KR20120061729A - Content searching method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A content searching method for searching for a program of the same identifier as a selected program is provided to select one program to be recorded instead of a selected program through an input device. CONSTITUTION: An input module(903) receives program information which is selected by an identifier. A processing module(901) searches for information related to a program through a first source and a second source. The processing module searches for the program corresponding to the selected program. The first source includes broadcasting stream.

Description

How to Search for Content {CONTENT SEARCHING METHOD}

The present invention relates to a method for retrieving content from various sources, and more particularly, to retrieve information related to a valid program from a broadcast stream or from another source such as the Internet or a local hard disk, thereby retrieving a program having the same identifier as the selected program. It is about a finding device.

Multimedia content such as television programs and movies may be provided, for example, in standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), stereoscopic (3D) formats. The same program is valid in more than one format and can be broadcast on many channels. For example, a particular program (ie, a particular television show or movie) may be broadcast in standard definition format on one channel and in high definition and / or stereoscopic format on another channel. The SD, HD and 3D versions can be broadcast simultaneously or at different times. However, if a particular event is available in a different format from various sources, that is, available in a different format, the user is difficult to be sure that the content is shown or recorded in the best valid format.

An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input module installed to receive information about a selected program associated with an identifier; A processing module installed to search for programs corresponding to the selected program by searching for information related to programs obtainable from first and second sources with respect to programs having the same identifier as the selected program, The first source may include a broadcast stream.

Here, the second source may be a source of the Internet or recorded programs.

Here, the source of the recorded programs may be a local storage or a network.

In addition, when a program is recorded, the device may store the program identifier associated with the recorded program.

Further, the corresponding programs include programs broadcast in a plurality of different image quality formats, and the apparatus may provide a corresponding program having a relatively high image quality as an alternative to the selected program.

The corresponding program may be valid at a different time zone than the selected program.

In addition, the selected program is a program selected for recording, and the device is installed to determine whether the selected program is scheduled to be broadcast in a time zone that conflicts with a broadcast time zone of a previously reserved program, and the previously reserved program is recorded. It can be a program intended for.

Here, in the collision event, the device searches for programs corresponding to the selected program that does not conflict with the previously reserved program, or searches for programs corresponding to a pre-booked program that does not conflict with the selected program. It can be configured to.

Here, the device may be configured to find programs corresponding to the selected program or a pre-booked program by searching for valid programs among a broadcast stream, the Internet, and a plurality of recorded programs.

In addition, the device may be configured to reserve one of the corresponding programs to be recorded instead of the selected program or the pre-booked program.

In addition, the broadcast stream may include link information indicating a location on the Internet where a program corresponding to the selected program may be obtained, and the processing module may be installed to go to the location for providing the corresponding program.

Here, the broadcast stream may include a plurality of content information items that define programs available through the broadcast stream.

Here, the link information may be associated with each of the content information items.

In addition, a DVB compatible device, wherein the content information items include event information table (EIT) events and the link information may store each of the EIT events.

Here, the link information may include the address of the corresponding program.

In addition, data is stored in the service description table (SDT), network information table (NIT) or bouquet related table (BAT) of the broadcast stream to provide a URL prefix, and the EIT indicates the address of the corresponding program on the Internet. In order to store the data added to the URL.

In addition, the link information may be provided separately from the content information items.

In addition, the broadcast stream may further include information related to a period in which a corresponding program can be obtained from the indicated position.

In addition, the identifier may be a content reference identifier (CRID).

Further, a method according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: receiving information defining a selected program associated with an identifier; Retrieving programs corresponding to the selected programs by retrieving information related to programs available from a first source and a second source for programs having the same identifier as the selected program. It is done.

Further, the computer program according to the embodiment of the present invention may be installed to implement the above method when executed by the processor.

