JP2001036846A - Electronic program guide reception device and recording medium recording user operation support program for the device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reserve viewing or recording of a group of programs by automatically searching a group of programs which suits taste of a user's without having him or her conscious of it. SOLUTION: On the basis of EPG data which are separated by a separating part 12 from reception data of a broadcasting wave received by a reception part 11 and which are stored in a storage device 19, and a continuous reservation specification from a user input device 5, a group of programs related to a program selection specified by the user input device 5 or a program which is being viewed or being reproduced at present is searched by a data processing part 17, setting of continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation is performed, and is stored in the storage device 19. The data processing part 17 executes set reservation contents according to reservation setting contents stored in the storage device 19.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic program guide receiving apparatus for extracting electronic program guide data from a received broadcast wave, and more particularly to a program search, viewing, recording, and reproducing program utilizing the electronic program guide data. The present invention relates to an electronic program guide receiving device that supports a user operation and a recording medium that records a user operation support program for the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, in order to know the start time of a program and its contents, it has been general to use a program guide printed on paper. In recent years, in addition to this, an electronic program guide (Electronic Program Guide) has been used as electronic program information, and a broadcast program and a receiver can be used in conjunction with each other. In addition, there is a device which can add additional information to each program and can view it.

On the other hand, the number of broadcast channels is increasing due to diversification of broadcasting modes (CS, BS, terrestrial broadcasting, etc.) and digitization of broadcast data. It is expected that the number of programs that can be viewed on the console will increase.

At present, most of a series of information on broadcast / recording time, time, device, medium, etc. relating to operations such as viewing / recording of a broadcast program, or reproduction after recording, is operated and managed by a user. There is a need.

[0005] Also, even if the user wants to view and record from the beginning of a program during or after the end of a program,
You cannot do this.

[0006]

As described above, in recent years, computerization of information related to programs has been advanced, and information that can be used by users in selecting and searching for programs has been increasing more and more. In other words, it is necessary for a user to efficiently process a large amount of data. In order to quickly find a desired program and reliably watch (record) the program, there are several techniques to be overcome in the related art. There is a problem. Hereinafter, this will be described.

First, the display form of the conventional (electronic) program guide has been composed of two axes of time and channel number. However, on this type of conventional program guide, users cannot always find the program they want to watch from the channel number and time.
Finding a program with the user's favorite content from a conventional program guide is time-consuming and often overlooked.

[0008] In addition, checking the entire program table (including the program outline) due to the increase in the number of channels has become an increasingly time-consuming task. Therefore, means capable of performing a detailed search that is more suited to the user's preference, and
It is necessary to provide a means that can perform many processes by setting the number of times.

After a desired program is found, a series of broadcast / recording time and time information is recorded so that the user can surely view, record, or reproduce the program at the broadcast time of the program. It is necessary to provide a means for centralized management wherever possible.

Conventionally, even if a user wants to view and record from the beginning of a program during or after the broadcast of the program, the user cannot do so, and has to give up.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to automatically search for a program group that matches the user's preference without making the user aware of the program group, and in addition, reserve or view or record the program group. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic program guide receiving device capable of making a reservation and a recording medium on which a user operation support program for the electronic program guide receiving device is recorded.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic program guide receiving apparatus and a user operation supporting program for the apparatus, which can notify that a broadcast time or a reproduction time of a reserved program has arrived by a notification method designated by the user himself. An object of the present invention is to provide a recorded recording medium.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic program guide receiving apparatus and a user who can view or record the entire program while viewing or recording the program even during or after the broadcast of the program. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium on which an operation support program is recorded.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a receiving means for receiving data from a broadcast wave including EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data, and converts the received data received by the receiving means into video data, audio data, and audio data. Separating means for separating into EPG data, electronic program guide creating means for creating an electronic program guide based on the EPG data, display output of the video data, audio output of the audio data, and display output of the electronic program guide. Output control means for performing output control including, input means capable of various input operations including selection designation of a program from the electronic program guide, and can be connected to a plurality of external devices having a playback or recording playback function, An electronic program guide receiving apparatus including external device control means for acquiring information from a recording medium mounted on a connected external device and controlling the external device. A reservation setting unit for setting a viewing reservation, a reproduction reservation, or a recording reservation of a program based on the reservation designation from the input unit, and when a continuous reservation is designated by the input unit, the reservation setting unit selects and designates the reservation by the input unit. Program or program currently being viewed or currently being played back as a designated program, a program related to the designated program is searched for based on the continuous reservation designation and the EPG data, and a program related to the designated program is searched for. Alternatively, a reservation setting means for setting a viewing reservation or a recording reservation of the designated program and a program related to the designated program, and a reservation execution control means for controlling execution of reservation contents set by the reservation setting means. It is characterized by having.

In such a configuration, the reservation setting based on the EPG data allows not only the program designated by the user to operate the input means, the program currently being viewed or the program currently being reproduced, but also the designated program (user In addition to the designated program, it is possible to automatically make reservation settings (viewing or recording reservation settings) for programs related to the designated program, that is, programs that match the user's preferences, thereby reducing the burden of user's reservation operation. it can. Here, the user-specified program can be selected and designated from among the programs on the electronic program guide by the user's operation using the input means, and can be viewed when the reservation setting is designated by the user's operation using the input means. The program being played or being played can be automatically specified. In this way, the program (screen) currently being viewed (reproduced) is automatically set as the user-specified program, so that the program contents can be confirmed and the continuous viewing reservation or the continuous recording reservation using the contents related to this program can be made. It can be performed. This is the same for a program search described later.

[0016] Information on a recorded program recorded on a recording medium mounted on an external device connected to the electronic program guide receiving device via the external device control means (for example, information on the program in the EPG data). Information portion) is obtained by the external device control means and stored in the storage means, and if a program related to the user-specified program is searched for from a group of recorded programs indicated by the storage means,
It is also possible to set a continuous reproduction reservation. Here, the presence or absence of a recorded program may be reflected in a program column (program information area) on the electronic program guide (for example, if there is a program that has been recorded and has not been played back, it may be displayed in the program column). For this purpose, at least when the display designation of the electronic program guide is input from the input unit, the external device control unit may acquire information from the recording medium. Also,
When recording on a recording medium, not only program data but also E
If PG data (at least an information portion related to the program in the PG data) is also recorded, the corresponding EPG data portion can be used even if there is no broadcast of the program in the future. Also,
At the time of the reproduction reservation, the specification of the reproduction time (reproduction start time) from the input means may be accepted.

According to the present invention, a plurality of programs are reserved for viewing by using the above-described related program reservation setting function, whereby a program desired by the user is automatically (continuously) automatically switched and displayed across channels. Can be. Similarly, by making a playback reservation for a plurality of programs, a program desired by the user can be continuously played over playback devices (at least an external device having a playback function) or a recording medium. In addition, the viewing reservation function and the playback reservation function
Since the broadcast program and the recorded program can be used without distinction, the broadcast program and the recorded program can be continuously reproduced.

Here, when the recording setting is set by the reservation setting means, the external setting device acquires the external device connected to the electronic program guide receiving device via the control means. If a recording medium designating means for setting a recording medium on which a program is to be recorded is provided by using information on a recording medium mounted on the external device, a user can simplify a recording reservation operation.

In the reservation setting by the reservation setting means, designation of continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation from the input means is accepted, and the program is broadcast on the same title name, the same channel number, the same day of the week, or the same start time as the user specified program. To set a continuous viewing reservation or a continuous recording reservation by selecting a program to be
), The user can make a continuous viewing reservation or a continuous recording reservation for a program related to the user-specified program by one operation using the input means. Here, it is also included that any combination of the items having the same title name, the same channel number, the same day of the week, and the same start time is set as the condition for the reservation setting.

Similarly, at the time of reservation setting by the reservation setting means, designation of continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation from the input means is accepted, and a program containing the same genre or the same keyword as the user-specified program is selected based on the EPG guide data. Even if the configuration (second configuration) for setting the continuous viewing reservation or the continuous recording reservation is applied, the user can perform the continuous viewing reservation or the program related to the user-specified program by one operation using the input means. Continuous recording reservation can be made. In this case, the combination of the two items of the same genre and the same keyword is used as the condition for the reservation setting.

Further, when the reservation setting means sets the reservation in the first or second configuration, the specification from the input means regarding the period or the number of programs to be subjected to the continuous viewing reservation or the continuous recording reservation is accepted and the designated If a configuration is adopted in which a target program for continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation is selected within the range of the period or the number of programs, a plurality of programs intended by the user can be reserved more efficiently. Here, if the first and second configurations are combined, the usability of the reservation setting can be further improved.

With the continuous viewing reservation function or the continuous recording reservation function by the above-mentioned reservation setting means, a continuous program or a new program to be broadcasted in the future from information of a known program can be reserved for continuous viewing or continuous recording by one operation. Can be.

