the audio output unit 7. To be supplied. The audio output unit 7 outputs the converted audio signal from a speaker or the like (not shown).

  On the other hand, the program guide information decoding unit 6 decodes the program information extracted from the SI or the like output from the demultiplexer 3 and outputs the decoded program information to the program guide data generation unit 8. The program guide data generation unit 8 generates electronic program guide (EPG) data from the program information acquired from the program guide information decoding unit 6, and the generated EPG data is sent to the screen composition unit 15. The EPG data generated by the program guide data generation unit 8 is also sent to the memory unit 25. To be exact, the past EPG data stored in the memory unit 25 is deleted, and the latest EPG data is stored, thereby updating the memory unit 25 with the latest information. Here, the EPG data is data constituting an electronic program guide, and describes information (program name, channel, broadcast start time, broadcast end time, etc.) of a program broadcast on each channel.

  The screen synthesis unit 15 performs video processing such as noise reduction processing, sharpness adjustment, and contrast adjustment on the input video signal and EPG data, for example, so that the optimal video signal for the display unit 17 is obtained. The video data is converted so that The converted video signal is output to the display unit 17, and the display unit 17 displays the converted video signal on the screen.

  The remote control light receiving unit 21 is for receiving an optical signal from a remote controller (not shown) and receiving a control signal from the remote controller. Instructions from the viewer, such as turning on / off the power of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100, are made via this remote controller.

  In addition to the above members, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a viewing history analysis unit 9, a recommended program extraction unit 11 (extraction unit, list creation unit), a reservation processing unit 12, and a recording unit 14. ing.

  The viewing history analysis unit 9 analyzes the viewing history of the user. Specifically, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-333085, a user's viewing history for a predetermined period is recorded in the memory unit 25. The viewing history referred to here is information representing the channel viewed by the user, viewing date, viewing start time, viewing time, and the like. Then, the viewing history analysis unit 9 analyzes the viewing history recorded in the memory unit 25 and determines the user's preference such as the genre of the program that the user likes.

  Based on the viewing history recorded in the memory unit 25, the recommended program extracting unit 11 extracts a list (hereinafter referred to as a recommended program) that is a program that is normally viewed by the user from EPG data stored in the memory unit 25. (Referred to as a viewing list) (first list). In addition, the recommended program extracting unit 11 extracts a program estimated as a recommended program from the EPG data stored in the memory unit 25 based on the determination result of the viewing history analyzing unit 9 as the recommended program. (Hereinafter referred to as a recommendation list) (second list) is created. In any list, information (program name, channel, broadcast start time, broadcast end time, etc.) extracted as a recommended program from the EPG data is recorded, and the recommended program extraction unit 11 uses a viewing list and a recommendation. The list is recorded in the memory unit 25. At this time, a viewing list and a recommendation list are created for each broadcast wave received by the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 owned by the user, such as a terrestrial digital broadcast program and a satellite broadcast program.

  As a series of processing methods of the viewing history analyzing unit 9 and the recommended program extracting unit 11 when creating the recommended list, for example, a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-333085 can be adopted. In this method, first, based on the viewing history, the past viewing frequency corresponding to the broadcast time, genre, performer, etc. of the program is calculated. Then, for each program in the program guide, an evaluation value based on the past viewing frequency for the broadcast time, genre, performer, etc. of the program is calculated, and it is determined whether the program is preferred by the user based on the evaluation value doing. The above method is an example, and it goes without saying that other methods can be adopted.

  The reservation processing unit 12 performs processing for reserving recording of a recommended program extracted by the recommended program extracting unit 11 (hereinafter referred to as recommended recording). The reservation processing unit 12 also manages a recording reservation (hereinafter referred to as normal recording) registered by the user via the remote controller. The processing contents of the reservation processing unit 12 will be described in detail later. The recording unit 14 records (records) the program based on the recording reservation information managed by the reservation processing unit 12. The program to be recorded may be recorded in the memory unit 25 (internal recording medium), or may be recorded in the external device 30 (external recording medium) connected to the interface unit 13 (connecting unit) described later. Here, a part for extracting recommended programs and performing recommended recording corresponds to the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As described above, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 includes the interface unit 13. The interface unit 13 includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state memory such as an SD card, a Blu-ray disc (BD), a DVD ( Various external devices 30 such as a disk device such as a digital versatile disc or a compact disc (CD) can be connected.