1 is a first flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the invention,
2a and 2b show a second flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the invention,
3 is a third flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is an exemplary view of an OSD showing a list of programs corresponding to a selected program, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is an illustration of an OSD showing various options for overcoming a conflict with a pre-booked program, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of an OSD similar to FIG. 5, capable of obtaining pre-booked programs via the Internet; FIG.
7 is an illustration of an OSD giving a user the option to cancel a pre-booked program, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
8 is an illustration of an OSD for when no corresponding programs are found, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a personal video recorder (PVR) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The method can be applied to a device such as a television or a personal video recorder (PVR) connected to the television. The method may be implemented in a digital video broadcasting (DVB) compatible PVR that includes an internal hard disk for recording programs, but is not limited to being used with the DVB standard.

In a first step 101, one of a plurality of programs in a received broadcast stream is selected. In this embodiment, this selection is performed by the user, for example, by the user inputting a command to the device using the remote controller. However, in another embodiment, the selection may be performed automatically. For example, the device may automatically select a program based on a user's known viewing habits. The selected program may be a program selected for viewing or recording.

In a second step 102, a search is performed for a program corresponding to the selected program. Specifically, the device is provided with information about a valid program in a broadcast stream, and searches for this information to find a program corresponding to the selected program. If the device is a DVB-compatible receiver, the information about the programs that are valid, i.e. available, in the broadcast stream is event information table (EIT) data. Also, in the present embodiment, the device retrieves all the corresponding programs valid through the Internet, for example, as part of a service that responds immediately to demand. The content can be streamed over the Internet or downloaded, for example, to the PVR's internal hard disk.

In this embodiment, each program is identified by a content reference identifier (CRID). Each CRID is unique to a particular content item, such as a particular TV show or movie, and is the same for all examples of that content. That is, even if the content is broadcast in multiple formats (e.g., SD, HD and 3D) and can be obtained via the Internet, all programs containing the content are independent of the source from which the program is received and the format in which the program is provided. Have the same CRID. Searching for the corresponding program includes searching for other programs having the same CRID as the selected program. In addition, when corresponding programs are broadcast simultaneously in different qualities (for example, when they are simultaneously broadcasted in SD and HD on different channels), the programs use a linkage descriptor defined in the DVB standard (EN 300 468). Can be identified.

In addition, the device may search local storage, such as an internal hard disk, or network-connected storage, to find all programs corresponding to the selected program. Local storage and networked storage may each be a hard disk or other form of storage, such as a flash memory drive or an optical disk drive. In particular, the programs may be recorded in storage from a broadcast stream or from the Internet, for later viewing. Searching for corresponding programs in storage is advantageous when the user forgets that they have pre-recorded the same content in storage, or when the current user does not know that another user has already recorded the same content in storage. Do. The device can automatically record the program without the user's knowledge, for example based on the user's known viewing habits. In addition, the content may be recorded in HD at a higher quality than the currently selected program, for example, when the selected program is SD. By searching the broadcast stream, the Internet and storage for the corresponding program, the device can ensure that the user has the opportunity to watch the selected content in the highest quality format available.

In order to retrieve the corresponding program over the Internet, the device may be configured to connect to the Internet via a network connection. In this embodiment, the device searches for a specific location on the Internet based on the received information specifying the location where the program is valid. Since the received information provides a link to the content on the Internet, it may be referred to as 'link information'.

The link information may be included in a broadcast stream or received through the internet. For example, the broadcast stream may include a plurality of content information items each defining a specific program valid through the broadcast stream. In a DVB system, content information items are events defined in the EIT. The content information item may specify information such as a channel on which a program is to be broadcast, a time at which the program is valid, and a format (SD, HD, or 3D) in which the program is provided. Separate link information may be associated with each content information item to specify a location on the Internet where the program is valid (ie, the program defined by the content information item). This allows the individual locations to be associated with each program so that the device can move quickly to a specific location where the program can be found.

