JP2011114479A - Electronic program guide display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic program guide display device which displays an electronic program guide which can easily select a program with continuity to a program viewed and listened in the past. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic program guide display device is provided with a program information acquisition means 11 which acquires program information, an electronic program guide creation means 15, 25 which create an electronic program guide based on the program information, and a memory means 29 which memorizes a viewing and listening history. The electronic program creation means selects a program with continuity to the program viewed and listened in the past based on the viewing and listening history, and creates the electronic program guide so as to be separately displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic program guide display device that displays an electronic program guide.

  In recent years, with the digitization of broadcasting, the number of broadcasting stations (channels) that can be viewed with a television receiver has increased compared to the analog era. In addition, television receivers incorporating an electronic program guide (EPG) mechanism have become widespread so that a user can easily select a channel to view from many channels.

  However, in such an electronic program guide, when the number of channels increases, it is necessary to search for a program to be viewed from a table in which programs are arranged in two dimensions of time axis × channel, which is not efficient.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes a receiving apparatus and a receiving method that record channel selection history information every unit time and automatically select a channel of a program viewed one week ago or one day ago. Yes.

JP 2006-295868 A

  The receiving apparatus and the receiving method described in Patent Document 1 only select the same channel automatically at the same time one week or one day after watching the program, and have been seen in the past in a time zone other than the current time It was not possible to check the program or display a list of programs on other channels and decide which program to watch at the user's will. Also, even if you are just watching the TV and you are not watching, it may be registered in your viewing history, so you might be automatically tuned to a channel that you do not want to watch.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an electronic program guide display device that displays an electronic program guide that can easily select a program that is continuous with a program that has been viewed in the past. .

  An electronic program guide display device of the present invention comprises program information acquisition means for acquiring program information, electronic program guide generation means for generating an electronic program guide based on the program information, and storage means for storing a viewing history. The electronic program guide generation means selects a program having continuity with a program viewed in the past based on the viewing history, and generates the electronic program guide so as to be displayed separately.

  In the electronic program guide, the programs having continuity with the previously viewed programs may be displayed together in parallel with the programs of the respective channels.

  The electronic program guide generation means may determine that the program is viewed when the ratio of the viewing time of the program to the broadcast time of the program is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio.

  When the broadcast time of programs having continuity with the program viewed in the past overlaps, the program with the higher ratio of the program viewing time to the program broadcast time may be displayed preferentially.

  The electronic program guide generating means may determine that the program is viewed when the viewing time of the program is longer than a predetermined time.

  When the broadcast times of programs having continuity with the previously viewed program overlap, the program with the longer program viewing time may be displayed preferentially.

  When the overlap of the broadcast time between programs having continuity with the program viewed in the past is equal to or shorter than a predetermined length, both programs may be displayed.

  The electronic program guide generation means may determine that the program has continuity when the series identification (series_id) included in the program information matches.

  The electronic program guide generating means may determine that the program has continuity when a predetermined number or more of characters in the program title match.

  If the broadcast time of the program is less than or equal to a predetermined length, the continuous program may not be displayed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily select a program having continuity with a program viewed in the past in the electronic program guide.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the electronic program guide display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the electronic program guide which the electronic program guide display apparatus of this invention displays. It is a flowchart explaining the determination procedure of a viewing program. It is a flowchart explaining the procedure which displays an electronic program guide. It is a figure which shows the other example of the electronic program guide which the electronic program guide display apparatus of this invention displays.

Hereinafter, an electronic program guide display device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The electronic program guide display device of the present invention is a display device such as a liquid crystal television receiver capable of displaying an electronic program guide. The embodiment described below is an example in which the electronic program guide display device of the present invention is configured as a television receiver that receives and displays a digital broadcast.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the electronic program guide display device of the present invention. The electronic program guide display device receives a digital broadcast signal received from an antenna, performs processing such as channel selection, a demultiplexer 3, and a video / audio decode that decodes an output from the demultiplexer 3. Output from the unit 5, the screen synthesis unit 17 that generates a signal for synthesizing and displaying the decoded video signal and program guide data described later, the audio output unit 7 that outputs audio, and the demultiplexer 3. The program information decoding unit 11 for decoding the program information, the program guide data generating unit 15 for generating an electronic program guide based on the program information decoded by the program information decoding unit 11, and the signal synthesized by the screen synthesizing unit 17 A display unit 21 for displaying an image based on the remote control signal receiving unit 23 for receiving a remote control signal from a remote control device as a control device, A control unit (CPU) 25 that controls the body, and a memory unit (RAM / ROM) that is executed in the control unit 25, records an application program for performing various processes, expands the program, and provides the CPU to the CPU 27 and a storage unit 29 for storing the history of the viewed program.

