Receiving device, broadcasting system, and receiving method

Abstract

To enable a user to receive a broadcasting service provided through communication by performing an operation similar to that for selecting a broadcasting station.SOLUTION: A reception processing unit acquires a broadcast component from a received signal obtained by receiving a broadcast wave, a communication processing unit acquires a communication component distributed through a communication network, and an output processing unit outputs the acquired broadcast component or communication component. Based on broadcast reception availability information indicating whether the received signal can be received for each channel, a channel selection management unit determines whether the selected channel can receive the received signal. When the selected channel can receive the received signal, the channel selection management unit causes the reception processing unit to acquire the broadcast component, and when the selected channel cannot receive the received signal, the channel selection management unit causes the communication processing unit to acquire the communication component using the acquisition information related to the selected channel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to a receiving device, a broadcasting system, and a receiving method. [Background technology]

[0002] Terrestrial television broadcasting is provided by transmitting broadcast waves emitted from a television tower directly or via a relay station to individual receiving devices. A receiving device usually performs a channel scan before starting to use it, detects channels of broadcasting stations that can receive broadcast waves while changing the frequency, and registers the detected channels in a service list. The receiving device receives broadcast waves provided by a channel selected by a tuning operation from among the channels registered in the service list (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] In mountainous and other difficult-to-receive areas where radio waves are blocked by the surrounding terrain, small-scale broadcasting stations (so-called mini-satellite stations) or shared viewing facilities (hereinafter collectively referred to as "small-scale broadcasting stations, etc.") are sometimes installed to receive broadcast waves from broadcasting stations. Although the household coverage rate of small-scale broadcasting stations, etc. is low at 5% of all households, the maintenance costs can reach 50% of the total cost. Continuing broadcasting that relies on broadcast waves is becoming difficult due to the cost of equipment. As alternative methods, IP unicast transmission, transmission over cable television networks, and retransmission using artificial satellites are being considered. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Technical Document for Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Operational Standards, ARIB TR-B14 6.6 Edition (Volume 1), December 5, 2019, Association of Radio Industries and Businesses Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When small-scale broadcasting stations are replaced by IP unicast transmission over communication, if the small-scale broadcasting stations are removed, the broadcast waves will no longer reach receivers in poor reception areas. Even if broadcasting services are provided over communication, receivers will not be able to know the broadcasting station that provided the service. Furthermore, users will not even be able to know the existence of broadcasting stations that cannot be detected by channel scanning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present application has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present application is a receiving device comprising a receiving processing unit that acquires a broadcast component from a received signal obtained by receiving broadcast waves, a communication processing unit that acquires a communication component distributed over a communication network, an output processing unit that outputs the acquired broadcast component or the communication component, and a channel selection management unit, wherein the channel selection management unit refers to a service list including service information indicating broadcast reception availability information indicating whether the received signal can be received for each channel and acquisition information related to acquisition of the communication component distributed in parallel with the broadcast component, determines whether the selected channel can receive the received signal, and when the selected channel can receive the received signal, causes the receiving processing unit to acquire the broadcast component, and when the selected channel cannot receive the received signal, uses the service list to identify the acquisition information related to the selected channel and causes the communication processing unit to acquire the communication component.

[0007] Another aspect of the present application is a receiving method in a receiving device, in which the receiving device executes the steps of: referring to a service list including service information indicating broadcast reception availability information indicating whether or not a received signal obtained by receiving broadcast waves for each channel can be received, and acquisition information related to acquisition of a communication component distributed over a communication network in parallel with the broadcast component, to determine whether a selected channel can receive the received signal; acquiring the broadcast component from the received signal when the selected channel can receive the received signal; and, when the selected channel cannot receive the received signal, using the service list to identify the acquisition information related to the selected channel and acquire the communication component distributed over the communication network; and outputting the acquired broadcast component or communication component. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present application, a broadcast service provided via communication can be received by performing an operation similar to that for selecting a broadcast channel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process from broadcast station registration to station selection according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a channel scan process according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of region setting of the receiving device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of service information according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a service list according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of operation of the receiving device according to the present embodiment when selecting a channel. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a service list acquisition process according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a reception confirmation process according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for checking unreceivable broadcast stations according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a channel selection operation according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an overview of a broadcasting system S1 according to this embodiment will be described. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a broadcasting system S1 according to the present embodiment. The broadcasting system S1 includes a receiving device 10, a broadcasting device 20, and a distribution device 30. The broadcasting device 20 is mainly installed in the broadcasting station of a broadcasting company, and constitutes broadcasting equipment used to provide broadcasting services. In the broadcasting service, broadcast program content is provided using a broadcasting network. The broadcast program content is usually configured as a package including multiple components as constituent elements. The multiple components include audio data and video data of the broadcast program.

[0011] The distribution device 30 provides a content distribution service using a communication network. In this embodiment, the distribution device 30 distributes the content of the broadcast program provided by the broadcast service and the common content in parallel with the broadcast network. That is, the distribution device 30 simultaneously distributes the components of the broadcast program via the communication network. In the present application, strict simultaneity is not necessarily required for the simultaneous distribution. For the common content, a slight time difference (e.g., several seconds to several tens of seconds) may be allowed for the transmission time and the reception time between the broadcast network and the communication network.

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the distribution device 30 is installed in a broadcasting station of a broadcasting company, but the present invention is not limited to this. The distribution device 30 does not necessarily have to be a facility of the broadcasting company. The distribution device 30 may be a facility owned or managed by a party other than the broadcasting company, such as a content provider or a content creator. Depending on the channel related to the provision of the broadcasting service, a content distribution service may not be provided using the distribution device 30. The distribution device 30 is configured as, for example, a content server.

[0013] A broadcasting network is a transmission path that allows various types of data to be transmitted unidirectionally to unspecified destinations all at once. A broadcasting network is also called a broadcasting transmission path. In terrestrial television broadcasting, terrestrial waves are mainly used as the broadcasting network. Terrestrial waves are broadcast waves sent from terrestrial stations. However, some broadcasting networks are physically configured to include wireless or wired communication networks, and may be used to transmit content from broadcasting stations to terrestrial stations. A communication network is a transmission path that allows a destination to be specified and enables various data to be transmitted in both directions. A communication network is also called a communication transmission path.

