JP5120897B2 - RECORDING / REPRODUCING DEVICE AND RECORDING / REPRODUCING DEVICE CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a user interface technology for efficiently viewing news programs.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided a recording / playback apparatus that records a broadcast program and can view it later. In particular, as the storage capacity of storage media such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and flash memory increases and the price is reduced, many programs can be recorded and stored in the recording / playback apparatus. Patent Document 1 discloses the following technique in order to record more programs by efficiently using a storage medium. That is, for news programs and the like, since the program value generally depends on the information freshness, the latest news program is more valuable for recording and viewing than the old news program. Therefore, the recording / reproducing apparatus of Patent Document 1 has a function of recording a new news program by overwriting an old news program so that the user can view the latest news while efficiently using the recording area of the HDD. It is configured.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-329558

  However, in the conventional recording / reproducing apparatus, even the latest news program overwritten by the above function is managed by the file management system in the same manner as other program contents that are normally recorded. Therefore, when the user considers viewing the latest news program, it is necessary to select the latest news program from a recording list, for example, as with other program contents.

  However, when a large number of programs have been recorded and the number of contents in the recording list has become too large, the latest news program has been updated and recorded over time. There is a problem that the operation is troublesome. Therefore, there is a possibility that the news program will not be viewed after all.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts a configuration in which the latest news program that is repeatedly overwritten and the program content that is normally recorded are separately managed on the file management system. Then, by adopting such a configuration, there is provided a recording / playback apparatus including a user interface button that enables a playback instruction operation to be performed with one action for the latest news program. The recording / playback apparatus further has a function of displaying the latest news program in the same list as the other recorded contents in the recording list while allowing the latest news program to be easily played back by one action as described above. It is characterized by providing.

  Specifically, a program storage unit for storing recorded programs, a normal reservation unit for a user to reserve program recording using an electronic program guide, and the like, and repeated recording reservations for only the latest news program. A return reservation unit, a normal recording unit that records a program based on a reservation in the normal reservation unit, a repetitive recording unit that repeatedly overwrites and records a news program based on a reservation in the repeat reservation unit, and a recorded program A list display unit for displaying a list, a normal playback unit for playing back a program displayed in the list based on user selection, and a one for playing the latest news program recorded by the repeated recording unit in one action. A recording / playback apparatus comprising a news-only playback unit having an action button.

  In addition, the latest news program that can be played in one action can be edited in the same way as other recorded content using the recording list by displaying the latest news program in the same line as other recorded content in the recorded list. It also provides a recording / playback device with a function for managing such as deletion, protection and the like.

  According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the user can reproduce and watch the latest news program that is sequentially updated by repeated overwriting recording and maintains the freshness of information without troublesome one-button operation. Can do. Furthermore, the latest news program that can be easily played back with one action can be displayed in the recording list in the same row as other recorded contents. Therefore, for example, the latest news program can be managed for editing, deletion, protection, etc. using the recording list in the same way as the recording contents such as the recording list.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input device for operation in the recording / playback apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 1. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of recording program storage in a program storage unit of the recording / playback apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a repetitive reservation in a repetitive reservation unit of the recording / playback apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure showing an example of the GUI screen which concerns on the repetition reservation part of the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 1. FIG. The figure showing an example of the reservation list produced | generated based on the reservation of the normal reservation part of the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 1, and a repetition reservation part. The figure showing an example of the display screen of the list displayed in the list display part of the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 1 Schematic diagram showing an example of the latest news reproduction by the one action button provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus of the first embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration in a recording / playback apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the first embodiment. Conceptual diagram for explaining feature points in the recording / playback apparatus according to the second embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 2. The figure for demonstrating the reservation recording execution process after securing the fixed time in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 2. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the second embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 3 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the third embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 4 The figure showing an example of the table data which concern on the resume control part of the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 4. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. The figure showing an example of the alerting | reporting that there exists an unviewed news program by the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 4. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 5. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. The figure showing an example of the display screen at the time of reproducing | regenerating the news program repeatedly overwrite-recorded in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 6. FIG. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 6. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the sixth embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 7. The figure showing an example of GUI displayed by the data management command reception UI display means of the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 7. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the seventh embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 8. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the eighth embodiment. The figure showing an example of the functional block in the recording / reproducing apparatus of Example 9. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the ninth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the first embodiment, claims 1, 8, and 14 will be mainly described. In the second embodiment, claims 9 and 15 will be mainly described. In the third embodiment, claims 10 and 16 will be mainly described. In the fourth embodiment, claims 11 and 17 will be mainly described. In the fifth embodiment, claims 12 and 18 will be mainly described. In the sixth embodiment, claims 13 and 19 will be mainly described.

  In the seventh embodiment, claims 2 and 3 will be mainly described. In the eighth embodiment, claims 4, 5, and 6 will be mainly described. In the ninth embodiment, claim 7 will be mainly described.

Example 1
<Overview>
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of an input device for operation in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment and an example of playback of a recorded program by the input device. As shown in FIG. 1, the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment can be operated by a remote control device. When the “recording list” button α on the remote control device is pressed here, as shown in FIG. 1A, thumbnails of the latest news program repeatedly overwritten on the HDD or the like, and other programs normally recorded, etc. A list of recordings is displayed. Then, the user can select a desired recorded program by operating a direction key or a determination button of the remote control device, and can reproduce and view the thumbnail of the recording list.

  On the other hand, when the “news / weather” button β on the remote control device is pressed, the latest news program repeatedly overwritten in response to the one-action operation is immediately displayed as shown in FIG. It is regenerated. As described above, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the latest news program can be easily played back in response to a one-action operation of a button.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / reproducing apparatus” (0200) of the present embodiment includes a “program storage unit” (0201), a “normal reservation unit” (0202), and a “repetitive reservation unit” (0203). , “Normal recording section” (0204), “repeated recording section” (0205), “list display section” (0206), “normal playback section” (0207), and “news playback section” (0208) And).

  Note that the functional blocks of the apparatus described below can be realized as hardware, software, or both hardware and software. Specifically, if a computer is used, a CPU, a main memory, a bus, or a secondary recording device (a hard disk, a non-volatile memory, a storage medium such as a CD or a DVD, a reading drive for the medium, etc.), information Input devices used for input, printing equipment, display devices, other hardware components such as external peripheral devices, interfaces for external peripheral devices, communication interfaces, driver programs for controlling these hardware, Other examples include application programs and user interface applications.

  Then, through the arithmetic processing of the CPU according to the program developed on the main memory, the data input from the input device or other interface etc. and stored in the memory or hard disk is processed and stored, or each of the above hardware and software An instruction for controlling the above is generated. The present invention can be realized not only as an apparatus but also as a method. A part of the invention can be configured as software. Furthermore, a software product used for causing a computer to execute such software and a recording medium in which the product is fixed to a recording medium are naturally included in the technical scope of the present invention (the same applies throughout the present specification). Is).

  The “program storage unit” (0201) has a function of storing a recorded program, and is realized by, for example, an HDD, a nonvolatile memory, a next-generation recording medium and its writing device, and other secondary recording devices. Can do. In this program storage unit, for example, the latest news program that is repeatedly overwritten and the program content that is normally recorded are separately managed by a file management system or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of recorded program accumulation in the program accumulation unit of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, for example, an HDD serving as a program storage unit manages, for example, “0000xxx” to “4000xxx1” in the internal address space as an area α in which the latest news program is repeatedly overwritten. Further, the address space from “4000xxx2” to “ffffxxxxx” is managed as another normal recording (additional recording image) area β. In this way, by distinguishing and managing the two in terms of file management, it is possible to perform a playback instruction operation with one action on the area in which the latest news program is recorded, in accordance with the action of the constituent elements described later. It becomes possible.

