JP2006148481A - Reception controller and reception control method for digital tv - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable viewing and listening of digital broadcasting by using another digital broadcasting receiving terminal having made a desired contract, without replacing a card with another, even when there is only one desired card having made a contract with a business unit for performing scramble broadcasting, though the input of contract information, insertion of an IC card such as a B-CAS card for example is required to receive free or charged scramble broadcasting at a digital broadcasting receiving terminal. <P>SOLUTION: By performing communication with the IC card controller 2 of another digital broadcasting receiving terminal by making an IC card controller 1 for controlling the IC card of a digital broadcasting receiving terminal have a communication function, and enabling the sharing of the IC card 3, it becomes possible to perform viewing and listening at a plurality of digital broadcasting receiving terminals by the use of one contract card. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital TV reception control apparatus and a reception control method for performing descrambling by inputting contract information in a digital broadcast receiver such as ARIB-compatible broadcast that can receive services by contract.

  Today, for example, when a digital broadcast such as an ARIB compatible digital broadcast is received and viewed, an IC card issued by B-CAS Co., Ltd. is used as a receiver regardless of whether it is a pay broadcast or a free broadcast. Necessary. One IC card is required for each digital broadcast receiving terminal. The structure of this conventional digital broadcast receiving terminal is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 shows two states of a digital broadcast receiving terminal having a conventional IC card control device, when an IC card is inserted and when it is not inserted. Here, 36 and 37 are digital broadcast receiving terminals, respectively. The digital broadcast receiving terminal 36 is controlled for viewing under the control of the IC card control device 30, and the digital broadcast receiving terminal 37 is controlled under the control of the IC card control device 31. Viewing is controlled. Reference numerals 34 and 35 denote IC card slots. When an IC card 33 in which contract information for releasing viewing restrictions is recorded is inserted, a release signal for enabling viewing is output and the release signal is received. The IC card control devices 30 and 31 control the digital broadcast receiving terminals 36 and 37 so that they can be viewed. In FIG. 6, an IC card 33 in which contract information for releasing viewing restrictions is inserted is inserted into the IC card slot 34, and the digital broadcast receiving terminal 36 can be viewed. Since the IC card 33 for releasing the viewing restriction is not inserted into the IC card slot 35 in the IC card slot 35, the release signal for permitting the release is not input to the IC card control device 31, and the digital broadcast receiving terminal 37 indicates that viewing is impossible.

  Also, PPV (Pay Per View) programs can record different contents in the same time zone. Since a PPV program is charged each time, it is desirable for a broadcaster to purchase a plurality of different contents in the same time period, which increases the purchase opportunity of the user.

The receiver technology based on viewing control using an IC card in which contract information is recorded as described above is described in Patent Document 1, for example.
JP 2003-319362 A

  However, in the conventional receiving apparatus as shown in FIG. 6, a copy once signal is added so that the copied recording medium cannot be dubbed when the content is copied, such as ARIB digital broadcasting. If the user has a plurality of receivers, the recording medium corresponding to the plurality of receivers can be used. Appropriate ones must be selected from the list. In this case, the user must replace the IC card with the receiver of the system having the recording medium to be recorded, and is forced to perform a troublesome operation such as inserting and removing the IC card.

  Also, in recent years, it is considered that the majority of households own multiple TVs in one family, and when receiving on each TV in a system that requires an IC card corresponding to each current receiver, as described above In order to eliminate the need for troublesome IC card insertion / removal, it is necessary to make a plurality of the same contracts with the same broadcasting business entity for each receiver, which is uneconomical.

  Furthermore, in order to record a plurality of contents having different PPV programs in the same time zone, a high-end machine having a simultaneous recording function must be used.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and there is one reception contract, and viewing is possible by inputting this contract information (for example, by inserting and removing an IC card and using it for another receiver). The purpose is to receive a viewing service that does not deviate from the scope of the contract without newly inputting troublesome contract information for other receivers. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a component of a receiver for digital TV, and controls viewing by receiving a release signal output from a release means for releasing viewing restrictions based on contract information. The reception control device to be provided has a communication function for performing communication between devices. Then, through communication with the reception control device of the other digital TV receiver, a release signal for canceling the viewing restriction obtained from the contract information input to the other digital TV receiver is obtained, and the contract is made directly. It can be received by its own digital TV receiver which does not input information.