[0014] The receiving device 10 is capable of receiving contents transmitted via a broadcast network and a communication network. The receiving device 10 is mainly installed in the residence, business office, or other facilities of a viewer who is a user. The receiving device 10 may be a television receiving device, or may be realized as another form of electronic device, such as a general-purpose information processing device such as a personal computer.

[0015] The receiving device 10 stores a service list including service information for each channel on which a broadcast service is provided using a broadcast network. The service information includes acquisition information related to acquisition of components provided through communication in parallel with the broadcast network. The receiving device 10 searches in advance for channels that can receive signals obtained by receiving broadcast waves as broadcast receivable channels (channel scan). When a broadcast receivable channel is selected by a viewer's operation, the receiving device 10 acquires the components through broadcast. When a broadcast unreceivable channel that cannot receive a signal is selected, the receiving device 10 refers to the service list and specifies acquisition information for the components provided through communication. The receiving device 10 acquires the components through communication using the specified acquisition information.

[0016] 1 shows one each of receiving device 10, broadcasting device 20, and distributing device 30, but in general the number of receiving devices 10 is unspecified and may be multiple. Also, the number of broadcasting devices 20 and distributing devices 30 may also be multiple. The broadcasting system S1 may further include a service information management device 40 (FIG. 2). The service information management device 40 stores service information of channels through which broadcast services are provided for each region. The service information may be classified by prefecture or region, for example. The service information management device 40 is connected to a communication network and is capable of transmitting and receiving various data to and from the receiving device 10 via the communication network. When the service information management device 40 receives a service information request indicating a service region from the receiving device 10, the service information management device 40 identifies a channel through which a broadcast service is provided for the service region specified by the service information request. The service information management device 40 transmits the identified service information for each channel as a response to the service information request to the receiving device 10, which is the source of the service information request. The service information management device 40 is configured as, for example, a web server.

[0017] The broadcasting device 20 includes a data organizing unit, a multiplexing unit, and a transmitting unit (not shown). The data organizing unit acquires a package that constitutes the content of a broadcast program and control information related to the transmission of the package. The package includes a plurality of components. In this application, the components are mainly exemplified as video and audio. Furthermore, a component that includes video data may be called a video component, and a component that includes audio data may be called an audio component.

[0018] The multiplexing unit multiplexes the acquired package and control information using a predetermined data multiplexing method to generate multiplexed data. The transmitting unit encodes the generated multiplexed data and modulates the encoded multiplexed data using a predetermined modulation method. The transmitting unit converts the baseband broadcast signal obtained by modulation into a broadcast signal in a frequency band corresponding to a predetermined channel, and transmits the converted broadcast signal to a broadcast network. As the multiplexing method, for example, the MPEG-2 TS (Transport Stream) method, the MMT-TLV (MPEG Media Transport-Type Length Value) method, etc. are used.

[0019] Each component is also called an elementary stream (ES) or an asset. In this application, the term "component" is mainly used. In this application, sending to a broadcast transmission path is sometimes called "transmitting by broadcasting", and receiving various data transmitted on a broadcast transmission path is sometimes called "receiving by broadcasting".

[0020] The distribution device 30 acquires a package common to the package of the broadcast program acquired by the broadcast device 20. The distribution device 30 transmits the acquired package to the communication network at the same time as the transmission time of the package by the broadcast device 20 (simultaneous distribution). The distribution device 30 may broadcast the package simultaneously without specifying the distribution destination. In this application, transmitting various data using a communication network may be referred to as "transmitting via communication", receiving using a communication network may be referred to as "receiving via communication", etc.

[0021] Next, a description will be given of an example of the functional configuration of the receiving device 10 according to this embodiment. The receiving device 10 includes an operation input unit 102, a channel selection management unit 104, a service list storage unit 106, a reception processing unit 110, a communication processing unit 120, and an output processing unit 130. The receiving device 10 may include a computer system. In the computer system, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executes a predetermined program, and cooperates with a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and other hardware to realize the functions of the receiving device 10.

[0022] The functions of the channel selection management unit 104, the service list storage unit 106, the reception processing unit 110, the communication processing unit 120 and the output processing unit 130 may be realized by a computer system executing a predetermined control program, or may be realized by using dedicated hardware. In this application, the execution of processes instructed by commands written in various programs, including a browser, may be referred to as "executing a program" or "running a program."

[0023] The operation input unit 102 acquires an operation signal indicating a channel selected by a user, and outputs the acquired operation signal to the channel selection management unit 104. In the present application, the selected channel may be referred to as a "selected channel." The operation input unit 102 includes a receiver that receives the operation signal from a control device (e.g., a remote controller) in a wired or wireless manner. The control device accepts an operation from a user and outputs the operation signal (S02: channel selection operation). The operation input unit 102 may include a member (for example, a button, a dial, a lever, etc.) that accepts a user operation, and may output to the channel selection management unit 104 an operation signal generated based on the accepted operation.

[0024] The channel selection management unit 104 refers to the service list stored in the service list memory unit 106 (S04: Reception method inquiry) and determines the reception method (channel selection method) of the selected channel instructed by the operation signal input from the operation input unit 102 (S06: Reception method). A service list is stored in advance in the service list storage unit 106. The service list storage unit 106 includes a non-volatile storage medium such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

[0025] The channel selection management unit 104 specifies the reception method as either reception by broadcast (broadcast viewing) or reception by communication (simulcast distribution). Furthermore, the channel selection management unit 104 refers to a service list to acquire service information corresponding to the selected channel. The service information may include acquisition information related to acquisition of a component provided by communication. The acquisition information may be, for example, information indicating an application program (sometimes referred to as an "app" in this application) to be executed when acquiring the component, or information indicating the location of the component, such as the distribution device 30 that is the distribution source or a storage area in which the component is saved. The acquisition information is represented, for example, by using a uniform resource locator (URL).

