JP2008177758A - Information processing device and recording control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve an information processor for reducing possibility that reservation/recording processing fails. <P>SOLUTION: A check processing part 202 performs check processing corresponding to each of a plurality of check items in a predetermined time before the recording start time of broadcast program data whose recording has been reserved. A recording failure factor detection part 205 detects any failure factor which may result in the failure of the recording of the broadcast program data whose recording has been reserved based on the result of check processing. A coping method detection part 206 determines a coping method corresponding to the detected failure factor by referring to a coping method database 302. A mail preparation part 207 prepares electronic mail for notifying a user that there is possibility that the recording of the broadcast program data whose recoding has been reserved is not normally performable. The coping method determined by the coping method determination part 206 is described in this electronic mail. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer having a function of receiving broadcast program data, for example, and a recording control method applied to the apparatus.

  In recent years, personal computers having the same AV function as audio / video (AV) devices such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players and TV devices have been developed.

  Such a personal computer has a reserved recording function in addition to a function of viewing and recording broadcast program data. The reserved recording function is a function for automatically recording broadcast program data designated by a recording reservation preset by the user. By using this reserved recording function, the user can cause the personal computer to record the target broadcast program data even if the user is away from the personal computer.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording / reproducing apparatus having a function of displaying or mailing a warning indicating that recording is not possible due to overlapping recording reservation times or insufficient storage capacity of the recording apparatus.
International Publication No. 2004/088980 Pamphlet

  However, in a personal computer, unlike a stationary dedicated recording / reproducing apparatus, there is a possibility that various other processes are executed even when a reserved recording is executed.

  For this reason, when performing scheduled recording with a personal computer, not only due to overlapping recording reservation times and insufficient storage capacity of the recording device, but also due to various factors resulting from the operation status of the personal computer at the time of scheduled recording execution Scheduled recording may fail. In addition, depending on the factors that have occurred, it may be possible to prevent the failure of scheduled recording with only a simple countermeasure. However, the coping method usually differs individually for each factor.

  Therefore, it is practically difficult for the user to take appropriate measures against the current situation simply by notifying the user that the computer has fallen into a situation where the scheduled recording process fails.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus and a recording control method capable of reducing the possibility that the scheduled recording process will fail.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives broadcast program data, a recording reservation information storage unit that stores recording reservation information that designates broadcast program data reserved for recording, Recording means for controlling the receiving unit to perform recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording designated by the recording reservation information, and a predetermined time before the recording start time of the broadcast program data reserved for recording. Factor detection means for detecting a failure factor that may cause a recording failure of the broadcast program data reserved for recording by executing a check process corresponding to each of a plurality of determined check items, and the factor detection means When a failure factor is detected by the above, the detection is performed based on the countermeasure information indicating a countermeasure corresponding to each of a plurality of types of failure factors determined in advance. A measure determining means for determining a measure corresponding to the failure factor, and an e-mail for notifying a user that recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording may not be normally performed E-mail describing the coping method determined by the coping method deciding means, and e-mail sending means for sending the produced e-mail to the information terminal of the user. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the scheduled recording process will fail.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. This information processing apparatus is realized by, for example, a notebook portable personal computer 10.

  The computer 10 has a TV function for executing reproduction and recording of broadcast program data broadcast by a broadcast signal. This TV function also includes a reserved recording function for recording broadcast program data in accordance with a recording reservation set by the user. This TV function is realized, for example, by a TV application program installed in the computer 10 in advance.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the computer 10 with the display unit opened. The computer 10 includes a computer main body 11 and a display unit 12.

  The display unit 12 incorporates a display device including a TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) 17. The display unit 12 is attached to the computer main body 11 so as to be rotatable between an open position and a closed position.

  The computer main body 11 has a thin box-shaped casing, and a keyboard 13, a power button 14 for turning on / off the computer 10, an input operation panel 15, a touch pad 16, and the like are arranged on the upper surface thereof. Has been.

  In addition, a remote control unit interface unit 20 for executing communication with an external remote control unit for remotely controlling the TV function of the computer 10 is provided on the front surface of the computer main body 11. The remote control unit interface unit 20 includes, for example, an infrared signal receiving unit.

  Next, the system configuration of the computer 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the computer 10 includes a CPU 111, a north bridge 112, a main memory 113, a graphics controller 114, a south bridge 119, a BIOS-ROM 120, a hard disk drive (HDD) 121, and an optical disk drive (ODD) 122. Tuner devices 123A and 123B, an embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124, a network controller 125A, a wireless communication device 125B, and the like.