Here, there is provided a reserved program list display means for displaying, by the output control means, a list of programs set and reserved by the reservation setting means (reserved program list). If the list is provided with an editing unit that accepts an editing operation using the user's input unit and performs a corresponding editing process on the list, the user can check the reserved program information and the setting contents in the reserved program list, It can be edited (deleted, changed) as needed.

In the present invention, the following functions are provided to the reservation setting means, that is, a designation from the input means relating to a notification method for notifying the user when the reservation execution control is started by the reservation execution control means at the time of reservation setting. In addition to providing the function of performing a reservation setting to which the specified notification method is added, the reservation execution control means performs the next function, that is, the start of the reservation execution control of the viewing reservation or the reproduction reservation. It is also characterized by having a function of notifying the user to the effect by the notification method specified at the time of setting the corresponding reservation.

In such a configuration, the user can reliably know the arrival of the broadcast time or the reproduction time of the reserved program by the notification method specified by the user.

Here, as the above-mentioned notification method, when a viewing reservation is set, a first mode for displaying the fact on the screen of the program being viewed when the broadcast time of the program for which the viewing reservation has been set has arrived. One of a second mode for switching from a program being viewed to a program for which viewing reservation has been set, and a third mode for displaying a program for which viewing reservation has been set by switching the power switch of the apparatus from an off state to an on state. If one can select and specify from the input means, it is possible to notify the user of the start of the broadcast according to the state of the receiver and the user (on / off of the power switch or the currently displayed channel number). Thus, the user can reliably know the start of the program to be watched.

Similarly, as the above-mentioned notification method, when a playback reservation is set, a first indication is displayed on the screen of the program being viewed when the playback time of the recorded program whose playback reservation has been set arrives. Mode, switching from the display of the program being viewed to the reproduction display of a recorded program set for reproduction reservation
And any one of the third mode in which the power switch of the apparatus is switched from the off state to the on state to reproduce and display the recorded program whose reproduction is set is selectable from the input means. Since the start of reproduction can be notified to the user according to the state of the receiver or the user (on / off of the power switch or the currently displayed channel number), the reproduction of the recorded program can be reliably performed at the time desired by the user. Can be done. In order to enable selection of a mode, the first setting is performed when setting the viewing reservation or the playback reservation.
An input screen for selecting and specifying one of the third to third modes from the input means may be displayed through the output control means.

Further, the present invention provides a search setting means for receiving a program search designation from an input means and setting a program search condition designated in relation to the user-specified program, and a program search setting set by the search setting means. According to the conditions, the above EP
Search means for searching for a program related to the user-specified program based on the G data and displaying a list of the search results through the output control means is further provided.

In such a configuration, a program related to a user-specified program that matches a program search condition specified by the user using the input means is searched based on the EPG data, and the search results are displayed in a list. Therefore, the user can easily find a program intended by himself / herself (for example, a program that matches his / her preference) from the search result list. Therefore, if the reservation setting means is provided with a function of accepting the designation of a reserved program from the input means for the program on the search result list, the user can easily select one or a plurality of programs intended by the user. You can make a reservation. In addition, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a new program search designation is received from the input unit and a program search is performed again in accordance with the designated program search condition for programs on the search result list. Here, it is preferable that the search target range is a program broadcasted after the current time. However, in a configuration in which program data is stored, which will be described later, the search target range includes programs already broadcasted before the current time. Among them, the program stored in the storage means may be included, and the recorded program may be included. In this case, the corresponding EPG data (at least the information portion related to the program) may be stored in the storage unit.

Here, when the first program search condition is set by the search setting means in accordance with the following function in the search means, namely, the program search designation from the input means, the same title name as the user-specified program is used. If a function to search for programs broadcast on the same channel number, the same day of the week, or the same start time is provided, the user can obtain a list of programs that match his / her preference. Here, it is possible to use any combination of the items having the same title name, the same channel number, the same day of the week, and the same start time as the program search condition, and to use a more detailed search condition that matches the user's preference. Can be searched.

Similarly, if the second function of the search means is set by the search setting means in accordance with the next function, ie, the program search designation from the input means, the same genre or the same program as the user-specified program is set. Even if the user has a function of searching for a program including a keyword, the user can obtain a list of programs that match his / her preference. Here, a combination of the two items of the same genre and the same keyword can be used as the program search condition, and the program search can be performed under more detailed search conditions that match the user's preference.

Further, the search means receives the next function, that is, a period to be searched when setting the first or second program search condition or a designation from the input means concerning the number of programs, and receives the designated period. Alternatively, by providing a function of setting the number of programs as a search range and searching for programs within the search range set by the search setting means, a plurality of programs intended by the user can be searched more efficiently. . This effect is even greater if the first and second program search conditions are used together.

As described above, according to the present invention, after a program that matches the user's preference is found, the user can reliably view, record, or replay the program at the broadcast time of the program so that the program can be reproduced after the recording. / A series of information such as recording time, time, device, medium, etc. can be centrally managed as much as possible.

According to the present invention, there is provided a user operation history acquiring means for acquiring information on a user's operation history including program viewing of an electronic program guide receiving apparatus, and at least user operation history information acquired by the user operation history acquiring means. Storage means for storing, user preference analysis means for analyzing a user's program viewing preference based on the EPG data and user operation history information stored in the storage means, and accumulating the analysis result in the storage means; A recommendation degree calculating means for calculating a recommendation degree reflecting the user's preference for each program indicated by the guide data based on the analysis result of the user preference analysis means and the EPG data, and a recommendation degree of the recommendation degree calculation means. A means for preferentially storing program data of a program with a high degree of recommendation in the storage means based on the degree calculation result; In the reservation execution control means, when the broadcast start time of the reserved program has already passed at the time when the viewing reservation or the recording reservation is set by the reservation setting means, the corresponding program data is accumulated in the storage means. If so, control for displaying or recording the entire reserved program is performed using the program data.

In such a configuration, the number of tuners in the receiving means and the storage capacity of the storage means are limited.
It is possible to view or record the entire program that has passed the broadcast start time (particularly a program highly recommended, that is, an entire program that matches the user's program preference). In order to use the storage means effectively, the program data stored in the storage means is deleted from the storage means (physically or logically) after recording, for example, after viewing, and further after a certain period of time (physical or logical). It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which

Here, the electronic program guide creator has the following functions, that is, each program indicated by the EPG data based on the recommendation degree calculation result of the recommendation degree calculator is composed of a time axis and a recommendation degree axis. If a function to create a recommended program guide arranged on a two-dimensional plane as the above-mentioned electronic program guide is provided, an electronic program guide (recommended program guide) is provided even in the same time zone.
The above list of programs can be arranged not in the order of the conventional channel number but in the order of recommendation, that is, in the order of the user's program preference. A matched program can be searched more efficiently without scrolling the screen, and a plurality of programs related to the searched program can be reserved.

The present invention according to the above-described apparatus is also realized as an invention relating to a method (a user operation support method in an electronic program guide receiving apparatus). The present invention also causes a computer to execute a procedure corresponding to the present invention (or causes a computer to function as a unit corresponding to the present invention, or causes a computer to realize a function corresponding to the present invention). The present invention is also realized as a recording medium (a computer-readable recording medium) on which a user operation support program is recorded.

[0038]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic program guide receiving apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The electronic program guide receiving apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes, in addition to the apparatus main body 1, a speaker 2 as an audio output device, a display 3 as an image output device, and an antenna for receiving wireless data such as broadcast waves. 4, a user input device 5 used for a user's input operation on the apparatus, and a DVD device capable of storing video and audio data in a storage medium such as a DVD or a magnetic tape (video tape) and reproducing the same later. (DVD video recorder), and a plurality of external devices 6 such as VTR devices.

The apparatus body 1 comprises a receiving unit 11 and a separating unit 12
A decoding processing unit 13, an output control unit 14, a display management unit 15, an input management unit 16, a data processing unit 17,
An external device control unit 18 is provided.

The receiving section 11 has a built-in tuner (not shown) for receiving only necessary data from broadcast waves received via the antenna 4 or the like. The broadcast wave may be any of a terrestrial wave, a satellite broadcast wave (CS broadcast wave, BS broadcast wave), a cable broadcast wave, and the like.

The separating section 12 separates the data acquired by the receiving section 11 into video data, audio data, and electronic program guide data (hereinafter referred to as EPG data) which is data relating to program information.

The EPG data is information about a program of each broadcast channel for one day or one week from the current time, and is frequently sent together with normal video and audio data. The EPG data includes the program name, genre, start time,
It has contents such as end time, program contents (synopsis, etc.), keywords (caster, series name, song name, etc.) for the program from the sender, and still images of the program (representative screen, etc.).

The above genres include, for example, foreign films, Japanese films,
Sports 1 (ball games), sports 2 (other than ball games), music, drama / drama, news / reporting, variety, leisure / hobbies, children's / education, education / documentary, overseas broadcasting, adult, digital radio, etc. .