  In other words, the digital TV reception control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention restricts viewing of unreceived digital TV broadcast reception signals, and removes the viewing restriction based on the contract from contract information input from the outside. In the digital TV reception control device, which has a release means for extracting and outputting the release information to be output, and the CPU processes the received signal based on the release information obtained from the release means, The first release information output by the release means of the control device, and the usage status of the first release information obtained from the CPU based on the first release information based on the first release information, are used for the own digital TV. A transmission means for transmitting from the reception control apparatus to another digital TV reception control apparatus, and a second output from the release means of the other digital TV reception control apparatus. The usage status of the second release information obtained from the CPU of the other digital TV reception control device based on the release information and the second release information is sent from the other digital TV reception control device. The second release obtained by communication performed between the receiving means for receiving, the usage status of the first release information, and the other digital TV reception control device including the transmitting means and the receiving means. State storage means for storing information usage status, and according to the usage status of the first and second release information stored in the status storage means of each of the self and other digital TV reception control devices The second release information of the other digital TV reception control device is received by communication.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the digital TV reception control device according to the first aspect, the cancellation unit extracts the cancellation information from the contract information input using an IC card as a medium, and outputs the IC card information. The usage status of the first and second release information is usage status of the first and second IC cards corresponding to the self and other digital TV reception control devices, respectively. An encryption unit for encrypting the first release information transmitted by the transmission unit and transmission data of the usage status of the first IC card; the second release information received by the reception unit; And decryption means for decrypting the received data of the usage status of the IC card.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the digital TV reception control device according to the first aspect, the communication unit according to the usage status of the first and second release information stored in the state storage unit during the communication. A restriction is imposed on the communication of the first and second release information.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital TV reception control method for applying a viewing restriction to a received signal of an uncontracted digital TV broadcast and releasing the viewing restriction based on the contract from contract information input from outside. In the digital TV reception control method in which the CPU receives the release signal from the release device that extracts and outputs information, and the CPU processes the received signal, the first release device of the digital TV reception control device outputs the first The use status of the first release information obtained from its own CPU based on the release information and the first release information is sent from the digital TV reception control device to another digital TV reception control. The second release information and the second release information transmitted to the device or output by the release device of the other digital TV reception control device are sent to the other data. A transmission / reception step of receiving from the other digital TV reception control device the usage status of the second release information obtained from the CPU of the total TV reception control device, and the other digital TV reception control device. A state storage step for storing the usage status of the first release information and the usage status of the second release information when performing communication by the transmission / reception, and the first and second stored in the status storage step And a viewing control step for performing viewing control by restricting communication of the release information according to the usage status of the release information.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the digital TV reception control method according to the fourth aspect, the release device extracts and outputs the release information from the contract information input using an IC card as a medium. The usage status of the release information is a usage status of the first and second IC cards.

  As described above, according to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the digital TV reception control device communicates with other digital TV reception control devices, so that the release information for permitting the viewing restriction based on the contract contents or the CPU Since it is the information that can be sent and received, the usage status of the release information indicating the current viewing status of each receiver can be sent and received, so there is no input of contract information including the release information directly to its own receiver Both can receive release information from other receivers that have entered the desired contract information by communication between the receiving devices, and can control the communication of the release information according to the desired contract content, Viewing or recording within the scope of the contract can be performed according to the desired contract information possessed by the receiver of the transmission source.

  Therefore, when the contract information is input using the IC card as a medium, other receivers can receive information such as the contract contents of the IC card by communication between the receivers, so that the IC card can be inserted and removed. Viewing or recording can be performed using other receivers, and troublesome operations and uneconomical duplicate contracts can be avoided. Furthermore, for broadcasts that allow simultaneous recording, the recording function of other receivers can be diverted by communication without using a high-end device that has a simultaneous multiple recording function in a single device. Economical.