If the device is a DVB compatible receiver, the link information may be provided as additional data added to each event in the EIT. In one embodiment, the link information stored with each event may include a URL indicating a location on the Internet where the program can be found. The device may then go to the URL to provide the program. The URL may point directly to the content or may link to a web page that will execute the program when the device navigates to that page.

In contrast, according to another embodiment, a comprehensive URL prefix may include a service description table (SDT), a network information table (NIT), or a bouquet association table of a broadcast stream. , BAT). These tables are defined in EN 300 468. The EIT then stores the data appended to the URL to provide an internet address where the corresponding program can be found. In this case, the link information includes both the URL prefix and the data stored in the EIT. The data added to the URL may be existing EIT data such as EVENT_ID or CRID or new data specifically added to the EIT to be linked to content on the Internet. And, by providing multiple inputs of EIT data appended to the URL, a single event can be linked to multiple programs at different locations on the Internet. Each event in the EIT has new data added to indicate which inputs in the SDT / NIT / BAT are related, and this new data may further indicate the period of time that the content is valid from the location. In addition, information about the quality of the program (eg SD, HD or 3D) may be stored in the EIT data or the SDT / NIT / BAT data.

In a third step 103, if no corresponding program is found, the device keeps the original selection (see last step 107). However, if a corresponding program is found, then in the fourth step 104 the user is given the option to select one of the corresponding programs as an alternative to the selected program, i. E. The program originally selected in the first step 101. In this embodiment, the device displays a list of programs corresponding to the selected program via the television in the OSD. The user then selects one of the programs from the displayed list using an input device such as a remote controller.

For example, the program originally selected in the first step 101 may be the SD broadcast of a specific TV show. By searching for valid programs with the same CRID on the broadcast stream, the Internet, and the hard disk, the device can find other instances of the user's favorite TV show. That is, the same TV show may be broadcast on different channels as HD programs and / or 3D programs, and may be valid at different times of different channels. In addition, the TV show may be available upon request on the Internet, so that the user can watch it at any time. Also, the TV show may have been previously recorded in HD on the hard disk. Thus, by displaying a list of valid corresponding programs from the broadcast stream, the Internet, and the hard disk, the user is given the right to select a program that can be broadcasted in higher quality at a convenient time than the originally selected program.

In a fifth step 105, the device determines if the user has selected one of the corresponding programs from the list. If one of the corresponding programs has been selected, the device proceeds to this program instead of the originally selected program (ie, the program selected in the first step 101). For example, if the originally selected program was a program selected for recording, the device proceeds to schedule recording of the corresponding program selected by the user instead of recording the originally selected program.

On the other hand, the user may not select one of the corresponding programs from the list. In this case, in the seventh step 107, the device processes with the originally selected program.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a method for resolving a recording conflict, according to one embodiment of the present invention, is illustrated. The method steps shown in FIG. 2B continue from 'A' in FIG. 2A. A recording conflict occurs when a certain program is selected for recording and the program is scheduled to be broadcast simultaneously with another program to be recorded, since the device cannot record both programs at the same time. This method may occur in a PVR or any device capable of receiving and recording programs.

In a first step 201, a program is selected for recording. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the program may be selected by the user or automatically selected according to a viewing habit of the user. Alternatively, in FIG. 2, the step 201 of selecting a program may include the method as described in FIG. 1, so that after the user selects a program, the user may choose whether to process the original selection or one of the corresponding programs. Before selecting as, a search for the corresponding program is performed.

In a second step 202, the device checks whether the program selected in the first step 201 conflicts with a pre-booked program. More specifically, the user can select a program to be recorded later, i.e., when the program is broadcast. In addition, the programs may be automatically selected for recording according to the user's viewing habits. However, there may be a limit on how many programs can be recorded during a given time. In this embodiment, the device is unable to record more than one program at the same time. As such, a program selected for recording cannot be recorded if another program is already reserved for recording at the same time as the above selected program.

