JP2004312223A - Broadcast program receiver, and program information acquisition method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a broadcast program receiver capable of acquiring the program information of a view program without the need for the operational intermediation of a user. <P>SOLUTION: The broadcast program receiver capable of receiving a television broadcast program and viewing the program acquires data of a program guide of television broadcast to build up a program guide database. On the occurrence of changeover of a view program, e.g., on the occurrence of changeover of the view program on the same channel due to the broadcast start of a succeeding program or the changeover of the view program by a channel change by a user, a broadcast program receiver automatically acquires program information such as details of contents of the program from a Web on the basis of the program guide database and displays the information on a display device 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a broadcast program receiving apparatus such as a television set having a function of receiving a television broadcast and a function of connecting to a Web, a program information obtaining method and a program therefor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, an environment has been established in which electronic data of a program table typified by EPG (Electronic Program Guide) can be acquired from the Internet, terrestrial broadcasting, or the like. Can be used as a means for the user to know the details of.
[0003]
For example, a program table of an EPG acquired as a Web page on the Internet includes an iEPG (Internet Electronic Program Guide) in which information for program recording reservation and details of program contents (hereinafter referred to as program information) are described. There is provided a link button for generating a file download request called a file, and the user can obtain the iEPG file by clicking the link button (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-152618 A
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the case of acquiring an iEPG file in order to view program information of a program being viewed on a television broadcast receiver, the user must click a link button in a program table every time one program information is viewed. In addition, there is a problem that users who use the program information are limited.
[0006]
Also, the program information provided by the iEPG is mainly text, and has a limited expressive power. Therefore, there was also difficulty in user satisfaction.
[0007]
In addition, past program listings that have been distributed and saved from terrestrial broadcasting, etc., will be matched with actual broadcast programs if the broadcast program changes from the time of acquisition to the current time. Therefore, the user must always pay attention to obtaining the latest program guide, which causes a problem that the user is burdened.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a broadcast program receiving apparatus, a program information acquiring method, and a program capable of acquiring program information of a viewed program without requiring user intervention. .
[0009]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast program receiving apparatus, a program information acquisition method, and a program that can ensure consistency between a program and program information even when the broadcast program is suddenly changed. .
[0010]
A further object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast program receiving apparatus, a program information obtaining method, and a program capable of obtaining a Web page as program information.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A broadcast program receiving apparatus according to a main aspect of the present invention is a broadcast program receiving apparatus capable of receiving and viewing a broadcasted program and connecting to a Web, as a means for solving the above problems, Program table acquisition means for acquiring data of a program table including a broadcast start time of a program and link information for acquiring program information including details of the contents of the program; and Database construction means for constructing a database based on the data of the program guide; and, in response to switching of the program to be viewed, extracting the link information for acquiring the program information of the program from the database, Program information acquiring means for acquiring the program information from the Web based on the program information.
[0012]
According to the present invention, program information can be automatically acquired when a program being viewed is switched without depending on an instruction from the user, and can be provided to the user in an output form such as a display.
[0013]
Preferably, the program information obtaining means obtains, from the database, a start time of a next program broadcasted after the program being viewed, and stores the program information of the next program from the database at the start time of the next program. The link information to be acquired is extracted. According to this, at the broadcast start time of the next program on the same channel, the program information of the next program can be automatically acquired.
[0014]
Further preferably, the program guide acquiring means reacquires the data of the program guide at the start time of the next program broadcasted after the program being viewed, and updates the database to the latest contents. Good. According to this, even if the broadcast program is changed between the time when the previous program table was acquired and the start time of the next program, the program table provider can update the program table enough by the broadcast start time by the program table provider. If this is guaranteed, a database reflecting the change of the broadcast program can be secured, and inconsistency between the viewed program and the program information due to the sudden change of the broadcast program can be prevented.
[0015]
More preferably, the program information acquiring means extracts the link information for acquiring the program information of the program after the switching from the database when the program being viewed is switched by changing the channel. It is. According to this, it is possible to automatically acquire the program information of the viewed program switched by the channel change by the user.
[0016]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program information obtaining method for a broadcast program receiving apparatus capable of receiving and viewing a broadcasted program and connecting to the Web. Acquiring program table data including a broadcast start time of the program and link information for acquiring program information including details of the program content; and Constructing a database based on the program, and extracting the link information for obtaining the program information of the program from the database in accordance with switching of the program to be viewed, and extracting the program information based on the link information. Acquiring from the Web.
