JP2004304739A - Timer reservation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce errors by easily and efficiently performing timer reservation for automatically recording a broadcast program. <P>SOLUTION: Information of a program with the timer reservation set thereto is temporarily stored into a video recording and reproducing apparatus, stored program information such as a program title, for example, is displayed and the information is selected, so that data required for the timer reservation such as a broadcast channel, a date of broadcasting and a starting time can be set. Thus, the timer reservation apparatus wherein operation is simplified and errors are reduced, can be realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a timer reservation device, and more particularly to a timer reservation device capable of efficiently performing scheduled recording of broadcast programs broadcast at predetermined intervals, such as a serial drama.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventional methods for timer reservation include the following. That is, 1) a method in which a user inputs data such as a channel, a broadcast date, a start time, an end time (or a duration of a program), and sets a timer reservation. 2) The user inputs a predetermined code created by compressing data such as channel, broadcast date, start time, end time (or program duration), and a recording device such as a VCR decodes the code. This is a method of setting a timer reservation. Some programs, such as serial dramas, can be additionally set to "daily" and "weekly" in order to record programs broadcast at predetermined intervals. For example, when information such as time is set by the method 1) and “weekly” is set, recording is started at a specific day and time every week thereafter, and recording of a serial drama is performed. Can be done.
[0003]
However, in these methods, basically, the user must input a number, and if the input is wrong, a mistake occurs that a program to be recorded cannot be recorded. In the method 2), the trouble of inputting is reduced. However, it is necessary to input a number of about 9 digits, and if it is wrong, a situation where desired recording cannot be performed occurs. In the recording of serial drama, etc., it is convenient if you can set such as `` weekly '', but even if you try to record only when you can not watch it, it will always be reserved for recording every week, so inconvenience may occur is there. For example, there is a case where another tape is accidentally inserted and overwriting is performed without intending to record.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the conventional timer reservation device has a problem that reservation setting of a broadcast program to be broadcast at a predetermined interval is not easy and troublesome. An object of the present invention is to solve this problem, and to provide a timer reservation device that is simple, efficient, and makes little mistake.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides a timer including means for selecting a program by selecting an attribute (for example, a program title extracted from XDS data) for specifying a broadcast program, and means for setting necessary information for timer reservation according to the selection. It is a reservation device.
[0006]
Another feature of the present invention is that, at the end of recording, a storage means for storing an attribute for specifying a broadcast program and predetermined data such as a broadcast date and a start time is provided, based on the information of the stored attribute and the predetermined data. A timer reservation device comprising: means for setting information necessary for timer reservation.
[0007]
Furthermore, the timer reservation device of the present invention may include a display unit for displaying the information of the attribute, and a selection unit for selecting one from the displayed information of the plurality of attributes, and further, A change means for automatically changing the broadcast date according to the broadcast mode related to the broadcast date of the broadcast program can be provided. The information processing apparatus may further include means for modifying predetermined data corresponding to the information on the attribute selected by the selection means.
[0008]
In this way, the information of the program for which the timer reservation has been set once is stored in the device, and the stored program information is displayed and selected. It can be predicted and set as timer reservation information.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a reservation operation, FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a reservation operation according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display screen and the like during operation, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing a display screen during operation. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a part of the input device.
[0011]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an antenna for receiving a television broadcast, and 2 denotes a tuner which receives a high-frequency signal from the antenna and outputs a composite video / audio standard signal, for example, an NTSC signal, which can be processed by a recording / reproducing apparatus. is there. From the tuner 2, an output is further supplied to a data extraction circuit 3 for extracting XDS data. XDS is an abbreviation for Extended Data Service, and is a signal superimposed on the VBI line 21 of television broadcasting in the United States. The data represented by this signal covers 32 types such as program information, broadcast station information, and current time information. The timer reservation device of the present invention uses "program title data (name of the program currently being broadcast)" among these pieces of information. The details of XDS are described in an EIA-608 document issued by EIA (Electric Industries Association).
[0012]
The recording / reproducing device 4 is a device capable of recording an NTSC signal and reproducing the recorded NTSC signal, and examples of the recording medium include a video tape, a recordable DVD, and a hard disk recorder. As a product, the timer reservation device according to the present invention is often incorporated in such a video recording / reproducing device. Hereinafter, description will be made on the premise of this.
