JP4618388B2 - Electronic program guide display control apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic program guide display control apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an electronic program guide display control apparatus and method that can obtain information on many programs quickly and accurately.

  Recently, systems for digitizing and transmitting television signals via satellites such as broadcasting satellites and communication satellites and receiving them at home are becoming widespread. In this system, for example, since it is possible to secure nearly 150 channels, a very large number of programs can be broadcast.

  In such a system, an electronic program guide (EPG) is transmitted and received on the receiving side so that a desired program can be reliably selected from many programs. It is proposed to select a desired program from the electronic program guide.

  Here, a display example of a conventional EPG will be described with reference to FIG. A plurality of genres such as “ALL” (all genres), “NEWS” (news), “MOVIE” (movies), and “SPORTS” (sports) are displayed on the genre selection screen shown in FIG. The user moves a cursor in the screen (not shown in FIG. 17A) by operating an operation device such as a remote commander, and selects a desired genre from the plurality of genres. Can be selected.

  When a desired genre is selected on the genre selection screen of FIG. 17 (a), the display is switched to the program guide screen shown in FIG. 17 (b) corresponding to the selected genre.

  In the program guide screen shown in FIG. 17 (b), the vertical axis indicates the broadcast station name (channel), the horizontal axis indicates time, and the channel is located at the position defined by the two axes. The title of the program broadcast at the time is displayed.

  For example, when “ALL” is selected on the genre selection screen of FIG. 17A, the screen of the monitor device (television receiver) is switched from the genre selection screen to the program guide screen shown in FIG. Change. On the switched program guide screen, programs of all genres for each channel are displayed.

  Note that only a part of the actual program guide is displayed on the program guide screen shown in FIG. 17B, and when one wants to see a position other than the currently displayed area, one screen shown in FIG. The display area inside is moved in the vertical and horizontal directions using an operating device such as a remote commander.

  The user views the program (or information related to the program) by placing and determining a cursor (not shown) at the display position of the desired program from the program group displayed on the program guide screen. be able to.

  However, the conventional EPG has the following problems.

  That is, in the program guide screen shown in FIG. 17B, as shown in FIG. 18, there are a large number of channels and times in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, so that a desired program can be displayed. 18 has a problem that it is necessary to scroll the display area in one screen shown in FIG. 18 in two directions, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and the user is forced to perform an enormous operation.

  Further, in the conventional EPG, as described above, the genre selection screen of FIG. 17A and the program guide screen of FIG. 17B are each configured as independent screens (genre selection screen and program). The front screen is displayed hierarchically). Accordingly, when the user is looking at one of the screens (for example, the program guide screen) and cannot view the other screen (for example, the genre selection screen), the user changes the hierarchy when viewing a different screen. There is a problem that the operation is complicated and the operation becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and enables a desired program or program information to be selected quickly and reliably.

An electronic program guide display control device according to one aspect of the present invention is an electronic program guide display control device that controls display of an electronic program guide for selecting a program on a display device, and displays the broadcast date and time of the program. Means, title display control means for displaying the title of the program, date designation means for designating the broadcast date and time of the program, title selection means for selecting the displayed title of the program, and date designation means According to the broadcast date and time designated by the first change means for changing the title of the displayed program to the title of the program at the designated broadcast date and time, and the title selected by the title selection means A second change that changes the broadcast date and time of the displayed program to the broadcast date and time of the selected title according to the title of the program Means.

  The title display means can display the title of the program selected by the title selection means larger than the titles of other programs.

  The electronic program guide display control device further includes designation means for designating a program having a title selected by the title selection means, and program information display control means for displaying program information of the program designated by the designation means. Can be provided.

  The program information display control means can display a user selectable command together with the program information of the program.

  Of the titles of the programs, the title display means can display the titles of the programs having a past broadcast date and time in different display formats.

An electronic program guide display control method according to one aspect of the present invention is an electronic program guide display control method for controlling display of an electronic program guide for selecting a program on a display device. A control step; a title display control step for displaying the title of the program; a date / time designation step for designating a broadcast date / time of the program; a title selection step for selecting a title of the predetermined displayed program; and the date / time designation A first change step for changing the title of the displayed program to the title of the program at the specified broadcast date and time according to the broadcast date and time specified by the processing of the step, and the processing of the title selection step The broadcast date and time of the displayed program is changed according to the title of the program selected by the selected number. And a second change step for changing to the broadcast date and time of the set title.

