JPH11261509A - Program broadcasting system, program broadcast receiving system, program table data processing system, program table data broadcasting method and program table data processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program broadcasting system which can offers a program table that allows a user to easily understand program contents. SOLUTION: This program broadcasting system 1 broadcasts program data, also broadcasts program table data including information about each program and includes partial program data reducing the data amount of the program data in the program table data. It uses the reduced data size of program data to be an object as the partial program data. Or it uses the reduced data amount per frame of the program data to be an object. At least either a method for reducing a data amount or the degree of reduction is decided based on program attribute information, such as the kind of a program and the broadcasting start time of a program.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a program broadcasting system and method for broadcasting program data and program table data including information on each program, and receives broadcasted program data and program table data. The present invention relates to a program broadcast receiving system, a program guide data processing method, a program guide data processing system for processing program guide data, and a program guide data processing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In current television broadcasting, various broadcasting such as satellite broadcasting and cable television are performed in addition to terrestrial broadcasting. Also, new broadcasting forms such as high-definition broadcasting and text broadcasting are gradually beginning to spread. In addition, digital broadcasting using a communication satellite (CS) and the like has recently become widespread. Some broadcasters have begun broadcasting and the number of channels is increasing steadily. Furthermore, research and development are being actively conducted toward the start of digital broadcasting in the 21st century, such as the advent of ISTV (Comprehensive Information Digital TV).

When various television broadcasts are performed, the number of programs is increased from several tens to several hundreds, and it becomes difficult to search for programs. For that purpose, means for efficiently searching for a program that the user (reception side) wants to watch is required. One of them is a program guide (EPG; Elec
It is conceivable to use a (tronic program guide), and a program table is actually provided in a specific television broadcast.

[0004] The program table contains, for example, data of a program to be broadcast and its broadcast station, channel, broadcast time and the like. Then, the program guide is transmitted, for example, at a fixed interval asynchronously with the program, and the user can obtain the program guide a short while after turning on a switch such as a television or a receiver built in the VTR.

[0005] The user can obtain more detailed program information by putting the profile of the performer of the program into the program table and adding information related to the program. Furthermore, by using a program table, a program to be watched can be searched, and a program can be reserved in conjunction with a VTR.

[0006] However, the information obtained by the user from the program guide is information centered on characters, and there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to understand the contents of the program.

[0007]

As described above,
Conventionally, a program table is often used to obtain information on a program. However, the conventional program table is mainly information based on characters and has a problem that it is difficult for a user to understand the contents of the program.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a program broadcasting system, a program broadcasting receiving system, and a program table broadcasting method capable of providing a program table that allows a user to easily understand the contents of a program. And a program guide processing method.

Furthermore, a program broadcast system, a program broadcast receiving system, a program guide broadcast method, and a program capable of enhancing the value of use of a program table for a user and improving the operability of an operation related to the program table for the user. It is intended to provide a table processing method.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention (claim 1) provides:
A program broadcasting system for broadcasting program data and broadcasting program table data including information on each program, comprising: means for including, in the program table data, partial program data with a reduced data amount of the program data. Features.

Preferably, as the partial program data,
You may use what reduced the data size of the target program data.

Preferably, as the partial program data,
You may use what reduced the amount of data per frame of the target program data.

Preferably, the reduction in the amount of data per frame is at least one of a reduction in screen size, a reduction in resolution, and a reduction in color information.

Preferably, as the partial program data,
A sampled frame of the target program data may be used.

[0015] Preferably, at least one of the method of reducing the data amount and the degree of the reduction may be determined based on attribute information of the program.

[0016] Preferably, the attribute information of the program may be at least one of a type of the program or a broadcast start time or a broadcast end time of the program.

[0017] Preferably, for some or all of the programs, a plurality of pieces of program data whose data amount is reduced, which is different in at least one of the reduction method and the degree of reduction, may be included in the program guide data.

The present invention (claim 9) is a program broadcast receiving system for receiving program data and program table data that may include partial program data in which the data amount of the program data is reduced as information on each program. Means for storing the program table data, and displaying the partial program data when the partial program data corresponding to the designated program is included in the stored program table data. Means.

Preferably, the apparatus may further include means for displaying the partial program data corresponding to a program corresponding to the designated broadcast time.

Preferably, the apparatus may further comprise means for displaying the partial program data corresponding to a program corresponding to the specified program type.

According to the present invention (claim 12), program data;
A program broadcast receiving system that receives one or a plurality of attribute information as information about each program and program table data that may include partial program data with a reduced data amount of the program data as information about each program, Means for storing the program guide data;
Or means for searching for a corresponding program from the program table data based on a plurality of pieces of attribute information; and, if the program table data includes the partial program data corresponding to the searched program, the partial program data And means for displaying.

Preferably, the attribute information used for the search includes a program type, a program broadcast date, a program start time, a program end time, a program broadcast channel, a program performer,
At least one of the shooting location or keyword of the program
It may be one.

According to the present invention (claim 14), program data:
A program broadcast receiving system that receives program guide data that includes at least a broadcast start time and a broadcast end time as attribute information on each program and may include partial program data with a reduced data amount of program data as information on each program. Means for storing the program table data, means for searching for a corresponding program from the program table data on the basis of a designated broadcast time or a range thereof, and the partial program corresponding to the searched program. Means for displaying the partial program data when data is included in the program guide data.

