JP2006067248A - Content viewing device, its computer program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content viewing device by which contents can easily be selected without switching channels one by one and even without learning a large amount of information. <P>SOLUTION: This content viewing device 50 comprises a control part 104 and a storing part 108 for preparing a table of organization obtained by organizing contents respectively supplied by content supply sources 43, 44 and 48 and information showing the content supply sources in relation to a time base, a virtual channel managing part 110 for preparing a virtual channel associated with the table of organization, the control part 104 for preparing a real channel, a selectively receiving part 112 for starting either to receive the content from a content supply source specified by the table of organization and a time zone or receive thecontent from a content supply source associated with a designated real channel to acquire the content in response to a virtual channel or real channel designated by a user, and a content outputting part for outputting the acquired content. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a content viewing apparatus that selects one of a number of channels in accordance with an operation by a user, acquires content from the channel, and outputs the content. The present invention relates to a content viewing apparatus.

  With the advancement of information and communication technology, a large number of various contents have been distributed. For example, in television (hereinafter simply referred to as “TV”) broadcasting, in addition to terrestrial broadcasting, satellite broadcasting and CATV (cable television broadcasting) have become widespread, and broadcast signals have been digitized, so that multi-channel broadcasting can be performed. It has become possible. In addition, for example, on the Internet, information providing services such as VOD (Video On Demand) and live relay have come to be performed. In addition, content storage technology has been developed, and a large amount of content can be stored and played at home using recording and playback devices such as VTR (Video Tape Recorder), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players, and HDD (Hard Disk Drive) players. It became possible.

  As content is supplied in various ways from a large number of channels and a large number of media, it is becoming extremely difficult for a viewer to grasp all of them and freely select and view the content. In conventional terrestrial analog TV broadcasting, the number of broadcasting stations is limited in each region. The viewer was only given as many as about 10 channels as options. Therefore, the viewer could easily grasp each of them. Further, the viewer directly selects a channel to be viewed from the few channels, and selects and presses one of about 12 keys arranged in a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as “remote controller”), for example. Only I was able to watch the content. In multi-channel broadcasting, since a large number of channels are given to the viewer as options, the conventional remote control cannot support a large number of selectable channels.

  Therefore, a user interface technology for channel selection corresponding to multi-channel broadcasting has been developed. For example, there is a remote control in which individual keys are provided for each of a number of channels. Some remote control of BS (Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcast compatible TVs further includes 12 keys corresponding to BS digital broadcast channels in addition to the conventional 12 keys. When a channel is selected with such a remote controller, the viewer selects a key corresponding to the channel providing the desired content and presses the key.

  For example, there is a remote control provided with a medium selection key for selecting a content medium, a broadcast type selection key such as television, radio, and data broadcasting, and a numeric key. When a channel is selected with such a remote controller, the viewer first selects a content medium to be viewed with a medium selection key. If a plurality of broadcast type contents are handled on the selected medium, the broadcast type is selected with the broadcast type selection key. Enter the number of the channel you want to view with the numeric keys.

  Further, for example, there is a method in which a predetermined order relationship is given to channels that can be selected in advance, and a channel up / down key is provided on the remote controller so that the selectable channels are sequentially switched according to the order relationship. When selecting a channel with such a remote controller, the viewer operates the up / down key and repeats channel switching according to the order relationship until a desired channel is selected.

  Further, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a television receiver that visually displays and selects registered channel information. In this television receiver, a user inputs registration channel specifying information for specifying a registration channel that is a channel desired to be viewed. The television receiver specifies the registration channel using the input registration channel specification information. The television receiver visually displays the registered channel as an icon. When the viewer selects a specific channel from the displayed registered channels, the television receiver selects the selected channel.

  Further, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a reception control apparatus that acquires program information with a keyword input in advance by a user for each time period and associates the program information with a specific channel. The reception control apparatus searches for program information with respect to a server on the network based on the keyword registered by the user, and acquires the program information. Further, the reception control device uses the search result to create a program table in which keywords and program data are associated with each other. Also, a registered keyword is assigned to each channel of the remote controller. When the user operates the remote controller to select a channel, the reception control device searches the program table according to the keyword assigned to the selected channel and the current time, and changes the reception channel to the corresponding broadcast program.

JP 2002-374475 A JP 2001-346117 A

  In a remote control in which individual keys are provided for each of a large number of channels, the number of keys increases with the number of selectable channels. Therefore, this remote control becomes more difficult to handle as the number of channels increases. Furthermore, the viewer has to remember which key corresponds to which channel and which content is supplied in which channel, which increases the burden on the viewer.

  In the user interface provided with the medium selection key, the broadcast type key, and the numeric key, it is troublesome because the viewer needs to input three times to select one channel. In order to select a channel using such a user interface, the viewer is assigned which channel is supplied from which medium, which broadcast type is classified, and what number. You will have to know in advance. Therefore, as the number of channels increases, the viewer has to remember more and the burden on the viewer increases.

  In a user interface provided with up / down keys, there are only two types of keys, upper and lower, and the number of items that the viewer must remember is reduced. However, in order to reach another channel from one channel, switching to all the channels between them is performed. Therefore, the number of channel switching increases as the number of channels increases, and it takes time to reach the target channel, which is troublesome.

  In the television receiver described in Patent Document 1, channel information that the viewer must remember is reduced. However, since the registered channel information and operation icons are once displayed on the screen when a channel is selected, it is unsightly because it overlaps the screen of the currently viewed program. Also, the desired channel cannot be selected at once.

  In the reception control device described in Patent Document 2, when there are a plurality of broadcast programs having the same keyword in the same broadcast time zone, at least one program can be viewed after being recorded on the video recording medium. However, the same keyword is not always given to the same program (especially a so-called band program broadcast periodically), and there is no guarantee that the program that the user always watches is recorded reliably. In addition, it is possible to select content related to time such as a broadcast program. For example, content files stored in recording / playback devices such as VTRs, DVD players, and HDD players, and the Internet It cannot deal with content that does not have the concept of time in the first place, such as the above VOD type content file.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a content viewing apparatus that allows a user to easily select a desired content without switching between channels during viewing and without having to remember a large amount of information. is there.

  The content viewing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention prepares a content organization table in which content supplied by a plurality of content supply sources and information indicating the content supply source are organized in relation to a time axis A preparation table preparation means, a virtual channel associated with the organization table, a channel preparation means for preparing a real channel associated with a plurality of content sources, and a user specifying a virtual channel or a real channel In response, either the reception of content from the content source specified by the organization table and time zone or the reception of content from the content source associated with the real channel specified by the user is initiated. A selection receiving means for acquiring the content and a copy for outputting the content acquired by the selection receiving means. And a Ceiling output means.

  For a plurality of content sources, real channels and virtual channels associated with the content sources are prepared. The virtual channel is associated with a content organization table in which content supplied by each content source and information indicating the source of the content are organized in relation to a time axis. When the user designates a virtual channel, reception of content from the content source specified by the organization table and time zone is started. When the user designates an actual channel, reception of content from the content supply source associated with the designated actual channel is started. The content acquired by this selective reception is output by the content output means. Even when there are a large number of content supply sources, it is possible to acquire and output content from the content supply sources based on a separately organized organization table. Therefore, the user can view the specific content by switching the content supply source in the same manner as in the case of viewing the content by designating the real channel by a simple operation of designating the virtual channel.

  Preferably, when a plurality of virtual channels are designated by the user, the selective receiving means selects a content supply source specified by an organization table associated with the virtual channel for each time zone, and acquires virtual content. Channel content acquisition means and real channel content acquisition means for acquiring content from a content source associated with the designated real channel when the real channel is designated by the user.

  The virtual channel content acquisition means acquires a content by selecting a content supply source specified by the organization table associated with the virtual channel for each time period. Once the virtual channel is designated by the user, the content supply source is automatically selected and content is acquired as time passes. Therefore, even when there are a large number of content supply sources, the user can view a specific content in a specific time zone only by specifying a virtual channel once.

  More preferably, the virtual channel content acquisition means includes a content supply source selection means for selecting a content supply source specified by the organization table associated with the virtual channel when the virtual channel is designated by the user, and the content supply Means for acquiring content from a content source selected by the source selection means.

  More preferably, the organization table includes a first organization organized by content to be periodically acquired and a second organization organized by temporary content among the contents supplied from the plurality of content sources. Including. When the virtual channel is designated by the user, the content source selection means prioritizes the content source specified by the second organization in the organization table over the content source specified by the first organization and the time zone. Means for selecting by time period.

  Once the user designates the virtual channel, the content is acquired according to the time period according to two types of organization, that is, regular content organization and temporary content organization. By acquiring content according to regular content organization, for example, content that is viewed at the same time every day and content that is viewed at the same time every week, such as content that is expected to be viewed regularly, must be acquired. Can do. Therefore, the user can view such content without missing it only by specifying the virtual channel. In addition, since the temporary content is preferentially acquired over the content to be acquired periodically, the user can view the temporary content without missing the temporary content at any time zone.

  More preferably, the content viewing apparatus further includes a time signal means for reporting the time. When the virtual channel is designated by the user, the content supply source selection means receives a time report from the time signal means, and the time on the time axis associated with the information indicating the content and the supply source of the content in the organization table, Means for selecting a content source identified by collating with a time report.

  By collating the time notified by the time signal means and the time on the time axis in the organization table and specifying the content supply source, it becomes possible to automatically select the content supply source at an appropriate time. Therefore, the certainty of selection of the content supply source based on the organization table is increased.

