JPH1042207A - Television program guidance selection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a television program guidance selection device capable of immediately obtaining outline information of a program during broadcasting at the point of use and easily switching a channel, based on the program information. SOLUTION: A program information table building means 81 receives the images of a program chart and the program information such as the start time of all the programs or the like from a program information transmitter 30 installed in a broadcasting station or the like and stores them in a program chart image storage means 82 and a program information table 83. A program chart generation means 84 refers to the program chart image storage means 82 and the program information table 83 and displays the program chart for which the part of the program during broadcasting at the point of execution is emphasized at an input incorporated type means 4. A program selection means 85 detects the input of the input incorporated type means 4 and the channel of a television receiver 40 is switched to the channel corresponding to the input by using a TV selection means 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a means for controlling a television receiver,
An information processing apparatus for displaying a television program guide distributed electronically different from a television broadcast signal such as WWW and capable of switching a channel of a television receiver by selecting a user on the television program guide About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when changing a channel being received by a television receiver via a terrestrial wave, a satellite wave, or a cable, a channel selection button provided on the television receiver body or a remote controller is used. It is generally used. The buttons for changing the channel include a button for switching to the channel before or after the channel being received, a button for assigning an arbitrary channel number, and a number button for directly inputting the channel number. The user uses these buttons to switch the channel of the television receiver to the desired channel.

[0005] On the other hand, a program guide published in a newspaper or various information magazines is often used as information on a broadcast program such as a program outline and a broadcast time which are referred to when a user selects a channel. These are mainly distributed on paper media, but recently broadcast stations that electronically disclose program guides via general communication lines such as the Internet have emerged. Can be displayed.

[0004]

The above prior art has the following problems.

[0005] The conventional remote controller of a television receiver has no means for notifying the user of information on the program being broadcast at the time of use.
By referring to a separately prepared program table or by actually selecting and viewing a program on each channel (hereinafter, confirming a program on a plurality of channels is referred to as "browsing"), a desired program is found. You have to choose a channel.

[0006] The program table can provide information on programs in all time zones. However, there is no mechanism that allows the user to immediately confirm the program being broadcast at a certain point in time. In order to judge whether the program is running, the user needs to look at the program table while recognizing the current time, which is inconvenient. In addition, even if a target program is found in the program guide, it is inconvenient that the channel of the television receiver cannot be changed directly on the program guide (using a remote controller or the like of the television receiver).

[0007] On the other hand, in channel browsing, although a program being broadcast can be viewed immediately, it is not possible to immediately grasp the contents of the program, and there is a possibility that a program of interest may be missed.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, allows the user to immediately check the outline information of the program being broadcast, and has become interested without having to be conscious of the channel operation based on the program information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a television program guide selection device capable of switching to a program channel.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a display means for displaying a program table of a television broadcast, an input means for designating an area on the display means by a user, and a time setting means. A timer for counting, a program table image storing means for storing a program table, a program information table for storing program information relating to a program described in the program table, a program table and program information received via a communication medium, and Table image storage means and program information table construction means for recording in a program information table; program table generating means for displaying a program table on the display means while highlighting the program being broadcast; A program selection means for switching the channel of the John broadcast receiver is provided.

The program table of the broadcast contents obtained via the communication means is displayed on the display means in a format corresponding to the program column of the newspaper. When the user designates a desired area of the program guide by using a position designation means such as a touch panel or a mouse, a broadcast station corresponding to the designated program is determined, and the determined broadcast station is selected using the selection means. This selection sends a signal for controlling the broadcast receiving equipment from the selection means.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a method of selecting a channel in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an example of a screen output to the display means of the television program guide selecting device of the present embodiment. This television program guide selection device is provided separately from the television receiver.

The control area 50 has a function corresponding to a remote controller of a conventional television receiver. The program table 60 is a program table of a television broadcast, and information corresponding to a TV column of a newspaper is displayed as an image. In FIG. 2, the part of the program being broadcast at the current time, for example, at 7:30, is highlighted. The user can switch the television receiver to the corresponding channel by selecting this program table with input means such as a finger, a pen, and a mouse. For example, when the part of the program 601 is selected, the channel of the television receiver is switched to the AAA television, and when the part of the program 602 is selected, the channel of the television receiver is switched to the television BBB.