In one aspect of the present invention, the broadcast date and time of a program are displayed, the title of the program is displayed, the broadcast date and time of the program is designated, the displayed title of the predetermined program is selected, and the designated broadcast date and time is selected. The title of the displayed program is changed to the title of the program with the specified broadcast date and time, and the broadcast date and time of the displayed program is changed to the title of the selected program according to the title of the selected program. Will be changed to the broadcast date.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, program information can be obtained quickly and accurately.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Example of the electronic program guide display control apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the example of an internal structure of the internal control microcomputer 3 shown in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram of the electronic program guide to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the cylinder EPG actually displayed on the screen of a monitor apparatus. It is a top view which shows the example of 1 structure of the remote commander which a user operates. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the electronic program guide display control apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the electronic program guide display control apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a movement of the cursor of the cylinder EPG shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining a mode at the time of moving the cursor of field Y in cylinder EPG. It is a figure explaining the change of the screen of the monitor apparatus at the time of selecting a predetermined program. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of cylinder EPG. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the process which displays the cylinder EPG shown in FIG. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the process performed when the cylinder EPG shown in FIG. 11 is displayed. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of cylinder EPG. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of cylinder EPG. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of cylinder EPG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the conventional EPG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the program schedule shown in FIG.17 (b).

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an electronic program guide display control apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the electronic program guide display control device (IRD) 1 of this embodiment, a broadcast wave received via an antenna or the like is input to the tuner 2. Program information data (EPG data) is superimposed on the broadcast wave.

  The broadcast wave may be any of terrestrial waves, satellite broadcast waves, cable broadcast waves, and the like. Further, the internal configuration of the tuner 2 changes depending on whether the received broadcast wave is an analog signal or a digital signal.

  The tuner 2 performs a tuning process corresponding to the control of an internal control microcomputer 3 (hereinafter referred to as an internal control microcomputer 3) that controls the entire apparatus. The output of the tuner 2 is supplied to the program information extraction circuit 5. The output of the tuner 2 includes the program information in addition to the video / audio information.

  The internal control microcomputer 3 responds to an operation command from the operation unit 4 (configured by an operation switch provided in the apparatus main body or the remote commander 4A shown in FIG. 5) operated by the user, The program information extraction circuit 5 and the tube surface display signal creation circuit 6 are controlled. The detailed configuration inside the internal control microcomputer 3 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The program information extraction circuit 5 extracts program information data included in the output of the tuner 2 in response to the control of the internal control microcomputer 3 and supplies it to the internal control microcomputer 3. The program information data is converted into display screen image data (tube surface display data) by the internal control microcomputer 3 and supplied to the tube surface display signal generating circuit 6.

  Also, video data and audio data in the output of the tuner 2 input to the program information extraction circuit 5 are supplied to the video signal reproduction circuit 7 and the audio signal reproduction circuit 8, respectively.

  The tube display signal generation circuit 6 generates an image signal (tube display signal) of program information based on the image data of the tube display data (program information data) supplied from the internal control microcomputer 3. The video mix circuit 9 is supplied.

  The video signal reproduction circuit 7 reproduces the video data supplied from the program information extraction circuit 5 into a video signal, and supplies the video signal to the video mix circuit 9.

  The video mix circuit 9 mixes the video signal supplied from the video signal reproduction circuit 7 and the image signal (tube display signal) of the program information supplied from the tube display signal creation circuit 6, and uses the mixed signal as a video. The output is output to the monitor device (television receiver) 10.

  Similarly, the audio signal reproduction circuit 8 reproduces the audio data supplied from the program information extraction circuit 5 into an audio signal, and outputs the audio signal (audio output) to the speaker 11.

  Next, the internal configuration of the internal control microcomputer 3 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Operation commands or data from the operation unit 4, the tuner 2, and the program information extraction circuit 5 are input to the CPU 20 via the input / output interface 23.

  The CPU 20 performs various processes in response to data or operation commands input from the input / output interface 23 based on various programs included in the control program block 21.

  The control program block 21 includes the following program. In other words, the operation input control program 21A is a program for performing processing corresponding to the operation command input from the operation unit 4. The tuning control program 21B is a program used for controlling the tuning process of the tuner 2 and determining the tuning result.

  The program information extraction control program 21C is a program for controlling the program information extraction process of the program information extraction circuit 5, and the tube display data creation program 21D has the program information data supplied from the program information extraction circuit 5. And a program for creating tube display data for program information. The tube surface display signal creation control program 21E is a program that controls the processing of the tube surface display signal creation circuit 6.

  Various storage areas are set in the data block 22, and a cylinder EPG database 22A, tube surface display data 22B, and the like are stored therein. The cylinder EPG database 22A is a database of a cylinder EPG which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, and the tube surface display data 22B is created by executing the tube surface display data creation program 21D. This is data for displaying the tube surface of the cylinder EPG written in a VRAM (Video Random Access Memory).

  Next, a display example on the tube surface of the monitor device 10 as a display device of the EPG created by the electronic program guide display control device of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the EPG of the present embodiment. In the EPG of this embodiment, the circumferential surface of a cylinder (cylinder) corresponding to the tube surface (display screen) of the monitor device 10 has three regions (regions X, Y, Z) perpendicular to the horizontal central axis. (That is, the tube surface of the display device is divided in the vertical direction), and the three areas are classified as follows.