  In addition to the above configuration, the program storage unit may be realized as a configuration in which, for example, the recording unit is physically composed of a plurality of recording devices, and both are managed by a single file management system. In FIG. 3, in order to conceptually and easily understand the features of this embodiment, the address space on the recording apparatus for recording both is clearly divided, but of course, the actual recording address indicates the availability of the address. The “newest news program to be repeatedly overwritten” and “other recorded program content” may be managed separately on the file management system.

  The “normal reservation unit” (0202) has a function for a user to make a reservation for program recording using an electronic program guide or the like, and stores an input device, a GUI (graphical user interface), a normal reservation program, and reservation contents. It can be realized by a flash memory to be stored. Note that the program recording reservation process in the normal reservation unit is the same as that in the prior art, and a description thereof will be omitted. Further, the normal reservation may of course use information such as a program start / end time and a broadcast channel input by the user via a GUI such as a wizard screen in addition to using an electronic program guide or the like.

  The “repetition reservation unit” (0203) has a function of repetitively recording recording only the latest news program, and can be realized by an arithmetic unit such as a CPU, a repetition reservation program, a flash memory for storing reservation contents, or the like. it can. Specifically, the repeat reservation unit acquires the current time from a received broadcast wave or a built-in clock as shown in FIG. 4, for example. Then, the electronic program guide is referred to based on the time information, and the latest program among the news programs including the weather forecast scheduled to be broadcast after the current time is specified by the arithmetic processing of the CPU. Information for recording reservation of the program (program start / end time, broadcast channel, etc.) is acquired, and recording reservation processing is automatically executed using the acquired information for recording reservation. When the recording process by the automatic recording reservation is completed, the electronic program guide is searched from the current time in the same manner as described above, and the recording reservation process for the latest news program scheduled to be broadcast is repeated.

  In addition, the repeat reservation unit may be configured to accept a condition designation input from the user regarding electronic program guide search processing for repetitive recording reservations. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI screen for inputting a search condition designation. As shown in FIG. 5A, for example, in the wizard-type setting mode, whether or not to use the repeated overwrite recording processing function of the latest news program of this embodiment is specified. If there is a designation input indicating “use”, then, as shown in FIG. 5B, a designation input for a channel for repeated automatic recording is accepted. In this way, it is possible to record and view only the latest news program broadcast on one desired channel that is considered consistent in program organization. Of course, the search condition specified by the user here may be a condition other than the channel, for example, “broadcast time is 16 minutes or more”, “weather forecast program is not a news program”. Further, these conditions are not set by user input, but may be set in advance before shipping the apparatus.

  Then, by the reservation process by the repetitive reservation unit and the above-described normal reservation unit, a reservation list for recording processing including a repetitive reservation α and other normal reservations as shown in FIG. 6 is generated, for example. The recording process shown in the reservation list is executed according to the following configuration requirements.

  The “normal recording unit” (0204) has a function of recording a program based on the reservation in the normal reservation unit, and can be realized by a tuner, a writing device, a normal recording program, or a decoder / encoder as the case may be. The normal recording process based on this normal reservation is the same as the conventional reservation recording process. Therefore, the program content recorded by the normal recording unit is recorded in the additional recording format as long as the capacity of the recording apparatus permits as in the conventional recording. It should be noted that, in addition to normal scheduled recording, direct recording processing by pressing a recording button or the like may be recorded on the recording apparatus in an appending format. On the file management system, the program content recorded here is managed as “normally recorded program content” separately from the latest news program recorded repeatedly described later.

  The “repeated recording unit” (0205) has a function of repeatedly overwriting and recording a news program based on the reservation in the repeated reservation unit. For example, a tuner, a writing device, a repeated recording program, and a decoder / encoder in some cases Can be realized. Specifically, the repetitive recording unit executes a news program recording process on a recording medium such as an HDD based on the repetitive reservation. However, the recording process is recorded by overwriting the news program data recorded immediately before. That is, since only the latest video data recorded in this repeated recording unit is stored, one recording address (group) is always managed by a file management system or the like. Therefore, the latest news program recorded at the one address (group) can be identified and easily reproduced by a one-action operation of a button to be described later.

  For repeated overwriting recording, in addition to a mode in which program data is directly overwritten by writing to the same recording address, for example, recording processing to address A of the latest news program is stored in another address B. A mode in which a process of deleting a previously recorded news program is performed is also included.

  The “list display unit” (0206) has a function of displaying a list of recorded programs, and can be realized by an arithmetic device such as a CPU, a display device, a list display program, or the like. Specifically, titles and thumbnails are acquired from the header information of program contents stored in the program storage unit, and display screen data in which the titles and thumbnails are listed according to a predetermined template is generated. The generated display screen data is transferred to a VRAM or the like and displayed on the display.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a list display screen displayed on the list display unit of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7A, for example, thumbnails of program contents stored in the program storage unit are displayed side by side. Then, the content desired to be reproduced is selected by operating the cursor α. Further, for the latest news program by repeated recording in the list, for example, an “automatic” icon β may be added to the side of the content title to indicate that fact. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the latest news program by repeated recording in the list may be always displayed within a predetermined area β indicated by a broken line.

  Since the program storage unit stores program content by normal recording and the latest news program by repeated recording, the list displayed in the list display unit as shown in FIG. It becomes a thing. As described above, this embodiment is characterized in that the latest news program is displayed in the same row as the other recorded contents in the list of recorded contents. By having such a configuration, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment, as described later in the seventh embodiment, also uses the list for the other recorded content even for the latest news program that can be played back by one action. You can also manage editing, deletion, protection, and so on.

  The “normal playback unit” (0207) has a function of playing back a program displayed in the list based on user selection, and can be realized by, for example, an input device, a GUI, a decoder, a display, a normal playback program, or the like. it can. Specifically, the normal playback unit moves the cursor in the recording list in FIG. 7 in accordance with a user operation via the input device. Then, the moving image content ID in the list where the cursor is positioned when the enter button is pressed is acquired, the video data of the content specified by the ID is processed by the decoder, and reproduced and displayed on the display.

  As described above, in this embodiment, many program contents stored in the HDD or the like can be reproduced by selecting a list in the same manner as in a normal recording / reproducing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the following configuration further eliminates the need for following several steps of operation procedures (list display, content selection, playback determination, etc.) for the latest news program that has been repeatedly recorded, It is further provided with a function that can be played back with one action.

  The “news-only playback unit” (0208) has a function of playing back the latest news program recorded by the repeated recording unit in one action, and has a one-action button for that function. Specifically, this news-only playback unit refers to, for example, a file management system in accordance with an operation of a predetermined button, and specifies the recording address of the latest news program managed separately from the normal recorded program content. Then, the data of the latest news program recorded at the recording address is output to the decoder and reproduced and displayed on the display.

  FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the latest news reproduction by the one action button. As shown in this figure, for example, when the one-action button α provided on the remote control device is pressed, the processing as described above is executed by the recording / playback device of the present embodiment, and the latest recording is performed on the display. A news program with high freshness of information is played.