  The CPU 111 is a processor provided to control the operation of the computer 10 and executes an operating system and various application programs such as the TV application program 101 that are loaded from the hard disk drive (HDD) 121 to the main memory 113. To do. The TV application program 101 is a program that controls the reproduction and recording of broadcast program data, and controls the tuner devices 123A and 123B to reproduce and record broadcast program data (TV broadcast program) broadcast by broadcast signals (reserved recording). Control). In addition, the TV application program 101 has an operation state detection function as a function for reducing the possibility of scheduled recording failure.

  This operation status detection function performs a process for detecting a failure factor that may cause a recording failure of broadcast program data reserved for recording a predetermined time before the scheduled recording start time (for example, about 5 minutes before). This is a function for transmitting an e-mail (alert mail) in which a countermeasure corresponding to the detected failure factor is described to a user information terminal registered in advance if the failure factor is detected. Since the coping method is different for each failure factor, coping method information indicating the coping method corresponding to each of a plurality of types of failure factors determined in advance is used to determine the coping method corresponding to the detected failure factor.

  The CPU 111 also executes a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) stored in the BIOS-ROM 120. The BIOS is a program for hardware control.

  The north bridge 112 is a bridge device that connects the local bus of the CPU 111 and the south bridge 119. The north bridge 112 also includes a memory controller that controls access to the main memory 113. The north bridge 112 also has a function of executing communication with the graphics controller 114 via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus or the like.

  The graphics controller 114 is a display controller that controls the LCD 17 used as a display monitor of the computer 10. The graphics controller 114 displays image data written in the video memory (VRAM) 114A by the OS or TV application program 101 on the LCD 17. The south bridge 119 controls each device on an LPC (Low Pin Count) bus and each device on a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The south bridge 119 incorporates an IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller for controlling the HDD 121 and the ODD 122.

  Further, the south bridge 119 includes a real time clock (RTC) 119A. The real-time clock (RTC) 119A functions as a clock module that measures the current date and time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second). In a register (RTC register) in the real-time clock (RTC) 119A, an alarm time for designating the time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second) at which the computer 10 should be turned on can be set. The real-time clock (RTC) 119A generates a power-on event indicating that the computer 10 should be powered on when the current time reaches the alarm time set in the RTC register by the OS or TV application program 101. Notify EC / KBC 124.

  The tuner devices 123A and 123B are reception units that receive broadcast program data broadcast by broadcast signals. In the present embodiment, for example, the tuner device 123A is composed of an analog TV tuner that receives broadcast program data broadcast by an analog broadcast signal, and the tuner device 123A receives broadcast program data broadcast by a terrestrial digital broadcast signal. It consists of a receiving digital TV tuner.

  The EC / KBC 124 is a one-chip microcomputer in which an embedded controller for power management and a keyboard controller for controlling the keyboard (KB) 13 and the touch pad 16 are integrated. The EC / KBC 124 has a function of powering on / off the computer 10 in accordance with the operation of the power button 14 by the user. The operation power supplied to each component of the computer 10 is generated from a battery 126 built in the computer 10 or an external power supply supplied from the outside via the AC adapter 127. The EC / KBC 124 is also connected to the remote control unit interface unit 20.

  The TV application program 101 can be controlled not only by the user operating the input device such as the keyboard (KB) 13 and the touch pad (mouse) 16 but also by operating an external remote control unit.

  The network controller 125A is a device for connecting to a wired network, and is used to execute communication with an external network such as the Internet. The wireless communication device 125B is a device for connecting to a wireless network, and is used for one-to-one wireless communication with other wireless communication devices, communication with an external network such as the Internet, and the like.

  Next, the operation status detection function executed by the TV application program 101 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The TV application program 101 executes check processing corresponding to each of a plurality of predetermined check items in order to detect a failure factor. As described above, this check process is executed a predetermined time before the recording start time of the broadcast program data reserved for recording.

  The contents of each of the plurality of check items are determined in advance in order to examine the actual operating environment of the computer 10 related to the recording of broadcast program data. In the present embodiment, for example, a check process (inspection process) is executed for each of the following check items.