The present invention (Claim 15) is a program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the data amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program. Means for displaying a program guide in a predetermined form on a display screen based on the program guide data for a program that satisfies the conditions set forth above, wherein one or a plurality of the partial program data corresponding to the program designated and selected;
When included in the program table data, a means for displaying a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction form on the display screen for each of the partial program data, and when any one of the predetermined images is instructed, Means for displaying the partial program data corresponding to the designated predetermined image.

The present invention (claim 16) is a program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the data amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program, wherein A program guide in a predetermined form is displayed on a display screen based on the program guide data for a program that satisfies the specified condition, and for each program that satisfies the specified condition, the partial program corresponding to the program is displayed. A means for displaying, on the display screen, a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction mode for each of the partial program data when one or a plurality of data is included in the program table data; Means for displaying, when an image is instructed, the partial program data corresponding to the instructed predetermined image.

The present invention (Claim 17) is a program table data broadcasting method in a program broadcasting system for broadcasting program data and broadcasting program table data including information on each program, wherein the data amount of the program data is reduced. The reduced partial program data is included in the program table data.

According to the present invention (claim 18), program data;
A program table data processing method in a program broadcast receiving system for receiving program table data which may include partial program data in which the data amount of program data is reduced as information on each program, wherein the program section data corresponding to a designated program When program data is included in the program table data, the program data is displayed.

[0028] The present invention (claim 19) provides a program table data processing method in a program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the amount of program data is reduced as information on each program. And displaying a program guide in a predetermined form on a display screen based on the program guide data for a program that satisfies a designated condition, wherein one or more of the partial program data corresponding to the selected program is displayed. When included in the program table data, a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction mode is displayed on the display screen for each of the partial program data, and when any of the predetermined images is instructed, The partial program data corresponding to the designated predetermined image is displayed.

The present invention (claim 20) provides a program table data processing method in a program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program. And displaying a program guide in a predetermined form on a display screen based on the program guide data for the program that satisfies the designated condition, and for each program that satisfies the designated condition, If one or more of the partial program data corresponding to the partial program data is included in the program guide data, a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction mode is displayed on the display screen for each of the partial program data. When the predetermined image is designated, the partial program data corresponding to the designated predetermined image is displayed.

The display of the program data and the partial program data includes outputting video and audio through a screen and a speaker.

It should be noted that the present invention relating to the apparatus is also realized as an invention relating to a method, and the present invention relating to a method is also realized as an invention relating to an apparatus.

Further, the present invention according to the apparatus or method is intended to cause a computer to execute a procedure corresponding to the present invention (or to cause a computer to function as means corresponding to the present invention, or to cause a computer to correspond to the present invention). The present invention is also realized as a computer-readable recording medium in which a program for realizing the function of performing the above is recorded.

According to the present invention, by transmitting program table data to which partial program data in which the data amount of the program data has been reduced is added, the user can transmit a program whose program table data includes the partial program data. Is possible to view and listen to the partial program data, so that the contents of the program can be more easily understood, conveyed or introduced.

Further, according to the present invention, program data to which program data with a reduced data amount of program data is added is acquired, and for a program in which the program data contains partial program data, a user request is obtained. , The partial program data can be displayed according to the program, and the user can more easily understand the contents of the program.

Further, by reducing the data amount of the program data and adding it to the program guide data, the size of the program guide can be reduced.

[0036]

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

First, a program broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a program broadcasting system according to the present embodiment. The program broadcast system 1 includes a program data creation unit 2, a program guide data creation unit 3, a broadcast data creation unit 4, and a broadcast data transmission unit 5.

The program broadcasting system 1 corresponds to, for example, a system in which the present invention is applied to a system for broadcasting already recorded programs or live broadcast programs installed in a television or radio broadcasting station. I do.

The program data creating section 2 is for creating "program data". For example, when broadcasting a recorded program, the data is read from a recording medium on which the program is recorded and output as program data, and when a live program is broadcast, live video / audio is transmitted from a studio or a broadcast truck. This is received and output as program data. The created program data is sent to the broadcast data creation unit 4.

The program guide data creating section 3 is for creating "program guide data". Although details of the contents of the program guide data will be described later, information of basic attributes such as a program identifier, a program name (title), a broadcasting station (channel), a broadcasting time, and the like are added as necessary. Attribute information (e.g., program type, program subtitle,
Brief introduction of the content, performers, shooting location (location location), and other keywords.

In the present embodiment, as part of additional information to the program table data, “part of program data” (reduced data amount of program data actually broadcasted in the program; Data). As a result, the receiving side can not only browse the program table but also view the actual contents of the program.

The program data to be included in the program table data is obtained from the program data generator 2 or obtained from outside before being input to the program data generator 2. Then, a process for reducing the data amount of the program data is performed, and the obtained partial program data is added to the program table data.

It should be noted that a program whose entire program is a complete live broadcast does not have this partial program data in the program guide data, but is recorded in a live broadcast program such as a news or entertainment program. In a program that broadcasts the recorded video / audio, the recorded video / audio can be used as partial program data.

The program guide data may include video / audio data different from the partial program data.

The created program guide data is sent to the broadcast data creating section 4.

The broadcast data creating section 4 is for creating broadcast data from the program data created by the program data creating section 2 and the program guide data created by the program guide data creating section 3. The created broadcast data is sent to the broadcast data transmitting unit 5.

The broadcast data transmitting section 5 is for transmitting the broadcast data created by the broadcast data creating section 4 via radio waves.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of broadcast data.

