JP4197173B2 - Content reservation recording apparatus, method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content reservation recording apparatus, method, program, and recording medium.

  Conventionally, contents such as movies, news programs, dramas, sports programs, and music programs are distributed by television broadcasting or radio broadcasting, or distributed on recording media such as video cassette tapes, DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and CDs (Compact Discs). Has been. In recent years, the number of broadcast forms to be distributed has increased, the types and capacities of distributed recording media have increased, and large-capacity content has also reached the viewer. Furthermore, with recent advances in information processing equipment and network technology, content is distributed to viewers by communication via a network.

  Broadcast contents typified by television broadcasts and radio broadcasts may not be able to be viewed for the convenience of viewers during the broadcast time, and there are devices having a reservation recording function and a reservation recording function to compensate for this. With regard to content reservation recording such as scheduled recording of TV broadcasts, the user makes a reservation by examining himself / herself regarding the broadcast content for which reservation recording is to be performed, and this is the same for a series program in which the broadcast content is a series. is there.

Note that a program reservation apparatus has been proposed for the purpose of easily making a recording reservation for a series program (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When the program reservation device described in Patent Document 1 detects that the program reserved for recording is a series program, and the series program detection means detects that the program is a series program, Recording medium detecting means for detecting whether or not a reserved program is going to be recorded on the same recording medium as the recording medium on which the series program was recorded last time, and the result detected by the recording medium detecting means to the user An informing means for informing. In addition, the same gazette detects whether or not the next broadcast program is reserved for recording among the series programs recorded to be recorded, and the next broadcast program is reserved for recording. It is also described that a warning is given to the user when it is detected that there is no data.
JP 2001-197411 A

  However, regarding broadcast content reservation recording, when a series content (series program) is recorded every week or every day according to the content broadcast interval, content different from the content to be recorded may be recorded due to a reservation mistake. There are many. As a mistake in reservation, even when a desired program is selected and reserved using the electronic program guide, it is possible that an adjacent program or an adjacent program is erroneously selected. These problems are not limited to series programs, and reservation mistakes at the time of reservation recording can occur for any broadcast content.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is capable of preventing a reservation mistake when preserving and recording broadcast content, a content reservation recording apparatus, a content reservation recording method, a content reservation recording program, It is another object of the present invention to provide a computer-readable recording medium in which the program is recorded.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is constituted by the following technical means.
In a content reservation recording apparatus for recording and recording broadcast content, a first technical means includes a recording instruction receiving means for receiving a broadcast content recording reservation instruction from a user, and the reservation instruction received by the recording instruction receiving means. Content recording reservation means for reserving recording processing of the recording target content indicated by the instruction, content recording means for executing recording processing reserved by the content recording reservation means and recording the recording target content on a recording medium, and the content Related content search means for searching for related content related to the recording target content reserved by the recording reservation means, and related content for reproducing the related content searched by the related content search means before the reservation is confirmed by the content recording reservation means And a reproducing means. .

  According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the related content reproduction means reproduces the related content searched by the related content search means immediately after the reservation by the content recording reservation means, and the content recording reservation The means includes means for changing the reserved recording target content or canceling the reservation after the related content is played back by the related content playback means.

  According to a third technical means, in the second technical means, the content recording reservation means, when the related content is reproduced by the related content reproduction means, and after a predetermined time has passed without the change or cancellation, It has a means for confirming the reservation of the recording target content.

  According to a fourth technical means, in any one of the first to third technical means, the content recording reservation means reserves a recording reservation for the recording target content during or after reproduction of the related content by the related content reproduction means. It has a means for determining.

A fifth technical means comprises any one of the first to fourth technical means, comprising a constant recording means for receiving and constantly recording the broadcast content, wherein the recording instruction receiving means is a broadcast currently being received from a user. Means for accepting a reservation instruction for making a reservation for recording content, wherein the content recording reservation means is currently receiving the content indicated by the reservation instruction among the contents recorded by the constant recording means after the reproduction of the related content; The broadcast content is reserved for recording on the recording medium.

  A sixth technical means is any one of the first to fifth technical means, wherein the related content search means searches the related content for the previous series of broadcast content of the same series as the recording target content. It is characterized by.