(1) Broadcast signal reception level (2) Hard disk access speed (3) External power supply connection / remaining battery capacity (4) CPU utilization rate The TV application program 101 performs check processing on each of the above check items, for example, OS 100 This function is executed by using a function such as a performance monitor or by accessing the hardware by itself. Further, the TV application program 101 is designated by a function for causing a user to register a mail address of an information terminal (mobile phone, PDA, etc.) to which the above-described electronic mail (alert mail) is to be transmitted, and the registered mail address. It has a function of sending an electronic mail (alert mail) to the information terminal.

  In the broadcast signal reception level check process, the TV application program 101 performs a check to determine whether or not the reception level of the broadcast signal of the channel corresponding to the broadcast program data reserved for recording is equal to or higher than a predetermined reception level. Execute the process. This check process is executed, for example, when the broadcast program data reserved for recording is broadcast program data broadcast by a digital broadcast signal.

  That is, the TV application program 101 acquires the digital broadcast signal reception level of the channel corresponding to the broadcast program data reserved for recording from the digital digital TV tuner 128B, and whether the acquired reception level is equal to or higher than a predetermined reception level. Determine whether or not. When the reception level of the digital broadcast signal is lower than the predetermined reception level, the TV application program 101 specifies that the reception level is low as a failure factor that may cause recording failure of the broadcast program data reserved for recording. To do. As a countermeasure against this failure factor, the TV application program 101 broadcasts the recording target broadcast program data from the digital broadcast program data reserved for recording using an analog broadcast signal. It is decided to change to simulcast program data corresponding to. The simulcast is a service that simultaneously broadcasts the same broadcast program using two or more different types of broadcast signals. The same digital broadcast program as the analog broadcast program reserved for recording is broadcast at the same time as the analog broadcast program reserved for recording using a channel of digital terrestrial broadcasting. An analog broadcast signal can be demodulated to some extent even when the reception level is somewhat low. Therefore, by changing the broadcast program data to be recorded from digital broadcast program data to analog broadcast program data, Can be prevented from occurring at all.

  The access speed check process of the hard disk 121 is a process for determining whether or not an access speed of a certain value or higher can be maintained continuously. Specifically, the TV application program 101 secures a predetermined storage area for recording broadcast program data reserved for recording on the storage area of the hard disk 121, and a plurality of locations (for example, Write access processing for writing dummy data of a predetermined size for each of the first, middle, and last), and the write access time for each of a plurality of locations is measured. When any of the write access times for each of the plurality of locations is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the TV application program 101 specifies that the performance related to the write access of the hard disk 121 is deteriorated as a failure factor. As a countermeasure against this failure factor, the TV application program 101, for example, reduces the value of the data rate at which broadcast program data reserved for recording should be stored in the hard disk 121, or a predetermined program being executed (for example, At least one of stopping a predetermined program such as a resident program such as a virus check program is determined as a countermeasure. By executing this countermeasure, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the scheduled recording will fail due to insufficient write access performance of the hard disk 121. Moreover, since the data amount of analog broadcast program data is smaller than the data amount of digital broadcast program data, changing the broadcast program data to be recorded from digital broadcast program data to analog broadcast program data is used as a countermeasure. Also good.

  The process of checking whether or not the external power supply is connected / battery remaining is a process for determining whether or not the drive of the computer 10 can be maintained from the start to the end of recording. Specifically, the TV application program 101 determines whether or not the external power from the AC adapter 127 is supplied to the computer 10. When the external power from the AC adapter 127 is not supplied to the computer 10, that is, when the computer 10 is driven by the battery 126, the TV application program 101 calculates the capacity reduction amount of the battery 126 per unit time. Based on the detected capacity decrease amount detected, the length of the recording time of the broadcast program data reserved for recording, and the remaining capacity of the battery 126, the battery until the recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording ends. It is determined whether or not the driving of the computer 10 by 126 can be maintained. When the driving of the computer 10 by the battery 126 cannot be maintained, the TV application program 101 specifies that the remaining capacity of the battery 126 is insufficient as a failure factor. As a countermeasure against the cause of the failure, the TV application program 101 is determined in advance, for example, by reducing the luminance value of the LCD 17 or a predetermined program being executed (for example, a resident program such as a virus check program). At least one of stopping the program) and stopping the wireless communication operation by the wireless communication device 125B is determined as a countermeasure.

  When the computer 10 is turned off, the computer 10 is automatically turned on by a power-on event from the RTC 119A if it is a little before the recording reservation start time. In this case, almost all devices are active and the backlight of the LCD 17 is also turned on, as in the case of normal power-on by the user operating the power switch 14. Since the power consumption by the LCD 17 and the power consumption by the wireless communication device 125B are relatively large, recording may be failed by reducing the luminance value of the LCD 17 and stopping the wireless communication operation by the wireless communication device 125B. Can be reduced.