The broadcast data 6 is composed of program data 7 and program guide data 8. The program data 7 is data of a program currently being broadcast. The program guide data 8 is data in which program information is described. In this example, the program guide data 8 is inserted or multiplexed into the program data 7 at regular intervals (not necessarily at regular intervals). Program guide data 8
Means that the same data is repeatedly transmitted until the content is changed.

The number of programs to be included in the program table data 8 in one transmission or the broadcast (scheduled) date of the target program /
There are various forms of the time range. For example, it may include only information on programs for the day's broadcast,
Information about a broadcast program for a certain period from that day, for example, one week, may be included. In addition, program table data 8
May be updated every transmission or every fixed time, for example, every two hours, or every day, or in principle, every certain period, for example, every week, and the changed part is changed every time. You may do so. Further, the partial program data may be added to all programs included in the program table data 8 or may be added to some programs included in the program table data 8 (for example, the program table data 8 may be added for one week). Minutes, and the partial program data is added only to the day of that).

Of course, the target included in the program guide data is not limited to the program scheduled to be broadcast, and a program that has been broadcast or is being broadcast may be included in the program guide data.

When one broadcast station has a plurality of channels, it is preferable to transmit broadcast data as shown in FIG. 2 for each channel. At this time, a method of transmitting the same program table data 8 in all the channels including the data of all the channels in the program table data 8, a method of transmitting the program table data 8 including only the data of the channel in each channel, and There is a method of monitoring all channels and collecting data on all channels.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the program table data 8 is not transmitted in a form of being inserted or multiplexed into a channel for transmitting the program data 7, but the program is transmitted on a channel different from the channel on which the program data 7 is transmitted. The table data 8 may be transmitted.

Further, with respect to a plurality of broadcasting stations having one or a plurality of channels, each broadcasting station has
May include a portion of a program guide broadcast by another broadcast station. This may be limited to a broadcasting station having the same transmission / reception format, or may be applied to other broadcasting stations having different transmission / reception formats.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the basic structure of the program guide data.

The portion for one program in the program table data 8 (called individual program table data) includes a broadcasting station, a program name, a broadcast time, a part of the program data, and, if necessary, other attribute information. Is added.

"Broadcasting station" (81) is data indicating a broadcasting station or a channel on which a program is broadcast.

"Program name" (82) is data indicating a name for specifying a program.

"Broadcast time" (83) is data indicating the start time and end time of a program.

"Part of program data" (84) is partial program data corresponding to the broadcast station 81, the program name 82, and the broadcast time 83. There may be individual program guide data that does not have this partial program data.

The partial program data is obtained by reducing the data amount of the program data actually broadcasted in the program, and various data amount reduction forms are conceivable. For example, the broadcast time is reduced (that is, a part of the program data is extracted), the information amount per frame is reduced (screen size, resolution,
Color), the number of frames thinned out, a combination thereof, and the like. Further, the method and the degree of reduction of the data amount may be appropriately selected according to the attributes of the program (for example, the attributes related to the type of the program and the time). Further, a plurality of types of partial program data may be added to one program.

Although "program data" and "part of program data" have at least one of video data and audio data, the following description focuses on video data. When displaying “program data” or “part of program data”, if there is audio data attached to it (except when a special instruction such as audio deletion is given), And the video and the audio are output together.

Next, the operation of the program broadcasting system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 shows an example of an operation procedure of the present program broadcasting system.

The program data creation section 2 creates program data (step S11).

The program data may be created in advance or may be created in real time (like a live broadcast). If created in advance, the program data creation unit 2
And sent to the broadcast data creation unit 4 at the broadcast time. The data created in real time is immediately sent to the broadcast data creation unit 3.

The program guide data creating section 3 creates program guide data (step S12). The program table data includes information such as a broadcast station 81, a program name 82, and a broadcast time 83 for a target program. If the program data has been created in advance, "a part of the program data" corresponding to the program table is inserted into the program table data (step S1).
3, S14).

The created program guide data is sent to the broadcast data creating section 4.

The broadcast data creating section 4 includes the program data sent from the program data creating section 2 and the program table data creating section 3.
Then, broadcast data is created from the program guide data sent from (step S15).

The created broadcast data is sent to the broadcast data transmitting section 5.

The broadcast data transmitting section 5 transmits the broadcast data via radio waves (step S16).

In broadcast data, program data is transmitted only once (except for rebroadcasting), whereas program guide data is repeatedly transmitted at appropriate intervals.
Since the program guide data can be received regardless of the program data currently being transmitted, the receiving side can always obtain the program information included in the program guide data.

Further, since a part of the program data is included in the program table data, it is possible to obtain program data other than the currently transmitted program data. This makes it possible to obtain program data to be broadcast in the future from program table data.

In the following, some more specific examples of the structure of the program guide data (part of the program data included in the program guide data) will be described.

FIG. 5 shows a first example of the structure of the program guide data.

In this example, a part of the program data extracted is used as "part of the program data". Here, the data size of “part of the program data” is determined based on the type of the program. That is, in the example of the basic configuration of the program guide data 8 in FIG. 2, the data size of “part of the program data” is the size determined based on the type of the program.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the type of the program is “drama”, the first minute of the program is “part of the program data”, while the type of the program is “drama”. In the case of "sports", the first three minutes of the program are defined as "part of the program data".

In the above description, only the first part of the program data is extracted. However, various methods are conceivable, such as extracting the first part, the last part, and the last part of the program data one minute at a time. In addition, which part to extract from may be fixed, may be arbitrary, or may be determined based on the type and / or data size of the program.

FIG. 6 shows a second example of the structure of the program guide data.