  A seventh technical means is any one of the first to sixth technical means, wherein the related content reproduction means performs thumbnail reproduction, skip reproduction, or high-speed reproduction of the related content when reproducing the related content. It is characterized by executing.

  An eighth technical means is any one of the first to seventh technical means, wherein the related content reproduction means executes reproduction of only a predetermined portion of the related content.

  A ninth technical means is any one of the first to eighth technical means, wherein the related content search means is based on content information added to the broadcast content or a periodic distribution time of the broadcast content. The related content is searched from the content to be recorded.

  A tenth technical means is any one of the first to ninth technical means, wherein the recording instruction accepting means is an electronic program guide acquiring means for acquiring an electronic program guide comprising program information in broadcast content, and the electronic program From the electronic program guide presenting means for presenting the electronic program guide acquired by the table acquiring means to the user, and from the electronic program guide presented by the electronic program guide presenting means, a desired program is provided to the user as broadcast content for performing the reservation instruction. And a user selecting means for selecting.

  An eleventh technical means is any one of the first to fifth technical means, wherein the recording instruction receiving means is program information in broadcast content, and at least a part of the previous broadcast content for a series program. An electronic program guide acquisition means for acquiring an electronic program guide comprising program information, an electronic program guide presentation means for presenting the electronic program guide acquired by the electronic program guide acquisition means to the user, and the electronic program guide presentation User selection means for allowing a user to select a desired program as broadcast content to be instructed from the electronic program guide presented by the means, and the related content search means is selected by the user selection means A part of the previous broadcast content for the program is selected from the electronic program guide as a search result.

  According to a twelfth technical means, in a content reservation recording method for recording and recording broadcast content, a recording instruction reception step for receiving a broadcast content recording reservation instruction from a user, and the reservation instruction received in the recording instruction reception step A content recording reservation step for reserving recording processing of the recording target content indicated by the instruction; a content recording step for executing recording processing reserved in the content recording reservation step to record the recording target content on a recording medium; and A related content search step for searching related content related to the recording target content reserved in the recording reservation step, and a related content for reproducing the related content searched in the related content search step before the reservation is confirmed in the content recording reservation step Playback Tsu and up, in which characterized in that it comprises a.

  A thirteenth technical means is a program for causing a computer to function as each means in the content reservation recording apparatus of any one of the first to eleventh technical means.

  The fourteenth technical means is a computer-readable recording medium recording the program in the thirteenth technical means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a reservation error when a broadcast content is reserved and recorded.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a content reservation recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of content reservation recording processing in the content reservation recording apparatus of FIG. 1, and is also a flowchart for explaining a content reservation recording method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A content reservation recording apparatus 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for recording content stored in any storage location or broadcast content received from any broadcasting station, and includes a hard disk recorder and a DVD recorder. It can be suitably applied to various devices capable of recording (dubbing) on various recording media, such as a DVD recorder with a built-in hard disk, a video recorder, and a television receiver with a recording / playback function, a content reservation recording program, and a video The present invention can also be applied to a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) equipped with a module such as a card (also referred to as a video adapter).

  The content reservation recording apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described in FIG. 1 includes at least a recording instruction receiving unit 11, a content recording reservation unit 12, a content recording unit 13, a related content search unit 14, and a related content reproduction unit 15. . As a content input means provided in the content reservation recording apparatus 1, a tuner, a recording medium, a network communication means, and the like may be provided as appropriate.

  The content to be recorded by the content reservation recording apparatus 1 is generally a broadcast content transmitted from a broadcasting station due to the nature of reservation, and a storage unit connected to the content reservation recording apparatus 1 via a network or the like is provided. It may be content that is stored in the device or server that is held and that is distributed periodically. In the present specification, such a periodically distributed content is also called a content broadcast on a network (for example, the Internet), and is therefore called broadcast content. The content includes not only digitally broadcasted content, collection of still image content distributed over the network, moving image content, digitally recorded content and other digital content, but also analog broadcasted content and analog recorded content. The present invention can be applied to the present invention even if it is analog content, or even digital or analog audio content.

