JP5463278B2 - Output control device and playback device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an output control apparatus that performs control for outputting video or audio, and more particularly to a technique for automatically switching input of a television.

  In recent years, televisions have various uses as well as receiving and viewing television broadcasts. For example, if a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) such as a VTR (Video Tape Recorder) or DVD recorder is connected, the content played on these external devices can be viewed, and if a consumer game machine is connected, a game can be played. Can enjoy. Therefore, televisions are often provided with one or a plurality of external input terminals in addition to antenna terminals for receiving television broadcasts. The user can switch these inputs by operating buttons on the remote controller or the main body.

  Televisions equipped with many external input terminals (especially in many high-end models) have an advantage that many external devices such as DVRs and home game machines can be connected simultaneously. On the other hand, since it is necessary to manually switch the input, there is a drawback that the operation becomes troublesome.

  By the way, recent VTRs and DVRs are often equipped with a tuner and can receive television broadcasts. When content is not reproduced by such a VTR or DVR, it is common to output a television broadcast received by a tuner to a television.

  Thus, even if the input of the television is set to VTR, it is possible to view the television broadcast. However, for example, when an analog terrestrial broadcast is being recorded with the TV input set to a VTR, the analog terrestrial broadcast of another channel cannot be viewed. That is, in order to view a television broadcast of a desired channel, it is easier to use a TV tuner than to use a VTR or DVR tuner. Therefore, there is a technique for automatically switching the input of a television by transmitting a command between the television and an external device.

  For example, when the playback device disclosed in Patent Document 1 starts playback, the playback device transmits to the television a signal instructing to switch the input to the input terminal of the television to which the output terminal of the device itself is connected. In addition, when the power is turned off, the playback device transmits a signal instructing to switch the input of the television to the antenna or the tuner to the television. Thus, when the playback device starts playback, the playback video is displayed on the TV screen, and when the playback device is turned off, the video received by the TV antenna or tuner is displayed on the TV screen. Is possible.

  AV. In the link standard (Non-Patent Document 1), a command for operating a television or a VTR in cooperation with each other is defined. According to this standard, when the VTR starts playback or when the VTR displays a menu screen, the VTR issues a predetermined command to the television. As a result, the television can be brought into a state where the VTR screen can be displayed from the standby state.

JP 2000-350131 A

CENELEC AV. link (EN50157-1, EN50157-2-1, EN50157-2-2, EN50157-2-3)

  However, according to the playback device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the television input is switched to the antenna or the tuner without considering the situation on the television side. There is a problem that usability deteriorates.

  For example, according to the playback device disclosed in Patent Document 1, even when the screen of another external device such as a home game machine is displayed on the TV, when the playback device is turned off, the TV screen is displayed. Switch to TV broadcasting.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an output control device capable of appropriately switching screens depending on the situation.

In order to achieve the above object, an output control device according to the present invention is an output control device that performs control for outputting video or audio, and includes a tuner that receives a television broadcast, and video or audio from a playback device. A data input means for inputting a command, a command input means for receiving a command from the playback device, a selection means for selecting the tuner or the data input means, and a control for outputting video or audio from the selection means and output control means for performing, before Symbol reproducing apparatus said selection means when the said selection means when a command indicating that it is now in a predetermined state is input from the command input means is selected the data input means Switching control means that switches the selection means when the selection means has not selected the data input means; Characterized in that it comprises.

  Here, the predetermined state is, for example, a state indicating that the playback of the playback device has ended.

  Accordingly, when the selection means selects the data input means when the first command is input from the command input means, the selection means switches to the tuner, so that the television broadcast received by the tuner is transmitted. The screen can be switched. On the other hand, when the selection means does not select the data input means, the screen is not switched, so that the user can be prevented from being confused.

  Here, the output control device further includes a flag storage unit that stores a flag that can take two values, and a flag setting unit that sets the value of the flag. If the selection means selects the tuner when the second command indicating that the state has been reached is input from the command input means, the selection means sets the first value as the flag value. When a device other than the tuner is selected, a second value is set as the value of the flag, and when the selection device is switched to a device other than the data input device based on an instruction received by the command input device, A second value is set as the flag value, and the switching control means sets the flag value to the first value when the first command is input from the command input means. If it is switched the selecting means to the tuner, when the value of the flag is the second value may be not switch the selection means. Thereby, when the value of the flag is the first value when the first command is input from the command input means, the selection means switches to the tuner, so that the television broadcast received by the tuner is displayed on the screen. Can be switched. On the other hand, when the value of the flag is the second value, the screen is not switched, so that the user can be prevented from being confused.

  The output control device further includes original screen information storage means for storing original screen information including information indicating a screen supply source, and original screen information setting means for setting the original screen information. The information setting means sets, as the original screen information, a value indicating a screen supply source output from the selection means when the second command is input from the command input means, and the command input means receives the second command. The original screen information is reset when the selection means is switched to other than the data input means based on the instruction, and the switching control means is configured to reset the original screen information when the first command is input from the command input means. When the screen information is not in a reset state, the selection means is switched to the screen supply source indicated by the original screen information, and the original screen information is reset. If it may be configured not to switch the said selection means. Thus, if the original screen information is not in a reset state when the first command is input from the command input means, the selection means switches to the screen supply source indicated by the original screen information. The screen can be switched to the TV broadcast received at. On the other hand, when the value of the flag is the second value, the screen is not switched, so that the user can be prevented from being confused.

  The output control device further includes original screen information storage means for storing original screen information including a value indicating a screen supply source and a value indicating a type of utility screen, and original screen information for setting the original screen information Setting means, and the original screen information setting means is configured to display a screen output from the selection means when a second command indicating that the playback device is in a predetermined state is input from the command input means. A source and a value indicating the type of utility screen that is controlled by the output control unit are set as the original screen information, and the selection unit is configured to input the data input unit based on an instruction received by the command input unit. The original screen information is reset when switched to other than the above, and the switching control means performs the previous operation when the first command is input from the command input means. When the original screen information is not in a reset state, the selection means is switched to the supply source of the screen indicated by the original screen information, and when the original screen information is in a reset state, the selection means is not switched and the output The control means may perform control for outputting the utility screen indicated by the original screen information when the selection means is switched to the supply source of the screen indicated by the original screen information. Thus, when the original screen information is not reset when the first command is input from the command input means, the screen is switched to the screen indicated by the original screen information and the utility screen indicated by the original screen information is displayed. Can be output. When the original screen information is in a reset state, the screen is not switched, so that the user can be prevented from being confused.