Also in this example, a part extracted from the program data is used as "part of the program data". Here, the data size of “part of the program data” is determined based on the start time of the program and the current time. That is, in the example of the basic configuration of the program guide data 8 in FIG. 2, the data size of “part of the program data” is a size determined based on the start time of the program and the current time.

For example, if the current time is 22:00,
Assuming that the program start time of a program having a program name of “cooking program T” is 23:00 and the program start time of a program having a program name of “language program E” is 22:00, as shown in FIG. , "Language program E" is 30 minutes from the start of the program, so the first two minutes of the program are "part of the program data", whereas "Cooking program T" is 1 minute before the start of the program.
Since there is time, the first minute of the program is defined as "part of the program data".

In the above description, the data size of "part of program data" is determined based on the current time and the program start time. However, the method for determining based on the program start time and / or end time, And a method based on the end time and the current time of the program. In addition, in these methods, there is a method in which other factors relating to time, such as a day of the week or a broadcast time zone, are also considered.

In the above description, only the first part of the program data is extracted. However, various methods can be considered, such as extracting the first part, the last part, and the last part of the program data one minute at a time. Also, which part to extract from may be fixed, may be arbitrary, or may be determined based on one or more attributes and / or data size relating to time.

The attributes of the type of program in the first configuration example, the attributes related to time in the second configuration example, and other attributes (for example, performers, shooting locations (location locations), and other keywords) are appropriately set. The data size and / or the portion of the program data from which data corresponding to the size is extracted may be determined based on a plurality of combined attributes.

In the first configuration example and the second configuration example, the data size is determined based on some attribute of the program. Is changed), but of course, a configuration in which the data size of "part of the program data" is always constant is also possible.

It should be noted that the data size of a specific program may be determined independently of the data size determined as described above.

FIG. 7 shows a third example of the structure of the program guide data.

In this example, the data amount of one frame reduced from the program data is used as "part of the program data". Here, data obtained by reducing the screen of the program data of the program is used as “part of the program data”. That is, in the example of the basic configuration of the program guide data 8 in FIG. 2, “part of the program data” is data obtained by reducing the screen of the program.

In this case, the program data creating section 2 creates program data with a reduced screen in addition to the normal program data. The program data creation unit 2 sends the screen reduced data to the program guide data creation unit 3, and adds the data whose screen is reduced by the program guide data creation unit 3 to the program guide data.

FIG. 8 shows a fourth example of the structure of the program guide data.

In this example, the data amount of one frame reduced from the program data is used as "part of the program data". Here, data obtained by lowering the resolution of the program data of the program is used as “part of the program data”. That is, in the example of the basic configuration of the program guide data 8 in FIG. 2, “part of the program data” is data of a program with a reduced resolution.

In this case, the program data creating section 2 creates program data with reduced screen resolution in addition to the normal program data. The program data creation unit 2 sends the data with the reduced screen resolution to the program guide data creation unit 3, and adds the data with the reduced screen resolution to the program guide data.

As the method of reducing the data amount, in addition to the third and fourth configuration examples, a method of thinning out (sampling) a frame, a method of reducing or deleting the amount of data relating to color, and the like can be used. Alternatively, various methods such as a method in which these are appropriately combined can be considered. Also,
When adopting the method of reducing the data amount, it is preferable to use the above-described method of extracting a part of the program data. Furthermore, in these methods, the method and / or the degree of reduction of the data amount may be determined based on one or more attributes of the program.

Further, a plurality of “parts of program data” different in at least one of the reduction method and the reduction degree may be added to one program. For example, a partial program data consisting of the first one minute of a program, a partial program data consisting of the first three minutes of the program with a slightly reduced resolution, and a partial program data consisting of a greatly reduced resolution and color information being deleted. It is also possible to include three types of partial program data consisting of 5 minutes in the middle, 5 minutes in the middle, and 5 minutes in the end. Also in this case, the type and the number of the “part of the program data” to be added may be uniform, may be individually determined, or may be determined based on the attributes of the program.

As described above, in the present embodiment, (part of) an actual program is included in the program guide, so that the contents of the program can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner from the program guide (video and audio can be displayed on the screen or speaker). Output). Also, by extracting part of the original program data, reducing the screen size compared to the original program data, and lowering the resolution, the program data is partially included in the program table, Can be reduced in data amount.

Next, a program broadcast receiving system (receiver) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of a program broadcast receiving system according to the present embodiment. The program broadcast receiving system 9 includes a broadcast data receiving unit 10, a broadcast data management unit 11, a program data display unit 12, a program table data display unit 13, a program table data storage unit 14, and a program data display request unit 15.

The program broadcast receiving system 9 is a system for receiving and displaying broadcast data (including outputting video and audio on a screen and a speaker), such as a television, a radio, and a VTR having a receiving function. Corresponds to this.
In a VTR having a radio or reception function, a display device may be externally attached. It is also possible to configure using a computer.

It is assumed that the broadcast data is composed of program data and program table data as described above.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
Broadcast station (81), program name (82), broadcast time (83),
It is assumed that a part (84) of the program data is included.

The broadcast data receiving section 10 is for receiving broadcast data. The received broadcast data is sent to the broadcast data management unit 11.

Broadcast data management section 11 divides the broadcast data sent from broadcast data receiving section 10 into program data and program guide data.

The program data is sent to the program data display section 12.

As for program table data, when new (for example, having a new version identifier) program table data is transmitted, it is transmitted to the program table data storage unit 14.