  More preferably, the organization table preparation means includes means for preparing a plurality of organization tables. The channel preparation means includes means for preparing a real channel and a plurality of virtual channels respectively associated with a plurality of organization tables. The content source selection means is associated with the virtual channel specified by the virtual channel specifying means for specifying the changed virtual channel when the change of the specified virtual channel is specified by the user, and the virtual channel specified by the virtual channel specifying means Means for selecting, for each time period, a content source specified by the organized table.

  When the user specifies a change in virtual channel, the specified virtual channel is identified and a content source is automatically selected based on the organization table associated with the virtual channel. Since a plurality of organization tables and virtual channels are prepared, the user can selectively designate virtual channels. Therefore, the user can select and view the content by changing the virtual channel. Even when there are a large number of content supply sources, it is possible to select desired content without selecting an actual channel one by one.

  The virtual channel specifying means corresponds to a plurality of virtual channels, and responds to a designation input to one of a plurality of designation input means for accepting designation inputs of the plurality of virtual channels by the user and a designation input means by the user. And means for specifying the virtual channel corresponding to the designated input means as the virtual channel after the change.

  Each of the plurality of virtual channels may be given a predetermined order in advance. In response to receiving a predetermined designation input by the user, the virtual channel specifying means responds to the fact that the rank specifying means for specifying the rank according to the predetermined designation input and the rank specifying means specifying the rank And means for specifying the virtual channel to which the order is assigned as the virtual channel after the change.

  The content supply source may include a broadcasting station that transmits content by a broadcast signal. The means for obtaining includes means for switching the channel of the broadcast signal so as to receive the content from the broadcast station selected by the content source selection means and receiving the broadcast signal transmitted by the broadcast station.

  Even in a content supply source that semi-forcibly supplies content as in broadcasting, once a virtual channel is designated by the user, the channel of the broadcast signal is automatically selected as time passes, and the content is acquired. . Therefore, even in multi-channel broadcasting, the user can obtain the same effect as switching the channel and viewing the content only by specifying the virtual channel once.

  The content supply source may include an on-demand content supply source that sends content to the other device in response to a request given from the other device. The obtaining means gives a predetermined request to the on-demand content supply source so as to send the content from the on-demand content supply source selected by the content supply source selection means, and the on-demand content supply Means for receiving content sent by the source in response to a predetermined request.

  Once the virtual channel is designated by the user, the content viewing apparatus automatically gives a request to the on-demand content source as time passes. The on-demand content supply source supplies the content to the content viewing apparatus in response to the request. Therefore, even in an on-demand content supply method in which the concept of time does not exist, the user can view desired content in a desired time zone only by specifying a virtual channel once.

  The content viewing apparatus further includes content list acquisition means for acquiring content list information including information indicating actual channels associated with a plurality of content supply sources, and information indicating content respectively obtainable from the content supply sources. May be included. The real channel content acquisition means is associated with the designated real channel in response to the means for accepting the designation of the real channel based on the content list information by the user and the designation of the real channel accepted by the means for accepting. Real channel content acquisition means for acquiring content from the content supply source.

  The content viewing apparatus may further include a composition table receiving unit for receiving the composition table from another device. The composition table preparation means includes means for holding the composition table received by the composition table receiving means in association with the virtual channel.

  By receiving the organization table from another device and holding it in association with the virtual channel, the organization table can be easily prepared. Therefore, the convenience of the content viewing apparatus is improved.

  Preferably, the content viewing apparatus further includes a composition table generating means for generating a composition table based on predetermined input information. The organization table preparation unit includes a organization table holding unit for holding the organization table generated by the organization table generation unit in association with the virtual channel.

  When predetermined input information is given to the content viewing apparatus, the organization table generating unit generates the organization table based on the input information, and the organization table holding unit holds the generated organization table in association with the virtual channel. Thereby, it becomes possible to prepare a composition table accurately.

  More preferably, the composition table generating means includes a registration input means for accepting a content registration operation to the composition table by a user and a means for generating a composition table according to the registration operation.

  By generating the organization table according to the registration operation from the user, it becomes possible to generate the organization table organized by the content to be viewed. When the user designates a virtual channel, the content is acquired and output based on the organization table organized by the content to be viewed. Therefore, the user can automatically view the content he / she wants to view for each time zone simply by specifying the virtual channel. That is, it is possible to view desired content with a simple operation.

  More preferably, the content viewing apparatus further includes a history recording unit for recording a reception history of content by the selective reception unit. The composition table generating means includes means for generating a composition table based on the history recorded by the history recording means in accordance with a predetermined generation method based on the periodicity of content reception included in the history.

  By generating the organization table based on the past history, it is possible to organize the content according to the tendency of the content viewed by the user. Further, the organization table is generated by paying attention to the periodicity of content reception. Therefore, content can be organized in accordance with the user's life rhythm or in accordance with the periodicity of content supply by the content supply source. By acquiring content based on the organization table organized in this way, the user can always view the content suitable for the circumstances of both the user side and the content supply source simply by specifying the virtual channel. Become.

  More preferably, the content viewing apparatus further acquires content list information including information indicating actual channels associated with a plurality of content supply sources, and information indicating content respectively obtainable from the content supply sources. Includes content list acquisition means. The organization table generating means includes content list corresponding organization table generating means for generating an organization table based on predetermined input information and content list information.

  When the content list information is acquired and given input information is given to the content viewing apparatus, the means for generating the organization table generates the organization table based on the input information and the content list information. By generating the organization table based on the content list information, an accurate organization table can be prepared.

  More preferably, the content list information further includes a scheduled supply date and time of content that can be acquired by a content supply source. The content list-corresponding organization table generating means organizes the content supplied by each of the plurality of content supply sources and the information indicating the supply source of the content in relation to the scheduled supply date and time based on predetermined input information and content list information. Means for generating a content organization table.

  When the information on the scheduled supply date and time of content is obtained from the content list information and the organization table is generated, the organization table can be prepared so that the accurate content is acquired at the scheduled accurate time. Therefore, it is possible to accurately view the content only by designating the virtual channel.

  The content viewing apparatus may further include means for determining a content acquisition scheduled date and time based on predetermined input information. The content list-corresponding organization table generating means organizes content supplied by each of a plurality of content supply sources and information indicating the supply sources of the content in relation to the scheduled acquisition date and time based on predetermined input information and content list information. Means for generating a content organization table.

  By determining the scheduled acquisition date and time of content based on the input information and generating a schedule based on the scheduled acquisition time, it is appropriate even from content sources that do not have a concept of time, such as on-demand content sources It is possible to organize the content so that the content is acquired at a proper time. Therefore, it is possible to view desired content at a desired date and time simply by specifying a virtual channel.

  In response to the content list acquisition unit acquiring the content list information, the content viewing apparatus further compares the organization table held in the organization table storage unit with the content list information, and compares the organization table with the result of the verification. An updating means for updating according to the above may be included.

  The updating means checks the content list information against the organization table and updates the organization table. Therefore, the organization table can be appropriately corrected based on the content information.

  When the computer program according to the second aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer, the computer program causes the computer to operate as the content viewing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention. Therefore, by executing this computer program on a computer, the operation and effect of the first aspect of the present invention described above can be realized on a computer.

  The recording medium according to the third aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium that records the computer program according to the second aspect of the present invention. The operation and effect of the first aspect of the present invention can be realized by reading and executing the computer program recorded on the recording medium by a computer.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a user can select a real channel and view content automatically with the passage of time based on a separate organization table by a simple operation of designating a virtual channel. Similarly to the above, it is possible to view a specific content by switching the content supply source. At this time, the content supply source can be selected according to two types of organization: regular content organization and extraordinary content organization, so that both regularly viewed content and extraordinary content can be overlooked at any time. Will be able to watch without. From a push-type content supply source such as a broadcast and an on-demand content supply source, content can be acquired over time with a simple operation.

  Also, a plurality of organization tables and virtual channels can be prepared. Since the user can selectively designate the virtual channel, it is possible to select desired content without selecting the actual channel one by one. The organization table can be obtained from another device or generated. In addition, the organization table can be held in association with the virtual channel. The organization table can be generated based on a registration operation by the user. Further, it can be performed based on the reception history of past contents. Therefore, it is possible to generate a composition table that conforms to the user's preference, life rhythm, etc., or conforms to the periodicity of content supply by the content supply source. Therefore, the user can always view the content suitable for the circumstances on both the user side and the content source side only by designating the virtual channel. In addition, an accurate organization table can be prepared by generating or updating the organization table based on the content list information.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used for the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a system 40 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, system 40 separates a channel corresponding to a content supply source that actually supplies content (hereinafter, this channel is referred to as “real channel”) into a plurality of virtual channels (hereinafter, referred to as “real channels”). These channels are referred to as “favorite channels.”), And an organization table (hereinafter referred to as “this channel”) shows the actual channel information of the contents that are organized for each favorite channel and for each favorite channel. The content viewing apparatus 50 that selects an actual channel according to the organization table according to the mapping table and acquires and outputs the content, the favorite channel setting operation, the favorite channel selection operation, and other content viewing apparatuses. An operation for controlling 50 is received from the user, and a signal corresponding to the operation (hereinafter, this signal is referred to as a “remote control signal”) 60 And a remote control transmitter 62 to provide the content viewing apparatus 50.

  The system 40 further includes a BS / CS broadcast antenna 52 that receives a BS and CS (Communication Satellite) broadcast 42 and supplies it to the content viewing apparatus 50, and a ground that receives the terrestrial TV broadcast 44 and supplies it to the content viewing apparatus 50. A content is supplied to the content viewing apparatus 50 via a wave TV broadcasting antenna 54, a VTR 56 that supplies a video / audio signal to the content viewing apparatus 50 via an external video / audio signal path 46, and a LAN (Local Area Network) 48. LAN connection AV (Audio Visual) device 58. The system 40 further includes a content list server 66 that provides the content viewing apparatus 50 via the Internet 64 connected to the LAN 48 with a content list in which the relationship between the actual channels and the contents is summarized for each actual channel.