  The CPU usage rate check process is a process for determining whether or not the CPU usage rate necessary for executing the reserved recording process can be secured. Specifically, the TV application program 101 acquires the current CPU usage rate from the OS 100 and determines whether or not the CPU usage rate is equal to or less than a certain value. When the CPU usage rate exceeds a certain value, the TV application program 101 specifies that the CPU usage rate is high, that is, that the CPU is in a high load state as a failure factor. Then, as a countermeasure against this failure factor, the TV application program 101, for example, stops a predetermined program being executed, and reduces the data rate value at which the broadcast program data reserved for recording should be stored in the hard disk 121. At least one of changing the broadcast program data to be recorded from digital broadcast program data to analog broadcast program data is determined as a countermeasure. With this countermeasure, the CPU load can be reduced, so that the possibility of recording failure can be reduced.

  Next, the functional configuration of the TV application program 101 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The TV application program 101 includes, as its function execution modules, a recording reservation unit 201, a check processing unit 202, a recording processing unit 203, a reproduction processing unit 204, a recording failure factor detection unit 205, a countermeasure determination unit 206, a mail creation unit 207, A mail transmission unit 208, a mail reception unit 209, and a countermeasure processing unit 210 are provided.

  The recording reservation unit 201 uses, for example, electronic program guide information (EPG) to reserve recording of a broadcast program to be reserved for recording designated by the user. Information such as the broadcast signal type (terrestrial analog / terrestrial digital), channel number, recording start time, recording end time, program name, etc. corresponding to the broadcast program reserved for recording is stored in the computer 10 as recording reservation information 301. (E.g., non-volatile memory or HDD). The check processing unit 202 executes a check process corresponding to each of the plurality of check items described above a predetermined time before the recording start time of the broadcast program data reserved for recording.

  The recording processing unit 203 controls the tuner device 123 </ b> A or 123 </ b> B to store the broadcast program data reserved for recording designated by the recording reservation information 301 in the HDD 121. The reproduction processing unit 204 reproduces broadcast program data received by the tuner device 123A or 123B or recorded broadcast program data already stored in the HDD 121.

  The recording failure factor detection unit 205 detects a failure factor that may cause a recording failure of the broadcast program data reserved for recording based on the result of the check process executed by the check processing unit 202. The coping method determination unit 206 refers to the coping method database 302 indicating the coping method corresponding to each of a plurality of types of failure factors determined in advance, and determines a coping method corresponding to the detected failure factor.

  The e-mail creation unit 207 uses an e-mail address registered in advance to send an e-mail (alert e-mail) to notify the user that there is a possibility that recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording may not be performed normally. create. In this e-mail, the coping method determined by the coping method determining unit 206 is described by the mail creating unit 207. The e-mail created by the mail creating unit 207 is transmitted by the mail transmitting unit 208 to the user's information terminal designated by a pre-registered mail address. For mail transmission, the network controller 125A or the wireless communication device 125B is used.

  By reading the e-mail from the computer 10, the user can know that there is a possibility that recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording may not be performed normally and how to deal with it. Therefore, for example, when the user is in a room other than the room where the computer 10 is located, the user can quickly take appropriate measures by operating the computer 10. This can reduce the possibility of recording failure.

  For example, the user transmits an e-mail in a predetermined format instructing execution of the countermeasure notified by e-mail from the computer 10 to the computer 10 from the information terminal, and responds to the reception of the e-mail. Thus, the TV application program 101 can be configured to execute a countermeasure corresponding to the countermeasure described in the received e-mail. In order to realize this, the TV application program 101 is provided with a mail receiving unit 209 and a countermeasure processing unit 210. The mail receiving unit 209 receives an e-mail addressed to the computer 10, that is, an e-mail addressed to the mail address assigned to the computer 10 by periodically accessing, for example, a POP server. The coping processing unit 210 analyzes the e-mail received by the mail receiving unit 209, specifies the content of the coping method described in a predetermined format in the received electronic mail, and the coping method The process corresponding to is executed. As a result, the user creates an e-mail instructing the execution of the countermeasure notified by the e-mail (alert e-mail) from the computer 10, and simply sends the e-mail to the computer 10 to return to the remote location. The TV application program 101 can be controlled to cause the TV application program 101 to execute a predetermined countermeasure process.