  During operation of the electronic program guide display device, for example, when a predetermined operation on the remote control device, for example, a dedicated key is pressed, the control unit 25 that has received a signal from the remote control device via the remote control light receiving unit 23 The electronic program guide generated by the generation unit 15 is displayed on the display unit 21.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an electronic program guide displayed by the electronic program guide display device of the present invention. In the electronic program guide, a program broadcasted at a predetermined time in each channel is arranged two-dimensionally with the vertical axis as a time axis and the horizontal axis as a channel axis. The cursor can be moved between programs by a remote control operation or the like, and the program can be selected, viewed or reserved for recording by a remote control operation or the like while the cursor is positioned on a desired program.

The column of the electronic program guide includes a past viewing program column together with a column assigned to each channel. In this past viewing program sequence, when a program that was viewed last week (one week ago) and the same title program is broadcast this week, that program is displayed. What is displayed at this time is that of this week that will be broadcast. For example, if the program viewed last week is the second episode of the program “BBBB”, the third episode “BBBB” is displayed in the past viewing program sequence. The program displayed in the past viewing program sequence does not depend on the channel. In the past viewing program sequence, the channel name broadcast together with the program is also displayed. For example, if you are not watching
One week ago October 1 10: 00 to 11: 00 "Election Special Number"
This week October 8th 10: 00-11: 00 "Professional baseball broadcast"
If there is no continuity between the program of one week before and this week as shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, a program assigned to “011 channel”, “021 channel”, “031 channel” and a program viewed at 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock in the “viewed program last week” which is a past viewing program row. Is displayed. “AAAA” to “JJJJ” are program names. During the 9: 30-10: 30 time period, “AAAA” of “041 channel” was watched last week, so “AAAA” of “041 channel” that has continuity is displayed in “Programs watched last week”. . The “041 channel” column is not displayed in the state of FIG. 2, but is displayed when scrolling horizontally. During the time period from 10:30 to 11:00, since we watched the second episode of “BBBB” on “031 channel” last week, “BBBB” on “031 channel” has a continuity in “the program watched last week” Three episodes are displayed. In the time zone of 11: 00-11: 30, since “CCCC” of “031 channel” was watched last week, “CCCC” of “031 channel” having continuity is displayed in “programs watched last week”. . In the 11: 30-12: 00 time zone, since nothing was watched last week, nothing is displayed in the “program watched last week”.

  Since a program to be broadcast in the past (or being broadcast) is displayed in the past viewing program sequence, channel selection, viewing reservation, and recording can be performed by remote control operation, etc., similarly to the program in the sequence assigned to each channel. Reservations can be made.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the past viewing program column is always displayed on the left side of the electronic program guide, and the other columns, that is, the columns allocated to the respective channels are horizontally displayed in accordance with the horizontal cursor movement. Scroll. The cursor is moved between the past viewing program sequence and the other sequence by, for example, a dedicated switching button such as a remote controller. Whether the cursor is in the past viewing program column or another column, the past viewing program column and the other columns are simultaneously scrolled vertically in accordance with the cursor movement in the vertical direction.

  In the electronic program guide displayed by the electronic program guide display device of the present invention, a series of programs broadcast on the same channel and the same time every week, such as dramas, is a sequence of the electronic program guide regardless of the channel that was viewed last week. By displaying on the screen, there is an advantage that the user can easily find out and the oversight is reduced.

  Also, by displaying the normal electronic program guide and the continuation of the program you watched last week at the same time, when you search for other programs, you can easily determine which one you are watching by comparing with the continuation of the program you watched last week. become.

  The selection of the program to be displayed in the past viewing program sequence is performed by the control unit 25 based on the history of the viewed program stored in the storage unit 29. The control unit 25 measures the viewing time of all the selected programs while the power of the electronic program guide display device is turned on, and a program or broadcast whose viewing time is longer than a predetermined length. A program in which the ratio of viewing time to time is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio is determined to be a viewed program. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a viewing program determination procedure.

  In step S101, a channel selection operation is performed by a user's remote control operation or the like. This channel selection operation includes when the power is turned on.

  In step S102, it is determined whether or not the channel being selected includes a program that is being watched before being selected for another channel and whose viewing time is being measured. If there is, the process proceeds to step S103. The process proceeds to S106.

