JP2009177442A - Video recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video recorder which reduces possibility of a failure of recording due to an operation for video recording reservation. <P>SOLUTION: A DVD recorder 1 is provided with: a receiving part 2; an encoding part 3; a recording/reading part 4; a signal processing part 5; an output part 6; an operation part 8; and a control part 9. The control part 9 performs processing 91-92, 95. Fuzzy recording processing 921 is included in the recording processing 92. In the processing 921, even when the recording reservation processing 91 is incompletely finished, when at least video recording scheduled time, a channel of a broadcast program scheduled to be video recorded are set by a user, the channel is selected at the recording scheduled time to start video recording by the video recording processing 92. At this time, default video recording reservation setting preset in initial setting processing 95 is used. A file to be video recorded is recorded in a backup folder. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording a broadcast.

  Conventionally, devices for recording television broadcasts, such as DVD recorders, hard disk recorders, and video tape recorders, have been put into practical use. These apparatuses have a recording reservation user interface that accepts selection of scheduled recording time, channel, and the like in advance, and automatically starts recording at the reserved time. According to this, it is not necessary to operate the recording device at the time of recording.

Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a program recording apparatus that can more reliably set a recording reservation.
JP 2003-333479 A

  However, in the conventional recording apparatus, there is a possibility that the recording reservation fails in the recording reservation even though the user sets the recording time and channel. For example, if the user presses the “Return” key after setting these, the recording reservation is not set. If you press this key repeatedly, you will return to the menu screen. As a result, even if the user thinks that the recording can be reserved, there is a possibility that the recording will not be performed at the scheduled recording time.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that reduces the possibility of recording failure due to an operation at the time of recording reservation.

  In order to solve the above problems, the following configuration can be provided.

(1) a receiver for receiving broadcasts;
A recording unit for recording the broadcast received by the receiving unit;
A recording reservation unit that accepts various settings for the recording unit to start recording in advance and performs the setting, and the recording unit performs recording based on the setting made by the recording reservation unit In the device
When the recording reservation means sets at least the channel and the scheduled recording start time or recording time zone as the setting, but the recording reservation setting is not completed, the recording unit An ambiguous recording process is performed in which the recording is performed based on the setting made by the reservation unit and a predetermined initial setting.

  In this configuration, when a predetermined setting such as a channel is set in the recording reservation setting, even if the setting is not completed by accidentally exiting or canceling the recording reservation setting, recording is not performed. Do. Therefore, even if settings other than the channel and scheduled recording start time (or scheduled recording time zone setting) are not performed by the recording reservation unit, the possibility of recording failure can be reduced.

  (2) The recording unit deletes and manages the file recorded by the process so that the used capacity in the recording medium used for the ambiguous recording process falls within a predetermined range.

(3) File list display means for outputting a list display of recorded files recorded by the recording unit,
The file list display means displays the recording file recorded by the ambiguous recording process only when a specific operation is accepted.

  In this configuration, since recording is performed in a backup area or backup folder that is not displayed in a normal operation, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the organization of files in the recording apparatus becomes complicated due to files that are recorded unintentionally by the user. In addition, when a specific operation is accepted, the recording file is displayed, so that the user can refer to the backup area or the like even if the recording fails.

  According to the present invention, when a predetermined setting such as a channel is set in the recording reservation setting, the recording is performed, so that the possibility of the recording failure can be reduced.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of a DVD recorder 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The DVD recorder 1 of this embodiment records a video signal on a recording medium such as a DVD and reproduces a video file recorded on the recording medium.

  The DVD recorder 1 includes a receiving unit 2, an encoding unit 3, a recording / reading unit 4, a signal processing unit 5, an output unit 6, an operation unit 8, and a control unit 9.

  The receiving unit 2 receives a broadcast signal via the antenna 100 and extracts a video signal, an audio signal, and character information. The receiving unit 2 includes a digital broadcast channel selection unit, a terrestrial digital module, and a decoder in order to output a digital broadcast video signal. The receiving unit 2 includes an analog broadcast channel selection unit, a video reception unit, and a color signal reproduction unit in order to output an analog broadcast video signal. In addition, a reception control unit that controls the inside of the reception unit 2 is provided.