The EPG data separated by the separation unit 12 is passed to the data processing unit 17. Data processing unit 17 is EP
The structure analysis of the G data is performed, and the analysis result is stored in a storage device 19 such as a hard disk device. This storage device 1
9 is stored in a new EP from the broadcast wave.
Each time G data is acquired, it is updated to the latest one.

The video data and audio data separated by the separation unit 12 are passed to the decoding processing unit 13 as they are. The video data and the audio data are encoded data. Therefore, the decoding processing unit 13 performs a decoding process on the video data and the audio data from the separation unit 12, and outputs the decoded (decoded) video data and the audio data to the output control unit 1.
Pass to 4.

The output control section 14 outputs sound from the speaker 2 based on the sound data decoded by the decoding processing section 13. The output control unit 14 displays and outputs an image on the display 3 by the built-in display management unit 15 based on the decoded image data. The input management unit 16 acquires input information from the user input device 5 and issues an instruction to the display management unit 15 or the external device control unit 18 according to the content.

The data processing section 17 is provided with a viewing (reproduction) reservation processing, a recording reservation processing, a reserved program list processing, a reservation cancel processing, a program search, which are directly related to the present invention, in accordance with a designation from the user using the user input device 5. It is responsible for processing. The external device control unit 18 controls the external device 6 and obtains information from (the recording medium attached to) the external device 6. The external device control unit 18 is, for example, an external interface including an IEEE 1394 interface and an adapter.
1394-compliant bus-type network (IEEE1
394 bus network).

The receiving unit 11, the separating unit 12, the decoding processing unit 13, the output control unit 14, the input management unit 16, the data processing unit 17, the external device control unit 18, and the storage device 19
Connected to US. Bus BUS is VMEbus,
It is a backplane bus such as Multibus or Futurebus.

Next, the operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, in the present embodiment, a recommended program table 20 as shown in FIG. 2 is created by the data processing unit 17 and displayed on the display 3 in response to a request from the user. As is clear from the display example of FIG. 2, the recommended program table 20 includes a time axis representing each time zone (in units of one hour) in a display time zone starting from a display start time determined by the current date and time, and a user program preference. A list of programs is displayed on a two-dimensional plane including two axes, the axis of the degree (recommended degree of the program) (the recommended degree axis). The recommended program table 20 is provided with a time area 21 indicating the current date and time. In the display example of FIG. 2, the vertical axis indicates the time axis, and the time elapses from top to bottom. Also, the recommendation degree axis is set on the horizontal axis, and the programs are arranged so that the recommendation degree becomes higher as the position is closer to the left of the recommendation degree axis.

Here, the creation of the recommended program table 20 by the data processing unit 17 will be described. Data processing unit 17
Stores information on the operation history (user operation history) of the user with respect to the present apparatus in the storage device 19, and every time the user views or records the entire program, FIG.
The user operation history acquisition process described below is performed according to the flowchart of FIG.

First, when the user watches or records the entire program, the genre, keyword, title, and the like of the program are used as data items, respectively, and one of the data items is selected (step A1). here,
If the viewing or recording time exceeds 80% of the absolute value of the broadcast time of the corresponding program indicated by the EPG data, it is determined that the entire program has been viewed or recorded.

Next, it is determined whether or not a reference data item matching the selected data item exists in the storage device 19, that is, whether a reference data item matching the selected data item has been registered (stored). Investigation (step A2), and if not registered, the data item is registered (stored) in the storage device 19 as a reference data item (step A3).
A counter value indicating the number of times a program having a data item matching the item has been viewed or recorded has been added to this reference data item. This counter value is set to the initial value 1 when the corresponding reference data item is registered. In other words, in step A3, a reference data item whose counter value is initially set to 1 is registered.

On the other hand, if a reference data item that matches the selected data item exists in the storage device 19, that is, if a reference data item that matches the selected data item has been registered, the counter value of the reference data item is changed. One is added (step A4).

The data processing section 17 repeats the above operation for all data items of the viewed or recorded program (step A5). In this way, the user operation history information is acquired in the storage device 19. As is clear, the user operation history information stores the genre, keyword, title name, and the like of the program as a reference data item with a counter (with an initial value of 1) when the user watches or records the entire program. If the same item has already been registered in the device 19, the corresponding counter value is incremented by one. The reference data item and the counter value are collectively referred to as recommendation degree determination reference data.

When creating the recommended program guide 20 in response to a request from the user, the data processing unit 17 uses the EPG based on the above-mentioned user operation history information or information such as user preference settings. The degree of user's preference (recommended degree) is determined for each program indicated by the data. The data processing unit 17 creates a recommended program table 20 based on the determination result of the degree of recommendation for each program, and lists each program.

Here, the preference setting by the user means that the user sets a favorite genre, a keyword, a title, and the like in advance.

It should be noted that the user operation history information and the user's preference setting may be combined and used as a criterion for determining the degree of recommendation. This is because the information can be used only after the user's operation history has been used to some extent. Here, the user's favorite setting is used as a criterion of recommendation at the beginning of use, and the user's operation history is used as a criterion of recommendation as the user progresses.

Next, a method of calculating the degree of recommendation of each program in the data processing unit 17 using the registered reference data items and their count values will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, one of the programs indicated by the latest EPG data stored in the storage device 19 is selected (step B).
1) Match each corresponding data item (genre, keyword, title, etc.) in the EPG data of the selected program with each reference data item registered in the storage device 19 (step B2).

If there is a matching data item,
The counter value of the corresponding reference data item is used as the degree of recommendation for the data item of the corresponding program (step B3). Then, among the data items of the selected program, the sum of the degrees of recommendation for the data item that matches the reference data item, that is, the sum of the counter values of the matched reference data items is set as the recommendation degree of the program (step B4).

The data processing section 17 repeats the above operation (operation for calculating the degree of recommendation of a program) for all programs indicated by the latest EPG data (step B6). Thus, for all programs indicated by the EPG data,
The recommendation level is calculated. Then, the data processing unit 17
A recommended program table 20 in which each program is arranged according to the obtained degree of recommendation of each program is created.

At the stage when the user has just started using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 (initial stage), reliable recommendation level determination cannot be performed because the recommendation level determination reference data is insufficient. In this case, as described above, it is possible to determine the recommendation level using the user's preference setting as the recommendation level determination criterion to create the recommended program table 20. May be created.

First, in the initial stage, the program is arranged for each channel by using the channel axis as the horizontal axis on the program table 20 instead of the original recommended degree axis as in the conventional program table. Then, as the use of the user progresses, the horizontal axis is set as the recommendation level, and the program preference of the user is reflected in the program table 20. For this purpose, it is preferable to provide a threshold value for the counter value of each reference data item and use an algorithm that is not used as a reference data item for calculating the recommendation level until the counter value exceeds a certain counter value.

As a result, the reliability of the recommendation level is increased, and the program table can be gradually shifted from the conventional program table including the time axis and the channel axis to the program table reflecting the recommendation level without the user's awareness. become able to.

Next, the procedure for displaying the recommended program table will be described. First, the display designation of the recommended program table can be input from the user input device 5 by a user operation. The user input device 5 has a user operation button 50 as shown in FIG. 5, for example.

The user operation buttons 50 include a “recommended program table” button 51, a “select / scroll” button 52,
It has a “confirm” button 53, a “cancel” button 54, a “program setting button” 55, and a “number input” button 56.

The "recommended program table" button 51 is an operation button for displaying the recommended program table 20 on the display 3, and the "select / scroll" button 52 is
These are operation buttons for performing program selection and display scrolling in the recommended program table 20. A “confirm” button 53 is an operation button for confirming a selected program or a button on a dialog, and a “cancel” button 54
Is an operation button for canceling a user operation by the user operation button 50. "Program setting" button 5
Reference numeral 5 denotes an operation button for displaying a program setting dialog ("program setting" dialog) 61 as shown in FIG. 6, and a "number input button" 56 is used to input a channel number to be displayed or a number for setting. This is a group of operation buttons used for the operation.

The user input device 5 is realized using, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or a remote control device (hereinafter abbreviated as a remote control device). When a mouse is used as the user input device 5, FIG.
Are displayed on the display 3, and the operation is performed by clicking the displayed buttons (51 to 56) with a mouse. When a remote control device is used as the user input device 5, the buttons (51 to 56) in FIG. 5 are implemented as buttons of the remote control device.

When the user operates the "recommended program guide" button 51 of the user operation button 50 in FIG. 5 to display the recommended program guide 20, the operation contents are transmitted from the user input device 5 to the display management unit. It is conveyed to 15. Then, the display management unit 15 requests the data processing unit 17 to create data of the recommended program table 20.

As a result, the data processing unit 17 uses the user's recommendation degree determination reference data and the EPG data stored in the storage device 19 as described above, and
The degree of recommendation of each program indicated by the PG data is calculated. Then, the data processing unit 17 creates display data of the recommended program table 20 based on the calculated degree of recommendation of each program, and passes control to the display management unit 15. Display management unit 15
Displays the recommended program table 20 on the display 3 based on the display data created by the data processing unit 17.