  As described above, according to the first to fifth aspects of the invention, for example, contract information held by an IC card can be shared among a plurality of receivers, so that the user is not conscious of the IC card. In addition, the information indicating the viewing status and the contract information indicating the viewing contract range are communicated together with the restriction release information, so that, for example, a plurality of FLAT contracts are viewed. Can be prohibited.

  Also, by using communication between devices, different contents in the same time zone in PPV programs can be purchased using a plurality of receivers without using a high-end machine capable of simultaneous recording. It is possible to improve the profitability of the operator by increasing the degree of opportunities and increasing the opportunities for users to purchase PPV.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a peripheral configuration of a digital TV IC card control device (digital TV reception control device) of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an IC card control device for digital TV (hereinafter referred to as an IC card control device), which has contract information including information for restricting viewing for reception of uncontracted digital TV broadcasts and releasing the restriction. When it is input, it controls the CPU that processes the received signal so that the viewing restriction is released. 2 is an IC card control device of another individual, and 1 and 2 are other individuals having the same structure. Reference numeral 3 denotes an IC card called a B-CAS card, in which key information (release information) obtained from contract information for viewing scrambled broadcasts is recorded. In the present embodiment, the IC card control devices 1 and 2 control the CPU that processes received signals based on the contract information recorded on the IC card 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes an IC card slot for inserting the IC card 3 (release means, IC card information reading means), which reads out the key information (first release information) held by the IC card 3 and stores the read key information in the read key information. Based on this, a release signal permitting release of the viewing restriction is output to the IC card control device 1. Reference numeral 5 denotes an IC card slot of another individual, and the IC card slot 4 and the other IC card slot 5 are other individuals having the same structure. The release signal output from the IC card slot 5 is input to the IC card control device 2. Reference numeral 6 denotes a digital broadcast receiving terminal which incorporates the IC card control device 1 and the IC card slot 4 and is controlled by the IC card control device 1. Reference numeral 7 denotes another individual digital broadcast receiving terminal which incorporates the IC card control device 2 and the IC card slot 5 and is controlled by the IC card control device 2.

  Here, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the IC card control devices 1 and 2 are communicating. As shown in FIG. 1, the IC card control devices 1 and 2 can communicate with other individual IC card control devices.

  FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of the IC card control device 1 shown in FIG. Reference numeral 8 denotes a communication unit (transmission unit and reception unit) built in the IC card control device 1, which performs transmission / reception with a communication unit built in an IC card control device of another digital broadcast receiving terminal having the same configuration. Reference numeral 9 denotes a memory unit (state storage means), which stores status information indicating the usage status of the IC card 3 in the IC card control device 1. This status information is transmitted to the other digital broadcast receiving terminal via the communication unit 8 at the time of an inquiry from the IC card control device in the other digital broadcast receiving terminal. Further, the memory unit 9 receives and stores status information of other digital broadcast receiving terminals via the communication unit 8. Reference numeral 10 denotes an encryption / decryption unit for encrypting / decrypting a communication signal when communicating with the outside through the communication unit 8. An IC card I / F unit 11 communicates with the IC card 3 inserted into the IC card slot 4. Reference numeral 12 denotes a CPU I / F unit that communicates with a CPU that controls the entire digital broadcast receiving terminal 6. An IC card control unit 13 communicates with the CPU via the CPU I / F unit 12 in the IC card control device 1 and is based on the information of the IC card 3 obtained from the IC card I / F unit 11. The CPU which processes the received signal is controlled.

  The conventional IC card control device does not include the communication unit 8, the memory unit 9, and the encryption / decryption unit 11 as described above, but the IC card I / F unit 11, the CPU I / F unit 12, and the IC card control unit. Only the configuration corresponding to 13 is shown.