[0026] Broadcast reception is selected when the selected channel is a broadcast receivable channel that can receive a signal obtained by receiving through an antenna. Communication reception is selected when the selected channel is a broadcast unreceivable channel that cannot receive a signal. Specific examples of the service list will be described later.

[0027] When the specified reception method indicates reception by communication, the tuning management unit 104 outputs a control signal indicating reception by communication based on acquisition information related to component acquisition to the communication processing unit 120. As a result, the tuning management unit 104 causes the communication processing unit 120 to acquire the component distributed by communication using the instructed acquisition information (S08a: simultaneous distribution). When the specified reception method indicates reception by broadcast, the channel selection management unit 104 outputs a control signal indicating reception by broadcast on the selected channel to the reception processing unit 110. As a result, the channel selection management unit 104 causes the reception processing unit 110 to acquire the component transmitted by the broadcast wave of the selected channel (S08b: broadcast viewing).

[0028] The reception processing unit 110 acquires components transmitted by the received broadcast waves. The reception processing unit 110 includes a broadcast receiving unit 112 and a broadcast decoding unit 114. The broadcast receiving unit 112 receives a reception signal obtained by receiving a broadcast wave transmitted on a selected channel designated by the channel selection management unit 104. The broadcast receiving unit 112 includes, for example, a tuner (not shown). The tuner extracts, as a tuning signal, a signal indicating a frequency component tuned to the frequency of the selected channel from a reception signal input directly or indirectly from an antenna (not shown). The tuner converts the extracted tuning signal into a baseband reception signal, and outputs the converted reception signal to the broadcast decoding unit 114. The antenna outputs, as a reception signal, an electrical signal obtained by receiving the broadcast wave arriving at the antenna. The antenna may be included as a part of the receiving device 10, or may be separate from the receiving device 10.

[0029] The broadcast decoding unit 114 performs demodulation processing on the received signal input from the broadcast receiving unit 112 using a predetermined demodulation method, and converts the signal into encoded multiplexed data. The demodulation method corresponds to the modulation method used to modulate the multiplexed data. The broadcast decoding unit 114 decodes the multiplexed data obtained by the conversion using a predetermined decoding method. The decoding method corresponds to the encoding method used to encode the multiplexed data.

[0030] The broadcast decoder 114 separates the control information related to the transmission of the package from the decoded multiplexed data, and extracts individual components from the multiplexed data based on the separated control information (broadcast decoding S10b). When the MPEG-2 TS format is used as the multiplexing format, the broadcast decoding unit 114 extracts a PSI (Program Specific Information) table representing control information from the multiplexed data. The PSI table includes information tables related to the provision of broadcast services, such as PAT, NIT, and PMT (described later).

[0031] The broadcast decoder 114 extracts a program association table (PAT) from the PSI table, and identifies a packet ID (PID) associated with a packet (TS packet) of a transport stream (TS) that transmits a program map table (PMT, described later) described in the PAT. The PAT is an information table that specifies the PID of a TS packet that transmits a PMT related to a broadcast program. The PMT is an information table that specifies one or both of a PID of a TS packet that transmits an encoded signal constituting a broadcast program and a PID of a TS packet that transmits common information of related information. The broadcast decoder 114 extracts a PMT described in the identified PID, and identifies an elementary stream packet identifier PID (elementary_PID) associated with a stream type identification (stream_type, for example, 0x01) indicating video from the extracted PMT. The broadcast decoder 114 extracts an elementary stream (ES) including a packet to which the identified PID is added from the multiplexed data as a video component. Furthermore, the broadcast decoder 114 identifies a PID associated with a stream format identification (e.g., 0x0F) indicating audio from the PMT. The broadcast decoder 114 extracts, as an audio component, an elementary stream including a packet to which the identified PID is added from the multiplexed data. The broadcast decoding unit 114 outputs the extracted video component and audio component to the output processing unit 130.

[0032] The communication processing unit 120 acquires a component transmitted by communication. The communication processing unit 120 includes a communication I / F unit 122 and a browsing unit 124. The function of the browsing unit 124 is realized by executing a predetermined browser program in the computer system of the receiving device 10. The communication processing unit 120 acquires a component distributed by a communication component using acquisition information indicated in a control signal input from the channel selection management unit 104. The communication processing unit 120 executes, for example, an application indicated in the acquisition information to start up the communication I / F unit 122 and the browsing unit 124. The execution parameters of the application specify the distribution device 30 as the location of the component. The communication processing unit 120 may specify the distribution device 30 as the location of the component indicated in the acquisition information.

[0033] The communication I / F unit 122 is connected to other devices via a communication network so that various data can be transmitted and received wirelessly or wired. The communication network may be any one of a local area network, a virtual private network, a public network, the Internet, and the like, or any combination thereof.

[0034] The browsing unit 124 outputs to the communication I / F unit 122 a request to receive the component delivered from the location specified based on the acquired information. The communication I / F unit 122 identifies the location of the component specified in the reception request from the browsing unit 124, and receives the component distributed from the distribution device 30 that is the sender of the component as a response to the reception request. The component is distributed as part of the content of the broadcast program. The communication I / F unit 122 outputs the received content of the broadcast program to the browsing unit 124. The browsing unit 124 extracts a video component and an audio component as components specified by a control signal from the content input from the communication I / F unit 122. The browsing unit 124 outputs the extracted video component and audio component to the output processing unit 130.

[0035] The output processing unit 130 executes processing for outputting a component acquired through broadcasting or communication. The output processing unit 130 includes a video decoding unit 132 and an audio decoding unit 134. The video decoding unit 132 performs a decoding process on the video data constituting the video component input from the broadcast decoding unit 114 or the browsing unit 124 using a predetermined video decoding method. The video decoding method may be any method that corresponds to the video encoding method used to encode the video data (e.g., MPEG2 VIDEO, High Efficient Video Coding (HEVC), Versatile Video Coding (VVC), etc.). The output processing unit 130 outputs display screen data including the video data obtained by the video decoding process to a display (not shown) (video output). The display displays a display screen of a broadcast program including video based on the decoded video data.