  The same applies to not only the content to be recorded but also the related content described later. The related content is stored in the content reservation recording device 1 or stored in a recording medium attached to the content reservation recording device 1. It is preferable in terms of the speed of search, and conversely, content acquired via a network is preferable in terms of the number of search targets. Also, in the case of digital content, cooperation from the broadcasting station is required, but the related content is broadcast as additional information (content information) together with the content to be recorded from the broadcasting station, so that the search processing However, a simple search from the content information is sufficient, which is preferable. Of course, in this case, it is easy to broadcast only a part of the related content on the broadcast station side (described later in other forms).

  The recording instruction accepting means 11 is a means for accepting a broadcast content recording reservation instruction from the user. For example, the recording instruction accepting means 11 may be a press of a reservation recording button or the like provided on the main body of the content reservation recording apparatus 1 or a remote controller (remote controller). The reservation instruction may be executed by a selection input using screen display means such as OSD (On Screen Display). Of course, in the reservation recording, it is necessary to specify the broadcast time, channel, etc. of the content C to be recorded. It is preferable to add it.

  The content recording reservation unit 12 is a unit that reserves a recording process for the recording target content C indicated by the reservation instruction in response to the reservation instruction received by the recording instruction reception unit 11. The content recording unit 13 is a unit that executes the recording process reserved by the content recording reservation unit 12 when the reservation time comes and records the recording target content C on the recording medium 16. The content recording means 13 normally records the recording target content C on the recording medium 16 based on the reservation, although the actual configuration and control of the recording circuit differ depending on the format and recording format of the recording target content C. If it is possible.

  The related content search unit 14 is a unit that searches for the related content R related to the recording target content reserved by the content recording reservation unit 12. The search destination may be only the recording medium 16 or a network connection destination recording medium, or both of them may be set as search destinations.

  Further, as a search key, a periodic distribution time of content (broadcast information as broadcast content) such as the scheduled acquisition date and time of the recording target content C and the acquisition date and time of related content R (broadcast date and time as broadcast content) is used. It is preferable to do. For example, when the related content R is searched using the scheduled acquisition date and time of the recording target content C as a search key, the acquisition date and time one week or one week before the scheduled acquisition date and time of the recording target content C in the search destination. It is good to search the content which has and to output as the related content R. Alternatively, in the case of digital content, a part of the content information added to the content may be used as a search key. In the case of analog content, a part of the content information acquired by requesting user input is used. It may be used as a search key. Note that the content information refers to information such as the content of the subsections in the content, information on time zones, producers, performers, copyright information, genres, etc. Information that can be suitably used in this embodiment is time zones. Information.

  The related content reproduction unit 15 is a unit for reproducing the related content R searched by the related content search unit 14 before the reservation by the content recording reservation unit 12 is confirmed. Therefore, the reservation is confirmed after at least the related content R is reproduced by the related content reproduction means 15. As with normal recording reservations, even if the reservation is confirmed, it is only necessary to cancel the reservation, multiple reservations may exist at the same time, and multiple simultaneous reservations exist at the same time. However, if there are a plurality of receiving circuits such as a tuner and a plurality of recording destinations, it can be handled. In addition, the related content playback means 15 is usually different in the configuration and control of the actual playback circuit depending on the format or the like of the related content R. However, the related content R can be played back before the reservation is confirmed. It is only necessary that the related content R is controlled to be reproduced.

  Also, a mode in which the related content R is not searched and played back may be prepared. That is, the reservation recording mode with the related content reproduction function and the normal reservation recording mode are provided in the content reservation recording apparatus 1, and the related content search unit 14 and the related content reproduction unit 15 are provided only in the reservation recording mode with the related content reproduction function. Just make it work. For example, the reservation recording mode with the related content reproduction function may include an operation button or the like different from the normal reservation recording mode.

Next, some examples regarding reproduction of related content R and confirmation of reservation will be described.
The related content reproduction unit 15 reproduces the related content R searched by the related content search unit 14 immediately after the reservation by the content recording reservation unit 12. Then, the content recording reservation unit 12 is provided with means for changing the reserved recording target content C or canceling the reservation after the related content R is reproduced by the related content reproduction unit 15. Here, the content recording reservation means 12 is means for confirming the reservation of the recording target content C when a predetermined time elapses without being changed or canceled after the related content R is played back by the related content playback means 15. You may comprise so that it may have.