  The user himself does not create a reply e-mail describing the countermeasure in the body of the alert mail, etc., but in response to when the countermeasure described in the alert mail is selected and operated by the user, An alert mail including a description (for example, an HTML mailto tag) for causing a user's information terminal (information terminal mail software) to execute a process of creating a reply e-mail instructing execution of the countermeasure is displayed on the TV. You may make it transmit to the user's information terminal from the application program 101. FIG. In this case, for example, the user simply selects an action described in the alert mail, for example, selects a character string or button associated with the above description, and instructs to execute the action. A reply e-mail addressed to the computer 10 can be automatically generated. The coping processing unit 210 executes coping corresponding to the coping method specified by the reply e-mail addressed to the computer 10 received by the mail receiving unit 209.

  Note that if it is not desired to execute the countermeasure described in the alert mail, the user may not perform an operation of selecting the countermeasure described in the alert mail. In this case, a reply e-mail instructing execution of the countermeasure is not transmitted to the computer 10. Therefore, in the computer 10, the scheduled recording process is performed in a state where no countermeasure is executed.

  In this way, by causing the user to determine whether or not to actually execute the countermeasure determined by the countermeasure determination unit 206, the operation state of the computer 10 is changed to a state not intended by the user by executing the countermeasure. It can be prevented from being changed.

  In FIG. 4, the check processing unit 202 and the recording failure factor detection unit 205 have been described as separate functional modules, but the function of the check processing unit 202 may be provided in the recording failure factor detection unit 205.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the procedure of the operation state detection process executed by the CPU 111 under the control of the TV application program 101 will be described.

  If the computer 10 is powered off and is a predetermined time before the recording start time, the computer 10 is automatically powered on by a power-on event from the RTC 119A and the operating system and the TV application program 101 are started. Is done. Then, the TV application program 101 starts an operation state detection process. Similarly, when the TV application program 101 is already executed and reaches a predetermined time before the recording start time, the TV application program 101 starts the operation state detection process in the same manner.

  That is, when a predetermined time before the recording start time comes, the TV application program 101 first performs a playback process for playing back the broadcast program data received by the tuner device 123A or 123B, whether the TV device is currently watching TV. It is determined whether or not it is being executed by the application program 101 (step S101).

  If the reproduction process is being executed (YES in step S101), the TV application program 101 enters the reservation recording execution standby state without performing the check process after step S102. This is because the execution of various check processes increases the system load, which may affect viewing of broadcast program data being reproduced. Of course, not only when the reproduction process is being executed, but also when the recording process is being executed, the reservation recording execution standby state may be shifted to without performing the check process after step S102.

  When the recording start time comes in the reservation recording execution standby state, the TV application program 101 starts the recording process.

  If the reproduction process is not being executed (NO in step S101), the TV application program 101 first changes the channel of the broadcast signal to be received by the tuner device 123A or 123B to the channel of the broadcast program reserved for recording. The matching channel changing process is executed (step S102). In step S102, if the broadcast program reserved for recording is an analog broadcast program, a channel change process is executed for analog TV tuner 123A. If the broadcast program reserved for recording is a digital broadcast program, a channel change process is executed for the digital TV tuner 123B.

  Next, the TV application program 101 executes a check process for determining whether or not the reception level of the broadcast signal of the broadcast program channel reserved for recording is equal to or higher than a certain value (step S103). The process of step S103 is executed, for example, when the broadcast program reserved for recording is a digital broadcast program. In this case, for example, the TV application program 101 continues to acquire the reception level of the digital broadcast signal from the digital TV tuner 123B for a certain period of time, and determines whether or not the average reception level is a certain value or more. If the average reception level is not greater than or equal to a certain value (NO in step S103), the TV application program 101 stores a status indicating that the reception level is low as a check processing result regarding the reception level (step S201).

  Next, the TV application program 101 executes communication with the EC / KBC 124, for example, and determines whether or not the computer 10 is driven by an external AC power supply (step S104). When the computer 10 is not driven by an external AC power source, that is, when the computer 10 is driven by the battery 126 (NO in step S104), the TV application program 101 indicates that the remaining capacity of the battery 126 is a constant value. It is determined whether or not this is the case (step S105). In step S105, the TV application program 101 first detects the capacity decrease amount of the battery 126 per unit time by measuring the capacity decrease amount of the battery 126 within a predetermined time. Then, the TV application program 101 multiplies the capacity reduction amount per unit time by the length of the recording time of the broadcast program data reserved for recording, and whether the current remaining capacity of the battery 126 is larger than the division result. By examining whether or not, it is determined whether or not the drive of the computer 10 by the battery 126 can be maintained until the recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording is completed. If the driving of the computer 10 by the battery 126 can be maintained until the recording of the broadcast program data is completed, it is determined that the remaining capacity of the battery 126 is equal to or greater than a certain value, otherwise, the remaining capacity of the battery 126 is It is determined that it is less than a certain value. If it is determined that the remaining capacity of the battery 126 is less than the predetermined value (NO in step S105), the TV application program 101 stores a status indicating that the remaining capacity of the battery 126 is insufficient as a check processing result regarding the battery ( Step S202).