FIG. 3 shows a television program guide selecting apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. This device can use an information processing device such as a personal computer,
CPU (arithmetic processing unit) 1, memory 2, timer 3, input integrated display unit 4, communication control unit 5, TV control unit 6
Are connected via a bus 7.

The timer 3 is used to obtain the date and time. The input-integrated display means 4 has both input means such as a tablet and a touch panel and display means such as a display device. The touched input means is touched by touching the input means with a pen or a finger. Is output as coordinates on display means corresponding to. The communication control means 5 controls communication for obtaining a television program guide to be displayed via a network, a wired or wireless line. For this network,
It is useful to use the Internet.

The TV control means 6 is equivalent to a conventional remote control (remote control) device for a television receiver, and has a remote control signal (whether wireless or wired) corresponding to a television control command such as channel change or volume change. ) Is output to control the state of the television receiver.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, an external storage device, keyboard, printer and the like may be provided.

FIG. 1 shows a detailed configuration of the television program guide selecting apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure,
The television program guide selection device 10 includes a timer 3, an integrated input display unit 4, a communication control unit 5, a TV control unit 6, and a program guide control unit 8. The program guide control means 8
Further, it comprises a program information table construction means 81, a program table image storage means 82, a program information table 83, a program table generation means 84, and a program selection means 85. These can be realized by the CPU 1, the memory 2, and the like of the information processing apparatus in FIG.
The memory 2 stores necessary programs and data.
The program is executed using PU1.

The television program guide selecting device 10
Is connected to the program information transmitting device 30 via the communication medium 20. The communication medium 20 is a general communication line such as the Internet, a CATV line, or the like. The program information transmitting device 30 is a processing device for providing information including a CPU, a memory, communication control means, and the like.
(World Wide Web) Server technology can be used. The program information transmitting device 30 stores a television program guide and a program guide.
The information is transmitted in response to a request of 0. The program information transmitting device 30 is installed in a broadcasting station, a program information service company, or the like.

Further, the television program guide selecting device 1
0 is provided with a TV control means 6, which can control the television receiver 40 by transmitting a remote control signal 21. The remote control signal may be transmitted by wire or wirelessly, and a simple configuration may be such that the same signal as the infrared remote control device used in a normal television receiver is transmitted to the television receiver 40. I just need. In this case, the television receiver 4
0 is set in a range where the remote control signal 21 from the television program guide selecting device 10 reaches.

Next, the television program guide selecting device 10
The program table image storage unit 82 and the program information table 83 will be described in detail.

The program table image storage means 82 includes, for example,
Like TV program listings in newspapers and information magazines,
A table in which the contents of the program and the performers are arranged side by side with the broadcast station and the broadcast time is stored as an image (program table image). This image can be stored in an image format widely used on the Internet, such as GIF or JPEG, or a format that can express a program table as shown in FIG. 2 using a specific application. , It may be stored as code or vector information.

The program information table 83 stores program channel information and its display relationship on the screen. For details, as shown in FIG. 4, a channel 831 for storing the channel of the program, a start time 832 for storing the start time of the program, and an end time 8 for storing the end time of the program
33, position X834, position Y835 for storing position X, position Y, height and width, which are position data in the program guide image,
It is a table for storing program information data having a height 836 and a width 837. Here, the program information data, particularly the position data in the program guide image, is information for specifying the position in the program guide 60 in FIG. 2, and will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5.

The program information data will be obtained by taking the program 601 "news 7 o'clock" in the program guide 60 of FIG. 2 as an example. As shown in FIG. 5, when the upper left end of the program table 60 is set as the origin and the X axis and the Y axis are respectively taken in the rightward and downward directions, the program 601 becomes a program as shown in the program information data 830 of FIG. Table 60
Upper left coordinates (10, 100), height 150, width 1 within 1
Occupies a 00 rectangular part. These are the position data in the program guide image of the program 601. Also, the start time of the program 601 is 7:00, the end time is 8:30, and the channel number is 1 (note: channel 1 corresponds to the “AAA” television).

Next, the television program guide selecting device 10
Program information table construction means 81 and program table generation means 8
4 and the operation of the program selection means 85 will be described.