  The output control device may include a plurality of the data input means, and the selection means may select one of the tuner and the plurality of data input means. This makes it possible to apply the present invention to an output control device having a plurality of external input terminals.

  The switching control means may switch the selection means to the data input means when a second command indicating that the playback device has entered a predetermined state is input from the command input means. Thus, when a second command is input from the command input means, it is possible to output video or audio from the playback device to the screen.

  Also, the playback device according to the present invention is a playback device for playing back video or audio, playback means for playing back video or audio recorded on a recording medium, and output control of the played back video or audio. Data output means for outputting to the apparatus; and command output means for outputting to the output control apparatus a first command for notifying that the output of the reproduced video or audio has been completed and the screen has returned to a predetermined screen. . This makes it possible to output the first command to the output control device when the output of the reproduced video or audio is completed.

  Here, the playback device further includes screen creation means for creating a utility screen, the data output means outputs the created utility screen to the output control device, and the command output means is created. The first command may be output to the output control device when the output of the utility screen is completed. As a result, not only video or audio recorded on the recording medium but also a utility screen can be output to the output control device.

  In addition, the first command may be a command indicating that predetermined data is being output to the output control device. This makes it possible for the output control device to recognize that there is no data to be output from the playback device.

  The playback device may further include a tuner that receives a television broadcast, and the first command may be a command indicating that the received television broadcast is being output to the output control device. . Thereby, the output control device can recognize that the television broadcast received by the tuner of the playback device is being output from the playback device.

  The playback apparatus may further include a conversion unit that converts the received television broadcast into video or audio in a predetermined format, and a recording unit that records the converted video or audio in the recording medium. That is, the present invention can be applied not only to a playback device such as a DVD player but also to a playback recording device such as a DVD recorder.

  The command output means may output the second command to the output control device when the output of the reproduced video or audio is started or when the output of the created utility screen is started. Good. As a result, the output control device can recognize that the output of playback video or the like has been started from the playback device.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the output control device of the present invention, when a command is input from command input means for inputting a command from the playback device, data for inputting video or audio from the playback device When the input means is selected by the selection means, the selection means switches to the tuner, so that the screen can be switched to the television broadcast received by the tuner. On the other hand, when the selection means does not select the data input means, the screen is not switched, so that the user can be prevented from being confused.

The figure which shows the outline | summary of Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration example of a television and a DVD recorder in Embodiment 1. Flow chart of DVD recorder and television in the first embodiment FIG. 7 shows transition of screens displayed on the television in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows transition of screens displayed on the television in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows transition of screens displayed on the television in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a screen displayed on the television in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a television and a DVD recorder in Embodiment 2. Flow chart of DVD recorder and television in the second embodiment FIG. 10 shows transition of a screen displayed on the television in the second embodiment. FIG. 10 shows transition of a screen displayed on the television in the second embodiment. FIG. 10 shows transition of a screen displayed on the television in the second embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a television and a DVD recorder in Embodiment 3. The figure which shows an example of the original screen information in Embodiment 3 Flowchart of DVD recorder and television in Embodiment 3 FIG. 10 shows transition of a screen displayed on the television in the third embodiment FIG. 10 shows transition of a screen displayed on the television in the third embodiment FIG. 10 shows transition of a screen displayed on the television in the third embodiment The figure which shows an example of the original screen information in Embodiment 4 TV flow chart in Embodiment 4 FIG. 10 shows transition of a screen displayed on the television in the fourth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the first embodiment. Here, a state in which the DVD recorder 101 and the home-use game machine 151 are connected to the television 131 is shown. The television 131 is an example of an output control device in the present invention, and the DVD recorder 101 is an example of a playback device in the present invention.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the television 131 and the DVD recorder 101.

  The DVD recorder 101 includes a control unit 102, a tuner 103, a disk management unit 104, an encoder 105, a decoder 106, a user input unit 107, a switch 108, a data output I / F 109, and a command output I / F 110. A DVD-RAM disk 111, an output processing unit 112, an antenna 121, a data cable 122, and a command cable 123. The control unit 102 controls the operation of each component of the DVD recorder 101. The tuner 103 extracts video / audio data of a specific channel from the television broadcast received by the antenna 121. The disk management unit 104 reads / writes data from / to the DVD disk 111. The encoder 105 converts the video / audio data received from the tuner 103 into a format suitable for recording on the DVD-RAM disk 111. The decoder 106 decodes data recorded on the DVD-RAM disk 111. The user input unit 107 is a light receiver that receives an instruction signal such as an infrared signal from an operation button on the main body of the DVD recorder 101 or a remote control operated by the user. The switch 108 is an example of a selection unit that selects either the tuner 103 or the decoder 106. The data output I / F 109 outputs video / audio data to the television 131 through the data cable 122. The command output I / F 110 outputs a command to the television 131 through the command cable 123. The DVD-RAM disk 111 is an example of a recording medium. The output processing unit 112 processes the video / audio data as necessary and outputs the processed data to the data output I / F 109. The antenna 121 receives a television broadcast. The data cable 122 is a D terminal cable, an S terminal cable, an RCA cable, a DVI cable, or the like for transmitting video / audio data. The command cable 123 is an RS232C serial cable or the like for transmitting commands.

  The television 131 includes a screen 132, a speaker 133, a control unit 134, an output processing unit 135, a tuner 136, a switch 137, a user input unit 138, a data input I / F 139, and a command input I / F 140. And a data input I / F 141. The screen 132 outputs a video. The speaker 133 outputs sound. The control unit 134 controls the operation of each component unit of the television 131. The output processing unit 135 processes the video / audio data as necessary and outputs the processed data to the screen 132 or the speaker 133. The tuner 136 extracts video / audio data of a specific channel from the television broadcast received by the antenna 121. The switch 137 selects one of the data input I / F 139, the data input I / F 141, and the tuner 136. The user input unit 138 is a light receiver that receives an instruction signal such as an infrared signal from an operation button on the main body of the television 131 or a remote control operated by the user. The data input I / F 139 inputs video / audio data from the DVD recorder 101 through the data cable 122. The command input I / F 140 inputs a command from the DVD recorder 101 through the command cable 123. The data input I / F 141 inputs video / audio data from the consumer game machine 151 through the data cable 124.

  A detailed description of the configuration of the consumer game machine 151 is omitted.

(1) Operation of DVD Recorder 101 First, the operation of the DVD recorder 101 will be described.

  The user can input various instructions such as “reproduction start”, “reproduction stop”, “menu display”, and “menu close” to the user input unit 107. Upon receiving an instruction from the user, the user input unit 107 outputs the instruction to the control unit 102. The control unit 102 controls the operation of each component of the DVD recorder 101 in accordance with the content of the instruction from the user input unit 107.