  The one action button may be provided on the operation panel of the recording / playback apparatus main body in addition to the form provided in the remote control device as in the above example. Further, not only a physical button but also a configuration of displaying as a virtual button on a display may be used. Further, the one-action button may be configured as a dedicated button, or may be configured to realize the function by, for example, pressing and holding the general-purpose button for a long time.

  As described above, with the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, the user can easily play back and watch the latest news program that is sequentially updated by repeated overwriting recording and the information freshness is maintained by one-button operation. it can.

<Other functional configuration>
Further, in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, for example, two or more news programs are displayed in response to the needs such as viewing the latest news programs α and β of the broadcasting stations A and B together for comparison. A function of performing a reservation process of repeated recording may be further provided as “one unit of repeated recording”. Specifically, in the recording process by this reservation, when recording the news β broadcasted after the recording of the news α as the latest news program, the news β is not recorded by overwriting the news α as described above. , The news β is recorded while leaving the news α. Then, the next news γ is processed as overwriting recording on the news α and / or news β.

  In order to realize the above function, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment may have the repeated reservation unit having “summary reservation unit” and the repeated recording unit further having “summary repeated recording unit”.

  The “summary reservation means” has a function of making a reservation for recording a predetermined number of news programs as a unit of repeated recording, and can be realized by, for example, a CPU, a main memory, a flash memory, a summary reservation program, and the like. Specifically, for example, an input such as a predetermined number “2” to be collectively reserved from the user is received via the GUI. Then, the repetitive reservation unit generates recording reservation data for the two latest news programs from the current time and stores them in the flash memory or the like. In addition, flag information indicating the same summary unit is added to the two recording reservation data, and management is performed separately from the normal repeated recording reservation data so that one does not become the other overwrite recording. That's it.

  The “summary repeated recording means” has a function not to perform over-recording by a news program in the same unit with respect to the repeated recording of the one recording unit. For example, a CPU, a main memory, a tuner, and a writing device It can be realized by a summary repeated recording program or the like. Specifically, for example, if there is a flag indicating the above-mentioned unit in the recording reservation data, when the news α is recorded, the flag is added to the recording data and recorded. Then, when referring to the next recording reservation data, if the flag indicating the same summary unit is included, the CPU executes the recording process of the next news β, leaving the previously recorded news α. It is.

  In addition, as described above, as a method for reproducing a news program using a one-action button when a plurality of latest news programs are recorded as one unit, the following methods may be mentioned. That is, for example, a configuration in which a plurality of news programs are continuously played by pressing a button once, a news program to be toggled according to the number of times the button is pressed, or a length of time to be pushed in. Depending on the situation, there may be mentioned a method of selecting a program to be reproduced from among three news programs.

<Hardware configuration>
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the recording / playback apparatus when the functional components described above are realized as hardware. The operation of each hardware component in the reproduction processing of each recorded content including the news program reproduction by the one action button will be described using this figure.

  As shown in this figure, the recording / playback apparatus realizes the functions of a normal reservation unit, a repeated reservation unit, a normal recording unit, a repeated recording unit, a normal playback unit, and a news-only playback unit, as well as various other operations. A “CPU (central processing unit)” (0901) that executes processing and a “main memory” (0902) are provided. Also, “HDD” (0903) as a program storage unit and “display device” (0904) as a list display unit are provided. In addition, a “flash” that stores a “remote control” that receives an operation input from a user and a “light receiving unit” (0905) of a remote control signal, an electronic program guide, a list of regular reservations and a list of repeated reservations (including a time scheduler function) A “memory” (0906), a “broadcast reception tuner”, an “Internet connection circuit”, and the like (not shown) may be provided. They are connected to each other via a data communication path such as a “system bus” to transmit / receive information and process information.

  A program is read out to the “main memory”, and the “CPU” executes various arithmetic processes by referring to the read out program. In addition, a plurality of addresses are assigned to the “main memory”, “flash memory”, and “HDD”, respectively, and in the arithmetic processing of the “CPU”, the addresses are specified and the stored data is accessed. This makes it possible to perform arithmetic processing using data.

  Here, the normal reservation program, the repetitive reservation program, the normal recording program, the repetitive recording program, the list display program, the normal reproduction program, and the news-only reproduction program are set in a predetermined area of the “main memory” with the power-on as a trigger. Read out. Subsequently, for example, when a signal indicating that the recording reservation button is pressed by the “remote controller” is received and demodulated by the “light receiving unit”, the “CPU” interprets the normal reservation program with the reception of the signal as a trigger. Then, according to the interpretation result of the program, the electronic program guide data stored at the address A of the “flash memory” is read and displayed on the “display device”.

  The user operates the electronic program guide displayed on the display, moves the cursor to the program desired to be recorded, and presses the “remote control” determination button. Then, the remote control signal is received and demodulated by the “light receiving unit”, and recording reservation information (program start / end time, broadcast channel, etc.) is generated by arithmetic processing of the “CPU” according to the normal reservation program. Then, the recording reservation information is written in the reservation list stored at the address B of the “flash memory” to perform the normal reservation processing.

  Further, the “CPU” interprets the repetitive reservation program, and executes reservation processing for automatic repeated overwriting recording as follows according to the interpretation result. That is, for example, current time information included in a digital broadcast wave received by a “tuner” (not shown) is acquired. Subsequently, referring to the electronic program guide stored in the “flash memory”, the program whose genre is indicated by “news / weather forecast” and the time closest to the current time is selected from the broadcast programs after the current time. The program to be broadcast is specified by the arithmetic processing of the CPU. Then, for the identified program, the recording reservation information is obtained from the electronic program guide in the same way as the normal reservation processing, and is written in the reservation list of “flash memory” to perform the repeated reservation processing.

  After that, referring to the reservation list stored in the “flash memory” (configured to work with the task scheduler program), the “CPU” etc. indicate that the internal clock has reached the recording start time written in the reservation list. If the reservation is a normal reservation, according to the normal recording program, for example, recording of the program received by the “tuner” with the address C or address D of “HDD” as the recording start position is performed in the normal write-once type. Processing is executed.

  On the other hand, if the reservation to be executed is a repeated reservation, the following overwrite recording process is executed according to the repeated recording program. That is, referring to the file management system, the address B of “HDD” in which the immediately preceding latest news program is recorded is specified. Then, by overwriting the address B, the overwrite recording process of the latest news program is executed. Further, the file management system updates and manages the recording address of the latest news program that has been overwritten. In this way, in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, a plurality of program contents are recorded on the “HDD” or the like in a write-once type in accordance with a normal reservation, and on the other hand, one latest news program is overwritten in accordance with a repeated reservation It is recorded in “HDD” or the like. In addition, using the titles and thumbnails obtained from the tag information of the program content recorded in the “HDD” in this way, a recording list is generated by the arithmetic processing of the “CPU”, and the address A of the “HDD” To store.

  Thereafter, when a remote control signal indicating that the recording list button is pressed by the user is received and demodulated by the “light receiving unit”, the “CPU” interprets the list display program using this as a trigger. Then, according to the interpretation result, the recording list stored at the address A of “HDD” is read and displayed on the “display”. Then, the user operates the recording list displayed on the display, moves the cursor to the program desired to be reproduced, and presses the “remote control” determination button. Then, the remote control signal is received and demodulated by the “light receiving unit” and stored as a list selection command at address 3 of the “main memory”. Then, according to the normal reproduction program, the content ID of the recorded program indicated by the list selection command is acquired, and the video data of the content specified by the ID is read from “HDD”. Then, the program content selected as a list through processing of a “decoder” (not shown) is reproduced and output to the “display”.