[0017]
According to the present invention, program information can be automatically acquired when a program being viewed is switched without depending on an instruction from the user, and can be provided to the user in an output form such as a display.
[0018]
Preferably, the step of obtaining the program information includes obtaining, from the database, a start time of a next program to be broadcasted following the program being viewed, and setting the start time of the next program from the database at the start time of the next program. The link information for acquiring the program information is extracted. According to this, it is possible to automatically acquire the program information of the viewed program switched by the channel change by the user.
[0019]
Further, preferably, the step of acquiring the data of the program guide renews the data of the program guide at a start time of a next program broadcasted after the program being viewed and updates the database to the latest contents. May be something. Even if a broadcast program changes between the time when the previous program guide was obtained and the start time of the next program, it is guaranteed by the program guide provider that the update of the program guide will be sufficient by the broadcast start time. If so, a program guide database reflecting the change of the broadcast program can be secured, and inconsistency between the viewed program and the program information due to the sudden change of the broadcast program can be prevented.
[0020]
Further preferably, the step of acquiring the program information includes, when the program being viewed is switched by changing the channel, extracting the link information for acquiring the program information of the program after the switching from the database. Is what you do. According to this, it is possible to automatically acquire the program information of the viewed program switched by the channel change by the user.
[0021]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that, in order to solve the above-described problem, sets a computer having a function of receiving and viewing a broadcasted program in a broadcast start time of the program and details of the content of the program. Program table obtaining means for obtaining data of a program table including link information for obtaining program information including, and database construction means for converting the data of the program table obtained by the program table obtaining means into a database and storing the database And extracting the link information for obtaining the program information of the program from the program table database in accordance with the switching of the program to be viewed, and obtaining the program information from the Web based on the link information. It functions as information acquisition means.
[0022]
According to the program of the present invention, program information can be automatically acquired when a program being viewed is switched without depending on an instruction from the user, and can be provided to the user in an output form such as a display.
[0023]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0024]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a broadcast program receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 1, the broadcast program receiving apparatus 100 processes connection with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1 as a processing operation unit, a main memory 2, a program / data storage unit 3, and a network 4 such as the Internet. A network interface unit 5, a display device 6 for visually providing information to a user, a graphic controller 8 for performing a drawing process on a screen of the display device 6 using a VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) 7, and an audible information to the user , A user interface controller 14 for processing an input from a user's operation input unit 13, a video capture device 15, and a bus 16 for transmitting signals between the above units. That is, the broadcast program receiving apparatus 100 can be configured by a computer such as a personal computer having a function of receiving and viewing a television broadcast, and can also be configured as a television set incorporating a program.
[0026]
The CPU 1 executes various arithmetic processes and controls using the main memory 2 as a work area based on, for example, programs and data stored in the program / data storage unit 3 and inputs from the operation input unit 13 by the user.
[0027]
The main memory 2 is a high-speed memory that can be read and written at random, such as a random access memory (RAM).
[0028]
The program / data storage unit 3 is a read-only or readable / writable nonvolatile storage device, and is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash ROM, a disk drive, or the like.
[0029]
The display device 6 is, specifically, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), an OEL (Organic Electroluminescence) or the like.
[0030]
The user's operation input unit 13 is, specifically, a simple keyboard, an IR (Infrared) remote controller, a jog dial, a push button, or the like.
[0031]
The network interface unit 5 includes, for example, an analog modem, a LAN (Local Area Network), an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), an FTTH (Fibre-Through Internet Browser), and an FTTH (Fibre-Three-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand-Thousand) CDMA).
[0032]
The video capture device 15 is a device that captures a television broadcast signal such as a terrestrial data broadcast as analog data or digital data, and converts it into a signal in a data format that can be handled by a computer.
[0033]
The broadcast program receiving apparatus 100 outputs the received television broadcast through the display device 6 and the speaker 9 so as to be viewable and obtains the data of the program table of the television broadcast to construct a program table database. A function of acquiring program information such as details of the program content from the Web and displaying the acquired program information on the display device 6 is provided.