[Operation when recording and playback are not performed]
The tuner 103 extracts video / audio data of a specific channel from the television broadcast received by the antenna 121 and outputs it to the encoder 105 and the switch 108. The switch 108 outputs the video / audio data received from the tuner 103 to the output processing unit 112. The output processing unit 112 outputs the video / audio data received from the switch 108 to the data output I / F 109. At this time, the output processing unit 112 may process the video / audio data in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 102, such as adding a reception channel number display. The data output I / F 109 outputs the video / audio data received from the output processing unit 112 to the television 131 through the data cable 122.

  When changing the channel, the user instructs the user input unit 107 to select a channel. Upon receiving a channel selection instruction from the user input unit 107, the control unit 102 instructs the tuner 103 on the channel. The tuner 103 outputs the video / audio data of the channel designated by the control unit 102 to the switch 108. In addition, a screen in which the video / audio data received by the tuner is output as it is is hereinafter referred to as an EE screen.

[Menu screen display operation]
The menu screen here is a screen for setting the DVD recorder 101, a program guide (EPG), a recorded content list screen of the DVD-RAM disc 111, and the like.

  Upon receiving a “menu display” instruction from the user input unit 107, the control unit 102 instructs the output processing unit 112 to create and output a menu screen. The output processing unit 112 creates menu screen data instructed by the control unit 102, and outputs the menu screen data to the data output I / F 109 instead of the video / audio data received from the switch 108. At this time, the output processing unit 112 may include the video / audio data received from the switch 108 in a part of the menu screen.

  Thereafter, the control unit 102 instructs the output processing unit 112 to end the menu when it is necessary to close the menu screen, such as receiving a “menu close” instruction from the user input unit 107. Upon receiving a menu end instruction from the control unit 102, the output processing unit 112 ends the creation and output of the menu screen, and outputs the video / audio data received from the switch 108 to the data output I / F 109.

[Recording operation]
When receiving a recording instruction from the user input unit 107, the control unit 102 instructs the encoder 105 and the disk management unit 104 to record television broadcast data. The encoder 105 converts the video / audio data received from the tuner 103 into data suitable for recording on the DVD-RAM disk 111 and outputs the data to the disk management unit 104. Data suitable for recording is, for example, data in MPEG2-PS (Program Stream) format.

  The disk management unit 104 records the data received from the encoder 105 on the DVD-RAM disk 111. At this time, the input of the switch 108 remains the tuner 103, and an EE screen is output from the data output I / F 109.

[Playback operation]
When receiving a reproduction start instruction from the user input unit 107, the control unit 102 instructs the decoder 106 and the disc management unit 104 to reproduce the content. Further, the control unit 102 instructs the switch 108 to switch the input to the decoder 106.

  When switch 108 receives an instruction from control unit 102, switch 108 switches the input to decoder 106. The disc management unit 104 reads the content instructed from the control unit 102 from the DVD-RAM disc 111 and outputs it to the decoder 106. The decoder 106 converts the content received from the recording control unit 104 into video / audio data and outputs the video / audio data to the switch 108. The switch 108 outputs the video / audio data received from the decoder 106 to the output processing unit 112. The output processing unit 112 outputs the video / audio data received from the switch 108 to the data output I / F 109. At this time, the output processing unit 112 may process the video / audio data in response to an instruction from the control unit 102, for example, by adding a character display of “play”. The data output I / F 109 outputs the video / audio data received from the output processing unit 112 to the television 131 through the data cable 122.

  When receiving a playback stop instruction from the user input unit 107, the control unit 102 instructs the decoder 106 and the disc management unit 104 to stop playback of the content. In addition, the control unit 102 instructs the switch 108 to switch the input to the tuner 103.

  When the reproduction of the DVD-RAM disk 111 is completed, the DVD recorder 101 returns to a state where neither recording nor reproduction is performed, and an EE screen is output from the data output I / F 109.

[Command transmission operation]
The control unit 102 instructs the command output I / F 110 to transmit an “output start” command when the data output I / F 109 starts outputting the reproduction data of the DVD-RAM disc 111 or outputting the menu screen. The command output I / F 110 transmits an “output start” command to the television 131 through the command cable 123.

  Further, when the data output I / F 109 finishes outputting the reproduction data of the DVD-RAM disc 111 or outputting the menu screen and starts outputting the EE screen, the control unit 102 issues a “return to EE screen” command. The command output I / F 110 is instructed to transmit. The command output I / F 110 transmits the command “returned to the EE screen” to the television 131 through the command cable 123.

(2) Operation of Television 131 Next, the operation of the television 131 will be described.

  The user can input various instructions such as “input switching”, “channel selection”, “menu display”, and “menu close” to the user input unit 138. When the user input unit 138 receives an instruction from the user, the user input unit 138 outputs the instruction to the control unit 134. The control unit 134 controls the operation of each component unit of the television 131 according to the content of the instruction from the user input unit 138.

[Manual input switching operation]
When receiving an input switching instruction from the user input unit 138, the control unit 134 instructs the switch 137 to switch the input. When the switch 137 receives an instruction to switch the input to the data input I / F 139 from the control unit 134 while outputting the input from the tuner 136 to the output processing unit 135, the video / audio data received from the data input I / F 139 is received. Is output to the output processing unit 135.

[TV broadcast viewing operation]
When watching a television broadcast, the input of the switch 137 is a tuner 136.

  The tuner 136 extracts video / audio data of a specific channel from the television broadcast received by the antenna 121 and outputs the video / audio data to the switch 137. The switch 137 outputs the video / audio data received from the tuner 137 to the output processing unit 135. The output processing unit 135 outputs video data of the video / audio data received from the switch 137 to the screen 132 and outputs the audio data to the speaker 133. At this time, the output processing unit 135 may process the video data in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 134, for example, by adding a reception channel number display.

[External device viewing operation]
When viewing a video from an external device, the input of the switch 137 is a data input I / F 139 or a data input I / F 141. Here, the operation when the input of the switch 137 is the data input I / F 139 will be described.

  The data input I / F 139 receives video / audio data from the DVD recorder 101 through the data cable 122 and outputs it to the switch 137. The switch 137 outputs the video / audio data received from the data input I / F 139 to the output processing unit 135.

  The subsequent operation is the same as the television broadcast viewing operation. The operation when the input of the switch 137 is the data input I / F 141 is the same.

