JP2007172828A - Broadcasting receiver, video recording system, video recording reservation control apparatus, and video recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate troublesomeness in a program reservation method using a barcode. <P>SOLUTION: A display control means displays program contents on a television receiver in a table form as shown in Figure 4 out of information captured by an input means from the outside, and reservation is completed by only selecting desired program contents by operating a position specifying means and a setting means. Thus, since it is unnecessary that a barcode is scanned by a barcode reader when the program is reserved, such annoying reading error is eliminated. Also it is displayed in a table form, thereby setting the reservation while comparing adjacent programs. Thus, even if program names are very similar one another, reservation error by misunderstanding is hardly caused. Also it is unnecessary to set a channel and input a start time like a conventional technology such as the barcode reader, thereby simpllifying operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording reservation control apparatus for making a recording reservation.

  With the widespread use of video recording devices (so-called video tape recorders), various devices for automatically recording at a preset time have been proposed. In such a recording apparatus, there are a wide variety of setting contents such as the recording start time, the channel setting of the recorded program, and the recording end time, and the setting requires considerable labor and familiarity. So, even for elderly people who are unfamiliar with the machine's operation, a function to record the same program at the same time every week by reading the recording start time using a bar code, so that the recording reservation can be easily set. A recording device provided is also proposed.

  However, even with such a recording apparatus, since a convention such as a bar code is used, there is a problem that the operation is not intuitive and the operation is complicated. In particular, when recording programs on different channels with continuous broadcast times, or when the same program is broadcast at different times of the week, the setting becomes extremely complicated even if barcodes are used. End up. In the case of a bar code, there may be a reading error. For this reason, it has been desired to improve an apparatus for easily making a recording reservation for a desired program.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and simplify recording reservation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording reservation control apparatus of the present invention
In a recording reservation control device that is mounted on a video recording device VTR that records the broadcast content of a television and controls the recording,
Storage means ME for storing in advance information including at least the content of the TV broadcast and the airing time;
Display control means DC for outputting the stored information to the television receiver TV and displaying the information on the television receiver TV in a table format;
Selecting means SL for selecting desired broadcast contents from the displayed information;
According to the selected information, there is provided a recording setting means RS for setting the broadcast time in the recording reservation means TM of the video recording device VTR.

  As described above in detail, according to the recording reservation control apparatus of the present invention, a recording reservation can be made only by selecting a program while viewing the contents of the program displayed in a table format on the television receiver. It has an excellent effect that the reservation can be greatly simplified.

The recording reservation control apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration is attached to a video recording apparatus for recording the broadcast contents of a television and controls the recording means as follows.
The recording reservation control device outputs information including at least the contents of the television broadcast and the broadcast time stored in advance in the storage means ME to the television receiver TV by the display control means DC and displays the information in a table format on the television receiver TV. Let Therefore, it is possible to visually recognize the broadcast content and the broadcast time in the same format as the TV broadcast program guide published in newspapers and specialized magazines. In this state, information is selected by selecting means SL, for example, movement of the cursor and blinking or reverse display of the display, and the recording setting means RS determines the airing time of the selected airing content according to the selected information. It is set in the recording reservation means TM of the video recording apparatus.

  Accordingly, the video recording device VTR performs recording by the recording reservation means TM when the time of the program selected based on the content of the broadcast displayed in a tabular format on the television receiver TV is reached.

  In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, a preferred embodiment of the recording reservation control apparatus of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a recording reservation card 1 as an embodiment of the recording reservation control apparatus of the present invention together with a video tape recorder (VTR) 3 and a television receiver 5 connected to the video tape recorder (VTR) 3 via a cable 4. FIG. As shown in the figure, the VTR 3 includes a cassette insertion portion 7 for inserting a video cassette tape, a time display portion 8 for displaying the current time, a connection portion 10 for slidingly inserting a card-shaped recording reservation card 1 from above, and the like.

  The recording reservation card 1 stores in advance the contents / time etc. of a TV broadcast program for one week or several weeks, and is sold alone or together with a weekly / monthly magazine that explains the contents of the program. In the present embodiment, the contents of the program are stored in the ROM as will be described later, but may be rewritten by a vending machine or the like as stored in a rewritable PROM or a battery-backed RAM. Good. This recording reservation card 1 is used by being attached to the connection part 10 of the VTR 3.

  The recording reservation card 1 has control keys 11, 12, and 13 on which characters such as “setting”, “weekly”, and “continuous” are engraved and cursor keys 21, 22, on which up, down, left, and right arrows are engraved. 23 and 24 are provided. A connector 30 connected to the connecting portion 10 in the VTR 3 is provided at the lowermost end.

  Next, the internal configuration of the recording reservation card 1 and the VTR 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, a recording reservation card 1 is provided with a key input port 35, an input / output port 38, etc., which are connected to each other by a bus 34, with a well-known CPU 31, ROM 32, and RAM 33 as the center. .