  The digital broadcast channel selection unit includes a tuner pack, a terrestrial digital module, an OFDM demodulation circuit, and an error correction circuit, amplifies a frequency band of a predetermined physical channel, and outputs a TS (Transport Stream). The tuner pack includes an IF filter, an IF amplifier, and the like. The reception control unit stores the channel table in an internal flash memory (not shown) by the initial setting process 95.

  The IF filter (intermediate frequency) passes a signal of a predetermined physical channel designated by the reception control unit. The IF amplifier amplifies this signal. Thereby, the digital broadcast channel selection unit extracts the broadcast signal of the channel designated by the reception control unit. Further, the OFDM demodulation circuit performs OFDM demodulation (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) on the input broadcast signal into digital data TS (transport stream) and outputs the result to the error correction circuit. The error correction circuit corrects the TS error information and outputs it to the terrestrial digital module.

  The terrestrial digital module includes a multiplexer and a buffer memory. A plurality of virtual channel programs are multiplexed and transmitted in the TS. The demultiplexer extracts a packet of one channel among these virtual channels, and stores the data stored in the extracted packet in the buffer memory. These packets are composed of digital video signals in the MPEG format. The decoder extracts a video signal packet from a buffer memory inside the module, and decodes the video signal.

  The analog broadcast channel selection unit includes a filter that extracts an intermediate frequency and an intermediate frequency amplification unit that amplifies the intermediate frequency band, and amplifies a broadcast signal in a predetermined physical channel band. The video receiver amplifies the frequency of the video band and extracts a video signal. The color signal reproduction unit extracts a color signal from the color video signal and generates RGB three primary color signals. The synchronization detection circuit extracts a horizontal synchronization signal and a vertical synchronization signal from the color video signal.

  The encoding unit 3 encodes the video signal and the audio signal input from the receiving unit 2. In addition, an A / D converter is provided, and if the input video signal is in an analog format, A / D conversion is performed in advance before encoding. The encoding unit 3 outputs the encoded data to the recording / reading unit 4.

  The recording / reading unit 4 includes an optical disk drive 41, a hard disk 42 (abbreviated as HD 42), and a hard disk drive 43 (abbreviated as HDD 43). The drive 41 irradiates the DVD 10, which is one type of recording medium, with laser light and detects a reflected light thereof, and a focus servo control that controls the irradiation position of the laser light irradiated on the DVD 10. And a servo control unit (not shown) for performing tracking servo control and the like. With these configurations, the drive 41 reads and records the DVD 10. The HD 42 is one type of recording medium. The HDD 43 records data on the HD 42 and reads the recorded data. With such a configuration, the recording / reading unit 4 records the video signal and the audio signal encoded by the encoding unit 3 on the DVD 10 or the HD 42.

  Hereinafter, recording of a video signal and an audio signal on a recording medium is referred to as recording.

  The signal processing unit 5 includes an 8/16 demodulation unit, an MPEG decoder, and an OSD synthesis unit. The 8/16 demodulator performs 8/16 demodulation or the like on the RF signal read by the recording / reading unit 4, performs error correction, and extracts video data and audio data. The MPEG decoder decompresses video data and audio data.

  The OSD synthesis unit synthesizes an OSD (On-Screen Display) such as a character and a character based on a command issued by the control unit 9. The OSD synthesis unit stores various image data therein. For example, characters and graphics for displaying various character strings, user interface images displayed in the initial setting process 95, and the like are stored. The OSD is output by combining these frame images with characters and graphics. When a video signal is output from the MPEG decoder, the OSD synthesis unit synthesizes the video signal and OSD and outputs the synthesized signal to the output unit 6. In some cases, the OSD synthesis unit may prohibit the output of the video signal and output only the OSD.

  The output unit 6 includes a D / A converter and the like, D / A converts the video signal and the audio signal processed by the signal processing unit 5, and outputs them to the display unit 11 and the speaker 12.