  That is, in the region X arranged on the leftmost side among the three regions divided into three cylinders, the day, day of the week, and time of the week are arranged in the vertical direction (circumference) in order of date and time. Direction).

  In the area Y arranged at the center of the three areas, the titles of programs that are currently being broadcast or programs that will be broadcast in the future are listed in ascending order of channel numbers and in order of early broadcast start time. Are arranged in the vertical direction (circumferential direction).

  In the rightmost area Z of the three areas, the genre of the program (for example, “all”, “movie”, “sports”, “news”, “music”, etc.) is in the vertical direction ( (Circumferential direction).

  The user operates the operation unit 4 (for example, the remote commander 4A shown in FIG. 5) to rotate the respective regions X, Y, and Z, and displays desired information on the display screen indicated by hatching in FIG. Can be displayed.

  As described above, in the EPG of this embodiment, the cylinder (column) is divided into a plurality of areas, and each area is assigned a date and time, a program, and a genre, and each area can be rotated. . Hereinafter, in this specification, an EPG displayed in this form is referred to as a cylinder EPG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an actual display screen on the monitor device 10 of the cylinder EPG shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the area where the date and day of the week are displayed and the area where the time is displayed are further divided. The area where the date and day of the week are displayed is defined as area X1, and the area where the time is displayed. Region X2 is set.

  In each of the areas X1, X2, Y, and Z, a cursor that can be moved by the user operating the operation unit 4 or the like (cursor 100X1 in area X1, cursor 100X2 in area X2, cursor 100Y in area Y, area Z cursor 100Z) is displayed.

  For example, in FIG. 4, in the area X1 where the date is displayed, the cursor 100X1 is placed on “3rd” (that is, Sunday of the 3rd), and in the area X2 where the time is displayed, the cursor 100X2 Is located at 8am. In the region X2, the time number (in this case, “8”) where the cursor 100X2 is arranged is displayed larger than the other time numbers. In the area X2, the time of one day from 5:00 am (5: 0) to 4:00 am (4:59) is displayed.

  In the area Z in which the genre is displayed, the cursor 100Z is arranged in “all”, and the area Y (the cursor 100Y is arranged in “one hundred dogs”) is 3 days. The titles of programs of all genres broadcast on Sunday at 8:00 am are displayed together with channel numbers, station logos, and broadcast times. The program displayed in the area Y is a program after the program currently being broadcast.

  The user rotates (scrolls) each area by moving the cursors 100X1, 100X2, 100Y, and 100Z.

  Next, a configuration example of the operation unit 4 illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a remote commander used when remotely operating the electronic program guide display control apparatus of the present embodiment (that is, the remote commander 4A is the operation unit 4 shown in FIG. 1). )

  The power button switch 111 and the television power button switch 112 are operated when the monitor device 10 or the electronic program guide display control device (IRD) 1 is turned on or off, respectively.

  When the mute button switch 113 is operated, the sound is muted, and when it is operated again, the mute is released.

  The television switch button switch 114A and the IRD switch button switch 114B have functions of the switches of the remote commander 4A corresponding to the monitor device 10 or functions corresponding to the electronic program guide display control device 1. It is operated when switching between.

  The input switching button switch 115 is operated when switching the input to the electronic program guide display control device 1. The screen display button switch 116 is operated when a channel number or the like (including a station logo and title name) is displayed on the monitor device 10, and the display disappears when operated again. The dual audio button switch 117 converts the audio output from the speaker 11 into main audio, sub audio, main + sub audio (foreign language, or Japanese and foreign language) in a bilingual broadcast or multiplex broadcast program. It is operated when switching.

  A numeric button switch 118 on which numbers 0 to 9 are displayed is operated when a number displayed on each button is input. When the operation of the numeric button switch 118 is completed, the channel selection button switch 118A is operated subsequently to indicate that the numeric input is completed and that the entered numeric value represents a channel.

  In addition, when the above-described television switch button switch 114A is operated and the remote commander 4A is a remote commander for the monitor device 10, a button arranged below the “7” button of the numeric button switch 118 Is a button representing “10”, a button displaying “0” is a button representing “11”, and the channel selection button switch 118A is a button representing “12”. On the monitor device 10, the program of the broadcasting station (channel) set to the pressed button is displayed.

  The menu button switch 119 is operated when displaying a menu screen (not shown) for various settings of the electronic program guide and IRD on the monitor device 10, and the info button switch 120 displays an info screen (not shown). When operated.

  The current program button switch 121 and the program preview button switch 122 are used to select a promotion channel, and are operated when displaying a preview of a program currently being broadcast or a program scheduled to be broadcast in the future. The switch 123 is operated when displaying an EPG (program guide) as shown in FIG.