In this embodiment, when a program is recorded on a recording medium mounted on the external device 6, EPG data of the program is recorded on the recording medium via the external device control unit 18. When the recommended program table 20 is created by the data processing unit 17, the recommended program table 20 is already recorded from all the external devices 6 (recording media mounted on) by using the external device control unit 18. E of the program
The PG data is acquired and stored in the storage device 19, and the recommendation degree is calculated by using the EPG data of the acquired (recorded) program in addition to the current (latest) EPG data. High recommendation levels can be obtained.

On the recommended program table 20, a rectangular program information area 22 for expressing a program is secured as shown in FIG. In each program information area 22, a program name is displayed. Here, in the program information area 22, E
A program logo that can be obtained from the PG data may be displayed. Each program information area 22 is color-coded by genre using genre information from EPG data so that the genre of the corresponding program can be visually recognized by the user.

On the recommended program guide 20, a rightward scroll button 23 and a downward scroll button 24 are arranged. By operating the button 23 or 24 by using the user input device 5, the rightward or downward direction is set. The screen can be scrolled in the direction. Here, when it reaches the right end or the lower end, it returns to the left end or the upper end. Of course, it is also possible to add a left scroll button and an upward scroll button.

In the present embodiment, a desired program information area 22 on the recommended program table 20 is selected by using the user input device 5 (here, the “select / scroll” button 52 of the user operation buttons 50 is operated). By specifying, a corresponding program can be selected. The selected program (user-specified program) is highlighted by displaying the corresponding program information area 22 with a bold frame 25 of a predetermined color.
In addition to the highlighting by the frame display, it is also possible to apply the highlighting by the blinking display.

Also, among the programs on the recommended program table 20, a recorded program (here, a program that has already been broadcast in the same series as the program and has not been played back and recorded on a recording medium) includes, for example, a program. A character string [record] 26 is displayed below the name. Note that a mark (recording mark) indicating that recording has been performed may be displayed instead of the character string.

Next, the operation when the user selects a program from the recommended program table 20 will be described. Now, it is assumed that the user has selected a desired program from the recommended program table 20 as shown in FIG. 2 by using the (user operation button 50) of the user input device 5. With this program selected,
The user sets the “program setting button” 5 of the user operation button 50
When the user presses 5, the operation of the display management unit 15 based on the control of the data processing unit 17 causes the display unit 15 to overlap the recommended program table 20, that is, the recommended program table 20, as shown in FIG.
A “program setting” dialog 60 is displayed. The “program setting” dialog 60 displays program information 61 of the selected program (user-specified program). The program information 61 includes the title of the selected program, the broadcast (recording) date and time, and the day of the week. If a viewing (reproduction) reservation or a recording reservation has already been made by the method described below, the setting contents are also displayed.

The "program setting" dialog 60 shown in FIG. 6 includes a "viewing (reproduction) reservation" button 62, a "recording reservation" button 63, a "reserved program list display" button 64,
A “cancel reservation” button 65 and a “program search” button 66 are provided. These buttons 62 to 66
Can be selected by an operation using the user input device 5.

When the “viewing (reproduction) reservation” button 62 on the “program setting” dialog 60 is selected, the viewing (reproduction) reservation processing is performed. When the “recording reservation setting” button 63 is selected, In the case of the recording reservation processing, when the "reserved program list display" button 64 is selected, the reserved program list processing is performed. When the "cancel reservation" button 65 is selected, the reservation cancel processing is performed. Button 66
Is specified, a program search process is executed. Hereinafter, each of these processes, ie, (1) viewing (reproduction)
Reservation processing, (2) recording reservation processing, (3) reserved program list processing, (4) reservation cancel processing, and (5) program search processing will be described sequentially.

(1) Viewing (reproduction) reservation processing First, processing when the “viewing (reproduction) reservation” button 62 is selected will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12 as appropriate. Here, the viewing reservation and the reproduction reservation are treated without distinction, and the reservation target is a program on the recommended program table 20 (specifically, a program broadcast after the current time and a program of the same series as the program). It is limited to unplayed recorded programs and broadcast programs whose program data is stored in the storage device 19 by a method described later. Therefore, the reproduction reservation of a recorded program in which a series program has ended and a recorded program which is not in a series is performed by another method (for example, a method similar to the conventional method).

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the viewing (reproduction) reservation process includes a viewing (reproduction) reservation setting process (step C1), a viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information storage process (step C2), and a viewing (reproduction) process. Playback) reservation setting information management processing (step C3) and display (playback) processing (step C3)
4). Hereinafter, the respective processes will be sequentially described.

(1-1) Viewing (reproduction) reservation setting processing The display management unit 15 selects the “viewing (reproduction) reservation” button 62 on the “program setting” dialog 60 by the user input device 5 according to the operation of the user. If you watch (play)
In order to allow the user to set the above method, a “viewing (reproduction) reservation setting” dialog 80 as shown in FIG. If the broadcast of the selected program has already started, the “viewing (reproduction) reservation setting” dialog 8
The process proceeds to the next viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information accumulation processing (step C2) without displaying 0.

“View (reproduction) reservation setting” dialog 80
Is to set a method for notifying the user of a program to be reserved for viewing (playback) when the viewing (playback) time comes. In the example of FIG. 8, a “Teach on display screen” button 81, a “Switch to and display a reserved program” button 82, and a “Turn on power switch to enter a reserved program” "Switch display" button 83 is provided, and a method desired by the user can be selected from the three buttons 81 to 83. After the selection, the final decision is made by pressing the "confirm" of the user operation button 50.
This is performed by pressing the button 53.

(1-2) Viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information storage processing Next, viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information storage processing will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Viewing (reproduction) reservation setting processing (step C)
When 1) is completed, the viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information accumulation processing (step C2) by the data processing unit 17 is started. Here, first, it is checked whether or not the broadcast of the selected program has already been started (step D1).

If the broadcasting of the selected program has already been started, a midway viewing process (step D3) is performed. The midway viewing process is a process of sequentially displaying the entire program (from the beginning of the program) when the broadcast of the program has already started when the viewing reservation is made. In this process, the program data stored in the storage device 19 is read from the beginning and output. Then, the program data of the currently received program is kept stored in the storage device 19. By doing so, the user can view the program from the beginning of the program as if the current broadcast had started.

However, the above-mentioned midway viewing process can be performed because
When the viewing reservation is made, the data of the program is stored in the storage device 1.
9 (step D2). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the program currently being broadcast is not limited to the designation of the program reserved for viewing so that it is possible to perform the midway viewing processing as much as possible (according to the number of tuners of the receiving unit 11 and the capacity of the storage device 19). ) It has a function of storing for a certain period of time. If it is not possible to store all programs, the programs with the highest recommendation are stored with priority.

On the other hand, when the broadcast of the selected program has not been started, the broadcast (reproduce) time of the program that has been already reserved for viewing (reproduction) and the broadcast (reproduction) time of the program newly reserved this time are set. It is checked whether there is any overlap (step D4). If there is an overlap, a warning is displayed to that effect (step D5), and the process returns to the viewing (reproduction) reservation setting process (step C1). However, "viewing (playback) reservation setting"
"Teach on display screen" button 81 on dialog 80
If is selected, the process is continued.

Next, it is checked whether this program is a broadcast program or an unplayed recorded program (step D6). If the program is a broadcast program, the viewing reservation flag is set to "1" (step D7). If the program is an unplayed recorded program, the flag is set to "0" (step D8). After this, watch (play)
The setting information of the reserved program is stored in the storage device 19 (step D9).

Here, the data structure of the reserved program setting information stored in the storage device 19 is a list (viewing (reproduction) reservation list) 100 as shown in FIG. The viewing (reproduction) reservation list 100 is added each time a program is reserved for viewing (reproduction). Viewing (playback) reservation list 1
00 is the reservation number 101, the reservation date and time 102, the start date and time 1
03, end date and time 104, title name 105, channel number 106, viewing reservation flag 107, and reproduction method 108
It consists of each item.

The reservation number 101 is a registration number for the viewing (reproduction) reservation list 100, and the reservation date and time 102 is the viewing (reproduction).
The date and time of registration in the reservation list. The start date and time 103 is the start date and time of the viewing (reproduction) reservation program, and the end date and time 104 is the end date and time of the viewing (reproduction) reservation program. Here, since the viewing reservation and the reproduction reservation are not distinguished, even if there is a recorded program, the start date and time 103 and the end date and time 10
For 4, the start date and time and the end date and time on the EPG data of the corresponding program of the same series are used as they are.

The title name 105 is the title name of the program reserved for viewing (reproduction), and the channel number 106 is the channel number. The viewing reservation flag 107 indicates whether or not the viewing (reproduction) reservation program is an unreproduced recorded program.
If it is an unplayed recorded program, it is set to “0”; otherwise, it is set to “1”. The reproduction method 108 indicates a notification method for notifying the user of the execution of the reservation content when the execution of the reservation content is started. When the “teach on the display screen” button 81 is selected, the reproduction method 108 changes to “1” and “switches to the reserved program”. indicate"
When the button 82 is selected, “2” is set, and when the “power switch is turned on and the display is switched to the reserved program” button 83 is selected, “3” is set.