  In step S103, it is determined whether or not the program whose viewing time is being measured is continued. If it is not continued, the process proceeds to step S104, and if it is continued, the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S104, it is determined whether or not the measured viewing time is a predetermined time or more, or the ratio of the viewing time in the broadcast time of the program is a predetermined ratio or more, and the predetermined time or more or a predetermined ratio. If so, the process proceeds to step S105, and if it is less than the predetermined time or less than the predetermined ratio, the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S105, a program that has been viewed for a predetermined time or more or a predetermined ratio is recorded in the storage unit 29 as a past viewing program, and the process proceeds to step S106. The contents to be recorded are, for example, broadcast network, channel name, program name, series identification (series_id), program start time, program end time, ratio of viewing time to program broadcast time, and the like.

  In step S106, measurement is started by setting the viewing time of the program currently broadcast on the selected channel to 0 seconds, and the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S107, it is determined whether a channel selection operation has been performed. If not, the process proceeds to step S108, and if it has been performed, the process returns to step S101.

  In step S108, it is determined whether a power-off operation has been performed. If not, the process proceeds to step S109, and if it has been performed, the process proceeds to step S115.

  In step S109, it is determined whether or not there is a program change (a program ends with the passage of time and the next program starts). If not, the process proceeds to step S110. If there is, the process proceeds to step S112. .

  In step S110, 1 second is added to the viewing time of the program whose viewing time is being measured, and the process proceeds to step S111.

  In step S111, the process waits for 1 second and returns to step S107.

  In step S112, it is determined whether the measured viewing time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, or whether the proportion of the viewing time in the broadcast time of the program is equal to or greater than a predetermined rate. If so, the process proceeds to step S113, and if it is less than the predetermined time or less than the predetermined ratio, the process proceeds to step S114.

  In step S113, a program that has been viewed for a predetermined time or more or a predetermined ratio is recorded in the storage unit 29 as a past viewing program, and the process proceeds to step S114. The contents to be recorded are, for example, broadcast network, channel name, program name, series identification (series_id), program start time, program end time, ratio of viewing time to program broadcast time, and the like.

  In step S114, measurement is started with the viewing time of the program currently broadcast on the selected channel as 0 seconds, and the process proceeds to step S111.

  In step S115, it is determined whether there is a program whose program viewing time is being recorded for all the channels that have been viewed after the power is turned on. If there is, the process proceeds to step S116, and if not, the process proceeds to step S120.

  In step S116, one of the programs whose viewing time is being recorded is selected, and the process proceeds to step S117.

  In step S117, it is determined whether the measured viewing time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, or whether the proportion of the viewing time in the broadcast time of the program is equal to or greater than a predetermined rate. If so, the process proceeds to step S118, and if it is less than the predetermined time or less than the predetermined ratio, the process proceeds to step S119.

  In step S118, a program that has been viewed for a predetermined time or more or a predetermined ratio is recorded in the storage unit 29 as a past viewing program, and the process proceeds to step S119. The contents to be recorded are, for example, broadcast network, channel name, program name, series identification (series_id), program start time, program end time, ratio of viewing time to program broadcast time, and the like.

  In step S119, the selected program is deleted from the program whose viewing time is being recorded, and the process returns to step S115.

  In step S120, the power is turned off and the operation is terminated.

  When viewing the electronic program guide, programs that were viewed a week ago will be broadcast on the same channel within several hours before and after this time period, taking into account the change of the same time zone on the same day of the week or the broadcast time. Compared with the program, it is determined whether there is continuity, and the program to be displayed in the past viewing program sequence is selected.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure for displaying the electronic program guide.

  In step S201, the program data of programs viewed one week ago are rearranged in descending order of viewing time rate.

  In step S202, n = 1 is set (n is a positive integer).

  In step S203, it is determined whether or not there is program data of the nth program with the viewing time rate. If there is, the process proceeds to step S204, and if not, the process proceeds to step S209. Here, it is assumed that the program whose viewing time rate is n is program X.

  In step S <b> 204, program data of program X is extracted from the storage unit 29. Here, a program whose broadcast time is less than a certain time (for example, less than 10 minutes) may be ignored.

  In step S205, one week after the broadcast of the program X, the same channel has continuity with the program X within the broadcast time of the program X or within several hours (for example, 2 hours) before and after the broadcast time of the program X. Determine if there is a program. This determination is made based on, for example, whether the series identification (series_id) matches, whether the program name character string matches five or more characters, whether the program name character string matches all but numbers. The program determined to be continuous with the program X in this way is set as the program Z. If the program Z exists, the process proceeds to step S206, and if not, the process proceeds to step S208.