Also, when there is a program table browsing request from the program data display request section 15, the program table data stored in the program table data storage section 14 (excluding those displayed on the program data display section 12) Is transmitted to the program guide data display unit 13, and when a display request is made from the program data display request unit 15, the corresponding "part of the program data" is read from the program table data stored in the program guide data storage unit 14. And sends it to the program data display unit 12.

The program data display section 12 is for displaying the program data 7 sent from the broadcast data management section 11. That is, the program data display unit 12 normally displays the currently broadcast program. When a display request is issued from the program data display request unit 15,
The "part of the program data" is displayed.

The program guide data display section 13 is for displaying the program guide data transmitted from the broadcast data receiving section 10.

The program data display section 12 and the program guide data display section 13 may use different screens (display devices) or the same screen (display device). In any case, if the display request is issued during the display of the currently broadcast program, for example,
Instead of the currently broadcasted program, a “part of the program data” may be displayed, or the screen may be divided and the currently broadcast program and the “part of the program data” may be displayed in parallel. It may be displayed, a “part of the program data” may be superimposed and displayed on a small area on the display of the program currently being broadcast, and various other forms may be considered. Can be

The received program data may be sent to the program guide data display unit 13 as it is.

[0109] The program guide data storage section 14 is for storing the latest program guide data. Note that old program guide data may also be stored.

The program data display request section 15 is for the user to request browsing of a program table or to request display of a "part of program data" of a desired program or a program having a desired attribute. It is. If you request a program listing,
The program guide is displayed, and when a display request is made, the corresponding “part of program data” is displayed on the program data display unit 12.

When browsing the program table, the user designates the conditions of the target program through the program data display requesting unit 15, and a function is added to display a program table of programs satisfying the conditions. Is preferred.

When a display request is made, not only a part of the program data is displayed for the program specified by the user, but also the user specifies the conditions of the target program through the program data display requesting unit 15. It is preferable to add a function of displaying “part of program data” for a program that satisfies this condition.

Next, the operation of the program broadcast receiving system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 shows an example of a display procedure of the received broadcast data in the present embodiment.

First, the broadcast data receiving unit 10 receives, for example, the broadcast data transmitted from the above-described program broadcasting system 1 (step S21). The received broadcast data is sent to the broadcast data management unit 11.

Broadcast data management section 11 classifies received broadcast data 6.

If the received data is program data (step S22), it is sent from the broadcast data management unit 11 to the program data display unit 12. The program data display section 12 displays the program data (step S23). The direct display of the received program guide data may be performed only when requested by the user.

If the received data is program guide data (steps S22 and S25), it is sent from the broadcast data receiving section 11 to the program guide data display section 13. The program guide data display unit 13 displays the program guide data (step S26).

Further, the broadcast data management section 11 checks whether or not the received program table data is new program table data. If it is new program guide data (step S2
7) The new program table data is sent to the program table data storage unit 14, and the new program table data is stored in the program table data storage unit 14 (step S28).

If the broadcast data is to be received continuously (step S24), the process returns to the initial process and continues. On the other hand, if reception is not to be continued, the process ends.

Next, FIG. 11 shows an example of a procedure for displaying a part of the program data when a program for displaying a part of the program data is requested in the present embodiment.

First, the user requests the program to be displayed by the program data display requesting unit 15. That is, the program data display request unit 15 receives a request from the user (step S31). The request method includes a method of specifying a program by inputting information for specifying a program, such as a broadcast station, a program name, and a broadcast time, which constitute program table data, and a method of specifying a program from keywords or personal information. There are a search method, a method of displaying a list of programs, and a user selecting a desired program. In the present embodiment, a broadcast station, a program name, and a broadcast time are input.

The program data display request section 15 sends information such as the input broadcast station, program name, and broadcast time to the broadcast data management section 11.

The broadcast data management section 11 checks whether or not program table data of a program corresponding to the transmitted information such as the broadcast station, the program name, and the broadcast time exists in the program table data storage section 14 (step S1). S32). If there is, it is checked whether or not "part of program data" is included in the program guide data. If “part of program data” is included (step S33), “part of program data” is extracted from the program guide data storage unit 14 and sent to the program data display unit 12.

The program data display section 12 displays the sent "part of the program data" (step S34).

Next, FIG. 12 shows an example of a procedure for displaying a “part of program data” when a broadcast time condition is designated in the present embodiment.

First, the user inputs the broadcast time to the program data display request section 15. That is, the program data display request unit 15 receives an input of the broadcast time from the user (step S41). The input broadcast time is sent to the broadcast data management unit 11.

The broadcast data management section 11 checks the program table data storage section 14 to determine whether there is program table data of the program broadcast at the broadcast time sent from the program data display request section 15.

If there is, it is checked whether or not "part of program data" is included in the program table data (step S4).
2). If “part of program data” is included, “part of program data” is extracted from the program guide data storage unit 14 and sent to the program data display unit 12. When there are a plurality of applicable programs, this process is performed for all applicable programs.

The program data display section 12 displays the transmitted "part of the program data" (step S43).
When a plurality of programs are applicable, “part of program data” is sequentially displayed.

[0130] In the above description, the user inputs the broadcast time and extracts the broadcast at this time. However, the user can input a broadcast time range, and the broadcast start time or the broadcast start time is included in this time range. It is also possible to extract the one that includes the end time, or extract the one that includes the broadcast start time and the broadcast end time in this time range.

Next, FIG. 13 shows an example of a procedure for displaying a part of the program data corresponding to the condition of the program genre (the type of the program) according to the present embodiment.