  The digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 additionally or separately includes a communication unit 27 that receives a broadcast signal not from the antenna AT but via a communication network NT such as a telephone line, a LAN, or the Internet. The recommended program may include content via a network.

(Configuration of the reservation processing unit 12)
Below, the detailed structure of the reservation process part 12 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the reservation processing unit 12.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reservation processing unit 12 includes a reservation information acquisition unit 16, a reservation status determination unit 18, a reservation information update unit 19, and a reservation information storage unit 20 (list holding unit).

  The reservation information storage unit 20 stores recording reservation information (recording reservation list) registered in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100. Based on the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 20, the recording unit 14 records (records) a program. The reservation information referred to here is information on a program to be recorded (program name, channel, broadcast start time, broadcast end time, etc.). The reservation information may be stored in the memory unit 25 without being stored in the reservation information storage unit 20. At this time, the recording unit 14 manages the recording of the program based on the current time notified by a timer or the like (not shown).

  When the user registers a recording reservation for a specific program via the remote controller, the reservation information is output to the reservation information acquisition unit 16 via the CPU 23. The reservation information acquisition unit 16 outputs the reservation information acquired via the CPU 23 to the reservation information update unit 19. The reservation information update unit 19 stores the reservation information from the reservation information acquisition unit 16 in the reservation information storage unit 20 as new reservation information. In addition, the reservation information update unit 19 deletes the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 20 that has exceeded the reservation time, ie, the recording information that has been recorded, and stores it in the reservation information storage unit 20. Update reservation information. At this time, the reservation information update unit 19 determines, based on the current time notified by a timer or the like (not shown), reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 20 that has been recorded.

  On the other hand, the reservation status determination unit 18 acquires the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 20 and detects a time zone in which no recording reservation is registered (hereinafter referred to as a gap time). Further, the reservation status determination unit 18 acquires information (viewing list and recommended list) of recommended programs extracted by the recommended program extracting unit 11 from the memory unit 25, and whether there is a recommended program that is broadcast during the gap time. Determine whether. More specifically, the reservation status determination unit 18 preferentially determines whether or not the recommended program listed in the viewing list is broadcast in the gap time. If there is a recommended program to be broadcast during the gap time, a recording reservation for the recommended program is registered. Specifically, information of a recommended program for registering a recording reservation (program name, channel, broadcast start time, broadcast end time, etc.) is output to the reservation information update unit 19 as reservation information. The reservation information update unit 19 stores the reservation information from the reservation status determination unit 18 in the reservation information storage unit 20 as new reservation information. In this way, the recording reservation of the recommended program is registered. Since the viewing list and the recommended list are created separately for terrestrial digital broadcast programs and satellite broadcast programs, the recommended programs for which recording reservations are registered include terrestrial digital broadcast programs and satellite broadcast programs. .

  In the above, the configuration is shown in which the viewing list and the recommendation list are created separately for the digital terrestrial broadcast program and the satellite broadcast program, respectively, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, it is possible to extract recommended programs using only the viewing list and recommended list of digital terrestrial broadcasting programs. Furthermore, in the above, the configuration using the two lists of the viewing list and the recommended list is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to extract the recommended program based only on one of the lists. is there.

  Here, when the user registers the recording reservation of the recommended program already registered for recording reservation, the reservation information update unit 19 deletes the reservation information of the recommended program from the reservation information storage unit 20, The reservation information from the reservation information acquisition unit 16 is newly stored in the reservation information storage unit 20. In addition, when the user registers a recording reservation for a program that is broadcast in overlap with a recommended program broadcast time for which a recording reservation has already been registered, the reservation information update unit 19 receives the above-mentioned information from the reservation information storage unit 20. Delete reservation information for recommended programs.

  Here, the processing of the reservation status determination unit 18, that is, the registration of the recording reservation of the recommended program can be performed continuously every day, but it can also be configured to perform the recommended recording at a specific time every day. It is. For example, the recommended recording may be executed only during a time period preset by the user. In this case, it is preferable to perform the recommended recording longer than the time zone set by the user in consideration of the extension of the program. Specifically, this will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time zone in which recommended recording is actually performed when recommended recording is performed in a specific time zone.