[0036] The audio decoding unit 134 performs a decoding process on the audio data constituting the audio component input from the broadcast decoding unit 114 or the browsing unit 124 using a predetermined audio decoding method. The audio decoding method may be a method corresponding to the audio encoding method (e.g., MPEG-2 AAC, MPEG-4 Audio, etc.) used to encode the audio data. The output processing unit 130 outputs the audio data obtained by the audio decoding process to a speaker (not shown) (audio output). The speaker emits audio based on the decoded audio data.

[0037] One or both of the display to which the video data is output and the speaker to which the audio data is output may be provided in the receiving device 10 or may be separate from the receiving device 10. The output destinations of the video data and audio data are not limited to the display and the speaker, respectively, and may be a recording device (e.g., a video recorder).

[0038] Next, an example of the process from broadcast station registration to channel selection in the receiving device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the process from broadcast station registration to channel selection according to this embodiment. However, in Fig. 2, the operation input unit 102, the reception processing unit 110, the communication processing unit 120, and the output processing unit 130 are omitted from the illustration.

[0039] The channel selection management unit 104 searches for channels capable of receiving broadcast waves transmitting components (S22 channel scan). The channel selection management unit 104 causes the reception processing unit 110 to acquire a received signal for each channel with a different frequency, and if the acquired received signal has a certain level of quality or higher and is successfully decoded, it determines that the received signal for that channel is receivable. If the quality of the received signal is below a certain level or decoding is not successful, the channel selection management unit 104 determines that the received signal for that channel is not receivable. The channel scan process is typically performed when the receiving device 10 is used for the first time, or immediately after the installation location of the receiving device 10 is changed or the antenna settings are changed.

[0040] The channel selection management unit 104 stores the broadcast viewing flag in the service list storage unit 106 as broadcast reception availability information indicating whether or not the broadcast can be received, determined for each selected channel (S24, registering receivable broadcast stations). The channel selection management unit 104 causes the communication processing unit 120 to acquire service information from the service information management device 40 connected to the communication network. The service information includes information indicating the channel of a broadcasting station that provides a broadcasting service in the area where the receiving device 10 is installed. The service information includes acquisition information related to the acquisition of the components related to the simultaneous distribution for a channel on which the components provided by broadcasting are provided by communication in parallel with the broadcasting of the components provided by broadcasting, that is, for a channel on which simultaneous distribution is available.

[0041] When identifying the service area of ​​the broadcast service provided to the own device, the channel selection management unit 104 may identify the service area using an operation signal input from the operation input unit 102, or may identify the latitude and longitude of the own device using a positioning signal received from a positioning satellite (e.g., GPS: Global Positioning Satellite) and identify the service area including the identified latitude and longitude. The channel selection management unit 104 may extract an area code from control information decoded from a signal successfully received by the reception processing unit 110, and identify the service area indicated by the extracted area code as the service area of ​​the own device. The area code is also called "area identification." The viewer's residential area is typically selected as the service area of ​​the receiving device 10. The service list storage unit 106 may store service information related to broadcast services provided in each region in advance, and the channel selection management unit 104 may specify service information related to the service region of the own device from the service information. In this case, the service information does not need to be acquired from the service information management device 40.

[0042] The channel selection management unit 104 determines that, among the channels related to the acquired service information, channels other than the broadcast receivable channels determined to be able to receive a reception signal are unable to receive broadcasts (S26: Acquire service information, identify channels that are unable to receive broadcasts). The channel selection management unit 104 stores, as a service list, in the service list storage unit 106, a broadcast viewing flag indicating whether broadcast reception is possible for each channel indicated in the service information. The channel selection management unit 104 executes the processes of steps S22 to S26 in advance until a broadcast service is provided to a user.

[0043] When providing a broadcast service, the channel selection management unit 104 refers to the service list and determines the reception method of the selected channel instructed by the operation signal from the operation input unit 102 (S28 Determine reception method of selected channel). When the broadcast viewing flag related to the selected channel indicates that broadcast reception is possible, the channel selection management unit 104 determines the reception method to be broadcast (broadcast viewing). The channel selection management unit 104 instructs the reception processing unit 110 to receive the broadcast by the selected channel. The channel selection management unit 104 causes the reception processing unit 110 to acquire the components transmitted by the broadcast waves of the selected channel (S30a Receive the selected channel that can be broadcast received by broadcast waves). When the broadcast viewing flag related to the selected channel indicates that broadcast reception is impossible, the channel selection management unit 104 determines the reception method to be communication. The channel selection management unit 104 refers to the service list and identifies the components of the selected channel. The channel selection management unit 104 instructs the communication processing unit 120 to receive the identified component through communication from the location of the component. The channel selection management unit 104 causes the communication processing unit 120 to acquire the component transmitted through communication from the instructed location (S30b: receive through communication for a selected channel that cannot be broadcast).

[0044] Next, an example of the channel scan process according to the present embodiment will be described below. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the channel scan process according to the present embodiment. The channel selection management unit 104 starts, for example, when an operation signal indicating the start of channel scan processing is input from the operation input unit 102 by a user operation. When starting the channel scan processing, the channel selection management unit 104 may display a predetermined scan display screen on the display. The upper part of FIG. 3 shows an example of the scan display screen. The scan display screen includes the character string "Searching for broadcast station information." When ending the scan processing, the channel selection management unit 104 stops displaying the scan display screen.

[0045] In the channel scanning process, the channel selection management unit 104 makes the reception processing unit 110 measure the quality of the received signal acquired from the antenna for each channel within a predetermined range and attempt to decode the received signal. Each channel is associated with a frequency of a broadcast wave. Such a channel corresponds to a physical channel. Each broadcast service is associated with one data stream, i.e., a transport stream. Each transport stream is configured as a data series including a plurality of data packets. When the MPEG-2 method is used as the multiplexing method, each broadcast service is identified by a service ID (service_id), and the transport stream is identified by a transport stream ID (transport stream_id). The service ID corresponds to a logical channel related to the provision of the broadcast service. The transport stream may be further identified by an original network ID (original network id). The original network ID is an identifier for identifying the network in which the transport stream was originally generated.