First, the user inputs a program genre to the program data display requesting section 15. That is, the program data display request unit 15 receives an input of the program genre from the user (step S51). The program genre is sent to the broadcast data management unit 11.

The broadcast data management unit 11 determines whether there is program table data of a program of a program genre transmitted from the program data display request unit 15 or not.
Find out with.

If there is, it is checked whether or not "part of program data" is included in the program table data (step S5).
2). If “part of program data” is included, “part of program data” is extracted from the program guide data storage unit 14 and sent to the program data display unit 12. When there are a plurality of applicable programs, this process is performed for all applicable programs.

The program data display section 12 displays the sent "part of the program data" (step S53).
When a plurality of programs are applicable, “part of program data” is sequentially displayed.

The functions described above can be implemented by appropriately combining them.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the means for displaying a part of the program data included in the program table, the contents of the program can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner from the program table. become.

A description will now be given of a case where a graphic user interface (GUI) is used for a part (program table data processing function) relating to processing of program table data in the present program broadcast receiving system. The program table data processing function using the graphic user interface (GUI) is realized by the broadcast data management unit 11 (and the program data display request unit 15) in the configuration of FIG.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the GUI screen.

In this example, the GUI screen 200 includes a first screen 201 for searching for a program table and displaying a program table, and a second screen 2 for displaying "part of program data" (partial program data).
02. The first screen 201 is a program guide display area 22
0, and the second screen 202 has a display area 240 of “part of program data”. It is preferable that the program guide display area 220 and the display area 240 be capable of appropriately changing the area size, scrolling the display content, and maximizing the display screen. Note that the first screen 201 and the second screen 202 may be displayed exclusively or may be displayed as independent windows.

This GUI screen is displayed, for example, in response to a program table browsing request input by the user. Then, when this GUI screen is displayed, input from the user is waited for. At this point, a program guide having a predetermined content, for example, a program guide for the current day or a time after the current time, may be waited for to be input while the program guide display area (220 in the figure) is displayed.

In the state of waiting for input on the GUI screen, the user may, for example, perform an operation of instructing a display form of the program guide, an operation of inputting a program search condition, an operation of displaying a program guide according to the input search condition, From the displayed program guide, select an operation to specify a program for which "part of program data" is desired to be viewed, an operation to display "part of program data" of the specified program, an operation to close this GUI screen, and the like. be able to.

First, as a display form of the program guide, a list display (information of each program is displayed in a list) and a time table display (information of each program is displayed on the time table).
It is preferable that the user can select any of the above.
For example, the user can use a mouse, a remote control, or the like to select a button / icon (2 in the figure) corresponding to a desired display mode.
11, 212) on the GUI screen or a dedicated button on the remote control, for example.
The display mode can be selected. Further, for the list display, it is preferable that a sort condition at the time of display can be set. As a default, for example, the list display may be selected.

When the user wants to browse a program table and wants to limit the programs for which information is to be displayed, the user can input attribute information on the programs or search conditions relating to the range.

In FIG. 14, as examples of designated items, “target date and time” (231), “channel designation” (232),
“Specify genre (type of program)” (233), “Specify broadcast time” (234), “Specify characters” (235),
Each item of "place designation" (236) and "keyword" (237) can be input.

Examples of items that can be specified as the “target date and time” include, for example, “today”, “tomorrow”, “after x days”, and “designation of date range (OO / OO to OO / OO)”. And so on.

[0147] Examples of what can be designated as "channel designation" include "designation of one or more channels".

Examples of items that can be designated as “genre designation” include, for example, “drama”, “sports”, “movie”, “music”, “education”, “sports”, “variety”, and a logical sum of these. Can be considered. In addition, "sports" can be more specifically described as "baseball", "soccer"
And so on.

[0149] Examples of items that can be designated as "broadcast time designation" include "time designation" and "time range designation". For example, "time specification" searches for a broadcast at a specified time, and "time range specification"
Then, a search is performed for a broadcast whose broadcast start time or broadcast end time is included in the specified time range, or a broadcast whose broadcast start time and broadcast end time are included in the specified time range.

As an item that can be designated as “character designation”, an arbitrary number of “character names or group names” can be considered.

Examples of items that can be designated as “place designation” include “prefecture name”, “place name”, and “broadcasting station name”.

As the “keyword”, for example, it is conceivable that a predetermined word and / or an arbitrary word can be specified.

When inputting the above items by the user,
For example, it is preferable that a list of selectable contents is displayed, and that the user can indicate the list by selecting and operating the contents on the screen with a remote controller or a mouse.
Of course, a method in which a user inputs desired conditions using a keyboard may be used together.

When this GUI screen is opened, a default value or a value last inputted in the past may be set / displayed in a place where the user can input.

For items not specified by the user, the items are not used in the search. If the user does not specify all items, all programs included in the stored program guide data are displayed on the program guide.

In FIG. 14, "today" is set as the target date and time, "drama" is set as the program genre, and "21:
00 to 23:00 ”is indicated.

Now, the user completes the input of the search condition,
When instructing execution of search / display, for example, an operation such as instructing a button / icon (not shown) indicating OK with a mouse or a remote controller, or instructing a button of a remote controller is performed.

When the user instructs execution of search / display, first, a corresponding program is searched from stored program guide data based on search conditions specified by the user. Then, based on the program table data (excluding the “part of program data”) for the program that satisfies the designated search condition, the program table in the indicated display form is displayed, and the apparatus enters the input wait state. .