(1-3) Viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information management processing Next, viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information management processing will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information storage processing (step C2) is completed, the viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information management processing by the data processing unit 17 is started by a timer (step E2).
This is performed at certain time intervals by using 1). This process is repeated while the reserved program exists in the viewing (reproduction) reservation list 100.

First, a process (step E2) of updating the information of the viewing (reproduction) reservation list 100 using the latest EPG data is performed. In this updating process, the start and end times (the start date and time 103 and the end date and time 104) are updated based on the title name and the channel number of each reserved program.

For example, if the latest EPG data does not include a reserved program (a set of a title and a channel number) (the broadcast of the program is canceled and the broadcast is no longer scheduled), a warning is displayed. After a certain period of time, it may be deleted from the reservation list 100.

When the above-mentioned update processing of the reservation list (step E2) is completed, search processing for checking whether or not there is a program at the start time is performed (step E3). Here, when a program at the start time is found, the information of the program is deleted from the viewing (reproduction) reservation list 100, and as a result of the above-mentioned reservation list 100 update processing (step E2), 2
It is checked whether or not the broadcast start times of one or more programs overlap (step E4).

If they overlap, display (playback)
A time overlapping process (step E5) for preferentially processing a new program with a reserved date is performed. Therefore, in the overlapping program, the button 82 is set as the viewing (reproduction) reservation setting.
"Switch to show reserved program" setting by selecting
Or by selecting button 83, "Turn on power switch,
When "teach on screen" is selected as a display (reproduction) process by selecting the button 81, except for the program most recently reserved among the programs for which "switch and display to reserved program" is set. Is performed. In the case where programs are duplicated, instead of preferentially processing a program with a new viewing (playback) reservation date, a program with a high degree of recommendation may be preferentially processed.

When the programs overlap, after the time overlap processing (step E5), when the programs do not overlap, immediately, the display (reproduction) processing (to be described in detail below) (step C4). Proceed to.

(1-4) Display (Reproduction) Processing Next, display (reproduction) processing will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

In the display (reproduction) process, first, a viewing reservation flag is determined (step F1). Here, when the viewing reservation flag is not “1” (when the viewing (reproduction) reservation program whose start time has arrived is an unreproduced recorded program), the reproduction target in which the program corresponding to the external device 6 is recorded It is checked whether or not there is a recording medium (reproducing medium) (step F2).
If there is no medium, and if the power switch of the present apparatus (electronic program guide receiving apparatus) is turned on, a warning display such as "no reproduction medium" is displayed by the display management unit 15 (step F3). If the power switch is not turned on, do nothing.

On the other hand, when there is a reproduction medium,
When the viewing reservation flag is “0” (when the viewing (reproduction) reservation program whose start time has arrived is not an unreproduced recorded program, that is, in the case of a broadcast program), the user sets according to the viewing (reproduction) reservation list 100. Content (Playback method 108)
Is identified (step F4), and the following processing is performed.

First, when the reproduction method 108 is "1", that is, when "teach on the display screen" is set, when a program reserved for viewing (reproduction) reaches its viewing (reproduction) time, If the user is watching another program, the display management unit 15 is used to display on the display screen of the display 3
For example, it teaches with a character string "It is time to view (play) the program of title 1" (step F5).

Next, when the reproduction method 108 is "2", that is, when "switch and display to a reserved program" is set, when a program reserved for viewing (reproduction) reaches its viewing (reproduction) time. If the user watches another program, the program is automatically switched to the reserved program (step F6).

Next, when the reproduction method 108 is "3", that is, when "turn on the power switch and switch to the reserved program and display" is set, the program reserved for viewing (reproduction) is viewed (reproduced). At the time, if the power switch of the receiver is not turned on, the power switch is automatically turned on (step F7), and the reserved program is displayed (reproduced) (step F6). Power switch is O
If N, only the program is switched to the reserved program (step F6).

If a reproduction medium exists, it is assumed that, in step F6, not a broadcast program is displayed, but an unreproduced recorded program is reproduced and displayed using the medium.
The case where the viewing reservation and the reproduction reservation are not distinguished has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the case of distinction, the target of the viewing reservation is a program broadcasted after the current time and a program during or after the broadcast in which the program data is stored in the storage device 19, and the target of the reproduction reservation is All recorded programs may be used. In this case, in the reproduction reservation, the user needs to specify the start date and time 103 (and the end date and time 104).

(2) Recording Reservation Processing Next, processing when the “recording reservation” button 63 is selected will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 24 as appropriate.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13, the recording reservation process includes a recording reservation setting process (step G1).
It comprises four processes: a recording reservation setting information accumulation process (step G2), a recording reservation setting information management process (step G3), and a recording process (step G4). Hereinafter, the respective processes will be sequentially described.

(2-1) Recording Reservation Setting Processing The display management section 15 uses the user input device 5 to operate the “recording reservation” on the “program setting” dialog 60 in accordance with the operation of the user.
When the button 63 is selected, a “recording reservation setting” dialog 140 as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed on the display 3 so that the user can make detailed settings for recording.

In the “recording reservation setting” dialog 140,
"Continuous reservation setting" button 1 for continuous reservation of programs
41, "Recording medium designation" for designating on which recording medium (of which external device 6) the program to be recorded is to be recorded
There are provided a button 142 and a “recording reservation execution” button 143 for instructing execution of recording reservation.

First, when the “recording medium designation” button 142 is selected, the external device control unit 18 recognizes, for each external device 6, a recording medium set in the external device 6. The data processing unit 17 causes the display management unit 15 to pull down and display the medium recognition result from the external device control unit 18 as shown in FIG. Is selected and designated by the user.

Next, when the “continuous reservation setting” button 141 is selected, the display management unit 15 displays a pull-down menu as shown in FIG. 16 for continuous reservation setting. On this menu, a "set by title / channel / day of the week / start time" button 161, a "set by genre" button 162, a "set by keyword" button 16
3. By using the “set reservation period / number of reserved programs” button 164 to set recording reservation conditions, not only the recording reservation for the currently designated program (“Title 1” in the example of FIG. 16) but also the recording reservation It is possible to make a recording reservation for all of a plurality of programs meeting one or a plurality of set conditions.

Hereinafter, each setting button (setting item) 161-
The respective functions (roles) of 164 will be sequentially described. First, a “set with title name / channel number / day of the week / start time” button 161 is used to select a program having the same title name as the currently selected program, a “same channel number”
This is a setting button for searching the EPG data stored in the storage device 19 for a program broadcasted on the same day, a program broadcasted on the same day, and a program broadcasted on the same start time, and making a recording reservation. Therefore, when the button 161 is selected, as shown in FIG.
71, “Same channel number” button 172, “Same day” button 173, and “Same start time” button 174
Are displayed. Buttons 171, 172,
When any one of 173 and 174 is selected, all programs with the same title as the currently selected program, all programs with the same channel number, and all programs broadcast on the same day Or all programs broadcast at the “same start time” are stored in the EPG stored in the storage device 19.
It is searched from the data and recording reservation is made.

Next, a "set by genre" button 162
Is a setting button for searching for a program included in the "large genre", a program included in the "middle genre", and a program included in the "small genre" of the currently selected program and making a recording reservation. Therefore, when the button 162 is selected, as shown in FIG.
1. "Middle genre" button 182 and "small genre"
Three buttons of 183 buttons are displayed. Button 18
When one of 1, 182 and 183 is selected, all programs included in the "large genre", all programs included in the "medium genre", or included in the "small genre" of the currently selected program All programs to be searched are searched from the EPG data stored in the storage device 19, and recording reservation is made.

Next, a "set by keyword" button 16
Reference numeral 3 denotes a setting button for searching for a program included in the EPG data including a keyword selected and designated by the user from a group of keywords described in the EPG data of the currently selected program and making a recording reservation. Therefore, when the button 163 is selected, as shown in FIG. 19, a “keyword designation” button 19 corresponding to a keyword group described in the EPG data of the currently selected program is displayed.
Group 1 is displayed. This "keyword specification" button 1
When one or a plurality of buttons are selected and designated by the user from the group of 91, a program including the selected and designated keyword in the EPG data is searched, and recording reservation is made.

Next, a "set reservation period / number of reserved programs" button 164 is a setting button for setting "reservation period" and "number of reserved programs" to be narrowed down according to the above-mentioned setting conditions. Therefore, when the button 164 is selected, FIG.
As shown at 0, a “number of programs” button 201 and a “period” button 202 are displayed. By selecting the button 201, the number of reserved programs to be narrowed down can be set. By selecting the button 202, the reserved period to be narrowed down can be set.

In the present embodiment, even for a program whose broadcast has been started (including a finished program), the program whose program data is stored in the storage device 19 has the corresponding EPG data stored in the storage device 19. Thus, it can be a candidate for the continuous recording reservation setting.