[0034]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of an area provided in the main memory 2 when this function is executed. In the figure, a basic program area 21 is an area in which a basic program for operating the broadcast program receiving apparatus 100 is stored. The program information acquisition program storage area 22 is an area for storing a program that is a processing procedure for automatically acquiring program information on a program being viewed. The program guide database storage area 23 is an area in which a program guide database 60 created by a program information acquisition program based on a program guide distributed by terrestrial data broadcasting or a program guide existing on the Internet is stored.
[0035]
Next, a series of operations based on the program information acquisition program in the broadcast program receiving apparatus 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.
[0036]
First, after starting (step 301), the program information acquisition program acquires data of a program guide periodically distributed by terrestrial data broadcasting or data of a current program guide existing on the Internet (step 302). Here, a case will be described in which an EPG is acquired as data of a program guide existing on the Internet.
[0037]
FIG. 4 shows an example of display of an EPG existing on the Internet. As shown in the figure, the EPG 40 describes the broadcast time, title, contents, and the like of each program scheduled to be broadcast by each broadcast station. Further, the EPG 40 allows the user to visually identify the genre of each program by the background color in the area of the program. In an area 41 of each program in the EPG 40, a link button 42 for generating a download request of an Internet Electronic Program Guide (iEPG) in which information for recording reservation of the program and details of the program content are described. Is provided.
[0038]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the contents of the iEPG 50. As described above, the iEPG 50 describes, for example, the broadcast station 51, the broadcast start and broadcast end date and time 52, the program title 53, and the details 54 of the program contents.
[0039]
After acquiring such program table data, the program information acquisition program constructs a program table database 60 (shown as a program table DB) (step 303).
[0040]
FIG. 6 shows an example of the program guide database 60. The program guide database 60 stores and manages data such as the start time 61 of each program, the URL 62 of the iEPG, and the genre 63 extracted from the HTML source of the EPG for each broadcasting station in association with each other.
[0041]
FIG. 7 shows an example of an HTML source of the EPG. In the HTML source 70 of the EPG, in order to define the iEPG of the link destination, the URL (i.e., the URL of the iEPG of the link destination is defined as the value of the href attribute in the portion between the anchor tags <a> and </a>. A Uniform Resource Locator 70 is described. The URL 70 of the iEPG uniformly starts with a description such as “TV / iEPG / TV PTI_output.cgi? =”, Followed by a description indicating a broadcast station such as “st_cd = 7006”, and “date = 2003-”. A description indicating a broadcast date such as “01-23” and a description indicating a broadcast start time such as “time = 05: 25: 00” are added. Further, the HTML source 70 of the EPG includes information 72 on the background color in the program area 41, for example, "bgcolor = # FFFFFF".
[0042]
The program information acquisition program analyzes the value of the href attribute, which is a description part defining the above-mentioned linked EPG, from the HTML source 70 of the EPG, thereby starting the program to be stored in the program table database 60. At the time 61, the URL 62 of the iEPG is obtained, the information 72 of the background color in the area 41 of each program of the EPG 40 is obtained, and the genre 63 corresponding to the background color is determined, as shown in FIG. Such a program guide database 60 is created.
[0043]
The URL of the iEPG may not include a description indicating a broadcast station and a description indicating a broadcast date and time. In this case, by downloading all the iEPGs linked to the EPG and analyzing the contents thereof, information necessary for constructing the program guide database 60, such as the program start time, is obtained. You may do so. Alternatively, the program guide database 60 may be constructed using information described in the iEPG, regardless of whether the URL of the iEPG includes a description of a broadcasting station and a broadcast date and time.
[0044]
After constructing the program guide database 60 in this way, the program information acquisition program determines whether or not the data of the program currently being viewed is present in the program guide database 60 based on the current time and the currently selected channel ( Step 304). If there is data of the program currently being viewed in the program guide database 60, program information that is details of the content of the program is obtained based on the data. That is, the URL 61 of the iEPG associated with the program currently being viewed is read from the program table database 60, and the file of the iEPG 50 as shown in FIG. 5 is downloaded based on the URL 60. Then, at least the details 54 of the program contents in the downloaded iEPG 50 are displayed as program information on the screen of the display device 6 simultaneously with the program being viewed (step 305). If the data of the program currently being viewed does not exist in the program guide database 60, the process returns to step 302.