  The operation unit 8 receives an input for instructing an operation on the apparatus main body. The operation unit 8 includes an operation key provided on the apparatus main body and a remote control reception unit that receives a control code for the apparatus main body transmitted from a remote control device (not shown). The operation unit 8 receives an input corresponding to operation keys operated by the user, and transmits a code corresponding to these keys to the control unit 9. Further, the control code received by the remote control receiving unit is transmitted to the control unit 9. The remote controller of the operation unit 8 includes, for example, numeric keys, a recording reservation key, a recording key, a cursor key, and an enter key as operators. The recorder 1 accepts channel and number input with numeric keys and accepts selection of various settings with cursor keys. When the enter key is pressed, the recorder 1 records the selected setting in the flash memory 99. In addition, the recorder 1 accepts a recording reservation and recording instruction by a recording reservation key and a recording key.

  The control unit 9 is configured by a microcomputer or a system IC including the microcomputer. The control unit 9 includes a ROM (may be a flash memory), a CPU, and a RAM. The control unit 9 controls the operations of the respective units 2 to 8 based on the input received by the operation unit 8. The ROM of the control unit 9 stores a subroutine for executing a recording reservation process 91, a recording process 92, and an initial setting process 95. A flash memory 99 is connected to the outside of the control unit 9, and the state of the DVD recorder 1 and various initial setting information are recorded in the memory 99.

  In the recording reservation process 91, the control unit 9 accepts selection of a recording reservation item. The control unit 9 executes a process 91 when a predetermined key operation is received in advance. In the process 91, the scheduled recording time T [H], scheduled recording time, day of the week or date, and broadcast channel number are designated from the user. Also, selection of a recording mode for designating image quality may be accepted.

  In the recording process 92, the control unit 9 controls the start and stop of recording. The process 92 is executed, for example, when the operation unit 8 receives a recording key operation from the remote controller. In the recording process 92, the recording of the broadcast program is started based on the recording reservation data set in the recording reservation process 91.

  The ambiguous recording process 921 is a process of performing the recording process 92 with a predetermined recording setting when the recording reservation process 91 is started and the channel, the start time, or the time zone is set, but the recording reservation setting is not completed. It is. As a result, even when the user does not mistakenly perform the recording setting until the end, it is possible to reduce the possibility of recording failure. In the ambiguous recording process 921, the control unit 9 issues a recording instruction, and the recording / reading unit 4 records the recorded data in the backup folder.

  The initial setting process 95 is a process for receiving various settings of the DVD recorder 1. This process includes a recording reservation setting. In this setting, the recording setting for recording in the ambiguous recording process 921 is received in advance.

  A display 101 and a speaker 102 are connected to the DVD recorder 1. The display device 101 displays a video based on the video signal output from the output unit 6. For example, a liquid crystal monitor, a plasma monitor, an EL monitor, a cathode ray tube, a projector, or the like is used. The speaker 102 amplifies the sound signal output from the output unit 6 and emits sound.

  Next, the recording reservation processing 91 will be described using an example of a screen displayed at the time of recording reservation in FIG. FIG. 2A shows an electronic program guide 61. In the electronic program guide 61, broadcast programs are arranged in a matrix form by channel and time. The receiving unit 2 receives the data of the electronic program guide, and the OSD composition unit outputs the electronic program guide 61 to the display device 101. When the cursor key is operated while the electronic program guide 61 is displayed, a highlight 62 indicating that a program is selected moves. Thereby, the user selects a program to be recorded. When the user selects this, the control unit 9 records the channel, start time, and end time of the broadcast program scheduled to be recorded in the flash memory 99.

  A screen 63 in FIG. 2B is an example of a screen displayed when a program to be recorded is selected from the electronic program guide. In order to start recording, the user periodically performs not only the channel, start time, and end time of the program selected in FIG. 2A, but also the image quality (bit rate), audio, and recording at the time of recording. It is necessary to set a recording medium or not. Therefore, the OSD composition unit displays the program to be reserved for recording and various recording settings for the program on the display unit 101 in a matrix. When the user sets items necessary for the recording reservation, moves the cursor to the recording reservation 64 and presses the enter key, the control unit 9 sets the recording reservation. Specifically, the data describing the setting for recording reservation is recorded in the flash memory 99. Here, as shown in FIG. 2B, a plurality of recording reservation settings may be accepted. Further, when the recording reservation setting 54 is pressed and the setting by the user is not completed as shown in FIG. 3B, an OSD for prompting completion of the setting is further output to the display unit 101. good.