[Menu screen display operation]
The menu screen here refers to a screen for setting the television 131, a program guide (EPG), a connected device operation screen, and the like.

  Upon receiving a “menu display” instruction from the user input unit 138, the control unit 134 instructs the output processing unit 135 to create and output a menu screen. The output processing unit 135 creates menu screen data instructed by the control unit 134 and displays it on the screen 132. The output processing unit 135 outputs audio data to the speaker 133 as necessary. At this time, video / audio data received from the switch 137 may be included in a part of the menu screen.

  Thereafter, the control unit 135 instructs the output processing unit 135 to end the menu when it is necessary to close the menu screen, such as receiving a “menu close” instruction from the user input unit 138. Upon receiving the menu end instruction from the control unit 135, the output processing unit 135 ends the creation and output of the menu screen, and outputs the video / audio data received from the switch 137 to the screen 132 and the speaker 133.

[Automatic input switching operation]
When the command input I / F 140 receives a command from the DVD recorder 101 through the command cable 123, the command input I / F 140 outputs the command to the control unit 134. When the command received from the command input I / F 140 is an “output start” command, the control unit 134 instructs the switch 137 to switch to the input from the data input I / F 139.

  In addition, when the command received from the command input I / F 140 is a “return to EE screen” command, the control unit 134 selects the tuner 136 when the input to the switch 137 is the data input I / F 139. The switch 137 is instructed to switch to the input from. On the other hand, when the input of the switch 137 at that time is other than the data input I / F 139, the input of the switch 137 is not switched.

(3) Operations of DVD Recorder 101 and Television 131 FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing operations of the DVD recorder 101 and the television 131.

  Hereinafter, operations of the DVD recorder 101 and the television 131 when the DVD recorder 101 is started / stopped will be described. Here, it is assumed that the input of the television 131 is the tuner 136 and the user is watching the television broadcast received by the tuner 136.

  Upon receiving a “reproduction start” instruction from the user, the DVD recorder 101 starts reproduction of the DVD-RAM disk 111 (Step 201), and switches the input of the switch 108 to the decoder 106 (Step 202). At the same time, the DVD recorder 101 transmits an “output start” command to the television 131 (Step 203).

  When receiving the “start output” command, the television 131 switches the input of the switch 137 to the data input I / F 139 (Step 204). At this time, the playback video / audio of the DVD-RAM disc 111 output from the DVD recorder 101 can be viewed.

  Thereafter, upon receiving a “reproduction stop” instruction from the user, the DVD recorder 101 stops reproduction of the DVD-RAM disk 111 (Step 205), and switches the input of the switch 108 to the tuner 103 (Step 206). At the same time, the DVD recorder 101 transmits a “return to EE screen” command to the television 131 (Step 207).

  When the television 131 receives the “return to EE screen” command, it checks whether the input of the switch 137 is the data input I / F 139 (Step 208). When the input of the switch 137 is the data input I / F 139, the input of the switch 137 is switched to the tuner 136 (Step 209). At this time, the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 can be viewed again. On the other hand, when the input of the switch 137 is other than the data input I / F 139, the input of the switch 137 is not switched.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 131. Here, it is assumed that input switching of the television 131 is not manually performed between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while watching a TV broadcast received by the tuner 136, the input of the TV 131 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101, and the playback video of the DVD-RAM disc 111 is displayed. (Step 204). When the reproduction of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the input of the television 131 is automatically switched to the tuner 136, and the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 is displayed (Step 209).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 131. Here, it is assumed that the input of the television 131 is manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while watching a TV broadcast received by the tuner 136, the input of the TV 131 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101 as in FIG. Playback video is displayed. When the input of the television 131 is manually switched to the data input I / F 141 during playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111, the screen of the consumer game machine 151 is displayed.

  After that, even if the reproduction of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the input of the television 131 is not switched because the input of the television 131 is not the data input I / F 139. That is, the screen of the home game machine 151 is continuously displayed as it is.

  The operation when the display start and the display end of the menu screen of the DVD recorder 101 are also as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, the DVD recorder 101 transmits a “start output” command to the television 131 when the menu screen display starts, and transmits a “return to EE screen” command when the menu screen display ends.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 131. That is, when the menu display of the DVD recorder 101 is started while watching the television broadcast received by the tuner 136, the input of the TV 131 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101, and the menu screen of the DVD recorder 101 is displayed. . When the menu display of the DVD recorder 101 is finished, the input of the television 131 is automatically switched to the tuner 136, and the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 is displayed.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the output of the DVD recorder 101 returns to the EE screen, only when the input of the TV 131 at that time is the DVD recorder 101, the input of the TV 131 is automatically performed. It is possible to switch to the television broadcast received by the tuner 136. That is, when the input to the television 131 is not the DVD recorder 101 when the screen returns to the EE screen, the input to the television 131 is not switched, so that the user can be prevented from being confused.

  Note that the order of Step 201, Step 202, and Step 203 in the flowchart of FIG. 3 may be interchanged or may be simultaneous. Similarly, the order of Step 205, Step 206, and Step 207 may be interchanged or may be simultaneous.

  Further, the DVD recorder 101 includes an external input I / F for connecting to an external device, and can switch between video / audio data output from the external device and a television broadcast received by the tuner 103. Good.

  Further, the recording medium to be recorded / reproduced by the DVD recorder 101 may be other removable media such as a DVD-R disc or a fixed medium such as a hard disk, instead of the DVD-RAM disc. The DVD recorder may be a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing one type or a plurality of types of recording media. A reproduction-only device such as a DVD player that does not include an encoder and that only reproduces a recording medium such as a DVD-RAM may be used instead of the DVD recorder.

  Further, the DVD recorder 101 may not include a tuner. In this case, when the DVD-RAM disc is not being reproduced, a predetermined screen as shown in FIG. 7 is output, and a command “return to EE screen” is sent to the television 131 when the predetermined screen output is returned. Make it output.

  Further, although the commands have been described as the “reproduction start” command and the “return to EE screen” command, any command may be used as long as it indicates the input switching timing of the television 131.

  Further, although the television 131 has been described as having two data input I / Fs, it may be provided with one or three or more data input I / Fs. These data input I / Fs may be of the same type or different types. Furthermore, the number of devices that can be simultaneously connected to the data input I / F may be one or more. In short, it is only necessary to be able to identify the transmission source device of the command received by the command input I / F 140 and to switch the input of the television 131 to the command transmission source device.

  The data cable 122 and the command cable 123 may be a single cable or a plurality of cables, or may be a bundle of a plurality of signal lines that are combined into a single cable. Moreover, you may employ | adopt the structure which transmits data not with a cable but with radio signals, such as infrared rays.