[0045]
If the acquisition of the program information is successful in step 305, the program information acquisition program checks whether the data of the next program of the same channel exists in the program guide database 60 (step 306). If the data of the next program does not exist in the program guide database 60, the program guide data of the next time zone is acquired (step 307), and the program guide database 60 is reconstructed (step 308). Since the data of the program guide is divided into separate pages for each time zone, the page for the next time zone can be obtained by specifying the URL and downloading. After rebuilding the program guide database 60, the program information acquisition program reads the start time 61 of the next program of the currently viewed channel from the program guide database 60, sets the read start time 61 in a timer (step 309), and enters a wait state.
[0046]
At the start time of the next program, a timer interrupt occurs (step 310). When this timer interrupt occurs, the processing by the program information acquisition program proceeds to step 302. That is, the data of the current program guide is downloaded again from the Internet (step 302), and the program guide database 60 is reconstructed (step 303). Thereafter, by executing steps 304 to 305, the program information of the next program is displayed.
[0047]
Further, when an interruption of a channel change by the user occurs while viewing the program (step 311), the program information acquisition program uses the current time and the selected channel (changed channel) to determine the currently viewed program. It is determined whether or not the data is in the program guide database 60 (step 304). If there is data of the program currently being viewed in the program guide database 60, the iEPG 50 is downloaded based on the URL 61 of the iEPG in the data of the program. To obtain program information (step 305). If the data of the program currently being viewed does not exist in the program guide database 60, the process returns to step 302, the latest program guide data is obtained (step 302), and the program guide database 60 is reconstructed (step 302). Step 303). Then, step 304 and subsequent steps are executed again.
[0048]
When a termination interrupt is generated by the user (step 312), the program information acquisition program ends (step 313).
[0049]
In this manner, in this embodiment, the program information of the program being viewed can be automatically acquired without depending on the instruction from the user, and can be provided to the user in an output form such as a display. In addition, when a program to be viewed on the same channel is switched due to the start of broadcasting of the next program, the program information of the next program can be automatically acquired. Further, it is possible to automatically acquire the program information of the viewed program switched by the channel change by the user.
[0050]
In addition, according to this embodiment, at the broadcast start time of the next program, the latest program table data is newly acquired and the program table database 60 is reconstructed, so that the next program table is obtained from the time at which the previous program table was acquired. Even if a broadcast program change occurs before the start time of the program, if the program guide provider guarantees that the update of the program guide will be enough by the broadcast start time, the change of the broadcast program will be reflected The obtained program guide database 60 can be secured. Therefore, inconsistency between the viewed program and the program information due to the sudden change of the broadcast program can be prevented.
[0051]
Here, the change of the broadcast program includes a change of the entire program itself, a change of the broadcast time of the program (extension, etc.), and the like. Specifically, there is an extension of time for baseball broadcasts and the like, and a change to another program due to the suspension or interruption of a scheduled broadcast event.
[0052]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0053]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for acquiring program information according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0054]
In the first embodiment, the latest program guide data is acquired and the program guide database 60 is reconstructed each time a timer interrupt occurs at the broadcast start time of the next program, so that the program and the program information can be compared. Although emphasis is placed on ensuring consistency, in this case, the acquisition time of program information is sacrificed due to the overhead of acquiring program table data and reconstructing the program table database 60. In view of this, the second embodiment has restrictions on the execution frequency of acquisition of program table data and restructuring of the program table database 60.
[0055]
That is, when a timer interrupt occurs at the broadcast start time of the next program (step 410), the program information acquisition program employed in the second embodiment determines whether the current time satisfies the condition of the periodic update time. It is determined whether or not it is (step 414). The condition of the regular update time is, for example, the elapsed time from the time when the data of the previous program guide was acquired and the program guide database 60 was reconstructed to the current time, or the time zone of the time. That is, if the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, or if the time of occurrence of the timer interrupt is within a predetermined time zone, it is considered that the condition of the periodic update time is satisfied, and the latest update by the timer interrupt is performed. Acquisition of program guide data (step 402) and reconstruction of the program guide database 60 (step 403) are performed.
[0056]
If the above condition of the periodic update time is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the data of the program currently being viewed exists in the program guide database 60 based on the current time and the currently selected channel (step 404). If there is data of the program currently being viewed, the iEPG 50 is downloaded based on the URL 61 of the iEPG in the data of the program, and the program information is obtained (step 405). Other steps are the same as in the first embodiment.