  Next, the TV application program 101 determines whether or not the CPU usage rate is below a certain value (step S106). In step S106, for example, the TV application program 101 acquires the CPU usage rate from the OS 100, and determines whether or not the average CPU usage rate is equal to or less than a certain value. If it is determined that the average CPU usage rate is greater than a certain value (NO in step S106), the TV application program 101 stores a status indicating a shortage of CPU resources as a check processing result regarding the CPU usage rate (step S106). S203).

  Next, the TV application program 101 executes a process of writing dummy data to the hard disk drive 121 in order to measure the write access performance of the hard disk drive 121 (step S107). In step S107, the TV application program 101 calculates the necessary storage capacity based on the data rate of the broadcast program data reserved for recording, the length of the recording time, and the like, and stores the storage area corresponding to the storage capacity on the hard disk drive 121. To ensure. Then, the TV application program 101 sequentially executes write access processing for writing dummy data of a predetermined size to each of a plurality of locations (for example, the top, middle, and last) in the reserved storage area, and writes to each of the plurality of locations. Measure access time. If any of the write access times for each of the plurality of locations is equal to or longer than the predetermined time (NO in Step S108), the TV application program 101 displays a status indicating that the write access performance of the hard disk 121 is insufficient and relates to the access performance of the hard disk 121. The check processing result is stored (step S203).

  The reserved storage area is actually used for recording broadcast program data reserved for recording. That is, the broadcast program data reserved for recording is overwritten on the reserved storage area. Therefore, by measuring the writing speed for each of a plurality of storage areas used during actual recording, the write access performance during actual recording can be correctly evaluated.

  Next, the TV application program 101 determines whether any failure factor is detected based on the recorded status (step S109).

  If any failure factor is detected (YES in step S109), the TV application program 101 executes processing for determining a coping method corresponding to the detected failure factor (step S110). In step S110, for example, the TV application program 101 obtains a countermeasure corresponding to each detected failure factor from the countermeasure database 302, and merges the acquired countermeasures to notify the user 1 Determine one or more treatments. Thereafter, the TV application program 101 reads the above-mentioned e-mail (alert) in which a message indicating that the scheduled recording may fail due to the detected failure factor and the determined countermeasure are described in, for example, the mail text or the like. Mail) is created (step S111). In this case, for example, a description (for example, a mailto tag) for automatically generating an e-mail instructing execution of the countermeasure is added to a character string indicating each countermeasure.

  Thereafter, the TV application program 101 executes a process of transmitting the created electronic mail (alert mail) to a user information terminal registered in advance (steps S112 and S113). In this case, for example, the TV application program 101 acquires the mail address of the user's information terminal registered in advance, and sets the mail address as the destination address (TO :) of the e-mail (alert mail) ( Then, the electronic mail (alert mail) is transmitted to a predetermined mail server (step S113). After the transmission of the electronic mail (alert mail), the TV application program 101 enters a reservation recording execution standby state.

  On the other hand, if no failure factor is detected (NO in step S109), the TV application program 101 enters the reservation recording execution standby state without executing the processing in steps S110 to S113.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of an electronic mail (alert mail) created by the TV application program 101.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the alert mail includes information on a broadcast program that may fail in scheduled recording, information indicating the cause of the failure, and some countermeasures corresponding to the cause. Is described. A description (tag) for automatically generating an e-mail instructing execution of the countermeasure is added to the character string of each countermeasure described in the alert mail, whereby each character string has a predetermined character. It is identified by color or underline.

