JP2018074470A - Television device - Google Patents

Abstract

A television apparatus for recording and viewing a program by effectively using a recording capacity of a recorder without requiring a user's trouble. When recording a program A on a recorder 7 or 2, a recording / reproducing / erasing control unit 201 of the television apparatus 1 searches a list of programs recorded on the recorder by a recording list search unit 203. As a result of the search, when program B having the same content as program A is recorded, display unit 109b notifies that program B identical to program A has already been recorded, and also records program A and video to be recorded. The user is allowed to select whether or not to delete any of the already-completed programs B. When the user selects to delete one of the programs, the control unit deletes either program A or program B after recording program A on the recorder. [Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a television apparatus for viewing and recording a broadcast program.

  When a user tries to record a favorite broadcast program on the television device, the recording capacity of the recorder (internal recording medium or external recorder) may be exceeded and recording may not be performed. Therefore, the user deletes the recorded program that is no longer necessary in the recorder and records a new program, but this is troublesome.

  As a method for dealing with this, there is known a method of setting and managing an expiration date for storing a recorded program. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is possible to set a standard expiration date depending on the type of program, or to select permanent storage, and to automatically delete a program that has exceeded the expiration date (or Dubbing to another recording medium).

  On the other hand, it is possible to view the same content as the favorite program via the network. For example, Patent Document 2 describes that all program data broadcast is stored in the recording center, and the user can request and view a desired program from the recording center.

JP 2006-173766 A JP 2003-324675 A

  According to the technique of Patent Document 1, an unnecessary program whose expiration date has expired is automatically deleted, so that the recording capacity of the recorder can be used effectively and the burden on the user can be reduced. On the other hand, there is a case where programs with the same contents are recorded and stored in the recorder. This is likely to occur in the case of a system that automatically records a program that the user likes, and as the number of recorded programs increases, the user often does not notice that the same program is recorded twice. It is not preferable that the same program is stored in the recorder in duplicate from the viewpoint of effectively using the recording capacity of the recorder, but it takes time for the user to know that the same program is duplicated.

  Further, as in Patent Document 2, it is possible to view content having the same content as a television broadcast program via a network. If this method is combined, a desired program can be viewed without recording the program on the recorder, so there is no need to worry about the recording capacity of the recorder. However, when a user tries to record a broadcast program, it is troublesome and time-consuming to search for whether or not the same content exists.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a television device that records and views a program by effectively using the recording capacity of a recorder without requiring a user's trouble.

  The present invention provides a television apparatus for receiving and displaying a broadcast program and recording the received program with a recorder, and a display unit for displaying the received program or a program reproduced by the recorder; A recording list search unit that searches for a list of programs recorded in the recorder; and a control unit that controls recording, playback, and erasing operations of the recorder. When the control unit records or reserves a predetermined program A in the recorder, as a result of the search by the recording list search unit, it is found that the program B having the same content as the program A is recorded in the recorder. In this case, the display unit notifies the user that the same program B as the program A to be recorded is recorded, and the program A to be recorded on the recorder and the recorded program B are recorded. A screen is displayed that allows the user to select whether to erase one of the programs. When the user selects to delete one of the programs, the control unit records the program A on the recorder, and then records either one of the program A and the program B recorded on the recorder. Erase.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a television apparatus that records and views a program by effectively using the recording capacity of the recorder without requiring a user's trouble.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the video recording system to which this invention is applied. The block diagram which shows the internal structure of a television apparatus. The figure which shows the block structure of the video recording viewing function of a television apparatus. The figure which displayed the list of the example of the recording management status of the recording viewing management part. The figure which shows the example of the display screen of VOD service. A flowchart at the time of recording operation in the own recorder (Example 1). The flowchart when performing reproduction | regeneration operation | movement with an own recorder. The figure which shows the example of the display screen at the time of video recording. The figure which shows the example of the display screen at the time of reproduction | regeneration. A flowchart when recording operation is performed by the own recorder and the other recorder (Example 2). The flowchart when performing reproduction | regeneration operation | movement with an own recorder and another recorder. 12 is a flowchart for performing a recording operation using VOD (Example 3). The flowchart when performing reproduction | regeneration operation | movement using VOD. The figure which shows the example of the display screen at the time of video recording. The figure which shows the example of the display screen at the time of reproduction | regeneration.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a recording system to which the present invention is applied. The recording system includes a television apparatus 1, a recording unit 7, and an indoor recorder 2. The television apparatus 1 receives a broadcast program transmitted from the broadcast station 3 via the broadcast wave 30 or a network (external network 4a, indoor network 4b, router 5), and displays / outputs video / audio. The user 10 uses the remote controller 8 to select a channel or program that the user wants to view and records the program or schedules recording. If necessary, video / audio content can be acquired from the external server 6 via the external network 4a and viewed / recorded. Thereby, for example, the same content as the broadcast program can be acquired using a VOD (Video On Demand) service.

  The recording destination of the program is performed by the recording unit 7 such as an HDD connected to the television apparatus 1 or connected externally, or the indoor recorder 2 connected to the indoor network 4b. In the case of the television apparatus 1 that does not have the recording unit 7, for example, a “I want to see again” button is provided. When the user is viewing, when the “would like to see again” button is pressed, the indoor recorder 2 is automatically searched and a recording instruction or a recording reservation instruction is performed. In the following description, the recording unit 7 and the indoor recorder 2 are collectively referred to as “recorders”, but the recording unit 7 is distinguished as “own recorder” and the indoor recorder 2 is distinguished as “other recorder”.

  In this recording system, the program acquisition function and the recording function are expanded by acquiring the program content from the external server 6 and adding the indoor recorder 2 as a recording destination.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the television apparatus. The television apparatus 1 includes a system bus 100, a CPU (main control unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a recording unit (HDD) 104, an external interface 105, a communication unit 106, and an operation. Unit 107, broadcast receiver 108, video processor 109, audio processor 110, and timer 111. The recording unit 104 corresponds to the recording unit 7 of FIG. 1, but may be provided separately.

  The system bus 100 is a data communication path for performing data transmission / reception between the CPU 101 and each unit in the television apparatus 1. The CPU 101 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire television apparatus 1 according to a predetermined program.

  The ROM 102 is a memory in which a basic operation program such as an operating system and other application programs are stored. For example, a rewritable ROM such as an EEPROM or a flash ROM is used. By updating the program stored in the ROM 102, the basic operation program and other application programs can be upgraded and functions can be expanded. Here, an application program for executing a recording function of a broadcast program, a search function for acquiring contents, and the like is stored.

  The RAM 103 serves as a work area when executing the basic operation program and other application programs. Here, an electronic program guide (EPG) received from a television broadcast and a recording reservation table registered by the user are also stored.

  The recording unit (HDD) 104 records and reproduces video / audio data of the received broadcast program. At that time, it is preferable to have a time-shift playback function for temporarily recording all programs by a ring buffer method and playing back a necessary part by the user. The recording unit 104 may be a device such as a flash ROM or an SSD (Solid State Drive) instead of the HDD. The recording unit 104 may be built in the television apparatus 1 or may be connected externally.

  The external interface 105 is an interface group for extending the functions of the television apparatus 1. The video input interface 105a and the audio input interface 105b input video signals / audio signals from an external video / audio output device. The USB interface 105c connects a USB device such as a keyboard or a memory card.

  The communication unit 106 includes a wireless LAN communication unit 106a for transmitting / receiving information to / from the external network 4a, and a short-range wireless communication unit 106b for transmitting / receiving information to / from the indoor network 4b. In addition, when recording / playback is performed by the indoor recorder 2 or the like in FIG. 1, it may be connected to the indoor network 4b.

  The operation unit 107 is an instruction input unit that inputs an operation instruction (program selection or recording / playback instruction) to the television apparatus 1, and includes an operation button 107 a and a remote control reception unit 107 b that receives an infrared signal from the remote controller 8. Is done.

  The broadcast receiving unit 108 includes a tuner 108a, a separation unit 108b, and an encoder / decoder 108c. The tuner 108a extracts the signal of the channel selected by the user from the broadcast wave received by the antenna, and demodulates the TS (Transport Stream) signal. The separation unit 108b separates the TS signal into packetized video data, audio data, and accompanying information data. The encoder / decoder 108c decodes the video data, audio data, and accompanying information data output from the separation unit 108b, and outputs the video signal to the video processing unit 109 and the audio signal to the audio processing unit 110. From the accompanying information data, SI (Service Information) information including program information such as the program name, genre, broadcast start / end date and time of each program is acquired.

  The video processing unit 109 includes a video data processing unit 109a and a display (display unit) 109b. The video data processing unit 109a applies to video data input from the encoder / decoder 108c or the video input interface 105a, video data received by the communication unit 106, video data reproduced from the recording unit 104, or the like as necessary. Performs format conversion, menu and other OSD (On Screen Display) data superimposition processing. The display (display unit) 109b is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, for example, and displays the video processed by the video data processing unit 109a.

  The audio processing unit 110 includes an audio data processing unit 110a and a speaker 110b. The audio data processing unit 110a applies to the audio data input from the encoder / decoder 108c and the audio input interface 105b, the audio data received by the communication unit 106, or the audio data reproduced from the recording unit 104, as necessary. Perform processing such as format conversion. The speaker 110b outputs the sound processed by the sound data processing unit 110a.

  The timer unit 111 outputs information on the current date / time and day of the week, and measures elapsed time using an RTC (Real Time Clock) circuit or the like.

  Next, the recording / viewing function of the television apparatus 1 will be described. As a recording method, in addition to starting recording a favorite program that the user is viewing and making a recording reservation with reference to the program guide, in order for the user to reliably record and view a desired program, Has recording and viewing functions.

  (1) As an automatic recording function, the television device detects that the user likes the program being viewed and automatically records the program A being viewed by the user on the recorder (recording unit 7 or indoor recorder 2). To do. For example, when the user continues to watch the same program for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the program is a favorite program. However, in the case of recording from the middle of the program, the part before the start of recording cannot be recorded, but the entire program A can be acquired from the beginning by the following methods (2) to (4).

  (2) As a temporary recording function, the broadcast program of each channel is taken into the ring buffer in all recording modes by the recorder. Then, by designating a desired program A by the user, the designated program A is acquired from the ring buffer and stored.

  (3) A method obtained from rebroadcast. The program searches the broadcast station 3 for the same program A as the program A to be rebroadcasted thereafter and reserves it for recording in a recorder. In particular, in CATV and the like, the same program is often rebroadcast many times, and sometimes it is broadcast on other broadcast stations.

  (4) A method obtained from VOD (Video On Demand). The same content C as the desired program A is downloaded and viewed using a VOD service operated by a broadcasting station, VOD distribution from a content provider, or the like. In this case, the user purchases the paid content.

Furthermore, in order to effectively use the recording capacity of the recorder, the following erase operation is performed for unnecessary recorded programs.
(5) When the user records the desired program A or plays back the recorded program A, if the same program B is already recorded on the recorder, the user is notified that the same program has been recorded. To do. Then, the duplicate program in the recorder is deleted according to the user's instruction.

  (6) When the user records the desired program A or plays back the recorded program A, the content that can be viewed with the VOD service is searched. As a result of the search, when there is content C having the same content as program A, the user is notified of this. Then, the recording or reproduction of the program A is stopped according to the user's instruction to switch to the viewing of the content C, and the recorded program A is deleted.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a block configuration of a recording / viewing function of the television apparatus. The ROM 102 of the television apparatus 1 stores a program for performing recording / viewing processing of a broadcast program or content, which is expanded in the RAM 103 and executed by the CPU 101. As a result, the functional configuration of the recording / viewing management unit 200 shown in FIG. 3 is realized. The configuration of the recording / viewing management unit 200 will be described below.

  The recording / playback / erase control unit 201 controls the recording / playback and erasure operations of the broadcast program for the recorder (recording unit 7, indoor recorder 2) and is connected to the external server 6 via the networks 4a and 4b. , Control acquisition and viewing of VOD content. At that time, the user display unit 202 displays a message to the user and a selection screen via the video processing unit (display) 109 and the audio processing unit (speaker) 110, and accepts a selection from the user. For example, this message notifies that a recorded program is duplicated, and the user can select to delete one program.

  The recording list search unit 203 searches a list of programs recorded in the recorders 7 and 2 (hereinafter, a recording list). Each recorder holds program information such as the program name, genre, broadcast start / end date and time of each program recorded by the recorder. Therefore, the recording list search unit 203 can know which recorder is recording the same program by referring to the program information of the recorded program held by each recorder.

  The EPG search unit 204 searches for a rebroadcast schedule within a predetermined period (for example, one week in the future) with reference to the electronic program guide (EPG). The broadcast station HP search unit 205 searches for a rebroadcast schedule of the same program with reference to the broadcast station home page including other broadcast stations. The rebroadcast recording setting unit 206 inquires of the recording reservation unit 207 whether or not rebroadcast recording is possible / automatic recording reservation. The recording reservation unit 207 makes a recording reservation for the designated program to the recorders 7 and 2.

  The VOD search unit 208 includes a free VOD search unit 208a and a pay VOD search unit 208b. The VOD search unit 208 accesses the external server 6 via the communication unit 106, Search for free or paid content of the same content. If the corresponding content exists, the content reproduction unit 209 displays a content introduction screen on the video processing unit 109. At that time, for the paid content, the amount of money required for viewing is also displayed. When receiving a reproduction start (purchase approval) instruction from the user, the corresponding content is acquired and reproduced, and output to the video processing unit 109 and the audio processing unit 110. The VOD search unit 208 and the content playback unit 209 are collectively referred to as an “external content acquisition unit”.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a list of examples of the recording management status of the recording / viewing management unit 200. The recording management status indicates the current recording (reservation) status in each recorder, and can be displayed on the video processing unit (display 109b) and confirmed by the user. Here, a case where the “favorite” tab is selected is shown, and a list of programs that the user likes and recorded or programs registered for reserved recording is displayed. The programs (contents) to be displayed are displayed separately from those that have been recorded, those that are waiting for rebroadcasting, and those that can be viewed immediately on the VOD.

  For a recorded program (recording reservation), a recording mode (standard / high-definition distinction) may be added as attribute information and displayed. VOD is categorized into free ones, free ones if you register as a member, and paid ones. This VOD display reflects the search processing result in the VOD search unit 208, and is displayed when the corresponding VOD content exists.

  The user can select and watch a desired program from this screen. For example, if the recorded program “Quiz X” is selected with the cursor and the Ok button is pressed with the remote controller, playback of the recorded program starts. However, the program waiting for rebroadcasting (here “Drama: Spring Arashi”, displayed in gray) cannot be watched immediately, so the cursor cannot be positioned. Moreover, what was recorded by automatic recording but recorded from the middle of the program (here, “sports”) is displayed as “intermediate recording”. In this case, playback is possible, but the program cannot be viewed from the beginning. At this time, a rebroadcast wait is automatically reserved.

  On the other hand, when VOD content having the same content as the desired program exists, viewing by VOD is possible. In that case, if the corresponding program is selected with the cursor and the Ok button is pressed, a transition is made to a VOD service screen shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later, and viewing can be started. Therefore, even when a desired program cannot be recorded or when waiting for recording, it can be viewed immediately by using the VOD, and the convenience for the user is enhanced.

  In addition, if the content having the same content as the desired program can be viewed using download sales, a message to that effect is displayed. In this case, the operation is the same as VOD, but the entire content is once downloaded to the recorder and viewed. In that case, movement to another recording medium (DVD or the like) is also possible.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the VOD service.
(A) displays a list of a plurality of found contents as a search result of the VOD search unit 208. If the entire list does not fit on one screen, the page is switched between “Previous page” and “Next page”. When the user selects a desired content, a screen as in (b) or (c) that asks the user whether or not playback is possible is displayed.

  (B) is displaying the free content searched in the free VOD search part 208a. If you select the “play from continuation” button, playback starts from the scene you were watching last time. Selecting the “Play from top” button plays the content from the top. You may automatically play from the beginning without displaying the button.

  (C) displays paid content searched by the paid VOD search unit 208b. In this case, since the content is charged, the screen displays the amount required for viewing and requests the user to determine whether or not to purchase using the “Purchase / Play” button.

In obtaining VOD content, various acquisition methods are possible as follows.
(1) A VOD such as “missing delivery” supplied by a broadcasting station is searched, and a playback start screen of the extracted program is provided to the user.
(2) The same content as a broadcast program (for example, in the case of a movie) is searched by each company's VOD, and a playback start screen of the extracted program is provided to the user.
(3) Search for the same content as a broadcast program (for example, in the case of a movie) by downloading and selling video content, and present a purchase screen to the user.

  Next, description will be given of the selection of whether or not to record a program and the erasing operation of duplicate recorded programs for effectively using the recording capacity of the recorder. Hereinafter, the range of the target recording system is divided into the case of only the own recorder (recording unit 7), the case of including another recorder (indoor recorder 2), and the case of including the use of VOD content (external server 6). I will explain.

  In the first embodiment, an operation for deleting a recorded program when the recording system uses only the own recorder (recording unit 7) will be described. The timing will be described separately when a predetermined program is recorded on the own recorder and when a recorded program is reproduced from the own recorder.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a flowchart when a recording operation is performed in the own recorder. This process is performed mainly by the recording / playback / erasing control unit 201 and the recording list search unit 203 of the recording / viewing management unit 200.

S301: The user likes the program A being viewed and performs a recording operation using the remote controller 8 or the like. Alternatively, a recording reservation operation is performed for program A with reference to the program guide.
S302: The recording list search unit 203 searches the recording list of the own recorder (recording unit 7). Program information such as program names of recorded programs is stored in the own recorder.

S303: The recording list search unit 203 refers to the program information in the recording list to determine whether or not the same program as the program A to be recorded is recorded in the own recorder. If the same program B as the program A is recorded, the process proceeds to S305, and if the same program is not recorded, the process proceeds to S304.
S304: Since the same program as program A is not recorded, the recording / playback / deletion control unit 201 executes recording (or recording reservation) of program A by its own recorder. At this point, the program A is recorded and remains on the recorder.

S305: Since the same program B as the program A is recorded, the user display unit 202 displays an alarm on the video display unit 109 (display 109b) that the same recorded program B exists.
FIG. 7A shows an example of a display screen. Note that the display mode may include the recording mode of the recorded program B. Further, on the display screen, a screen for allowing the user to select whether or not to “overwrite” the program A is displayed. Here, “overwrite” means that program A is once recorded and then one of program A and program B is deleted. Conversely, not “overwriting” means that both program A and program B remain.

S306: The user selects whether to “overwrite” program A. If it is selected to overwrite, the process proceeds to S308, and if it is selected not to overwrite, the process proceeds to S307.
S307: The recording / playback / erasing control unit 201 causes the own recorder to execute recording of the program A (recording reservation). At this point, both the program A and the program B remain on the recorder.

S308: The program A is recorded by the own recorder (recording reservation). When recording, the own recorder measures, for example, an error rate during recording as the recording quality.
S309: When the recording of the program A is finished, it is determined whether the recording is finished normally. For example, the entire program may not be recorded due to insufficient capacity of the recorder. If it has been completed normally, the process proceeds to S310, and if it has not been completed normally, the process proceeds to S313.

S310: The recording / playback / erasing control unit 201 acquires the recording quality (error rate) of the programs A and B from its own recorder. Note that, for the recorded program B, the recorder itself holds the error rate at the time of recording.
S311: The recording quality of the acquired program A and program B is compared, and it is determined whether the program A is higher quality than the program B. If the program A has a higher quality than the program B, the process proceeds to S312. If the program B has a higher quality than the program A, the process proceeds to S313.

S312: The recording / playback / erasing control unit 201 erases the program B having the lower recording quality from the recorder of its own. Note that when starting the erasing operation, the user display unit 202 may display a confirmation message indicating that the program B is to be erased and obtain the user's consent. As a result, only the program A having a high recording quality remains in the own recorder.
S313: The program A with lower recording quality is deleted from the recorder. At that time, the user display unit 202 may display a confirmation message to delete the program A and obtain the user's consent. As a result, only the program B with high recording quality remains in the own recorder.

  As described above, at the time of recording (recording reservation), when a recorded program B that is the same as the program A to be recorded exists in the own recorder, this is automatically notified and the program A is recorded. Erase one program afterwards. As a result, it is possible to avoid the same program from being duplicated and remaining in the recorder itself without taking the user's effort.

  FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a flowchart when the reproduction operation is performed by the own recorder. This processing is also performed mainly by the recording / playback / erasing control unit 201 and the recording list search unit 203 of the recording / viewing management unit 200.

S401: The user refers to the recording management list display of FIG. 4, for example, and performs a reproduction operation on the desired recorded program A.
S402: The recording list search unit 203 searches the recording list of the own recorder. Program information such as program names of recorded programs is stored in the own recorder.

S403: The recording list search unit 203 refers to the program information in the recording list to determine whether or not the same program as the program A to be reproduced is recorded on the recorder itself. If the same program B as the program A is recorded, the process proceeds to S405, and if the same program is not recorded, the process proceeds to S404.
S404: Since the same program as program A is not recorded, recording / playback / deletion control section 201 causes program A to be played back. This is the end, and the program A remains on the recorder itself.

S405: Since the same program B as the program A is recorded, the user display unit 202 displays an alarm on the video display unit 109 that the same program B recorded in duplicate exists.
FIG. 7B shows an example of a display screen. In addition, you may include each recording mode of the recorded program A and the program B in the content to display. Further, on the display screen, a screen is displayed that allows the user to select whether to “delete one” or “leave both” of the program that is recorded in duplicate. At that time, the user can select a program in consideration of the recording mode.

S406: The user selects whether to “delete one”. If “Erase one” is selected, the process proceeds to S408. If “Leave both” is selected, the process proceeds to S407.
S407: The recording / playback / erase control unit 201 causes the own recorder to play back program A. This is the end, and both the program A and the program B are left on the recorder.

S408: The recording / playback / erasing control unit 201 acquires the recording quality (error rate) of the programs A and B from its own recorder.
S409: The recording quality of the acquired program A and program B is compared, and it is determined whether or not the program A has a higher quality than the program B. If the program A has a higher quality than the program B, the process proceeds to S410. If the program B has a higher quality than the program A, the process proceeds to S412.

S410: The recording / playback / deletion control unit 201 causes program A to be played back by the own recorder.
S411: When the reproduction of the program A is completed, the program B having the lower recording quality is deleted. At that time, the user display unit 202 may display a confirmation message to delete the program B. As a result, only the program A having a high recording quality remains in the own recorder.

S412: Recording / playback / erasing control section 201 causes program B to be played back by its own recorder.
S413: When the reproduction of the program B is completed, the program A having the lower recording quality is deleted. At that time, the user display unit 202 may display a confirmation message to delete the program A. As a result, only the program B with high recording quality remains in the own recorder.

  In this example, the recording quality of the programs recorded in duplicate is compared after S408, and the higher quality program is reproduced and the other program is deleted. Of course, the user designates the program to be reproduced. However, the other program may be deleted.

  As described above, when a recorded program B that is the same as the program A to be reproduced exists in the own recorder at the time of reproduction, that fact is automatically notified and one of the programs is deleted. As a result, it is possible to avoid the same program from being duplicated and remaining in the recorder itself without taking the user's effort.

  In the second embodiment, a description will be given of an operation for deleting duplicate recorded programs when the recording system uses the own recorder (recording unit 7) and the other recorder (indoor recorder 2). The timing will be described separately when a predetermined program is recorded on the own recorder or the other recorder and when a recorded program is reproduced from the own recorder or the other recorder. Note that repeated description of processes common to the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a flowchart when the recording operation is performed by the own recorder and the other recorder. The same processes as those in FIG. 6A are denoted by the same step codes.

S301: The user likes the program A being viewed and performs a recording operation. Alternatively, a recording reservation operation is performed for program A with reference to the program guide.
S302 ′: The recording list search unit 203 searches the recording list of the own recorder (recording unit 7) and the other recorder (indoor recorder 2). In the own recorder and the other recorder, program information such as a program name of a program already recorded in each recorder is stored.

S303 ′: The recording list search unit 203 refers to the program information in the recording list to determine whether the same program as the program A to be recorded is recorded on the own recorder or the other recorder. If the same program B as the program A is recorded, the process proceeds to S305, and if the same program is not recorded, the process proceeds to S304.
S304: Since the same program as program A is not recorded in either the own recorder or the other recorder, the recording / playback / erase control unit 201 records program A by the own recorder or the other recorder ( Or recording reservation). At this point, the program A is recorded and remains on the recorder or the recorder of the other apparatus.

  S305: Since the same program B as the program A is recorded on the own recorder or the other recorder, the user display unit 202 has the same recorded program B on the video display unit 109 (display 109b). Alarm display. The display screen is the same as in FIG. 7A.

  The subsequent processing is the same as that after S306 in FIG. 6A, and “own recorder” may be read as “own recorder or other recorder”. Then, after the program A is recorded on the own recorder or the other recorder, one of the program A and the program B is deleted. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the same program from being duplicated and remaining in the own recorder or the other recorder.

  FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a flowchart when the reproducing operation is performed by the own recorder and the other recorder. The same processes as those in FIG. 6B are denoted by the same step codes.

S401: The user refers to the recording management list display of FIG. 4, for example, and performs a reproduction operation on the desired program A that has been recorded by the own recorder or the other recorder.
S402 ′: The recording list search unit 203 searches the recording lists of the own recorder and the other recorder. In the own recorder and the other recorder, program information such as a program name of a program already recorded in each recorder is stored.

S403 ′: The recording list search unit 203 refers to the program information in the recording list to determine whether the same program as the program A to be reproduced is recorded in the own recorder or the other recorder. If the same program B as the program A is recorded, the process proceeds to S405, and if the same program is not recorded, the process proceeds to S404.
S404: Since the same program as program A is not recorded in either the own recorder or the other recorder, the recording / playback / erase control unit 201 reproduces program A by the own recorder or the other recorder. Let it run. At this point, the program A is left on the recorder or the other recorder.

  S405: Since the same program B as the program A is recorded on the own recorder or the other recorder, the user display unit 202 has the same program B recorded on the video display unit 109 in duplicate. Alarm display. The display screen is the same as in FIG. 7B.

  The subsequent processing is the same as that after S406 in FIG. 6B, and “own recorder” or “other recorder” may be replaced with “own recorder”. When the same recorded program B as the program A to be reproduced exists in the own recorder or the other recorder, the user is notified of this and one of the programs is deleted. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the same program from being duplicated and remaining in the own recorder or the other recorder.

  In the third embodiment, a description will be given of avoiding duplicate recording operations and deleting recorded programs when the recording system includes the use of VOD content (external server 6) in addition to the recorder (own device or other device). The timing will be described separately when a predetermined program is recorded on the recorder and when a recorded program is reproduced from the recorder.

  FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a flowchart when a recording operation is performed using VOD. This process is performed mainly by the recording / playback / deletion control unit 201 of the recording / viewing management unit 200 and the external content acquisition unit (VOD search unit 208 and content playback unit 209).

S501: The user likes the program A being viewed and performs a recording operation. Alternatively, a recording reservation operation is performed for program A with reference to the program guide.
S502: The VOD search unit 208 accesses the external server 6 via the communication unit 106 and the external network 4a, and searches a content list of VOD services that can be viewed.

  S503: The VOD search unit 208 determines whether there is content (free / charged) having the same content as the designated program A. If the same content as the program A exists, the process proceeds to S504, and if the same content does not exist, the process proceeds to S508.

S504: Since the same content as the program A exists, the user display unit 202 displays an alarm on the video display unit 109 that the program A to be recorded can be viewed with VOD.
FIG. 10A shows an example of a display screen. Further, on the display screen, a screen for allowing the user to select whether to watch with VOD or to record program A is displayed.

S505: The user selects whether or not to view with VOD. If the user has selected to view with VOD, the process proceeds to S506, and if the user has selected to record program A, the process proceeds to S508.
S506: The content playback unit 209 displays the VOD service screen shown in FIG. The content is introduced on this screen, and the user selects the desired content and instructs “play”. We will also accept purchases of paid content. If the user selects “RETURN” here, the process returns to S505.

S507: The content playback unit 209 plays back the selected content, and the user views the content. At this point, the program A is not recorded by the recorder.
S508: The recording / playback / deletion control unit 201 causes the recorder (self apparatus or another apparatus) to record the program A (recording reservation). As a result, the program A remains on the recorder.

  As described above, at the time of recording (recording reservation), when the same VOD content C as the program A to be recorded exists, this is automatically notified and the user can view with VOD. Thereby, the capacity | capacitance of the recorder for recording the program A can be saved without a user's effort.

  FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a flowchart when the playback operation is performed by the recorder. This process is performed mainly by the recording / playback / deletion control unit 201 of the recording / viewing management unit 200 and the external content acquisition unit (VOD search unit 208 and content playback unit 209).

S601: The user refers to the recording management list display of FIG. 4 for example, and performs a reproduction operation on the desired recorded program A.
S602: The VOD search unit 208 accesses the external server 6 via the communication unit 106 and the external network 4a, and searches a content list of viewable VOD services.

S603: The VOD search unit 208 determines whether there is content (free / charged) having the same content as the designated program A. If the same content as the program A exists, the process proceeds to S605, and if the same content does not exist, the process proceeds to S604.
S604: The recording / playback / erase control unit 201 causes the recorder to play back program A. This ends and the program A remains on the recorder.

S605: Since the same content as the program A exists, the user display unit 202 displays an alarm on the video display unit 109 that the program A to be reproduced can be viewed with VOD.
FIG. 10B shows an example of a display screen. Furthermore, on this display screen, a screen is displayed that allows the user to select whether to view with VOD or to play program A.

S606: The user selects whether or not to view with VOD. If the user has selected to view with VOD, the process proceeds to S607, and if the user has selected to play program A, the process proceeds to S609.
S607: The content playback unit 209 displays the VOD service screen shown in FIG. The content is introduced on this screen, and the user selects the desired content and instructs “play”. We will also accept purchases of paid content. If the user selects “RETURN” here, the process returns to S606.

S608: The content playback unit 209 plays back the selected content C, and the user views the content. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S610.
S609: The recording / playback / erase control unit 201 causes the recorder (the own machine or another machine) to play the program A.

S610: After viewing the content C or reproducing the program A, the user display unit 202 displays a selection screen as to whether or not to delete the program A on the video display unit 109 as shown in FIG. 10B. If the user selects to delete, the process proceeds to S611. If it is not selected to be erased, the program A ends and program A remains.
S611: The recording / playback / deletion control unit 201 deletes the program A in the recorder.

In addition, in the user selection screen (whether or not the program A can be deleted) in S610 (FIG. 10B), the user's convenience can be achieved by additionally displaying as follows.
(1) A program-specific scene (such as an interview between a commentator or a guest) attached to a broadcast program is often not included in the VOD content. Therefore, the presence or absence of attached information is displayed.
(2) Even in the case of free VOD content, there may be a case where the free period (particularly, a member-only free public period) is limited, and this is displayed. Therefore, the VOD search unit 208 monitors the length of the free period for each type of VOD content distributed in the past, and predicts and displays the free period of the content.
(3) When the user first selects “Do not delete” for the recorded program A, the selection screen is set to “non-display” when the program A is reproduced for the second time and thereafter. Alternatively, the user can select “display / non-display” on the second and subsequent selection screens.

  As described above, when the same VOD content C as the program A to be reproduced exists when the program is reproduced, the fact is automatically notified, and the user deletes the program A in the recorder after viewing with the VOD. can do. As a result, the recording capacity of the program A recorded on the recorder can be reduced without the user's effort.

1 ... Television equipment,
2 ... Indoor recorder,
3 ... Broadcasting station,
4a, 4b ... network,
6 ... External server,
7. Recording unit (HDD),
104. Recording unit (HDD),
106 ... communication section,
108 ... broadcast receiver,
109 ... Video processing unit,
109b ... display (display unit),
110 ... voice processing unit,
200 ... Recording viewing management section,
201: Recording / playback / erasing control unit,
202 ... user display section,
203 ... Recording list search section,
204 ... EPG search section,
205 ... Broadcasting station HP search section,
208 ... VOD search part,
209: Content playback unit.

Claims (7)

In a television apparatus for receiving and displaying a broadcast program and recording the received program with a recorder,
A display unit for displaying the received program or the program reproduced by the recorder;
A recording list search unit for searching a list of programs recorded in the recorder;
A controller that controls the recording, playback, and erasing operations of the recorder, and
When the control unit records or reserves a predetermined program A in the recorder, as a result of the search by the recording list search unit, it is found that the program B having the same content as the program A is recorded in the recorder. if you did this,
The display unit notifies the user that the same program B as the program A to be recorded has been recorded, and either one of the program A and the recorded program B to be recorded on the recorder Displays a screen that lets the user choose whether to delete the program,
When the user selects to delete one of the programs, the control unit records the program A on the recorder, and then records either one of the program A and the program B recorded on the recorder. A television device characterized by erasing the image. In a television apparatus for receiving and displaying a broadcast program and recording the received program with a recorder,
A display unit for displaying the received program or the program reproduced by the recorder;
A recording list search unit for searching a list of programs recorded in the recorder;
A controller that controls the recording, playback, and erasing operations of the recorder, and
When the control unit reproduces the predetermined program A from the recorder, as a result of the search by the recording list search unit, it is found that the program B having the same content as the program A is recorded on the recorder. if you did this,
The display unit notifies the user that the same program B as the program A to be reproduced has already been recorded, and the program A and the program are recorded in duplicate on the recorder B displays a screen that allows the user to select whether to erase one of the programs,
When the user selects to delete one of the programs, the control unit reproduces the program A or the program B from the recorder, and then selects either the program A or the program B recorded on the recorder. A television apparatus, wherein one of the programs is erased. The television apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The television apparatus includes an indoor recorder connected to the television apparatus via an indoor network. The television apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
When the controller erases one of the programs A and B recorded on the recorder, the control unit compares the recording quality of the program A and the program B, and determines whether the recording quality is lower. A television apparatus for erasing a program. In a television apparatus for receiving and displaying a broadcast program and recording the received program with a recorder,
An external content acquisition unit that searches and acquires content distributed from an external device via a network;
A display unit for displaying the received program, the program reproduced by the recorder, or the content acquired by the external content acquisition unit;
Recording, playback, and erasing operations of the recorder, and a control unit that controls the external content acquisition unit,
When the control unit records or reserves a predetermined program A in the recorder, as a result of the search by the external content acquisition unit, the content C having the same content as the program A can be acquired from the external device. If found,
In the display unit, a screen for notifying the user that the same content C as the program A to be recorded can be viewed and for allowing the user to select whether or not to view the content C is displayed.
When the user selects to view the content C, the control unit acquires the content C by the external content acquisition unit and displays it on the display unit without recording the program A on the recorder. A television device characterized by the above. In a television apparatus for receiving and displaying a broadcast program and recording the received program with a recorder,
An external content acquisition unit that searches and acquires content distributed from an external device via a network;
A display unit for displaying the received program, the program reproduced by the recorder, or the content acquired by the external content acquisition unit;
Recording, playback, and erasing operations of the recorder, and a control unit that controls the external content acquisition unit,
When the control unit reproduces the predetermined program A from the recorder, it is found that the content C having the same content as the program A can be acquired from the external device as a result of the search by the external content acquisition unit ,
A screen for notifying the user that the same content C as the program A to be reproduced can be viewed on the display unit and allowing the user to select whether or not to delete the program A recorded in the recorder To display
If the user chooses to delete the program A, the control unit may play back the program A from the recorder, or after acquiring and viewing the content C by the external content acquisition unit, A television apparatus for erasing the program A recorded on the TV. The television apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,
The external content acquisition unit searches the content provided by the external device separately for free content and paid content, and presents a screen for the user to purchase the paid content.

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