  On the other hand, when the “news / weather” button (one action button) of the remote control device is pressed by the user, the remote control signal is received and demodulated by the “light receiving unit”. The demodulated one-action instruction is stored at address 4 of the “main memory”. Then, with the storage of the one-action instruction as a trigger, the “CPU” interprets the news-only playback program, and according to the interpretation result, the latest news recorded by repeated overwriting recording indicated by a file management system or the like. The recording address B of the program is specified. Then, the video data of the latest news program recorded at the address is read from the “HDD”, and reproduced and output to the “display” through the processing of the “decoder” (not shown).

<Process flow>
10 and 11 are flowcharts showing an example of the flow of processing in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. As shown in FIG. 10, when an operation command is received from the user as the normal reservation process, a recording reservation process for the program received from the user is executed (step S1001). Further, as a repeated reservation process, for example, only the latest news program is repeatedly reserved for recording by searching an electronic program guide (step S1002). Then, program recording is performed based on the normal reservation in step S1001, and the recorded program content is recorded in the program storage unit (step S1003). Further, the news program is repeatedly overwritten based on the repetitive reservation in step S1002 (step S1004), and the latest news program is recorded in the program storage unit (step S1004).

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11A, when a list display operation is accepted using an input device or the like (step S1101a), a list of recorded programs as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display (step S1101a). S1102a). When the user selection of the program displayed in the list is received (step S1103a), the recorded program that has received the selection is reproduced (step S1104a). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), for example, when a one-action button operation provided on the remote control device is accepted (step S1101b), the latest news program that has been overwritten is reproduced (step S1102b).

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, with the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, the user can easily play back and watch the latest news program that is sequentially updated by repeated overwriting recording and the information freshness is maintained by one-button operation. it can. Furthermore, the latest news program that can be easily played back with one action can be displayed in the recording list in the same row as other recorded contents.

<< Example 2 >>
<Overview>
FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the feature points in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, for example, in a recording / playback apparatus in which the power is OFF (the tuner is not operating), a “power ON” operation from the user is accepted. Then, it can be assumed that the user is there, that is, the user may perform various operations on the recording / playback apparatus, or may watch the news program directly without recording. Therefore, in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, for example, as shown in the figure, “the operation has been accepted, the automatic recording of“ News 08 ”that was reserved at 20:00 today (repeated reservation) has been cancelled. Is displayed, and “repetition reservation” for repeated overwriting recording of news programs is deleted.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / playback apparatus” (1300) of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment and includes a “program storage section” (1301), a “normal reservation section” (1302), "Return reservation part" (1303), "Normal recording part" (1304), "Repeat recording part" (1305), "List display part" (1306), "Normal playback part" (1307), "News-only playback unit" (1308). In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The feature of the recording / playback apparatus of this embodiment is that the repetitive reservation unit is “search means” (1309), “write means” (1310), “repetitive reservation erasure means” (1311), It is a point which has.

  “Search means” (1309) has a function of searching the latest news program from the electronic program guide when the tuner is not operating. Here, “when the tuner is not operating” refers to a state in which reception of a frequency (channel) designation for extracting a broadcast wave received by the tuner is not performed. That is, if the tuner is not operating, it can be assumed that the user has not selected a channel for viewing the program. Therefore, in such a state, the user is not at the spot and is unlikely to watch the news directly. Therefore, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment executes the news program search process from the electronic program guide based on the current time as described in the above-described embodiment in order to execute the latest news recording process repeatedly. It is.

  The “writing means” (1310) has a function of writing a repetitive reservation of the news program searched by the searching means into the reservation information area of the memory. Then, when the repetitive reservation is written in the reservation information area of the memory by the writing means in this way, a reservation list as shown in FIG. 6 is generated, and the repetitive recording process of the latest news program is executed accordingly. It is said that it is done. However, in this embodiment, as described above, it is assumed that the user is on the spot by receiving an operation from the user, and the reservation processing for the repeated recording is deleted by the following configuration.

  The “repeated reservation erasure means” (1311) has a function of erasing the recording reservation information of the news program in the reservation information memory in response to an operation input from a user other than the one-action button. As described above, in this embodiment, when an operation input from the user is received, the user is present, that is, the user may perform various operations on the recording / playback apparatus, or the latest news program is not recorded. Assuming that there is a possibility of direct viewing, the repeated recording reservation of the news program is deleted.

  Since a normal recording / playback apparatus requires time for system activation and system construction, it is necessary to ensure a certain time (margin) before the start of repeated automatic recording. Alternatively, there may be a configuration in which recording is started with a margin for a few seconds before the recording program is cut off. Therefore, in this repeated reservation erasure means, when an operation input other than the one-action button is received from the user within, for example, 30 seconds before the time designated as the automatic recording start, the recording preparation is already being executed. The repetitive reservation may not be deleted.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the reserved recording execution process after securing this fixed time. As shown in FIG. 14A, in the case of a single reservation in which reservations are not continuous, for example, 120 seconds before the recording start time of the reservation, “Reserved program (recording) starts in 2 minutes”. Message is displayed. Then, 30 seconds before, a message “Program reservation will start soon” is displayed, and during the reservation preparation period (margin period for system start-up and construction, or margin time for preventing head-off recording) As a result, the user's operation is restricted. Therefore, even if the user performs a remote control operation or the like during this time period, the reservation is not deleted.

  When 7 seconds before the start of recording, the tuner's automatic channel selection processing is executed according to the reservation list, and recording is started 3 seconds before the head cut. When the recording end time is reached, the recording process is terminated, and a file (management) system update process such as management of recording addresses is executed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, when reservations are continuous, the same process as the single reservation is executed for the start of the first reservation 1, and the recording process is performed. Then, for example, 10 seconds before the end of the recording, the recording process of the next reservation 2 is started, so the file (management) system update process accompanying the recording of the reservation 1 such as the management of the recording address is executed, and then the next reservation 2 is selected and recording starts. Even in this time zone, even if the user performs a remote control operation or the like, the reservation 2 is not erased.

<Process flow>
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. In this processing flow, only the characteristic flow in the present embodiment will be described. As shown in this figure, first, it is determined whether or not the tuner is inactive (step S1501). If a determination result indicating that the tuner is not in operation is output, it is assumed that the user is not on the spot, so the reservation process for repeated overwriting of news is executed as follows. . That is, first, the current time is acquired (step S1502), and the latest news program is searched from the electronic program guide based on the current time (step S1503). Then, the repeated reservation of the searched news program is written in the reservation information area of the memory (step S1504). When an operation other than the one-action button is received from the user (step S1505), it is assumed that the user is here, and the recording reservation information of the news program in the reservation information memory written in step S1504 is deleted. (Step S1505).

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, when it is assumed that the user is on the spot by accepting a user operation, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment deletes the reservation for repeated automatic recording to improve the user's operation convenience. be able to.

Example 3
<Overview>
The present embodiment is based on the second embodiment, and further, when the overwriting recording process of the news program is repeated, the recording process is continued by invalidating the reservation deletion. Device.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / reproducing apparatus” (1600) of the present embodiment is based on the second embodiment and includes a “program storage section” (1601), a “normal reservation section” (1602), and a “repetition”. "Return reservation part" (1603), "Normal recording part" (1604), "Repeat recording part" (1605), "List display part" (1606), "Normal playback part" (1607), “News reproduction unit” (1608), “Search means” (1609), “Write means” (1610), and “Repeat reservation erasure means” (1611). In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. A feature of the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment is that the repeated reservation unit further includes “repeated reservation non-erasing means” (1612).