[0046] For example, the carrier-to-noise ratio (C / N) and bit error rate (BER) are used as quality indicators. C / N is the ratio of the power of the carrier signal component to the noise component in the received signal. The higher the C / N value, the higher the reception quality. BER is the ratio of erroneous data bits to the number of bits in all data. The lower the BER value, the higher the reception quality.

[0047] The channel selection management unit 104 measures the quality of the received signal for each channel, and judges whether the measured quality is equal to or higher than the quality indicated by a predetermined quality reference value. The channel selection management unit 104 performs a predetermined calculation procedure for each bit string of a certain length that constitutes the received signal obtained by decoding to calculate an error detection code, compares the error detection code included in the multiplexed data transmitted by the distribution device 30, and judges whether a bit error has occurred depending on whether the two differ. The channel selection management unit 104 can judge whether the decoding of the multiplexed data carried in the received signal has been successful depending on whether the frequency of bit errors is equal to or lower than a predetermined frequency. The channel selection management unit 104 can judge a channel whose measured quality is equal to or higher than the quality reference value and which has been successfully decoded as a receivable channel that can receive the received signal.

[0048] The channel selection management unit 104 may extract a network information table (NIT) from the PSI table for a successfully decoded channel. The NIT is an information table that transmits information that associates transmission path information, such as modulation frequency, with a broadcast program. The channel selection management unit 104 extracts broadcast service information related to the channel to be processed from the NIT. The broadcast service information includes a service ID, and one or both of a transport stream ID (TS ID: transport stream_id) of a transport stream including the service ID and an original network ID (original network id). Individual channels may be identified using the transport stream ID (transport stream_id).

[0049] The channel selection management unit 104 may extract information such as the network name (network_name), TS name (ts_name), remote control key ID (remote_control_key_id), and area code (area_code) related to the broadcast network that provides the channel. The name of the broadcast station that is the source is described as the network name. The name of the transport stream is described as the TS name. Compared to the network name, a more commonly used name may be used as the TS name. The remote control key ID indicates the number of the remote control key assigned to the broadcast service. Typically, a user recognizes the remote control key ID as a channel. The area code indicates the service area of ​​the TS. The channel selection management unit 104 stores the acquired broadcast service information in the service list storage unit 106 for each channel that is determined to be receivable.

[0050] In the example at the bottom of Fig. 3, the broadcast service information includes an original network ID (original network_id), a transport stream ID (transport stream_id), a service ID (service_id), a TS name (display_name), a remote control key ID (one touch), and a broadcast viewing flag (broadcast receivable). In the first line of the broadcast service information, the original network ID, transport stream ID, service ID, TS name, remote control key ID, and broadcast viewing flag are set to "32736", "32736", "1024", "public broadcast 1", "1", and "true", respectively. The description "undefined" in the URL column indicates that the URL indicating the location of the component distributed by communication has not been defined.

[0051] In terrestrial television broadcasting, the original network ID may be set to a value equal to the transport stream ID, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Either the original network ID or the transport stream ID may be transmitted or extracted. If the extracted original network ID and transport stream ID are different, the channel selection management unit 104 may determine that the channel is not a service-exclusive channel for which terrestrial television broadcasting service is not provided.

[0052] Next, the area setting of the receiving device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of area setting of the receiving device 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates a case where a service area of ​​the receiving device 10 is selected according to a user operation. The channel selection management unit 104 displays a region setting screen showing a plurality of candidate areas on the display. The channel selection management unit 104 switches a target area to be operated among the candidate areas based on an operation signal input from the operation input unit 102, and displays the target area in a manner different from other candidate areas. The channel selection management unit 104 specifies the target area designated by the operation signal as the service area of ​​the receiving device 10. The channel selection management unit 104 may select two or more service areas. Furthermore, as long as the broadcast service related to the selected service area includes a broadcast service using a broadcast wave that reaches the receiving device 10, the area classification to which the receiving device 10 belongs may not be included. Furthermore, the channel selection management unit 104 may set an area transmitted using an area code for a broadcast receivable channel, or a set of these areas, or an area belonging to these areas, as a candidate area.

[0053] The left side of Fig. 4 shows an example of the region setting screen. In this region setting screen, the Kanto region is selected based on the area code, and Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, which belong to the Kanto region, are displayed as selectable candidate regions. Of these, Chiba Prefecture is selected as the service region in response to an operation. The right side of Fig. 4 illustrates an example of service location information. The service location information indicates a local broadcast URL that indicates the location of service information for each region name. For example, the URL related to the service information of local broadcast for the Kanto region is "https: / / ~~ / kantowide". Service location information indicating the location of service information for broadcast services that cover each region may be stored in advance in the service list storage unit 106. The channel selection management unit 104 identifies the location of the service information for the selected service region, and uses the communication processing unit 120 to acquire the service information for the service region from the service information management device 40 that stores the identified service information, by communication using a URL related to the service information for the regional broadcast.

[0054] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating service information according to this embodiment. The upper part of Fig. 5 shows service information for broadcast services whose service area is the Kanto region, and the lower part shows service information for broadcast services whose service area is Chiba prefecture. In the example of Fig. 5, the original network ID (original network_id), transport stream ID (transport stream_id), service ID (service_id), TS name (display_name), remote control key ID (one touch), and URL are shown as the service information for each channel.

[0055] In the example of Fig. 5, the URL is common to the components provided by the broadcast service related to the channel, and indicates an application required to acquire and display the components distributed using a communication network. The illustrated URL is an intent scheme URL. The intent scheme URL includes "intent:" at the beginning, and information on the application to be launched is described after "#Intent". By referring to the intent scheme URL corresponding to the selected channel, the channel selection management unit 104 can start the execution of a specific application pre-installed in the receiving device 10 and cause the communication processing unit 120 to acquire the component.