  The select button (decision key) switch 128 can be pressed (selected) in the vertical direction with respect to the upper surface of the remote commander 4A. Up button switch (up key) 124, down button switch (down key) 125, left button switch (left key) 126, and right button switch (right key) 127 are cursors displayed on the screen (for example, FIG. 4). The cursors 100X1, 100X2, 100Y, and 100Z shown in FIG.

  The volume button switch 129 and the channel up / down button switch 130 are operated when increasing or decreasing the volume or channel number.

  Next, the operation of the electronic program guide display control apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  First, the CPU 20 executes the operation input control program 21A to perform processing corresponding to various operation commands input from the remote commander 4A (operation unit 4).

  That is, in step S1 shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 20 of the internal control microcomputer 3 determines whether or not the program guide button switch 123 of the remote commander 4A (operation unit 4) has been pressed.

  During this time, for example, if a command for selecting a predetermined channel is input, the CPU 20 executes the tuning control program 21B in response to the operation command input via the input / output interface 23, and tunes the tuner 2. Control processing. Broadcast waves are supplied to the tuner 2 via an antenna or the like, and the tuner 2 performs tuning processing corresponding to the control of the internal control microcomputer 3 (CPU 20), and extracts the reception output of the designated channel as program information. Supply to circuit 5.

  Note that one week of program information data is superimposed on the broadcast wave supplied to the tuner 2 at a rate of once every few seconds. This program information data is changed to the latest data at a rate of once every 3 hours, for example. The output of the tuner 2 supplied to the program information extraction circuit 5 includes this program information data.

  The CPU 20 of the internal control microcomputer 3 controls the processing of the program information extraction circuit 5 by executing the program information extraction control program stored in the control program block 21. In response to this control, the program information extraction circuit 5 extracts program information data included in the output of the tuner 2 and supplies it to the internal control microcomputer 3. The CPU 20 of the internal control microcomputer 3 stores this data in the cylinder EPG database 22A.

  In response to the control of the internal control microcomputer 3 (CPU 20), the screen display signal generation circuit 6 converts the screen display data 22B of the program guide supplied from the internal control microcomputer 3 into a screen display signal, and displays the video. This is supplied to the mix circuit 9.

  At this time, the video signal output from the program information extraction circuit 5 and reproduced by the video signal reproduction circuit 7 (the video signal of the program selected by the tuner 2) is input to the video mix circuit 9. The video mix circuit 9 outputs this video signal to the monitor device 10. The audio signal reproduced by the audio signal reproduction circuit 8 is output to the speaker 11. In this way, the image and sound of the designated channel are output to the monitor device 10 and the speaker 11.

  For example, when displaying the program guide, the user operates the program guide button switch 123 of the remote commander 4A.

  If the program guide button switch 123 is not pressed, the process of step S1 is repeated. When the program guide button switch 123 of the remote commander 4A is pressed, a program guide display command is input to the CPU 20 via the input / output interface 23 of the internal control microcomputer 3, and the process proceeds to step S2.

  In step S <b> 2, the CPU 20 executes the tube surface display data creation program 21 </ b> D and creates tube surface display data 22 </ b> B of program information based on the cylinder EPG database 22 </ b> A accumulated in the data block 22. The tube surface display data 22B is stored in the data block 22 and is output to the tube surface display signal generation circuit 6 via the input / output interface 23. Further, the CPU 20 executes the tube surface display signal creation control program 21E and controls the processing of the tube surface display signal creation circuit 6. In this way, for example, an EPG (program guide) as shown in FIG. 8C-1 is displayed on the tube surface of the monitor device 10.

  In step S3, the CPU 20 selects any one of the program table button switch 123, the up button switch 124, the down button switch 125, the left button switch 126, the right button switch 127, and the select button switch 128 of the remote commander 4A. It is determined whether or not the switch is pressed (determines whether or not there is a key input). If none of these switches 123 to 127 is pressed, the process of step S3 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that any one of these switches 123 to 127 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, the CPU 20 determines whether the pressed switch is either the up button switch 124 or the down button switch 125. If it is determined that the pressed switch is either the up button switch 124 or the down button switch 125, the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, the CPU 20 determines which of the areas X1, X2, Y, and Z is the area where the movable cursor exists. When the cursor that can be moved is the cursor 100X1 arranged in the area X1, the CPU 20 proceeds to step S7a and raises the cursor 100X1 in the area X1 (that is, the area where the date and day of the week are displayed). In response to the operation of the button switch 124 or the down button switch 125, it is moved in the vertical direction. Thereby, the date and the day of the week are selected.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (a-1), the cursor 100X1 existing in the area X1 (the display area for the date and day of the week) can be moved, and the cursor 100X1 is arranged on Sunday for the third day. In this case, when the down button switch 125 is pressed once, as shown in FIG. 8A-2, the cursor 100X1 moves to the 4th and Monday (that is, the 3rd and 1st below Sunday).