  In FIG. 3, it is assumed that the user is set to perform recommended recording only from 19:00 to 23:00. In this case, the reservation status determination unit 18 performs recommended recording from 18:00 to 0:00. This is because the broadcast starts just at 19:00 or does not end just at 23:00, starts broadcasting a little earlier than 19:00, or ends a little later than 23:00. . In other words, in addition to those broadcast between 19:00 and 23:00, those that start broadcasting between 18:00 and 19:00 and end broadcasting between 19:00 and 23:00 are also recommended Can be recorded. Similarly, a program that starts broadcasting between 19:00 and 23:00 and ends broadcasting between 23:00 and 00:00 is also a target of recommended recording.

  However, as shown in FIG. 3, those that start broadcasting before 18:00 and end broadcasting between 19:00 and 23:00 are not subject to recommended recording. Similarly, those that start broadcasting before 18:00 and end broadcasting between 18:00 and 19:00, or those that are broadcast between 18:00 and 19:00 are also subject to recommended recording. I do not. In addition, broadcasting starts between 19:00 and 23:00, but those that end broadcasting after 0:00 are not subject to recommended recording.

  By the way, there are some programs, such as a baseball game relay program, where the broadcast does not end even after the scheduled broadcast end time. In order to cope with such a sudden increase in the broadcast time, it is preferable that only a program with an extended broadcast time be configured to continue the recording by extending the recommended recording end time by 3 hours. . That is, for example, if a program that started broadcasting between 19:00 and 23:00 and scheduled to end between 23:00 and 0:00 suddenly extends the broadcasting time, it will be up to 3:00 Keeps recording.

  Note that the example shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the target of recommended recording may be selected according to other criteria.

(Processing procedure of the reservation processing unit 12)
When there is a recommended program to be broadcast during the time between programs reserved for recording (that is, the gap time), the reservation status determination unit 18 registers the recording reservation for the recommended program. By the way, the timing at which the reservation status determination unit 18 makes a reservation for the recommended recording is not particularly limited. For example, it may be the time when the recording of the recommended program in which the recording reservation is registered or the recording of another program is completed. Alternatively, the next recommended recording may be reserved during the recommended recording. At this time, the reservation status determination unit 18 may collectively make a recording reservation for programs broadcast in the gap time among the recommended programs included in the EPG data stored in the memory unit 25, but the EPG data Is updated intermittently, and there may be cases where the content changes. Therefore, it is preferable to register a predetermined number of recording reservations for recommended programs. That is, after recording one recommended program (recommended recording), the reservation status determination unit 18 registers a recording reservation for a new recommended program so that a predetermined number of recommended program recording reservations are always registered. It is preferable to do this.

  In the following, a specific processing procedure of the reservation processing unit 12 will be described with reference to FIG. I will explain. 4A to 4D are diagrams showing the recording reservation status of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow for registering a recording reservation for a recommended program. The current time shown in FIG. 4 is the current time, and the end of the program table is the end of EPG data (the earliest program information) stored in the memory unit 25 or by the user. This is EPG data of the set recommended recording end time. In addition, the reserved program shown in the figure is a program for which a recording reservation is registered by the user.

  FIG. 4A shows a state where a reserved program is being recorded, and a recording reservation for one recommended program is registered. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the recording of the reserved program is completed. When the recording of the reserved program is completed, the reservation status determination unit 18 acquires the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 20, and whether or not two (predetermined number) recording reservations for the recommended program are registered. (Step S1, hereinafter abbreviated as S1). Here, as shown in FIG. 4B, only the recording reservation of one recommended program is registered (S1, NO), so the reservation status determination unit 18 registers the recording reservation of a new recommended program. I do.

  Specifically, the reservation status determination unit 18 detects a time zone in which no recording reservation is registered (that is, a gap time) based on the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 20 (S2). Here, in FIG. 4B, gaps B to D shown in the figure are gap times.