  If the user makes a mistake in the recording reservation setting, the cursor is moved to return 65 and the enter key is pressed, and the OSD composition unit returns to the screen 61 in FIG. Further, a guide for “return” is prepared in the same manner as 65 for returning to the screen 61. The user exits the recording reservation process using this. This returns to the main operation menu of the DVD recorder 1. In this case, the recording reservation is not completed and is not set. Even in this case, when the channel and time are set by the user, the channel and time are recorded in the flash memory 99 for the ambiguous recording process 921.

  For example, as shown in the lower two columns of FIG. 2B, when the return 65 is pressed and the recording reservation process 91 is exited without setting the image quality, audio, and recording destination, at least the date, A start time, an end time, and a channel (CH) are set. In this case, this information is recorded in the memory 99. In the bottom column of FIG. 2B, the date is set to “Every Tuesday” and the image quality is set to EP by the user, so this information is also recorded. The ambiguous recording process 921 performs a recording process based on these pieces of information, and records the recorded data in a backup folder.

  When the user moves the cursor to the recording reservation setting 64 and presses the enter button, the recording reservation setting is completed. This corresponds to the “completed” recording reservation of the present invention. Further, the fact that the recording reservation setting 64 has not been set and the recording reservation setting has been exited corresponds to the “recording reservation is not completed” according to the present invention.

  In the description of FIG. 2, the method of setting the recording channel and time using the EPG shown in FIG. 2A is shown, but the EPG is not displayed and the screen of FIG. 2B is displayed suddenly. The channel, start time, end time, and other settings may be accepted. However, if the selection of a program is accepted from the EPG, the user can easily input the channel, start time, and end time to the DVD recorder 1 simply by performing an operation of selecting the program.

  Next, the initial setting process 95 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 illustrates the screen transition in the initial setting process 95.

  In the initial setting process 95, various settings for the DVD recorder 1 are accepted. For example, reception settings, screen settings, audio settings, language settings, recording reservation settings, etc. are accepted as in the screen 67. In the reception setting, a channel setting or the like is accepted. This is a process in which the control unit 9 receives various settings in response to an instruction from the operation unit 8 when the user purchases the DVD recorder 1 or the like. In this process, the input of regional information is accepted by the GUI, and channel setting is automatically performed. At the time of channel setting, the control unit 9 outputs a channel table in which the virtual channel and the physical channel are compared to the receiving unit 2. The reception control unit of the reception unit 2 records this table in the internal flash memory.

In the screen setting, settings for the aspect ratio, luminance, and contrast of the screen are accepted. In the audio setting, settings such as stereo and sub audio are accepted. The highlight display 671 moves up and down with the cursor keys. A portion having the highlight display 671 is an item selected on the screen (the screens 68 and 681 to 683 display the highlight in the same manner, but the illustration is omitted). When the enter key is pressed while the highlight display 671 is at the recording reservation setting 64 position, the OSD composition unit switches the screen 67 to the screen 68.
In the recording reservation setting, various settings including a default aspect ratio, a default audio setting, and a default recording setting are accepted. When the user selects a default aspect ratio, the OSD composition unit displays a screen 681 and accepts settings for aspect ratios 4: 3 and 16: 9. When the user selects the default voice setting, the OSD synthesis unit displays a screen 682 and accepts the settings of MONO, STREO, and SURROUND. When the user selects the default recording mode, the OSD composition unit displays a screen 683 and accepts the setting of the default recording mode (SP mode, LP mode, EP mode).
If these default settings are made, recording is performed using these settings when the ambiguous recording process 921 is executed. Note that these settings may also be displayed as a default on the recording reservation screen 63 (FIG. 2B).

  Next, the recording process 92 of the apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 4 shows the recording reservation process 91. However, the steps indicated by dotted lines in the figure represent the recording process 92 after the recording reservation process 91 is executed.