  When it is determined in step S6 that the cursor that can be moved is the cursor 100X2 arranged in the area X2, the process proceeds to step S7b, and the cursor 100X2 in the area X2 (that is, the area in which the time is displayed). However, it moves up and down in response to the operation of the up button switch 124 or the down button switch 125, and the time is selected.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (b-1), when the cursor 100X2 existing in the region X2 is movable and the cursor 100X2 is arranged at 8:00 am, the down button switch 125 is moved once. When pressed, the cursor 100X2 moves to 9 am (that is, one lower than 8 am) as shown in FIG. 8B-2.

  If it is determined in step S6 that the movable cursor is the cursor 100Y arranged in the area Y, the process proceeds to step S7c, and the area Y (that is, the area where the program title and the like are displayed). The cursor 100Y moves up and down in response to the operation of the up button switch 124 or the down button switch 125, and a program is selected.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (c-1), in the case where the cursor 100Y of the area Y is movable and the cursor 100Y is arranged on the “100 one dog doggy” on the tenth channel, When the down button switch 125 is pressed once, as shown in FIG. 8 (c-2), the cursor 100Y moves the “Today's News” on the 11th channel (ie, “Hundred Dogs” on the 10th channel). To the next program).

  In step S6, when the cursor that can be moved is the cursor 100Z arranged in the area Z, the process proceeds to step S7d, and the cursor 100Z in the area Z (that is, the area where the genre name is displayed) is raised. In response to the operation of the button switch 124 or the down button switch 125, it is moved up and down to select a genre.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (d-1), when the cursor 100Z existing in the region Z is movable and the cursor is arranged at "all", the down button switch 125 is moved once. When pressed, the cursor 100Z moves to “movie” (that is, the genre arranged below “all”) as shown in FIG. 8D-2.

  By the way, in each step 7a to 7d, when the cursor in a predetermined area is moved in the vertical direction, the cursor is moved and the display of other areas is changed in accordance with the movement of the cursor. This operation will be described below.

  For example, an example in which the cursor 100Y in the area Y is moved in the vertical direction will be described. FIG. 9 shows a display example when the cursor 100Y of the area Y is further moved downward. FIG. 9A is the same screen as FIG. 8C-2. When the down button switch 125 is pressed six times from this state, the cursor 100Y in the region Y corresponds to the key operation, It moves to the “Summer Suspense” on the 21st channel displayed 6th down from the “Today's News” on the 11th channel (FIG. 9B). Since the broadcast time of this program (“Summer Suspense”) is from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, in FIG. 9A, the cursor 100X2 in the region X2 arranged at 8:00 am It moves at 9:00 am (FIG. 9B).

  Further, by further operating the down button switch 125 from the state of FIG. 9B, the area Y is scrolled upward (the cursor 100Y is moved downward), for example, as shown in FIG. 9C. Thus, when the cursor 100Y is placed on the program E broadcast from 9:10 pm to 9:20 pm (however, Sunday, 3rd), the cursor 100X2 in the region X2 is also displayed in the afternoon. Move at 9 o'clock.

  Further, the down button switch 125 is operated to scroll the area Y upward. For example, as shown in FIG. 9D, from 5:30 am to 6:00 am (the next day, that is, 4 When the cursor 100Y is placed on the program 4F broadcast on Sunday, Monday), the cursor 100X1 in the area X1 (date and day display area) moves to Monday on the 4th, and the area X2 The cursor 100X2 moves at 5 am. That is, when the cursor in area Y is placed in a program that starts broadcasting after 0:00 am, the cursor in area X1 moves by one day.

  When the selection of the items displayed in the respective areas in steps S7a to S7d is completed, the process returns to step S3 and waits for a new key input.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that the key operated by the user is neither the up button switch 124 nor the down button switch 125, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, it is determined whether or not the key operated by the user is the light button switch 127. If it is determined that the key is the light button switch 127, the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S9, it is determined which of the regions X1, X2, Y, and Z is the region where the cursor that can be moved (the selected region) is, and the region X1 (that is, the date and day of the week). If it is determined that it exists in the displayed area), the process proceeds to step S10a. In step S10a, the area where the movable cursor exists shifts from the area X1 to the area X2 (area arranged on the right side of the area X1) (time display area) (the cursor 100X2 becomes movable). ).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (a-1), when the cursor 100X1 in the area X1 is movable, if the light button switch 127 is pressed once, the area where the movable cursor exists is shown in FIG. The process proceeds to a region X2 shown in FIG. Note that the currently movable cursor is displayed in the thickest.

  If it is determined in step S9 that the area where the movable cursor exists (selected area) is the area X2, the process proceeds to step S10b, and the area where the movable cursor exists is changed from the area X2 to the area Y. The display moves to (area arranged on the right side of area X2) (display area for program titles, etc.) (cursor 100Y becomes movable).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (b-1), when the cursor 100X2 in the area X2 is movable, when the light button switch 127 is pressed once, the area where the movable cursor exists is shown in FIG. The process shifts to a region Y shown in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S9 that the area where the movable cursor exists (selected area) is the area Y, the process proceeds to step S10c, and the area where the movable cursor exists is changed from the area Y to the area Z. The display moves to (area arranged to the right of area Y) (genre display area) (cursor 100Z becomes movable).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (c-1), when the cursor 100Y in the area Y is movable, when the light button switch 127 is pressed once, the area where the movable cursor exists is displayed. As shown in FIG. 8 (d-1), the region Z is moved.