To determine if there is such a conflict, the device compares the scheduled broadcast time of the selected program against the scheduled broadcast time of all the pre-booked programs (ie, the programs reserved in advance for recording). If there are no programs reserved for recording during the broadcast time of the selected program, there is no conflict, and the device proceeds to schedule recording of the selected program (third step 203).

On the other hand, if there is a conflict, in a fourth step 204, the device searches for a program corresponding to the selected program by searching for valid programs via the broadcast stream or the Internet. In addition, all pre-recorded programs having the same identifier as the selected program can be retrieved from the internal hard disk. Here, the device searches for the corresponding program in a manner similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 1 (see second step 102 of FIG. 1).

Next, in a fifth step 205, in order to determine whether the corresponding program collides with the pre-booked program, the device compares the scheduled broadcast times of the pre-booked programs with the scheduled broadcast time of the corresponding program. This step is similar to the second step 202, but for the corresponding program rather than the selected program. If there is no conflict, at sixth step 206, the device marks the particular corresponding program as a possible alternative to the selected program. As a possible alternative, to mark a particular program, the device may store information about the program in a cache. This information may be set to a predetermined value if the program is not a suitable alternative, for example if the program conflicts with a pre-scheduled recording, and if the program is suitable for use as an alternative to the selected program, for example. If the program does not conflict, it is a flag that can be set to a value different from the above-mentioned predetermined value.

Next, in a seventh step 207, it is determined whether other corresponding programs are valid, i.e. available from, the broadcast stream, the Internet or the hard disk. In order to determine if other corresponding programs are valid, the apparatus searches for the programs again in a similar manner as described above with reference to the fourth step 204.

Referring back to the fifth step 205, if there is a conflict with a pre-scheduled program, the device does not mark the corresponding program as a possible alternative, but instead proceeds directly to the seventh step 207 to see if the other corresponding programs are valid. Determine whether or not.

In a seventh step 207, if another corresponding program is found, the device returns to the fifth step 205 to determine if the corresponding program is suitable for alternative use. In other words, if it does not conflict with the previously reserved recording, it is a suitable corresponding program.

If no more corresponding programs are found in the seventh step 207, the device has found all suitable alternatives to the selected program, ie all corresponding programs that do not conflict with the pre-scheduled recording. The apparatus then proceeds to an eighth step 208 (FIG. 2B), to retrieve the program corresponding to the conflicting program in a manner similar to that described above for the fourth step 204.

After finding the program corresponding to the conflicting program, the device goes through the ninth (209), tenth (210), and eleventh (211) steps to find all possible alternatives to the conflicting program. These steps are substantially similar to the fifth (205), sixth (206), and seventh (207) steps described above, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted for the sake of brevity. Here, the term 'collision program' refers to a pre-booked program scheduled for recording during the broadcast time of the selected program (i.e., the program selected in the first step 201).

In the present embodiment, the device can record only one program at a time, but there may be several conflicting programs for one selected program. For example, the selected program may have a broadcast time of 21:00 to 22:00, which is one hour. In this case, there may be two conflicting programs, 30 minutes each, one with a broadcast time of 21:00 to 21:30 and the other with a broadcast time of 21:30 to 22:00. Thus, there is a need to search for alternatives for one or more conflicting programs.

Thus, in a twelfth step 212, the device determines whether there are any conflicting programs that have not yet been retrieved for those alternatives. If there are conflicting programs that need to be searched for, the device returns to the eighth step 208 to find suitable alternatives to the conflicting program in question. When appropriate alternatives to all conflicting programs have been retrieved, the device goes to the last step 213 to display a list of all possible options to the user. The user can then re-plan for previously scheduled recordings by choosing to record alternative instances of the selected program or by selecting one of the alternatives found for each conflict recording.

If all conflicts have been resolved, by rescheduling or canceling each conflicting program, the user may have the option to schedule a recording for the originally selected program.