  Then, the reservation status determination unit 18 acquires information on the recommended program (viewing list and recommended list) extracted by the recommended program extracting unit 11 from the memory unit 25, and whether there is a recommended program that is broadcast during the gap time. Is determined (S3). First, a determination is made from the gap B. If there is no recommended program broadcast in the gap B, it is determined whether there is a recommended program broadcast in the gap C. Similarly, if there is no recommended program broadcast in the gap C, it is determined whether there is a recommended program broadcast in the gap D. In this way, the gaps B to D are sequentially determined, and when it is determined that there is a recommended program to be broadcast, a recording reservation for the recommended program is registered. That is, the reservation status determination unit 18 sequentially determines the gap time detected from the reservation information until it is determined that there is a recommended program to be broadcast. When all the gap times have been determined (S3, NO), the reservation status determination unit 18 ends the process.

  Here, in FIG. 4C, it is assumed that there is no recommended program broadcast in the gap B and the gap C, and there is a recommended program broadcast in the gap D. In this case, the reservation status determination unit 18 sequentially determines from the gaps B to D, and determines that there is a recommended program to be broadcast in the gap D (S3, YES). Then, the reservation status determination unit 18 registers a recording reservation for the recommended program (S4). Specifically, information of a recommended program for registering a recording reservation is output as reservation information to the reservation information update unit 19, and the reservation information update unit 19 reserves reservation information from the reservation status determination unit 18 as new reservation information. The information is stored in the information storage unit 20.

  With the above processing, as shown in FIG. 4D, a recording reservation for a new recommended program can be registered. When the reservation status determination unit 18 finishes registering the recording reservation of the recommended program and the recommended program is located at the end of the program guide, that is, when the recording reservation registration reaches the end of the program guide ( (S5, YES), the reservation status determination unit 18 ends the process. If the recording reservation registration has not reached the end of the program guide (S5, NO), the process returns to S1 again, and whether or not two (predetermined number) recommended recording recordings are registered. Determine. Here, as shown in FIG. 4D, when recording reservations for two recommended programs are registered (S1, YES), the reservation status determination unit 18 ends the process.

  According to the above configuration, a program that is normally viewed by the user or a program that is related to the program that the user normally views and that is estimated to meet the user's preference is automatically recorded. . As a result, for example, it is possible to prevent the user from overlooking the program because he / she misses the program he / she wants to watch, or he / she registers the recording reservation. Further, even if the user does not select a program that seems to be close to his / her preference from the program table himself / herself, it is possible to propose a new program that the user is likely to like to the user. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the recommended program is automatically recorded, the troublesome trouble of registering the recording reservation for the program can be saved.

  In the above description, the recommended recording is reserved when the recording of the program is completed. However, as described above, the present invention is not limited to this. In the above, a case where the recording reservation of up to two recommended programs can be registered has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and recording of one or more recommended programs is possible. You may comprise so that a reservation can be made.

  Recently, a digital broadcast receiving apparatus has been developed that incorporates a double tuner having two terrestrial digital tuners and two satellite digital tuners. With the double tuner, two digital broadcast programs can be simultaneously displayed on the screen (generally referred to as two-screen display) and can be viewed simultaneously. In the above description, the case where the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 includes a single tuner has been described. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto, and the present embodiment also includes a case where the above-described double tuner is included. included. Even when the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 has a built-in double tuner, the basic configuration is the same, and a recommended program may be extracted and recorded by each tuner. However, it is necessary to ensure that programs recommended by each tuner do not overlap each other. In addition, if the user performs an exclusive operation such as the above-mentioned two-screen display during the recommended recording, the recommended recording is stopped, and when the user finishes the operation, a recording reservation for a new recommended program is made. Register. In addition, the recommended recording is performed when the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is in a standby state (a state where power is supplied to some members) or the user is watching a program different from the recommended program. Sometimes do.

(Processing procedure of recording unit 14)
As described above, the recording unit 14 records (records) the program with reference to the recording reservation information managed by the reservation processing unit 12. More specifically, the recording unit 14 refers to the list of recording reservations stored in the reservation information storage unit 20, starts recording at the start time of each recording reservation, and records at the end time of each recording reservation. Stop.

  However, if the user instructs the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 to display two screens and all the tuners provided in the front end 1 are used, the recording unit 14 does not perform recommended recording. That is, the recording reservation list stored in the reservation information storage unit 20 is associated with information indicating whether each recording reservation is a recommended recording reservation or a recording reservation registered by the user. When all the tuners provided in the front end 1 are used when the recording reservation start time included in the recording reservation list has arrived, the unit 14 is the recommended recording reservation. If the recording reservation is a recommended recording reservation, the recording reservation is deleted. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the recommended recording not intended by the user from interfering with the two-screen display desired by the user.