  By viewing the alert mail, the user can know that there is a possibility that the scheduled recording may fail, and can know a candidate for a countermeasure to be executed. Furthermore, the user can instruct execution of the countermeasure by selecting and operating a character string or the like corresponding to a certain countermeasure described in the alert mail. For example, if a user selects and operates a character string corresponding to the countermeasure 1 described in the alert mail, a computer in which a message instructing execution of the countermeasure corresponding to the countermeasure 1 is described in a predetermined format. A reply e-mail addressed to 10 is automatically generated. If the character string corresponding to the countermeasure 2 is selected and operated, a reply e-mail addressed to the computer 10 in which a message instructing execution of the countermeasure corresponding to the countermeasure 2 is described in a predetermined format is automatically generated. The

  Therefore, for example, when a plurality of countermeasures are determined as countermeasures corresponding to the detected failure factor, for each of these countermeasures, a reply e-mail for instructing execution of the countermeasure is created. By creating an alert mail to which a description (tag) is added and transmitting it to the user's information terminal, the user can select a countermeasure to be executed from among a plurality of countermeasures.

  Next, a procedure of coping processing executed by the CPU 111 under the control of the TV application program 101 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The TV application program 101 periodically accesses a predetermined mail server and checks whether there is an e-mail addressed to the computer 10. If an e-mail addressed to the computer 10 exists in the mail server, the TV application program 101 receives the e-mail from the mail server. When the e-mail is received (YES in step S301), the TV application program 101 analyzes the received e-mail to identify a countermeasure to be executed (step S302). Then, the TV application program 101 executes processing corresponding to the identified countermeasure (Step S303).

  For example, the TV application program 101 changes a broadcast program to be reserved for recording from a digital broadcast program to an analog broadcast program (step S304), a rate change process that reduces the data rate of broadcast program data (step S305), and the like. Processing for stopping execution of the application program (step S306), LCD brightness reduction processing (step S307), wireless communication stop processing (step S308), and the like are selectively executed.

  Note that the process of receiving an e-mail addressed to the computer 10 from the mail server may be executed only for a reply e-mail to the alert mail.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the check process corresponding to each of the multiple types of check items is executed slightly before the scheduled recording start time, so that the actual operation status of the computer 10 at that time is taken into consideration. Thus, it is possible to correctly estimate the failure factor that may cause the recording failure of the broadcast program data reserved for recording. In addition, by referring to a countermeasure database indicating countermeasures corresponding to each of a plurality of types of failure factors determined in advance, an appropriate countermeasure corresponding to the detected failure factor can be identified, and the countermeasure The user can be informed of the law. Therefore, since the user can take appropriate measures for the computer 10, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the scheduled recording fails. Furthermore, since a function for executing a countermeasure corresponding to the countermeasure described in the e-mail from the user is also provided, the user can instruct a countermeasure to be executed by the computer 10 from a remote location.

  In this embodiment, a tag such as mailto is exemplified as a description for automatically creating a reply e-mail instructing execution of a countermeasure. However, a reply e-mail instructing execution of a countermeasure is automatically created. Any description can be used as long as the description can cause the information terminal (for example, mail software executed by the information terminal) to execute the process. For example, another description such as a script can also be used.

  In addition, since the operation status detection process and the coping process of the present embodiment can be realized by software, the software can be realized by simply installing the software on a normal computer including a TV tuner through a computer-readable storage medium. Effects similar to those of the embodiment can be easily realized.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine a component suitably in different embodiment.

The perspective view which shows the example of the external appearance of the information processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the information processing apparatus in FIG. 1. The block diagram for demonstrating the function of the TV application program performed by the information processing apparatus of FIG. The block diagram which shows the example of a function structure of the TV application program performed by the information processing apparatus of FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of an operation state detection process executed by the information processing apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the example of the content of the email produced by the operation | movement condition detection process of FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of coping processing executed by the information processing apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  101 ... TV application program, 111 ... CPU, 123A, 123B ... tuner device, 201 ... recording reservation unit, 202 ... check processing unit, 205 ... recording failure factor detection unit, 206 ... countermeasure determination unit, 207 ... mail creation unit, 208... Mail sending unit, 209... Mail receiving unit, 210.

