JP2011124792A - Television receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a television receiver allowing a user to easily retrieve rebroadcast of a program which is currently viewed by the user. <P>SOLUTION: This television receiver capable of acquiring a broadcast signal with ID data for identifying a program multiplexed therein is configured to include: an ID acquisition means to obtian the ID data in a program while being currently broadcast; a program retrieval means to retrieve a rebroadcast program of the program on the same network from an electronic program guide based on the obtained ID data; and a retrieval result display means to display the retrieved program on a screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a television receiver, and more particularly to a television receiver capable of receiving a broadcast signal in which ID data for specifying a program is multiplexed.

  In recent years, in television broadcasting, once broadcast a program is broadcast again (so-called rebroadcast). For example, by broadcasting a program broadcast in a certain time zone at a predetermined time one month later, a user who has not viewed the program can view the program again.

  In addition to viewing by the user, the rebroadcast program described above is also used for interpolating the failure by recording again using the rebroadcast program, for example, when recording of the program fails (for example, (See Patent Literature 1-5.)

JP 2007-215059 A JP 2007-104420 A JP 2008-104006 A JP 2008-236236 A JP 2008-271104 A

  When a user views a program with a television receiver, the user may want to view the program again. For example, if a program that happens to be viewed is in the middle of a broadcast, and the user wants to view this program from the beginning, the user does not have information for identifying the program such as the program start time or title name. It has been necessary to search for whether or not rebroadcasting is to be started after obtaining information on the currently viewed program with reference to the program guide or the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a television receiver that can easily search for a rebroadcast of a program that a user is currently viewing.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the present invention, in a television receiver capable of acquiring a broadcast signal multiplexed with ID data for identifying a program, an ID acquisition means for acquiring the ID data in a currently broadcast program; , Based on the acquired ID data, program search means for searching for a rebroadcast program of the program on the same network from an electronic program guide; search result display means for displaying the searched program on a screen; , And so on.

  In the invention configured as described above, when the user wants to view this program again in a situation where he / she is viewing an arbitrary program, the ID acquisition unit is currently used when a predetermined input is performed by a remote control device or the like. Obtain ID data for a program being broadcast. This ID data specifies the program being viewed, and the program search means searches for a rebroadcast program of the program on the same network from the electronic program guide based on the acquired ID data. Here, the same network means a network in which transmission and reception are performed by a broadcast signal of the same form, such as digital broadcasting, BS broadcasting, and further CS broadcasting. For example, a transmitting side and a receiving side of a television broadcast (Antenna, television receiver). Thereafter, the information of the searched rebroadcast program is displayed on the screen by the search result display means, and the search result is displayed to the user.

  Therefore, when the user wants to view a rebroadcast of the program that the user is currently viewing, the rebroadcast program does not require the user to check information (program name, broadcast time, etc.) for identifying the program to be viewed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a television receiver capable of searching for a rebroadcast of a program that the user wants to watch without load.

The search result by the program search means is not only used for displaying the search result by the search result display means, but can be applied to various uses. Therefore, the present invention may be configured to have a recording means for recording the searched rebroadcast program.
In the invention configured as described above, the rebroadcast program can be recorded by the recording unit based on the search result, and the rebroadcast program searched by the user can be surely viewed.

Furthermore, the ID data used for searching for the rebroadcast program is not limited to the newly designed ID data, and may use existing data. Therefore, the ID data may be a series descriptor of EIT information.
In the invention configured as described above, the present invention can be realized by diverting existing ID data by using a series descriptor of EIT information that is multiplexed and transmitted with program data in digital broadcasting, Design can be facilitated.

  As another configuration of the present invention, the ID data is a series descriptor of EIT information, and has recording means for recording the searched rebroadcast program, and the program search means is on the same channel. When the rebroadcast program is searched and the rebroadcast program is not searched, the rebroadcast program may be searched for in another channel.

As described above, according to the present invention, a rebroadcast of a program that a user wants to watch can be searched without load.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the rebroadcast program searched by the user can be surely viewed.
According to the invention of claim 3, the design of the television receiver can be facilitated.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the television receiver concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating an electronic program guide. It is a figure explaining the setting screen concerning the search of the rebroadcast program output by the OSD circuit. 10 is a flowchart for explaining rebroadcast program search processing executed by the television receiver 90. It is a flowchart explaining the search process of the rebroadcast program performed by step S3. It is a figure which shows the search screen displayed on the display 95 during a search process. It is a figure which shows the search result displayed on the display 95 in step S4 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the recording setting screen displayed on the display.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in the following order with reference to the drawings.
(1) First embodiment:
(2) Other embodiments:

(1) First embodiment:
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a television receiver according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the television receiver according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the television receiver 90 is configured to include a recording / playback unit (recording unit) therein.

  The television receiver 90 receives an operation via the remote control device 70 and broadcasts a program, and accepts an operation input using the remote control device 70 or the like on the menu screen, thereby executing a recording reservation in the recording / playback unit 80. Can be made. Furthermore, when the user is watching a program, the television receiver 90 searches whether or not the program is rebroadcast, and displays the date and time of the rebroadcast program based on the search result, or Recording reservation can be executed. Hereinafter, the configuration of the television receiver 90 according to the present embodiment will be described.

=== Configuration of Television Receiver ===
The television receiver 90 includes the following main parts. Reference numeral 91 denotes an external memory, which stores a channel map and ID data described later. Reference numeral 92 denotes a control unit that controls driving of the television receiver 90. Reference numeral 93 denotes a front end unit that extracts digital data of a channel selected by the remote control device 70 from broadcast radio waves received by an antenna (not shown). Reference numeral 94 denotes a back-end unit that decodes and outputs a video signal and an audio signal from the acquired digital data. Reference numeral 95 denotes a display which outputs a video based on the decoded video signal. Reference numeral 96 denotes a speaker that outputs sound based on the decoded sound signal. Reference numeral 97 denotes an OSD circuit that synthesizes an OSD image with a video signal output from the back-end unit 94. Reference numeral 98 denotes a remote control receiving unit that receives an infrared signal output from the remote control device 70 and outputs a control command to the control unit 92. Reference numeral 80 denotes a recording / playback unit that records and plays back a program in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 92.

  The control unit 92 controls the driving of the television receiver 90 by executing a control command input via the remote control receiving unit 98 and a predetermined program. The control unit 92 includes a CPU (not shown), a ROM that stores programs and data for driving the CPU, and a RAM that functions as a work area for the CPU. In addition, each part which comprises the control part 92 and the television receiver 90 is connected via the bus | bath, and control is performed via this bus | bath.

  The front end unit 93 includes a channel selection unit that extracts a modulation signal of a channel selected by the remote controller 70 from broadcast radio waves received by various antennas, and a transmission path decoding unit that extracts digital data from the selected modulation signal. It is prepared for. In the present embodiment, the front end unit 93 will be described as a configuration for receiving digital broadcasting.

  The back-end unit 94 includes a descrambling unit 94a that descrambles the acquired digital data, an MPEG demultiplexing unit 94b that extracts MPEG video / audio signals and TS information from the descrambled digital data, and a TS. The basic decoder unit 94c that processes SI information in the information, and a video / audio decoding unit (not shown) that decodes a video / audio signal are provided. Here, the SI information includes EIT information for specifying the program information, and the basic data decoder section 94c creates an electronic program guide using the EIT information, as well as a series included in the EIT information. The rebroadcast program is searched using the descriptor.

  The series descriptor is data for handling a program in association with a predetermined application. In this embodiment, the series descriptor is used as ID data for associating the predetermined program with a rebroadcast program of the program. In this embodiment, “series_id”, “episode_number”, and “repeat_label” are used as series descriptors used for searching for rebroadcast programs. “Series_id” specifies the same media, and has the same value even if it is a rebroadcast program if it is the same program. In addition, “episode_number” is a value for specifying each broadcast time when the same program is broadcast in series, and is different for each broadcast frequency of the program. “Repeat_label” is a value for specifying the number of broadcasts (the number of rebroadcasts) when a certain program is broadcast for a different period, and is a different value for each number of rebroadcasts. The series descriptor is data that is changed after a predetermined period (for example, 100 days) since a certain program is broadcast, but in the present embodiment, a certain period (for example, one week) recorded in the electronic program guide. No problem arises because the search is performed from the broadcast scheduled programs.

  The recording / playback unit 80 reads, for example, data stored in a medium such as a BD (Blu-ray Disc) or DVD, or HDD by a pickup unit, and transmits the data to the back-end unit 94 through an interface. When the recording / playback unit 80 receives data output from the backend unit 94 via the interface, the acquired data is stored in the medium or the HDD using the pickup unit. The recording / playback unit 80 includes a system controller (not shown) inside, and controls the driving thereof by a control command from the control unit 92.

  The external memory 91 stores SI information added to the program data and transmitted, and an electronic program guide created based on the SI information. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the electronic program guide. In the electronic program guide shown in FIG. 2, for example, the horizontal axis is each channel axis and the vertical axis is a time axis so that a program scheduled to be broadcast for one week can be specified. In addition, each program recorded in the program table is recorded with the above-described series descriptors associated therewith.

  The OSD circuit 97 synthesizes the OSD image with the video data output from the control unit 92 and outputs it. The OSD image output by the OSD circuit 97 includes a menu screen that is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for selecting various settings of the television receiver 90 and various screens for searching for a rebroadcast program. Note that the OSD image output from the OSD circuit 97 is stored in the internal memory in advance, and the OSD image output according to the control command is determined.

  In addition to the channel key 71 for selecting a channel, the remote controller 70 transmits a rebroadcast program search key 72 for transmitting a control command for causing the television receiver 90 to search for a rebroadcast program of the currently viewed program. The re-broadcast scheduled program displayed as the search result is provided with a recording reservation key 73 for transmitting a control command for making the television receiver 90 make a recording reservation.

  With the above configuration, the television receiver 90 broadcasts a program based on the television broadcast received by the antenna. Further, when the user operates the rebroadcast program search key 72 of the remote control device 70 while viewing the program, the television receiver 90 determines whether or not the currently broadcast program is rebroadcast from the electronic program table. Search for. At this time, the search for the rebroadcast program can be executed only by the user operating the rebroadcast program search key of the remote control device 70, and it is not necessary to input the program name or identification data for specifying the program. . Therefore, it is possible to search for a rebroadcast of a program that the user wants to watch without load. The rebroadcast program search process in the television receiver 90 will be described below.

=== Rebroadcast program search processing during program viewing ===
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a setting screen for searching for a rebroadcast program output by the OSD circuit 97. The rebroadcast program search according to the present embodiment can be switched on or off according to the user setting. That is, when the user operates the remote control device 70 to display the setting screen shown in FIG. 3 and “automatic search” is set to “on” on this setting screen, the remote control device 70 can be restarted while viewing the program. By simply operating the broadcast program search key 72, the television receiver 90 can search for a rebroadcast program related to the program currently being viewed. On the other hand, when the user does not select “automatic selection”, the automatic search is not executed. Also, on this setting screen, the user can select whether the search range is only within the same network or includes other networks.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining rebroadcast program search processing executed by the television receiver 90. The process shown in FIG. 4 is a process executed when the user is viewing a predetermined program with the television receiver 90.

  In step S1, when the user operates the rebroadcast program search key 72 of the remote control device 70 while viewing an arbitrary program, the control unit 92 receives the control command (step S2: YES) and is currently viewing The re-broadcast program of the program is searched (step S3).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the rebroadcast program search process executed in step S3. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a search screen displayed on the display 95 during the search process. In this search screen, an icon indicating that the search is being performed is displayed at the lower right of the screen so as not to disturb the user's viewing.

  In step S11, the control unit 92 acquires the series descriptor of the currently broadcast program from the SI information. That is, the control unit 92 acquires “series_id”, “episode_number”, and “repeat_label” corresponding to the program currently being viewed from the external memory 91. Therefore, the control unit 92 implements the ID acquisition unit of the present invention by the function of the back end unit 94 and the process of step S11.

  In step S12, when the control unit 92 has not searched for all programs in the same channel as the currently viewed program recorded in the electronic program guide, the control unit 92 proceeds to step S13.

  In step S <b> 13, the control unit 92 searches for the rebroadcast program with reference to the acquired series descriptor and the program table stored in the external memory 91. That is, the control unit 92 compares the series descriptors of “series_id”, “episode_number”, and “repeat_label” acquired in step S11 with the series descriptors included in each program recorded in the electronic program guide, and re-broadcast program Search for. Here, in the rebroadcast program, since “repeat_label” has a different value, only “series_id” and “episode_number” may be searched.

  When the control unit 92 detects a program with matching series descriptors from the electronic program guide (step S14: YES), in step S15, the control unit 92 determines that the detected program is a rebroadcast program related to the currently viewed program. to decide.

  In step S16, the control unit 92 performs a search for other programs stored in the electronic program guide, and when a rebroadcast program is searched for within a range of all programs (step S12: NO), The search ends, and the process returns to step S4 of the flowchart shown in FIG. Therefore, the control part 92 implement | achieves the program search means of this invention by the process of step S3.

  In step S4, the control unit 92 controls the OSD circuit 97 to display the search result on the display 95. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the search result displayed on the display 95 in step S4 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, “broadcast station”, “date / time”, and “broadcast time” at which the rebroadcast program is broadcasted are displayed as search results retrieved in step S3 in the lower right corner of the screen. . That is, in order not to disturb viewing of the currently broadcast program, search results “AAA broadcast station, 5/26 (Tue) 15: 00-15: 30”, “AAA broadcast station, 5/27” are displayed at the lower right of the screen. (Tuesday) 5: 00-5: 30 "is displayed. Therefore, the user can refer to the search result without being disturbed to watch the program. When a rebroadcast program is not detected, a character string such as “Not searched” is displayed as a search result. As mentioned above, the control part 92 implement | achieves the search result display means of this invention by the process of step S4.

  In this state, when the user operates the recording reservation key 73 of the remote controller 70 (step S5: YES), the control unit 92 executes the recording reservation for the rebroadcast program searched in step S3 for the recording / playback unit 80. (Step S6). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a recording setting screen displayed on the display 95. The user can make a recording reservation for a rebroadcast scheduled program by operating each icon displayed on the recording setting screen.

  As described above, in the television receiver 90 according to the present invention, the rebroadcast of the remote control device 70 is performed when the user wants to view this program again in a situation where the user is viewing the arbitrary program. By operating the program search key 72, a series descriptor in the currently broadcast program is acquired, and a rebroadcast program on the same network is searched from the electronic program table based on this series descriptor. Therefore, when searching for a rebroadcast program, the user does not need to input a program name or otherwise specify a program, and can search for a rebroadcast program while reducing the user's operation load.

(3) Other embodiments:
There are various modifications of the present invention.
Surprisingly, the television receiver 90 includes a recording / playback unit 80 therein, and may be configured to cause the recording / playback apparatus to perform a recording process by being connected to a recording / playback apparatus such as a media player.

  The configuration of the series descriptor according to the present invention is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. It goes without saying for those skilled in the art,
・ Applying mutually interchangeable members and configurations disclosed in the above embodiments by appropriately changing the combination thereof.− Although not disclosed in the above embodiments, it is a publicly known technique and the above embodiments. The members and configurations that can be mutually replaced with the members and configurations disclosed in the above are appropriately replaced, and the combination is changed and applied. It is an embodiment of the present invention that a person skilled in the art can appropriately replace the members and configurations that can be assumed as substitutes for the members and configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments, and change the combinations and apply them. It is disclosed as.

  70 ... Remote control device, 71 ... Channel key, 72 ... Rebroadcast program search key, 73 ... Recording reservation key, 80 ... Recording / playback unit, 90 ... TV receiver, 91 ... External memory, 92 ... Control unit, 93 ... Front End unit 94 ... Back end unit 94a ... Descramble unit 94b ... MPEG demultiplexing unit 94c ... Basic decoder unit 95 ... Display 96 ... Speakers 97 ... OSD circuit 98 ... Remote control receiving unit

Claims (4)

In a television receiver capable of acquiring a broadcast signal multiplexed with ID data for identifying a program,
ID acquisition means for acquiring the ID data in a currently broadcast program;
Program search means for searching for a rebroadcast program of the program on the same network from an electronic program guide based on the acquired ID data;
And a search result display means for displaying the searched program on a screen.   2. The television receiver according to claim 1, further comprising recording means for recording the searched rebroadcast program.   The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the ID data is a series descriptor of EIT information. The ID data is a series descriptor of EIT information,
Recording means for recording the searched rebroadcast program;
2. The television according to claim 1, wherein the program search means searches for the rebroadcast program on the same channel, and searches for the rebroadcast program on another channel when the rebroadcast program is not searched. John receiver.

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