  In this specification, not only the broadcast wave channel but also the input channel of the external video / audio signal path 46 and the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for selecting the LAN connection AV device 58 are “real channels”. Call it.

  FIG. 2 shows a functional configuration of the content viewing apparatus 50 in the form of a block diagram. Referring to FIG. 2, content viewing apparatus 50 is connected to a remote control receiving unit 100 that receives remote control signal 60 from remote control transmitter 62 (see FIG. 1), via LAN 48 and Internet 64 (see FIG. 1). A network communication unit 102 that communicates with the AV device 58 and the content list server 66 is included. The content viewing apparatus 50 is further connected to the remote control receiving unit 100 and the network communication unit 102 and generates an operation screen and sound effects when the user performs an operation using the remote control transmitter 62, and a content list according to the remote control signal 60 Acquisition of mapping list, preparation and update of mapping list, specification of favorite channel and specification of actual channel, issue of signal requesting selection and reception of actual channel (hereinafter, this signal is referred to as “selection reception request”), In addition, a control unit 104 that controls each circuit of the other content viewing apparatus 50 and a real-time clock unit 106 that supplies time information indicating the current date, day of the week, and time to the control unit 104 are included.

  The content viewing apparatus 50 is further connected to the storage unit 108 for storing the content list and the mapping list, and to the control unit 104 and the storage unit 108, and associates the favorite channel with the mapping list, and responds to the request from the control unit 104. And a virtual channel management unit 110 that adds, updates, deletes, and reads (hereinafter, referred to as “management”) information of the content list and mapping list stored in the storage unit 108. The content viewing apparatus 50 further selects one of the real channels specified by the selective reception request issued by the control unit 104, and the selective reception unit 112 that acquires a signal forming the content from the real channel, and the selective reception And a content output unit 114 that outputs video and audio based on a signal acquired by the unit 112 and a signal such as an operation screen generated by the control unit 104.

  The selective reception unit 112 is connected to the control unit 104 and the BS / CS broadcast antenna 52 (see FIG. 1), selects the BS / CS broadcast 42 according to the selective reception request issued by the control unit 104, and selects the BS / CS broadcast. Connected to the BS / CS tuner unit 120 for receiving the broadcast 42 signal and decoding the video signal and audio signal, the control unit 104 and the terrestrial TV broadcast antenna 54 (see FIG. 1), and issued by the control unit 104 A terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122 that selects a terrestrial TV broadcast 42 in accordance with the selective reception request, receives a terrestrial TV broadcast 44 signal, and decodes the video signal and the audio signal; the control unit 104; A video signal and an audio signal connected to the audio signal path 46 and supplied from the VTR 56 (see FIG. 1) according to the selective reception request issued by the control unit 104. 1 connected to the external device video / audio input unit 124, the control unit 104, and the network communication unit 102, and the LAN connection AV device 58 (FIG. 1) via the network communication unit 102 in accordance with the selective reception request issued by the control unit 104. And a network content decoding unit 126 for decoding the video signal and the audio signal. The selective receiving unit 112 further selects a real channel transmission medium according to a selective reception request from the control unit 104, a BS / CS tuner unit 120, a terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122, an external device video / audio input unit 124, and An AV selector 128 that outputs a video signal and an audio signal from the network content decoding unit 126 corresponding to the selected transmission medium is included.

  The content output unit 114 receives the video signal output from the selection receiving unit 112 and the image signal such as the setting screen generated by the control unit 104, and combines the video signal and the image signal, and the selection An audio processing unit 132 that receives the audio signal output from the receiving unit 112 and a signal such as a sound effect generated by the control unit 104 and synthesizes the audio signal and the sound effect, and a video signal processed by the video processing unit 130 Are output according to control by the control unit 104, and an audio output unit 136 that outputs audio signals processed by the audio processing unit 132 according to control by the control unit 104.

  FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the remote control transmitter 62. Referring to FIG. 3, remote control transmitter 62 corresponds to power key 150 used for power on / off switching of content viewing apparatus 50 and the favorite channel, and directly selects one of the favorite channels. Favorite channel direct selection keys 152, 154, 156, and 158 for selecting the favorite channel, and a favorite channel up key 160 for selecting one of the favorite channels based on an order relationship between the favorite channels, and And a favorite channel down key 162. The remote control transmitter 62 further allows the user to perform selection operations in the control of the content viewing apparatus 50, such as the volume up key 164 and volume down key 166 used for volume adjustment, selection of the actual channel, and registration of the content in the favorite channel. Cursor up key 170 to perform, cursor left key 172, cursor down key 174, cursor right key 176, and dial 180, and a menu for the user to perform menu display requests and other control and setting determination operations Key 178. The remote control transmitter 62 further includes a transmission interface 182 for transmitting a remote control signal corresponding to the operation of these keys and dials to the content viewing apparatus 50. The cursor keys 170, 172, 174, and 176 are also used to select stop, rewind, playback / pause, and fast forward of the VTR 56 (see FIG. 1), respectively.

  The content list will be described below. The content list is a list in which the relationship between actual channels and content is summarized for each actual channel. A content list for a medium for supplying content in a push type such as the BS / CS broadcast 42 and the terrestrial TV broadcast 44 is prepared in the content list server 66 (see FIG. 1). In the present embodiment, the content list is distributed to the content viewing device 50 every predetermined time, and the content viewing device 50 acquires the content list from the content list server 66 in response to a request from the user.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of the content list. Referring to FIG. 4, content lists 200A, 200B, 200C,... Each include broadcast schedules in terrestrial TV broadcast, BS broadcast, CS broadcast, and the like. Content lists 200A, 200B, and 200C include broadcast schedules 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D,... Of content for each real channel in the medium. Each of the content broadcast schedules 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D... Includes content genre or title information 204A, 204B,. For example, the genre or title information 204A indicates a news program scheduled to be broadcast from 18:30 to 19:00 on the actual channel “2ch”.

  A file list of contents that can be supplied from the device is used as a content list for a medium that supplies content in a pull type, such as the VTR 56 and the LAN connection AV device 58 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the file list is prepared by the VTR 56 and the LAN connection AV device 58 and distributed to the content viewing apparatus 50 at predetermined time intervals. Obtained from the LAN connection AV device 58.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the file list. Referring to FIG. 5, file list 220 includes, for each accumulated content file, symbol 222 indicating whether the content has been viewed, content recording date 224 and recording time 226, and the genre of the content. 228 and the title 230 of the content.

  The preferred channel will be described below. FIG. 6 schematically shows an outline of a favorite channel according to the present embodiment. The content viewing device 50 receives and supplies the content from the content supply sources of the real channels 242A, ..., 242G, ... via media such as terrestrial, BS, CS, VTR, and the Internet. These contents are specified by the content list 200 (see FIG. 4) or the file list 220 (see FIG. 5). The contents 250A, 250B,... Are associated with the favorite channels 248A, 248B,... By a mapping list organized for each predetermined day and day of the week. The contents 250A, 250B,... Organized into the favorite channels 248A, 248B,... Are actually the contents 244A, 244B, etc. supplied by the content supply sources of the actual channels 242A,. The contents 250A, 250B,... Organized into the favorite channels 248A, 248B,... Are described in the mapping list for each favorite channel 248A, 248B,.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the mapping list. The mapping list 260 shown in FIG. 7 is text format information and corresponds to one favorite channel. The description starting with “Content-type:” on the first line is a declaration that this information is a mapping list. The description beginning with “last_update:” on the second line indicates the date and time when the mapping list 260 was last updated. The description beginning with “area:” on the third line indicates an area where viewing of content based on the mapping list 260 is assumed.

  The following description includes a part where the item name is described between “<” and “/>” and a part where the item name is described between “</” and “>”. These descriptions indicate one item, and information about the content is described between those items.

  The item “oneday” is an item indicating temporary content organization in the favorite channel. The content described in this item is a target of selection in the described time zone only for a predetermined day. Information related to one content is described in one line in this item. In each row, a scheduled supply date of content, a supply time zone, a medium and a type of the supply source of the content, an actual channel supplying the content, a genre and a title of the content, and the like are sequentially described. For example, the content described in the second line of this item is supplied from “bs-tv”, that is, one channel of BS-TV broadcasting in the time zone from 20:00 to 21:00 on August 31, 2003. Indicates that it is a “special number X”. In addition, in the first line of this item, there is a description “ignore” in the description part of the time zone. For example, this is described when content supply is stopped on the scheduled supply date. This description indicates that the content should not be selected even if there is a description related to the same content as the content described in this row in other items only on the date described in this row.

  The item “weekly” is an item indicating periodic content organization in the favorite channel. The content described in this item is selected on a specific day of the week. The items “sunday”, “monday”, “tuesday”,..., “Saturday” in this item are the items to be selected every week on the day of the week indicated by the item name. Indicates that there is. In each row of the “weekly” item, a time zone in which the content is supplied, a supply source and the type of the content, an actual channel that supplies the content, and a genre or title in which the content is included are sequentially described. In this item, since the scheduled supply date is specified by the day of the week, the scheduled supply date is not described. For example, the content described in the first line of the item “sunday” is from an actual channel with a channel number of 10 of a terrestrial TV broadcast having a content type of “gwa” from 7 am to 7:30 every Sunday. This indicates that the content is supplied and the genre to which the content belongs is “variety”.