  As another embodiment, the content recording reservation unit 12 may include a unit for confirming a recording reservation for the recording target content C during or after the related content R is played back by the related content playback unit 15. As this means, a reservation confirmation button and its control means, or a recording reservation may be confirmed simply when a reproduction stop instruction is given by a stop button or the like during reproduction of the related content R.

  In addition, when a user watches a broadcast content in real time, the user may be driven by a desire to record the broadcast content. In order to cope with such a case, the content reservation recording apparatus 1 may be provided with a constant recording means for receiving and constantly recording broadcast content. The recording instruction accepting unit 11 includes means for accepting a recording instruction for the broadcast content currently being received from the user. Further, it is assumed that the content recording reservation unit 12 makes a reservation for recording the recording target content C in the recording medium 16 among the content recorded by the recording unit at all times after the related content R is reproduced. However, it is necessary for this continuous recording means to hold the content at least until the broadcast of the content ends. In this embodiment, when there is an instruction from the user to record the broadcast content being received, the related content R is first searched for recording confirmation and preferably played back for a short time (to be described later), and the reservation is confirmed. After that, the content C to be recorded, which is being recorded by the constant recording means, is recorded on the recording medium 16 at any time or at the stage when the broadcast ends or enters the CM. Examples of the device provided with the constant recording means include the above-described television receiver with a recording / reproducing function (always recording function), a recorder with the same function, and the like.

  In the content reservation recording apparatus 1 according to each embodiment as described above, since the related content R related to the recording target content C is reproduced before the reservation is confirmed, the related content R can be viewed and the reservation can be confirmed. Reservation mistakes can be prevented in advance. For example, if the related content R that was viewed is content that the user does not want to view at all, this means that the reserved recording target content C was erroneously reserved, and the user notices a reservation mistake and makes a reservation. It becomes possible to change. Further, according to each embodiment, confirmation of reservation can be performed with a simple operation without user's trouble, and further, since the related content R can be viewed at the time of recording reservation of the recording target content C, recording is performed. The degree of understanding when viewing the content C later increases.

  As another embodiment, it is preferable that the related content playback unit 15 is configured to perform thumbnail playback, skip playback, or high speed playback of the related content R when the related content R is played back. Further, the related content reproduction means 15 may be configured to perform reproduction of only a predetermined part in the related content R. Here, the predetermined portion may be a user-specified portion or a default-specified portion, and reproduction from a specified portion (for example, the last five minutes of the related content R) may be executed. Of course, the above-mentioned thumbnail reproduction, skip reproduction, high-speed reproduction, and predetermined partial reproduction may be used in combination.

  In view of the fact that the related content R (the previous content in the case of a series to be described later) can be reproduced as short as possible (in a short time) and the point can be understood. It becomes effective. As for the content to be searched as the related content R, content that can be reproduced by thumbnail reproduction or predetermined partial reproduction as described above may be prepared separately. In any case, a form in which the viewing of a certain part in the related content R as described above is omitted, for example, when a user who has recorded a series program reserves recording of a certain program, For example, the program can be played at high speed (normal playback is also possible), the outline of the previous program can be grasped in a short time, the reserved program can be confirmed whether it is wrong, and the previous program It is also possible to recall the contents.

  As another embodiment, the related content search means 14 may be a means for searching the related content R for the previous broadcast content in the same series as the recording target content C. Of course, it is possible to search not only for the previous time but also for the previous broadcast content as the related content after the previous broadcast content and to reproduce the content by the related content reproduction means 15. However, it is a condition that the content C to be recorded is a series program and the previous program exists in any storage location. In this form, the content of the series program is naturally connected between the previous program and the current program, so that viewers can deepen their understanding of the current program by viewing the previous program in advance. At the same time, the correctness / incorrectness of the reservation of the program for this time can be confirmed.

  Next, an example of processing in the reservation recording mode with a related content reproduction function among the content reservation recording processing in the content reservation recording apparatus 1 as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, it is determined whether or not a reservation recording operation has been performed (step S11). When the reservation recording operation is performed and the reservation recording operation is accepted, the process proceeds to step S12. As the reservation recording operation, a list of broadcast contents that can be selected as a recording target is displayed on the screen, and the recording target content C is determined by the user selecting the recording target content C from the displayed content list.