First, the operation of the program information table construction means 81 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The program information table construction means 81 uses the communication control means 5 to transmit the program information transmitting device 3 via the communication medium 20.
0, the program guide image (image) is received and recorded in the program guide image storage means 82 (step 10010).
Further, the program information data relating to all programs included in the program table from the program information transmitting device 30 via the communication medium 20 using the communication control means 5, that is, program channels,
The start time, the end time, the position X, the position Y, the height, and the width as the position data in the program table image are received, and the channel 831 and the start time 83 of the program information table 83 are respectively received.
2, end time 833, position X834, position Y835, height 836, width 837 (step 1002)
0).

Next, the operation of the program guide generating means 84 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The program table generating means 84 acquires the program table image (image) i from the program table image storing means 82 and displays it on the input integrated display means 4 (step 11010). The time t (at the time of operation 84) is acquired (step 11020). Then, the program information table 83 searches the program information table 83 for a program p whose "start time is earlier than time t and whose end time is later than time t", that is, the program information data d of the program p currently being broadcast (step 110).
30). If the program information data d meeting the conditions is found (step 11040; Yes), the portion occupied by the program p from the program table image i, that is, the position data in the program table image of the program information data d (position X834, position Y83)
5, a height 836 and a width 837) are extracted (rectangular portions whose upper left coordinates are (position X834, position Y835), height 836 and width 837), and image processing is performed. And overwrites the already displayed program guide image i (step 11050). Here, image processing means
A process for making a program p image stand out from a program guide image i, such as adding a frame to an image, inverting the color of an image, or changing a color component value to emphasize a specific color. It is. Then, the process returns to step 11030 to search for another program information data that meets the conditions (for example, program information data of a program being broadcast on another channel).

If it is determined in step 11040 that no program information data d meeting the condition is found (step 11040; No), this means that all program information data meeting the condition have been found or the program information data meeting the condition has not been found. This is the case when there is no data. In this case, the process waits for a predetermined time (step 11060), returns to step 11010, and starts the program guide generation process at the next time.

This waiting time is the maximum delay time from the end of the program being broadcast to the start of the next program until it is reflected on the program guide display of the television program guide selecting device 10. Generally, since the start time and end time of a program are in minutes, it can be said that there is no practical problem if the waiting time is within one minute.

Next, the operation of the program selecting means 85 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

The user selects a desired area on the program guide 60 by using a pen or a finger from the input integrated display unit 4, and the program selection unit 85 recognizes the coordinate information.
The recognized coordinates are set to (x, y) (Step 1201)
0). When the coordinates (x, y) are not within the control area 50 where the volume buttons and the like are arranged (step 12020;
No), and if the coordinates (x, y) are not in the program table 51 (step 12030; No), the process is terminated. If it is determined in step 12030 that the coordinates (x, y) are in the program table 51 (step 12030; Yes), the program information table 83 reads “position X834 <x <(position X83
4 + height 836) and position Y835 <y <(position Y
835 + width 837), position X834, position Y83
5, program information data d having a height 836 and a width 837 ”,
That is, “position data in the program table image (position X83
4, the program information data d such that the rectangle represented by the position Y835, the height 836, and the width 837) includes the coordinates (x, y), that is, the rectangle including the coordinates (x, y) in the program table 51. The program information data d of the occupied program is searched (step 12040). Searched program information data d
From the television receiver 40 and use the TV control means 6 to change the channel of the television receiver 40 to the channel 83
The value is switched to a value of 1 (step 12050).

If it is determined in step 12020 that the coordinates (x, y) are within the control area 50 in which the volume buttons and the like are arranged (step 12020; Yes),
If the coordinates (x, y) are inside the channel up button 52, that is, if the channel up button 52 is pressed (step 12060; Yes), the TV control unit 6 raises the channel of the television receiver 40 by one (step 12060). 12070). Similarly, channel down button 53
Is pressed (Step 12080; Yes), the TV
When the channel of the television receiver 40 is lowered by one using the control means 6 (step 12090), and the volume up button 54 is pressed (step 12100; Ye)
s), the television receiver 40 using the TV control means 6
Is increased by one (step 12110), and the volume down button 55 is pressed (step 12120; Ye).
s), the television receiver 40 using the TV control means 6
Is lowered by one (step 12130), and the TV power button 53 is pressed (step 12140; Ye).
s), the television receiver 40 using the TV control means 6
Is turned on (off state if on, on state if off) (step 12150).

Hereinafter, the execution operation of the television program guide selection device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the screen example of FIG.