  If it is determined in step S9 that the area where the movable cursor exists (selected area) is the area Z, the process proceeds to step S10d, and the key input is invalidated (next to the right of the area Z). Because the predetermined area is not arranged).

  When the processes in steps S10a to S10d are completed, the process returns to step S3 and waits for a new key input.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S8 that the key operated by the user is not the right button switch 127, the process proceeds to step S11, and it is determined whether or not the key operated by the user is the left button switch 126. If it is determined that the switch is the left button switch 126, the process proceeds to step S12, and the area where the cursor that can be moved (the selected area) is any of the areas X1, X2, Y, and Z. It is determined whether it exists.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the area where the movable cursor exists is the area X1, the process proceeds to step S13a, and the key input is invalidated (a predetermined area is arranged on the left side of the area X1). Not because).

  If it is determined in step S12 that the area where the cursor that can be moved exists (the selected area) is the area X2, the process proceeds to step S13b, and the area where the movable cursor exists is the area X2. To the area X1 (area arranged on the left side of the area X2) (the cursor 100X1 is movable).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (b-1), when the cursor 100X2 in the region X2 is movable, when the left button switch 126 is pressed once, the region where the movable cursor exists is shown in FIG. It moves to the area X1 shown in 8 (a-1).

  If it is determined in step S12 that the area where the movable cursor exists is the area Y, the process proceeds to step S13c, and the area where the movable cursor exists is changed from the area Y to the area X2 (next to the left of the area Y). The cursor 100X2 can be moved).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (c-1), when the cursor 100Y in the area Y is movable, if the left button switch 126 is pressed once, the area where the movable cursor exists is shown in FIG. It moves to the area | region X2 shown to 8 (b-1) (the cursor 100X2 becomes movable).

  If it is determined in step S12 that the area where the movable cursor exists is the area Z, the process proceeds to step S13d, and the area where the movable cursor exists is changed from the area Z to the area Y (left of the area Z). The area is moved to the adjacent area.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (d-1), when the cursor 100Z in the area Z is movable, if the left button switch 126 is pressed once, the area where the movable cursor exists is shown in FIG. It moves to the area Y shown in 8 (c-1) (the cursor 100Y becomes movable).

  When the processes in steps S13a to S13d are completed, the process returns to step S3 and waits for a new key input.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that the key operated by the user is not the left button switch 126, the process proceeds to step S14 shown in FIG. 7 and whether the key operated by the user is the select button switch (decision key) 128. It is determined whether or not. If it is determined in step S14 that the key operated by the user is the select button switch 128, it is recognized that the program in which the cursor 100Y in the area Y is arranged is selected, and the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not the program selected in step S14 is currently being broadcast. If it is determined that the program is being broadcast, the process proceeds to step S16, and the monitor screen of the monitor device is Switch to the selected program from the cylinder EPG. That is, the CPU 20 controls the tuner 2 to receive the designated program channel and display the image on the monitor device 10. At this time, in step S24, the program table displayed so far is deleted.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the selected program is not currently broadcast and is a program scheduled to be broadcast in the future, the process proceeds to step S17, and the display on the monitor 10 displays the program selected from the cylinder EPG. Switch to program information. That is, the CPU 20 reads and displays program information (for example, a synopsis of the program, performers, etc.) stored in the cylinder EPG database 22A.

  The processing of steps S15 to S17 will be further described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the current date and time are 8:10 am on Sunday and Sunday.

  Now, on the tube surface of the monitor device 10, the cylinder EPG shown in FIG. 10A (the program table shown in FIG. 8C-1) is the same, but the cursor 100Y in the area Y is not shown. Is displayed). For example, the user operates the remote commander 4A to place the cursor 100Y on the “travel information” of the 13th channel (broadcast from 8:05 am to 11:00 am), and presses the select button switch 128 there. Shall be. Then, since the selected program ("travel information") is currently being broadcast, the screen of this monitor device is switched from the cylinder EPG shown in FIG. 10 (a) to the "travel information" screen shown in FIG. 10 (b). (Step S16) The user can view the selected program.

  On the other hand, for example, the user operates the remote commander 4A to place a cursor on the “Summer Suspense” (broadcast from 9:00 am to 10:00 am) of the 21st channel, and there is a select button switch. Assume that 128 is pressed. Then, since the selected program (“Summer Suspense”) is not currently being broadcast and is scheduled to be broadcast in the future, the screen of this monitor device 10 is displayed from the cylinder EPG shown in FIG. Then, the program information is switched to the “summer suspense” program information shown in FIG. 10C (step S17).