  The “repeated reservation non-erasing unit” (1612) has a function of invalidating the repeated reservation erasing unit while the repeated recording unit is performing recording. In this way, when the overwriting recording process of the news program is already being executed, the recording process is continued with the reservation erasure being invalidated, so that the beginning of the news program that the user seems to have missed can be detected. A series of news including it can be recorded completely and viewed by the user. In this embodiment, for example, a special cancel button may be further provided so that the recording can be interrupted and the recording can be interrupted even during the recording.

<Process flow>
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. In this processing flow, only the characteristic flow in the present embodiment will be described. As shown in this figure, first, it is determined whether or not the tuner is inactive (step S1701). If a determination result indicating that the tuner is not operating is output, the current time is acquired (step S1702), and the latest news program is searched from the electronic program guide based on the current time (step S1703). Then, the repeated reservation of the searched news program is written in the reservation information area of the memory (step S1704). Thereafter, when an operation other than the one-action button is received from the user (step S1706) before the start time indicated by the reservation, that is, before recording of the reserved news program (step S1705), the reservation information written in step S1704 The recording reservation information of the news program in the memory is deleted (step S1706). In addition, when the start time indicated by the reservation comes and the overwriting recording of the news program is repeated, the reservation erasure process is not executed regardless of whether or not an operation has been received from the user.

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, when the overwriting recording process of the news program is already being executed by the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, the recording process is continued with the reservation deletion being invalidated. Therefore, it is possible to completely record a series of news including the beginning of a news program that the user seems to have missed and allow the user to view it.

Example 4
<Overview>
In the present embodiment, on the basis of the above-described embodiment, so-called “resume playback” (playback from the end of the previous halfway) is performed when the program content recorded by the normal reservation is played back. On the other hand, when playing the latest news program that has been overwritten by repeated reservations, “Cueing Play” (playing back from the beginning of the content regardless of whether it ended before) is played back. Device.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / reproducing apparatus” (1800) of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment and includes a “program storage section” (1801), a “normal reservation section” (1802), “Return reservation section” (1803), “Normal recording section” (1804), “Repeat recording section” (1805), “List display section” (1806), “Normal playback section” (1807), "News-only playback unit" (1808). Moreover, you may have the said other structure on the basis of Example 2 or 3. FIG. In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The characteristic point of this embodiment is that the recording / reproducing apparatus further includes a “resume control unit” (1809) and a “start position control unit” (1810).

  The “resume control unit” (1809) has a function to resume program reproduction by the normal reproduction unit, and can be realized by an arithmetic device such as a CPU or a resume control program, for example. Specifically, when the content is played back and the end process is executed, the resume control unit acquires information (such as the playback time and the number of playback frames) for specifying the end position. Then, table data as shown in FIG. 19 in which the position information is associated with each content as the resume position is held in the flash memory. Then, in the reproduction of the normal recorded content by the normal reproduction unit, the table data is referred to, and the reproduction from the previous end position indicated by the table data is executed.

  The “start position control section” (1810) has a function of controlling playback from the program start position when the program playback is the latest news playback in the news dedicated playback section by the playback command from the one action button. For example, it can be realized by an arithmetic unit such as a CPU or a start position control program. By controlling in this way, it becomes possible to look back at the news many times from the beginning and understand its contents well.

<Process flow>
20 and 21 are flowcharts showing an example of the flow of processing in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. FIG. 20 illustrates a characteristic processing flow related to resume control. FIG. 21 illustrates a characteristic processing flow related to the start position control.

  First, in the case of reproduction of normally recorded program content, as shown in FIG. 20, when a list display operation is accepted using an input device or the like (step S2001), the recorded program as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the display (step S2002). When the user selection of the program displayed in the list is accepted (step S2003), it is determined with reference to the table data shown in FIG. 19 or the like whether the recorded program was played during the previous time (step S2004). As a result of the determination, if the position information of the previous halfway end is acquired (step S2005Y), the previous end position is set as the playback start position (step S2006Y). If the result of determination in step S2004 is that playback is not halfway, the program start position is set to the playback start position (step S2005N). Then, program playback from the set playback start position is executed (step S2007).

  On the other hand, in the case of replaying a news program that has been repeatedly recorded, as shown in FIG. 21, for example, when a one-action button operation provided on the remote control device is accepted (step S2101), the latest recorded overwriting is performed. The news program is always reproduced from the program start position (step S2102).

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment enables the user to look back at the news many times from the beginning, and to understand the contents thereof well.

Example 5
<Overview>
The recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a function of notifying the user of the latest news program that has been repeatedly recorded based on the above-described embodiment, when the program has not been viewed. In this way, the user can know that the latest news program that has not been viewed has already been recorded.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of the notification by the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 22A, when there is an unviewed latest news program, for example, “There is an unviewed automatically recorded news program” is displayed on the display of the video. Or, as shown in FIG. 22B, an icon indicating that the user has not viewed such as “not yet” is displayed near the thumbnail of the latest news program in the recording list.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / reproducing apparatus” (2300) of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment and includes a “program storage unit” (2301), a “normal reservation unit” (2302), and a “repetition”. "Return reservation section" (2303), "Normal recording section" (2304), "Repeat recording section" (2305), "List display section" (2306), "Normal playback section" (2307), "News-only playback unit" (2308). Moreover, you may have the said other structure on the basis of Example 2, 3, and 4. FIG. In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The characteristic point of this embodiment is that the recording / playback apparatus further includes a “viewing determination unit” (2309) and a “viewing determination result notification unit” (2310).

  A “viewing determination unit” (2309) is a function for determining whether the latest news program recorded by the repetitive recording unit among the programs stored in the program storage unit has already been viewed or has not been viewed yet. For example, it can be realized by a calculation device such as a CPU or a viewing determination program. Specifically, for example, when a playback process is performed on a news program stored in the program storage unit, a viewing flag is added to the content tag or a separate table data is used to view / not view the program. Configure to manage. Then, when there is no flag for the latest news program accumulated by repeated recording, it is determined that the news program is not yet viewed.

  The “viewing determination result notifying unit” (2310) has a function of notifying the determination result of the viewing determining unit, and is realized by, for example, an arithmetic device such as a CPU, an output device such as a display or a speaker, a viewing determination result notifying program, or the like. can do. Note that the notification form in the viewing determination result notification unit may be various. For example, in addition to a notification form in which a text message or an icon is displayed on the display as shown in FIG. 22, a similar message, a predetermined warning sound, or the like A notification form in which is output from the speaker is also included. Further, it may be notified that there is an unviewed latest news program by blinking a predetermined lamp provided on the main body or the like. As described above, the user can know that the latest news program that has not been viewed has already been recorded.

    <Process Flow> FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. In this processing flow, only the characteristic flow in the present embodiment will be described. As shown in this figure, it is first determined whether or not the latest news program recorded based on the repetitive reservation has been viewed using, for example, flag information (step S2401). Then, when the determination result that it has not been viewed is output, the user is notified in a predetermined form that the latest recorded news program has not been viewed (step S2402).

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, when the latest news program that has been repeatedly recorded has not been viewed by the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment, the user can be notified of this fact.