  In step S12, the related content R related to the recording target content C is searched from the recording medium 16, for example. In step S12, it is determined whether or not the related content R exists (step S13). If there is no related content R, the reservation of the recording target content C is confirmed, and the recording target content C is recorded on the recording medium 16 based on the reservation ( Step S16), the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the related content R exists in step S13, the related content R is first reproduced (step S14), and whether or not the recording target content C is correct as a reservation target is determined by viewing the reproduced related content R. Let the user make a decision (step S15). Depending on the search method of the related content R, if there are a plurality of related content R (for example, the previous and previous content of the series) as a search result, all may be played back, It is only necessary to cause the user to select one or a plurality of related contents R to be presented and reproduced on the screen and reproduce only the selected related contents R. Further, even when the related content R is being reproduced, if the user does not need to reproduce the related content R any more, an operation button or a control circuit that can immediately shift to the reservation confirmation may be incorporated in the configuration. .

  If the reservation is correct in step S15, the reservation is confirmed, and the recording target content C is recorded on the recording medium 16 based on the reservation (step S16). On the other hand, if the reservation is not correct, the user changes the content to be recorded C (step S17), and based on the change, the processing from step S12 is repeated until the reservation is confirmed.

  Moreover, in each embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, EPG may be used for reservation, and the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an electronic program guide applicable to a content reservation recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which 20 is an example of an electronic program guide (EPG), and 21 is 1 in the EPG 20. This is program information for one broadcast content (broadcast program).

  In order to use the EPG, in each of the embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording instruction receiving unit 11 includes an EPG acquisition unit, an EPG presentation unit, and a user selection unit. The EPG acquisition means is means for acquiring the EPG 20 composed of program information (program information 21 or the like) in broadcast content via a network, for example. The EPG presentation means is means for presenting the EPG 20 acquired by the EPG acquisition means to the user. The user selection means is means for allowing the user to select a desired program (for example, a program related to the program information 21) as broadcast content for which a reservation instruction is given from the EPG 20 presented by the EPG presentation means. The program information 21 includes a broadcast station name, broadcast date, start time, end time, genre, program name, number of broadcasts (△ times / XX times), performers, contents, etc., and related content R at the time of reservation The search may be executed based on these pieces of information.

  According to the present embodiment, for example, when a program is reserved for recording by EPG, it is possible to easily grasp what program is by displaying thumbnails of programs for the previous broadcast or skipping playback. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent recording mistakes.

  On the other hand, the related content R may be included in the EPG 20 in advance. In this form, the above-mentioned EPG acquisition means is means for acquiring EPG which is program information in broadcast content, and which includes program information including at least part of the previous broadcast content for at least a series program. It becomes. And the related content search means 14 should just be comprised so that a part of the last broadcast content with respect to the program selected by the user selection means may be selected from EPG as a search result. However, in this form, it is conceivable from the viewpoint of the communication speed due to the capacity of the EPG that the information added to the EPG as the related content R is short-time reproduction information such as a thumbnail. Therefore, among the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, playback such as thumbnail playback and predetermined partial playback need not be controlled on the content reservation recording apparatus 1 side. The related content R may be played back by selecting a portion indicating the related content R from the program information in the EPG.

  Next, an application example to the program reproduction recording apparatus as the content reservation recording apparatus according to each of the above-described embodiments will be described. The details of the processing as the content reservation recording device are as described above, and the description thereof is basically omitted, but this program playback recording device, for example, stores the content for the previous recording when the content is reserved for recording. It has a function to reproduce.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a program playback / recording apparatus as a configuration example of a content reservation recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, description of a part common to each embodiment mentioned above is abbreviate | omitted.

  The program recording / reproducing apparatus 30 includes an antenna 31, a tuner 32, a decoding unit 33, a related content reproduction processing unit 34, an encoding unit 35, an output control unit 36, a network interface (hereinafter abbreviated as I / F) unit 37, and an input unit. 38, an external recording medium I / F unit 39, a storage unit 40, a CPU 41, a memory 42, and a system bus 43. The storage unit 40 is composed of a magnetic disk and the like, and the memory 42 is composed of ROM, RAM, etc., and a tuner 32, a decoding unit 33, a related content reproduction processing unit 34, an encoding unit 35, an output control unit 36, and a network I / F unit. 37, the input unit 38, the external recording medium I / F unit 39, the storage unit 40, the CPU 41, and the memory 42 are connected to each other via a system bus 43. Further, the decoding unit 33, the related content reproduction processing unit 34, the encoding unit 35, the output control unit 36, the CPU 41, the memory 42, the system bus 43, and other parts may be configured as a system large scale integration (LSI). .

  Further, the program recording / reproducing apparatus 30 is a remote controller (hereinafter abbreviated as “remote control”) 45 for remotely inputting various operations to the program recording / reproducing apparatus 30, a speaker 46 that is an audio data output device, and a video data output device. A display device 47 such as a certain CRT (Cathode-ray Tube), LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), ELD (Electroluminescence Display), DVD, video tape, semiconductor, and the like. An external recording medium 48 such as an HD is connected, the speaker 46 and the display device 47 are connected via the output control unit 36, and the external recording medium 48 is detachably connected via the external recording medium I / F unit 39. , Net Through the workpiece I / F section 37 to be connected to a network 44 such as the Internet. The input unit 38 includes a light receiving unit and inputs an operation signal from the remote controller 45.

  Here, as described above, the program recording / playback apparatus 30 of the present invention can be suitably applied to, for example, a hard disk recorder, a DVD recorder, and a hard disk built-in DVD recorder, and further applied to a personal computer having a tuner function. May be. In the description here, a DVD recorder with a built-in hard disk will be described as a representative example.

  In FIG. 4, a tuner 32 demodulates a broadcast signal from a broadcast wave received by an antenna 31 and separates it into a video signal component, an audio signal component (and information related to content). Here, the information regarding the content may be acquired from the EPG data. The EPG data includes, for example, information on each program such as program name, genre, broadcast time zone (start time / end time), performers, program content (synopsis), and other than obtaining from broadcast waves, EPG distribution The network I / F unit 37 may obtain the information from a server device such as a service provider that provides the service via the network 44. The broadcast wave may be a digital broadcast wave (BS, CS, terrestrial wave) or an analog broadcast wave.

  When recording a program using an analog broadcast wave, the tuner 32 demodulates a high-frequency signal (analog modulation signal) received via the antenna 31 and inputs the separated video signal and audio signal to the encoding unit 35. The encoding unit 35 encodes the input video signal and audio signal using, for example, the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) method. The encoded video signal and audio signal are stored in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48. Further, such a recording may be executed in the above-described constant recording means. The related content reproduction processing unit 34 executes related content search and reproduction processing according to the present invention. Here, at the time of reservation recording of content (program), the related content recorded in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48 is reproduced through the input of the timer recording operation by the user at the input unit 38, and the user is notified whether the reservation is correct or incorrect. After the reservation is confirmed on the basis of the user input as the determination result, at the stage when the reservation time has come, the program transmitted from the tuner 32 or the program decoded by the decoding unit 33 is used by the encoding unit 35. The encoded program is stored in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48.

  When reproducing analog broadcast recording data, the video signal and audio signal stored in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48 are output to the decoding unit 33, and the decoding unit 33 converts the input video signal and audio signal into MPEG. The data is decoded by the method and output to the output control unit 36. The output control unit 36 controls display output based on the decoded video signal to cause the display device 47 to output video, and controls audio output based on the audio signal to cause the speaker 46 to output audio. The viewer can view an analog broadcast program corresponding to each signal of the art.

  When recording a program using digital broadcast waves, the tuner 32 demodulates a high-frequency signal (digital modulation signal) received via the antenna 31, and stores the separated video signal, audio signal, and content information in the storage unit 40 or The data is output to the external recording medium 48 and stored. In the case of digital broadcast wave reservation recording, the reservation recording processing in the related content reproduction processing unit 34 is the same, except that content information received as a broadcast wave can be used.

  When reproducing recorded data of digital broadcasting, the video signal and audio signal stored in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48 are output to the decoding unit 33, and the decoding unit 33 decodes the input video signal and audio signal. And output to the output control unit 36. The output control unit 36 controls display output based on the decoded video signal to cause the display device 47 to output video, and controls audio output based on the audio signal to cause the speaker 46 to output audio. Here, when a user operation is performed, the history information is acquired and stored in the storage unit 40. The viewer can view a digital broadcast program corresponding to each signal described above. Digital broadcast wave reproduction is the same as analog broadcast wave reproduction processing, except that content information received as a broadcast wave can be used.

  Here, regarding each embodiment described above, regarding processing of various information when applied as a program in a general-purpose computer such as a PC, a mobile computer such as a PDA (personal digital assistant), or a mobile phone, A brief description will be given with reference to a configuration example of a general information processing apparatus applicable to the present invention shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 50 is an information processing device, 51 is a CPU (central processing unit), 52 is a RAM (Random Access Memory), 53 is a hard disk drive (HDD), 54 is an input device, 55 is a display device, and 56 is a communication device. , 57 is an output device, 58 is a system bus, and 59 is an external recording medium.

  Information handled in this system is temporarily accumulated in the RAM 52 during the processing, and thereafter stored in a storage means such as the HDD 53, and is read out, corrected, and written by the CPU 51 as necessary. In addition, a program (content reservation recording program) for causing a computer to function as each unit of the content reservation recording apparatus or a program (content reservation recording program) for causing a computer to execute each step of the content reservation recording method is also provided. The data is stored in the ROM, the HDD 53, and the like, and is executed by being read by the CPU 51.

  In addition, the progress and result of the process are presented to the user through a display device 55 such as a CRT, LCD, PDP, or ELD. If necessary, the user can input from the input device 54 such as a keyboard or mouse (pointing device). It is only necessary to input parameters and responses such as user operations necessary for processing. The content reservation recording program may be provided with a graphical user interface (GUI) for the display device 55 so as to be easy for the user to use. The communication device 56 is a device for performing communication by connecting to a network or the like, and serves as a content input path together with the HDD 53. Note that the CPU 51, RAM 52, HDD 53, input device 54, display device 55, communication device 56, other printer, output device 57 such as a drive device for the external recording medium 59, and the like may be connected by a bus 58 or the like. .

  When the present invention is applied to a PC or the like, it is composed of an LSI (Large Scale Integration) chip for image drawing, a memory (VRAM) for holding a screen image, a terminal for connecting to a display device, etc. From the viewpoint of processing speed, it is preferable to attach an expansion card (video adapter) to which a screen display function is added to the PC.

  As described above, each embodiment has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 centering on the content reservation recording apparatus and method of the present invention. However, as described in FIG. As a content reservation recording program for causing an information processing device (for example, a computer) as an apparatus in the computer to function as each means, or as a content reservation recording program for causing a computer to execute the processing procedure of each device or each step of those methods Or the form as a recording medium which can be read with the information processing apparatus which recorded the content reservation recording program is also possible.

  An embodiment of a recording medium storing a program and data for realizing the function of content reservation recording according to the present invention will be described. As the recording medium here, specifically, various CDs, MOs (magneto-optical disks), DVDs, FDs, flash memories, and other various ROMs and RAMs can be assumed. This function can be easily realized by recording and distributing these recording media. Then, the information processing apparatus such as the computer illustrated in FIG. 5 is loaded with the recording medium as described above, and the content reservation recording program is read by the information processing apparatus, or the recording medium included in the information processing apparatus is used. The content reservation recording program according to the present invention can be executed by storing the content reservation recording program and reading it out as necessary.

It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of the content reservation recording apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of a content reservation recording process in the content reservation recording apparatus of FIG. 1, and is also a flowchart for demonstrating the content reservation recording method which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the electronic program guide applicable to the content reservation recording apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a program recording / reproducing apparatus as one structural example of the content reservation recording apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the general information processing apparatus applicable to this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Content reservation recording apparatus, 11 ... Recording instruction | indication reception means, 12 ... Content recording reservation means, 13 ... Content recording means, 14 ... Related content search means, 15 ... Related content reproduction means, 16 ... Recording medium, 30 ... Program recording Reproduction device 31 ... antenna 32 ... tuner 33 ... decoding unit 34 ... related content reproduction processing unit 35 ... encoding unit 36 ... output control unit 37 ... network I / F unit 38 ... input unit 39 ... External recording medium I / F unit, 40 ... storage unit, 41, 51 ... CPU, 42 ... memory, 43, 58 ... system bus, 44 ... network, 45 ... remote controller, 46 ... speaker, 47, 55 ... display device, 48, 59 ... external recording medium, 50 ... information processing device, 52 ... RAM, 53 ... HDD, 54 ... input device, 56 ... communication device, 5 ... output device, C ... content, R ... related content.