[0056] For example, the channel selection management unit 104 identifies an application named "ccc.bbb.aaapp" by referring to the URL exemplified in the first row of the Kanto wide area in FIG. 5. When the application is installed, the channel selection management unit 104 launches the identified application using the deep link "aaapp: / / aaa.bbb.ccc / ". The location of the component to be acquired is described in the execution parameters set in advance for the application. The communication processing unit 120 can request the component whose location is indicated by this description. Although the URL illustrated in FIG. 5 starts with "intent", the information related to component acquisition may start with "https" to directly instruct the WEB server. The information is not limited to the URL, and may be in any format, such as destination information such as an IP address (IPv4 address, e.g., "23.212.177.112", IPv6 address, e.g., "2600:140b:d400:196::1418"), as long as it can acquire content distributed simultaneously with broadcasting distributed on the Internet. In addition, if the application to be launched is specified in advance by the receiving device, the application to be launched does not have to be specified by the URL or destination information, as long as it is possible to instruct the launch of the application.

[0057] The channel selection management unit 104 compares the broadcast service information acquired for receivable channels by channel scanning with the service information acquired through communication, and identifies the channels as channels for which broadcast reception is not possible. Here, the channel selection management unit 104 identifies channels of a broadcast service that provides the selected service area from the service information acquired by communication. The channel selection management unit 104 identifies channels that are not receivable from among the identified channels, excluding channels that are capable of receiving broadcasts. In this way, channels that are not capable of receiving broadcasts that should be provided for the selected service area are identified.

[0058] The channel selection management unit 104 creates a service list including, for channels for which broadcast reception is possible, a broadcast viewing flag indicating that broadcast reception is possible and service information having a URL related to acquisition of components provided by communication, and, for channels for which broadcast reception is not possible, a broadcast viewing flag indicating that broadcast reception is not possible and service information having a URL related to acquisition of components provided by communication. The channel selection management unit 104 stores the created service list in the service list storage unit 106.

[0059] The channel selection management unit 104 may determine that a channel that cannot receive broadcasts and does not provide a component common to the components provided by broadcasting is not included in the service. For example, among the channels illustrated in Fig. 5, a URL related to acquiring content is not set for the channel related to "Commercial Broadcasting Kanto N" that is broadcast in the Kanto region. When the channel is determined to be an unreceivable channel, the channel selection management unit 104 may determine that the channel is not included in the service and may not include service information of the channel in the service list.

[0060] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a service list according to the present embodiment. The illustrated service list has service information for each channel of a broadcast service whose service area is the Kanto region and Chiba prefecture. The service information for each channel indicates an original network ID (original network_id), a transport stream ID (transport stream_id), a service ID (service_id), a TS name (display_name), a remote control key ID (one touch), a broadcast viewing flag (broadcast receivable), and a URL. "false" written in the broadcast viewing flag indicates that broadcast reception is not possible. In addition, a channel related to "Commercial Broadcasting Kanto N" broadcast in the Kanto region is a broadcast reception-not possible channel that cannot receive a reception signal, and content is not provided by communication in parallel with broadcasting, so it is excluded from the service list.

[0061] Next, an example of the operation of the receiving device 10 when selecting a channel will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the receiving device 10 when selecting a channel. FIG. 7 illustrates two patterns of operation of the receiving device 10 installed in the same service area. Pattern A shows a case where all channels provided in the area are broadcast receivable. Pattern B shows a case where some channels are unreceivable and other channels are broadcast receivable. In pattern B, the channel with a service ID of 1048 is unreceivable. The remote control key ID of that channel is 6. Therefore, assuming that the channel corresponding to "6" is selected by remote control operation, the operations of both patterns will be described.

[0062] In pattern A, the channel selection management unit 104 refers to the service list, determines that the selected channel is a broadcast receivable channel, and determines that the reception method corresponding to the broadcast receivable channel is broadcast. The reception processing unit 110 receives components of a program provided by broadcast, and the output processing unit 130 presents the content of the program based on the received components.

[0063] In pattern B, the channel selection management unit 104 refers to the service list, determines that the selected channel is a channel that cannot be received, determines that communication is the reception method corresponding to the channel that cannot be received, and acquires acquisition information for components provided by communication. The communication processing unit 120 acquires the components by communication using the acquired acquisition information, and the output processing unit 130 presents the content of the program based on the acquired components. Therefore, as exemplified in pattern B, even if a channel that cannot be received is selected, the user can receive a broadcast service related to common components provided by communication in parallel with the broadcast without requiring any special operation. Such a broadcast service is applied to the exemplified simultaneous distribution program.

[0064] Next, the service list acquisition process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG 8. (Step S102) The channel selection management unit 104 sets the viewer's residential area as the service area of ​​the receiving device 10. The above-mentioned methods can be used as a method for setting the viewer's residential area. (Step S104) The channel selection management unit 104 starts a channel scan process. (Step S106) The channel selection management unit 104 sets an initial value of the frequency of the broadcast wave to be scanned in the reception processing unit 110. As the initial value of the frequency, for example, the lowest frequency among the frequencies related to the individual channels constituting a predetermined channel group is set.

[0065] (Step S108) The broadcast receiving unit 112 of the reception processing unit 110 determines whether the input reception signal is tuned to the set frequency (front-end lock). The broadcast receiving unit 112 can determine that the reception signal will be tuned when the component ratio of the frequency components of the set frequency in the reception signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio. If it determines that the reception signal will be tuned (step S108 YES), the process proceeds to step S110. If it determines that the reception signal will not be tuned (step S108 NO), the channel selection management unit 104 determines that the channel related to the frequency is an unreceivable channel, and the process proceeds to step S114.

[0066] (Step S110) The tuning management unit 104 measures the C / N as the quality of the received signal, and judges whether the measured C / N is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value. If it is judged that the C / N is equal to or greater than the reference value (step S110 YES), the process proceeds to step S112. If it is judged that the C / N is less than the reference value (step S110 NO), the process proceeds to step S114.