[0013]
Reference numeral 5 denotes a CPU that controls the entire video recording / reproducing apparatus, and is connected to a RAM 7 and a ROM 8 via a data bus 6. The ROM 8 stores a program for operating the CPU 5 and predetermined data. The RAM 7 stores data such as timer reservation information. The CPU 5 is connected by a control line 9 for controlling the recording / reproducing device 4, the tuner 2, and the like. A display device 10 displays timer reservation information and the like and is used for a user interface with a user. The display device may be a display means such as an LCD display provided in the video recording / reproducing device, or may be an on-screen display on a television receiver, a monitor TV, or the like on which the output of the video recording / reproducing device is displayed. An input device 11 includes operation buttons and the like, and is connected to the CPU 5. Various inputs and instructions are given to the CPU 5 via an input device.
[0014]
Next, the normal timer reservation operation will be described with reference to FIG. When the change to the timer reservation mode is instructed by the input device, the operation shown in FIG. 2 is performed. First, in step 21, reservation data is set. The reservation data is data such as the broadcast channel of the broadcast program to be recorded, the broadcast date, the start time, the end time, the distinction of broadcast frequency (weekly or daily), and in the case of a VTR, data such as the tape speed. The input method is a conventional method. For example, individual data of the reservation data is input using a numeric keypad. After that, the timer reservation mode is ended, and in step 23, a standby state is set. When the current time of the clock device provided in the video recording / reproducing device reaches the broadcast date and start time specified by the reservation data, timer recording is started. That is, the standby state of step 23 is continued until the current time reaches the start time.
[0015]
When the timer recording is started, program data of the recorded broadcast program is obtained, and predetermined data is stored in the RAM 7 (step 24). Then, the recording operation is continuously performed until the end time. That is, in step 25, the recording state is continued until the current time matches the end time of the reservation data. When the recording end time comes, the timer recording process ends (step 26). That is, the predetermined data of the timer-recorded program is stored in the RAM 7 by the normal timer reservation operation, and can be used at any time in the video recording / reproducing apparatus. Here, the predetermined data is, for example, title data of a program acquired by using XDS, and further includes a broadcast channel, a broadcast date, a start time, an end time, and a case where the video recording / reproducing apparatus is a VCR. Tape speed (a recording bit rate in the case of recording by being compressed by MPEG or the like).
[0016]
Next, a reservation setting operation by title selection will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the reservation process by title selection is selected, the program title name is displayed on the display device 10 among the predetermined data recorded in the RAM 7 (step 31). The state shown on the display device is shown in FIG. An underline is displayed at the center of "California Dreams" to indicate that the program is selected. The selected program can be changed by the cursor keys 61, 62, 63, 64 as shown in FIG. By operating the OK button 65, the program title where the cursor is currently located is selected.
[0017]
When a certain program is selected by operating the OK button 65, the step 32 ends, and the process proceeds to the next step 33. In step 33, the reservation data of the selected program is displayed on the display device (FIG. 5). That is, the broadcast channel, date, start time, end time, and tape speed are displayed. In the state of FIG. 5, the reservation data can be edited, but if the OK button 65 of the input device is operated without changing (selection of NO in step 34), the process proceeds to step 35, where the data is stored in the RAM 7. In addition, the reservation data of the program selected in FIG. 4 is determined without being changed, and the reservation setting operation based on the title selection ends (step 37). On the other hand, in the state of FIG. 5, when the cursor is moved and the reservation data is changed using the ten keys or the cursor keys of the input device (for example, the broadcast date (Date)) is changed, When the OK button 65 is pressed), the process proceeds to step 36, and the changed reservation data is stored in the RAM 7. If the broadcast time is specially changed or extended, the start and end times can also be changed.
[0018]
In FIG. 5, it is conceivable that the displayed reservation data is automatically changed to future scheduled data. That is, in the processing of FIG. 2, it is conceivable to change the reservation data to a date one week ahead when the recording is completed. Of course, this is for a weekly program, if the program is broadcast every day, change to the next day's date, if it's a monthly program, change to the date one month ahead I do. Whether the program is broadcast every week or every day can be set at the time of normal reservation in FIG. Then, the information can also be stored as a part of the predetermined data.