In the recording reservation setting on the “recording reservation setting” dialog 140, an item to be set is selected by the “select / scroll” button 52 of the user operation button 50 using the user input device 5, and the “fix” button 53 Set the item by. The confirmed item is highlighted. If the user wants to cancel the item once confirmed, the user can select the item that is highlighted and press the “cancel” button 54 here.

The above item setting can be used by combining a plurality of items. When set in combination, the program selected at the same time for each setting item is reserved for recording. For example, “drama A” (title name) starting from today can be set for continuous reservation “12 times” (number of reservations) in the future. Further, when the genre is set as “baseball”, the keyword is “team A”, and the reservation period is “one month”, the baseball game of team A broadcasted in this one month is reserved for recording.
At the same time, consecutive reservations are made for "actor A" (keyword 1) and "actor B" (keyword 2) appearing as guests in the cooking program currently being viewed for the next one month (reservation period). Can also be set. In this manner, a new program to be broadcasted in the future can be recorded from information on the known program.

The “recording reservation setting” dialog 140 (“title / channel / day of the week / day of the week / day of the week” displayed when the “continuous reservation setting” button 141 in the above is selected)
"Set by start time" button 161, "Set by genre"
Button 162, “set by keyword” button 163,
Continuous reservation setting (continuous recording reservation setting) related to program recording using "setting of reservation period / number of reserved programs" button 164)
Can also be applied to the setting of viewing reservation (continuous viewing reservation). In addition, the present invention can be applied to setting of a reproduction reservation (continuous reproduction reservation). However, in the reproduction reservation, the target is limited to a recorded program. In addition, the reproduction date and time must be individually set by the user. However, if a program of the same series as the recorded program to be reserved is to be broadcasted in the future, the reproduction date and time of the recorded program can be automatically set to the broadcast date and time of the corresponding program as described above.

A plurality of pieces of setting information set by the above procedure are displayed as reservation information 203 on a “recording reservation setting” dialog 140 as shown in FIG. Finally, when the “continuous reservation execution” button 143 is selected, the processing shifts from the recording reservation setting processing (step G1) to the recording reservation setting information accumulation processing (step G2) described below.

(2-2) Recording Reservation Setting Information Storage Process Next, the recording reservation setting information storage process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

As described above, when the “recording reservation execution” button 143 is selected in the recording reservation setting processing (step G1), the processing proceeds to the recording reservation setting information accumulation processing by the data processing unit 17. Here, first, it is checked whether or not the broadcast of the program to be recorded has already been started (step H1). If the program has been started and this program is stored in the storage device 19 (step H2), an intermediate recording flag indicating whether or not it is necessary to perform an intermediate recording process described later for the program is set to " 1 ”(Step H
3). Otherwise, the midway recording flag is set to "0" (step H4).

Next, it is checked whether or not the recording time of another program already reserved for recording and the broadcast time of the program newly reserved this time overlap (step H5). If there is an overlap, a warning is displayed to that effect (step H6), and the process returns to the recording reservation setting process (step G1).

On the other hand, if there is no overlap, it is checked using the external device control section 18 whether or not a recording medium exists (step H7). If the medium cannot be found, a warning is displayed to that effect (step H8), and the process returns to the recording reservation setting process (step G1).

On the other hand, if there is a recording medium, it is checked using the external device controller 18 whether the medium has sufficient free space (step H9). If the capacity is insufficient (the free capacity of the recording medium is smaller than the required capacity determined by the broadcast time of the recorded program), a warning is displayed to that effect (step H10) and the recording reservation setting process (step G)
Return to 1).

On the other hand, if there is sufficient free space, it is checked whether or not the intermediate recording flag is "0" (step H).
11). If the halfway recording flag is "1", the process proceeds to the halfway recording process (step H12). Midway recording processing (step H
12) is a process for recording the entire program from the beginning of the program if the broadcast of the program has already started when the recording reservation is made. Actually, the program from this point is recorded first, that is, recorded from the middle of the program, and after the recording of the program is completed, the data from the beginning of the program stored in the storage device 19 to the recording start point is recorded on a recording medium. To record. If the broadcast of the program has already ended when the recording reservation is made, the entire program stored in the storage device 19 is recorded on the recording medium from the beginning to the end.

[0129] However, the midway recording process can be performed only when the data of the program is stored in the storage device 19 at the time of the recording reservation. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the currently broadcast program is not limited to the designation of the recording reservation program, and the EPG data corresponding thereto as much as possible (such as the number of tuners of the reception unit 11 and the storage device) so that the intermediate recording process can be performed. It has a function of storing for a certain period of time (depending on the capacity of 19). If it is not possible to store all programs, the programs with the highest recommendation are stored with priority.

On the other hand, if the intermediate recording flag is "0", the setting information of the recording reservation program is stored in the storage device 19 (step H13).

Here, the data structure stored in the storage device 19 is a list (recording reservation list) 220 as shown in FIG.
The structure is as follows. This recording reservation list 220 is added each time a program is reserved for recording. Recording reservation list 22
0 is the reservation number 221, the reservation date and time 222, the start date and time 22
3, end date and time 224, title name 225, channel number 226, designated medium 227, and pointer 228 to continuous reservation setting information.

The reservation number 221 is a registration number for the recording reservation list 220. The reservation date and time 222 is the registration date and time in the recording reservation list, the start date and time 223 is the start date and time of the recording reservation program, and the end date and time 224 is the end date and time of the recording reservation program.
Each item of the date and time 222 to 224 holds a character string in which year / month / day / day of the week / hour / minute / second are arranged. In addition,
For the day of the week, for example, alphabets from A to G are used.

[0132] The title name 225 is the title name of the recording reservation program, and the channel number 226 is the channel number. The designated medium 227 indicates the ID (identification information) of the recording medium set in the external device 6 as the recording destination, and includes a “drive number” indicating the external device 6 and a “disk number” indicating the recording medium (external device). 6 is a DVD video recorder) (here, 0101 to 9999)
To).

The value of the pointer 228 to the continuous reservation setting information is “NULL” when the continuous reservation is not set.
When the continuous reservation setting is made, the pointer value indicates the setting content of the program in the storage device 19. The continuous reservation setting information indicated by the pointer 228 has a data structure in which the setting information is stored for each setting item, as indicated by reference numeral 229 in FIG.
Unset items are “NULL”. As for keywords, a structure 229 including only keywords is further provided.
a, and holds keyword information.

(2-3) Recording Reservation Setting Information Management Process Next, the recording reservation setting information management process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

Recording reservation setting information accumulation processing (step G)
When 2) is completed, the recording reservation setting information management processing by the data processing unit 17 is performed at certain fixed time intervals using a timer (step I1). This process is repeated while the reserved program exists in the recording reservation list 220.

First, a process of updating the information of the recording reservation list 220 using the latest EPG data (step I)
2) is performed. In this update process, the start and end times (start date and time 223 and end date and time 224) are updated based on the title name and channel number of each reserved program.

For example, if the latest EPG data does not include a reserved program (a set of a title name and a channel number) (the broadcast of the program is stopped and the broadcast is no longer scheduled), the previous viewing (Playback) As in the case of the reservation setting information management processing, a warning is displayed, and after a certain period of time,
It may be deleted from the recording reservation list 220.

When the above-mentioned update processing of the reservation list (step I2) ends, it is checked whether or not there is a program at the start time (step I3). Here, when the continuous reservation is set and the “period” is set, if there is a reserved program that has passed the set period, the program is deleted from the recording reservation list 220.

If a program with a start time is found in step I3, as a result of the update processing of the recording reservation list 220 (step I2), it is determined whether or not the broadcast start times of two or more programs overlap. (Step I
4).

If there is an overlap, a time overlap process (step I5) for preferentially processing a new program with a recording reservation date is performed, and then a recording process (step G4), which will be described in detail later, is performed. Done. When programs are duplicated, a program having a high recommendation degree may be preferentially recorded.

On the other hand, if the programs do not overlap, the recording process (step G4) is immediately performed. When the recording process (step G <b> 4) is performed, if the continuous reservation is not set, the program for which the recording process is performed is deleted from the recording reservation list 220. On the other hand, when the continuous reservation is set and the setting item “number of programs” is set, “1” is reduced from the value of the “number of programs”. As a result, if the value of the “number of programs” becomes “0”,
The corresponding program is deleted from the recording reservation list 220.

The updating process (step I2) and the process of searching for the program at the start time (step I3) are repeated intermittently as long as the reserved program exists in the recording reservation list 220.

(2-4) Recording Process Next, the recording process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

In the recording process, first, it is checked whether or not there is a recording medium to be recorded using the external device control section 18 (step J1). If no recording medium is present, a warning is displayed to that effect (step J2), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if there is a recording medium, it is checked using the external device controller 18 whether the medium has sufficient free space (step J3). If the capacity is insufficient, a warning is displayed to that effect (step J4), and the process ends. On the other hand, if there is sufficient free space, recording on the medium is started (step J5).