  3 illustrates the configuration in which the television 131 includes the screen 132, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the television 131 may be an output control device that does not include a screen.

(Embodiment 2)
The television according to the second embodiment of the present invention is only displayed when the tuner 136 is the input when the “output start” command is received from the DVD recorder 101 and the input is not manually switched halfway. The input is automatically switched to the tuner 136 when the "Return" command is received. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the television 601 and the DVD recorder 101. The difference from Embodiment 1 is the function of the control unit 611 of the television 601 and the point that the television 601 includes a flag storage unit 612. The other components have the same functions as those in the first embodiment, and will be described using the same numbers.

  Since the operation of the DVD recorder 101 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

(1) Operation of Television 601 Hereinafter, the manual input switching operation of the television 601 and the operation at the time of command reception will be described. These operations are different from those of television 131 in the first embodiment.

[Manual input switching operation]
Upon receiving an input switching instruction from the user input unit 138, the control unit 611 instructs the switch 137 to switch the input. When the switch 137 receives an instruction to switch to the input to the data input I / F 139 from the control unit 611 while the input from the tuner 136 is being output to the output processing unit 135, the video / audio received from the data input I / F 139 is received. Data is output to the output processing unit 135. At this time, the control unit 611 stores “TRUE” in the flag storage unit 612 as the value of the switching flag.

[Operation when receiving command]
When the command input I / F 140 receives a command from the DVD recorder 101 through the command cable 123, the command input I / F 140 outputs the command to the control unit 611. When the command received from the command input I / F 140 is an “output start” command, the control unit 611 instructs the switch 137 to switch to the input from the data input I / F 139. At this time, the control unit 611 stores “FALSE” as the value of the switching flag in the flag storage unit 612 when the original input of the switch 137 is the tuner 136 and otherwise “FALSE”. .

  In addition, when the command received from the command input I / F 140 is a “return to EE screen” command, the control unit 611 refers to the value of the switching flag stored in the flag storage unit 612. When the value of the switching flag is “FALSE”, the switch 137 is instructed to switch to the input from the data input I / F 139. On the other hand, when the value of the switching flag is “TRUE”, the input switching is not instructed to the switch 137.

(2) Operations of DVD Recorder 101 and Television 601 FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the DVD recorder 101 and the television 601. Hereinafter, operations of the DVD recorder 101 and the television 601 at the start / stop of playback of the DVD recorder 101 will be described.

  Upon receiving a “reproduction start” instruction from the user, the DVD recorder 101 starts reproduction of the DVD-RAM disk 111 (Step 701), and switches the input of the switch 108 to the decoder 106 (Step 702). At the same time, the DVD recorder 101 transmits an “output start” command to the television 601 (Step 703).

  Upon receiving the “start output” command, the television 601 confirms the input of the switch 137 (Step 704). When the input of the switch 137 is the tuner 136, the value of the switching flag is set to “FALSE” (Step 705). On the other hand, when the input of the switch 137 is other than the tuner 136, the value of the switching flag is set to “TRUE” (Step 706).

  Thereafter, the television 601 switches the input of the switch 137 to the data input I / F 139 (Step 707). At this time, the playback video / audio of the DVD-RAM disc 111 output from the DVD recorder 101 can be viewed.

  Thereafter, upon receiving a “stop playback” instruction from the user, the DVD recorder 101 stops playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 (Step 708) and switches the input of the switch 108 to the tuner 103 (Step 709). At the same time, the DVD recorder 101 transmits a “return to EE screen” command to the television 601 (Step 710).

  Upon receiving the “return to EE screen” command, the television 601 checks the value of the switching flag (Step 711). When the value of the switching flag is “FALSE”, the input of the switch 137 is switched to the tuner 136 (Step 712). At this time, the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 can be viewed again. On the other hand, when the value of the switching flag is “TRUE”, the input of the switch 137 is not switched.

  Also, the television 601 always checks whether manual input switching has been performed (Step 713). When manual input switching is performed, the value of the switching flag is set to “TRUE” (Step 714).

  Hereinafter, the screen transition of the television 601 that displays the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 in a state where the input of the television 601 is the tuner 136 will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 601. Here, it is assumed that input switching of the television 601 is not manually performed between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while watching a television broadcast received by the tuner 136, the input of the TV 601 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101, and the playback video of the DVD-RAM disc 111 is displayed. (Step 707). At this time, the value of the switching flag is set to “FALSE”. When playback of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the value of the switching flag is “FALSE”, so the input of the television 601 is automatically switched to the tuner 136, and the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 is displayed (Step 712). ).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 601. Here, it is assumed that the input of the TV 601 is manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while watching a TV broadcast received by the tuner 136, the input of the TV 601 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101 as in FIG. Playback video is displayed. At this time, the value of the switching flag is set to “FALSE”.

  When the input of the television 601 is manually switched to the data input I / F 141 during playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111, the screen of the consumer game machine 151 is displayed and the value of the switching flag is set to “TRUE”. Thereafter, even if the reproduction of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the value of the switching flag is “TRUE”, so the input of the television 601 is not switched and the screen of the consumer game machine 151 continues to be displayed as it is.

  Next, screen transition of the television 601 that displays the output video from the DVD recorder 101 in a state where the input of the television 601 is the data input I / F 139 will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 601. Here, it is assumed that input switching of the television 601 is not manually performed between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while the output video from the DVD recorder 101 is displayed, the playback video of the DVD-RAM disc 111 is displayed as it is because the input to the TV 601 is the DVD recorder 101 ( Step 707). At this time, since the input of the switch 137 is not the tuner 136, the value of the switching flag is set to “TRUE”.

  When the playback of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the value of the switching flag is “TRUE”, so the input of the TV 601 is not switched and the output video from the DVD recorder 101 (the EE screen of the DVD recorder 101) is displayed. The

  Further, when the input of the TV 601 is manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback, the screen transition displayed on the TV 601 is the initial state when the TV broadcast is being viewed. It is the same. That is, the input of the television 601 is not switched.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the output of the DVD recorder 101 returns to the EE screen, the input of the television 601 at the start of playback of the DVD recorder 101 is a television broadcast received by the tuner 136. Only when the manual input is not switched halfway, the input of the television 601 can be automatically switched to the television broadcast received by the tuner 136.

  Thereby, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, for example, when the input of the TV 601 is switched to the DVD recorder 101 and the playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started or the menu screen is displayed, the DVD recorder 101 When the output returns to the EE screen, it is possible to prevent the input of the television 601 from automatically switching to the TV broadcast received by the tuner 136.