  FIG. 3 shows two digital broadcast receiving terminals 24 and 25 having the IC card control device shown in FIG. 2, both having the same structure. Reference numerals 26 and 27 denote IC card control devices possessed by the digital broadcast receiving terminals 24 and 25, respectively. 14 is an IC card control unit, 16 is a communication unit, 18 is a memory unit, and 20 is an encryption / decryption unit. The control unit 14, the communication unit 16, the memory unit 18, and the encryption / decryption unit 20 are each included in an IC card control device 26 built in the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24. 15 is an IC card control unit, 17 is a communication unit, 19 is a memory unit, and 21 is an encryption / decryption unit. The control unit 15, communication unit 17, memory unit 19, and encryption / decryption unit 21 are each included in an IC card control device 27 built in the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25. In the present embodiment, 22 is an IC card for which a PayPerView (hereinafter referred to as PPV) system contract that pays the fee for viewing is made. Contract information is entered. Reference numeral 23 denotes an IC card for which a FLAT contract, which is a system that can receive a designated service at a fixed charge, is entered into the IC card I / F unit 29 of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25. In this example, information based on the IC card is shown being input to the IC card I / F units 28 and 29, but the IC card slot 4 or 5 in FIG. 1 is omitted.

  In the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the operation of the digital TV IC card control device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an example algorithm in the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an example algorithm in the configuration of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 views a FLAT program, first, the IC card for releasing the viewing restriction based on the FLAT contract is its own IC card slot (release means or IC card information reading). It is determined whether it exists in (means) (S101). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, since the own IC card 22 exists, the contract contents (contract information possessed by the IC card) held by the IC card 22 and obtained from the IC card slot are the FLAT contract. Whether the FLAT program can be viewed or not is checked (S102). Then, the response is determined for the own device. Here, since the IC card 22 is a PPV contract, it is determined that viewing is impossible because it has only key information (first release information) for this PPV contract (S103). Furthermore, in order to confirm whether or not another individual, that is, in this embodiment, another IC card 23 of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 can be used, the IC card control device of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 The own digital TV reception control device 26 establishes encrypted communication with the IC card control device (another digital TV reception control device) 27 of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 (S105). Specifically, first, an encryption process is performed in the encryption / decryption unit (encryption unit) 20 for encrypting a transmission signal to the IC card control device 27 (S105a), and the communication unit (transmission unit) of its own device. ) 16 is used to transmit a predetermined signal for establishing encrypted communication to the communication unit (reception means) 17 of the communication destination (S105b), and the IC card control device 27 encrypts and decrypts the received signal at the communication destination. The encryption unit (decryption unit) 21 performs decryption to establish encrypted communication (S105c). After the encrypted communication is established, an inquiry is made to the IC card 23 as to whether or not viewing is possible (S106), and a response determination with respect to the contract information of another IC card 23 is performed (S107). In this embodiment, since the other IC card 23 has information on the FLAT contract, it can be viewed unless it is being used by another receiver. Migrate to