  The item “default” is a selection target when the content described in this item is a default actual channel, that is, when neither the item “oneday” nor the item “weakly” is selected. It shows that. In the “default” item, a supply source and a type of the content, and an actual channel that supplies the content are sequentially described. Since the date and time for selecting content based on the description of this item is indeterminate, the scheduled supply date and supply time zone are not described in this item. In the example shown in FIG. 7, any content supplied by one real channel is used as the default content, not individual content. For example, the content described in this item indicates any content supplied from an actual channel with a channel number of 2 for terrestrial TV broadcasting having a content type of “gwa”.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a mapping list related to contents supplied by the VTR 56 and the LAN connection AV device 58 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 8, four contents are described in the item “sunday” of mapping list 270. Of these, the first and second lines are descriptions relating to broadcast contents, similar to the one shown in FIG. The third line is a description relating to the content supplied by the VTR 56 shown in FIG. In the description on the third line, the time zone in which the content is supplied and the actual channel of the content supply source are described in order. In this example, the content to be selected from the external video / audio signal path 46 of the actual channel “video input 1 (video_input_1)” in the time channel from 18:00 to 19:00 every Sunday is the content to be selected in the favorite channel. Indicates that The description on the fourth line indicates the content supplied by the LAN connection AV device 58. In the fourth line, the time zone in which the content is supplied and the URL of the LAN connection AV device 58 are described in order. For example, in the time zone from 19:00 to 20:00 every Sunday, the content in the LAN connected AV device 58 whose position is indicated by “url: // sharp_hdr1 — 15142487 /” as the actual channel is to be selected. Indicates. Furthermore, parameters for controlling the content supply order by the LAN connection AV device 58 may be added to the URL description. For example, “all? New” in the URL description indicates that the content stored in the LAN connection AV device 58 should be supplied in order from the latest stored date and time.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control structure of the content viewing apparatus 50 by the control unit 104 (see FIG. 2). Referring to FIG. 9, when control unit 104 starts processing, it is determined in step (hereinafter simply referred to as “S”) 280 whether or not a remote control signal has been received. If a remote control signal is received, the process proceeds to S282. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S284. In S282, the received remote control signal is processed, and the process proceeds to S284. In S284, it is determined whether the channel currently selected by the user is an actual channel or a favorite channel. If the favorite channel is selected, the process proceeds to S286, otherwise proceeds to S288. In S286, an actual channel automatic selection process based on the mapping list is executed, and the process proceeds to S288. In S288, it is determined whether or not the content list update time has been reached. If the update time has been reached, the process proceeds to S290, otherwise returns to S280. In S290, the content list update process is executed, and the process returns to S280.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control structure of the process 300 for the remote control signal executed in S282 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 10, when processing 300 for the remote control signal is started, the operation performed by the user is determined in S302. The process branches as follows according to the determination result in S302. That is, if it is determined that the user has pressed any of the favorite channel direct selection keys 152, 154, 156, and 158 of the remote control transmitter 62 shown in FIG. If it is determined that the user has pressed the favorite channel up key 160, the process proceeds to S306. If it is determined that the user has pressed the favorite channel down key 162, the process proceeds to S308. If it is determined that the user has selected an actual channel, the process proceeds to S310. If the user has registered or set a favorite channel, the process proceeds to S312.

  In S304, an actual channel automatic selection process for automatically selecting an actual channel with reference to the mapping list corresponding to the favorite channel selected by the user is executed, and the process 300 for the remote control signal 60 is terminated. In S306, based on the order of the favorite channels, an upper favorite channel specifying process for specifying a favorite channel higher than the currently selected favorite channel as the favorite channel selected by the user is executed. The process proceeds to S304. In S308, based on the order of the favorite channels, a lower favorite channel specifying process for specifying a favorite channel lower than the currently selected favorite channel as the favorite channel selected by the user is executed. The process proceeds to S304. In S310, the actual channel designated by the user is selected, the content supplied from the actual channel is acquired and output at that time, and the processing for the remote control signal 60 is terminated. In S312, according to the operation by the user, the content is registered in the favorite channel and the favorite channel is set, and the process is terminated. At this time, if necessary, an operation screen is generated and displayed based on the content list or the mapping list.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the control structure of the actual channel automatic selection processing executed in S286 shown in FIG. 9 and S304 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 11, when actual channel automatic selection processing 330 is started, time information indicating the date, day of the week, and time at that time is acquired in S332. In S334, the one associated with the favorite channel selected by the user is read from the mapping list 260 (see FIG. 7) held.

  In S 336, the item related to the current date and time is searched from the description of the item “oneday” in the mapping list 260. If the content is associated with the current date and time and there is a description in “oneday”, the process proceeds to S342. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S338. In S338, a search is made for items related to the current time zone from the description of the item corresponding to the current day of the week in the mapping list 260. If the content is associated with the current time zone of the current day of the week, and there is a description in the item of the day of the week in the “weekly” item, the process proceeds to S342. Otherwise, go to S340. In S340, it is determined whether or not there is a description about the content in the item “default” in the mapping list 260. If there is a description, the process proceeds to S344. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S346.

  In S342, the actual channel to be selected is specified based on the description related to the content searched in S336 or S338, the actual channel is switched to, and the actual channel automatic selection processing 330 is terminated. In S344, the actual channel to be selected is specified based on the description of the item “default”, the actual channel is switched to, and the actual channel automatic selection processing 330 is terminated. In S346, a telop display indicating that the actual channel is not designated as the favorite channel at the present time is performed, and the actual channel automatic selection processing 330 is terminated.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control structure of the upper favorite channel specifying process executed in S306 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 12, when the upper favorite channel specifying process 360 is started, in S362, the favorite channel selected up to the present time is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not the rank is the highest. If it is the highest rank, the process proceeds to S364. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S366. In S364, the lowest favorite channel is specified as the channel selected by the user, and the process ends. In S366, the favorite channel that is one higher than the preference channel confirmed in S362 is identified as the channel selected by the user, and the process ends. This post-processing proceeds to an actual channel automatic selection process 330 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the control structure of the lower preference channel specifying process executed in S308 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 13, when the lower favorite channel specifying process 380 is started, in S382, the favorite channel that has been selected up to the present time is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not the rank is the lowest. If it is the lowest, the process proceeds to S384. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S386. In S384, the highest favorite channel is specified as the channel selected by the user, and the process ends. In S386, the favorite channel that is one order lower than the rank of the favorite channel confirmed in S382 is specified as the channel selected by the user, and the process ends. This post-processing proceeds to an actual channel automatic selection process 330 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the control structure of the content list update process executed in S290 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 14, when content list update processing 400 is started, communication with content list server 66 shown in FIG. 1 is started in S402. In S404, it is determined whether or not the content list is updated in the content list server 66. If the content list has been updated, the process proceeds to S406. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S408. In step S406, the updated content list is downloaded from the content list server 66, and the content list is held in place of the already held content list, and the content list update processing 400 ends. In step S408, the user is notified that the content list has not been updated, and the content list update processing 400 ends.

  The content viewing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment operates as follows. The operation of the content viewing apparatus 50 includes an operation of updating the content list held, an operation of registering the content in the mapping list, and a direct selection key 152,. ) And an operation when the user presses the favorite channel up key 160 or the favorite channel down key 162 of the remote control transmitter 62.

  First, the operation of updating the content list held by the content viewing apparatus 50 will be described below. Referring to FIG. 2, in response to reaching a predetermined update time, control unit 104 connects to content list server 66 shown in FIG. Get the last update date or version information of the list. The control unit 104 compares the last update date / time or version information of the content list held by the storage unit 108 with the acquired information, and determines the presence or absence of the update. In response to obtaining the determination result that the content list has been updated, the control unit 104 downloads the content list from the content list server 66 via the network communication unit 102. The content list transmitted from the content list server 66 is given to the control unit 104 via the network communication unit 102. The control unit 104 gives the given content list to the virtual channel management unit 110. The virtual channel management unit 110 stores the given content list in place of the content list held in the storage unit 108, and updates the content list.

  Hereinafter, an operation in which the content viewing apparatus 50 registers content in the mapping list will be described. When the user requests the content viewing apparatus 50 to manage the favorite channel using the remote controller 62 (see FIG. 3), the control unit 104 (see FIG. 2) of the content viewing apparatus 50 stores the storage unit via the virtual channel management unit 110. The mapping list is read from 108. Based on the read mapping list, the control unit 104 generates a favorite channel management screen that the user refers to in order to manage favorite channels. The favorite channel management screen is output from the video output unit 134 via the video processing unit 130.

  FIG. 15 shows an example of a favorite channel management screen displayed by the content viewing apparatus 50 when the user manages favorite channels. Referring to FIG. 15, preference channel management screen 420 includes a title area 422 of this screen, a date designation area 424 for designating a date to be managed in mapping list 260 (see FIG. 7), a date, On the day specified in the specified area, a time zone specifying area 426 for specifying a time zone to be managed and a list display area 428 for displaying the title or genre of the content are included. On the date designation screen 424, a field 430 indicating the scheduled broadcast date of the content displayed in the list display area is displayed. In the time zone designation area 426, a time slot 432 for one day, a current time 434 on the time slot 432, and a time slot 436 to be displayed in the list display area 428 are displayed. Further, a field 438 indicating the width of the time zone 436 to be displayed is displayed in the time zone designation area 426. In the list display area 428, the medium, the actual channel, and the genre or title of the content that supply the content associated with the date and time designated in the date designation area 424 and the time zone designation area 426 by the mapping list 260 are selected. A list 440 for each channel is displayed.

  The user operates the cursor key and menu key of the remote control transmitter 62 while referring to the favorite channel management screen 420 to select a desired date and time and favorite channel or content. Then, a list 440 is displayed on the list display screen 428. Here, for example, when the user selects one of the favorite channels in the list 440, the content viewing apparatus 50 displays a detailed display screen for one favorite channel in response to the operation.