[0057]
Thereby, the acquisition time of the program information can be shortened as compared with the processing procedure of the first embodiment. If the condition of the regular update time is set optimally, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the consistency between the program and the program information.
[0058]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for acquiring program information according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0059]
The program information acquisition program according to the third embodiment unconditionally acquires the latest program table data (step 502) every time a timer interrupt (step 510) or a channel change interrupt (step 511) occurs. ) And the rebuilding of the program guide database 60 (step 503), which can be said to be a suitable processing procedure when a high-speed communication environment and arithmetic processing capability are provided. Other steps are the same as in the first embodiment.
[0060]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a program information acquisition program as a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.
[0061]
The program information acquisition program according to the fourth embodiment includes, in addition to the program data acquisition program according to the first embodiment, the program data acquired from the program table database 60 based on the current time and the selected channel in step 604, Is compared with the data of the corresponding program in the program table (step 605). If they match, the information of the corresponding program is obtained (step 606). If they do not match, the latest program table data is obtained (step 605). 602) and a procedure for rebuilding the program guide database 60 (step 603). Other steps are the same as in the first embodiment.
[0062]
With this added procedure, especially when a timer interrupt (step 611) or a channel change interrupt (step 612) occurs, the program data of the program table database 60 and the current program table are stored for the next program or the program after the channel change. Is compared with the corresponding program data to determine whether there is a change in the broadcast program. If there is a change in the broadcast program, the latest program guide data is acquired and the program guide database 60 is reconstructed. Thereby, consistency between the program and the program information can be ensured.
[0063]
In the first embodiment, data such as the broadcast station (channel), the start time, the URL of the iEPG, and the genre of the program are stored in the program table database 60 in association with each other. There is an example in which the URL of the iEPG in the source is composed of only the code of the broadcasting station and the start time. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, only the broadcast station and the start time are stored in association with each other in the program guide database 60a, and the URL of the iEPG is generated every time the iEPG download request is made.
[0064]
As described above, the case where detailed data of the program content described in the iEPG as the program information is acquired as the program information and visually output to the user has been described. However, in the HTML source of the EPG shown in FIG. By setting the URL of the broadcast station site or the URL of a page introducing individual programs in the site instead of the URL of the iEPG, the program information on the Web page can be displayed. It is possible.
[0065]
Further, the program information acquisition program extracts a keyword related to the program such as the title of the program described in the source of the page of the iEPG or the program introduction site of the broadcasting station, and delivers the keyword as a search key of a search site on the Internet. Web search may be performed to display a Web page related to the program on the screen of the display device simultaneously with the program being viewed.
[0066]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0067]
In the above embodiment, the description has been made centering on the iEPG which is one of the EPGs on the Internet. However, the mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the EPG on the Internet, and the broadcast program receiving apparatus acquires program information from a dedicated server. It is also applicable to the case. As a specific service, there is one such as G-Guide of Gemstar.
[0068]
Further, in the above embodiment, the description has been given of visually outputting the contents of the iEPG to the user as program information. However, the mechanism of the present invention is applied to a large capacity storage medium such as a hard disk drive, a writable optical disk, and a magnetic tape. The present invention can also be applied to automatic program recording reservation using a recording device equipped with a storage medium. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the broadcast station 51, the broadcast start and broadcast end date and time 52, the program title 53, and the like, which are necessary information for the program recording reservation, are extracted from the iEPG 50, and the program recording reservation function is provided. Just set it. A specific operation example is as follows. The following is the operation when the program recording reservation function can be called from the program information acquisition program.
[0069]
As shown in the processing procedure of FIG. 3, the program information acquisition program is used when a program to be viewed on the same channel is switched due to the start of broadcasting of the next program, or when a program to be viewed is switched due to a channel change by the user. , And acquires program information of the switched viewing program. Subsequently, the program information acquisition program determines whether or not the viewing program from which the program information has been acquired is a program whose recording is reserved by the program recording reservation function. This determination is made, for example, by comparing the broadcast station with the program title. As a result of this determination, if the viewed program from which the program information was acquired is a program reserved for recording by the program recording reservation function, specifically, the program information acquisition program is required for recording reservation in the acquired program information. The above information is extracted and transferred to the program recording reservation function, so that the already set recording reservation information is overwritten. Substantially, the change in the broadcast time is reflected in the contents of the recording reservation. This makes it possible to automatically change the contents of the recording reservation when the broadcast program suddenly changes in the recording reservation.