Example 6
<Overview>
FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen when a news program that has been repeatedly overwritten by the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment is played back. As shown in this figure, in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, when the latest news program that has been repeatedly recorded is played back, the broadcast date and time information of the news, such as “18:00 11ch evening news metropolitan area version”, is displayed. α is displayed on a display. Thus, by displaying the broadcast date and time together when the news program is reproduced, the user can easily know at what point the latest recorded news program is the latest information.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / reproducing apparatus” (2600) of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment and includes a “program storage section” (2601), a “normal reservation section” (2602), “Return reservation section” (2603), “Normal recording section” (2604), “Repeat recording section” (2605), “List display section” (2606), “Normal playback section” (2607), “News-only playback unit” (2608). Moreover, you may have the said other structure on the basis of Example 2, 3, 4, 5 or the like. In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The feature of the present embodiment is that the recording / playback apparatus further includes a “broadcast date and time information acquisition unit” (2609) and a “broadcast date and time information display unit” (2610).

  The “broadcast date / time information acquisition unit” (2609) has a function of acquiring broadcast date / time information of a program played back by the news-only playback unit, and for example, by a calculation device such as a CPU, a storage device, a broadcast date / time information acquisition program, or the like. realizable. Specifically, for example, when recording a news program, information such as the recording date and time is stored in the recording device in association with the news program. The broadcast date / time information acquisition unit acquires the recorded recording date / time information as the broadcast date / time information when the news program is reproduced. If the news program is digital broadcast content and broadcast date / time information is recorded in the header of the recorded program stream, the broadcast date / time information may be acquired by referring to the header. In addition to the broadcast date and time, a broadcast channel, broadcast station, program name, and the like may be acquired.

  The “broadcast date and time information display unit” (2610) has a function of superimposing and displaying the acquired broadcast date and time information on the screen when the latest news program is played back by the news dedicated playback unit. It can be realized by a device, a broadcast date / time information display program, and the like. Specifically, various types of information including the acquired broadcast date and time are superimposed on the video on the display by OSD (On Screen Display) processing.

<Process flow>
FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. As shown in this figure, for example, when a one-action button operation provided on the remote control device is accepted (step S2701), broadcast date and time information of a news program to be reproduced is acquired (step S2702). Subsequently, the latest news program that has been overwritten is reproduced (step S2703), and the broadcast date and time information acquired together with it is superimposed on the screen of the news program being reproduced (step S2704).

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment can display the broadcast date and time when a news program is played back. Therefore, the user can easily know at which point the recorded latest news program is the latest information.

Example 7
<Overview>
The present embodiment is based on the above embodiment, and further dubbing, deleting, deleting protection, scenes from the list for the latest news program displayed in the same column as the other contents in the list of the list display section. The recording / reproducing apparatus further includes a GUI function for accepting an operation command such as editing. Further, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment may have a function of adding an icon near the latest news program in the list display so that the latest news program can be easily identified in the list.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / reproducing apparatus” (2800) of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment and includes a “program storage section” (2801), a “normal reservation section” (2802), and “repetition”. “Return reservation section” (2803), “Normal recording section” (2804), “Repeat recording section” (2805), “List display section” (2806), “Normal playback section” (2807), "News-only playback unit" (2808). Moreover, you may have the said other structure on the basis of either of Example 2-6. In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The feature of this embodiment is that the list display unit of the recording / playback apparatus further includes a “data management command reception UI display unit” (2809).

  The “data management command reception UI display means” (2809) has a function of displaying a UI for receiving a data management command for the latest news program included in the list in association with the list, such as a CPU and a main memory. It can be realized by an arithmetic device, a display device such as a display, and a data management command reception UI display program. “Data management command” refers to a command for managing the recorded latest news program. For example, a command for protection from overwriting by repeated recording (erasable command) or dubbing to another recording medium / Move commands, and scene editing commands for cutting unnecessary scenes such as commercials or connecting with other video data.

  In this embodiment, the GUI for accepting such a data management command for the latest news program is displayed in association with the list of the list display unit. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 29 (a), for example, when the cursor is placed on a news program in the list and the yellow button on the remote control in FIG. 1 is pressed, the screen transitions as shown in FIG. 29 (b). A GUI is displayed. Then, the user can input a data management command such as protection from dubbing or overwriting through the GUI. Note that the “display of GUI associated with the list” is not limited to the display form by the screen transition from the list screen to the GUI screen, for example, a form that pops up and displays the GUI screen in the list screen, A mode in which a GUI screen is displayed on a display screen on a remote control device such as a remote controller at the same time as displaying a list is also possible.

  Further, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment may further have the following functions. That is, as described above, an icon is added to the vicinity of the latest news program in the list display so that the latest news program can be easily identified in the list. For this purpose, the list display unit of the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment may further include a “discrimination display unit” (not shown).

  The “discrimination display means” has a function of displaying the latest news program in the list so as to be distinguishable from other recorded programs. For example, an arithmetic unit such as a CPU and a main memory, a display unit such as a display, and a discrimination display program Can be realized. Specifically, in this distinction display unit, for example, an icon / character string such as “N” is displayed in the vicinity of the latest news program in the list, or the latest news program is always arranged at a predetermined position in the list such as the top of the list. By doing so, the latest news program is displayed so as to be distinguishable from other recorded programs.

  In this way, the user can use the GUI to issue data management commands such as dubbing, deletion, deletion protection, and scene editing for the latest news program displayed in the same list as other contents in the recording list. Can be entered through. In addition, the latest news program in the list can be easily identified from other recorded contents using an icon or the like.

<Process flow>
FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. In this processing flow, only the characteristic flow in the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 30, first, as shown in FIG. 30, first, when an input such as a user's recording list calling operation is accepted (step S3001), the program content recorded normally and the latest news program recorded repeatedly are recorded. Are displayed on the display (step S3002). Although not shown, for example, an icon or the like may be displayed near the latest news program in the list, and the process of displaying the latest news program so as to be distinguishable from other contents may be performed. Then, in response to a user operation, for example, screen transition processing from a list screen is performed, and a data management command input reception GUI is displayed (step S3003). When an input of a data management command is received via the displayed GUI (step S3004), for example, the latest news program data is prohibited from being overwritten or dubbed to another recording medium in accordance with the received management command. Data management processing is executed (step S3005).

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment allows the user to copy, delete, delete, delete scenes from the list for the latest news program displayed in the same list as other contents in the recording list. Data management commands such as editing can be input via the GUI. In addition, the latest news program in the list can be easily identified from other recorded contents using an icon or the like.

Example 8
<Overview>
The present embodiment is based on the above-described embodiment, and for example, only a news program in which a favorite newscaster or commentator appears is repeatedly recorded. The recording / playback apparatus further includes a function of accepting and executing a recording reservation process based on the designated condition. As another specification condition, there may be a configuration in which a plurality of channels are set as the specification condition, such as repeatedly recording news programs of channel α (A broadcast station) and channel β (B broadcast station). Or, conversely, only the news program of channel γ (C broadcast station) may be repeatedly recorded, and only one channel may be set as the specified condition.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / reproducing apparatus” (3100) of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment, and “program storage unit” (3101), “normal reservation unit” (3102), “Return reservation section” (3103), “Normal recording section” (3104), “Repeat recording section” (3105), “List display section” (3106), “Normal playback section” (3107), "News-only playback unit" (3108). Moreover, you may have another structure on the basis of either of the said other Example. In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The feature of this embodiment is that the repeat reservation unit of the recording / playback apparatus further includes a “condition receiving unit” (3109) and a “program extracting unit” (3110).

  The “condition accepting means” (3109) has a function of accepting any one or more of a channel, program name, performer, program time length, broadcast time, and / or weather forecast exclusion designation as a designation condition for repeated recording reservation. And a condition reception program including a CPU, a main memory, an input device, a GUI, and the like. Specifically, for example, a GUI as shown in FIG. 5B is displayed on the screen, the user is allowed to select a channel, and the selected channel is accepted as a specified condition. Alternatively, a GUI including an input box in which characters can be input in a free style is displayed, and the program name or performer input to the input box from the software / hardware keyboard is accepted as a designated condition. Or you may make a program name, a performer name, etc. select in an electronic program guide, and accept them as designation | designated conditions. Alternatively, a broadcast program length such as recording only a news program of 30 minutes or less in a pull-down menu may be accepted as a designated condition, or a weather forecast exclusion may be designated by checking “exclude weather forecast” with a check box. May be accepted. In addition, when the broadcast time is accepted as a designated condition, an exclusion designated condition such as “exclude repeated recording of broadcast news from 21:00 to 22:00” is preferable. In this way, it is possible to prevent the tuner from being occupied during the designated time period, and for example, to prevent viewing or recording of other programs.

  Further, regarding the channel designation condition, two or more channels may be designated as the designation condition at the same time. In this way, it is possible to view the latest news program by comparing the contents of news reports and the trend of reports in a plurality of designated channels. Or conversely, only one channel may be accepted as the designated condition. In this way, if it is a news program produced by the same station, for example, a news program that is assumed to be consistent in its organization, such as a morning news follow-up being reported in the day, is recorded. be able to.

  Then, in order to perform repetitive recording reservation of the latest news based on the specified conditions received in this way, the recording / playback apparatus of this embodiment further has the following configuration.

  The “program extraction unit” (3110) has a function of extracting a program that is repeatedly reserved for recording from the electronic program guide based on the received designated condition, and can be realized by a CPU, a main memory, a program extraction program, and the like. Specifically, if the designated condition is a channel, the reservation process in the above-described repetitive reservation unit is performed for a news program of only the designated channel in the electronic program guide. If it is a program name or a performer name, a news program that matches the conditions is specified by referring to search tag data in the electronic program guide. Also, if the program time length and the broadcast time are specified conditions, the news program that matches the conditions is similarly identified by referring to the time data of the electronic program guide.

  Further, when the specified condition is the weather forecast exclusion specification, for example, the following processing is performed. That is, in the electronic program guide, a “genre tag” of a program may be set as search tag data, but in the case of a news program, it is classified into genres as “news / weather”. Therefore, only the weather forecast may be recorded in the repeated recording process of the latest news program. Therefore, for example, when “weather” is included in the program title acquired from the electronic program guide, the program is regarded as a program with no news report such as current news only, and excluded from the target of repeated reservations. is there. Or, since the time zone in which the normal weather forecast corner is broadcast in the news program is fixed, for example, if it is a one-hour news program, the weather forecast corner has 5 minutes after 40 minutes, or broadcasts every day at 10:00 The start of the weather forecast corner of the news N may be configured such that only the weather forecast corner in the news program is excluded by referring to table data as shown from 10:55. Of course, only the weather forecast may be repeatedly recorded as the latest news information by a process reverse to the above.

<Process flow>
FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. In this processing flow, only the characteristic flow in the present embodiment will be described. As shown in this figure, first, for example, a GUI for inputting a designated condition is displayed, and from the user, any one of channel, program name, performer, program time length, broadcast time, and / or weather forecast exclusion designation is selected. The specified conditions for repetitive recording reservation are accepted (step S3201). Thereafter, as the repetitive reservation process, for example, when the electronic program guide is searched, the specified condition is referred to, and only the latest news program that meets the specified condition is repeatedly reserved for recording (step S3202). Based on the repetitive reservation, the news program is repeatedly overwritten (step S3203), and only the latest news program is recorded in the program storage unit. Of course, in parallel with this, normal recording reservation processing and normal recording processing according to recording reservation are executed.

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment allows the user to specify a predetermined condition and easily view the latest news program that matches the specified condition. Therefore, for example, the latest news with higher usability can be presented such that only the latest news centered on economic reports can be confirmed.

Example 9
<Overview>
The present embodiment is a recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by further including the following functions based on the above-described embodiment. That is, for example, a news program from 22:00 is reserved for the next repeated recording. However, at the same time, the recording / playback apparatus of this embodiment may be watching / recording another program. Therefore, if the recording / playback apparatus has a plurality of tuners, the electronic program guide in the other empty tuner is searched again. If another news program is broadcast during the time period, it is further provided with a function of recording (reserving) the news program instead.

  In this manner, when the latest news program is repeatedly recorded, even if the tuner to be used for the repeated recording is receiving another program, the alternative news program can be recorded. it can.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks in the recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the “recording / playback apparatus” (3300) of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment and includes a “program storage unit” (3301), a “normal reservation unit” (3302), and a “repetition”. "Return reservation section" (3303), "Normal recording section" (3304), "Repeat recording section" (3305), "List display section" (3306), "Normal playback section" (3307), "News-only playback unit" (3308). Moreover, you may have another structure on the basis of either of the said other Example. In addition, since these structural requirements have already been described in the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The feature of the present embodiment is that this recording / playback apparatus further includes a “plurality of reception tuners” (3309), a “viewable determination unit” (3310), a “search unit” (3311), and an “alternative” And a recording unit "(3312).

  The “multiple reception tuners” (3309) are a plurality of reception tuners for different television broadcast types. “Television broadcast type” refers to a type that is distinguished according to a broadcast route or means of broadcast of a television broadcast wave, for example, terrestrial digital, terrestrial analog, BS (broadcast satellite) digital, BS analog, CS (communication satellite). ) Digital, analog, cable TV and so on. Since the recording / playback apparatus of this embodiment has a plurality of reception tuners of different broadcast types in this way, for example, even if a terrestrial digital tuner receives a program and occupies another BS digital Another program can be received by the tuner.

  The “viewable determination unit” (3310) has a function of determining whether or not the receiving tuner is receiving another program at the repeated recording reservation time, for example, a CPU, a main memory, and a viewing determination program. Etc. can be realized. Specifically, first, the recording reservation time of the latest news program made by the repetitive reservation unit and the tuner information used for recording are read and acquired from the reservation data holding area. Then, the current time is monitored with a built-in clock or the like, and when the current recording time reaches the scheduled recording time, it is determined whether the receiving tuner specified by the tuner information is currently occupied. . If it is determined that the program is not occupied, it is preferable to execute the repeated recording process of the latest news program according to the repeated recording reservation.

  The “search unit” (3311) has a function of searching whether or not news can be received by the other reception tuner when the determination result is that the determination result is received. For example, a CPU or a main memory It can be realized with a search program. Specifically, for example, when a determination result indicating that the terrestrial digital tuner is occupied is output by the viewing determination unit, it is determined whether another BS tuner is occupied. If the BS tuner is not occupied, the BS broadcast electronic program guide is referred to and the program being broadcast at the current time acquired from the built-in clock is confirmed. Then, if there is a program with a genre tag “news program”, a search result “receivable” is output.

  The “alternative recording unit” (3312) has a function of recording the news program instead when it is a search result that the other receiving tuner can receive, for example, CPU, main memory, tuner and writing. It can be realized by a device, an alternative recording program, or the like. The search unit is configured not only to check whether the news is currently being broadcast, but also to search whether the news program can be received within a predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) from the current time. Also good. In this case, the alternative recording unit may execute an alternative recording reservation process in order to record the news program.