  FIG. 16 shows an example of a detailed display screen for one favorite channel. Referring to FIG. 16, detailed display screen 450 includes title area 452 of this screen, date designation area 424 and time zone designation area 426 similar to those of favorite channel management screen 420, list display area 454, and so on. Is displayed. In the title area 452, a field 456 indicating the favorite channel number is displayed. In the list display area 454, a list 458 showing a medium for supplying contents for one week outputted in one favorite channel, an actual channel, and a genre or title of the contents for each favorite channel is displayed. . The contents described in this list 458 are those described in the mapping list 260 corresponding to the favorite channel.

  When registering content in the list 440 or 458 shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the control unit 104 generates a content registration screen based on the content list or file list held. FIG. 17 shows an example of a content registration screen for a broadcast medium. Referring to FIG. 17, content registration screen 470 includes a title area 452, a date designation area 424, and a time zone designation area 426 that are the same as those shown in FIG. 16. The content registration screen 470 further includes a content list display area 472 and a selection area 474 for selecting in which item of the mapping list 260 the contents to be registered in the favorite channel are registered. In the content list display area 472, content lists 476A, 476B, and 476C for each medium at the date and time designated in the date designation area 424 and the time zone designation area 426 are displayed. The selection area 474 includes a field 478 for selecting which item of the mapping list to register. In this field 478, either a specific date or “every week” is selected.

  When the user selects any content displayed in the content lists 476A, 476B, and 476C and selects a specific date in the field 478, the control unit 104 displays information on the content list regarding the selected content. Originally, a description regarding the selected content is added to the “oneday” item of the mapping list 260. When the user selects “weekly” in the field 478, the control unit 104 adds a description regarding the selected content to the “weekly” item of the mapping list 260 based on the information of the content list regarding the selected content. To do.

  FIG. 18 is an example of an external device selection screen for selecting the VTR 56 or the LAN connection AV device 58. Referring to FIG. 18, external device selection screen 490 includes a title area 452, a date designation area 424, and a time zone designation area 426 that are the same as those shown in FIG. The external device selection screen 490 further includes a connection status display area 492 indicating the connection status between the content viewing apparatus 50 and the external device, and a selection area 474 similar to that of the content registration screen 470 shown in FIG. In this example, in the connection status display area 492, an icon 494 indicating the content viewing device 50, icons 496A and 496B indicating the VTR 56 in the content viewing device 50, and icons 496C and 496D indicating the LAN connection AV device 58 are displayed. The When the user selects any of the icons 496A,... Displayed in the connection status display area 492, a content selection screen for selecting content supplied by the selected external device or a content item is selected according to the device. A viewing setting screen for setting parameters for controlling the selection order and the like is displayed.

  FIG. 19 shows an example of a file selection screen for designating the content file of the selected VTR 56 or LAN connection AV device. Referring to FIG. 19, file selection screen 500 includes a title area 452, a date designation area 424, and a time zone designation area 426 that are the same as those shown in FIG. 16. The file selection screen 500 further includes a display area 502 of the file list 220 (see FIG. 5) and a selection area 474 similar to that of the content registration screen 470 shown in FIG. In the file list display area 502, a file list 220 (see FIG. 5) for the VTR 56 or the LAN connection AV device 58 selected by the user using the external device selection screen 490 shown in FIG. 18 is displayed. When the user selects any content displayed in the file list 220 and selects a specific date in the field 478, a description about the selected content is added to the “oneday” item of the mapping list 260. . When the user selects “weekly” in the field 478, a description regarding the selected content is added to the “weekly” item of the mapping list 260.

  FIG. 20 shows an example of a viewing setting registration screen for setting parameters such as a content selection order. Referring to FIG. 20, viewing setting registration screen 510 includes a parameter setting area 512 in place of file list display area 502 of file selection screen 500 shown in FIG. In the parameter setting area 512, a GUI screen for setting a viewing target file, genre, group, and the like is displayed. When the user sets the viewing conditions such as the content to be viewed and the viewing order using the parameter display area 512 and selects a specific date or “weekly” in the field 478, the mapping list 270 The parameter is assigned to the corresponding description of.

  The screens shown in FIGS. 17 to 20 are also displayed when the user designates an actual channel. The user selects content displayed on these screens using the remote controller and performs a predetermined operation (for example, pressing the menu key 178 (see FIG. 3) twice). In response to the remote control signal corresponding to this operation, the control unit 104 of the content viewing apparatus 50 selects a designated real channel and selects and receives a selective reception request for requesting reception of the signal. To give.

  The selective reception request is given to the BS / CS tuner unit 120, the terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122, the external device video / audio input unit 124, and the network content decoding unit 126 of the selective reception unit 112. BS / CS tuner unit 120, terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122, external device video / audio input unit 124, and network content decoding unit 126 select an actual channel in response to a selection reception request. Then, the real channel signal is received, the video signal and the audio signal are decoded and given to the AV selector 128. The AV selector 128 receives the video signal and the audio signal from the BS / CS tuner unit 120, the terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122, the external device video / audio input unit 124, and the network content decoding unit 126 according to the selection reception request, and requests The one obtained from the recorded media is selected. The AV selector 128 supplies the selected video signal to the video processing unit 130 and the selected audio signal to the audio processing unit 132, respectively.

  The video processing unit 130 converts the supplied video signal into a signal that can be output by the video output unit 134 and supplies the signal to the video output unit 134. The video output unit 134 receives the signal from the video processing unit 130 and outputs the video. The audio processing unit 132 converts the provided audio signal into a signal that can be output by the audio output unit 136 and supplies the signal to the audio output unit 136. The audio output unit 136 receives the signal from the audio processing unit 132 and outputs the audio.

  When the user registers the content output in this way in the favorite channel, the content viewing apparatus 50 multiplexes a menu screen for inputting setting items necessary for registration on the content display screen. FIG. 21 shows an example of the menu screen. A screen 520 shown in FIG. 21 displays content 522 being viewed and a menu screen 524. The menu screen 524 displays a medium and a real channel 526 that supply the content being viewed, and an icon 528 corresponding to an operation for displaying the content list. Further, the menu screen 524 is associated with the same date and time as the content being viewed in the icon 530 indicating the favorite channel to which the content being viewed is registered and the mapping list associated with the favorite channel. And a field 532 indicating the content being displayed. The menu screen 524 displays a “replace with the same time zone” icon 534 and a “replace and replace with time zone” icon 536 corresponding to the operation for registering the actual channel 526 in the mapping list.

  When the user selects icon 528, content registration screen 470 shown in FIG. 17 is displayed. When the user selects the “Replace at same time” icon 534, the content viewing apparatus 50 describes information about the content 522 currently being viewed instead of the content described in the mapping list displayed in the field 532. Then, the content is registered in the mapping list. When the user selects the “Change time zone and replace” icon 536, the content being viewed is corrected and the description is added to the mapping list so that the content is selected in the corrected time zone. . When the user selects “Return” 538, the content viewing apparatus 50 cancels the management of the mapping list based on the registration operation on the menu screen 524.

  Further, in response to a user operation using the remote control transmitter 62, the content viewing apparatus 50 displays the content scheduled to be selected at the current time in the favorite channel. FIG. 22 shows an example of a confirmation screen for content scheduled to be selected. Referring to FIG. 22, a favorite content confirmation screen 542 is displayed on screen 540 so as to be multiplexed with the video of content 522 being output. The favorite content confirmation screen 542 shows the content associated with the time zone including the current time in the mapping list for each favorite channel.

  When the user registers the content as described above, the control unit 104 of the content viewing apparatus 50 generates, adds, or corrects the mapping list according to the operation. The mapping list that has been generated, added, or modified is provided from the control unit 104 to the virtual channel management unit 110. The virtual channel management unit 110 associates the mapping list with the favorite channel and stores the mapping list in the storage unit 108.

  The operation of the content viewing apparatus 50 when the user presses one of the direct selection keys 152,..., 158 (see FIG. 3) of the remote control transmitter 62 will be described below. When the user presses one of the favorite channel direct selection keys 152,..., 158, the remote control transmitter 62 transmits the corresponding remote control signal 60 to the content viewing device 50. Referring to FIG. 2, remote control receiving unit 100 receives remote control signal 60 and provides remote control signal 60 to control unit 104. The control unit 104 acquires time information from the real-time clock unit 106 in response to the remote control signal corresponding to the direct selection keys 152,. Further, the control unit 104 identifies a corresponding favorite channel based on the given remote control signal, and requests the virtual channel management unit 110 for a mapping list corresponding to the favorite channel. In response to this request, the virtual channel management unit 110 gives the mapping list 260 (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the favorite channel from the storage unit 108 to the read control unit 104.

  The control unit 104 searches the content described in the mapping list 260 using the date and time indicated by the time information as a search key. At this time, the control unit 104 performs a search in the order of “oneday” item, “weekly” item, and “default” item in the mapping list 260. If there is a description of content associated with a time zone including the current time on the current date in the “onday” item, the medium that supplies the associated content and the actual channel in that medium are identified based on the description. To do. If there is no description in the “oneday” item, the control unit 104 moves the search range into the “weekly” item. If there is a description about the content associated with the time zone including the current time in the item corresponding to the current day of week in the “weekly” item, the control unit 104 supplies the associated content based on the description. And the actual channel in the medium. If there is no description in the “weekly” item, the control unit 104 moves the search range into the “default” item. If the default content or the actual channel is described in the “default” item, the control unit 104 identifies the medium specified by the “default” item and the actual channel in the medium. The control unit 104 gives a selection reception request to the selection reception unit 112 that requests to select a real channel in the medium specified as described above and receive the signal.