[0070]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, program information is automatically acquired when a program being viewed is switched without depending on an instruction from the user, and is provided to the user in an output form such as a display. Can be. At the broadcast start time of the next program on the same channel, the program information of the next program can be automatically acquired. Even if there is a change in the broadcast program between the time when the previous program guide was obtained and the start time of the next program, it is guaranteed by the program guide provider that the update of the program guide will be sufficient by the broadcast start time. If so, a database reflecting the change of the broadcast program can be secured, and inconsistency between the viewed program and the program information due to the sudden change of the broadcast program can be prevented. It is possible to automatically acquire the program information of the viewed program switched by the channel change by the user. This can provide an excellent effect.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a broadcast program receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an area secured in a main memory when a function of acquiring program information of a program being viewed in the broadcast program receiving device of FIG. 1 is executed.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of operations based on a program information acquisition program in the broadcast program receiving device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of display of an EPG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an iEPG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a program guide database.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an HTML source of an EPG.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for acquiring program information according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for acquiring program information according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a program information acquisition program as a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a program guide database.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 CPU
2 Main memory
3 Program / data storage unit
4 Network
5 Network interface
6 Display device
9 Speaker
15 Video capture device
21 Basic program area
22 Program information acquisition program storage area
23 Program Guide Database Storage Area
42 Link Button
50 iEPG
60 Program Guide Database
100 Broadcast program receiving device

Claims (9)

A broadcast program receiving apparatus capable of receiving and viewing a broadcasted program and connecting to a Web,
Program table acquisition means for acquiring data of a program table including broadcast start time of the program and link information for acquiring program information including details of the content of the program,
Database construction means for constructing a database based on the data of the program guide acquired by the program guide acquisition means,
Program information obtaining means for extracting the link information for obtaining the program information of the program from the database in response to switching of the program to be viewed, and obtaining the program information from the Web based on the link information; A broadcast program receiving apparatus comprising: The program information obtaining means obtains, from the database, a start time of a next program broadcast following the program being viewed, and obtains the program information of the next program from the database at the start time of the next program. The broadcast program receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link information is extracted. The method according to claim 2, wherein the program guide obtaining means obtains the data of the program guide again at the start time of the next program broadcasted after the program being viewed, and updates the database to the latest content. The broadcast program receiving device according to the above. The program information acquiring means extracts the link information for acquiring the program information of the program after the switching from the database when the program being viewed is switched due to a channel change. Item 2. The broadcast program receiving device according to Item 1. A program information acquisition method for a broadcast program receiving apparatus capable of receiving and viewing a broadcasted program and connecting to a Web, comprising:
Acquiring program table data including broadcast start time of the program and link information for acquiring program information including details of the content of the program;
Constructing a database based on the acquired data of the program guide,
Extracting the link information for acquiring the program information of the program from the database in response to switching of the program to be viewed, and acquiring the program information from the Web based on the link information. A program information acquiring method for a broadcast program receiving apparatus, characterized by comprising: The step of obtaining the program information includes obtaining, from the database, a start time of a next program broadcast following the program being viewed, and obtaining the program information of the next program from the database at the start time of the next program 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the link information is extracted. The step of obtaining the data of the program guide is characterized in that the data of the program guide is newly obtained at a start time of the next program broadcasted after the program being viewed, and the database is updated to the latest content. A method for acquiring program information of a broadcast program receiving device of the broadcast program receiving device according to claim 6. The step of acquiring the program information is characterized in that, when the program being viewed is switched by changing the channel, the link information for acquiring the program information of the program after the switching is extracted from the database. The program information acquisition method for a broadcast program receiving device according to claim 5. A computer equipped with the function of receiving and watching broadcast programs,
Program table acquisition means for acquiring data of a program table including broadcast start time of the program and link information for acquiring program information including details of the content of the program,
Database construction means for storing the data of the program guide acquired by the program guide acquisition means in a database and storing the data;
Program information acquisition for extracting the link information for acquiring the program information of the program from the program table database in accordance with switching of the program to be viewed, and acquiring the program information from the Web based on the link information A program characterized by functioning as means.

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