[0019]
As described above, by performing the normal reservation processing, a plurality of predetermined data (a combination of a program title and reservation data and the like) is accumulated in the RAM 7. As the timer recording operation of the video recording / reproducing apparatus, the present time may be compared with the times of a plurality of predetermined data stored in the RAM 7, and if they match, the recording operation may be performed according to the corresponding reservation data. On the other hand, as described above, when the processing for automatically changing the predetermined data corresponding to the broadcast is performed at the end of the timer recording, such a simple standard for starting the timer recording is not good. . That is, timer recording is performed regardless of the user's intention. Therefore, in order to perform timer recording, it is possible to configure so that a reservation by title selection is necessary. For example, by selecting a desired program on the screen of FIG. 4 and operating the OK button 65 in the state of FIG. 5, a flag included in the predetermined data is set, and the flag is set. Timer recording may be performed only for the data that exists.
[0020]
In the above-described embodiment, a broadcast program is specified using a program title as an attribute that can specify a broadcast program. Usually, the program title is considered the most convenient, but other attributes that can specify the program can also be used. For example, the user may be able to input the name of the leading actor. Also, the program title is not limited to the one registered in the XDS data, and the user may input a title that can be identified by the user. This is because the actual timer recording operation is executed based on data such as the broadcast date stored as a pair with the attribute specifying the program.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, timer reservation can be performed simply, efficiently, and without error. That is, since timer recording can be set using an attribute specifying a broadcast program, for example, a program title, simple timer reservation can be set. When recording is performed, attributes specifying the recorded program and predetermined information such as broadcast date (and / or day of the week), start time, end time, and tape speed are stored in the video recording and reproducing apparatus. Can be used for timer recording setting of a program related to the program (for example, the next broadcast in a serial drama), so that a simple timer reservation can be set.
[0022]
In addition, by displaying an attribute representing a broadcast program such as a program title on a display device and selecting the title or the like, data necessary for timer reservation such as a broadcast date can be stored. A small timer reservation can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a reservation operation.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a reservation operation.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing one display screen during operation.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another display screen during operation.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the input device.
[Explanation of symbols]
2: Tuner 3: Data extraction circuit 4: Recording / reproducing device 5: CPU (microcomputer), 7: RAM 7, 10: Display device, 11: Input device

Claims (9)

A timer reservation device comprising: means for selecting a program by selecting an attribute for specifying a broadcast program; and means for setting information necessary for timer reservation according to the selection. The timer reservation device according to claim 1, wherein the attribute is a title of a broadcast program. 3. The timer reservation device according to claim 2, wherein the title of the broadcast program is extracted from XDS data. At the end of recording, there is provided storage means for storing an attribute for specifying a broadcast program and predetermined data such as a broadcast date and a start time. Based on the stored attribute information and the predetermined data, information necessary for timer reservation is set. A timer reservation device comprising: 5. The timer reservation device according to claim 4, further comprising: a display unit for displaying the attribute information; and a selection unit for selecting one of the plurality of displayed attribute information. 5. The timer reservation device according to claim 4, further comprising a change unit that automatically changes the broadcast date according to a broadcast mode related to the broadcast date of the broadcast program. 6. The timer reservation apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: means for correcting predetermined data corresponding to information of the attribute selected by said selection means. A tuner that receives a broadcast, outputs a video signal, and extracts XDS data;
A recording device for recording the video signal,
A microcomputer provided with storage means,
In relation to the recording of the video signal, of the XDS data, attribute data specifying a program and predetermined data such as a broadcast date and a start time are stored in the storage unit, and the predetermined data is corrected. A timer reservation device in which information necessary for timer reservation is set. A tuner that receives a broadcast, outputs a video signal, and extracts XDS data;
A recording device for recording the video signal,
A display device;
An input device;
A microcomputer provided with storage means,
In connection with the recording of the video signal, attribute information for specifying a program and predetermined data such as a broadcast date and a start time among the XDS data are stored in the storage unit, and at least the attribute information is stored in the display unit. And a timer reservation device for selecting a program to be recorded.

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