  The selective reception request is given to the BS / CS tuner unit 120, the terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122, the external device video / audio input unit 124, and the network content decoding unit 126 of the selective reception unit 112. The BS / CS tuner unit 120, the terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122, the external device video / audio input unit 124, and the network content decoding unit 126 select a real channel in response to the selection reception request. The received signal is received, and the video signal and audio signal are decoded and supplied to the AV selector 128. The AV selector 128 receives the video signal and the audio signal from the BS / CS tuner unit 120, the terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122, the external device video / audio input unit 124, and the network content decoding unit 126 according to the selection reception request, and requests The one obtained from the recorded media is selected. The AV selector 128 supplies the selected video signal to the video processing unit 130 and the selected audio signal to the audio processing unit 132, respectively.

  The video processing unit 130 converts the supplied video signal into a signal that can be output by the video output unit 134 and supplies the signal to the video output unit 134. The video output unit 134 receives the signal from the video processing unit 130 and outputs the video. The audio processing unit 132 converts the provided audio signal into a signal that can be output by the audio output unit 136 and supplies the signal to the audio output unit 136. The audio output unit 136 receives the signal from the audio processing unit 132 and outputs the audio.

  The operation of the content viewing apparatus 50 when the user presses the favorite channel up key 160 or the favorite channel down key 162 of the remote control transmitter 62 (see FIG. 3) will be described below. When the user presses the favorite channel up / down key 160 or 162 of the remote control transmitter (see FIG. 3), the remote control transmitter 62 transmits the corresponding remote control signal 60 to the content viewing device 50. Referring to FIG. 2, remote control receiving unit 100 receives remote control signal 60 and provides remote control signal 60 to control unit 104. In response to receiving the remote control signal corresponding to the favorite channel up key 160, the control unit 104 selects a favorite channel that is one higher than the currently selected favorite channel. However, if the currently selected favorite channel is ranked highest, the lowest favorite channel is selected. In response to receiving the remote control signal corresponding to the favorite channel lower key 160, the control unit 104 selects a favorite channel one level lower than the currently selected favorite channel. However, if the rank of the currently selected favorite channel is the lowest, the highest favorite channel is selected. The control unit 104 gives a selection reception request to the selection reception unit 112 in the same manner as the operation for the preference channel selected by the direct selection key for the preference channel specified in this way. The selection receiving unit 112 selectively receives the video signal and the audio signal in accordance with the given request, and gives them to the content output unit 114. The content output unit 114 processes and outputs the given signal.

  As described above, the content viewing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment creates a mapping list for automatically selecting content according to the date, day of the week, and time zone based on the content list and registration by the user. And hold. Each mapping list is associated with a small number of favorite channels to be selected by the user. When the favorite channel is selected by the user, the content viewing apparatus 50 is based on the mapping list corresponding to the favorite channel. The actual channel is specified and selected so that the content specified at a predetermined date and time is output. Further, the content is supplied from the actual channel and output. In this way, the user can view desired content on any day of the week or any day, at any time, regardless of the medium supplying the content, by selecting a small number of favorite channels. .

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 23 shows a functional configuration of a content viewing apparatus 600 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The content viewing device 600 according to the present embodiment is connected to the virtual channel management unit 110 and the storage unit 108 in addition to the content viewing device 50 shown in FIG. 2, and when updating the content list, the mapping list and the content list And a mapping list dynamic update unit 602 that dynamically updates the mapping list according to the content provision status in the actual channel.

  FIG. 24 shows a control structure of the content list update process 620 executed by the control unit 104 and the mapping list dynamic update unit 602 in place of the content list update process 400 (see FIG. 14) according to the first embodiment. Shown in flowchart. Referring to FIG. 24, when content list update process 620 according to the present embodiment is started, the same processes from S402 to S406 as content list update process 400 shown in FIG. 14 are executed, and the process proceeds to S622. In S622, the time information at that time is acquired. In S624, the mapping list is read, and information described in the mapping list is referred to for content scheduled to be selected after the current date and time indicated by the time information acquired in S622. In S626, it is determined whether information about the content referred to in the mapping list is also in the updated content list. If there is information, the process proceeds to S628. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S630. In S628, it is determined whether or not the time zone of the content on the mapping list matches the time zone on the content list. If they match, the process proceeds to S634. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S632.

  In S630, it is considered that the content supply schedule has been canceled, information on the content and “ignore” are described in the “oneday” item on the mapping list, and the process proceeds to S634. In S632, it is considered that the supply schedule of the content has been canceled, and the information on the content and the time zone of the content scheduled to be supplied on the content list are described in the “oneday” item on the mapping list, and the process proceeds to S634. . In S634, it is determined whether there is a description of contents after the present time in the mapping list that have not been determined in S626 and S628. If there is a description that has not been determined, the process returns to S626. Otherwise, the content list update process is terminated.

  Content viewing apparatus 600 according to the present embodiment operates as follows when acquiring a content list. Referring to FIG. 23, in response to reaching the scheduled update time of the content list, control unit 104 starts communication with content list server 66 via network communication unit 102, and the content list is updated. It is determined whether or not. In response to obtaining the determination result that the content list has been updated, the control unit 104 acquires the content list from the content list server 66 via the network communication unit 102 and provides the content list to the virtual channel management unit 110. . The virtual channel management unit 110 stores the given content list in the storage unit 108. This content list is also given to the mapping list dynamic update unit 602.

  The mapping list dynamic update unit 602 reads the mapping list from the storage unit 108 in response to the content list being given. The mapping list dynamic update unit 602 is provided with information related to the content based on the information indicating the time zone, medium, actual channel, content title, genre, and the like for each content described in the mapping list. It is determined whether it is described in the content list. In response to the presence of content not described in the content list, the mapping list dynamic update unit 602 describes information about the content in the “oneday” item of the mapping list. Furthermore, the description of “ignore” is added to the description of these contents. If there is a description in the given content list, the mapping list dynamic update unit 602 confirms whether there is a change in the time zone in which the content is supplied. If the description of the time zone on the mapping list and the scheduled broadcast time zone of the content on the content list do not match, the mapping list dynamic update unit assumes that the time zone supplied with this content has changed. Reference numeral 602 describes information about the content in the “ondayay” item of the mapping list. Further, for this content, the changed time zone, that is, the time zone described in the content list is described.

  When the favorite channel is selected by the user, the control unit 104 specifies the favorite channel by the same operation as in the first embodiment, and acquires the mapping list from the virtual channel management unit 110. The mapping list acquired by the control unit 104 has been changed by the mapping list dynamic update unit 602, and a description is added to the “oneday” item by the mapping list dynamic update unit 602. Since the control unit 104 preferentially refers to the description of the “oneday” item and identifies the actual channel, the description added by the mapping list dynamic update unit 602 is preferentially referred to. Therefore, an actual channel that matches the updated content list is specified.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the content viewing apparatus performs registration of information in the favorite channel according to an operation for registration by the user. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. In the following third embodiment, the content viewing apparatus analyzes the viewing history of the actual channel by the user, and based on the periodicity, the day of the week and the time zone to be registered in the favorite channel, and the date and time concerned The actual channel to be selected is specified, and the mapping list is automatically updated.

  FIG. 25 shows a functional configuration of content viewing apparatus 700 according to the present embodiment in the form of a block diagram. Referring to FIG. 25, content viewing apparatus 700 is the same as content viewing apparatus 50 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and remote control receiving unit 100, network communication unit 102, real-time clock unit 106, virtual channel are the same. A storage unit 110, a selection receiving unit 112, and a content output unit 114 are included. In addition to the functions of the control unit 104 according to the first embodiment, the content viewing apparatus 700 further includes information on the execution date and time of the actual channel selection operation, the selected actual channel, the operation status of the content viewing apparatus 700, and the like. Control unit 702 having a function of separately outputting the viewing history as a viewing history, a user viewing history recording unit 704 for creating a user viewing history list in which the viewing history information output by the control unit 702 is listed in time order, a mapping list, In addition to the content list, a storage unit 706 that stores a user viewing history list, and a user viewing history analysis unit 708 that analyzes the user viewing history list stored in the storage unit 706 and updates the mapping list based on the analysis result. Including.

  FIG. 26 shows an example of the user viewing history list. Referring to FIG. 26, user viewing history list 720 is information in a text file format. The description below “last_update:” on the first line indicates the date and time when the user viewing history list was last updated. The viewing history by the user is displayed in the third and subsequent lines. Each row below describes the day of the week on which the actual channel is selected and the user's operation is executed, the time, and the contents. For example, the third line indicates that at 6:55 (0655) on Sunday, the user operates the power key 150 of the remote control transmitter 62 (see FIG. 3) to turn on the content viewing device 50 ( tvon).

  When the actual channel is selected, information indicating the medium and the actual channel in the medium are described in the user viewing history list 720. For example, the fourth line shows that at 7:00 (0700) on Sunday (Sunday), the content viewing apparatus 50 selects 10 channels (10) of terrestrial broadcasting (gwa) and outputs the content. Show.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a control structure of processing by the control unit 702 for the remote control signal. Referring to FIG. 27, this process is similar to the process shown in FIG. However, after executing the process of selecting an actual channel designated by the user in S310, the process proceeds to S742. In S742, the time information at that time is acquired, and the process proceeds to S744. In S744, the user viewing history recording unit 704 shown in FIG. 25 is provided with the information of the actual channel selected in S310 and the time information acquired in S742. The user viewing history recording unit 704 adds the given real channel information and time information to the user viewing history list 720, and ends the process.

  FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing a control structure of user viewing history analysis processing performed by user viewing history analysis unit 708 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 28, when the user viewing history analysis process is started, in S762, the day of the week and the time zone that are the same as the day of the week and the time zone described in the held user viewing history list 720 are added to the mapping list. It is determined whether there is a description. If there is a description, the process proceeds to S764. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S766. In S764, it is determined whether or not the actual channel or content described in the mapping list and the actual channel or content described in the user viewing history list for the same day of the week and time zone are different. If they are different, the process proceeds to S766. If they are the same, the process proceeds to S770. In S766, it is determined whether or not this history satisfies a sufficient condition for updating the mapping list. Here, the sufficient condition is that the state where the actual channel is selected continues for a predetermined time or longer. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S768. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S770. In S768, information on the actual channel is added to the item of the corresponding day of the week in the “weakly” item of the mapping list, and the process proceeds to S772. In S770, it is determined not to update the mapping list based on this history, and the process proceeds to S772. In S772, it is determined whether or not the analysis has been performed up to the end of the user viewing history list. If the analysis has not been performed to the end, the process returns to S762. Otherwise, this process is terminated.

  Control unit 702 (see FIG. 25) according to the present embodiment is designated every time a real channel is designated by the user, similarly to control unit 104 (see FIG. 2) according to the first embodiment. An actual channel selective reception request is given to the selective reception unit 112. The control unit 702 further obtains time information at the time of receiving the designation from the real time clock unit 106 in response to the designation of the actual channel. The control unit 702 provides the user viewing history recording unit 704 with information indicating the designated actual channel and time information acquired from the real-time clock unit 106. The user viewing history recording unit 704 adds the given information to the user viewing history list 720 held in the storage unit 706.

  The user viewing history analysis unit 708 updates the mapping list based on the user viewing history list for each day of the week. First, the user viewing history analysis unit 708 reads the mapping list 260 (see FIG. 7) and the user viewing history list 720 (see FIG. 26) from the storage unit 706. The user viewing history analysis unit 708 refers to the mapping list for the time zone described in the user viewing history list 720, that is, the time zone when the user viewed content with the content viewing device 700. If the same channel as the actual channel selected by the user is described in the mapping list 260 in the day of the week and the time zone indicated by the time information described in the user viewing history list 720, the user's viewing history is already in the mapping list. It will be reflected in. Therefore, there is no need to update the mapping list for that time zone.

  However, if the same actual channel as the user selected by the user is not described in the mapping list 260, or if information on another actual channel is described in the time zone of the day of the week, The viewing history is not reflected in the mapping list 260. Therefore, the user viewing history analysis unit 708 attempts to update the mapping list for such content.

  For example, the user viewing history analysis unit 708 determines whether the history should be reflected in the mapping list based on “whether the user has viewed the content continuously for 10 minutes or more on one real channel”. To do. In “Sunday 0700, gwa, 10” described in the fourth line of the user viewing history list 720 shown in FIG. 26, 10 channels of the terrestrial broadcast 44 (see FIG. 1) are designated by the user at 7:00 on Sunday. Indicates. Therefore, the user viewing history analysis unit 708 refers to the description in the next line in order to make a determination. “Sunday 0714, gwa, 2” described in the fifth line of the user viewing history list 720 indicates that two channels of the terrestrial broadcast 44 are designated at 7:14 on Sunday. The 4th and 5th lines indicate that the user has watched the 10-channel content of the terrestrial broadcast 44 for 14 minutes from 7:00 to 7:14 on Sunday. Therefore, the user viewing history analysis unit 708 determines that this history should be reflected in the mapping list. Next, the user viewing history analysis unit 708 refers to the description on the sixth line in order to determine the history described on the fifth line. The description “Sunday 0715, gwa, 4” on the sixth line indicates that four channels of the terrestrial broadcast 44 are designated at 7:15 on Sunday. As a result, it is found that the user has watched the content that has been viewed from 7:14 on Sunday for only one minute. The user viewing history analysis unit 708 determines that this history should not be reflected in the mapping list.

  The user viewing history analysis unit 708 changes the description of the day of the week and the time zone in the mapping list based on the determination result described above.

  The user viewing history analysis unit 708 performs the above operation for each of the descriptions for a specific day of the week in the user viewing history list, and provides the control unit 702 with it. The control unit 702 gives the given mapping list to the virtual channel management unit 110. The virtual channel management unit 110 stores the mapping list given by the same operation as in the first embodiment in the storage unit 706 in association with the favorite channel.

  Thus, by updating the mapping list based on the user's viewing history, the actual channel selection history by the user on a certain day is reflected in the favorite channel on the same day of the next week. Currently, many broadcast contents are supplied weekly at the same time zone. Therefore, even if the user does not manually register the content supplied in the same time zone every week, it can be viewed by selecting a favorite channel from the next week.

[Fourth Embodiment]
In the first to third embodiments described above, the mapping list is generated by the content viewing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment.

  FIG. 29 shows a configuration of the entire system according to the present embodiment. 29, in addition to system 40 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, system 800 according to the present embodiment provides a mapping that provides a mapping list to content viewing device 50 on Internet 64. A list server 802 is included. The system 800 further includes a content viewing apparatus 804 that receives the mapping list from the mapping list server 802 and stores the mapping list in association with the favorite channel, instead of the content viewing apparatus 50 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. .

  FIG. 30 shows an example of a mapping list provided to the content viewing apparatus 804 by the mapping list server 802 (see FIG. 29). Referring to FIG. 30, this mapping list 820 is information in text format, similar to mapping list 260 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. “Content-type: application / x-tv-mapping_list” is a description for declaring that this information is a mapping list. The description starting with “last_update:” indicates the last update date and time. The description starting with “expire:” indicates the expiration date of this mapping list 820. The description starting with “url:” indicates the URL of the mapping list server 802 that provided the mapping list 820. The description starting with “area:” indicates a region where viewing of content by the mapping list 820 is assumed.

  The content viewing apparatus 804 according to the present embodiment communicates with the mapping list server 802 via the LAN 48 and the Internet 64 according to the request from the user or according to the expiration date of the mapping list 820 that is held, Download the mapping list 820. The content viewing apparatus 804 holds the downloaded mapping list 820 in association with the favorite channel.

  When it is held, it may be held after being managed by the user as in the mapping list in the content viewing apparatus 50 according to the first embodiment, or automatically associated with the favorite channel. And may be held.

  Thus, by providing the mapping list itself via the Internet, the provider of the mapping list can register specific content in the favorite channel of the content viewing apparatus 804. As a result, it is possible to increase the probability that the user of the content viewing apparatus 804 views specific content. It is also possible to select recommended content from a large number of real channels and provide it as a mapping list. The user of the content viewing apparatus 804 can save the trouble of managing the mapping list, and the burden on the user when selecting a channel is further reduced.

  In the second embodiment, the content viewing apparatus 600 changes the mapping list based on the content list when the content supply schedule is changed. In such a case, the mapping list server 802 may provide a mapping list for content whose schedule has been changed. In this case, the content viewing apparatus 804 may receive a mapping list for content whose schedule has been changed, and based on this, may dynamically update the mapping list already held.

  In the second embodiment, the mapping list and the content list are collated based on information indicating the time zone, medium, actual channel, content genre, and the like for each content described in the mapping list. The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, in the content list, if ID information for identifying the content is given for each content, the ID information of the content may be described in the mapping list. In this case, it is possible to collate the mapping list with the content list based on the ID information.

  In the third embodiment, the mapping list is updated based on the user viewing history for each day of the week, using the length of viewing time as a criterion. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, when the same actual channel is selected in the same time zone for several weeks, the channel may be registered in the mapping list. In general, in TV broadcasting, programs are reorganized every three months. For this reason, the mapping list may be updated not only for each day of the week but also for each reorganization period. Further, the mapping list may be updated based on the user viewing history in response to a request from the user. In addition, after analyzing the user viewing history, information about the time zone, actual channel, or content to be updated may be presented to the user, and the mapping list may be updated with the user's consent. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the mapping list includes three items “oneday”, “weakly”, and “default”, and the item indicating the periodicity of the actual channel selection is only the “weekly” item. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, “daily” item for viewing the content by selecting the same actual channel at the same time every day, item for content to be viewed on a specific day every month, content once a year such as New Year's program An item or the like for selecting can be provided.

  As described above, when there are various items related to content selection having periodicity, when an actual channel is specified with reference to the mapping list, for example, the actual channel is specified preferentially in order from the longest period. It may be.

  In the above-described embodiment, the VTR is exemplified as an apparatus for supplying storage-type content to the content viewing apparatus 50. However, a DVD player and an HDD player can also be used as an apparatus for supplying the stored content. 1 is connected to the content viewing device via the LAN 48, the LAN connection AV device is not limited to this, but via the Internet 64 and the LAN 48. It may be a server device that supplies content to the content viewing device. Also in this case, the URL of the server device is an actual channel corresponding to the LAN connection AV device.

  In the embodiment described above, the content viewing apparatus automatically updates the content list or the file list in response to reaching the predetermined time. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the user may request the content viewing apparatus to update the content list by operating the remote control transmitter 62 (see FIG. 3). In this case, the content viewing apparatus communicates with the content list server 66 in response to a request from the user, and acquires a content list. Alternatively, the content viewing apparatus acquires a file list from the VTR 56 and the LAN connection AV device 58. The request by the user may be made explicitly. In addition, when the user performs other operations such as specifying a real channel using the content list file list or registering in the mapping list, the content list or file list may be updated together. Good.

  In the above-described embodiment, the content list is provided via the Internet 64 by the content list server 66 shown in FIG. However, the content list in the present invention is not limited to this. For example, electronic program information multiplexed on a broadcast signal can be used as a content list. In this case, the BS / CS tuner unit 120 or the terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 122 shown in FIG. 2 decodes the broadcast signal and supplies the AV program to the AV selector 128, in addition to the electronic program information multiplexed on the broadcast signal. It has a function to acquire and give to the control unit 104.