(3) Reserved Program List Processing Next, the processing when the “display reserved program list” button 65 is selected will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the user selects the "display reserved program list" button 65 on the "program setting" dialog 60, the display management unit 15 displays a reserved program list 250 as shown in FIG. This reserved program list 250
, A “view (reproduction) reservation list” button 251 and a “recording reservation list” button 252 are arranged. When either one of the buttons 251 and 252 is selected, information on the respective reserved programs and setting information are stored in the reservation list (viewing (reproduction) reservation list 10 in the storage device 19.
0 or a recording reservation list 220), and a list is displayed based on the reservation list. In the example of FIG.
As a result of selecting the “recording reservation list” button 252 (button 252 is highlighted), a recording reservation list is displayed. The display contents of each program in the list include the reserved program information 25 such as the program title, broadcast date, and start / end time.
3 and reservation setting information (reservation information) 254.

When a user selects an arbitrary program from the list of programs using the user input device 5 and then presses a “program setting” button 55 of the user operation button 50, a “program setting” dialog 60 is displayed. Then, a part of the setting contents can be changed and the reservation can be canceled. Here, the reservation processing (1) or (2) other than the currently set one, or the program search processing (5) can also be performed.

(4) Reservation Cancellation Processing Next, the processing when the “cancel reservation” button 65 is selected will be described.

In the state where an arbitrary program is selected from the list of viewing (reproduction) reservation or recording reservation on the reserved program list 250, the “program setting” dialog 60 on the “program setting” dialog 60 When the “cancel” button 66 is selected, the data processing unit 17 performs a reservation cancellation process. In this reservation canceling process, the program selected on the reserved program list 250 is deleted from the corresponding reservation list (viewing / playback reservation list 100 or recording reservation list 220) in the storage device 19. If both the viewing (playback) reservation and the recording reservation have been made, a dialog for selecting either of the reservations may be displayed, and the user may select the reservation to be canceled.

(5) Program Search Process The process when the "program search" button 66 is selected will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the “program search” button 66 on the “program setting” dialog 60 is selected by the user input device 5 according to the user's operation, the display management unit 15 prompts the user to set search conditions as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the display 102 as shown in FIG.

In the “search setting” dialog 261, a “search with the same title name / day of the week / start time” button 26 is displayed.
1. "Set genre" button 262, "Set keyword" button 263, "Set search range" button 26
4, and five setting buttons, that is, a “search execution” button 265 are arranged.

Hereinafter, each setting button (setting item) 261 to
Each function (role) of the H.265 will be described sequentially. First, a “search setting with the same title name / day of the week / start time” button 261 is used to select a program with the same title name as the currently selected program, a program to be broadcast on the same day of the week, and a “same start time” Program broadcasted on the storage device 1
9 is a setting button for searching from the EPG data stored in No. 9 and displaying the list. Therefore, button 261
Is selected, three buttons, a "same title name" button 266, a "same day of the week" button 267, and a "same start time" button 268 are displayed as shown in FIG. When any of the buttons 266, 267, 268 is selected, all programs with the same title as the currently selected program, all programs broadcast on the same day, or the same start time Are searched from the EPG data stored in the storage device 19 and displayed in a list.

Next, a "set genre" button 262
Is a setting button for searching for a program included in the “large genre”, a program included in the “medium genre”, and a program included in the “small genre” of the currently selected program and displaying the list. Therefore, when the button 262 is selected, as shown in FIG.
1. "Middle genre" button 272 and "small genre"
Three buttons 273 are displayed. Button 27
When any one of 1, 272 and 273 is selected, all programs included in the "large genre" of the currently selected program, all programs included in the "medium genre", or included in the "small genre" All programs to be searched are searched from the EPG data stored in the storage device 19 and displayed in a list.

Next, a “keyword setting” button 263
Is a setting button for searching for a program that includes a keyword selected and designated by the user from the group of keywords described in the EPG data of the currently selected program and included in the EPG data, and displaying the list. Therefore, button 26
When 3 is selected, as shown in FIG. 28, a group of "keyword designation" buttons 281 corresponding to the keyword group described in the EPG data of the currently selected program is displayed. When one or a plurality of buttons are selected and designated by the user from the group of "keyword designation" buttons 281, the selected and designated keyword is set in the EP.
The programs included in the G data are searched and displayed in a list.

Next, a "set search range" button 264
Are setting buttons for setting the “number of programs” and the “period” to be searched according to the above setting conditions. Therefore, when the button 264 is selected, as shown in FIG.
A “number of programs” button 291 and a “period” button 292 are displayed. The number of programs to be searched can be set by selecting the button 291, and the search period can be set by selecting the button 292.

The "search execution" button 266 is a button for instructing the execution of the search. When this button 266 is selected, a program search process is executed by the data processing unit 17 under the above-described setting conditions, and the result is displayed on the display 102 by the display management unit 15 as a search result list 300, for example, as shown in FIG. Is displayed.

The setting of the search condition can be used by combining a plurality of items. When the settings are combined, the programs selected at the same time according to the respective settings are displayed in a list. For example, if "baseball" is set as the genre, "team A" is set as the keyword, and "one month" is set as the reservation period, a baseball game of team A broadcasted in this one month is searched. Similarly, “Actor A” who is appearing as a guest on the cooking program currently being viewed
It is possible to search for programs appearing in the next “one month” (reservation period) of (Keyword 1) and “Actor B” (Keyword 2). Thereby, a new program to be broadcasted in the future can be searched from the information on the known programs.

The display contents of each program on the search result list 300 shown in FIG. 30 are program information 301 such as a program title, broadcast date and start / end time, and program contents 302 such as a synopsis of the program.

As the program content 302, a representative still image or digest video of each program can be used. However, all such information uses information received as additional information of the EPG.

When a desired program is selected from the search result list 300 using the user input device 5 and the "program setting" button 55 of the user operation button 50 is pressed, a "program setting" dialog 60 is displayed. It is possible to perform the reservation processing (1) or (2) or the program search processing (5) from the searched program.

In the embodiment described above, (1) viewing (reproduction) reservation processing when the recommended program table is used,
(2) recording reservation processing, (3) reservation program list processing, (4)
Although the reservation cancellation processing and (5) program search processing have been described, the present invention does not depend on the form or presence or absence of a program table. It is feasible. Further, the present invention can also be realized by using a viewing (reproducing) program displayed on the display 3 without using the program table. That is, in the present invention, an instruction of “program setting” is input from the user input device in a state where one of the programs currently being broadcast is selected and displayed on the display 3 or a state in which the recorded program is reproduced and displayed. In such a case, the processing of (1) to (5) can be performed by displaying the “program setting” dialog (60) as shown in FIG.
Here, the program being displayed (viewed) or being reproduced is automatically set as the “selected program” (user-specified program). In a mode in which a plurality of programs are selected and divided and displayed on one screen, if one program can be selected by a user's input operation using the user input device 5 from the screen, an actual operation is performed by the operation. The program selected in (1) may be the “selected program” (user-specified program). Also,
In a configuration in which a program cannot be selected from the screen, a program at a predetermined screen position may be automatically set as a “selected program” (user-specified program).

The function of, for example, the data processing unit 17 in the above embodiment can be realized as software.

Also, in the present embodiment, the apparatus main body 1 is realized by a computer, and the computer is configured to execute the processing procedure applied in the data processing unit 17 in the above embodiment (or the computer is executed by the data processing unit 17). It can also be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM in which a program for causing the computer to function as a predetermined means or for causing a computer to realize the predetermined function of the data processing unit 17 is recorded. The program may be downloaded via a communication medium.

[0166]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, E
By effectively using the PG data, a program group that matches the user's preference, in particular, a program group that includes a new program to be broadcasted in the future can be automatically searched without making the user aware of the program group. Can be reserved for viewing or recording, and the burden on the user for reservation setting can be significantly reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to notify that a broadcast time or a reproduction time of a reserved program has arrived by a notification method specified by a user himself / herself. The user can surely know the start of the broadcast of the reserved broadcast program or the start of the reproduction of the recorded program.

According to the present invention, even after the broadcast of a program has already been started, that is, during or after the broadcast of the program, the program can be viewed or recorded, and the entire program can be viewed or recorded. . In particular, programs that match the user's program preferences can be reliably viewed or recorded.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic program guide receiving apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view showing a display example of a recommended program table in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a user operation history acquisition process.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a program recommendation degree calculating process.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view showing an example of a user operation button in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a display example of a program setting dialog.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of viewing (reproduction) reservation processing.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a display example of a viewing (reproduction) reservation setting dialog.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information accumulation processing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of viewing (reproduction) reservation setting information management processing.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a display (playback) process.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a recording reservation processing procedure.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a display example of a recording reservation setting dialog.

FIG. 15: “Recording medium specification” in the recording reservation setting dialog
The figure which shows the example of a display at the time of selecting.