  On the program information display screen shown in FIG. 10 (c), the broadcast date and time of the program (in this case, “Summer Suspense”), the program content, and the like are displayed, as well as various types of user-selectable. A command icon is displayed. In FIG. 10C, as a command icon, a “return” icon for displaying the program table (FIG. 10A) again, and a bookmark of the program information currently displayed (bookmark) is attached (program). A “bookmark” icon for checking, a “timer” icon for receiving and displaying this program at the broadcast start time, and a “purchase” icon used in television shopping (in this embodiment) Not used) is displayed.

  The user can place the cursor on a desired command icon by operating the up button switch 124 and the down button switch 125 of the remote commander 4A, and by pressing the select button switch (decision key) 128, A command icon can be selected.

  In step S17, for example, when the program information shown in FIG. 10C is displayed, the process proceeds to step S18 to determine whether or not the “return” icon has been selected. If the “return” icon is selected, the process returns to step S2 and the cylinder EPG is displayed again on the screen of the monitor device 10. On the other hand, if the “return” icon has not been selected, the process proceeds to step S19 to determine whether or not the “bookmark” icon has been selected.

  If it is determined in step S19 that the “bookmark” icon has been selected, the process proceeds to step S20, where a bookmark is added to the program introduced in the program information, and this program is bookmarked in the data block 22. Registered in the list. After the process of step S19 is complete | finished, it returns to step S18.

  By placing the cursor 100Z on the bookmark icon in the area Z, a list of programs checked (marked with bookmarks) in step S20 can be displayed in the area Y.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S19 that the “bookmark” icon is not selected, the process proceeds to step S21, and it is determined whether or not the “timer” icon is selected. If it is determined in step S21 that the “timer” icon has been selected, the process proceeds to step S22, and timer reservation processing for the program introduced in this program information (this program is stored in the data block 22 in its data block 22). Processing for registering in the timer reservation list to be displayed at the broadcast start time) is performed, and the process returns to step S18. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21 that the “timer” icon is not selected, the process returns to step S18.

  In this way, when a program is registered in the timer reservation list, the CPU 20 performs a time measuring operation, and when the broadcast start time arrives, controls the tuner 2 to receive and display the program.

  In this embodiment, one screen of the monitor device 10 is divided into a plurality of vertical areas, a date, a time, a program title, a genre, etc. are assigned to each area, and a program is operated by operating the cursor in each area. Since information is obtained, desired program information can be obtained on the same screen without being aware of the hierarchy.

  In the area where the title of the program is displayed (area Y), a large number of programs are displayed in a line in chronological order, starting with the currently broadcast program. By moving the cursor of the area, the date and time of the other area change. Therefore, it is possible to easily select a program without specifying the date and time.

  Furthermore, if the date, time, or genre is changed, the title display of the program is also changed in accordance with the change.

  Note that the program guide can be in other display formats, and other display examples of the program guide will be described below.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another display example of the program guide. In this program guide, the future and the past time are distinguished, and the display color of the part belonging to the past is changed.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing for displaying such a program guide. This figure shows the details of the processing executed in step S2 of the flowchart of FIG.

  When this process is executed, in step S40, the CPU 20 of the internal control microcomputer 3 acquires the current date and time from a timer (not shown). Then, the process proceeds to step S41, and the date and day of the week after that day (day when the power is turned on) are displayed in the area X1. And it progresses to step S42, and while displaying time in the area | region X2, the display color of the part which belongs to the past among the displayed time is changed.

  In step S43, the CPU 20 displays the currently broadcast program and the program to be broadcast in the area Y in ascending order of channel numbers, for example. In step S44, the genre is displayed in the area Z, and the process is terminated (END).

  Now, assuming that it is 9:00 am on Sunday (Sunday), the date after the third day is displayed in step S41, and the display color of the area before 9:00 is changed in step S42. Become. In step S43, the currently broadcast program and the program to be broadcast in the future are displayed in area Y, and in step S44, the genre is displayed in area Z, and the process ends.

  According to the display method as described above, since a program that has already been broadcast is not displayed, it becomes easier to select a program by eliminating unnecessary information.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing executed when the display example shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. This flowchart is a process executed immediately after step S6 shown in FIG. 6. The same parts as those shown in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of those parts is omitted. To do.