  Next, the contract information of the IC card 23 recorded in the memory unit (state storage unit) 18 received in the inquiry step (transmission / reception step) S106 is confirmed (S109). In this case, since the FLAT contract is made for the IC card 23, the key information (second release information) included in the contract information of the other IC card 23 possessed by the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 which is another device. ) Can be viewed by the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 of the own device, but the FLAT contract is restricted so that it can only be viewed on one TV, so a FLAT contract is suddenly made by another receiver during viewing. It is necessary to perform exclusive processing so as not to deprive the right of viewing based on. Whether or not the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 can view the FLAT contract broadcast using the IC card 23 inserted in the other digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 depends on the use status of the FLAT contract of the IC card 23. Using the key information (second release information) held by the IC card 23, the status of use of the FLAT contract is transferred to the status information for the own card 23 in the memory unit (state storage unit) 19 so as to hold the state exclusively. , That is, “use other TV” indicates that the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 (other than the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25) is using the usage status of the IC card 23 of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25. "Medium" (use status of the second release information) is written (state storage step) (S110). Further, the status of use of the FLAT contract in the status information for the other card 23 of the own memory unit 18, that is, the usage status of the IC card 23 that the own digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 has in the other digital broadcast receiving terminal 25. Then, “Self TV in use” (usage status of the second release information) indicating that the own device is using the encrypted communication is written (state storage step) (S111). Through such processing, which receiver uses which FLAT contract of which card is used by each of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 and the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 based on the IC card usage state stored in the memory units 18 and 19, respectively. In the response determination step (S107) for the other device, and if it does not comply with the contract contents, the communication of the key information obtained from the other digital broadcast receiving terminal is controlled here. Exclusive (viewing control step).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if only one card having a FLAT contract with a broadcasting business entity is possessed among a plurality of digital broadcast receiving terminals, within the scope of the contract. That is, if control is performed so that a plurality of devices do not view at the same time, it is possible to view even a digital broadcast receiving terminal in which no FLAT contract IC card is inserted.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 views a PPV program, first, the IC card for releasing the viewing restriction based on the PPV contract is its own device (in this embodiment, the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25). ) Is present in the IC card slot (cancellation means or IC card information reading means) (S201). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the IC card 23 of its own exists, so it is determined whether or not the contract contents held by the IC card 23 and obtained from the IC card slot are PPV contracts. An inquiry is made to confirm whether or not the PPV program can be viewed (S202). Then, the response of the own device is determined. Here, since the IC card 23 of the own device is a FLAT contract, it has only key information (first release information in the present embodiment) for this FLAT contract, It is determined that the PPV program cannot be viewed (S203), and in order to confirm whether or not the other individual, that is, in this embodiment, the IC card 22 of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 can be used, digital The IC card control device (own digital TV reception control device) 27 of the broadcast receiving terminal 25 establishes encrypted communication with the IC card control device 26 (other digital TV reception control device) of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24. (S205). Specifically, first, the encryption / decryption unit (encryption means) 21 performs encryption processing for encryption of a predetermined transmission signal for establishing encrypted communication with the IC card control device 26 (S205a). ) To the communication unit (reception unit) 16 of the communication destination using the communication unit (transmission unit) 17 of the own device (S205b), the IC card control device 26 at the communication destination is a predetermined for establishing encrypted communication The encrypted communication is established by decrypting the received signal in the encryption / decryption unit (decryption means) 20 (S205c). After the encrypted communication is established, an inquiry is made to the IC card 22 as to whether or not viewing is possible (S206), a response determination is made on the IC card of another device (S207), and viewing is enabled (viewing control step).

  Next, the contract information of the other IC card 22 recorded in the memory unit 19 received in the inquiry step (transmission / reception step) S206 is confirmed (S209). In this case, since the PPV contract is made for the IC card 22, the key information (second release information) included in the contract information of the other IC card 22 possessed by the digital broadcast receiving terminal 24 which is another device. ) Can be viewed by the digital broadcast receiving terminal 25 of the own device (S204).

  Here, no communication medium is designated for communication between the IC card control devices 26 and 27, but wireless and wired communication media using radio waves and light are conceivable.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that processing is performed by hardware in the IC card control device, but it is also possible to perform processing by an external device or software.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if there is only one card with a specific contract with a broadcasting entity among a plurality of digital broadcast receiving terminals, a plurality of cards are within the scope of the contract. The digital broadcast receiving terminal can simultaneously view the content of the PPV program. In addition, since it becomes possible to purchase PPV programs in the same time period, not only user convenience but also profits for businesses are obtained.

  In this embodiment, an example is shown in which an IC card is used as a recording medium having contract information and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other recording media can also be used.

  The reception control apparatus and reception control method for digital TV according to the present invention can realize a flexible operation without making the user aware of a recording medium on which contract information such as an IC card is recorded, and a plurality of one for a single FLAT contract. Prohibition of acts such as viewing can be realized, and it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the user so that different contents can be purchased in the same time zone in the PPV program, and the user can purchase PPV It is possible to improve the profitability of business operators by increasing the number of opportunities, and it is useful for receiving control devices for digital TV that perform descrambling by inputting contract information using an IC card or the like. is there.