As another option, the user can choose to cancel recording of the selected program or all conflicting programs. For example, the originally selected program may be an HD broadcast of a particular TV show, but all suitable alternative programs found may be SD broadcasts. Thus, even though alternative programs have been found, the user may not want to reschedule the selected program, but instead may cancel or reschedule the conflicting programs. If no suitable alternative program was found for all conflicting or selected programs, the user would only have the choice between canceling the recording of the selected program and canceling all pre-scheduled programs (see eleventh step 211). ).

Using this method, the user can be provided with a range of choices to overcome conflicts with pre-scheduled recording when selecting a program to be recorded. In particular, by searching the Internet for a program corresponding to the selected program, it is possible to find a corresponding program which is always valid, for example by request. This is particularly advantageous when trying to overcome a conflict with a prescheduled program, since the corresponding program can be recorded at any convenient time and can be downloaded immediately. In addition, by searching for corresponding programs in local storage or network storage such as a hard disk, the user can know whether the same content has been recorded in advance, in which case the selected recording can be canceled instead of rescheduling again.

Referring now to FIG. 3, shown is a method according to another embodiment of the present invention. Like the Figures 1, 2A and 2B, the method of Figure 3 can be applied to any device such as a PVR or TV. The method of FIG. 3 relates to a program selected for viewing, so that the device need not have any recording capability.

In a first step 301, the user selects a program for viewing, for example by switching to a channel on which the current program is broadcasting. Next, in a second step 302, the device searches for valid corresponding programs via the broadcast stream or the Internet.

In order to retrieve the programs corresponding to the selected program, the apparatus may use a method similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 1 (see second step 102 of FIG. 1). In particular, in this embodiment, the device searches for a valid corresponding program in a higher picture quality format than the currently selected program. That is, if the selected program is broadcast in SD format, the device searches for the corresponding program in HD or 3D. If the selected program is broadcast in HD format, the device searches for the corresponding program in 3D. If the device has the ability to record a program, for example a PVR, the device can also retrieve the corresponding program from internal storage.

 In a third step 303, it may be determined whether a corresponding program of higher quality is found. If not, the device continues to display the selected program (see last step 307). If a corresponding program is found, the device allows the user to select one of the corresponding programs to view the content in higher quality (see fourth step 304).

In a fourth step 304, the device can use the OSD to display information about the selected program and corresponding programs. This information may include detailed information about each of the programs, such as the source from which the program is valid, broadcast time, broadcast picture quality (SD, HD or 3D). Alternatively, this information may specify various options based on program characteristics, such as broadcast quality, rather than explicitly indicating a particular program. For example, without explicitly specifying the program selected by each option, the OSD gives the user a choice as to whether to watch the content in SD (i.e., selected program) or HD (i.e. HD corresponding program). Can be. The user can then select one of the options using an input device such as a remote controller.

In a fifth step 305, if the user does not select one of the corresponding programs, the device continues to display the currently selected program (see last step 307). However, if the user selects one of the corresponding programs, in sixth step 306 the device starts displaying the program instead of the originally selected program.

Using the method as shown in FIG. 3, it can be guaranteed to watch the content in the highest possible quality. Since the program selected in the first step 301 is the program selected for immediate viewing, it can be assumed that the user wants to watch the content at present. Thus, the device may be arranged to search for only those programs that are currently being broadcast and that start simultaneously with the selected program. Alternatively, the device may provide the user with a list of all corresponding programs for which better picture quality is possible, ie including those that can be broadcasted later. By searching the Internet and the hard disk (if provided), it is possible to find valid (eg, for immediate download) high definition content on demand, even when the high quality versions are not currently available in the broadcast stream.

4 illustrates an OSD menu according to an embodiment of the present invention. The OSD menu can be used to select a program for recording. For example, this menu may be used to display a list of alternative programs to the user in the sixth step 206 of FIG. 2A. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the selected program is SD and the corresponding HD program has been found on another channel (BBC 3) and on the Internet. Whether the user will record the selected program ("SD broadcast"), record the corresponding HD program of BBC 3 ("HD broadcast"), download an HD program from the Internet ("download from the Internet"), or cancel the recording completely You can choose whether or not ("Cancel"). In the example shown, the user highlights the HD broadcast selection, ie, the option for displaying the corresponding program which is HD.

5 through 8, OSD menus according to embodiments of the present invention are shown. These menus are displayed when a recording conflict is detected. For example, each menu may be displayed at the last step 213 of FIG. 2B.

In FIG. 5, the user has highlighted an option for selecting a program corresponding to the selected program. This has the effect of re-scheduling the recording of the TV show in question ('Eastenders') by choosing to record the corresponding program that does not conflict with the previously scheduled recording. In addition, the OSD menu of FIG. 5 is different from FIG. 4 in that it shows detailed information about each specific program.

In FIG. 6, the OSD menu is shown similar to that of FIG. 5. In the OSD menu of FIG. 6, alternatives to crash recordings have been found on the Internet. They are always available for download, so they do not have a specific broadcast window. They are free for the user to cancel recording of broadcast versions of these shows (ie, pre-scheduled recordings) because they can download at a convenient time.

In Fig. 7, no alternative to conflicting recordings has been found, so there is only the option to cancel (ie, rather than reschedule) these recordings. However, alternatives to selected programs have been found from both the broadcast stream and the Internet.

In FIG. 8, no suitable alternative programs for the selected recording or collision recording were found. Thus, the user only has the option of canceling the selected recording or canceling conflicting recordings.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a PVR is schematically illustrated in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, certain configurations of the PVR have been omitted for clarity. In addition, the elements of the PVR (such as the processing module, input module, and OSD generator) shown in FIG. 9 may be executed as software modules in a computer program running on the PVR's processor. The PVR is suitable for implementing the methods as described in Figures 1-3. In this embodiment, the PVR is a DVB compatible receiver.

The PVR 900 includes a processing module 901, a storage 902, an input module 903, and an OSD generator 904. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 902 is a built-in hard disk of the PVR 900, but in other embodiments, the storage unit 902 may be a network hard disk or another type of nonvolatile storage unit. The processing module 901 receives a broadcast stream including a plurality of programs (called 'events') and event information table (EIT) data including information about the programs. The broadcast stream is decoded to extract audio-visual data for the program currently being broadcast on the selected channel, which is sent to the display 906 for the user to watch.

The processing module 901 is configured to receive information defining the selected program. In this embodiment, this information is received from input module 903 which receives commands from input device 905. Input device 905, which may be a remote controller, is manipulated by the user to select a program from the broadcast stream, the Internet, or storage 902. In another embodiment, the program selection module may be included in the PVR 900 to automatically select a program without user input and to transmit information defining the selected program to the processing module 901.

The processing module 901 is configured to retrieve a program corresponding to the selected program. As shown in Fig. 9, the processing module 901 is connected to the Internet to search for corresponding programs. In addition, the storage unit 902 may record programs from a broadcast stream and the Internet. Thus, in this embodiment, the processing module 901 is effective in the broadcast stream, the Internet, and the storage 902 using the method as described in connection with FIG. 1 (second step 102 of FIG. 1). Corresponding programs can be retrieved. Therefore, when the user selects to watch a program, the PVR 900 searches for all corresponding programs that contain the same content as the selected program but with higher quality. In addition, when the user selects a program for recording, the PVR 900 may determine whether the same content is already recorded in the storage 902 or whether the same content is available on the Internet.