Claims (14)

  In a content reservation recording apparatus that reserves and records broadcast content, a recording instruction reception unit that receives a broadcast content recording reservation instruction from a user, and a recording target content indicated by the reservation instruction with respect to the reservation instruction received by the recording instruction reception unit Content recording reservation means for reserving the recording process, content recording means for executing recording processing reserved by the content recording reservation means to record the recording target content on a recording medium, and recording reserved by the content recording reservation means Related content search means for searching for related content related to the target content, and related content playback means for playing back the related content searched by the related content search means before reservation confirmation by the content recording reservation means The content reservation recording apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The related content reproduction unit reproduces the related content searched by the related content search unit immediately after the reservation by the content recording reservation unit, and the content recording reservation unit reproduces the related content by the related content reproduction unit. The content reservation recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing the reserved recording target content or canceling the reservation.   The content recording reservation means has means for confirming reservation of the recording target content when a predetermined time elapses without the change or cancellation after the related content is played back by the related content playback means. 3. The content reservation recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein   4. The content recording reservation unit includes means for determining a recording reservation for the recording target content during or after the related content is played back by the related content playback unit. The content reservation recording device described in 1. The recording instruction receiving means includes means for receiving a reservation instruction for making a reservation for recording the broadcast content currently being received from a user, and the content recording reservation; The means for performing a reservation for recording the currently received broadcast content indicated by the reservation instruction on the recording medium among the contents recorded by the constant recording means after the related content is reproduced. 5. The content reservation recording device according to any one of 1 to 4.   The content reservation recording according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the related content search means searches the related content for the previous broadcast content in the same series as the recording target content. apparatus.   The said related content reproduction | regeneration means performs any one of thumbnail reproduction | regeneration of the said related content, skip reproduction | regeneration, and high speed reproduction | regeneration at the time of reproduction | regeneration of the said related content. Content reservation recording device.   The content reservation recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the related content reproduction unit performs reproduction of only a predetermined portion of the related content.   The related content search means searches for the related content from the recording target content based on content information added to the broadcast content or a periodic distribution time of the broadcast content. 9. The content reservation recording device according to any one of items 1 to 8.   The recording instruction accepting means includes an electronic program guide acquiring means for acquiring an electronic program guide comprising program information in broadcast content, and an electronic program guide presenting means for presenting the electronic program guide acquired by the electronic program guide acquiring means to the user. 10. User selection means for causing a user to select a desired program as broadcast content for performing the reservation instruction from the electronic program guide presented by the electronic program guide presentation means. The content reservation recording device according to any one of the above.   The recording instruction accepting means is an electronic program guide obtaining means for obtaining an electronic program guide comprising program information on broadcast content, and at least a series program including program information including a part of the previous broadcast content. The electronic program guide presenting means for presenting the electronic program guide acquired by the electronic program guide acquiring means to the user, and the broadcast content for performing the reservation instruction from the electronic program guide presented by the electronic program guide presenting means as a desired broadcast content User selection means for allowing a user to select a program, and the related content search means selects a part of the previous broadcast content for the program selected by the user selection means as a search result from the electronic program guide. The content reservation recording device according to claim 1, wherein the content reservation recording device is a content reservation recording device.   In a content reservation recording method for recording and recording broadcast content, a recording instruction reception step for receiving a broadcast content recording reservation instruction from a user, and a recording target content indicated by the reservation instruction for the reservation instruction received in the recording instruction reception step A content recording reservation step for reserving the recording processing, a content recording step for executing recording processing reserved in the content recording reservation step to record the recording target content on a recording medium, and a recording reserved in the content recording reservation step A related content search step for searching for related content related to the target content; and a related content playback step for playing back the related content searched in the related content search step before the reservation in the content recording reservation step is confirmed. Na Content reservation recording method, characterized in that.   The program for functioning a computer as each means in the content reservation recording apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 11. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 13 is recorded.

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