  The ROM 32 stores a simple content of broadcast programs for about 1 to 4 weeks and broadcast start / end times together with the control program. Each key 11 to 13, 21 to 24 provided on the card surface is connected to the key input port 35, and the operation state of each key is input. The input / output port 38 is a port for exchanging data and the like with a control device inside the VTR 3, and is connected to the internal bus 45 via the connector 3 when the recording reservation card 1 is attached to the VTR 3.

On the other hand, in addition to the well-known CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, and timer 55 connected to each other by a bus 45, a VTR 3 has a tuner 60 that demodulates video / audio signals by receiving TV broadcast waves via an antenna 57. A recording / reproducing unit 65 for recording or reproducing the recorded signal on a video tape, and a video signal output unit 70 for outputting the video signal to the television 5. The timer 55 has a calendar function for managing the date and time and a clock function for 24 hours. When the time set in advance by the CPU 51 via the internal bus 45 is reached, this is notified to the CPU 51 as an interrupt, and the time display section 8 Display the current time. Further, the tuner 60 can select a channel to be demodulated upon receiving a command from the CPU 51. The demodulated video signal of the selected channel is output to the recording / reproducing unit 65. The control signal of the CPU 51 is also output to the recording / reproducing unit 65, and the recording / reproducing unit 65 receives this signal. Depending on the recording / reproduction of the video signal, the recording / reproducing head (not shown) is driven, the tape reel driving motor is controlled, and the like. Further, the video signal output unit 70 reads out a video signal of a channel demodulated by the tuner 60, a video signal reproduced by the recording / reproducing unit 65, and a video signal generated by reading out the image data stored in the RAM 53 by the CPU 51. One of the video signals is selected, temporarily stored in an internal video memory (not shown), and then constantly output to the television receiver 5.

  Next, processing executed by the CPUs 31 and 51 of the recording reservation card 1 and the VTR 3 will be described with reference to the program table shown in FIG. 4 and the flowcharts shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. When the recording reservation card 1 is inserted into the VTR 3 and the power is turned on, the card-side processing routine shown in FIG. 5 is started, and first, processing such as initialization of the cursor position is performed (step 100). The initial position of the cursor is a predetermined origin, and in the program table shown in FIG. 4, it is the position corresponding to the program with the smallest numbered channel and the earliest time zone (program A1 in this embodiment). Thereafter, the program table is read from the ROM 32 (step 110), and the program data in the area corresponding to the cursor position and the data at the cursor position are output to the VTR 3 via the input / output port 38 (step 120). That is, since it is not possible to display the entire program guide at once on the television receiver 5, program data for one screen is output centering on the position of the cursor. The output program data is temporarily stored in the RAM 53 via the connector 30 and later sent to the video signal output unit 70 under the control of the CPU 51, where it is converted into a video signal and then output to the television receiver 5. The Subsequently, it waits for the key provided on the surface of the recording reservation card 1 to be operated (step 130), and the process proceeds to step 140 and subsequent steps according to the input key.

  If the input key is a cursor key, the cursor data corresponding to any of the operated keys 21 to 24 is output (step 140), and the cursor position information stored in the RAM 33 is set in accordance with the configuration of the program guide. The update process is performed (step 150). For example, when the cursor is at the position of the program C3 shown in FIG. 4 and the cursor key 21 with the upward arrow is operated, the data is output to the video signal output unit 70 of the VTR 3 and the recording reservation card 1 The cursor position information is updated from the program C3 to the position of the program C2. When the cursor key 24 indicated by the right arrow is operated, the cursor position information is updated from the program C3 to the program D3. After the above processing, the processing returns to step 120 and the processing after step 120 is executed again. Therefore, when the cursor is moved outside the currently displayed area, the displayed program area is also updated by the processing of step 120.

  If it is determined in step 130 that the input key is the “SET” key 11, the program start time and its channel number corresponding to the current cursor position information are read from the ROM 32 (step 160) and continued. The recording start time is output to the CPU 51 of the VTR 3 (step 170). For example, when the cursor is on the program C3, the start time 8:45 of this program and the channel CH5 are read and output. Subsequently, the end time of the program is read (step 180), and the process of outputting the time is performed (step 190). In the example described above, the end time of 9:30 is read out and output.

  On the other hand, when the “Weekly” key 12 is input, the program after the next week stored in the ROM 3 is searched (step 200), and whether the same program as the program where the cursor currently exists exists after the next week. It is determined whether or not (step 210). If the same program exists after the next week, the start time / channel including the date of the program is read and output, and the end time is read and output as in the case of the operation of the “set” key described above ( Steps 160 to 190). If there is no identical program, the process returns to step 120 and the process is repeated from the key input. By this processing, even when the same program is broadcast at different times after the next week, it can be easily reserved. The processing on the VTR 3 side will be described later.

  If the input key is the “continuous” key 13 in step 130, a process of canceling the end time of the continuous programs among the plurality of programs set so far is performed (step 220). As a result, when recording of a plurality of continuous programs (including cases where the channels are different or the same) is set, the power of the VTR 3 is not turned off every time the broadcast time of one program ends.