The OSD generator 904 may be controlled by the processing module 901 to display information related to corresponding programs on the display 906. Using the input device 905, the user can select one of the corresponding programs to be watched or recorded instead of the originally selected program.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described in which a user has a choice between a selected program and other programs corresponding to the program. However, in other embodiments, this selection can be made automatically. For example, when a program corresponding to the selected program can be obtained in higher quality than the selected program (ie, in 3D or HD for SD), the device can be configured to automatically switch to the corresponding program of higher quality. Can be. Also, if there is no user input within a predetermined time after displaying the selection lists, the selection may be made automatically as a default option. For example, when displaying selection lists to resolve a conflict (see FIG. 6), the device may automatically cancel the selected program if there is no user input within one minute. This provides the default path for the action in the event that the chat screen pauses.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention have been described as including a PVR capable of recording programs from a broadcast stream and the Internet. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the methods as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 may be implemented in devices that cannot record a program. For example, the device may be a digital television that does not have a built-in device for recording programs. In this case, the selected program is the program selected for viewing, and the device searches for corresponding programs available through the broadcast stream or the Internet (i.e., no internal hard disk is searched because nothing is provided).

The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative, and various modifications and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the invention described in the claims below.

900: PVR
901: Processing Module
902: storage unit
903: input module
904: OSD generator
905: input device
906: display unit

Claims (21)

In the apparatus,
An input module, adapted to receive information about the selected program associated with the identifier;
A processing module installed to search for programs corresponding to the selected program by searching for information related to programs obtainable from first and second sources with respect to programs having the same identifier as the selected program,
And the first source comprises a broadcast stream. The method of claim 1,
And the second source is a source of the Internet or recorded programs. The method of claim 2,
The source of the recorded programs is a local storage or a network. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
When a program is recorded, the device stores the program identifier associated with the recorded program. The method of claim 1,
And said corresponding programs comprise programs broadcast in a plurality of different picture quality formats, said device providing a corresponding program having a relatively high picture quality as an alternative to said selected program. The method of claim 5,
And the corresponding program is valid at a different time zone than the selected program. The method of claim 1,
The selected program is a program selected for recording,
The device is installed to determine whether the selected program is scheduled to be broadcast in a time zone that conflicts with a broadcast time zone of a previously reserved program, wherein the previously reserved program is a program scheduled for recording. The method of claim 7, wherein
In the conflict event, the device is configured to search for programs corresponding to the selected program that does not conflict with the previously reserved program, or to search for programs corresponding to a pre-booked program that does not conflict with the selected program. Apparatus characterized in that the. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the device is configured to find programs corresponding to the selected program or a pre-booked program by searching for valid programs among a broadcast stream, the Internet, and a plurality of recorded programs. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
The device is configured to reserve one of the selected program or corresponding programs to be recorded instead of the pre-booked program. The method of claim 1,
And the broadcast stream includes link information indicating a location on the Internet where a program corresponding to the selected program can be obtained, and the processing module is installed to go to the location providing the corresponding program. The method of claim 11,
And the broadcast stream includes a plurality of content information items that define programs available through the broadcast stream. The method of claim 12,
And the link information is associated with each of the content information items. The method according to claim 12 or 13,
Includes DVB compatible devices,
Wherein the content information items comprise an event information table (EIT) events and the link information stores each of the EIT events. The method of claim 14,
And the link information includes an address of the corresponding program. The method of claim 14,
Data is stored in a service description table (SDT), a network information table (NIT), or a bouquet related table (BAT) of the broadcast stream to provide a URL prefix,
And the EIT stores data added to the URL to indicate an address of a corresponding program on the Internet. The method of claim 12,
And the link information is provided separately from the content information items. The method of claim 11,
And the broadcast stream further includes information related to a period during which a corresponding program can be obtained from the indicated position. The method of claim 1,
And the identifier is a content reference identifier (CRID). Receiving information defining a selected program associated with the identifier;
Retrieving programs corresponding to the selected programs by retrieving information related to programs available from a first source and a second source for programs having the same identifier as the selected program. How to. A computer program installed to execute the method according to claim 20 when executed by a processor.

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