The user selects the television program guide selecting device 1
When 0 is started, first, the program information table construction means 81 is executed. The program information table construction means 81 receives the program table 60 from the program information transmitting device 30 and records it in the program table image storage means 82. Further, the program 601, the program 602, the program 603, etc.
The program information data on all the programs described in the program table 60 is received and recorded in the program information table 83.

Next, the program table generating means 84 is executed.
The program guide generation means 84 acquires the program guide 60 from the program guide image storage means 82 and displays it on the input integrated type display means 4. Then, the current time is acquired from the timer 3. Hereinafter, a description will be given assuming that the current time is 7:30. Then, the program currently being broadcast is searched from the program information table 83.
In FIG. 2, the program 601, the program 602, and the program 603 correspond. Then, the programs 601 and 6 that are the searched programs
02, the portion occupied by the program 603 is highlighted as shown in FIG. As a result, the user can select the programs 601, 602, and 603 that are currently being broadcast from the program table 60.
Can be recognized. Once executed, the program guide generating means 84 repeatedly operates until the operation of the television program guide selecting device 10 is completed. Therefore, the program integrated at the time is always displayed on the input integrated display means 4. Highlighted.

After the execution of the program guide generating means 84, when the input integrated display means 4 of the television program guide selecting device 10 is touched with a pen or a finger, the program selecting means 85 is executed. The program selecting means 85 first receives an input from the input integrated display means 4. If there is an input at a portion corresponding to each button in the control area 50, the operation assigned to that button is performed. For example, when an input is made at a portion corresponding to the volume up button 52, the volume of the television receiver 40 is increased by one. If there is an input at a corresponding part in the program guide 60, the channel of the television receiver 40 is switched to the channel of the corresponding program. For example, when an input is made in a portion corresponding to the AAA TV program 601 in the program table 60, the channel of the television receiver 40 is switched to channel "1".

In the above description, the program selecting means 85
Means that the channel is unconditionally changed to the channel of the program even when a program not being broadcast is selected. However, when a program not being broadcast is selected, for example, at 7:30 in FIG.
If the user selects "Serial drama" starting at 8:30 on the AAA TV in minutes, a dialogue "Do you want to make a video reservation?" Is displayed on the input integrated display means 4, and if Yes, a video is automatically reserved. You may do it. In this way, a video reservation can be prepared. In this case, it is necessary for the TV control means 6 to be able to control a video tape recorder (VTR) as in the case of a television. After the reservation, the reserved program on the program table 60 is highlighted so as to be recognizable. In the case of No, the power of the television receiver 40 is turned on at that time and the channel AAA is set, or in the case of ON, only the channel is forcibly set to the AAA TV.

In the above description, the program table generating means 84
Operates to display a part of the program table of the day on the screen of the input-integrated display means 4, and the selection of this part may be displayed based on the start time of the program currently being broadcast. . For example, even if a program table for one day is received from the program information transmitting apparatus 30 in FIG. 2, if the current time is 7:30, the program being broadcast at 7:30 can be displayed. It is sufficient to display the program guide from 6:00 on the basis of the start time of 6:30 of the program 603 “CCC information station” having the earliest start time among the programs being broadcast (6: 3).
The reason why the time is not set to 0 minutes is that the reference time is measured in hours.) This mechanism is useful when the entire program guide cannot be displayed on the screen of the input-integrated display means 4.

In the above description, the program table generating means 84
Highlights the broadcast program portion of all the channels in the program listing, but only the currently receiving channel, eg, program 602 ("Chinese Course" on TV BBB) in FIG. The program may be displayed in a different color. For example, program 602 is red, program 601 and program 603
May be displayed as blue.

In the above description, the program selecting means 85
Controls the television receiver 40, but the VTR
For example, it is possible to control a device having a mechanism for receiving a television broadcast. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to television broadcasting but also to audio broadcasting, text broadcasting, and other data broadcasting (for example, stock price distribution information).

In the above description, the input-integrated display means 4 is used as a means for displaying the program table 60 and accepting an input such as a user's selection of a program. The present invention can be applied even when both input means such as a keyboard and a tablet are used. In this case, the program generation unit 84 outputs the program table 60 to the display unit, and the program selection unit 85 receives an input from the input unit.

In the above description, the television receiver 40 and the television program guide selecting device 10 are separate devices. However, the timer 3, the communication control means 5, and the program guide control means 8 are provided inside the television receiver 40. An embodiment is also possible in which the device is installed as a single unit. In this embodiment,
The television receiver 40 can be used as a display unit connected to the program guide control unit 8, and a remote controller of the television receiver can be used as an input unit in addition to a keyboard, a mouse, a tablet, and the like. Also, T
The V control means 5 directly controls the television receiver 40 instead of the remote control signal 21. FIGS. 12 and 13 show display examples on the television receiver 40 in this application mode.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which the program guide 42 and the television broadcast video 43 are displayed side by side on the screen 41 of the television receiver 40, and FIG.
This is an example in which a program guide 42 is displayed in a screen 41 of No. 0, and a television broadcast video 43 is reduced and displayed in the lower right corner. here,
The program table 42 is the same as the program table of FIG. The user selects a program in the program table 42 using input means such as a remote controller and switches the channel. This application form can be further modified, and a program table 42 as shown in FIG.
May be displayed, or the display mode may be switched.

In the above description, the television program guide selecting device 10 receives the program table image and the program information data at the time of startup. The table image and the program information data may be re-received, and the program table image storage unit 82 and the program information table 83 may be updated. By doing so, it is possible to cope with a change in the program information content, for example, a change in broadcast start time or a change in broadcast time.

In the above description, the television program guide selecting device 10 acquires the program guide image and the program information data from the program information transmitting device 30 connected via a communication medium such as a general communication line. Is superimposed on a television signal transmitted by a television wave or a CATV line, that is, an embodiment in which the television program guide selecting device 10 receives a program guide image and program information data from a television signal. is there. FIG. 10 shows the configuration of a television program guide selection device 10 according to this application mode. As shown in FIG. 1, the television program guide selecting device 10 includes a timer 3, an input integrated display unit 4, a program information receiving unit 9, a TV control unit 6, and a program table control unit 8.

This means that the communication control means 5 of the television program guide selecting device 10 shown in FIG.
Is replaced by The program information receiving means 9 identifies and holds a signal representing a program guide image or program information data from the television signal 22 transmitted from the broadcasting station 70. The program information receiving means 9 can be realized by a known technique. This embodiment has an advantage that program information data can be received without connecting to a communication medium such as the Internet.

In the above description, the program information table construction means 81 collectively receives the program guide image and the program information data of all the channels from the broadcasting station 70. In this embodiment, only the program table image and the program information data are transmitted, and the program information table constructing means 81 integrates and displays the program table data on the input integrated display means 4. The operation of another embodiment of the program information table construction means 81 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the number of channels receiving data is a variable n, and the width of the program guide image of each channel is a variable w
, N is set to 0, and w is set to a specified value. In the present embodiment, w is set to 100 (step 13010). When the television signals of all the channels have been checked (Step 13015; Yes), the processing is terminated. If the television signals of all the channels have not been checked yet (step 13015;
No), the program information table construction means 81 checks whether or not the program table image and the program information data are superimposed on the television signal 22 of the target channel (step 13020). If the program guide image and the program information data are not superimposed on the television signal 22 (Step 13030; No), Step 1301
Go back to 5 and check another channel. If the program guide image and the program information data are superimposed on the television signal 22 (Step 13030; Yes), the variable n is increased by 1 (Step 13040), and the program guide image is added to the program guide image storage means 82. It is recorded (step 13050). Further, the program information data is received and recorded in the program information table 83. At this time, the channel, the start time, the end time, the position Y, and the height of the program information data are respectively set to the channel 831, the start time 832, the end time 833, the position Y835, and the height 83 of the program information table 83.
6, and the position X is calculated by adding (w × n) to the position X8.
34, and w is recorded in the width 837 (step 1).
3060). This is a process associated with the coordinate conversion from the channel-specific program table coordinates to the entire program table coordinates. If all the program information data of the channel has been received (Step 13070; Yes), Step 130
Return to 20 and check for another channel. Step 130
If it is determined in step 70 that all the program information data of the channel has not been received (step 13070;
No), returning to step 13060 to receive the next program information data.