  The processing on the recording reservation card 1 side has been described above. In response to this processing, the following processing is performed on the VTR 3 side. As shown in FIG. 6, first, the process waits until data is output from the recording reservation card 1 (step 300). If data is output, the contents are determined (step 310). When the output content is cursor data (corresponding to step 140 in FIG. 5), the CPU 51 outputs the data to the video signal output unit 70 and updates the inversion position of the displayed program (step 350). For example, in the case where program C3 hatched in FIG. 4 is highlighted, when information indicating that the cursor key 22 of the downward arrow is operated from the recording reservation card 1, the program C4 is highlighted and the program is displayed. The output is switched to the output of the video signal in which C3 is normally displayed.

  On the other hand, if the content of the output from the recording reservation card 1 is program table data, the data is temporarily stored in the RAM 53 corresponding to the data output in step 120 in FIG. A process for setting the data to be displayed on the video signal output unit 70 (step 320) and a process for inputting the cursor position data output from the recording reservation card 1 are performed (step 330). Subsequently, a process of setting the position of the program to be displayed in reverse in the video signal output unit 70 based on the input cursor position data is performed (step 340).

  When the output content from the recording reservation card 1 is processing on the card side and set time information corresponding to steps 170 and 190, this information is temporarily stored in the RAM 53 (step 360), and a plurality of stored times are stored. A process for setting the date / time closest to the current time in the information to the timer 55 is performed (step 370). The timer 55 interrupts the CPU 51 when the set date / time is reached, and drives the tuner 60 and the recording / reproducing unit 65 to record the stored program on the video cassette tape.

After completion of the processes of steps 310 to 370, the process returns to step 300 and repeats from the process of waiting until the data is output from the recording reservation card 1.
By the processing on the recording reservation card 1 side and the processing on the VTR 3 side described above, the user sets recording reservation as follows.

  (1) First, when the recording reservation card 1 is inserted into the VTR 3 and the power is turned on, a part of the program table for the day is displayed in a table format on the television set 5 as shown in FIG. By operating the cursor keys 21 to 24, a desired program can be displayed in reverse video. When a cursor operation is performed to move the reverse display unit outside the currently displayed region, the display region is displayed. Is updated. The processing for displaying the program guide other than the program guide for the day has not been specifically described. However, a dedicated key may be provided, or the previous day or the next day depending on the combination of the cursor keys 21 and 22 and other keys. It is also preferable that the program table is displayed.

  (2) When the “setting” key 11 of the recording reservation card 1 is operated in a state where the desired program is highlighted, the start time, channel and end time including the date of the program are stored, and the VTR 3 has the start time When the end time comes, the recording starts.

(3) When the “Weekly” key 12 is operated after making a recording reservation for a certain program, the contents of the program after the next week stored in advance in the ROM 32 are searched, and the same program as the currently highlighted program is displayed. If there is, set the start time / channel and end time including that date. Therefore, it is possible to make a recording reservation without error even if the same program is broadcast at different times.

  (4) When the recording reservation for a plurality of programs is set and then the “continuous” key 13 is operated, the setting of the end time of the program in the continuous time zone is canceled among the recording reservation programs. Therefore, when recording a plurality of programs in a continuous time zone, the power of the VTR 3 is not turned off at the end of each set program, which is preferable in terms of durability of the VTR 3.

  As described above, the recording reservation card 1 of the present embodiment stores in advance the contents of a program for one week to several weeks and its start / end time, and displays this on the television receiver 5 to display the program. Therefore, the recording reservation can be performed very easily. Since it is only necessary to select a program, there is no need for time setting, bar code reading, and the like, and the operation is easy even for those who are not familiar with the machine. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to search for a program having the same content, so that even when a continuous program is broadcast at different time zones, the recording reservation can be simply performed.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, a touch board, a mouse, or a light pen that is grounded on the screen of the television receiver is used instead of the cursor key. Needless to say, the present invention can be implemented in various modes within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention, such as a configuration for selecting a desired program and a configuration in which a key for setting operation is directly provided on the VTR.

It is a block diagram which illustrates the basic composition of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the video recording reservation card | curd 1 as one Example of this invention with the video tape recorder 3. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the recording reservation card 1 and the video tape recorder 3 in the same manner. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display of the program in an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the process by the video recording reservation card 1 side. It is a flowchart which shows the process by the side of the video tape recorder.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Recording reservation card 3 ... Video tape recorder (VTR)
5 ... Television receiver 11, 12, 13 ... Control key 21, 22, 23, 24 ... Cursor key 55 ... Timer 60 ... Tuner 65 ... Recording / playback unit 70 ... Video signal output unit

Claims (1)

In a recording reservation control device that is mounted on a video recording device that records the broadcast content of a television and controls the recording,
Storage means for storing in advance information including at least the content of the television broadcast and the broadcast time;
Display control means for outputting the stored information to a television receiver and displaying the information on the television receiver in a table format;
Selecting means for selecting desired broadcast contents from the displayed information;
A recording reservation control device, comprising: a recording setting unit that sets a broadcast time of the broadcast time in a recording reservation unit of the video recording device according to the selected information.

Images