  In step S206, it is determined whether or not there is a program in which the broadcast time zone overlaps with the program Z in the display program list that is a list of programs to be displayed in the past viewing program sequence of the electronic program guide. If not, the process proceeds to step S207. If there is, the process proceeds to step S208. In step S201, since the program data is rearranged in the descending order of the viewing time rate, the program that overlaps the program Z with the broadcast time zone has a higher viewing time rate than the program Z. indicate. If the overlap of broadcast times is short (for example, 2 minutes), both programs may be displayed in the past viewing program sequence.

  In step S207, the program Z is added to the display program list, and the process proceeds to step S208.

  In step S208, n = n + 1 is set, and the process returns to step S203.

  In step S209, the electronic program guide is displayed, and the process ends. At this time, the program included in the display program list is displayed in the past viewing program sequence.

  The program data in the storage unit 29 may be deleted after one week has passed since viewing.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the electronic program guide display device of the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, a program that has continuity with the program viewed one week ago is displayed in the past viewing program display sequence, but a program that has continuity with the program viewed one day ago is displayed. Also good. In addition, a program having continuity with a program viewed two weeks ago or earlier may be displayed. In such a case, the program data in the storage unit 29 may be deleted after a period for determining continuity.

  Moreover, the form of the electronic program guide which displays a program that is continuous with a program viewed in the past is not limited to the example of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of an electronic program guide displayed by the electronic program guide display device of the present invention. In the electronic program guide shown in FIG. 5, when a cursor is placed on a desired time frame, a list of programs that are broadcast in that time zone and have continuity with programs viewed in the past is displayed. In the example of FIG. 5, the cursor shown by a thick frame is put on “10/1 am” in the time frame of the half day unit shown at the top, and “program ABC” to “program PQR” broadcasted in this time zone are broadcast stations. , Channel number, and broadcast time.

  The present invention is applicable to an electronic program guide display device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front end 3 Demultiplexer 5 Video | voice audio | voice decoding part 7 Audio | voice output part 11 Program information decoding part 15 Program guide data generation part 17 Screen composition part 21 Display part 23 Remote control light-receiving part 25 Control part 27 Memory part 27
29 Memory unit

Claims (14)

Program information acquisition means for acquiring program information;
Electronic program guide generating means for generating an electronic program guide based on the program information;
Storage means for storing the viewing history,
The electronic program guide generating means selects a program having continuity with a program viewed in the past based on the viewing history, and generates the electronic program guide to be displayed separately. Table display device.   2. The electronic program guide display device according to claim 1, wherein in the electronic program guide, programs having continuity with the program viewed in the past are collectively displayed in parallel with programs of each channel.   3. The electronic program guide generation unit determines that the program is viewed when the ratio of the viewing time of the program to the broadcast time of the program is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio. Electronic program guide display device.   The program having a higher ratio of the program viewing time to the program broadcasting time is preferentially displayed when the broadcasting time of programs having continuity with the program viewed in the past overlaps. Item 4. The electronic program guide display device according to Item 3.   3. The electronic program guide display device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide generation unit determines that the program is viewed when the viewing time of the program is a predetermined time or more.   6. The electronic program according to claim 5, wherein when a broadcast time of programs having continuity with the program viewed in the past overlaps, a program having a longer program viewing time is preferentially displayed. Table display device.   The electronic program according to claim 4 or 6, wherein both programs are displayed when the broadcast time of the programs having continuity with the program viewed in the past is not longer than a predetermined length. Table display device.   8. The electronic program guide generation unit according to claim 1, wherein when the series identification (series_id) included in the program information matches, the electronic program guide generation unit determines that the program has continuity. 9. Electronic program guide display device.   8. The electronic program guide generation unit determines that the program has continuity when a predetermined number or more of characters in the title of the program match. Electronic program guide display device.   8. The electronic program according to claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide generation unit determines that the program has continuity when all of the character strings of the titles of the programs match except for numbers. Table display device.   The electronic program guide display device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein when the broadcast time of the program is equal to or less than a predetermined length, the continuous program is not displayed. Obtaining program information;
Storing the viewing history;
Selecting a program having continuity with a program viewed in the past based on the viewing history;
Generating an electronic program guide based on the program information,
The electronic program guide display method, wherein the electronic program guide displays separately the program having continuity with the selected program viewed in the past.   A program for causing a computer to execute the electronic program guide display method according to claim 12.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 13.

Images