  In step S6, the CPU 20 determines which of the areas X1, X2, Y, and Z is the area where the movable cursor exists. When the cursor that can be moved is the cursor 100X1 arranged in the region X1, the CPU 20 proceeds to step S60. In step S60, it is determined whether or not the date specified after moving the cursor 100X1 belongs to the past. As a result, when it is determined that the date designated after the movement is a past date (yes), the process of step S7a is skipped, the process returns to step S3, and the same process is repeated. If it is determined in step S60 that the date specified after the movement is not a past date (no), the process proceeds to step S7a, and after the selection of the date and day of the week (movement of the cursor 100X1) is performed, Returning to step S3, the same processing is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S6 that the movable cursor is the cursor 100X2 arranged in the region X2, the process proceeds to step S61. In step S61, it is determined whether or not the time specified after moving the cursor 100X2 belongs to the past. As a result, when it is determined that the time specified after the movement belongs to the past (yes), the process of step S7b is skipped, and the process returns to step S3 and the same process is repeated. If it is determined in step S61 that the time specified after moving the cursor 100X2 does not belong to the past (no), the process proceeds to step S7b, after the time is selected (the cursor 100X2 is moved). Returning to step S3, the same processing is repeated.

  Note that the processing in steps S7c and 7d is the same as that in FIG.

  According to the processing as described above, even when the cursor is moved, since a program that has already been broadcast is not displayed, only viewable information is displayed, and a program can be selected smoothly. .

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another display example of the program guide. The configuration of this program guide is basically the same as the configuration of the program guide shown in FIG. 4, but the area X1 for displaying the date and day of the week, the area X2 for displaying the time, and the area Z for displaying the genre are: Only one piece of information is displayed for each.

  That is, in FIG. 14, only “6th, Wednesday” is displayed in the area X1, only “9 o'clock” is displayed in the area X2, and only “all” is displayed in the area Z. By operating the up button switch 124 or the down button switch 125 of the remote commander 4A, the user can scroll the information such as the date displayed in each area and select desired information.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing still another display example of the program guide. The configuration of the program guide is basically the same as the configuration of the program guide shown in FIG. 4, but the file in the next area is displayed in an open form corresponding to the cursor position in the processing area.

  That is, the area X2 is open corresponding to the arrangement position (in this case, Wednesday, 6th) of the cursor 100X1 in the area X1. Further, the area Y is open corresponding to the arrangement position of the cursor 100X2 in the area X2 (in this case, 9:00 am) and the arrangement position of the cursor 100Z in the area Z (in this case, “all”).

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing still another display example of the program guide. The configuration of this program guide is basically the same as the configuration of the program guide shown in FIG. 4, but in this cylinder EPG, a cylinder-like configuration similar to the conceptual diagram shown in FIG. The EPG is displayed.

  In the above embodiment, the genre is displayed at the same time as the broadcast date, but one of them can be omitted.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic program guide display control apparatus, 2 Tuner, 3 Internal control microcomputer, 4 Operation part, 4A Remote commander, 5 Program information extraction circuit, 6 Tube display signal creation circuit, 7 Video signal reproduction circuit, 8 Audio signal reproduction circuit, 9 video mix circuit, 10 monitor device, 11 speaker, 20 CPU, 21 control program block, 21A operation input control program, 21B tuning control program, 21C program information extraction control program, 21D tube surface display data creation program, 21E tube surface Display signal creation control program, 22 data blocks, 22A cylinder EPG database, 22B tube surface display data, 23 input / output interface, 100X1, 100X2, 100Y, 100Z cursor

Claims (6)

In an electronic program guide display control device for controlling display on a display device of an electronic program guide for selecting a program,
Date and time display control means for displaying the broadcast date and time of the program,
Title display control means for displaying the title of the program;
A date and time designation means for designating the broadcast date and time of the program;
Title selection means for selecting the title of the predetermined program displayed;
First changing means for changing the title of the program being displayed to the title of the specified broadcast date and time according to the broadcast date and time designated by the date and time designation means;
An electronic program comprising: a second changing unit that changes the broadcast date and time of the displayed program to the broadcast date and time of the selected program title according to the title of the program selected by the title selecting unit. Guide display control device. 2. The electronic program guide display control device according to claim 1, wherein the title display control means displays the title of the program selected by the title selection means larger than the titles of other programs. Designating means for designating the program of the title selected by the title selecting means;
2. The electronic program guide display control device according to claim 1, further comprising program information display control means for displaying program information of the program designated by the designation means. The electronic program guide display control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the program information display control means displays a user selectable command together with program information of the program. 2. The electronic program guide display control device according to claim 1, wherein the title display control means displays the titles of the programs having the past broadcast date and time among the titles of the programs in different display formats. In an electronic program guide display control method for controlling display on a display device of an electronic program guide for selecting a program,
A date and time display control step for displaying the broadcast date and time of the program;
A title display control step for displaying the title of the program;
A date and time designation step for designating the broadcast date and time of the program;
A title selection step of selecting a title of the predetermined displayed program;
A first change step for changing the title of the displayed program to the title of the program at the specified broadcast date according to the broadcast date and time specified by the processing of the date and time specifying step;
A second changing step of changing the broadcast date and time of the displayed program to the broadcast date and time of the selected title of the program according to the title of the program selected by the processing of the title selecting step. Electronic program guide display control method.

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