[0067] (Step S112) The tuning management unit 104 executes a reception confirmation process (described later). (Step S114) The tuning management unit 104 judges whether the frequency being processed has reached the final frequency. For example, the highest frequency among the frequencies related to the channels that make up the above channel group is set as the final frequency. If it is judged that the final frequency has been reached (step S114 YES), the process proceeds to step S118. If it is judged that the final frequency has not been reached (step S114 NO), the process proceeds to step S116.

[0068] (Step S116) The channel selection management unit 104 changes the frequency to be processed to a frequency related to an adjacent channel (frequency increase), and sets the changed frequency in the reception processing unit 110. After that, the process proceeds to step S118. (Step S118) The channel selection management unit 104 compares the broadcast service information acquired for the receivable channels that can receive the received signal in the reception confirmation process with the service information acquired through communication, and identifies the broadcast unreceivable channels that cannot receive the received signal (confirmation of unreceivable broadcast stations). (Step S120) The channel selection management unit 104 reads out a service list including service information for each channel from the service list storage unit 106, and causes a display screen showing the service list to be displayed on the display (presentation of service list).

[0069] (Step S122) The channel selection management unit 104 refers to the service list and determines whether or not at least a portion of the remote control key IDs for each channel are duplicated. If a channel has a remote control ID that is duplicated with another channel, the channel selection management unit 104 resets the remote control key ID so that it is different for each channel (duplicate key change). The channel selection management unit 104 updates the remote control key ID of the corresponding channel in the service list to the changed remote control key ID. Then, the processing in FIG. 8 ends.

[0070] Next, an example of the reception confirmation process (step S112) according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the reception confirmation process according to this embodiment. However, it is assumed that a service list is stored in advance in the service list storage unit 106, and that information on reception quality is stored in association with service information for each channel. Also, in the example of Fig. 9, each channel is identified using a transport stream ID (TS ID).

[0071] (Step S202) The channel selection management unit 104 acquires multiplexed data obtained by demodulating and decoding the received signal from the broadcast decoding unit 114. The channel selection management unit 104 detects the presence or absence of bit errors based on an error detection code added to the multiplexed data for each certain data length, and calculates a BER based on the frequency of the detected bit errors. (Step S204) The channel selection management unit 104 acquires the NIT carried in the multiplexed data. The channel selection management unit 104 extracts broadcast service information for each channel from the acquired NIT. The channel selection management unit 104 compares the service information with the service information included in a service list stored in advance for the channel.

[0072] (Step S206) If the TS ID included in the extracted broadcast service information is equal to the already acquired TS ID stored in the service list (step S206 YES), the tuning management unit 104 proceeds to the process of step S212. If the transport stream ID (TS ID) included in the extracted broadcast service information is not equal to the already acquired TS ID stored in the service list (step S206 NO), the tuning management unit 104 proceeds to the process of step S208. (Step S208) The channel selection management unit 104 adds the extracted broadcast service information for the channel to the service list as service information, and stores the information. (Step S210) The channel selection management unit 104 adds a broadcast viewing flag indicating that the broadcast of the relevant channel is receivable to the service list and stores it. After that, the process of FIG. 9 ends.

[0073] (Step S212) The channel selection management unit 104 judges whether the BER calculated for the channel has improved from the pre-stored BER. If it is judged that the BER has improved (step S212 YES), the process proceeds to step S214. If it is judged that the BER has not improved (step S212 NO), the process in Fig. 9 ends. Note that although the BER is used in this example, other indices, for example, C / N, may also be used. (Step S214) The channel selection management unit 104 updates the service information included in the service list for the channel by replacing element information of items that are common to the extracted broadcast service information with the extracted broadcast service information (change of service list). (Step S216) The channel selection management unit 104 adds a broadcast viewing flag indicating that the broadcast of the channel is receivable to the service list and stores it. After that, the process of FIG. 9 ends.

[0074] Next, an example of the process of checking unreceivable broadcast stations (step S118) according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the process of checking unreceivable broadcast stations according to this embodiment. (Step S302) The channel selection management unit 104 extracts an area identification corresponding to a channel determined to be a broadcast receivable channel from the acquired NIT. The extracted area identification represents the service area (viewer's residential area). (Step S304) The channel selection management unit 104 reads out from the service list storage unit 106 the service list stored at that time point. (Step S306) Channel selection management unit 104 acquires, from service information management device 40, service information of all broadcast services related to the service area specified by the area identification. The channel selection management unit 104 executes the process of steps S308 to S318 for each broadcast service.

[0075] (Step S308) The channel selection management unit 104 judges whether or not the TS ID included in the service information of any of the broadcast services is an already-acquired TS ID that is equal to any of the existing TS IDs included in the service list. If it is judged to be an already-acquired TS ID (step S308 YES), the process proceeds to step S314. If it is not judged to be an already-acquired TS ID (step S308 NO), the process proceeds to step S310. (Step S310) The channel selection management unit 104 adds the service information of the broadcast service to the service list as service information of the channel related to the broadcast service. (Step S312) The channel selection management unit 104 adds a broadcast viewing flag indicating that the broadcast of the channel cannot be received to the service list.

[0076] (Step S314) The channel selection management unit 104 adds to the service list a URL for acquiring a component provided through communication for the channel related to the broadcast service. (Step S316) The channel selection management unit 104 determines whether the broadcast service to be processed is the last broadcast service, that is, whether there are no unprocessed broadcast services. If it is the last broadcast service (step S316 YES), the process of FIG. 10 ends. If it is not the last broadcast service (step S316 NO), the process proceeds to step S318. (Step S318) The channel selection management unit 104 determines one of the unprocessed broadcast services as the next broadcast service to be processed, and then proceeds to the process of step S308.

[0077] Next, an example of a channel selection operation according to this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the channel selection operation according to this embodiment. (Step S402) The channel selection management unit 104 refers to the service list and reads out the broadcast viewing flag related to the selected channel designated by the operation signal. (Step S404) The channel selection management unit 104 judges whether the acquired broadcast viewing flag indicates that broadcast reception is possible. If it is judged that the broadcast reception is possible (step S404 YES), the operation mode of the receiving device 10 is set to a broadcast reception mode, and the reception processing unit 110 is instructed to receive the broadcast on the selected channel. If it is judged that the broadcast reception is impossible (step S404 NO), the processing proceeds to step S416.