It is the schematic which showed communication by the IC card control apparatus of this invention. 1 is a structural diagram of an IC card control device of the present invention. It is operation | movement example explanatory drawing of the IC card control apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of an operation | movement algorithm of the IC card control apparatus corresponding to a PPV contract in the communication operation | movement between IC card control apparatuses of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of an operation | movement algorithm of the IC card control apparatus corresponding to a FLAT contract in the communication operation | movement between IC card control apparatuses of this invention. It is the schematic of the conventional IC card control apparatus and a digital broadcast receiving terminal.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 26, 27
, 30, 31 IC card control device
(Self or other digital TV reception control means)
3, 22, 23, 33 IC card (B-CAS card)
4, 5 IC card slot 6, 7 Digital broadcast receiving terminal 8, 16, 17 Communication unit (transmitting means and receiving means)
9, 18, 19 Memory part (state storage means)
10, 20, 21 Encryption / decryption unit (encryption means and decryption means)
11, 12, 28, 29 IC card I / F unit 13, 14, 15 IC card control unit 24, 25 Digital broadcast receiving terminal S103, S203 Own device response determination step S106, S206 IC card information inquiry step (transmission / reception step)
S107, S207 Other device response determination step (viewing control step)
S110, S111
, S210, S211 IC card usage status writing step
(State memory step)

Claims (5)

Release means for restricting viewing on a received signal of an unsigned digital TV broadcast, extracting release information for releasing the viewing restriction based on the contract from contract information input from outside, and outputting the release information; In the digital TV reception control device in which the CPU processes the reception signal based on the release information obtained from
The first release information output by the release means of the digital TV reception control device and the usage status of the first release information obtained from the CPU based on the first release information. Transmitting means for transmitting from the digital TV reception control device to another digital TV reception control device;
The second release information output by the release means of the other digital TV reception control device and the second obtained from the CPU of the other digital TV reception control device based on the second release information. Receiving means for receiving the use status of the release information from the other digital TV reception control device;
The usage status of the first release information and the usage status of the second release information obtained by communication with the other digital TV reception control device provided with the transmission means and the reception means are stored. State storage means for
The other digital TV reception control device through communication according to the usage status of the first and second release information stored in the state storage means of each of the self and other digital TV reception control devices. The digital TV reception control device, wherein the second release information of the digital TV is received. The reception control device for digital TV according to claim 1,
The release means is IC card information reading means for extracting and outputting the release information from the contract information input using an IC card as a medium,
The usage statuses of the first and second release information are usage statuses of the first and second IC cards corresponding to the self and other digital TV reception control devices, respectively.
An encryption unit for encrypting the first release information transmitted by the transmission unit and the transmission data of the usage status of the first IC card;
A digital TV reception control apparatus comprising: decoding means for combining the second release information received by the receiving means and the received data on the usage status of the second IC card. The reception control device for digital TV according to claim 1,
A digital TV characterized by restricting communication of the first and second release information according to the usage status of the first and second release information stored in the state storage means during the communication. Reception control device. Upon receiving the release signal from the release device that applies the viewing restriction to the received signal of the non-contracted digital TV broadcast, extracts the release information for releasing the viewing restriction based on the contract from the contract information input from the outside, and outputs it In the reception control method for digital TV in which the CPU processes the reception signal,
The first release information output from the release device of the reception control device for the own digital TV and the use status of the first release information obtained from the CPU based on the first release information. The second release information transmitted from the own digital TV reception control device to another digital TV reception control device, or outputted by the release device of the other digital TV reception control device, and the first A transmission / reception step of receiving, from the other digital TV reception control device, usage status of the second release information obtained from the CPU of the other digital TV reception control device;
A state storage step of storing the use status of the first release information and the use status of the second release information when performing communication by the transmission / reception to the other digital TV reception control device;
A viewing control step for performing viewing control by restricting communication of the release information according to the usage status of the first and second release information stored in the state storage step. Reception control method for digital TV. The reception control method for digital TV according to claim 4.
The release device extracts and outputs the release information from the contract information input using an IC card as a medium,
The usage status of the release information is the usage status of the first and second IC cards. The reception control method for digital TV, wherein: