JP2001309344A - Digital broadcasting receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform processing using data about broadcasting from just after starting to receive broadcast waves. SOLUTION: A broadcasting system 2 for multichannel digital broadcasting includes a providing source 5 for providing the data about the broadcasting of all of a plurality of broadcasting stations 3 including program guide data by using the communication of a system different from the multichannel digital broadcasting in addition to a receiver 1. The receiver 1 includes communication equipment for performing the communication of the different system with the providing source and a reproduction controller for controlling a tuner in addition to the tuner for selectively demodulating and extracting the contents data of a program from the broadcast waves and a reproducing device for reproducing the program. The reproduction controller acquires data about the broadcasting of a broadcasting station 3 from the source 5 by using the communication equipment and controls the tuner based on the acquired data. Thus, it is possible to perform processing that uses the data about the broadcasting regardless of the past receiving state of the broadcast waves.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiver for receiving a broadcast wave of a multi-channel digital broadcast.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital satellite broadcasting has been performed as one of multi-channel broadcasting using a digital broadcasting system involving data multiplexing. In the Japanese standard for digital satellite broadcasting, one or more carrier waves are used, and a plurality of channels are assigned to one broadcast wave. In multi-channel digital broadcasting, a large number of channels can be allocated to one broadcast wave.
Furthermore, since data other than program data can be multiplexed on the baseband signal, a new reception function not provided in the conventional analog broadcasting can be provided.

The number of channels of multi-channel digital broadcasting is as follows:
In many cases, the number of channels is equal to or greater than the number of channels of conventional analog broadcasting. Therefore, in a multi-channel digital broadcast receiver, as one of new reception functions, a so-called EPG (Electronic Program Gui) is used to simplify the operation of selecting a program by a viewer.
de: an electronic program guide). The EPG is a visual display of at least a set of a title of a program to be broadcast, a broadcast channel of the program, and a broadcast date and time of the program. The EPG data that is the basis of the EPG is included in the baseband signal of the broadcast wave together with the program data.

[0004] After receiving a broadcast wave, the receiver of the multi-channel digital broadcast demodulates the broadcast wave, decodes the resulting baseband signal, and obtains program data and EPG data of each channel. . The receiver creates an EPG based on the EPG data and displays it on the screen of the receiver. At the time of manual channel selection, the viewer operates an operation device provided in the receiver to move a pointer or a cursor to a portion in the EPG where a description relating to a desired program is provided. A broadcast channel of a program whose description is described in a portion where the pointer overlaps is selected, data of the program of the channel is extracted, and the program is reproduced.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-220666 discloses a digital satellite broadcast receiving apparatus. The receiving device demodulates a broadcast wave based on attribute information of a program transmitted from a broadcasting station together with EPG data.
The guide data of each program in the PG data is selected.
Only guide data of a program whose attribute information matches the user information preset by the viewer is selected. A program table is created using only the guide data of the selected program. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-220673 discloses a program guide display device provided in a digital satellite broadcast receiving device. The program guide display device, among all channels,
A channel whose viewing time of a channel program is equal to or longer than a reference time is automatically updated and registered in the user program guide. When the program guide display function using the user program guide is selected by the viewer, the program guide display device outputs the user program guide data among the guide data of each program in the EPG data obtained by demodulating the broadcast wave. A program table is created using only the guide data of the programs of the channels registered in the table.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-276421 discloses EP
A digital satellite broadcast receiving apparatus having a new function using a program table based on G data is disclosed. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus is an EPG obtained by demodulating a broadcast wave.
In addition to the program table based on the data, a list of programs viewed in the past is displayed on the monitor screen with reference to the viewing history in the receiving device. In addition, in response to an instruction from the operator who has viewed the list, a desired program is selected from the list, and the identification data of the selected program is transmitted to the broadcasting station as data for requesting rebroadcasting.

[0007] The applicant of the present invention is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-290171.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-260, DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) which is another one of multi-channel broadcasting with data multiplexing
Has proposed a receiving system. The baseband signal of the DAB broadcast wave includes a so-called program type code as data corresponding to EPG data of Japan Digital Satellite Broadcasting. In the receiving system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-290171, the reservation contents of a program desired to be viewed are stored in a memory in advance for automatic control, and when the start time of the program comes, reception and output of the program are performed. It starts automatically. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-327111 discloses D
A program receiving method at the time of automatic control in an AB receiver is disclosed. The receiver disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-327111 determines whether or not a program of a program type specified in advance by a user is currently being broadcast based on a program type code demodulated from a DAB broadcast wave. Then, when a plurality of programs of the program type are being broadcast, the fact that there are a plurality of programs being broadcast is presented so that the viewer can select the program being broadcast.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 11-234228 discloses that
A data broadcast system having a configuration in which a broadcast signal of a data broadcast is multiplexed with a broadcast signal of an existing broadcast, such as FM text multiplex broadcast, is disclosed. In the data broadcasting system, a facsimile device is used as a terminal device. A facsimile device used as a terminal device restores received program data and prints it on a recording sheet.

[0009]

In multi-channel digital broadcasting, EPG data is transmitted using a carousel transmission method. Therefore, one EPG data is divided into a plurality of parts, and the divided parts are periodically inserted into the baseband signal of the broadcast wave for a predetermined time.
In Japan Digital Satellite Broadcasting, the insertion period of EPG data is 5 minutes, and the insertion period of one EPG data is 30 minutes. For this reason, in the multi-channel digital broadcast, if the broadcast wave is not continuously received from the start of the reception processing of the broadcast wave to the lapse of the time equal to or longer than the insertion period of the EPG data, all parts of the one-time EPG data are received. Are not aligned. As described above, since the program selection using the EPG cannot be performed while the EPG data is not prepared, the broadcast received before the start of the reception processing of the broadcast wave is viewed again, or the program of each channel is viewed sequentially. Therefore, it is difficult to select a program.

In order to obtain an EPG covering programs of all channels assigned to two or more carriers of a multi-channel digital broadcast, broadcast waves corresponding to two or more carriers are respectively received and demodulated. In addition, EPG data obtained from each broadcast wave is collected, and EPG data is generated based on the EPG data.
Must be created. Therefore, it takes time to obtain an EPG covering programs of all channels of a multi-channel digital broadcast wave.

JP-A-11-220666, JP-A-11-220573, and JP-A-10-276421
JP, JP-A-10-290171, JP-A-10-290171
JP-A-327111 and JP-A-11-23422
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 8, data related to broadcasting other than content data of the program itself, such as EPG data or data similar thereto, is obtained by demodulating a broadcast wave. Therefore, in the above-mentioned six publications, since the above-mentioned problems relating to the data related to the broadcast obtained by demodulating the broadcast wave are not considered at all, various processes using the data related to the broadcast are performed immediately after the start of the reception of the broadcast wave. Difficult to do.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital broadcast receiver capable of executing processing using broadcast-related data other than the content data of a program itself in a multi-channel digital broadcast immediately after starting reception of broadcast waves.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the content data of a one-channel program is selectively selected from broadcast waves which are carrier waves which are digitally modulated based on the content data of a program of each channel of a multi-channel digital broadcast. In a digital broadcast receiver including a tuner for demodulating and extracting and a reproducing device to which the demodulated and extracted program content data is given and reproducing the program, data related to the broadcasting of a multi-channel digital broadcasting station is transmitted to the multi-channel digital broadcasting. A communication unit for performing communication of another system between a broadcasting source provided by using another system of communication and broadcasting, and data related to broadcasting of the broadcasting station is provided from the providing source by using the communication unit. Playback control means for controlling the tuner based on the obtained data relating to the broadcast of the broadcasting station. That.

[0014] According to the present invention, in a digital broadcast receiver, data related to broadcast of a broadcast station is obtained from a supply source by communication of a different system from multi-channel digital broadcast,
The tuner is controlled based on the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station. This allows the digital broadcast receiver to control the tuner based on the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station regardless of the past reception status of the broadcast wave. Further, the digital broadcast receiver does not need to constantly monitor the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station transmitted by the broadcast wave, and can easily obtain the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station irregularly. .

[0015] In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, when the broadcast-related data provided from the providing source includes guide data of a program to be broadcast, the reproduction control means uses the communication means. It is characterized in that program guide data is generated based on guidance data in data on broadcasts of all broadcast stations that have been obtained.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, when the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station includes the guide data of the program to be broadcast, the guide data in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station obtained from the providing source is provided. , The data of the program guide is generated. As a result, in the digital broadcast receiver, regardless of the past reception status of the broadcast wave,
It is possible to generate program table data, and control a tuner based on the program table data.

In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, the providing source has a smaller data amount than the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station based on the guidance data provided in the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station. The data of the custom program guide is generated, and the data of the custom program guide is provided by the communication of the different system, and the reproduction control means transmits the data of the custom program guide from the providing source using the communication means. The tuner is controlled based on the obtained and obtained data of the custom program guide.

According to the present invention, when data of a custom program guide having a smaller data amount than data relating to broadcasting of a plurality of broadcast stations that can be provided from the providing source is provided from the providing source, the digital broadcast receiver includes: The data of the custom program guide is obtained in place of the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station. This eliminates the need to create program guide data in the digital broadcast receiver, so that the program guide data can be presented quickly. This also gives
Because the amount of data obtained from the source is reduced, the time required to obtain the data and the cost of obtaining the data are reduced.

[0019] The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention further comprises an operation means operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the reproduction control means comprises: the program table data created by the user; One of the program table data selected from the program table data in response to a predetermined operation on the operation means is used for controlling the tuner.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, one of the data of the program guide created in the digital broadcast receiver and the data of the custom program guide obtained from the providing source is provided. The data of the program guide is used for controlling the tuner. As a result, it is possible to maintain the uniqueness of the operation of the digital broadcast receiver and to prevent confusion among the viewers of the digital broadcast receiver.

[0021] In the digital broadcast receiver of the present invention, the operation means may include a plurality of program table data created by the reproduction control means and data of the obtained custom program table individually assigned. , And the program table data assigned to the pressed key is selected in response to the pressing of the key.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, the data of the program guide created by the digital broadcast receiver and the data of the custom program guide obtained from the providing source are individually assigned to the keys of the operation means. And the program table data assigned to the pressed key is
Used for tuner control. As a result, viewers can select program table data with one touch,
The usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved.

In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, the providing source stores in advance a user profile indicating a preference for program viewing, and sets a generation condition including at least a program selection condition to be described in a custom program table. Set based on a profile, generate custom program guide data based on the generation conditions and guide data in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station, and the digital broadcast receiver accumulates and stores a history of program reproduction. Further comprising program history storage means, wherein the reproduction control means of the digital broadcast receiver,
Aggregate the history of program playback, automatically transmit the aggregation result of the history to the providing source using the communication means, the providing source analyzes the aggregation result of the history of the program playback,
The user profile is corrected and updated based on the analysis result.

According to the present invention, the data of the custom program guide provided to the digital broadcast receiver is set based on the user profile as well as the guide data in the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station. Generation conditions are used. As a result, data of a custom program guide including a large number of options and enabling efficient program selection according to the viewer's preference is generated, so that the usability of the digital broadcast receiver using the custom program guide is improved. . Further, the total result of the history of program reproduction in the digital broadcast receiver is automatically transmitted, and the user profile in the providing source is corrected and updated based on the analysis result of the total result. As a result, it is possible to save the trouble of resetting the user profile by the viewer.

The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention stores in advance generation conditions including at least one of a condition for selecting a program to be described in the program table and an arrangement condition for the program description in the program table. The reproduction control means further comprises: a reproduction condition control unit configured to generate the program table based on the stored generation conditions and the guide data in the broadcast station data obtained from the providing source. Is generated, and the generated program guide is characterized in that descriptions of programs that meet the selection conditions in the generation conditions are arranged in accordance with the arrangement conditions in the generation conditions.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, not only the guide data in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station from the providing source, but also the generation conditions which define the program selection conditions, the program description arrangement conditions, and the like. , The data of the program guide is generated. As a result, the selectivity of the program using the data of the program guide is improved, and the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is improved.

[0027] The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention further includes a user profile storage means for storing in advance a user profile indicating a preference for program viewing, and the reproduction control means is to be described in the program table. A generation condition including at least one of a program selection condition and a program description arrangement condition in the program table is set based on the user profile, and the generation condition and the data related to the broadcast of the obtained broadcast station are set. The program table data is generated based on the guide data in the program, and the generated program table is configured by arranging the description of the program that meets the selection condition in the generation condition according to the arrangement condition in the generation condition. It is characterized by having been done.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, the data of the program guide is generated based on not only the guide data in the data relating to the broadcast of the broadcast station from the providing source but also the generation conditions caused by the user profile. You. This makes it possible to generate program guide data that includes a large number of options and enables efficient program selection according to the viewer's preference, thereby improving the usability of the digital broadcast receiver.

In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, the user profile storage means stores a plurality of user profiles in advance, and the reproduction control means sets generation conditions based on the user profile for each user profile, And generating program table data using the generation conditions.

According to the present invention, when a digital broadcast receiver has a plurality of user profiles,
Generation conditions are individually set for each user profile, and program table data is created using each generation condition individually. As described above, the digital broadcast receiver can generate data of a plurality of types of program guides in which efficient program selection can be performed, so that usability is further improved.

[0031] The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention further includes an operation means operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the operation means includes a program table data generated using a generation condition based on the user profile. The reproduction control means includes a plurality of keys individually assigned, and the reproduction control means uses program table data assigned to the pressed key for controlling the tuner.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, when the data of the program table generated using the generation condition caused by the user profile is individually assigned to the key, The data of the allocated program guide is used for tuner control. As a result, the data of the program guide can be specified by the viewer with one touch, and the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved.

[0033] In the digital broadcast receiver of the present invention, the reproduction control means may use the communication means to set a broadcast station designation condition for designating a broadcast station from which data relating to broadcast should be obtained prior to data acquisition. Providing to the providing source, the providing source provides only the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station that meets the broadcasting station designation condition in the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station that can be provided by using the communication of the different system. It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, prior to obtaining data from a providing source, a broadcasting station designating condition for designating a broadcasting station from which data relating to broadcasting is to be obtained is provided from the digital broadcast receiver to the providing source. Only data relating to broadcasting stations that meet the broadcasting station designation conditions are provided from the providing source. This reduces the amount of data transmitted and received between the digital broadcast receiver and the providing source, thereby reducing the time required for communication between the digital broadcasting receiver and the providing source,
In addition, the cost for the communication is reduced.

In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, one of the broadcast station designation conditions is a current position of a tuner, and the reproduction control means uses the communication means to determine the current position of the tuner immediately before data acquisition. Based on the notified current position, the broadcast source broadcasts a broadcast station that the tuner cannot receive at the current position in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station that can be provided by itself. And providing only the remaining data other than the data related to

According to the present invention, if one of the broadcasting station designation conditions is the current position of the tuner immediately before obtaining the data from the providing source, the current position is notified from the digital broadcast receiver to the providing source. The data provided from the providing source to the digital broadcast receiver is selected according to the current position. As a result, even when the digital broadcast receiver is movable, the data to be provided can be accurately selected.

[0037] In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, the reproduction control means may provide a program search condition for searching for a program to be demodulated and extracted to the providing source using the communication means, before obtaining the data. The providing source searches for guide data of a program that meets a program search condition from data on the broadcast of the broadcasting station provided by the providing source, and the reproduction control unit guides the program searched by the providing source. Data is obtained using the communication means, and the tuner is controlled based on the obtained guide data of the program so that the content data of the program is demodulated and extracted.

According to the present invention, prior to obtaining data from a providing source, a program search condition for searching for a program to be demodulated and extracted is provided from the digital broadcast receiver to the providing source. Guidance data of a suitable program is searched for from the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station by the providing source and provided to the receiver, and the tuner is controlled based on the provided guidance data. As described above, since the guide data of the program to be demodulated and extracted is searched not at the data broadcast receiver but at the providing source, the load on the reproduction control means is reduced.

[0039] The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention further comprises reservation data storage means for storing reservation data specifying a broadcast start date and time and a broadcast channel of a program reserved for viewing. Means (1) after obtaining the guide data of the program, determine whether or not the program is currently being broadcast based on the guide data, and if the program is being broadcast, the contents data of the program based on the guide data is determined. The demodulation extraction is started by the tuner. If it is before the broadcast, the reservation data of the program is created based on the guide data and stored in the reservation data storage means. (2) The reservation data in the reservation data storage means is designated. The broadcast start date and time are compared with the current date and time. If the broadcast start date and time match the current date and time, the tuning is performed so as to demodulate and extract the content data of the program on the broadcast channel specified by the reservation data. And controlling the Na.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, after obtaining the guide data of the program provided from the providing source, if the program is being broadcast, demodulating the content data of the program based on the guide data. Extraction starts immediately. If the program has not been broadcast, reservation data specifying the broadcast start date and time and the broadcast channel of the program is created, and after the broadcast start date and time match the current date and time, demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program starts. Is done. As a result, after transmitting the program search condition, the content data of the program is demodulated and extracted without any operation by the viewer, so that the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is improved.

[0041] The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention further comprises an operation means operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the reproduction control means performs (1) guidance during demodulation and extraction of program content data based on the guidance data. The data is provided to the reproducing apparatus to cause the contents of the guide data to be presented. (2) The contents of the program based on the guide data in the tuner in response to a predetermined operation for instructing the operation means to interrupt the reproduction of the program. The method is characterized in that demodulation and extraction of data are interrupted.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, after the tuner control based on the guide data of the program that matches the program search condition is started, the content of the guide data which is the basis of the start is presented. If the viewer gives an instruction to interrupt the program reproduction using the operation means during the reproduction of the program based on the guide data, the demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program are interrupted. These further improve the usability of the digital broadcast receiver.

[0043] The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention further includes an operation means operated for inputting an instruction. The reproduction control means includes: (2) in response to a predetermined operation for instructing the operation means to disclose the contents of the reservation data, reproduce the reservation data in the reservation data storage means. Give to the device,
The content of the reservation data is presented.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, when the reservation data is created and stored based on the guide data matching the program search condition, it is indicated that the reservation data is present. If the viewer gives an instruction to disclose the contents of the reservation data using the operation means while the reservation data is being stored, the contents of the reservation data are presented to the viewer using the playback device. As a result, the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved.

[0045] In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, the reproduction control means notifies the current position of the tuner to the providing source using the communication means immediately before obtaining the guide data. Based on your current location,
The program guide data included in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station capable of demodulating and extracting the content data of the program at the current position among the broadcast stations that can be provided, and meeting the program search condition, It is provided by using system communication.

According to the present invention, not only the program search conditions but also the current position of the tuner is notified to the providing source from the digital broadcast receiver, and the program to which the guide data is to be provided from the providing source is determined based on the current position. Selected. As a result, even if the program is from a broadcast station with a narrow service area,
The program can be specified.

In the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention, the baseband signal of the broadcast wave further includes definition data of the broadcast station indicating at least a service area of the broadcast station. The tuner is controlled so as to demodulate and extract station definition data from a broadcast wave, and the position in the service area of the broadcast wave from which the definition data is demodulated and extracted is estimated as the current position of the tuner.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, the position in the service area of the broadcasting station where the tuner can demodulate and extract the definition data is specified as the current position of the tuner. Thus, the current position of the tuner can be detected without the current position detecting means, so that the size of the digital broadcast receiver is prevented from increasing, and an increase in the manufacturing cost of the digital broadcast receiver is suppressed.

[0049] In the digital broadcast receiver of the present invention, when the guide data of the program that matches the program search condition is not searched, the providing source expands the program search condition to match the expanded program search condition. It is characterized in that the guide data of a suitable program is searched from the data related to the broadcast of a broadcast station that can be provided by itself, and the searched guide data is provided by using the communication of the different system.

According to the present invention, when the program guide data to be provided to the digital broadcast receiver is not searched, if the program guide data matching the program search condition is not searched, the program guide data matching the extended program search condition is satisfied. The guide data of the program to be performed is searched. This prevents a situation in which the guide data is not searched at all during the search, and thus leaves room for selection regarding the operation of the reproduction control means.

[0051] The digital broadcast receiver of the present invention further comprises an operation means operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the reproduction control means comprises: It is characterized in that data of a program guide is generated based on the guide data of the two or more programs, and the data of the program guide is provided to a reproducing apparatus to be presented.

According to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, when guide data of two or more programs matching the program search condition or the extended program search condition is obtained from the providing source, the guide data is based on the guide data. The program guide is presented to the playback device. As a result, the automatic reproduction of the two or more programs and the reservation of the automatic reproduction can be selectively performed using the program table.

[0053]

FIG. 1 shows a broadcasting system 2 for multi-channel digital broadcasting including a digital broadcasting receiver (hereinafter simply referred to as "receiver") 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the receiver 1 of FIG. 1 and 2 will be described together. In FIG. 1, multi-channel digital broadcasting employs a wireless transmission system.

The broadcasting system 2 includes, in addition to the receiver 1, two or more broadcasting stations 3, a transmitting facility 4, and a providing source 5. In the broadcast system 2, one or more carriers are prepared, and a plurality of channels are assigned to each carrier,
Each channel is individually assigned to the broadcasting station 3. The broadcasting station 3 assigned to a single channel may be different for each region. By multiplexing the content data of the program itself of one or more broadcasting stations 3 according to the channel allocated to the broadcasting station 3 for each carrier, a baseband signal used for modulating the carrier is formed. ing. Preferably, broadcast-related data that is data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station 3 is further multiplexed. One or more broadcast waves, which are carrier waves digitally modulated based on the baseband signal, are transmitted from the transmission equipment 4 to the wireless transmission path.

The content data of the program is, for example, at least one of video data of the program and audio data of the program. The broadcast-related data of any broadcast station 3 is
The broadcast station 3 includes at least guide data for guiding a program broadcasted by the broadcast station 3, and further includes definition data of the broadcast station 3 itself. The definition data of any broadcast station 3 itself is
, The service area of the broadcasting station 3, the location name of the broadcasting station 3, and whether the broadcasting station 3 is a national station or a local station. The guide data of a program is data used as a basis for creating a program table of a multi-channel digital broadcast in the receiver 1, and is realized by so-called EPG data related to the program.

The providing source 5 transmits broadcast-related data, which is data relating to the broadcasts of a plurality of broadcast stations 3 belonging to the broadcast system 2, to communication of a different system from that of the multi-channel digital broadcast (hereinafter simply referred to as “separate system communication”). And is provided to the receiver 1. For this purpose, the providing source 5 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as a “CPU”) 11, a memory 12, and a communication device 13 for separate system communication. Source 5 C
The PU 11 operates based on control software stored in the memory 12 of the providing source 5, whereby the CPU 11
Numeral 11 functions as a provision control device 14 that controls provision of broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 at least. The broadcasting-related data of the broadcasting station 3 is provided from each broadcasting station 3 itself, and is stored in the memory 12 of the providing source 5. When the provision of the broadcast-related data is externally requested via the communication device, the provision control device 14 responds to the request by the memory 1.
2 is transmitted using the communication device 13. Also, in response to the broadcast-related data provision request, the memory 1
The broadcast control unit 14 may appropriately edit the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 in 2, and transmit the edited result using the communication device 13.

The broadcasting stations 3 to which the broadcasting-related data is provided from the providing source 5 are, for example, all broadcasting stations 3 in Japan.
More specifically, it includes both a national station whose service area covers the whole area in Japan and a local station whose service area is limited to some areas in Japan. The providing source 5 is realized by, for example, a computer which can function as a so-called Web server and has a site for publishing broadcast-related data. Such a computer is connected to a computer network such as the Internet, and is configured such that a communication device 23 of the receiver 1 described below can be accessed via the communication network of the separate communication. The providing source 5 may be established by the broadcasting station 3 or may be established by a service provider for providing broadcast-related data. The separate system communication is realized by public wireless communication capable of bidirectional data exchange, such as a mobile phone and a PHS.

The receiver 1 comprises a CPU 21, a memory 22, a communication device 23, a tuner 2 for multi-channel digital broadcasting.
4, an operation device 25 and a program reproduction device 26 are included. The CPU 21 of the receiver 1 operates based on the control software stored in the memory 22 of the receiver 1, whereby the CPU 21 functions at least as a reproduction control device 28 for controlling the tuner. Communication device 23 of receiver 1
Is a device for performing the separate system communication with the communication device 13 of the providing source 5. When the separate system communication is realized by the public wireless communication, the communication device 23 of the receiver 1 is realized by a mobile wireless communication terminal such as a mobile phone terminal or a PHS terminal. The operating device 25 includes a plurality of function keys 3 whose function assignment can be controlled by the CPU 21.
1. Includes so-called function keys or software keys. The playback device 26 includes a speaker or the like that is a sound playback device 32 and a display device that is a video playback device 33.

The antenna 34 of the tuner 24 of the receiver 1
Receives electromagnetic waves including one or more broadcast waves wirelessly transmitted from the transmission equipment 4 of the broadcast system 2. In the receiver 1, for example, a broadcast wave has been received since the power was supplied to the receiver 1. The tuner 24 selectively demodulates the content data of any one program from the broadcast wave received by the antenna 34 by a process according to the multi-channel digital broadcast standard supported by the receiver 1 at the time of program reproduction. It is extracted and given to the playback device 26. The specific configuration of the tuner 24 is determined according to the multi-channel digital broadcasting standard supported by the receiver 1. The playback device 26 is a tuner 2
4 reproduces and outputs the audio and video of the program on the basis of the data of the program given from 4.

The reproduction control device 28 obtains the broadcast-related data of the broadcasting station 3 provided by the providing source 5 from the providing source 5 by using the communication device 23 of the receiver 1. Further, the reproduction control device 28 controls demodulation and extraction of program content data in the tuner 24 based on the broadcast-related data obtained from the providing source 5. Thus, in the receiver 1 of FIG.
Instead of receiving the broadcast wave from the broadcast station 3, the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 is obtained by another system communication between the receiver 1 and the providing source 5. This allows the receiver 1 to control the tuner 24 based on the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 irrespective of the past reception status of the broadcast wave. In addition, since the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 is obtained by another system communication, the receiver 1 does not need to constantly monitor the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 transmitted by the broadcast wave. It is possible to easily obtain the broadcast-related data of the station 3 irregularly.

Preferably, the reproduction control device 28 automatically obtains the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 using the communication device 23 in the receiver 1 when the tuner 24 starts receiving the broadcast wave. As a result, there is no time loss from the start of receiving the broadcast wave to the end of obtaining the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3. As a result, unlike the case where the broadcast-related data is obtained from the broadcast wave, the desired program can be smoothly reproduced based on the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 even immediately after the start of the broadcast wave reception. Is improved.

The program guide data is data used as a basis for creating a program table for multi-channel digital broadcasting in the receiver 1, and is realized by so-called EPG data relating to the program. Specifically, the guide data of the program includes the title of the program, the broadcast start date and time of the program, the broadcast channel of the program, the major and minor categories of the program, the program description, and keywords related to the program. The major category of a program indicates a general genre to which the program belongs, for example, whether the program is a movie or a sports program. The sub-category of the program indicates the sub-genre to which the program belongs under the general genre to which the program belongs. For example, if the main classification of the program is a sports program, whether the program is a soccer program or a baseball program And so on. The program description is text data indicating the content of the program and the coarse line of the program, and the description of the program, the names of performers, and the like are indicated by characters.

The program guide created based on the guide data of the program is used, for example, in the reproduction control device 28 for controlling the manual channel selection based on the operation of the viewer. A program reproducing procedure involving manual channel selection control is schematically as follows. First, the reproduction control device 28 creates data of a program guide based on the guide data of the program, gives the created data of the program guide to the reproducing device 26, and makes the program guide image or sound. The viewer selects one of all the programs described in the program guide presented using the playback device 26 and performs a predetermined operation for individually specifying the selected program on the operation device 25. Do it. In response to the predetermined operation, the reproduction control device 28 selects a program specified by the predetermined operation from among all programs guided by the guide data used for creating the program guide, and The tuner 24 selects a broadcast channel of the program indicated by the guide data. As a result, the tuner 24 selectively demodulates and extracts the data of the program of the selected channel and supplies the demodulated data to the reproducing device 26, so that the image and sound of the program are reproduced.

When the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 provided from the providing source 5 includes the guide data of the program to be broadcast, the receiver 1 replaces the guide data in the broadcast-related data demodulated and extracted from the broadcast wave. Source 5 using the communication device 23 of FIG.
The reproduction control device 28 generates the data of the program guide based on the guide data in the broadcast-related data of all the broadcast stations 3 obtained from. Thus, the program table data can be generated regardless of the past reception status of the broadcast wave, so that the tuner 24 can be controlled based on the program table data regardless of the past reception status of the broadcast wave. . In particular, tuner 2
It is possible to perform the channel selection control in 4 using the program table immediately after starting the reception of the broadcast wave.

The program table is obtained by arranging at least a part of guide data of a program to be described in a predetermined arrangement. The standard program guide of multi-channel digital broadcasting describes, for each program, the title, the broadcast channel, and the broadcast date and time for all programs for which the receiver has obtained the guide data. They are arranged in chronological order.
Since the providing source 5 collectively provides the broadcasting-related data of the plurality of broadcasting stations 3 belonging to the broadcasting system 2, regardless of whether the receiver 1 can reproduce the program of the broadcasting station 3, the reproduction control device 28 In the standard program table created by the above, programs of a plurality of broadcasting stations 3 belonging to the broadcasting system 2 are described. For this reason, as the number of broadcast stations and the number of programs increase, it becomes more difficult to determine a desired program from a standard program table.

In order to create a program table that allows efficient program selection, the receiver 1 preferably sets in advance the conditions for generating a user program table, which is a program table different from the standard program table. . The conditions for generating the user program table include at least one of a condition for selecting a program to be described in the user program table and an arrangement condition for describing the program in the program table. If one of the conditions for generating a program guide is the above-described selection condition, the user program guide includes, among all programs whose guide data is included in the broadcast-related data of the obtained broadcast station 3,
Includes only descriptions relating to programs that meet the selection conditions. If another one of the program guide generation conditions is the above-described arrangement condition, the description of the program in the user program guide is rearranged from the standard arrangement of the program guide according to the arrangement condition. In this case, the reproduction control device 28 replaces the standard program table with the user program table based on the generation conditions of the user program table and the guide data in the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 obtained from the providing source 5. Generate data.

The conditions for generating the user program table are, for example, directly set in advance by the viewer and stored in the generation condition storage device. Further, the receiver further includes a user profile storage device in which a user profile indicating a viewer's preference regarding program viewing is stored in advance, and the reproduction control device 28 sets a user program table generation condition based on the user profile. You may. In the configuration of FIG.
The memory 22 of the receiver 1 doubles as a generation condition storage device and a user profile storage device. Preferably, the generation conditions resulting from the user profile are more subdivided than the generation conditions directly set by the viewer. For example, if the generation condition of the direct setting is set so that selection and rearrangement are performed based on the large classification in the guide data of the program, the generation condition caused by the user profile is set to the small condition in the guide data of the program. The selection and rearrangement based on the classification are set. Preferably, the generation condition of the direct setting mainly includes the arrangement condition, and the generation condition caused by the user profile mainly includes the selection condition.

As an arrangement condition of the program in the generation condition of the direct setting by the viewer, for example, if an arrangement according to a genre of a large category is set, in the user program table,
The description of the program is classified for each genre described as a large category in the guide data of the program, and the description of the program of the genre is arranged for each genre of the large category. The array condition is:
Alternatively, the arrangement may be in the order of broadcast date and time. Preferably, the program selection condition in the direct setting generation condition is:
The program is set so that the program can be selected using the large classification in the guide data of the program. For example, if a predetermined genre is set as the selection condition, the acquired broadcasting station 3
Among the programs in which the guide data is included in the broadcast-related data, only guide data of a program whose genre described as a large classification in the guide data matches a predetermined genre is selected, and only the selected program is displayed in the user program table. It is described in. For example, when a keyword related to a program whose viewing is preferred is set as a generation condition caused by the user profile, a search for the keyword is performed for guide data of each program, and the keyword is included in the guide data. Only the program is described in the user program table.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the program guide presentation processing in the reproduction control device 28 when the generation conditions directly set by the viewer are used.
For the program guide presentation processing of FIG. 3, prior to the processing of FIG. Is stored in the memory 22. When it is necessary to present the program guide to the viewer, the process proceeds from step A0 to step A1. In step A1, the reproduction control device 28 automatically performs another system communication using the communication device 23 of the receiver 1 with the providing source 5, thereby obtaining the broadcast-related data of the broadcasting station 3 from the providing source 5. I do. When creating the user program guide, only the guide data of all programs included in the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 may be obtained instead of the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3.

In step A2, the reproduction control device 28
Is based on the obtained guide data of the program in the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 and the generation condition of the direct setting by the viewer stored in the memory 22 which is the generation condition storage device. Create data. For example, based on the large classification in the guide data of all programs in the broadcast-related data of the obtained broadcasting station 3, a program that matches the selection condition in the directly set generation condition is selected from all the programs,
By rearranging the description about each selected program according to the arrangement condition in the direct setting generation condition, data of the user program table based on the direct setting generation condition is created. In step A3, the reproduction control device 28 gives the data of the generated user program guide to the reproduction device 26. As a result, the user program guide is imaged and sounded and presented to the viewer. After the presentation of the user program guide, the process of FIG. 3 ends in step A4. After the processing of FIG.
The reproduction control device 28 shifts to a process using the user program guide.

As described above, when the user program table is created using the generation condition of the direct setting by the viewer, the programs to be described in the user program table are limited according to the preference of the viewer, Since the arrangement order of the program descriptions in the table can be set according to the viewer's preference, the receiver 1 automatically generates a user program table in which program selection is easier than a standard program table. Can be created. As a result, the program selectivity based on the data in the program guide is improved, so that the usability of the receiver 1 is improved. Examples of the process using the user program table include a program selection process using the user program table and a program reservation process using the user program table.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining a program guide presentation process in the reproduction control device 28 in the case of using a generation condition caused by a user profile. For the program guide presentation process of FIG. 4, prior to the process of FIG. 22. When you need to show a program guide,
The process proceeds from step B0 to step B1. In step B1, the reproduction control device 28 automatically obtains the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 from the providing source 5 in the same procedure as in step A1 of FIG.

At step B2, the reproduction control device 28
Converts the data of the user program table based on the obtained guide data of the program in the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 and the generation condition based on the user profile stored in the memory 22 as the user profile storage device. create.
The generation condition caused by the user profile may be set immediately before data creation of the user program guide, or may be set prior to the start of the program guide presentation processing in FIG.
2 and may be simply read from the memory 22 at the time of step B2. In step B3, the reproduction control device 28 images and sounds the user program guide for which data is generated and presents it to the viewer in the same procedure as step A3 in FIG. After the presentation of the user program guide, the process of FIG. 4 ends in step B4. After the processing in FIG. 4, the reproduction control device 28 shifts to processing using the user program table, as in the processing in FIG.

As described above, the data of the user program table is generated based not only on the guide data in the broadcast-related data of the obtained broadcasting station 3 but also on the generation conditions caused by the user profile. As a result, it is possible to generate program guide data including a large number of options and enabling efficient program selection according to the viewer's preference, and thus the usability of the receiver 1 is improved. When the generation conditions are set based on the user profile, the viewer does not need to directly set the generation conditions, but only needs to create a user profile that directly indicates his / her program viewing preference. As described above, since the materials to be prepared by the viewer himself before the creation of the data of the program guide reflecting the program viewing preferences are simplified, the usability of the receiver 1 is further improved.

The memory 22 of the receiver 1 may store not only one user profile but a plurality of user profiles. When a plurality of user profiles are stored, the reproduction control device 28 individually sets a generation condition caused by the user profile for each user profile. Further, the memory 22 of the receiver 1 may store both one or more user profiles and a condition for generating a direct setting by a viewer. As described above, when there are a plurality of generation conditions, the reproduction control device 28 generates the data of the user program table using the generation conditions for each generation condition. For this purpose, the process of generating the user program table data described in step A3 of FIG. 3 and step B3 of FIG. 4 may be performed in parallel or continuously for each generation condition.

When there are a plurality of conditions for generating a user program table,
The receiver 1 can generate a plurality of user program guides having different configurations. In particular, when there are a plurality of user profiles, it becomes easy to create program table data in which reflected program viewing preferences are different from each other. For example, if the user profile is set for each viewer, the program guide data that allows efficient program selection according to the viewer's preference is generated for each viewer, so that the viewer can use his / her own profile. It is possible to use a program table according to the user profile. In this manner, the receiver 1 can generate a plurality of types of program guide data from which a program can be efficiently selected, so that usability is further improved.

The provision control device 14 of the provision source 5 preferably generates the data of the custom program guide based on the guide data in the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 provided by itself, and Is provided by another system communication using the communication device 13 of the providing source 5. The custom program guide is a program guide having a smaller data amount than the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that the providing source 5 can provide. In this case, the reproduction control device 28 transmits the data of the custom program table instead of the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 to the communication device 2 of the receiver 1.
3 and controls the tuner 24 based on the obtained data of the custom program guide. by this,
Since it is not necessary for the reproduction control device 28 to create program table data based on the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3, the program table data can be promptly presented to the viewer. In addition, since the data amount of the data obtained from the providing source 5 using the communication device 23 is reduced, the time required for obtaining the data and the cost required for obtaining the data are also reduced.

The custom program table has, for example, a configuration equivalent to the above-described user program table. In this case, the provision control device 14 obtains, for example, various generation conditions or user profiles from the receiver 1 using its own communication device, and generates the user program table data using the obtained generation conditions or user profiles. The custom program guide data is generated in the same procedure. The generation condition and the user profile may be obtained at the time of a request for obtaining the custom program guide from the receiver 1, or may be obtained beforehand at the time of the request and stored in the memory 12 of the providing source 5. That is, the memory 12 of the providing source 5 also serves as a storage device for the generation conditions and a storage device for the user profile. As described above, if data of a custom program guide is generated using various generation conditions or user profiles, not only a small amount of data but also a custom program that enables efficient program selection according to the taste of the viewer. Since the program guide is obtained, the usability of the receiver 1 that has obtained the data of the custom program guide is improved.

Further, when a plurality of generation conditions are prepared, such as when there are a plurality of user profiles and when there are generation conditions caused by the user profile and directly set generation conditions, preferably, The data of the custom program guide is generated every time, and all the generated data of the plurality of custom program guides are provided from the providing source 5 to the receiver 1. As a result, the receiver 1 can use data of a plurality of types of program guides that enable efficient program selection, as in the case where there are a plurality of user program guides having different generation conditions, and thus usability is further improved. .

When the providing source 5 creates the data of the custom program guide, preferably, the reproduction control device 2 of the receiver 1
8 performs both acquisition of data of one or more custom program guides and creation of data of one or more user program guides, selects one of the plurality of program guides, and selects the selected one. The program guide is used for controlling the tuner 24. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a program guide presentation process in the playback control device 28 in which the user program guide and the custom program guide are used together. For the program guide presentation processing of FIG. 5, at least one of the generation condition and the user profile is stored in the memory of the receiver 1 prior to the start of the processing of FIG. 22 and at least one of them is stored in the memory 12 of the source 5. The storage content of the memory 12 of the providing source 5 and the storage content of the memory 22 of the receiver 1 may be the same or different. When it is necessary to present the program guide to the viewer, the process proceeds from step C0 to step C1.

At step C1, the reproduction control device 28
Automatically obtains the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 from the providing source 5 in the same procedure as step A1 in FIG. Step C
2, the reproduction control device 28 performs the same procedure as at least one of step A2 in FIG. 3 and step A3 in FIG.
Create data of one or more user program guides. The data of each user program guide only needs to be generated based on one of the generation conditions directly set by the viewer and the generation conditions caused by the user profile. In step C3, the reproduction control device 28 performs another system communication with the providing source 5 using the communication unit, and automatically obtains the data of the custom program guide from the providing source 5 by the communication. Either the acquisition of the data of the custom program guide or the acquisition of the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 may be performed first.

At step C4, the reproduction control device 28
Waits for an instruction to present any one of the one or more user program tables obtained in step C2 and the one or more custom program tables obtained in step C3. If there is an instruction to present any one of the program guides, in response to the instruction, in step C5, the reproduction control device 28
Presents any one of the program guides to the viewer in the same procedure as step A3 in FIG. After presenting the program guide, step C
At 6, the processing in FIG. 5 ends, and the processing shifts to processing using any one of the selected program guides.

As described above, in the receiver 1,
Either the data of the user program table generated in the receiver 1 or the data of the custom program table generated by the providing source 5 is used for controlling the tuner 24. As a result, the data of the program guide registered in the receiver 1 itself and the data of the custom program guide registered in the providing source 5 are used without being separated from each other.
Uniqueness of the operation of the receiver 1 is maintained, and confusion of the viewer of the receiver 1 can be prevented.

In the program guide presentation process described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, preferably, the reproduction control device 28 assigns a user program guide presentation instruction to the function key 31 prepared in the operation device 25. After the creation of the program table data in steps A2 and B2, the reproduction control device 28 waits for the press of the function key 31 to which the instruction to present the user program table is assigned, and responds to the press of the function key 31 in steps A3 and B3. Then, the user program guide is presented. If the acquisition of the broadcast-related data from the providing source 5 and the creation of the user program table data are performed in advance, the user program table can be displayed immediately when the function key 31 is pressed. Processing using a table can be quickly performed. When the data of the custom program table is obtained, preferably, the instruction for presenting the custom program table is assigned to the function key 31 of the operation device 25 as in the case of generating the data of the user program table. Thereafter, the custom program guide is presented in response to the depression of the function key 31. by this,
As in the case of the user program guide, if the data of the custom program guide is obtained from the providing source 5 in advance, the process using the custom program guide can be quickly performed.

When there are a plurality of conditions for generating a user program table, when the providing source 5 generates data for a plurality of types of custom program tables, one or more user program tables are generated and one or more custom program tables are obtained. When used together with the receiver,
Obtain data of a plurality of program guides that are presented to the viewer. When there are a plurality of program tables that can be presented, the reproduction control device 28 individually assigns a program table presentation instruction that can be presented to the plurality of function keys 31 of the operation device 25 during the program table presentation process. For example, when there are a plurality of user program table generation conditions, such as when there are a plurality of user profiles or when there are generation conditions caused by the user profile and directly set generation conditions, as shown in FIG. Instructions for presenting user program guides generated using the conditions are individually assigned to the function keys 31. Also, for example, when the user program table data creation and the custom program table data acquisition are used together, the user program table presentation instruction and the custom program table presentation instruction are individually assigned to the function keys 31 as shown in FIG. Assigned to

The instruction for presenting the program table that can be presented is made by the function key 3
In the case where the data is individually assigned, the reproduction control device 28 waits until the function key 31 to which the instruction to present the presentable program guide is assigned is pressed after the data of the program guide that can be presented by creation or acquisition is obtained. , One of the function keys 31
In response to the pressing of the key, the program table assigned to the function key 31 is presented. As a result, even when there are a plurality of program tables that can be presented, the selection of the program table and the instruction to present the program table can be performed with one touch. In this manner, when the instruction for presenting a program table that can be presented is directly assigned to the function key 31, the instruction is easier than when a hierarchical menu or the like is used for the instruction for presenting the program table. Machine 1
The usability is further improved.

When the data of the custom program guide is generated based on the generation conditions resulting from the user profile stored in the memory 12 of the providing source 5, preferably, the user profile is used for reproducing the program in the receiver 1. The correction is updated according to the characteristics of the history. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the correction update processing of the user profile in the memory 12 of the providing source 5.

In the receiver 1, as described in step D1, the history of program reproduction in the receiver 1 is stored in the program history storage device as needed during operation. The history of program reproduction is, for example, an operation history of the receiver 1 or a history of demodulation and extraction of program content data by the tuner 24. In FIG. 2, the memory 22 of the receiver 1 also functions as a program history storage device. The reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1 totals the histories so as to obtain the characteristics of the history of the program reproduction as described in step D2, and sends the totaled result of the histories to the providing source 5 using the communication device 23. Send to. The transmission of the program reproduction history may be performed periodically, or may be performed when communication from the receiver 1 to the providing source 5 is performed based on other reasons. In the former case, the user profile can always reflect the latest viewer's preference for program viewing, and in the latter case, an increase in communication load can be suppressed.

When the counting result of the program reproduction history is given, in step D3, the provision control device 1 of the provision source 5
4 analyzes the tallying result of the history of the program reproduction, and obtains the change in the preference of the viewer for viewing the program as the analysis result. For example, at the time of analysis, a change in the genre of a frequently watched program is determined. After the analysis of the tallying result is completed, in step D4, the provision control device 14 determines whether the user stored in the memory 12 of the providing source 5 is associated with the receiver 1 as the transmission source of the tallying result of the history of the program reproduction. The profile is corrected and updated based on the analysis result. At the time of correction update, the user profile itself may be rewritten based on the existing user profile and the analysis result and re-registered in the memory 12, and additional information is generated based on the analysis result, and the additional information is converted to the existing user profile. It may be newly registered in the memory 12 while associating. For example, if the change in the preference of the viewer for viewing the program is large, the user profile itself is newly created and registered. If the change is small, the additional information is newly registered. When the receiver 1 is movable, if the change in the viewer's preference for viewing the program is caused by the movement of the receiver 1, additional information is newly registered. After the correction update is completed, the processing in FIG. 8 ends in step D5.

As a result of the processing shown in FIG. 8, the latest preference of the viewer for viewing the program is always reflected in the user profile in the memory 12 of the providing source 5, so that the preference of the viewer for viewing the program with the passage of time. Even if it changes, there is no need for the viewer to reset the user profile. As a result, the trouble of resetting the user profile in the memory 12 of the providing source 5 by the viewer can be omitted, and the usability of the receiver 1 is improved.

Prior to obtaining data from the providing source 5, the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1 preferably transmits the broadcast station designation condition for designating the broadcast station 3 from which the broadcast-related data is to be obtained to the communication device 23. To the source 5 using In this case, the providing source 5 is a broadcasting station 3 that can be provided by itself.
Only the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that satisfies the broadcast-station-specified condition in the broadcast-related data is provided to the receiver 1 by using the separate system communication. As a result, data transmitted and received between the receiver 1 and the providing source 5 is restricted based on the broadcast station designation condition set by the receiver 1, so that transmission and reception of unnecessary data for the receiver 1 can be omitted. Therefore, the amount of data transmitted and received between the receiver 1 and the providing source 5 decreases.
As a result, the time required for the separate system communication between the receiver 1 and the providing source 5 is shortened, and the cost for the separate system communication is reduced.

One of the broadcast station designation conditions is that the broadcast station 3 can be received by the tuner 24 of the receiver 1, that is, the broadcast station that broadcasts a program in which the tuner 24 of the receiver 1 can demodulate and extract content data from broadcast waves. 3 is specified. Such a broadcast station 3 is determined according to, for example, the type of broadcast to which the receiver 1 is compatible, the orientation of the antenna 34 of the receiver 1, the contract status of broadcast reception in the receiver 1, and the like. Differs from one to another. Another one of the broadcasting station designation conditions is that
This is the position of the tuner 24 of the receiver 1. In this case, the position of the receiver 1 is used as a condition for excluding the broadcast station 3 that cannot be received at the position. For example, only the remaining broadcast stations 3 other than the broadcast station 3 that does not include the position of the receiver 1 in the service area are regarded as being specified by the broadcast station specification condition.

The broadcast station designation condition may be provided from the receiver 1 to the providing source 5 simultaneously with the request for the broadcast-related data, and may be provided from the receiver 1 to the providing source 5 prior to the request. It may be registered in the memory 12 and read from the memory 12 when a broadcast-related data is requested. For example, a broadcasting station designation condition that directly designates a receivable broadcasting station 3 is registered in the providing source 5 in advance, and when the receiver 1 is fixed, the position of the receiver is also determined in the providing source 5. Is registered in advance. The location of the receiver 1 is preferably provided to the source 5 at the same time as the request for broadcast-related data. If the broadcasting station designation condition is set for each receiver, the source 5
Has registered in the memory 12 the broadcast station designation conditions of the plurality of receivers 1 that can obtain the broadcast-related data provided by themselves.

If the receiver 1 is movable, the current position of the receiver may change over time. If one of the broadcasting station designation conditions is the current position of the tuner 24,
Preferably, the reproduction control device 28 provides the data of the current position to the providing source 5 using the communication device 23 of the receiver 1 immediately before obtaining the data. The providing source 5 provides only the remaining data other than the broadcast-related data of the broadcasting station 3 that cannot be received at the current position provided by the receiver 1. As described above, when the data to be omitted is selected based on the current position of the tuner 24, the data to be provided can be accurately selected from the broadcast-related data of all the broadcasting stations 3. Further, since the current position is notified to the providing source 5 immediately before obtaining the data, the data to be provided can be accurately selected even if the receiver 1 is movable.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a program guide presentation process using the broadcast station designation condition. At step E1, the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1 sets the communication device 23 of the receiver 1 prior to obtaining data from the providing source 5.
Is provided to the providing source 5 by the separate system communication, and the registration of the broadcasting station specifying condition is requested to the providing source 5. In response to the registration request from the receiver 1, in step E2, the provision control device 14 of the provision source 5
Supplies the broadcast station designation condition given from the receiver 1 to the source 5
Is registered in the memory 12.

If a situation arises in which a program table should be presented,
In step E3, the reproduction control device 28 requests the provision source 5 to provide the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that satisfies its own broadcast station designation condition by the separate system communication. Preferably, the receiver 1 is provided together with the broadcast-related data provision request.
The broadcast source designation condition such as the current position of the broadcast is notified to the providing source 5. In response to the provision request from the receiver 1, the provision control device 1
4 selects, in step E4, the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that meets the broadcast-station designation condition of the receiver 1 of the request source from the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that can be provided by itself;
In step E5, the selected broadcast-related data is provided to the receiver 1 by another system communication. The broadcast station designation condition used for selecting the broadcast-related data may be at least one of the broadcast station designation condition registered in the providing source 5 and the broadcast station designation condition given together with the provision request.

In step E6, the reproduction control device 28 provides the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that satisfies the broadcast station designation condition provided in step E5 by separate system communication using the communication device 23 of the receiver 1. Obtained from source 5. In step E7, the reproduction control device 28 generates program table data based on the obtained broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3. The program table generated in step E7 may be a standard program table or the above-mentioned user program table. After the data of the program guide is created, the program guide is presented to the viewer in the same procedure as step A4 in FIG. After the presentation of the program guide, the processing of FIG. 9 ends, and thereafter, the processing shifts to processing using the program guide.

In the program guide presentation processing of FIG. 9, the receiver 1 generates the data of the program guide based on the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that meets the broadcast station designation condition. In the program guide presentation process of FIG. 9, instead of providing the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that meets the broadcast station designation condition, the providing source 5 creates data of the custom program guide based on the broadcast-related data, and The data of the custom program guide may be provided to the receiver 1.
In this case, the receiver 1 gives the data of the custom program guide obtained from the providing source 5 to the reproducing device 26 as it is, and presents the custom program guide. This not only reduces the amount of data transmitted and received, but also eliminates the need for the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1 to create program table data.
The program guide can be presented more quickly.

Preferably, the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1 sets the program search conditions for searching for a program to be demodulated and extracted prior to obtaining data from the providing source 5.
To the providing source 5 by another system communication using the communication device 23 of FIG. In this case, the provision control device 14 of the provision source 5 searches the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that can be provided by itself for guide data of a program that satisfies the program search condition, and transmits the searched guide data by another system communication. Provide to receiver 1.
The reproduction control device 28 obtains the guide data of the program that meets the program search condition from the providing source 5 by the separate system communication. Further, the reproduction control device 28 controls the tuner 24 based on the guide data of the obtained program so that the content data of the program is demodulated and extracted. As described above, the guide data of the program whose content data is to be demodulated and extracted is searched not from the receiver 1 but from the broadcast source data of the broadcast station 3 that can be provided from the provider 5 at the provider 5. 28 is reduced. The program search condition may be data for directly specifying a program, such as combination data of a channel and a broadcast date and time, or a keyword for searching for a program, such as a song title and an actor name.

The processing for controlling the tuner 24 based on the guide data of the program that matches the program search condition includes: an immediate reproduction process for automatically and immediately reproducing the program based on the guide data of the program being broadcast; Reservation reproduction processing for reserving the reproduction based on the guide data of the previous program and automatically reproducing the program when the broadcast of the reserved program is started. For the reservation reproduction process, the receiver further includes a reservation data storage device for storing reservation data specifying a broadcast start date and time and a broadcast channel of the program reserved for viewing. In the receiver 1 of FIG.
The memory 22 also serves as a reservation data storage device. The program search condition is preferably used together with the above-mentioned broadcast station designation condition.

At the time of automatic reproduction processing of a program using the program search condition, preferably, the reproduction control device 28 notifies the current position of the tuner 24 to the providing source 5 by another system communication immediately before obtaining the guide data. In this case, the source 5
On the basis of the notified current position of the tuner 24, a program that satisfies the program search condition in the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 capable of demodulating and extracting the content data of the program at the current position among all the broadcast stations 3. And provides it by using another system communication. As a result, the program can be specified even for the broadcast of the broadcast station 3 having a narrow service area. In the example of FIG. 10 described below, the current position also serves as one of the broadcast station designation conditions, and is provided to the providing source 5 together with the program search data.

After the guide data of the program is obtained from the providing source 5, if the program is being broadcast, demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program are automatically started immediately based on the guide data as an immediate reproduction process. Is done. If the program has not been broadcast,
As the reservation reproduction process, reservation data for specifying the broadcast start date and time and the broadcast channel of the program is created, and after the broadcast start date and time match the current date and time, demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program is started. As described above, when the content data of the program is automatically demodulated and extracted based on the guide data of the program provided from the providing source 5, after transmitting the program search condition,
Even if there is no operation by the viewer, the content data of the program is demodulated and extracted, so that the usability of the receiver 1 is improved.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a first automatic reproduction process of a program using both the broadcast station designation condition and the program search condition. In steps F1 and F2, between the receiver 1 and the providing source 5, step E in FIG.
The broadcast station designation condition of the receiver 1 is registered in the memory 12 of the providing source 5 in the same procedure as in the steps 1 and E2. If a situation arises in which the program should be automatically played back, in step F, the playback control device 28 of the receiver 1 gives the program search condition to the providing source 5 by another system communication, and the program search condition and its own broadcast station. The provision source 5 is requested to provide the guide data of the program conforming to the designated condition by the separate system communication. Preferably, the broadcast source designation condition such as the current position of the receiver 1 is notified to the provision source 5 together with the provision request of the broadcast-related data.

In response to the provision request from the receiver 1, the provision control device 14 of the provision source 5 determines in step F4 that the broadcast-related Broadcasting station 3 that can provide data from source 5
From the broadcast-related data in the same manner as in step E4 in FIG. 9, and searches for the guide data of the program that meets the program search condition from the selected broadcast-related data. The guidance data of the searched program is stored in step F5.
, The information is provided to the receiver 1 by another system communication. In step E6, the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1 obtains the guide data of the program that satisfies the own broadcast station designation condition and the program search condition from the providing source 5 by another system communication.

In step F7, the reproduction control device 28
Means that the program to which the guide data is given from the provider 5 is 2
It is determined whether there is the above. If the guide data of two or more programs has been obtained from the providing source 5, in step F8, the reproduction control device 28 creates program guide data based on the guide data of the two or more programs, Is given to the playback device 26 to be presented to the viewer. After presenting the program guide, the playback control device 28 waits for an instruction from the viewer as in the case of displaying the standard program guide, and if an instruction to designate any program described in the program guide is issued, the instruction , The data of any one of the programs is selected as a reproduction target. When only the guide data of a single program is obtained from the providing source 5, the data of the program is selected as a reproduction target, and the processing in steps F8 and F9 is skipped. As described above, the automatic reproduction and reproduction reservation of two or more programs can be selectively performed using the program table based on the guide data, so that the usability of the receiver 1 is further improved.

After selecting the guide data of the program to be played, in step F10, the playback control device 28 determines whether or not the program is currently being broadcast based on the guide data. For example, if the program broadcast start date and time in the guide data of the program to be reproduced is before the current date and time, it is determined that the program is being broadcast. If the program to be reproduced is being broadcast, the reproduction control device 28 starts automatic reproduction processing of the program based on the guide data of the program in step F11. A program reservation reproduction process based on the guide data of the program is started. After the processing in steps F11 and F12, the processing in FIG. 10 ends in step F13. By the above-described processing, a program that satisfies the program search condition is automatically reproduced among all programs that are being broadcast or scheduled to be broadcast by the broadcast station 3 that satisfies the broadcast station designation condition.

In the example of FIG. 10, after a program guide based on the guide data of a program matching the program search condition is presented in step F8, the automatic program receiving process is performed using the program guide. The present invention is not limited to this. After the program table is presented in step F8, the program table is used instead of the standard program table, the user program table, and the custom program table.
Processing equivalent to processing using at least one of the types of program guides may be performed. When the program table is created in step F8, the program table may be created according to the standard creation conditions or the user program table creation conditions.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a second automatic reproduction process of a program using both the broadcast station designation condition and the program search condition. In steps G1 and G2, between the receiver 1 and the providing source 5, the broadcast station designation condition of the receiver 1 is registered in the memory 12 of the providing source 5 in the same procedure as in steps F1 and F2 in FIG. If a situation arises in which the program should be automatically played back, in step G3 the receiver 1
The playback control device 28 transmits the program search condition to the providing source 5 and requests to provide guide data of a program that matches the program search condition and its own broadcast station designation condition in the same procedure as step E3. Do. Further, at the time of the provision request, the reproduction control device 28
Permits the providing source 5 to perform an ambiguous search based on the program search condition.

In response to the provision request from the receiver 1, the provision control device 14 of the provision source 5 determines in FIG.
In the same procedure as step F4 of step 0, program guide data matching the broadcast station designation condition and the program search condition is searched. In step G5, the provision control device 14 determines whether or not the program guide data that matches the broadcast station designation condition and the program search condition has been searched. If the guide data of one or more programs has been searched, the guide data of the program is provided from the providing source 5 and obtained by the receiver 1 in steps G6 and G7 in the same procedure as steps F5 and F6 in FIG. Is done.

If no guide data of a program meeting the broadcast station designation condition and the program search condition is found,
The provision control device 14 performs an ambiguous search in step G8. In other words, the program search condition is extended, and the guide data of the program that meets the extended program search condition is searched from the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station 3 that meets the broadcast station designation condition. When the program search condition sent from the receiver 1 is a keyword, the expanded program search condition may be, for example, a new keyword obtained by adding another keyword to the original keyword. May be a single keyword related to. The provision control device 14 determines the other keywords and the related keywords so that guidance data of at least one program is searched. If the program guide data is retrieved by the fuzzy search, in steps G9 and G10, the program guide data that satisfies the broadcast station designation condition and the expanded program search condition is obtained in the same procedure as steps F5 and F6 in FIG. , And provided by the receiver 1.

At Step G11, the reproduction control device 28
Means that the program to which the guide data is given from the provider 5 is 2
It is determined whether there is the above. If the guide data of two or more programs has been obtained from the providing source 5, in step G12, the reproduction control device 28 performs the same procedure as in step F8,
Based on the guide data of the two or more programs, program table data is created and presented. After the presentation of the program guide, the process shifts to processing using the program guide in step G13. The processing using the program guide includes the standard program guide, user program guide, and
The processing may be equal to the processing using any one of the custom program guides, or may be the automatic reception processing described in steps F8 to F12 in FIG. When only the guide data of a single program is obtained from the providing source 5, in step G14, the reproduction control device 28 performs an automatic reception process of the program based on the guide data of the program in the same procedure as in step F11. Then, the process of FIG. 11 ends in step G15.

As described above, in the providing source 5,
When the guide data of the program matching the program search condition is not searched, the guide data of the program matching the extended program search condition is searched from the broadcast-related data. This prevents a situation in which the guide data is not searched at all during the search based on the program search condition, so that the receiver 1 can leave room for selection regarding the operation of the reproduction control device 28 based on the guide data of the program. .

In the examples shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, some broadcast station designation conditions relating to the setting of the tuner 24 and the viewing contract are registered in the provision source 5 prior to obtaining the data from the provision source 5. If the receiver does not move, the current position of the receiver also
It may be registered in the providing source 5. In this case, the communication load on the receiver at the time of data request is reduced. In the case where the receiver is mounted on a mobile body and can be moved, if some of the broadcast station designation conditions are registered in the providing source 5, it is preferably the current position of the tuner 24 at the time of data request. Other broadcast station designation conditions are sent. In the case where the receiver 1 is movable, the present invention is not limited to this. After the broadcast wave reception in the receiver 1 is started, all the broadcast station designation conditions may be collectively sent to the providing source 5 and registered periodically. As described above, the current position of the tuner 24 is periodically or when the data is requested.
, The change in the reception environment of the broadcast wave due to the movement of the tuner 24 can be reflected in the selection result of the broadcast-related data and the search result of the guide data in the providing source 5, so that the providing source 5 provides Data to be selected is selected more accurately.

When the receiver 1 is mounted on a mobile and is movable, if the mobile is equipped with a navigation device or the like including a device for detecting the current position of the mobile, the current position is detected by the current position detector. The reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1 acquires the current position of the moving object to be used, and uses the acquired current position as the current position of the tuner 24. Further, the receiver 1 itself may be provided with a device for detecting its own current position. As a current position detection device, GPS (Grobal Positioning S)
ystem) receivers and dead reckoning position sensing devices.

When the definition data of the broadcast station 3 indicating at least the service area of the broadcast station 3 is included in the baseband signal of the broadcast wave, the reproduction control device 28 transmits the definition data of the broadcast station 3 having a narrow service area. The tuner 24 is controlled so as to demodulate and extract the broadcast wave, and the position in the service area of the broadcast wave whose definition data is demodulated and extracted is estimated as the current position of the tuner 24. As the broadcasting station 3 having a narrow service area, for example, a local station is used. Specifically, the reproduction control device 28 causes the tuner 24 to demodulate and extract the content data of the program of the local station or the definition data of the local station from the broadcast waves of the entire band received by the antenna 34 at the current position. If the definition data of any of the local stations or the content data of the program of the local station is demodulated and extracted, the service area of the local station is determined based on the definition data of the local station, and the position within the service area is determined. Is the current position.

The broadcasting station 3 having a narrow service area as described above
When the current position is estimated based on the reception situation of the program, the current position of the tuner 24 can be detected without a current position detecting device, so that the receiver 1 is prevented from being enlarged, and the receiver 1 is manufactured. The increase in cost can be suppressed. In the above case, instead of using the current position as the broadcast station designation condition,
At the time of estimating the current position, information specifying the broadcast station 3 where the content data of the program is actually received may be used. This facilitates designation of the broadcasting station 3 that can reliably reproduce the program.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the process of acquiring the current position of the tuner 24 during the processing of FIGS. 9 to 11 in the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1.
When it is necessary to notify the current position of the tuner 24 to the providing source 5, the process proceeds from step H0 to step H1. In step H1, the playback control device 28 determines whether or not the current position detection device in the navigation device or the receiver 1 can notify the playback control device 28 of the current position.
If the system including the receiver 1 includes the current position detection device, the reproduction control device 28 acquires the current position data from the current position detection device in step H2. If there is no current position detecting device in the system including the receiver 1, in step H3, the reproduction control device 28 receives a broadcast with a narrow service area and estimates the current position based on the reception result. After the processing of steps H2 and H3, step H4
Then, the process of FIG. 12 ends. As described above, since the reproduction control device 28 automatically changes the method of acquiring the current position according to the presence or absence of the current position detection device, the receiver 1 in FIG.
The process based on the current position can be accurately performed regardless of whether the device is installed at a predetermined position or mounted on a moving body.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the immediate reproduction process of a program in the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1. When the process proceeds to the step of the immediate reproduction process, the process proceeds to step K0 or step K1. In step K1, the reproduction control device 28 selects a broadcast channel of the program based on the guide data of the program to be automatically reproduced, and starts demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program of the selected channel. As a result, the content data of the program to be automatically reproduced is demodulated and extracted from the broadcast wave and provided to the reproducing device 26, where the program is reproduced. In step K2, the playback control device 28 uses the playback device 26 to present the contents of the guide data that is the basis of the currently executed automatic playback to the viewer in order to indicate that the automatic playback is being performed. . For example, as shown in FIG. 14, "current reception information (automatic reception)"
And the broadcast date and time and title of the currently playing program are superimposed on or replaced by the image of the program being played by the playback device 26. Is displayed. As a result, if the guide data of a program different from the viewer's preference is provided by search, or if the viewer misrecognizes even if the search result based on the program search condition is correct, the viewer is notified of these. Therefore, the usability of the receiver 1 is further improved.

At step K3, the reproduction control device 28
Waits for an instruction from the viewer to interrupt the automatic reproduction of the program. If the program being automatically played ends before the instruction to interrupt automatic playback ends, the process of FIG. 13 ends at step K5.
When instructing the interruption of the reproduction of the program, the viewer performs a predetermined operation for the interruption instruction on the operation device 25. In response to the predetermined operation, in step K4, the reproduction control device 28
The demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program based on the guide data in the tuner 24 is interrupted. After the interruption, the process of FIG. 13 ends in step K5. As a result, when the program whose data is being demodulated and extracted is not the one desired by the viewer, the demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program can be immediately canceled, so that the usability of the receiver 1 is further improved. The instruction to stop the automatic reproduction of the program is preferably assigned to the function key 31 of the operation device 25 as shown in FIG. 14, and when the function key 31 is pressed, a predetermined operation for the instruction to stop the automatic reproduction is performed. Is considered. As a result, as in the case where instructions for presenting various program guides are assigned to the function keys 31, an instruction to stop automatic reproduction can be made with one touch, so that the usability of the receiver 1 is further improved.

After the processing in FIG. 13 is completed, the reproduction control device 28
Returns the operation state of the tuner 24 and the playback device 26 to the state immediately before the start of the process in FIG. When there are two or more pieces of guide data of a program to be automatically received, the reproduction control device 28 sets priorities for all programs to be automatically received, and performs the automatic reception processing of FIG. 13 sequentially from the program with the highest priority. Do. After the processing of FIG. 13 relating to a certain program ends,
FIG. 1 for another program whose priority is next to the certain program
3 is started. This eliminates the need for viewer operation even after the end of the instant reproduction process, so that the usability of the receiver 1 improves.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining a program reservation reproduction process in the reproduction control device 28 of the receiver 1. When the process proceeds to the step of the reserved reproduction process, the process proceeds from step L0 to step L1. In step L1, the reproduction control device 28 creates reservation data of the program based on the guide data of the program and stores the reservation data in the reservation data storage device. The program reservation data specifies at least the broadcast start date and time of the program and the broadcast channel of the program.
In step L2, the playback control device 28 uses the playback device 26 to indicate to the viewer that there is reservation data. This makes it easy for the viewer to check whether or not the reservation data is present, so that the usability of the receiver 1 is further improved.

At step L3, the reproduction control device 28
Compares the broadcast start date and time of the reserved program specified by the reservation data with the current date and time. If the current date and time is before the broadcast start date and time of the program being reserved, in step L4, the reproduction control device 28 determines whether or not there is a predetermined operation for giving an instruction to display the contents of the reservation. When the predetermined operation for instructing the display of the reservation content is performed, the reproduction control device 28 presents the content of the reservation data to the viewer using the reproduction device 26 in step L5. As a result, the viewer can easily confirm whether the reserved program is a favorite program, and the usability of the receiver 1 is further improved.

After presenting the contents of the reservation data, in step L6, the reproduction control device 28 determines whether or not there is a predetermined operation for instructing interruption of reservation reproduction based on the presented reservation data. When the predetermined operation for instructing the interruption of the scheduled playback is performed,
In step L7, the reproduction control device 28 deletes the reservation data for the reservation reproduction. After the data is erased, the processing of steps L3 to L7, which returns from step L7 to step L3, is periodically performed in parallel with the processing other than the reserved reproduction in the reproduction control device 28.

If the broadcast start date and time of the program to be reserved for reproduction matches the current date and time in step L3, the reproduction control device 28 demodulates and extracts the content data of the program on the broadcast channel specified by the reservation data in step L8. Thus, the tuner 24 is controlled. The content data of the demodulated and extracted program is automatically given to the reproducing device 26, and the program is reproduced. By the above-described processing, a program that satisfies the program search condition is automatically reproduced among all programs that are being broadcast or scheduled to be broadcast by the broadcast station 3 that satisfies the broadcast station designation condition.

Preferably, the instruction to disclose the contents of the reservation data and the instruction to suspend the reproduction of the reservation data are assigned to function keys 31 in operation device 25, respectively, as shown in FIG. Thereby, the contents disclosure of the reservation data and the interruption of the reservation reproduction can be instructed with one touch, respectively, so that the operability of the receiver 1 is improved. Also preferably, the function key 31 is assigned an instruction to disclose the contents of the reservation data only when there is reservation data and a disclosure instruction is possible, and the function is activated only when the instruction to disclose the contents of the reservation data is assigned. As a presentation showing the assignment contents of the key 31, the fact that there is reservation data is presented. Thereby, the receiver 1
Operability is further improved. Such a procedure for assigning an instruction to the function key 31 is not limited to the disclosure of the contents of the reservation data, and may be used for canceling reservation, canceling immediate reception, selecting a program table, and presenting a program table.

The receiver 1 of the present embodiment is an example of the receiver of the present invention, and can be realized in other various forms as long as the main configuration and operation are the same. In particular, the detailed configuration and operation of each component of the receiver 1 are not limited to the above-described configuration and operation, and may be realized by another configuration and operation as long as the same effect is obtained. The receiver 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a configuration in which a tuner receives and processes a broadcast wave transmitted wirelessly, but is not limited to this, and a configuration in which a tuner processes a broadcast station transmitted by wire. There may be.

[0127]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a multi-channel digital broadcasting receiver, data related to the broadcasting of a broadcasting station is obtained from a providing source by communication of a different system from that of the multi-channel digital broadcasting. The tuner is controlled based on the data related to the broadcasting of the station. This allows the digital broadcast receiver to control the tuner based on the broadcast-related data of the broadcast station regardless of the past reception status of the broadcast wave. According to the present invention, when the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station includes the guide data of the program to be broadcast, the data of the program guide is generated based on the guide data in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station obtained from the providing source. Is done.
As a result, the tuner can be controlled based on the data in the program guide regardless of the past reception status of the broadcast wave.

Further, according to the present invention, when the data of the custom program guide having a smaller data amount than the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station is provided from the providing source, the digital broadcasting receiver uses the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station. , The data of the custom program guide is obtained. As a result, the data of the program guide can be presented quickly, and the time required for obtaining the data and the cost required for obtaining the data are reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, one of the data of the program table created in the digital broadcast receiver and the data of the custom program table is used for controlling the tuner. . As a result, it is possible to maintain the uniqueness of the operation of the digital broadcast receiver and to prevent confusion among the viewers of the digital broadcast receiver. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the data of the two types of program guides are individually assigned to keys of the operation means of the digital broadcast receiver, and the data of the program guide assigned to the pressed key is used as the tuner data. Is used to control As a result, the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved.

Further, according to the present invention, not only the guide data in the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station but also the generation conditions caused by the user profile are used for generating the data of the custom program guide at the providing source. The user profile in the providing source is automatically corrected and updated based on the analysis result of the aggregation result of the program reproduction history in the digital broadcast receiver. As a result, it is possible to save the trouble of resetting the user profile by the viewer.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, not only guide data in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station from the providing source, but also program selection conditions and program description arrangement conditions are defined. The program table data is generated based on a predetermined generation condition. As a result, the selectivity of the program using the data of the program guide is improved, and the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is improved.

Further, according to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, not only the guide data in the data relating to the broadcast of the broadcast station from the providing source, but also the data of the program table based on the generation conditions caused by the user profile. Generated. This makes it possible to generate program guide data that includes a large number of options and enables efficient program selection according to the viewer's preference, thereby improving the usability of the digital broadcast receiver.

Further, according to the present invention, when a plurality of user profiles are prepared in the digital broadcast receiver, the generation conditions are individually set for each user profile, and the generation of the program table is performed using each generation condition individually. Data is created. As a result, the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved. Further, according to the present invention, when a plurality of user profiles are individually assigned to keys of the operation means of the digital broadcast receiver, the plurality of user profiles are generated using a generation condition caused by the user profile assigned to the pressed key. Of the program guide to be selected is selected. As a result, the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved.

Further, according to the present invention, prior to data acquisition, broadcast station designation conditions for designating a broadcast station from which data relating to broadcast should be obtained are provided from the digital broadcast receiver to the providing source, and Only data on broadcast stations that meet the specified conditions is provided from the providing source. As a result, the time required for communication between the digital broadcast receiver and the providing source is reduced, and the cost for the communication is reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, the current position of the tuner is notified from the digital broadcast receiver to the providing source immediately before obtaining the data from the providing source. Only the remaining data other than the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station that cannot receive the tuner at the current position is provided from the providing source. As a result, even if the digital broadcast receiver is movable, the data to be provided can be properly selected from the data on the broadcasts of the broadcast stations that can be provided.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, prior to data acquisition, a program search condition for searching for a program to be demodulated and extracted is provided from the digital broadcast receiver to the providing source, and a guide for a program matching the program search condition is provided. The tuner is controlled based on the guidance data which is retrieved by the providing source from the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station that can provide the data and provided to the receiver, and provided. This reduces the load on the reproduction control means in the digital broadcast receiver.

Further, according to the present invention, if the program is being broadcast after obtaining the guide data of the program from the providing source, the digital broadcast receiver can demodulate and extract the content data of the program based on the guide data. Starts immediately. If the program has not been broadcast, reservation data specifying the broadcast start date and time and the broadcast channel of the program is created, and after the broadcast start date and time match the current date and time, demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program starts. Is done. As a result, after transmitting the program search condition, the content data of the program is demodulated and extracted without any operation by the viewer, so that the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is improved.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, after the tuner control is started based on the guide data of a program that matches the program search condition, the contents of the guide data that is the basis of the start are presented. If the viewer gives an instruction to suspend the reproduction of the program using the operation means during the demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program based on the guide data, the demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program are interrupted. As a result, the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved.

Further, according to the present invention, when reservation data is created and stored in the digital broadcast receiver based on guidance data matching program search conditions, it is presented that reservation data is present. Also, if the viewer instructs using the operation means to disclose the contents of the reservation data while the reservation data is being stored,
The contents of the reservation data are presented to the viewer using the playback device. As a result, the usability of the digital broadcast receiver is further improved.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, not only the program search conditions but also the current position of the tuner is notified from the digital broadcast receiver to the providing source, and demodulation of the content data of the program at the current position among all the broadcasting stations. Guidance data of a program that meets the program search condition in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station that can be extracted is provided from the providing source. As a result, a program can be specified even for a broadcast from a broadcast station having a narrow service area. Further, according to the present invention, in the digital broadcast receiver, the position in the service area of the broadcasting station where the tuner can demodulate and extract the definition data is specified as the current position of the tuner. As a result, an increase in the size of the digital broadcast receiver is prevented, and an increase in the manufacturing cost of the digital broadcast receiver is suppressed.

Further, according to the present invention, when the guide data of the program that meets the program search condition is not found in the providing source, the guide data of the program that meets the extended program search condition is searched. As a result, it is possible to leave room for selection regarding the operation of the reproduction control means in the digital broadcast receiver.

Further, according to the present invention, in a digital broadcast receiver, when guide data of two or more programs that meet program search conditions or extended program search conditions is obtained from a providing source, the guide data is The program guide is presented to the playback device. As a result, the automatic reproduction of the two or more programs and the reservation of the automatic reproduction can be selectively performed using the program table.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-channel digital broadcast broadcasting system including a digital broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital broadcast receiver in the broadcast system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a program guide presentation process in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a program guide presentation process in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a program guide presentation process in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an assignment state of two types of user program guides to function keys in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an assignment state of two types of user program guides and custom program guides to function keys in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a correction update process of a user profile used for creating a custom program guide in a providing source in the broadcasting system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a program guide presentation process in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a program automatic reproduction process in the digital broadcast receiver in FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic reproduction process of a program in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of acquiring a tuner current position in the digital broadcast receiver in FIG. 2;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for describing in detail an instant reproduction process of a program in the digital broadcast receiver in FIG. 2;

14 is a diagram showing a presentation state of an instant automatic reproduction of a program in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining in detail a program reservation reproduction process in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a presentation state of a programmed reproduction of a program in the digital broadcast receiver of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital broadcast receiver (receiver) 2 Broadcasting system 3 Broadcasting station 5 Provision source 22 Memory 23 Communication device 24 Tuner 25 Operation device 26 Playback device 28 Playback control device 31 Function key

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A tuner for selectively demodulating and extracting content data of a one-channel program from a broadcast wave which is a carrier wave digitally modulated based on content data of a program of each channel of a multi-channel digital broadcast. And a playback device that receives the content data of the received program and plays back the program. In the digital broadcast receiver, data related to the broadcast of a multi-channel digital broadcast station is transmitted in a different system from the multi-channel digital broadcast. Communication means for performing the communication of the different system with a providing source provided by using the communication means; and data related to the broadcast of the broadcasting station obtained from the providing source using the communication means. A reproduction control means for controlling a tuner based on data related to broadcasting of a broadcasting station. 2. When the data related to the broadcasting of a broadcasting station provided from the providing source includes guide data of a program scheduled to be broadcast, the reproduction control means includes a control unit for the broadcasting station obtained by using the communication means. 2. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein program guide data is generated based on guide data in data related to broadcasting. 3. The customizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the providing source generates custom program guide data having a smaller data amount than data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station based on guidance data included in data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station provided by the providing source. And the data of the custom program guide is provided by the communication of the different system, and the reproduction control means obtains the data of the custom program guide from the providing source using the communication means, and is obtained. 3. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the tuner is controlled based on data of a custom program guide. 4. An operation unit operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the reproduction control unit is configured to output data of the program table created by itself and data of the obtained custom program table. 4. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 3, wherein data of one of the program guides selected in response to a predetermined operation on the operation means is used for controlling the tuner. 5. The operation means includes a plurality of keys to which data of a program table created by the reproduction control means and data of the obtained custom program table are individually assigned. 5. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 4, wherein in response to the press, data of a program table assigned to the pressed key is selected. 6. The provision source stores in advance a user profile indicating a preference for program viewing, and sets a generation condition including at least a program selection condition to be described in a custom program guide based on the user profile, Generating custom program guide data based on the generation conditions and guide data in data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station, wherein the digital broadcast receiver includes a program history storage unit that stores a history of program reproduction. The reproduction control means of the digital broadcast receiver totals the history of program reproduction, and automatically transmits the total result of the history to the providing source using the communication means, 6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: analyzing a totaling result of the history of the program reproduction; and correcting and updating a user profile based on the analysis result. Digital broadcast receiver according to the item. 7. A generation condition storage means for storing in advance generation conditions including at least one of a selection condition of a program to be described in the program table and an arrangement condition of a program description in the program table. The reproduction control means generates the data of the program guide based on the stored generation conditions and guide data in the data related to the broadcast of the broadcast station obtained from the providing source. 7. A program table to be executed, wherein descriptions of programs that meet a selection condition in a generation condition are arranged in accordance with an arrangement condition in the generation condition. 2. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1. 8. A user profile storing means for preliminarily storing a user profile indicating a preference for program viewing, wherein said reproduction control means includes a program selecting condition to be described in said program table and said program A generation condition including at least one of the arrangement conditions of the program description in the table is set based on the user profile, and based on the generation condition and the guidance data in the data on the broadcast of the obtained broadcast station. The program table data generated by generating the program table data is characterized in that the description of the program that meets the selection condition in the generation condition is arranged in accordance with the arrangement condition in the generation condition. The digital broadcast receiver according to any one of claims 2 to 7. 9. The user profile storage means stores a plurality of user profiles in advance, and the reproduction control means sets, for each user profile, a generation condition based on the user profile, and a program table using the generation condition. 9. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 8, wherein the data is generated. 10. An operation unit operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the operation unit is provided with a plurality of pieces of program table data individually generated using generation conditions based on the user profile. 10. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 9, wherein the reproduction control unit uses program table data assigned to the pressed key to control the tuner. 11. 11. The reproduction control means uses the communication means to provide a broadcast station designation condition for designating a broadcast station from which data relating to broadcast should be obtained to the providing source prior to data acquisition. The source provides only data related to broadcasting of a broadcasting station that meets broadcasting station designation conditions in data related to broadcasting of a broadcasting station that can be provided by the source using the communication of the different system. The digital broadcast receiver according to any one of claims 10 to 10. 12. One of the broadcast station designation conditions is a current position of a tuner, and the reproduction control unit notifies the current position of the tuner to the providing source using the communication unit immediately before obtaining data. The providing source is based on the notified current position, and the remaining data in the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station that can be provided by the tuner other than the data related to the broadcasting of the broadcasting station that the tuner cannot receive at the current position. 12. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 11, wherein the digital broadcast receiver provides only the digital broadcast. 13. The reproduction control means provides a program search condition for searching for a program to be demodulated and extracted to the providing source using the communication means, prior to data acquisition. Searching for guide data of a program that meets program search conditions from data on the broadcasting of the broadcasting station that is being provided, the reproduction control means uses the communication means to provide guide data of the program being searched by the providing source. 13. The tuner according to claim 1, wherein the tuner is controlled so that the content data of the program is demodulated and extracted based on the obtained guide data of the program.
Digital broadcast receiver according to the item. 14. A program further comprising: reservation data storage means for storing reservation data designating a broadcast start date and time and a broadcast channel of a program reserved for viewing, wherein said reproduction control means comprises: After obtaining the guide data, it is determined whether or not the program is currently being broadcast based on the guide data. If the program is being broadcast, the tuner starts demodulation and extraction of the content data of the program based on the guide data. If it is before the broadcast, the reservation data of the program is created based on the guide data and stored in the reservation data storage means. (2) The broadcast start date and time and the current date and time designated by the reservation data in the reservation data storage means And comparing the broadcast start date and time with the current date and time, controlling the tuner so as to demodulate and extract the content data of the program of the broadcast channel specified by the reservation data. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 13, wherein 15. An operation means operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the reproduction control means provides: (1) guidance data to the reproduction apparatus during demodulation and extraction of program content data based on the guidance data; (2) In response to a predetermined operation for instructing the operation means to interrupt program reproduction, the tuner suspends demodulation and extraction of program content data based on the guidance data. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 14, wherein: 16. An operation means operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the reproduction control means, when there is reservation data in the reservation data storage means, (1) data indicating that there is reservation data; (2) In response to a predetermined operation for instructing the operation means to disclose the contents of the reservation data, the reservation data in the reservation data storage means is supplied to the reproduction apparatus, and The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 14, wherein the content of the data is presented. 17. The reproduction control means notifies the current position of the tuner to the providing source using the communication means immediately before the guidance data is obtained. Based on the broadcast data of the broadcast station capable of demodulating and extracting the content data of the program at the current position among the broadcast stations that can be provided by the user, guide data of the program that meets the program search condition is included. The digital broadcast receiver according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the digital broadcast is provided by using the communication of the different system. 18. The broadcast wave baseband signal further includes broadcast station definition data indicating at least a broadcast station service area, and the reproduction control means transmits the broadcast station definition data of a narrow service area to the broadcast station. 18. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the tuner is controlled so as to demodulate and extract the broadcast wave, and the position in the service area of the broadcast wave whose definition data is demodulated and extracted is estimated as the current position of the tuner. Machine. 19. When the guide data of a program that matches the program search condition is not searched, the providing source expands the program search condition to convert the guide data of the program that matches the expanded program search condition. 19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: searching for data related to broadcasting of a broadcasting station that can be provided by itself, and providing the searched guidance data using the communication of the different system. Digital broadcast receiver according to the item. 20. An operation unit operated for inputting an instruction, wherein the reproduction control unit guides two or more programs when guidance data of two or more programs is obtained from the providing source. 20. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 19, wherein program table data is generated based on the data, and the program table data is provided to a reproducing apparatus to be presented.