  In addition, although the value of the switching flag was described as “TRUE” and “FALSE”, values other than these may be used. In short, any information that can determine whether or not it is necessary to automatically switch the input of the television 601 when the “return to EE screen” command is received may be used.

  In addition, the order of Step 701, Step 702, and Step 703 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 may be switched or may be simultaneous. Similarly, the order of Step 708, Step 709, and Step 710 may be interchanged or may be simultaneous.

  Also, the operation when the DVD-RAM disc 111 is played back on the DVD recorder 101 is exemplified, but when the menu screen of the DVD recorder 101 is displayed, the input of the television 601 is automatically switched by the same operation as described above. . Since this screen transition is the same screen transition as FIG. 6 described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

(Embodiment 3)
The television according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention stores an input (hereinafter referred to as “original input”) when an “output start” command is received from the DVD recorder 101. When the “return to EE screen” command is received, the input is automatically switched to the original input only when the input is not manually switched in the middle. Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the television 901 and the DVD recorder 101. The difference from Embodiment 1 is the function of the control unit 911 of the television 901 and the point that the television 901 includes the original screen information storage unit 912. The other components are the same as those in the first embodiment, and will be described using the same reference numerals.

  Since the operation of the DVD recorder 101 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

(1) Operation of Television 901 Hereinafter, the manual input switching operation of the television 901 and the operation at the time of command reception will be described. These operations are different from those of television 131 in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of original screen information. That is, the original screen information storage unit 912 stores a value indicating a display screen when the “start output” command is received from the DVD recorder 101. When the user manually switches input, the original screen information stored in the original screen information storage unit 912 is reset. Here, the reset original screen information is expressed as “none”.

[Manual input switching operation]
When receiving the input switching instruction from the user input unit 138, the control unit 911 instructs the switch 137 to switch the input. When the switch 137 receives the instruction to switch to the input to the data input I / F 139 from the control unit 911 while the input from the tuner 136 is being output to the output processing unit 135, the video / audio received from the data input I / F 139 is received. Data is output to the output processing unit 135. At this time, the control unit 911 resets the original screen information stored in the original screen information storage unit 912.

[Operation when receiving command]
When the command input I / F 140 receives a command from the DVD recorder 101 through the command cable 123, the command input I / F 140 outputs the command to the control unit 911. When the command received from the command input I / F 140 is an “output start” command, the control unit 911 instructs the switch 137 to switch to the input from the data input I / F 139. At this time, the control unit 911 stores information representing the original input of the switch 137 in the original screen information storage unit 912 as original screen information. For example, when the original input of the switch 137 is the tuner 136, “TV broadcasting” is stored as the original screen information, and when the original input of the switch 137 is the data input I / F 141, “game” is stored as the original screen information.

  In addition, when the command received from the command input I / F 140 is a “return to EE screen” command, the control unit 911 refers to the original screen information stored in the original screen information storage unit 912, and stores the original screen information. The switch 137 is instructed to switch to the input indicated by. If the value of the original screen information is “none”, the switch 137 is not instructed to switch input.

(2) Operation of DVD Recorder 101 and Television 901 FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the DVD recorder 101 and the television 901. Hereinafter, the operations of the DVD recorder 101 and the television 901 when starting / stopping playback of the DVD recorder 101 will be described.

  Upon receiving a “reproduction start” instruction from the user, the DVD recorder 101 starts reproduction of the DVD-RAM disk 111 (Step 1001), and switches the input of the switch 108 to the decoder 106 (Step 1002). At the same time, the DVD recorder 101 transmits an “output start” command to the television 901 (Step 1003).

  When the television 901 receives the “return to EE screen” command, the television 901 checks the original screen information (Step 1011). If the original screen information is other than “none”, the input of the switch 137 is switched to the screen indicated by the original screen information (Step 1012). For example, when the input of the switch 137 before starting the reproduction of the DVD recorder 101 is the tuner 136, the original screen information is “TV broadcast”, so the input of the switch 137 is switched to the tuner 136. At this time, the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 can be viewed again.

  On the other hand, when the original screen information is “none”, the input of the switch 137 is not switched. When the original screen information is “DVR1” or “game”, the output from the external device indicated by the original screen information is displayed as it is.

  Also, the television 901 always checks whether manual input switching has been performed (Step 1006). When manual input switching is performed, the value of the original screen information is reset to “none” (Step 1007).

  Hereinafter, screen transition of the television 901 that displays the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 in a state where the input of the television 901 is the tuner 136 will be described.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 901. Here, it is assumed that the input of the television 901 is not manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while watching a television broadcast received by the tuner 136, the input of the TV 901 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101, and the playback video of the DVD-RAM disc 111 is displayed. (Step 1004). At this time, the original screen information is set to “TV broadcasting” (Step 1005). When the playback of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the value of the original screen information is “TV broadcast”, so the input of the television 901 is automatically switched to the tuner 136 and the television broadcast received by the tuner 136 is displayed. (Step 1012).

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 901. Here, it is assumed that the input of the TV 901 is manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while watching a TV broadcast received by the tuner 136, the input of the TV 901 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101 as in FIG. The playback video is displayed (Step 1004). At this time, the original screen information is set to “TV broadcasting” (Step 1005).

  When the input of the TV 901 is manually switched to the data input I / F 141 during playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111, the screen of the consumer game machine 151 is displayed and the original screen information is reset to “none” (Step 1007). ). Thereafter, even if the playback of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the value of the original screen information is “none”, so the input of the television 901 is not switched and the screen of the consumer game machine 151 continues to be displayed.

  Next, screen transition of the television 901 that displays an output video from the consumer game machine 151 in a state where the input of the television 601 is the data input I / F 141 will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 901. Here, it is assumed that input switching of the television 601 is not manually performed between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started while an output video from the home game machine 151 is displayed, the input of the TV 901 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101 as in FIG. 111 reproduced videos are displayed (Step 1004). At this time, the original screen information is set to “game” (Step 1005).

  When the playback of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the value of the original screen information is “game”, so the input of the television 901 is automatically switched to the home game machine 151 and the output from the home game machine 151 is again. The video is displayed (Step 1012).

  In addition, when the input of the TV 901 is manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback, the screen transition displayed on the TV 901 is that when the initial state is watching TV broadcasting. It is the same. That is, the input of the television 901 is not switched.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, when the output of the DVD recorder 101 returns to the EE screen, the display screen at the start of playback of the DVD recorder 101 is displayed only when manual input switching is not performed midway. The input of the television 901 can be switched automatically.

  As a result, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, even when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started or the menu screen is displayed, the TV 901 is automatically set when the output of the DVD recorder 101 returns to the EE screen. It is possible to return to the screen before the start of playback or menu display.

  The values that can be taken by the original screen information may not be as shown in FIG. For example, the types may be increased or decreased according to the number of external inputs of the television 901. In short, any information that can be used to automatically switch the input of the television 901 to the screen upon receiving the “return to EE screen” command may be used.

  Further, the order of Step 1001, Step 1002, and Step 1003 in the flowchart of FIG. 15 may be switched or may be simultaneous. Similarly, the order of Step 1008, Step 1009, and Step 1010 may be interchanged or may be simultaneous.

  Also, the operation when the DVD-RAM disc 111 is played back on the DVD recorder 101 is exemplified, but when the menu screen of the DVD recorder 101 is displayed, the input of the television 901 is automatically switched by the same operation as described above. . Since this screen transition is the same screen transition as FIG. 6 described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

(Embodiment 4)
The television according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention can automatically switch the input to the original input and store the specified menu screen automatically, for example, by storing more detailed original screen information. . Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the third embodiment. The configurations of the television and the DVD recorder in the fourth embodiment are the same as those in the third embodiment (see FIG. 13), and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

(1) Operation of Television 901 Hereinafter, the operation of the television 901 when receiving a command will be described. This operation is different from the operation of television 901 in the third embodiment.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the original screen information. That is, the original screen information storage unit 912 stores a value indicating a display screen when the “start output” command is received from the DVD recorder 101. The difference from the third embodiment is that not only the input of the switch 137 but also the type of screen displayed on the television 901 is stored at the same time when the input of the switch 137 is the tuner 136. For example, when a menu screen for selecting an external device is displayed, “TV: viewing device selection screen” is stored as the original screen information. As in the third embodiment, when the user manually switches input, the original screen information stored in the original screen information storage unit 912 is reset. Again, the reset original screen information is expressed as “none”.

[Operation when receiving command]
When the command input I / F 140 receives a command from the DVD recorder 101 through the command cable 123, the command input I / F 140 outputs the command to the control unit 911. When the command received from the command input I / F 140 is an “output start” command, the control unit 911 instructs the switch 137 to switch to the input from the data input I / F 139. At this time, the control unit 911 stores information representing the original input of the switch 137 in the original screen information storage unit 912 as original screen information. Further, when the original input of the switch 137 is the tuner 136, the type of screen displayed on the television 901 is also stored at the same time. For example, when the original input of the switch 137 is the tuner 136 and the TV broadcast screen is displayed, “TV: TV broadcast” is displayed, and the viewing device selection screen which is the menu screen of the TV 901 is displayed. Stores “TV: viewing device selection screen” as original screen information.

  In addition, when the command received from the command input I / F 140 is a “return to EE screen” command, the control unit 911 refers to the original screen information stored in the original screen information storage unit 912, and stores the original screen information. The switch 137 is instructed to switch to the input indicated by. When the original screen information includes information indicating the type of the screen, the output processing unit 135 is instructed to display the menu screen indicated by the original screen information. If the value of the original screen information is “none”, the switch 137 is not instructed to switch input.

(2) Operations of DVD Recorder 101 and Television 901 FIG. 20 is a flowchart of television 901 in the fourth embodiment. Here, only operations corresponding to Step 1011 and subsequent steps in the flowchart shown in FIG. 15 are shown. That is, steps up to Step 1010 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 15 are the same as those in the third embodiment, and are not shown here.

  Upon receiving the “return to EE screen” command, the television 901 checks the original screen information (Step 1501). If the original screen information is other than “none”, the input of the switch 137 is switched to the screen indicated by the original screen information (Step 1502). For example, when the input of the switch 137 before starting playback of the DVD recorder 101 is the tuner 136, the original screen information is “TV: XXX” (XXX is a content indicating the screen displayed on the television 901), so the switch The input of 137 is switched to the tuner 136.

  Also, the television 901 checks whether the original screen information is “TV: XXX” (Step 1503). When the original screen information is “TV: XXX”, the screen indicated by the original screen information is displayed. For example, when the original screen information is “TV: TV broadcast”, a TV broadcast received by the tuner 136 is displayed. When the original screen information is “TV: viewing device selection screen”, a menu screen for selecting an external device is displayed. Is displayed.

  On the other hand, when the original screen information is “none”, the input of the switch 137 is not switched. When the original screen information is “DVR1” or “game”, the output from the external device indicated by the original screen information is displayed as it is.

  Hereinafter, a screen transition of the television 901 that displays a menu screen for selecting an external device in a state where the input of the television 901 is the tuner 136 will be described.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating transition of screens displayed on the television 901. Here, it is assumed that the input of the television 901 is not manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback.

  That is, when playback of the DVD recorder 101 is started by selecting the DVD recorder 101 from the menu screen for selecting an external device, the input of the TV 901 is automatically switched to the DVD recorder 101, and the playback video of the DVD-RAM disc 111 is displayed. Is displayed. At this time, the original screen information is set to “TV: viewing device selection screen”. Further, when the reproduction of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped, the value of the original screen information is “TV: viewing device selection screen”, and therefore the input of the television 901 is automatically switched to the tuner 136 (Step 1502). Further, since the value of the original screen information is “TV: XXX”, a menu screen for selecting an external device is automatically displayed on the television 901 as a menu screen indicated by “TV: viewing device selection screen” (Step 1504). ).

  Further, when the input of the TV 901 is manually switched between the start of playback of the DVD-RAM disk 111 and the stop of playback, the screen transition displayed on the TV 901 is the input of the TV 901 as in the third embodiment. Does not switch.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when the output of the DVD recorder 101 returns to the EE screen, the display screen at the start of playback of the DVD recorder 101 is displayed only when manual input switching is not performed midway. The input of the television 901 can be automatically switched, and the menu screen previously displayed on the television 901 can be automatically displayed.

  Thereby, in addition to the effects of the third embodiment, even if the display screen of the TV 901 at the start of the playback of the DVD recorder 101 or the menu screen display is the menu screen of the TV 901, the playback of the DVD recorder 101 is stopped. It is possible to return to the original screen at the time or when the menu screen display ends.

  The values that can be taken by the original screen information may not be as shown in FIG. For example, the types may be increased or decreased according to the number of external inputs of the television 901. In short, when receiving the “return to EE screen” command, information indicating which screen should be automatically switched to the input of the TV 901, whether to return to the TV broadcast display, or which menu screen to display. If it is.

  The present invention can be realized not only as the output control device and the playback device described above, but also as an output control method and a playback method including steps characteristic of the output control device and the playback device. It can also be realized as a program that causes a computer to execute these steps. Needless to say, such a program can be distributed via a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a transmission medium such as the Internet.

  The output processing unit 135 referred to in the embodiment is an example of output control means in the present invention. Further, the control units 134, 611, and 911 in the embodiments are examples of the switching control means in the present invention. Further, the decoder 106 in the embodiment is an example of the reproducing means in the present invention. The encoder 105 in the embodiment is an example of the conversion means in the present invention. The disk management unit 104 in the embodiment is an example of a recording unit in the present invention. The menu screen referred to in the embodiment is an example of a utility screen in the present invention.

  The output control device according to the present invention can also be applied to applications such as televisions, VTRs, DVRs, etc. that need to switch screens appropriately according to the situation.

101 DVD recorder 102 control unit 103 tuner 104 disk management unit 105 encoder 106 decoder 107 user input unit 108 switch 109 data output I / F
110 Command output I / F
111 DVD-RAM disk 112 Output processing unit 121 Antenna 122 Data cable 123 Command cable 131 Television 132 Screen 133 Speaker 134 Control unit 135 Output processing unit 136 Tuner 137 Switch 138 User input unit 139 Data input I / F
140 Command input I / F
141 Data input I / F
151 Home Game Console 601 Television 611 Control Unit 612 Flag Storage Unit 901 Television 911 Control Unit 912 Original Screen Information Storage Unit

Claims (12)

An output control device that performs control for outputting video or audio,
A tuner that receives TV broadcasts;
Data input means for inputting video or audio from the playback device;
Command input means for receiving a command from the playback device;
Selecting means for selecting the tuner or the data input means;
Output control means for performing control for outputting video or audio from the selection means;
If the selection means selects the data input means when a command indicating that the playback device has finished playback is input from the command input means, the selection means is switched to the tuner, and the selection means An output control apparatus comprising: a switching control unit that does not switch the selection unit when the data input unit is not selected. An output control device that performs control for outputting video or audio,
A tuner that receives TV broadcasts;
User input means for receiving an input switching instruction;
Data input means for inputting video or audio from the playback device;
Command input means for receiving a command from the playback device;
Selecting means for selecting the tuner or the data input means;
Output control means for performing control for outputting video or audio from the selection means;
Switching control means for switching the selection means;
Flag storage means for storing a flag that can take two values;
Flag setting means for setting the value of the flag,
The flag setting means has a first value as the flag value when the selection means selects the tuner when a command indicating that the playback device starts playback is input from the command input means. When the selection means selects other than the tuner, the second value is set as the flag value, and the selection means inputs the data input based on the input switching instruction received by the user input means. A second value is set as the value of the flag when switched to other than means,
The switching control means switches the selection means to the tuner when the value of the flag is a first value when a command indicating that the playback device has finished playback is input from the command input means, the flag value second force if the value is out you wherein no switching said selection means control device. An output control device that performs control for outputting video or audio,
A tuner that receives TV broadcasts;
User input means for receiving an input switching instruction;
Data input means for inputting video or audio from the playback device;
Command input means for receiving a command from the playback device;
Selecting means for selecting the tuner or the data input means;
Output control means for performing control for outputting video or audio from the selection means;
Switching control means for switching the selection means;
Original screen information storage means for storing original screen information including information indicating the supplier of the screen;
Original screen information setting means for setting the original screen information,
The original screen information setting means uses, as the original screen information, a value indicating a screen supply source output from the selection means when a command indicating that the playback device starts playback is input from the command input means. Setting and resetting the original screen information when the selection means is switched to other than the data input means based on the input switching instruction received by the user input means ,
When the command indicating that the playback device has finished playback is input from the command input means when the original screen information is not in a reset state, the switching control means is a screen supply source indicated by the original screen information the switching selecting means, the former screen information output control device you wherein the case is a state of being reset without switching the selection means. An output control device that performs control for outputting video or audio,
A tuner that receives TV broadcasts;
User input means for receiving an input switching instruction;
Data input means for inputting video or audio from the playback device;
Command input means for receiving a command from the playback device;
Selecting means for selecting the tuner or the data input means;
Output control means for performing control for outputting video or audio from the selection means;
Switching control means for switching the selection means;
Original screen information storage means for storing original screen information including a value indicating the supplier of the screen and a value indicating the type of the utility screen;
Original screen information setting means for setting the original screen information,
The original screen information setting means controls the output of the screen supply source output from the selection means and the output control means when a command indicating that the playback device starts playback is input from the command input means. A value indicating the type of utility screen being set as the original screen information, and the original screen when the selection means is switched to other than the data input means based on an input switching instruction received by the user input means Reset the information,
When the command indicating that the playback device has finished playback is input from the command input means when the original screen information is not in a reset state, the switching control means is a screen supply source indicated by the original screen information If the original screen information is in a reset state, the selection means is not switched.
It said output control means, the former screen information the selection means output control you and performs control for outputting a utility screen indicated by the former screen information when it is switched to the screen source indicated apparatus. The output control device comprises a plurality of the data input means,
The output control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the selection unit selects one of the tuner and the plurality of data input units. It said switching control means, any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reproducing apparatus is characterized in said selection means to switch to the data input means when a command indicating the start of reproduction is inputted from said command input means output control apparatus according to any. A playback device for playing back video or audio,
Playback means for playing back video or audio recorded on a recording medium;
Data output means for outputting the reproduced video or audio to the output control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
Command output means for outputting to the output control device a first command for notifying that the output of the reproduced video or audio is finished and the screen is returned to a predetermined screen. The playback device further includes:
Includes screen creation means for creating utility screens,
The data output means outputs the created utility screen to the output control device,
The playback apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the command output unit outputs the first command to the output control device when the output of the created utility screen is completed. The playback device according to claim 7 or 8 , wherein the first command is a command indicating that predetermined data is being output to the output control device. The playback device further includes:
It has a tuner that receives TV broadcasts,
The playback device according to claim 7 or 8 , wherein the first command is a command indicating that the received television broadcast is being output to the output control device. The playback device further includes:
Conversion means for converting the received television broadcast into video or audio in a predetermined format;
The reproducing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a recording unit that records the converted video or audio on the recording medium. Said command output means, at the start of output of the video or audio that is played, or at the start of output of the created utility screen, said reproducing apparatus said output control commands indicating the start of reproduction The reproduction apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the reproduction apparatus outputs the apparatus.

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