ST1: Wait until the recording reservation key on the operation unit 8 is pressed (NO in ST1). When the recording reservation key is pressed, the process moves to ST2.
ST2: Accepting a recording reservation mode selection and displaying “1. Recording reservation using the electronic program guide (EPG), 2. Recording reservation without using the electronic program guide (EPG)”, etc., and whether the former was selected Judge whether. If it is selected to use the electronic program guide (YES in ST2), steps ST21 to ST23 are performed. When “Reservation without using electronic program guide” is selected (NO in ST2), the process moves to ST31.

  ST21: The OSD composition unit displays an electronic program guide (EPG). For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the EPG is displayed in a matrix of time and channel.

ST22: The selection of the program to be recorded by the user is accepted with the cursor key and the decision key of the remote controller.
ST23: The OSD composition unit displays various settings for the recording reservation item as shown in FIG. At this time, the OSD synthesis unit displays the channel and time input by EPG.

  ST31, ST32, ST4, ST5, and ST7 are processes for receiving various recording settings by displaying the screen 63 of FIG. These processes are repeated until branching to YES of either ST5 or ST7.

  ST31, ST32: The OSD composition unit displays various settings for the recording reservation item as shown in FIG. Then, the recorder 1 accepts input of a channel (ST31), start time, and end time (ST32).

ST4: The recorder 1 is a recording setting and accepts settings other than the channel, start time, and end time.
Note that any of ST31, ST32, and ST4 may be received first, or may be received simultaneously. For convenience of flow display, it is shown as in FIG. Actually, when the cursor moves to the item, selection of the setting should be validated.

  ST5: It is determined whether a recording reservation has been determined. This determination is accepted from the determination key when the user moves the cursor 64 to the recording reservation setting (FIG. 2B). If this determination is made (YES in ST5), the process moves to ST61.

ST61: Store the recording reservation setting accepted on the screen 63 (FIG. 2B) in the flash memory 99.
ST62: The control unit 9 performs a recording process 92 at the time set in the recording reservation. Here, recording is performed in a user folder in which the user can perform operations such as selection, reproduction, deletion, and editing from a menu.

  ST7: It is determined whether or not the mode of the recording reservation processing 91 has been escaped. When the return 65 (FIG. 2B) is selected and the enter key is pressed, the recording reservation is not set and the mode of the recording reservation processing 91 is exited. If this determination is affirmative, the process moves to ST71. If this determination is negative, the process returns to ST31.

  ST71: It is determined whether or not at least a channel and a start time are set on the screen 63. If this determination is negative, the minimum information for recording is insufficient, and the flow of FIG. 4 ends. If this determination is affirmative, the process moves to ST81.

  ST81, ST82: These processes are ambiguous recording processes 921. In ST81, the default setting set in the recording reservation setting in the initial setting process 95 is read from the flash memory 99. In ST82, recording is started based on the default setting, the channel set on the screen 63, and the start time. At this time, in contrast to ST62, it is recorded in the backup folder which cannot be selected from the menu unless the user performs a specific operation. When a specific operation (for example, selection from a specific button or a specific menu) is performed, an operation for extracting from the backup folder to a normal recording data folder is accepted.

  In ST82, if settings other than the channel and the start time are also set, the setting of the recording reservation is enabled instead of the default setting set in the initial setting process 95. For example, in the recording reservation in the lowermost column in FIG. 2B, the image quality is set to the EP mode by the user. Therefore, even if the default image quality set in the initial setting process 95 is the SP mode, the recording process 92 is performed in the EP mode. For the recording reservation in the bottom column, the recording process 92 is executed every Tuesday.

  It should be noted that the old recording file may be deleted and organized so that the backup folder has a certain capacity. Further, a predetermined area may be secured instead of the backup folder. Further, it is possible to follow the failure of the user's recording operation without necessarily distinguishing from such a backup folder. However, such distinction can avoid a situation where the organization of files in the recording apparatus becomes complicated.

  In the description of FIG. 1 described above, the blocks have been separated for each function. However, on implementation, any of these functions may be configured by a system IC in which a plurality of functions are integrated. One block may be divided into a plurality of blocks. For example, the flash memory 99 may be built in the control unit 9.