(Recording to USB-HDD)
As described above, the program recorded by the recording unit 14 may be recorded in the memory unit 25 or may be recorded in the external device 30 connected to the interface unit 13. Various external devices 30 such as a solid-state memory such as an HDD or an SD card, a disk device such as a BD, a DVD, or a CD can be connected to the interface unit 13. For example, if a program is recorded on a USB-HDD (Universal Serial Bus-Hard Disc Drive) that can be connected to the interface unit 13 with a USB terminal, the user records a plurality of programs on the USB-HDD. It is possible and convenient.

  However, since the recording capacity of the USB-HDD is fixed, if the recommended programs are recorded one after another, the recording capacity of the USB-HDD will eventually become insufficient. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is provided with a function (deleting unit) for automatically deleting a program recorded in the USB-HDD.

  Specifically, when the capacity of the recommended recorded program of the USB-HDD exceeds a preset value, the oldest recommended recorded program (the most (Recommended programs that were recorded in the old days) are automatically deleted. This preset value may be set at the time of shipment, but is preferably selected by the user. The automatic deletion mechanism will be described in detail below.

  First, before describing automatic deletion, a method for setting a USB-HDD in a format suitable for the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow for setting the format of the USB-HDD. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are diagrams showing screen display examples when setting the format of the USB-HDD.

  As described above, when a program is recorded on the USB-HDD, the USB-HDD is first set to a format suitable for the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100. More specifically, when a new USB-HDD is connected to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100, that is, when the USB-HDD is connected to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 for the first time, it is necessary to initialize the USB-HDD. . The initialization referred to here is to initialize the USB-HDD to make it an HDD dedicated for recording in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 to which the USB-HDD is connected. At this time, the USB-HDD described above can be registered in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 as an HDD dedicated to recording in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100. Although a plurality of USB-HDDs can be registered in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100, an upper limit may be provided for the number of USB-HDDs that can be registered in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100.

  A specific registration (initialization) method will be described. First, the user connects a new USB-HDD to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 and activates the format menu via the remote controller (S11). A screen display example at this time is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a screen for selecting whether or not to initialize the USB-HDD connected to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is displayed.

  By the way, there are conditions for initializing the USB-HDD. For example, when an external device 30 different from the USB-HDD is connected to the interface unit 13, initialization cannot be performed. Similarly, when a plurality of external devices 30 are connected to the interface unit 13, it is not possible to transition to the initialization process. In addition, when the maximum number of USB-HDDs that can be registered in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 has already been registered, no more new USB-HDDs can be registered.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, items such as “connected device”, “number of connected devices”, and “number of registered devices” may be displayed together on the screen of the format menu. For example, devices connected to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 are displayed in the “connected device” section. In the “number of connected devices” section, the number of external devices 30 connected to the interface unit 13 of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is displayed. In the “number of registered units” field, the number of USB-HDDs registered in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is displayed.

  Here, when an external device 30 different from the USB-HDD is connected to the interface unit 13, an indication that the USB-HDD is not connected is displayed in the “connected device” section. For example, if a USB memory is connected, “USB memory [NG]” or the like is displayed in the “connected device” section. Similarly, when a plurality of external devices 30 are connected to the interface unit 13, an indication that the plurality of external devices 30 are connected is displayed in the “number of connected devices” section. For example, if two external devices 30 are connected, “2 [NG]” or the like is displayed in the “number of connected devices” section. When the upper limit number of USB-HDDs that can be registered in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 has already been registered, the upper limit number of USB-HDDs is registered in the “Registered number” section. It is displayed that it has been. For example, if the upper limit number of USB-HDDs that can be registered is 16, and 16 USB-HDDs are already registered, the item “Registered units” includes “16 units / 16 units [NG]” or the like. Is displayed.

  As described above, when the conditions for initializing the USB-HDD cannot be satisfied, a message indicating that initialization cannot be performed is displayed. In the example of FIG. 7, when [NG] is displayed for at least one of the items, a message such as “Cannot initialize. Check the item of [NG]” is displayed, and the correct external device 30 is displayed. The user is prompted to confirm whether or not a plurality of external devices 30 are connected. Further, when the upper limit number of USB-HDDs are registered, it is required to delete any of the registered USB-HDDs.

  If the conditions for initializing the USB-HDD are satisfied, the user selects whether to initialize the USB-HDD. In the example of FIG. 7, when [OK] is displayed for all items such as “connected device”, “number of connected devices”, and “number of registered devices”, the user performs “Yes” and “No” with the remote controller. ”Is selected.

  When the user decides to initialize the USB-HDD (S12, YES), USB-HDD initialization processing is executed. As will be described in detail later, the recording unit 14 formats one partition in the USB-HDD as an XFS format as an initialization process, and creates a database (DB) of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 in the partition. In this way, the USB-HDD is initialized. If the user decides not to initialize the USB-HDD (S12, NO), the initialization process is not executed and the process ends.

(USB-HDD initialization process)
As described above, as the initialization process of the USB-HDD, one partition in the USB-HDD is XFS formatted, and a database (DB) for the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is created in the partition.

  Here, when initializing the USB-HDD, a capacity (area) to be allocated to recommended recording is determined. FIG. 8 shows a screen display example at that time. As shown in FIG. 8, the user can select a capacity to be allocated to the recommended recording. Examples of the capacity allocated to the recommended recording include “none”, “10 hours”, “20 hours”, “40 hours”, and the like. The user selects a capacity to be allocated to the recommended recording from the options listed on the setting screen. Here, as shown in FIG. 8, when each capacity is selected, it is preferable to display the time (capacity) allocated to normal recording, the time (capacity) allocated to recommended recording, and the like. That is, it is preferable to display the above items in conjunction with the capacity to be set. As a result, the user can easily grasp the time or the like during which the recommended program can be recorded on the USB-HDD, and can be used as a reference when selecting the capacity allocated to the recommended recording.

  As described above, in addition to determining the recording capacity by the user, the above-mentioned recording capacity may be determined according to the total capacity of the USB-HDD. Furthermore, the capacity allocated to normal recording and the recommended recording A ratio with the capacity to be allocated may be determined in advance. Thus, there is no particular limitation on the recording capacity setting criteria at the time of program recording.

  The capacity allocated to the recommended recording set as described above may be stored, for example, in the above-described database (DB) for the digital broadcast receiving device 100 on the USB-HDD. The information may be stored in association with the USB-HDD.

(Automatic deletion of USB-HDD)
When the recommended recording is performed on the USB-HDD (external device 30) via the interface unit 13, the recording unit 14 subtracts the recorded capacity from the capacity allocated to the recommended recording. When it becomes, automatic deletion is executed.

  FIG. 9 shows a follow chart for automatic deletion. The recording unit 14 compares the remaining capacity of the capacity allocated to the recommended recording with a predetermined value at the start of recording, during recording, at the end, etc. (S21). If the remaining capacity of the capacity allocated to the recommended recording exceeds a predetermined value, the recording process is executed as it is (S21, NO). On the other hand, if the remaining capacity allocated to the recommended recording is less than the predetermined value (S21, YES), the oldest recommended recorded program recorded in the USB-HDD is deleted and assigned to the recommended recording. A sufficient capacity is secured (S22).

  The predetermined value is not particularly limited, and for example, automatic deletion may be set when the remaining capacity of the recording capacity is almost exhausted and less than 5 minutes. Alternatively, the capacity allocated to the recommended recording may be allocated for 2 hours longer than the capacity set by the user, and automatic deletion may be executed with a margin.

  Here, since the target program for automatic deletion is recommended recording, among the programs recorded in the USB-HDD, programs recorded by normal recording are not deleted. That is, the program for which the user has registered the recording reservation is not automatically deleted. For example, it may be configured as follows. When recording a program to the USB-HDD, the normal recording is recorded in the normal recording folder, the recommended recording is recorded in the recommended recording folder, and the programs stored in the recommended recording folder are subject to automatic deletion. And good. With this configuration, for example, among programs stored in the recommended recording folder, a program that the user wants to watch in the future can be automatically deleted by moving it to the normal recording folder. Absent. It is preferable that the user can browse the programs stored in the normal recording folder and the recommended recording folder as a recording list.

(USB-HDD setting example)
It is preferable that various settings of the recommended recording can be appropriately changed by the user. The recommended recording setting change will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 by taking as an example the case of changing the setting of the USB-HDD. 10 and 11 are diagrams showing examples of screen display when the setting of the USB-HDD is changed.

  When changing various settings of the recommended recording, for example, the user displays a setting menu screen as shown in FIG. 10 via the remote controller. Examples of items that can be set include “recommended recording function”, “recording time zone”, “recording broadcast setting”, “recommended recording time setting”, and the like.

  Specifically, in the “recommended recording function”, it is possible to select whether to enable the recommended recording function, that is, whether to perform the recommended recording. If the user disables the “recommended recording function”, the program in which the user manually registers the recording reservation may be recorded on the USB-HDD.

  On the other hand, in the “recording time zone”, a time zone for executing recommended recording can be set. As for “recording broadcast setting”, it is possible to set whether or not each terrestrial digital broadcast program, BS satellite broadcast program, and CS satellite broadcast program are the target of recommended recording. In “recommended recording time setting”, a capacity allocated to recommended recording can be set in the USB-HDD.

  Note that the user can select each setting item via the remote controller. For example, FIG. 10 shows a state where the user has selected “recommended recording time setting”. When the user changes the “recommended recording time setting”, for example, by pressing a determination button of the remote controller, a more detailed setting screen as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed.

  In the detailed setting screen, the capacity that can be allocated to the recommended recording is actually set. At this time, examples of the capacity that can be allocated to the recommended recording include “none”, “10 hours”, “20 hours”, “40 hours”, and the like. The user selects a capacity to be allocated to the recommended recording from the options listed on the setting screen. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the time that can be recorded on the USB-HDD at the present time, the currently set recommended recording time, the remaining recommended recording time (free time) at the current time, and the like can be displayed. preferable. As a result, the user can easily grasp the time or the like during which the recommended program can be recorded on the USB-HDD, and can be used as a reference when selecting the capacity allocated to the recommended recording.

  Further, a message such as “If there is not enough free space, delete unnecessary recording titles and set again” may be displayed at the bottom of the setting screen. In addition, by displaying a message such as "Please delete the title of the recording list if you want to increase the recommended recording time" or "Please delete the title of the recommended recording if you want to reduce the recommended recording time", If you want to increase or decrease the recommended recording time, you can immediately know what action the user should take.

  On the other hand, FIG. 12 shows a display example of a detailed setting screen when changing “recommended recording function”, “recording time zone”, and “recording broadcast setting”. FIGS. 12A to 12C are diagrams illustrating a display example of the detailed setting screen when each item is changed.

  For example, when changing the setting of “recommended recording function”, a selection screen as shown in FIG. Then, the user may be able to select either “valid” or “invalid” with the remote controller. In addition, it is easier to understand if guidance such as “Enable the function to automatically record recommended programs? (Recommended recorded programs will be deleted automatically when the capacity is full)” is displayed at the bottom of the screen. .

  When changing the “recording time zone” setting, for example, a selection screen as shown in FIG. 12B is displayed. Then, the user may be able to select a recording time zone with a remote controller. As a selectable time zone, for example, the recommended recording time may be fixed to 4 hours, and the start time and end time may be selected between 0:00 and 23:00. In the figure, 19:00 to 23:00 are listed. Alternatively, the recommended recording time can be fixed, and the user can select the recommended recording start time and end time from 0:00 to 23:00. In addition, it is easier to understand by displaying a guidance such as “Set a recommended recording time zone” at the bottom of the screen.

  Further, when changing the “recording broadcast setting”, for example, a selection as shown in FIG. 12C is made for each broadcast program (terrestrial digital broadcast program, satellite broadcast program, and CS broadcast program) whose setting is to be changed. Display the screen. Then, the user may be able to select “record” or “do not record” with the remote controller. In addition, it is easier to understand if guidance such as “Would you like to record a terrestrial digital broadcast program?” (Also for satellite broadcast programs and CS broadcast programs) is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

  In the above, an example of changing the recommended recording setting in the USB-HDD has been given. However, it is preferable that the recommended recording setting can be changed in the same manner even when the memory unit 25 is configured to record a program. .

(Program and recording medium)
Finally, each unit included in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 may be configured by hardware logic. Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 stores a CPU that executes instructions of a program that realizes each function, a RAM that stores the program, expands the program into an executable format, and stores the program and various data. A storage device (recording medium) such as a memory is provided. With this configuration, the object of the present invention can also be achieved by a predetermined recording medium.

