JP2006319869A - Broadcast receiver and zapping assisting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably return to a program viewed before zapping after a lapse of predetermined time, even when zapping is performed on another program during viewing of the program. <P>SOLUTION: When a switching is performed during viewing of a previously registered main program to be viewed (step S3a) to another program (step S3b), the CPU of the broadcast receiver starts a zapping mode (step S3c) in which the program other than the main program to be viewed is viewed for only a predetermined period of time. The CPU of the broadcast receiver sets the above predetermined period of time in a timer (step S3d). When it is informed of the expiration of the predetermined time from the timer (step S3m), it clears the above zapping mode and returns to reproduction of the main program to be viewed (step S3n). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast receiver and a zapping support method for selecting and receiving a program provided by, for example, satellite broadcasting or terrestrial broadcasting.

  Conventionally, in broadcasting systems for satellite broadcasting or terrestrial broadcasting, a wide variety of programs are broadcast on multiple channels, and viewers can play back and view desired programs by specifying channels on the broadcast receiver. Yes. For example, in the case of an audio program, in addition to various music such as Japanese music and Western music, information genres such as news and English conversation are also provided.

  Such program information is provided by an electronic program guide (EPG) in which a program arrangement of each channel is presented for each genre. In the broadcast receiver, the EPG is input, and the viewer can read from the EPG. Specify the desired program.

By the way, in satellite broadcasting and terrestrial broadcasting, it is expected that the number of programs will increase with digital broadcasting, and it will be difficult to select a program desired by the user. It is also expected that the desired programs will overlap. For this reason, for example, when a program being viewed is interrupted and a CM (commercial message) is started, the user may perform so-called zapping in which channels are switched and the broadcast content of other channels is confirmed. Therefore, for example, an automatic zapping function is provided for the broadcast receiver, which stores, for example, channel switching operations performed during CM as operation history, and automatically switches and presents the operation history stored at the start of CM as options. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-56630 A

  However, in the above conventional broadcast receiver, if zapping is performed, the user may forget to return to the original program that was being watched and miss the important scene of the program that is being watched. Also, since zapping is often performed arbitrarily, if the switching operation is frequently performed, many options are generated, which is complicated and difficult to understand.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances. The purpose of the present invention is to reliably return to a viewing program before starting zapping after a predetermined period of time even if zapping is performed on another program while viewing the program. It is an object of the present invention to provide a broadcast receiver and a zapping support method capable of performing the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, a broadcast receiver according to the present invention comprises a receiving means for selectively receiving a broadcast program, a program reproduction means for reproducing the selected program, and a program being reproduced as a main viewing program. Main viewing program registration means for registering as above, and setting means for setting a zapping mode for temporarily switching playback to another program during playback of the main viewing program. Then, when the zapping mode is set, it is detected that playback has been switched from the main viewing program to the other program, and it is determined that zapping has started, and the main viewing program is restored to play after a predetermined time has elapsed. Is.

  A zapping support method according to the present invention is a zapping support method used in a broadcast receiver that selectively receives and plays back a broadcast program, and registers the program being played back as a main viewing program registration. A setting process for setting a zapping mode for temporarily switching playback to another program during playback of the main viewing program, and playback switching from the main viewing program to the other program at the time of setting the zapping mode It is determined that zapping has been started by detecting the occurrence of the event, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the reproduction of the main viewing program is resumed.

  In the broadcast receiver and the zapping support method of the above invention, even if zapping is performed on another program while viewing the program, it is possible to reliably return to the viewed program before starting zapping after a predetermined time has elapsed. For example, if a program switching / playback operation is performed during CM of the main viewing program, it is determined that zapping has started, and the original main viewing program is restored after a predetermined time. This prevents a situation where an important part of the main viewing program is missed.

  That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a broadcast receiver and a zapping support method capable of reliably returning to a viewing program before starting zapping after a predetermined time has elapsed even if zapping is performed on another program while viewing the program. it can.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a broadcast receiver according to the present invention.
The broadcast receiver 1 is a digital broadcast receiver such as a portable type or an in-vehicle type. The broadcast receiver 1 receives a broadcast signal from a broadcast satellite or the like by means of an antenna 11, frequency-converts the received signal by a tuner 12, performs demodulation processing by a CDM (Code Division Multiplex) demodulator 13, and transmits a packet Extract data. This packet data is decoded by the decoder unit 14 into content (video, audio, data, etc.) and program information of each program. For example, in the case of an audio program, the program information is data including a playlist such as the start time of a song, a song name, and an artist name, and can be received together with the content of the program. Based on this program information, it is possible to determine the time point at which the content in the program is switched.

  The broadcast receiver 1 includes a control device (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 15 such as a microprocessor. The decoder unit 14, the RAM 110, and the ROM 111 are connected to the CPU 15 via the bus 16. The content and program information decoded by the decoder unit 14 are stored in the RAM 110.

  Further, a display device 112 such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an audio output device 113 such as a speaker, and a touch panel 17 and a key switch 18 as an operation input unit are connected to the CPU 15, respectively. The CPU 15 displays the video and data read from the RAM 110 on the display device 112 and outputs the read audio from the audio output device 113. The ROM 111 stores a program for performing zapping mode processing for realizing the present invention.

  The touch panel 17 is provided on the screen of the display device 112 and is used for setting the zapping mode. The key switch 18 is provided, for example, in a remote controller and is used for program selection, volume adjustment, and the like. The broadcast receiver 1 is provided with a real-time clock 19 for acquiring an accurate time.

Here, the operation when the zapping mode is set will be described with reference to FIG.
When the viewer selects the program A and views it for a certain time (screen P1), the program A is registered as the main viewing program (screen P2). In this state, it is assumed that, for example, the viewer enters a CM while watching program A and wants to watch another program and changes (zapping) to program B (screen P3). At this time, it is determined that zapping has started, and the time until return is counted. During this time, the viewer can freely switch and reproduce the program. During this zapping process, the remaining time of the zapping mode is displayed on the screen (screens P3 to P5). When a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of zapping (screen P6), the main viewing program is restored (screen P2).

  The touch panel 17 is provided with various operation buttons 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, and 17e in addition to displaying the remaining time of the zapping set time. With the “Register” button 17a, the program being viewed can be registered as the main viewing program. The remaining time of the zapping setting time can be changed by the “shortening” button 17e and the “extending” button 17d, and can be shortened or extended. In addition, when the “return” button 17b is pressed, the original main viewing program can be immediately restored regardless of the remaining time of the zapping set time. The “cancel” button 17c is used to cancel the function of returning to the main viewing program after a predetermined time.

Next, the processing operation by the CPU 15 of the broadcast receiver 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the operation procedure of the broadcast receiver 1 and the flowchart showing the contents shown in FIG.
In step S3a, a program that has been viewed for a certain period of time is stored in the RAM 110 as a main viewing program. Alternatively, the program being reproduced is stored as the main viewing program by detecting the pressing of the “Register” button 17a. In step S3b, it is monitored whether or not switching from the main viewing program to another program has occurred. If it is determined in step S3b that switching to another program has occurred, the process proceeds to step S3c to detect the start of zapping, and in step S3d, the time until the end of the zapping mode (that is, return to the main viewing program). (Return time until) is set in the timer. In step S3e, the remaining time of the zapping set time is displayed on the display device 112.

  In this state, when insertion of CM or switching of contents is detected based on the program information of the main viewing program in step S3f, the process proceeds to step S3n to switch to the main viewing program, and the zapping process is terminated. If it is detected in step S3g that the “return” button 17b is pressed, the process proceeds to step S3n to switch to the main viewing program.

  If the “extend” button 17d is pressed in step S3h, the process proceeds to step S3j to extend the timer set time by a certain time. On the other hand, when the “shortening” button 17e is pressed in step S3k, the process proceeds to step S31 and the timer setting time is shortened by a certain time. In step S3m, when the zapping end time set in the timer comes, the process proceeds to step S3n to switch to the main viewing program.

  Furthermore, when the “cancel” button 17c is pressed in step S3o, the registration of the main viewing program is canceled and the zapping mode is ended. That is, the viewer can continuously watch the program switched by zapping. On the other hand, if various events have not occurred in step S3f to step S3o, the process proceeds from step S3o to step S3e, and the remaining time in the zapping mode is displayed on the display device 112, and the zapping mode ends or is canceled. The above-described operation is repeated until

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the zapping mode is set, when switching to another program during viewing of the main viewing program registered in advance, other programs other than the main viewing program are reproduced for a predetermined time. When the start of zapping is detected, a predetermined time is set in the timer, and when it is notified from the timer that the predetermined time has elapsed, the zapping is canceled and the reproduction of the main viewing program is resumed.

  Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, even if zapping is performed on another program while viewing the program, it is possible to reliably return to the viewed program before starting zapping after a predetermined time has elapsed. For example, even if the zapping operation is performed during CM of the main viewing program, the original main viewing program can be surely viewed after a predetermined time. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a situation in which an important part of the main viewing program is missed.

In addition, since a program that has been played for a certain period of time is automatically registered as the main viewing program, the trouble of registering the program being viewed as the main viewing program each time can be saved, improving operability. .
Further, since the time until returning to the main viewing program is displayed during zapping, the zapping operation can be freely performed while being aware of the time until returning to the main viewing program.

  In addition, an “extend” button 17d and a “shorten” button 17e are provided on the touch panel 17, and it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the return time until returning to the main viewing program, so the zapping time can be extended or shortened. Even if it happens, you can return to the main viewing program without forgetting it.

  In the above embodiment, when program information related to the content of the program is provided together with the program, a switching time point in the main viewing program is determined, and a return time of the main viewing program is set based on the switching time point. I am doing so. With this configuration, for example, zapping can be performed until the next content starts in the main viewing program regardless of the zapping time. In addition, the adjustment of the return time is not necessary, and the main viewing program is reliably reproduced at a predetermined time, thereby preventing the viewing from being missed.

  The touch panel 17 is provided with a “cancel” button 17c. When the “cancel” button 17c is pressed, the display immediately returns to the main viewing program. Thereby, even during zapping, it is possible to immediately switch to viewing of the main viewing program with a simple operation.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, when the broadcast receiver 1 has a function of cooperating with a playback device of another source other than the broadcast program, even when playback is switched from the main viewing program to the playback device of another source, a predetermined time elapses. You may comprise so that it may return to reproduction | regeneration of a main viewing-and-listening programme. In this way, it is possible to reliably return to the main viewing program even when the playback device of another source such as radio, video, DVD, etc. is viewed in addition to other programs during the zapping mode.

In addition, the configuration of the broadcast receiver 1 and the processing procedure and processing contents in the zapping mode can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the broadcast receiver concerning this invention. The figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of the zapping mode setting of the broadcast receiver shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the broadcast receiver shown in FIG. 1, and its content.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Broadcast receiver, 11 ... Antenna, 12 ... Tuner, 13 ... CDM demodulation part, 14 ... Decoder part, 15 ... CPU, 16 ... Bus, 17 ... Touch panel, 18 ... Key switch, 19 ... Real time clock, 110 ... RAM, 111... ROM, 112... Display device, 113. 17a ... "Register" button, 17b ... "Return" button, 17c ... "Cancel" button, 17d ... "Extend" button, 17e ... "Reduce" button.

Claims (8)

Receiving means for selectively receiving broadcast programs;
Program playback means for playing back the selected program;
Main viewing program registration means for registering the program being played back as a main viewing program;
Setting means for setting a zapping mode for temporarily switching playback to another program during playback of the main viewing program;
Main viewing program return means for detecting that the playback has been switched from the main viewing program to the other program at the time of setting the zapping mode, determining that zapping has started, and returning to playback of the main viewing program after a predetermined time has elapsed The broadcast receiver characterized by comprising.   2. The broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the main viewing program registration unit registers a program reproduced for a predetermined time or more as a main viewing program.   The broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the main viewing program return means further comprises return time presentation means for presenting a return time until the main viewing program is returned to the reproduction.   2. The broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the main viewing program return means further comprises return time adjustment means for arbitrarily adjusting a return time until the main viewing program is restored.   When program information related to the content of the program is provided together with the program, the main viewing program return means determines a playback switching time of the content from the program information, and sets the return time based on the switching time The broadcast receiver according to claim 1. When it has a function to cooperate with a playback device of another source other than the broadcast program,
The setting means for the zapping mode includes reproduction of the other source in the temporary reproduction switching,
The main viewing program return means detects that playback has been switched from the main viewing program to the other source, determines that zapping has started, and returns to playback of the main viewing program after a predetermined time has elapsed. The broadcast receiver according to claim 1. Further comprising zapping mode canceling means for canceling the setting of the zapping mode,
2. The broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the main viewing program return means returns to the reproduction of the main viewing program as soon as the zapping mode is released. A zapping support method used in a broadcast receiver that selectively receives and reproduces a broadcast program,
A main viewing program registration process for registering the program being played back as a main viewing program;
A setting process for setting a zapping mode for temporarily switching playback to another program during playback of the main viewing program;
A main viewing program return process for detecting that the playback from the main viewing program has been switched to the other program at the time of setting the zapping mode and determining that zapping has started, and returning to playback of the main viewing program after a predetermined time has elapsed A zapping support method comprising:

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