  In the embodiment described above, the combination of the favorite channel and the mapping list and the order thereof are one kind, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The content viewing apparatus may group a mapping list to be associated with a favorite channel and prepare a plurality of groups. In this case, it is also possible to change the association between the favorite channel and the mapping list all at once by switching the groups. The group may be switched by the user operating the dial 180 of the remote control transmitter 62. For example, each family may have their own favorite channel. Or you may make it switch a group according to preference.

  Note that each functional unit of the content viewing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by hardware such as a TV receiver with a built-in computer and a program executed on the computer. As this computer, a computer having general-purpose hardware can be used as long as it has equipment for receiving signals via broadcasting and a network. Each functional unit of the apparatus described above can be realized by a program based on the description in this specification by those skilled in the art. Such a program is also a piece of data and can be stored in a storage medium and distributed.

  The embodiment disclosed herein is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The scope of the present invention is indicated by each claim in the claims after taking into account the description of the detailed description of the invention, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the wording described therein are intended. Including.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the system 40 which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the content viewing-and-listening apparatus 50 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the remote control transmitter 62 which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a content list. It is a figure which shows the example of the file list of the content accumulate | stored in VTR. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of a favorite channel. It is a figure which shows an example of a mapping list. It is a figure which shows an example of the mapping list regarding the content accumulate | stored in VTR. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the content viewing-and-listening apparatus 50 by the control part 104 (refer FIG. 2). It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the process 300 with respect to a remote control signal. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of a real channel automatic selection process. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of a high-order favorite channel specific process. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of a lower liking channel specific process. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the update process of a content list. It is a figure which shows an example of a favorite channel management screen displayed when a user manages a favorite channel. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed display screen about one favorite channel. It is a figure which shows an example of the content registration screen about a broadcast medium. It is a figure which shows an example of an external apparatus selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a file selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a viewing setting registration screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the menu screen multiplexed on the content. It is a figure which shows an example of the confirmation screen of the content multiplexed on the content. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the content viewing-and-listening apparatus 600 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the content list update process which the control part 104 and the mapping list dynamic update part 602 perform. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the content viewing-and-listening apparatus 700 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a user viewing history list. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the process by the control part 702 with respect to a remote control signal. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the user viewing history analysis process which the user viewing history analysis part 708 performs. It is a figure which shows the structure of the system which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the mapping list which the mapping list server 802 provides to the content viewing-and-listening apparatus 50.

Explanation of symbols

42 BS / CS broadcast, 44 Terrestrial TV broadcast, 46 External video / audio signal path, 46, 48 LAN, 50, 600, 700, 804 Content viewing device, 52 BS / CS broadcast antenna, 54 Terrestrial TV broadcast antenna, 56 VTR, 58 LAN connection AV equipment, 60 remote control signal, 62 remote control transmitter, 64 internet, 66 content list server, 100 remote control reception unit, 102 network communication unit, 104,702 control unit, 106 real time clock unit, 108 storage unit 110 Virtual channel management unit 112 Selection receiving unit 114 Content output unit 120 BS / CS tuner unit 122 Terrestrial TV broadcast tuner unit 124 External device video / audio input unit 126 Network content decoding unit 128 AV set Rector, 130 Video processing unit, 132 Audio processing unit, 134 Video output unit, 136 Audio output unit, 150 Power key, 152, 154, 156, 158 Favorite channel direct selection key, 160 Favorite channel up key, 162 Favorite Channel down key, 164 Volume up key, 166 Volume down key, 170, 172, 174, 176 Cursor key, 178 Menu key, 180 Dial, 182 Transmission interface, 200A, 200B, 200C, ... Content list, 220 File list, 260 , 270, 820 Mapping list, 602 Mapping list dynamic update unit, 704 User viewing history recording unit, 708 User viewing history analysis unit, 720 User viewing history, 802 Mapping list server

Claims (21)

Organization table preparation means for preparing a content organization table, in which content supplied by each of a plurality of content sources and information indicating the source of the content are organized in relation to a time axis;
Channel preparation means for preparing a virtual channel associated with the organization table and a real channel associated with the plurality of content sources;
In response to the designation of the virtual channel or the real channel by the user, the content is received from the content source specified by the organization table and the time zone, and the content is supplied to the real channel designated by the user. Selective receiving means for acquiring content by initiating reception of content from a source;
A content viewing apparatus comprising: content output means for outputting the content acquired by the selection receiving means. The selective receiving means is
When the user designates the virtual channel, virtual channel content acquisition means for acquiring content by selecting a content supply source specified by the organization table associated with the virtual channel for each time zone;
The content viewing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: real channel content acquisition means for acquiring content from a content supply source associated with the designated real channel when the real channel is designated by the user. The virtual channel content acquisition means includes
Content source selection means for selecting a content source specified by the organization table associated with the virtual channel when the user designates the virtual channel;
The content viewing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for acquiring content from the content supply source selected by the content supply source selection means. The organization table includes a first organization organized by content to be periodically acquired from content supplied by the plurality of content sources, and a second organization organized by temporary content,
When the virtual channel is designated by the user, the content supply source selecting means specifies the content supply source specified by the second organization in the organization table as the content supply specified by the first organization and the time zone. 4. The content viewing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for selecting each time period in preference to the source. In addition, a time signal means for reporting the time,
When the virtual channel is specified by the user, the content supply source selection means receives a time report from the time signal means and is associated with information indicating the content and the supply source of the content in the organization table. The content viewing / listening device according to claim 3, further comprising means for selecting a content supply source specified by collating a time on a time axis with a notification of the time. The organization table preparation means includes means for preparing a plurality of the organization tables,
The channel preparation means includes means for preparing the real channel and a plurality of the virtual channels respectively associated with the plurality of organization tables;
The content source selection means includes:
When a change of the designated virtual channel is designated by the user, a virtual channel specifying means for specifying the changed virtual channel;
The content viewing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for selecting a content supply source specified by the organization table associated with the virtual channel specified by the virtual channel specifying means for each time zone. The virtual channel specifying means includes
A plurality of designation input means corresponding to the plurality of virtual channels, each for receiving designation inputs of the plurality of virtual channels by a user;
And means for identifying a virtual channel corresponding to the designated input means as the virtual channel after the change in response to a designation input to any of the designated input means by the user. Content viewing device. Each of the plurality of virtual channels is given a predetermined order in advance,
The virtual channel specifying means includes
In response to receiving a predetermined designation input by a user, rank specifying means for specifying the rank according to the predetermined designation input;
The content viewing / listening apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for specifying a virtual channel to which the rank is assigned as the virtual channel after the change in response to the rank specifying unit specifying the rank. The content supply source includes a broadcast station that transmits content by a broadcast signal,
The means for obtaining includes means for switching a channel of a broadcast signal so as to receive content from the broadcast station selected by the content supply source selection means and receiving a broadcast signal transmitted by the broadcast station. The content viewing apparatus according to claim 3. The content supply source includes an on-demand content supply source that sends content to the other device in response to a request given from the other device.
The obtaining means gives a predetermined request to the on-demand content supply source to send the content from the on-demand content supply source selected by the content supply source selection means, and 4. The content viewing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for receiving content sent in response to the predetermined request by a demand type content supply source. And content list acquisition means for acquiring content list information including information indicating actual channels associated with the plurality of content supply sources and information indicating content that can be acquired from the content supply sources, respectively.
The actual channel content acquisition means includes:
Means for accepting designation of an actual channel based on the content list information by a user;
3. Real channel content acquisition means for acquiring content from a content source associated with the designated real channel in response to the designation of the real channel accepted by the means for accepting. The content viewing / listening device described in 1. And further comprising a composition table receiving means for receiving the composition table from another device,
The content viewing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the composition table preparation means includes means for holding the composition table received by the composition table reception means in association with the virtual channel. . Furthermore, based on predetermined input information, including a composition table generating means for generating the composition table,
The composition table preparation means includes composition table holding means for retaining the composition table generated by the composition table generation means in association with the virtual channel. Content viewing device. The composition table generating means includes
A registration input means for accepting a registration operation of the content in the organization table by the user;
The content viewing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: means for generating the organization table according to the registration operation. Furthermore, it includes a history recording means for recording a reception history of content by the selective receiving means,
The composition table generating means includes means for generating the composition table according to a predetermined generation method based on the periodicity of content reception included in the history based on the history recorded by the history recording means. The content viewing apparatus according to claim 13. And content list acquisition means for acquiring content list information including information indicating actual channels associated with the plurality of content supply sources and information indicating content that can be acquired from the content supply sources, respectively.
The content viewing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the organization table generating unit includes a content list corresponding organization table generating unit for generating the organization table based on the predetermined input information and the content list information. The content list information further includes a scheduled supply date and time of the obtainable content by the content supply source,
The content list correspondence organization table generating means, based on the predetermined input information and the content list information, supplies the content respectively supplied by a plurality of content supply sources and information indicating the supply sources of the content at the scheduled supply date and time. The content viewing apparatus according to claim 16, comprising means for generating a content organization table organized in a related manner. Furthermore, based on the predetermined input information, includes means for determining a content acquisition scheduled date and time,
The content list correspondence organization table generating means, based on the predetermined input information and the content list information, supplies contents respectively supplied by a plurality of content supply sources and information indicating the supply sources of the contents at the scheduled acquisition date and time. The content viewing apparatus according to claim 16, comprising means for generating a content organization table organized in a related manner. Further, in response to the acquisition of the content list information by the content list acquisition unit, the organization table held in the organization table holding unit is collated with the content list information, and the organization table is collated. The content viewing / listening apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising updating means for updating according to the result of the above. A computer program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to operate as the content viewing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 19. A computer-readable recording medium on which the computer program according to claim 20 is recorded.

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