FIG. 14 exemplifies a case where a list of the title, broadcast channel, and broadcast time of each program is displayed as the contents of the program table. Of course, other various information may be displayed. If the display area cannot be displayed, it is preferable that scrolling be possible.

Here, the user repeats the above operation to change the display mode or the search condition.

When the user wants to view "a part of the program data" for a desired program in the program table, the user can use a remote controller or a mouse to set the G program.
A desired program is selected and instructed on the UI screen. Alternatively, the number is displayed on the left side of the title, etc., and the user
This number may be indicated by a numeric button on the remote control.

Here, it is assumed that, for example, a program whose title is "drama a" is selected.

When a program is selected by the user, first, it is determined whether or not “a part of the program data” corresponding to the program is included in the stored program table data.

[Part of program data] corresponding to this program
If it is not included, a message to that effect is displayed and the system is in a state of waiting for input.

[Part of program data] corresponding to this program
If one or more are included, a button / icon corresponding to the data amount reduction form is displayed on the GUI screen for each "part of the program data", and an input waiting state is set.

Here, for a program with a title of “Drama a”, “a part of the program data” extracted from the program data for one minute, and “program part” extracted from the program data for three minutes and reduced in resolution. FIG. 14 shows an example in which three parts of "part of data" and "part of program data" which are obtained by extracting five minutes from the program data and having black and white gradations are included. In the example of FIG. 14, “1-FU” corresponds to each “part of program data” described above.
Button icons (251, 252, 253 in the figure) described as "LL", "3-LD", and "5-mono" are displayed.

Next, the user clicks a button / icon corresponding to a desired “part of program data” with a mouse or instructs it by operating a remote controller, etc., to thereby specify the desired “part of program data”. Select and enter.

In response to this selection input, the designated "part of the program data" is displayed in a predetermined display area, and the apparatus enters an input waiting state.

For example, when the button or icon 251 is designated in the figure, a one-minute portion extracted from actual program data is displayed.

At this point, the user can perform an operation relating to the reproduction of the “part of the program data”, an operation of selecting another “part of the program data”, an operation of selecting another program, and other search conditions. An operation for inputting, an operation for changing the display form of the program guide, an operation for closing the GUI screen, and the like can be selected.

As the button / icon corresponding to “part of the program data”, the corresponding button / icon may be displayed each time, or a plurality of buttons / icons in an idle state may be displayed in advance.
An icon may be displayed, and only the corresponding item may be activated.

If there is only one type of “part of program data” for the selected program, it may be displayed immediately.

[0173] The "part of the program data" is displayed on the GUI screen using a mouse or a remote controller.
By operating icons (241 in the figure) or buttons on the remote control, normal playback, fast forward, rewind,
Operations such as pause and slow playback may be performed.

The GUI screen may be displayed on a display screen for displaying a program, or may be used independently. In the former case, while the program is being displayed, there are a method of stopping the program display and displaying the GUI screen, and a method of dividing the screen and displaying both.

FIG. 15 shows another example of the GUI screen.

The example of FIG. 15 is a modification of the portion relating to the button / icon corresponding to the data amount reduction form of each "part of program data" in FIG. 14, and FIG. 15 shows only the relevant portion.

In this example, when execution of search / display is instructed by the user, a corresponding program is searched from stored program guide data based on search conditions specified by the user. Then, it is checked whether or not "part of program data" corresponding to all programs (or a part of programs required for display, etc.) is included in the stored program table data, and the program in the indicated display form is checked. A table is displayed and button icons (261, 262, 263 in the figure) corresponding to the data amount reduction form of each "part of program data"
Is displayed in association with each program in the program table. The number in the button icon indicates the time of “part of the program data”.

It is to be noted that 261, 262, 2 in FIG.
Each of the 63 button icons corresponds to 2 in FIG.
It is assumed that they correspond to the button icons 51, 252 and 253. The button icon 264 in FIG. 15 indicates the idle state, but the button icon in the idle state
No icon may be displayed.

It is preferable that the program guide shown in FIG. 15 be scrollable (in this case, the corresponding button / icon also moves in accordance with the scroll of the program guide).

Thereafter, as in the example of FIG. 14, the user clicks a button or icon corresponding to a desired “part of program data” with a mouse or instructs the desired by a remote control operation. "Part of program data"
Select and enter Then, in response to this selection input, the designated "part of program data" is displayed in a predetermined display area, and the apparatus enters an input waiting state.

Although two examples have been described above with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, various other forms of graphic user interfaces are possible.

The functions described in the embodiments of the present invention can be realized as software.

Further, the present embodiment is a computer in which a program for causing a computer to execute a predetermined procedure (or for causing the computer to function as predetermined means, or for causing the computer to realize a predetermined function) is recorded. It can also be implemented as a readable recording medium.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be implemented with various modifications within the technical scope.

[0185]

According to the present invention, partial program data of a desired program included in program table data can be displayed by adding partial program data to program table data and transmitting the program. It is possible to introduce the contents in an easily understandable manner in an audiovisual manner.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to display partial program data of a desired program included in the acquired program guide data, and to know the program contents in an audiovisual manner.

Further, the size of the program guide data can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a program broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of broadcast data.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a basic configuration example of program guide data;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the program broadcast system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of program guide data;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of program guide data;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a third configuration example of program guide data;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fourth configuration example of program guide data;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a program broadcast receiving system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the program broadcast receiving system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure of processing relating to program table data in the program broadcast receiving system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating another example of the procedure of processing relating to program table data in the program broadcast receiving system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating still another example of the procedure of processing relating to program table data in the program broadcast receiving system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 14 shows an example of a graphic user interface screen.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the graphic user interface screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Program broadcast system 2 ... Program data preparation part 3 ... Program table data preparation part 4 ... Broadcast data preparation part 5 ... Broadcast data transmission part 6 ... Broadcast data 7 ... Program data 8 ... Program table data 81 ... Broadcasting station 82 ... Program Name 83 Broadcast time 84 Part of the program 9 Receiver 10 Broadcast data receiving unit 11 Broadcast data management unit 12 Program data display unit 13 Program table data display unit 14 Program table data storage unit 15 Program Data display request section

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuya Yamane 1 Toshiba-cho, Komukai-shi, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba R & D Center Co., Ltd. In the Toshiba R & D Center (72) Inventor Shigeru Koyanagi 1 in Komukai Toshiba-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa In the Toshiba R & D Center

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A program broadcasting system for broadcasting program data and broadcasting program table data including information on each program, wherein said program table data includes partial program data having a reduced data amount. A program broadcasting system comprising: 2. The program broadcast system according to claim 1, wherein the partial program data is obtained by shortening the data size of target program data. 3. The program broadcast system according to claim 1, wherein the partial program data is obtained by reducing the data amount per frame of target program data. 4. The program broadcast according to claim 3, wherein the reduction in the amount of data per frame is at least one of a reduction in screen size, a reduction in resolution, and a reduction in color information. system. 5. The program broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein said partial program data is obtained by sampling a frame of target program data. 6. The program broadcast according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the data amount reduction method and the degree of reduction is determined based on attribute information of the program. system. 7. The program broadcasting system according to claim 6, wherein the attribute information of the program is at least one of a type of the program and a broadcast start time or a broadcast end time of the program. 8. The program guide data for a part or all of the programs, wherein a plurality of program data whose data amount is reduced, which is different in at least one of a reduction method and a reduction degree, is included in the program table data. 2. The program broadcasting system according to 1. 9. A program broadcast receiving system for receiving program data and program table data which may include partial program data in which the amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program, comprising: Means for saving, and means for displaying the partial program data when the partial program data corresponding to the designated program is included in the stored program guide data. Characteristic program broadcast receiving system. 10. The program broadcast receiving system according to claim 9, further comprising means for displaying said partial program data corresponding to a program corresponding to a designated broadcast time. 11. The program broadcast receiving system according to claim 9, further comprising means for displaying said partial program data corresponding to a program corresponding to a designated program type. 12. Receiving program data and program table data which includes one or more attribute information as information on each program and may include partial program data with a reduced data amount of program data as information on each program. A program broadcast receiving system for storing the program table data; a means for searching for a corresponding program from the program table data based on one or more specified attribute information; Means for displaying the partial program data when the partial program data corresponding to the selected program is included in the program table data. 13. The attribute information used in the search includes the type of program, the broadcast date of the program, the start time of the program, the end time of the program, the broadcast channel of the program, the performer of the program, the shooting location of the program, or the keyword. The program broadcast receiving system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of them is provided. 14. Program table data which may include program data and at least a broadcast start time and a broadcast end time as attribute information relating to each program, and may include partial program data in which the amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program. A means for storing the program guide data, a means for searching for a corresponding program from the program guide data based on a designated broadcast time or a range thereof, Means for displaying the partial program data when the partial program data corresponding to the selected program is included in the program guide data. 15. A program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the data amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program, the program table data processing system comprising: Means for displaying a program guide in a predetermined form on a display screen based on the program guide data;
Or a plurality of means for displaying, on the display screen, a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction form for each of the partial program data when the program list data includes the program information; Means for displaying the partial program data corresponding to the instructed predetermined image in the event that the program has been designated. 16. A program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program, comprising: Based on the program guide data, a program guide in a predetermined form is displayed on a display screen, and for each program that satisfies the specified condition, one or a plurality of the partial program data corresponding to the program are displayed. Means for displaying, on the display screen, a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction mode for each of the partial program data, when included in the program guide data, and when any of the predetermined images is instructed, Means for displaying the partial program data corresponding to the designated predetermined image. 17. A program table data broadcasting method in a program broadcasting system for broadcasting program data and broadcasting program table data including information on each program, wherein the partial program data in which the data amount of the program data is reduced is stored. A program table data broadcasting method characterized by being included in program table data. 18. A program table data processing method in a program broadcast receiving system for receiving program data and program table data which may include partial program data in which the data amount of the program data is reduced as information relating to each program, When the partial program data corresponding to a specified program is included in the program guide data, the partial program data is displayed. 19. A program table data processing method in a program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the data amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program. A program guide in a predetermined form is displayed on the display screen based on the program guide data for the program satisfying the condition, and the partial program data corresponding to the program designated and selected is 1
Or, when the plurality of program data is included in the program table data, a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction mode is displayed on the display screen for each of the partial program data, and when any of the predetermined images is instructed And displaying the partial program data corresponding to the designated predetermined image. 20. A program table data processing method in a program table data processing system for processing program table data which may include partial program data in which the data amount of program data is reduced as information relating to each program, comprising: A program guide in a predetermined form is displayed on a display screen based on the program guide data for a program that satisfies the condition, and for each program that satisfies the designated condition, the partial program data corresponding to the program is displayed. Is included in the program guide data, a predetermined image corresponding to the data amount reduction mode is displayed on the display screen for each of the partial program data, and any one of the predetermined images indicates And displaying the partial program data corresponding to the instructed predetermined image when the program guide data is displayed.