In the above description, the program information table construction means 8 constructs a program table by checking the presence or absence of program information data for all channels.
If rewritable storage means for storing a plurality of channel numbers is newly added to the program information table and the program information table construction means 8 checks the presence or absence of program information data only in the channels stored in the storage means, the user It is also possible to construct a program guide according to the user's preference or a program guide suitable for the area where the user lives. Further, it is only necessary to transmit the program information data of the own channel to the broadcasting station, and there is an advantage that detailed and latest program information data can be transmitted.

In the above description, the program information table constructing means 81 performs the program table division reception using the program information data superimposed on the television signal 22, but the program information table constructing means 81 transmits the program table data via the communication medium 20 such as a general communication line. Program information transmitting device 3
Even when receiving program information data from 0, the mechanism described in the present embodiment can be realized. in this case,
The operation is performed based on the flowchart in which step 13020 in FIG. 11 is replaced with “Connect to program information transmitting apparatus 30 holding program table image and program information data of each channel” and step 13030 is replaced with “Did you receive data?” What is necessary is just to implement such program information table construction means 81.

[0053]

According to the present invention, the program being broadcast is highlighted in the program table, so that the user can immediately obtain summary information of the program being broadcast at the time of use. Also, since the broadcast station can be directly specified from the program guide, the user can switch to the channel of the program of interest without being conscious of the channel operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a television program guide selection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of an execution screen of the television program guide selection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a program information table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of program information data stored in a program information table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a program information table construction unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a program guide generation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a program selecting means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a program selecting means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a television program guide selection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of program information table construction means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an example of a screen of a television receiver according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an example of a screen of the television receiver according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

CPU 1, memory 2, timer 3, input integrated display means 4, communication control means 5, TV control means 6, bus 7, program guide control means 8, program information receiving means 9,
Television program guide selecting means ... 10, communication medium ... 2
0, remote control signal ... 21, television signal ... 22, program information transmitting apparatus ... 30, television receiver ... 40, television receiver screen ... 41, program table ... 4
2, television broadcast video 43, control area 50, power button 51, volume up button 52
Volume down button ... 53, channel up button ... 5
4, channel down button 55, program table 60, program 601, program 602, program 603, broadcasting station 7
0, program information table construction means 81, program table image storage means 82, program information table 83, program information data 830, channel 831, start time 83
2, end time 833, position X 834, position Y 83
5, height: 836, width: 837, program table generating means: 8
4. Program selection means ... 85

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A display means for displaying a program table of a television broadcast, an input means for a user to specify an area on the display means, and the program table received via a communication medium corresponds to a program being broadcast. Program table generating means for highlighting an area to be displayed on the display means, a television broadcast receiver for recognizing an area specified by the input means, and outputting a channel selection signal corresponding to a program corresponding to the recognized area. A television program guide selecting device, comprising: 2. A display means for displaying a program table of a television broadcast, an input means for a user to specify an area on the display means, a timer for counting time, and a program table image storage for storing the program table. Means, a program information table for storing program information relating to a program described in the program table, and receiving the program table and the program information via a communication medium, respectively, in the program table image storage means and the program information table. A program information table constructing means for recording, a program table generating means for displaying the program table on the display means by emphasizing a program being broadcast, and a channel of the television broadcast receiver by selecting a channel with the input means. A television program guide selecting device, comprising: a program selecting means for switching. 3. The program guide generating means displays the program guide stored in the program guide image storage means on the display means, acquires time from the timer, and displays the program being broadcast at the time. 3. The television program guide according to claim 2, wherein said means is a means for searching a program information table, performing image processing so that a portion corresponding to said program in said program table is prominent, and displaying said image on said display means. Selection device. 4. The program information table construction means is a means for receiving a plurality of the program guides and the program information via a communication medium and recording them in the program guide image storage means and the program information table, respectively. 4. The television program guide selecting device according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The program information table construction means receives the program table and the program information of a channel stored in the storage means via a communication medium, and respectively receives the program table image storage means and the program information table. 5. The television program guide selecting device according to claim 4, wherein the television program guide selecting device is means for recording the information on a television program guide. 6. A system comprising display means, position recognizing means for designating a specific position on the display means, communication means, and selection means for selecting a received broadcast of a broadcast receiving facility. Displaying the program table of the selected broadcast content on the display means, recognizing a desired area of the program table specified by the user by the position specifying means, determining a broadcast station corresponding to the recognized area, And transmitting a signal for controlling the broadcast receiving equipment from the selecting means so as to select the broadcasting station determined by the means.