Claims (9)

A receiver for receiving broadcast program data;
A recording reservation information storage unit for storing recording reservation information for designating broadcast program data reserved for recording;
Recording means for controlling the receiving unit and executing recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording designated by the recording reservation information;
Recording failure of the broadcast program data reserved for recording is performed by executing a check process corresponding to each of a plurality of predetermined check items a predetermined time before the recording start time of the broadcast program data reserved for recording. A factor detection means for detecting a failure factor that may be caused;
When a failure factor is detected by the factor detection means, a coping method corresponding to the detected failure factor is determined based on coping information indicating a coping method corresponding to each of a plurality of types of failure factors determined in advance. A countermeasure determination means to
An e-mail for notifying the user that there is a possibility that the recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording may not be executed normally, and an e-mail describing the countermeasure determined by the countermeasure determining means An information processing apparatus comprising: a mail sending unit that creates and sends the created electronic mail to the information terminal of the user. Mail receiving means for receiving an e-mail transmitted from the information terminal of the user;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a countermeasure processing unit that executes a countermeasure corresponding to a countermeasure described in the received electronic mail. The information processing apparatus that instructs the execution of the countermeasure in response to the user selecting and operating the countermeasure described in the email in the electronic mail created by the mail transmission unit A description for causing the information terminal of the user to execute a process of creating a reply e-mail addressed to the user is included;
Mail receiving means for receiving the reply e-mail;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a countermeasure processing unit that executes a countermeasure corresponding to the countermeasure specified by the reply electronic mail. Means for determining whether or not a broadcast program reproduction process for reproducing broadcast program data received by the receiving unit is being executed before the execution of the check process by the factor detection means;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that prohibits the execution of the check process by the factor detection unit when the broadcast program reproduction process is being executed. The receiving unit includes a first tuner that receives broadcast program data broadcast by an analog broadcast signal, and a second tuner that receives broadcast program data broadcast by a digital broadcast signal,
When the broadcast program data reserved for recording is broadcast program data broadcast by the digital broadcast signal, the factor detection means has a reception level of a digital broadcast signal of a channel corresponding to the broadcast program data reserved for recording. Means for executing a check process for determining whether or not a predetermined reception level or higher, and a reception level of a digital broadcast signal of a channel corresponding to the broadcast program data reserved for recording is higher than the predetermined reception level. If low, the means for identifying the low reception level as the failure factor,
If the low reception level is specified as the failure factor, the coping method determining means determines the broadcast program data to be recorded from the broadcast program data reserved for recording and broadcast by the digital broadcast signal. 2. The information processing according to claim 1, further comprising means for deciding to change to the simulcast program data corresponding to the broadcast program data reserved for recording, which is broadcast by an analog broadcast signal, as the countermeasure. apparatus. The factor detecting means secures a predetermined storage area for recording the broadcast program data reserved for recording on a storage area of a disk storage device provided in the information processing apparatus, and the predetermined storage area Means for executing a check process for measuring the write access time for each of a plurality of locations, and if any of the write access times for each of the plurality of locations is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the performance relating to the write access of the disk storage device is A means for identifying that it is reduced as the failure factor,
In the case where it has been identified as the cause of failure that the performance relating to write access of the disk storage device has deteriorated, the countermeasure determining means is a data rate at which the broadcast program data reserved for recording should be stored in the disk device The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for determining at least one of reducing the value of and the stopping of the predetermined program being executed as the countermeasure.   7. The information according to claim 6, wherein the recording unit stores the broadcast program data reserved for recording received by the receiving unit in the predetermined storage area secured by the factor detecting unit. Processing equipment. When the information processing apparatus is driven by a battery, the factor detection means detects a capacity decrease amount of the battery per unit time, and detects the detected capacity decrease amount and the broadcast program data reserved for recording. Based on the length of the recording time and the remaining capacity of the battery, it is determined whether or not the information processing apparatus can be driven by the battery until the recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording is completed. Means for executing a check process, and means for specifying that the remaining capacity of the battery is insufficient as the failure factor when the driving of the information processing apparatus by the battery cannot be maintained;
The countermeasure determining means reduces the luminance value of a display provided in the information processing device when the remaining capacity of the battery is specified as the cause of the failure, 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for determining at least one of stopping the program and stopping the operation of a wireless communication device provided in the information processing apparatus as the countermeasure. Information processing device. A recording control method for controlling a reserved recording process executed by an information processing apparatus including a receiving unit for receiving broadcast program data,
By executing a check process corresponding to each of a plurality of predetermined check items a predetermined time before the recording start time of the broadcast program data reserved for recording, the recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording is caused to fail. Detecting possible failure factors; and
When a failure factor is detected, determining a countermeasure corresponding to the detected failure factor based on countermeasure information indicating a countermeasure corresponding to each of a plurality of types of failure factors determined in advance;
Creating an e-mail for notifying a user that there is a possibility that the recording of the broadcast program data reserved for recording may not be executed normally, in which the determined countermeasure is described;
And a step of transmitting the created electronic mail to the information terminal of the user.

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