FIG. 16: “Continuous reservation setting” in a recording reservation setting dialog
The figure which shows the example of a display at the time of selecting.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a display example when “set by title / channel / day of the week / start time” is selected in the state of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a view showing a display example when “set by genre” is selected in the state of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a display example when “set by keyword” is selected in the state of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a view showing a display example when “setting of reservation period / number of reserved programs” is selected in the state of FIG. 16;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of recording reservation setting information accumulation processing.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of continuous reservation setting information.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of recording reservation setting information management processing.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a recording process.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a display example of a reserved program list.

FIG. 26 is a view showing a display example of a search setting dialog.

FIG. 27 is a view showing a display example when “genre setting” in the search setting dialog is selected.

FIG. 28: “Keyword setting” in search setting dialog
The figure which shows the example of a display at the time of selecting.

FIG. 29 is a view showing a display example when “set search range” in the search setting dialog is selected.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a display example of a search result list.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Device main body 3 ... Display 4 ... Antenna 5 ... User input device 6 ... External device 11 ... Receiving part 12 ... Separation part 13 ... Decoding processing part 14 ... Output control part 15 ... Display management part 16 ... Input management part 17 ... Data Processing unit (electronic program guide creation means, reservation setting means, reservation execution control means, search setting means, search means, user operation history acquisition means, user preference analysis means, recommendation degree calculation means, accumulation means) 18 ... External device control Part 19: Storage device 20: Recommended program table 50: User operation button 60: Program setting dialog 80: Viewing (reproduction) reservation setting dialog 100: Viewing (reproduction) reservation list 140: Recording reservation setting dialog 220: Recording reservation list (continuous) (Recording reservation list) 250: list of reserved programs 260: search setting dialog 300: list of search results

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 5/44 H04N 5/44 A 5/445 5/445 Z 7/025 7/08 A 7/03 7 / 035 F-term (reference) 5C025 AA23 BA21 BA26 CA02 CB03 CB05 CB07 CB08 CB09 5C052 AA01 AB03 AB04 AC08 DD04 5C063 AA01 AB01 AB03 AB05 AB09 AB11 AC01 AC05 AC10 CA36 DA03 EA01 EB04 EB32 EB33 GA37GA

Claims (11)

[Claims] A receiving unit configured to receive data from a broadcast wave including electronic program guide data; a separating unit configured to separate received data received by the receiving unit into video data, audio data, and electronic program guide data; Electronic program guide creation means for creating an electronic program guide based on the electronic program guide data; and output for performing output control including display output of the video data, audio output of the audio data, and display output of the electronic program guide. Control means, input means capable of performing various input operations including selection and designation of a program from the electronic program guide, and connectable to a plurality of external devices having a playback or recording / playback function, mounted on the connected external devices External device control means for acquiring information from the recorded recording medium and controlling the external device; and viewing / listening of a program based on a reservation designation from the input means. A reservation setting means for setting about or a reproduction reservation or a recording reservation, wherein when a continuous reservation is designated by the input means, a program selected or designated by the input means or a program currently being viewed or currently being reproduced; The program related to the designated program is searched for based on the continuous reservation designation and the electronic program guide data, and the program related to the designated program or the program related to the designated program and the designated program are searched. An electronic program guide receiving apparatus comprising: a reservation setting unit configured to set a viewing reservation or a recording reservation with respect to a program; and a reservation execution control unit configured to control execution of the reservation content set by the reservation setting unit. apparatus. 2. The method according to claim 2, wherein the reservation setting unit receives a designation from the input unit with respect to a notification method for notifying a user at the start of execution control by the reservation execution control unit when setting the reservation. The specified notification method is added to make a reservation setting, and the reservation execution control means, at the start of the execution control of the viewing reservation or the reproduction reservation, notifies the effect by the notification method specified at the time of the corresponding reservation setting. 2. The electronic program guide receiving device according to claim 1, wherein a notification is sent to a user. 3. A first mode in which, when a reservation is set, a first mode for displaying the fact on the screen of the program being viewed when the broadcast time of the program for which viewing has been set has arrived, The second to switch to the reserved program
By receiving a selection designation from the input means for any one of the mode and the third mode in which the power switch of the apparatus is switched from the off state to the on state to display the program reserved for viewing. When the broadcast time of the program for which the viewing reservation has been set has arrived, the reservation execution control means performs the reservation setting to which the mode designation information indicating the selected and designated mode has been added. 2. The electronic program guide receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the user is notified by setting a mode specified at a time. 4. The first mode, wherein the reservation setting means displays, on the screen of the program being viewed when the reproduction time of the recorded program whose reproduction has been set is reached, at the time of the reservation setting, the program being viewed. And a third mode in which the power switch of the apparatus is switched from the off state to the on state to reproduce and display the recorded program whose reproduction is set by switching the display from the display to the reproduction display of the recorded program whose reproduction is set. By accepting a selection designation from the input means for any one of the modes, a reservation setting to which mode designation information indicating this selected designation mode is added is performed. When the playback time of the set recorded program arrives, the user is notified of the fact by setting the mode specified at the time of setting the corresponding reservation. Electronic program guide receiving apparatus according to claim 1. 5. The reservation setting means receives designation of continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation from the input means, and is broadcast on the same title name, the same channel number, the same day of the week, or the same start time as the designated program. 2. The electronic program guide receiving device according to claim 1, wherein a program is selected based on the electronic program guide data, and continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation is set. 6. The reservation setting means accepts designation of continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation from the input means, and selects a program including the same genre or the same keyword as the designated program based on the electronic program guide data. 2. The electronic program guide receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the setting of continuous viewing reservation or continuous recording reservation is performed. 7. A search setting means for receiving a program search designation from said input means and setting a program search condition designated in relation to said designated program, and according to a program search condition set by said search setting means. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: searching means for searching for a program related to the designated program based on the electronic program guide data, and displaying a list of the search results through the output control means. Program guide receiving device. 8. A user operation history obtaining means for obtaining information of a user operation history including program viewing for the electronic program guide receiving device, and at least user operation history information obtained by the user operation history obtaining means. A user preference analysis means for analyzing a user's program viewing preference based on the electronic program guide data and the user operation history information, and accumulating the analysis result in the storage means; and a user preference analysis means. Based on the analysis result and the electronic program guide data, a recommendation degree calculating means for calculating a recommendation degree reflecting a user's preference for each program indicated by the guide data, and a recommendation degree calculation of the recommendation degree calculating means Means for preferentially storing program data of a program highly recommended based on the result in the storage means. The reservation execution control means, when the viewing start time or the recording reservation is set by the reservation setting means, if the broadcast start time of the reserved program has already passed, the corresponding program data is stored in the storage means. If accumulated,
2. The electronic program guide receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control for displaying or recording the entire reserved program is performed using the stored program data. 9. The electronic program guide creating means, based on the recommendation degree calculation result of the recommendation degree calculation means, converts each program indicated by the electronic program guide data into a time axis and a recommendation degree axis. 9. The electronic program guide receiving device according to claim 8, wherein a recommended program guide arranged on a three-dimensional plane is created as the electronic program guide. 10. A receiving means for receiving data from a broadcast wave including electronic program guide data, a separating means for separating received data received by the receiving means into video data, audio data, and electronic program guide data; Electronic program guide creation means for creating an electronic program guide based on the electronic program guide data; and output for performing output control including display output of the video data, audio output of the audio data, and display output of the electronic program guide. Control means, input means capable of performing various input operations including selection and designation of a program from the electronic program guide, and connectable to a plurality of external devices having a playback or recording / playback function, mounted on the connected external devices External device control means for acquiring information from the recording medium and controlling the external device, receiving program search designation from the input means, and Search setting means for setting a program selected from the input means or a program currently being viewed or currently reproduced, as a specified program, and setting a program search condition specified in relation to the specified program. Searching means for searching for a program related to the designated program based on the electronic program guide data in accordance with the program search condition set by the search setting means, and displaying a list of the search results through the output control means. An electronic program guide receiving device, comprising: 11. A receiving unit for receiving data from a broadcast wave including electronic program guide data, a separating unit for separating received data received by the receiving unit into video data, audio data, and electronic program guide data; Output control means for performing output control including a display output of the video data, a sound output of the sound data, and a display output of an electronic program guide created based on the electronic program guide data; and a program from the electronic program guide. Input means capable of performing various input operations including selection designation of, and connectable to a plurality of external devices having a playback or recording / playback function, obtaining information from a recording medium mounted on the connected external device, and A computer that realizes an electronic program guide receiving device including an external device control unit that controls an external device, based on a reservation designation from the input unit; A reservation setting step for setting a program viewing reservation, a reproduction reservation, or a recording reservation, and when a continuous reservation is designated by the input means, the program selected or designated by the input means or the program currently being viewed. Alternatively, with the currently reproduced program as the designated program, a program related to the designated program is searched for based on the continuous reservation designation and the electronic program guide data, and a program related to the designated program or the designated program and the designated program are searched. A recording that records a user operation support program for executing a reservation setting step of setting a viewing reservation or a recording reservation with a program related to a program, and a reservation execution step of executing the reservation content set in the reservation setting step. Medium.