  The recording medium only needs to record the program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of the program of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100, which is software that implements the functions described above, so that it can be read by a computer. This recording medium is supplied to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100. Thereby, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 (or CPU or MPU) as a computer may read and execute the program code recorded on the supplied recording medium.

  The recording medium that supplies the program code to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is not limited to a specific structure or type. That is, this recording medium is, for example, a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, or an optical disk such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / BD / CD-R. A disk system including IC, a card system such as an IC card (including a memory card) / optical card, or a semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Moreover, even if the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 is configured to be connectable to a communication network, the object of the present invention can be achieved. In this case, the program code is supplied to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100 via the communication network. The communication network may be any network that can supply the program code to the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 100, and is not limited to a specific type or form. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, or satellite communication network may be used.

  The transmission medium constituting the communication network may be any medium that can transmit the program code, and is not limited to a specific configuration or type. For example, infrared rays such as IrDA or a remote control, Bluetooth (registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR even with a wired line such as IEEE1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, or ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) line It can also be used wirelessly, such as a mobile phone network, satellite line, or terrestrial digital network. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to, for example, a television receiver such as a digital broadcast receiving apparatus having a program recording function.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front end 3 Demultiplexer 5 Video | voice audio | voice decoding part 6 Program schedule information decoding part 7 Audio | voice output part 9 Viewing history analysis part 11 Recommended program extraction part 12 Reservation processing part 13 Interface part 14 Recording part 15 Screen composition part 16 Acquisition of reservation information Unit 17 display unit 18 reservation status determination unit 19 reservation information update unit 20 reservation information storage unit 21 remote control light receiving unit 23 CPU
25 Memory unit 27 Communication unit 30 External device 100 Digital broadcast receiver AT Antenna NT Network

Claims (10)

An information processing apparatus including a receiving unit that receives a broadcast wave and a recording unit that records a broadcast program on a recording medium,
An acquisition unit for acquiring an electronic program guide from the received broadcast wave;
A holding unit for holding a viewing history of the program viewed by the user;
An extraction unit for extracting a recommended program recommended for viewing from the electronic program guide based on the viewing history;
The recording unit records the recommended program on the recording medium at the time of broadcasting,
A capacity allocated for recording the recommended program in the recording medium is preset by the user ,
A capacity allocated for recording the recommended program in the recording medium is allocated longer than the capacity set by the user,
The recording unit includes the recommended program recorded on the recording medium according to a comparison result between a total capacity of the recommended programs recorded on the recording medium and a capacity allocated for recording the recommended programs. An information processing apparatus, wherein the recommended program having the oldest recorded time is deleted. A list holding unit for holding a recording reservation list including information of the program reserved for recording;
The extraction unit extracts the recommended program based on the recording reservation list so that the recording does not overlap with the reserved program, and adds the extracted recommended program information to the recording reservation list,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit records the program based on the recording reservation list.   The extraction unit adds the information of the recommended program to the recording reservation list so that the number of information of the recommended programs included in the recording reservation list is equal to or less than a predetermined number. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit sets a capacity to be allocated for recording the recommended program at least when the recording medium is initialized for recording.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the extraction unit extracts the recommended program broadcasted in a preset time zone. The recording medium is an external recording medium,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connection unit connectable to the external recording medium. The recording medium is an internal recording medium,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording medium holding unit that holds the internal recording medium. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus for receiving a broadcast wave and recording a broadcast program on a recording medium,
Obtaining an electronic program guide from the received broadcast wave;
Extracting a recommended program recommended for viewing from the electronic program guide based on the viewing history of the program viewed by the user;
Recording the recommended program on the recording medium at the time of broadcasting,
A capacity allocated for recording the recommended program in the recording medium is preset by the user ,
A capacity allocated for recording the recommended program in the recording medium is allocated longer than the capacity set by the user,
According to the comparison result between the total capacity of the recommended programs recorded on the recording medium and the capacity allocated for recording the recommended programs, the recommended programs recorded on the recording medium are recorded. An information processing method further comprising a step of deleting the recommended program having the oldest time. A program for operating the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A program for causing a computer to function as each unit described above.   A computer-readable recording medium in which the program according to claim 9 is recorded.

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