  The recording medium used in the present embodiment only needs to be able to record a video signal and an audio signal, and may be not only a portable device such as a flash memory in addition to an optical disc but also a medium used for installation. Further, it is sufficient that one or more types of recording media can be recorded / read out.

  The key examples and operation methods described for the operation unit 8 are examples. The name of the key may not be as described above. As the role of the operation unit 8, it is only necessary to instruct the control unit 9 to perform operations for making various settings. For example, a unique key may be assigned to the recording reservation 64 and the return 65 in FIG. Further, only when the screen 63 is displayed with the movement of the screen, the input of a specific key may be an instruction of “recording reservation” or “return”. In addition, the highlight indicating that it is selected on the screen is an example, and it may be blinking, the character may be highlighted in white, or it may be possible to indicate that it is selected. .

  Although the start time and end time are set in FIG. 2, the start time and the recording time may be set. It is only necessary to be able to specify a recording time zone during the ambiguous recording process 921. Even if the end time is not specified, if the start time can be specified, recording can be started for the time being. If the start time is set in the recording reservation process 91, the ambiguous recording process 921 may be executed. This start time corresponds to the “start time” of the present invention. Further, such a time zone set in the recording reservation processing 91 corresponds to the “time zone” of the present invention.

  The initial setting shown in FIG. 3 is an example. That is, other setting items may be provided, and the setting items shown in FIG. 3 are not necessarily provided. For example, the aspect ratio may be unique to the received broadcast. Here, it is only necessary to determine default settings necessary for recording other than the channel, start time, and end time.

  As the roles of the encoding unit 3, the recording / reading unit 4, and the signal processing unit 5, recording is performed by reflecting the recording reservation setting set in the recording reservation processing 91 or the default recording reservation setting set in the initial setting processing 95. I hope I can. For example, the recording / reading unit 4 does not need to be recorded on a randomly accessible recording medium, and may have a configuration for recording on a video tape.

  The receiving unit 2 receives both the analog format and the digital format, but may include only one of them. The receiving unit 2 only needs to receive the broadcast and output the video signal.

  In ST21 to ST23 in FIG. 2A and FIG. 4, the selection of the channel to be recorded, the start time, and the end time is accepted in the electronic program guide. However, these may be performed by code input, for example, G code input. Selection in the electronic program guide is not essential as an embodiment of the present invention.

  The display device 101 and the speaker 102 may be physically separated from the DVD recorder 1 or may be combined. Instead of the antenna 100, a broadcast signal may be input via a wire. The movement of the screen shown in the initial setting process 95 is an example, and other items may be set or the display order may be changed.

1 shows a schematic configuration of a DVD recorder of the present embodiment. The screen displayed at the time of the video recording reservation process of this embodiment is illustrated. The screen transition displayed at the time of the initial setting process of this embodiment is illustrated. It is a flowchart showing the video recording reservation process of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1-DVD recorder, 2-reception unit, 3-encoding unit, 4-recording / reading unit,
41-optical disk drive, 42-hard disk (HD),
43-hard disk drive (HDD),
5-signal processing unit, 6-output unit, 8-operation unit,
9-control unit, 91-recording reservation process, 92-recording process,
921- Ambiguous recording process, 95- Initial setting process,
99-flash memory, 10-DVD,
100-antenna, 101-display, 102-speaker

Claims (3)

A receiver for receiving broadcasts;
A recording unit for recording the broadcast received by the receiving unit;
A recording reservation unit that accepts various settings for the recording unit to start recording in advance and performs the setting, and the recording unit performs recording based on the setting made by the recording reservation unit In the device
When the recording reservation means sets at least the channel and the scheduled recording start time or recording time zone as the setting, but the recording reservation setting is not completed, the recording unit A recording apparatus that performs an ambiguous recording process that performs the recording based on a setting made by a reservation unit and a predetermined initial setting.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit deletes and manages files recorded by the process so that a used capacity in a recording medium used for the ambiguous recording process falls within a predetermined range. A file list display means for outputting a list display of recording files recorded by the recording unit;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the file list display unit displays a recording file recorded by the ambiguous recording process only when a specific operation is received.

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