  Thus, in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, when the latest news program is repeatedly recorded, even if the tuner to be used for the repeated recording is receiving another program, A news program can be recorded.

<Process flow>
FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment. The steps shown below may be steps executed by each hardware configuration of the computer as described above, or may be processing steps that constitute a program for controlling the computer recorded on a medium. I do not care. In this processing flow, only the characteristic flow in the present embodiment will be described. Prior to the processing shown in FIG. 34, normal program recording reservation processing (step S1001) and normal program recording processing (step S1003) by the processing shown in FIG. A news program repetitive recording reservation process (step S1002) is executed.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 34, when the scheduled recording time specified by the repeated scheduled recording process is reached (step S3401), it is determined whether or not the tuner to be used in the repeated recording is currently occupied. (Step S3402). If a determination result indicating that it is not occupied is output, recording processing of the latest news program is executed in accordance with repeated recording reservations as it is (step S3406).

  On the other hand, if a determination result indicating that the tuner is occupied is output in step S3402, it is determined whether a tuner of another broadcast type is occupied (step S3403) and the other tuner is occupied. If not, an electronic program guide received by the tuner is acquired. Then, referring to the electronic program guide, it is searched whether a news program can be received (step S3404). If a search result indicating that reception is possible is output, the receivable news program is subjected to repeated recording (alternative) recording processing (step S3405).

<Brief description of effect>
As described above, when the most recent news program is repeatedly recorded by the recording / playback apparatus of the present embodiment, even if the tuner to be used for the repeated recording is receiving another program, A news program can be recorded.

0200 Recording / playback apparatus 0201 Program storage unit 0202 Normal reservation unit 0203 Repeat reservation unit 0204 Normal recording unit 0205 Repeat recording unit 0206 List display unit 0207 Normal playback unit 0208 News dedicated playback unit

Claims (18)

A program storage unit for storing recorded programs;
A normal reservation unit for a user to make a reservation for program recording using an electronic program guide, etc .;
Repetition reservation section that repeatedly records only the latest news program,
A normal recording unit for recording a program based on a reservation in the normal reservation unit;
A repetitive recording unit that repeatedly overwrite-records a news program based on a reservation in the repetitive reservation unit;
A list display section for displaying a list of recorded programs;
A normal playback unit that plays back the program based on the user selection of the program displayed in the list;
A news-only playback unit having a one-action button for playing the latest news program recorded in the repeated recording unit in one action;
Multiple receiving tuners for different TV broadcast types;
A viewable judging unit for judging whether one receiving tuner is receiving another program at the repetitive recording reservation time;
When the determination result is a determination result that it is received, a search unit that searches whether the other reception tuner can receive news,
If the result is a search result indicating that the other reception tuner can receive, an alternative recording unit that records the news program instead,
A recording / reproducing apparatus.   2. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the list display unit further includes a data management command reception UI display means for displaying a UI for receiving a data management command for the latest news program included in the list in association with the list.   The recording / playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the list display unit further includes a distinguishing display unit that displays the latest news program in the list so as to be distinguishable from other recorded programs. The recurring reservation department
Condition accepting means for accepting any one or more of a channel, program name, performer, program time length, broadcast time, and / or weather forecast exclusion designation as a designation condition for repeated recording reservation,
A program extracting means for extracting a program for repetitive recording reservation from the electronic program guide based on the designated conditions received;
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:   The recording / playback apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the condition accepting unit accepts two or more channels as designated conditions.   The recording / playback apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the condition accepting unit accepts only one channel as a designated condition. The repetitive reservation unit has a collective reservation means for reserving recording as a unit of repeated recording of a predetermined number of news programs,
7. The repeated recording unit according to claim 1, further comprising a summary repeated recording unit that does not perform over-recording by a news program in the same unit with respect to the repeated recording of the one recording unit. Recording and playback device. The recurring reservation department
Search means for searching the latest news program from the electronic program guide when the tuner is not operating;
A writing means for writing a repetitive reservation of the news program searched by the searching means in the reservation information area of the memory;
Repetitive reservation erasing means for erasing the recording reservation information of the news program in the reservation information memory in response to an operation input from a user other than the one-action button;
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: 9. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the repetitive reservation unit includes a repetitive reservation non-erasing unit that invalidates the repetitive reservation erasing unit while the repetitive recording unit is performing recording. A resume control unit for controlling program playback by the normal playback unit;
A start position control unit for controlling playback from the program start position when the program playback is the latest news playback in the news dedicated playback unit by a playback command from the one action button;
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: A viewing determination unit for determining whether the latest news program recorded by the repeated recording unit among the programs stored in the program storage unit has been viewed or not yet viewed;
A viewing determination result notifying unit for notifying a determination result in the viewing determining unit;
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A broadcast date and time information acquisition unit for acquiring broadcast date and time information of a program reproduced by the news dedicated reproduction unit;
A broadcast date and time information display unit that superimposes and displays the acquired broadcast date and time information on the screen when the latest news program is played by the news dedicated playback unit;
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A control method for a recording / playback apparatus having a program storage unit for storing a recorded program and a plurality of reception tuners for different television broadcast types,
A normal reservation step for reserving a program recording received from a user using an electronic program guide or the like;
Repetitive reservation step of repetitively recording recording only the latest news program;
A normal recording step of recording a program based on the reservation in the normal reservation step;
A repetitive recording step of repeatedly overwriting recording a news program based on the reservation in the repetitive reservation step;
A list display step for displaying a list of recorded programs;
A normal playback step of playing the program based on the user selection of the program displayed in the list;
A news-only playback step for receiving an operation of a one-action button for playing the latest news program recorded in the repeated recording step in one action and playing the latest news program;
A viewing enablement determining step of determining whether one receiving tuner is receiving another program at the repetitive recording reservation time;
If the determination result is a determination result that it is received, a search step for searching whether the other reception tuner can receive news;
If the result is a search result indicating that the other receiving tuner can receive, the alternative recording step of recording the news program instead,
Of recording / playback apparatus for causing a computer to execute the operation. The recurring reservation step
A search step for searching the latest news program from the electronic program guide when the tuner is not operating;
A writing step of writing a repetitive reservation of the news program searched by the searching step into a reservation information area of the memory;
A repeated reservation erasing step of erasing the recording reservation information of the news program in the reservation information memory in response to an operation input from a user other than the one-action button;
14. A method for controlling a recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, comprising:   15. The control method for a recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the repetitive reservation step includes a repetitive reservation non-erasing step for invalidating the repetitive reservation erasing step during execution of the recording in the repetitive recording step. A resume control step for controlling program playback by the normal playback step;
A start position control step for controlling playback from the program start position when the program playback is the latest news playback in the news-only playback step by the playback command from the one action button;
16. The method for controlling a recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: causing the computer to execute. A viewing determination step for determining whether the latest news program recorded in the repeated recording step among the programs stored in the program storage unit has already been viewed or not yet viewed;
Viewing determination result notification step for notifying the determination result in the viewing determination step;
The method for controlling a recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, further causing a computer to execute the operation. Broadcast date / time information acquisition step for acquiring broadcast date / time information of the program played in the news-only playback step;
A broadcast date and time information display step for superimposing and displaying the acquired broadcast date and time information on the screen when reproducing the latest news program in the news-only playback step;
The method for controlling a recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

Images