[0078] (Step S406) The broadcast receiving unit 112 of the reception processing unit 110 extracts a component that is tuned to a frequency corresponding to the selected channel from the received signal from the antenna. The broadcast decoding unit 114 demodulates and modulates the received signal including the tuned component to restore the multiplexed data. The broadcast decoding unit 114 extracts the PAT from the restored multiplexed data. (Step S408) The broadcast decoding unit 114 extracts the PMT based on the extracted PAT.

[0079] (Step S410) The broadcast decoder 114 judges whether or not the system management ID described in the extracted PMT indicates broadcasting. If it indicates broadcasting (step S410 YES), the process proceeds to step S412. If it does not indicate broadcasting (step S410 NO), the broadcast decoder 114 judges that the received signal is not related to a broadcast service, and proceeds to exception processing. As exception processing, the reception processor 110 executes, for example, reconfiguration of various parameters for capturing broadcast waves, and predetermined processing when not using broadcasting (such as uploading the system management ID), etc.

[0080] (Step S412) The broadcast decoding unit 114 extracts common information (ECM: Entitlement Control Message) based on the extracted PMT. (Step S414) The broadcast decoder 114 judges whether or not reception of the broadcast service is restricted by a Conditional Access System (CAS) based on the extracted ECM. If it is judged that reception is restricted (YES in step S414), it judges that reception via broadcast is not possible (reception not possible). The broadcast decoder 114 may cause a predetermined error display screen to be displayed on the display. The error display screen may include a message indicating the reception restriction by CAS, or may include information guiding the operation or procedure for lifting the reception restriction. When it is determined that there is no restriction (step S414 NO), it is determined that reception via broadcast is possible (reception possible). The broadcast decoding unit 114 extracts components related to the broadcast service from the multiplexed data based on the PMT, and outputs the extracted components to the output processing unit 130.

[0081] (Step S416) The channel selection management unit 104 sets the operation mode of the receiving device 10 to a simultaneous distribution playback mode. (Step S418) The service list is referenced to obtain a URL for obtaining the component related to the channel. The communication processing unit 120 obtains the component related to the channel through communication based on the obtained URL, and outputs the obtained component to the output processing unit 130 (reception of a simultaneous broadcast program).

[0082] In the above description, the multiplexing method of the multiplexed data carried by the broadcast signal is the MPEG-2 TS method, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the multiplexing method, other methods such as the MMT-TLV method may be applied. The names of the information tables, descriptors, and parameters corresponding to the above information tables, descriptors, and parameters may differ depending on these methods. For example, the above NIT corresponds to the TLV-NIT in the MMT-TLV method. The above PMT corresponds to the MMT Package Table (MPT) in the MMT-TLV method. The above elementary stream, that is, the component, corresponds to the asset in the MMT-TLV method. In addition, in the above description, the components provided in common for broadcasting and communication are mainly a combination of video and audio, but the present invention is not limited to this. The provided components may further include, for example, subtitles, or one of video and audio may be provided without the other being provided.

[0083] As described above, the receiving device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a reception processing unit 110 that acquires a broadcast component (e.g., a combination of video and audio) from a received signal obtained by receiving a broadcast wave, a communication processing unit 120 that acquires a communication component (e.g., a combination of video and audio common to the broadcast component) distributed over a communication network, an output processing unit 130 that outputs the acquired broadcast component or communication component, and a channel selection management unit 104. The channel selection management unit 104 refers to a service list including broadcast reception availability information (e.g., a broadcast viewing flag) indicating whether the reception signal can be received for each channel and service information indicating acquisition information related to acquisition of a communication component distributed in parallel with the broadcast component (e.g., simultaneous distribution), determines whether the selected channel can receive the reception signal, and when the selected channel can receive the reception signal, causes the reception processing unit 110 to acquire the broadcast component, and when the selected channel cannot receive the reception signal, uses the service list to identify acquisition information related to the selected channel and causes the communication processing unit 120 to acquire the communication component.

[0084] This embodiment may be realized as a broadcasting system S1 including a broadcasting facility (eg, a broadcasting device 20) that transmits broadcast waves that transmit broadcast components, and a receiving device . This embodiment may be realized as a broadcasting system S1 further including a distribution device 30 that transmits a communication component common to the broadcast component to a communication network.

[0085] According to these configurations, when the selected channel is a channel that can receive broadcasts, the broadcast component distributed by airwaves is output, and when the selected channel is a channel that cannot receive broadcasts, the communication component distributed in parallel with the broadcast component is output. Therefore, even for channels that cannot receive broadcasts, a broadcast service is provided to the viewer by the communication component distributed in parallel with the broadcast component through the same channel selection operation as for the broadcast component distributed by airwaves.

[0086] The channel selection management unit 104 may search for broadcast receivable channels that can receive the incoming signal (i.e., channel scan), acquire broadcast service information indicating the acquired information for each channel, and determine that a channel associated with broadcast service information that does not correspond to a broadcast receivable channel is a broadcast unreceivable channel.

[0087] Here, the channel selection management unit 104 may specify the area in which the device itself is used, and obtain service information related to channels through which broadcast services are provided in the specified area. Furthermore, the channel selection management unit 104 may specify the area based on an area code extracted from control information transmitted in the received signal. Furthermore, the channel selection management unit 104 may acquire service information corresponding to the identified region from the service information management device 40 that stores service information related to channels through which broadcast services are provided for each region.

[0088] According to these configurations, if a channel related to the service information acquired separately from the broadcast signal does not correspond to a channel that can receive broadcasts, the channel is determined to be a channel that cannot receive broadcasts. Therefore, a channel that cannot receive a broadcast signal by channel scanning can be reliably determined to be a channel that cannot receive broadcasts.

[0089] When a selected channel cannot receive a receiving signal, the channel selection management unit 104 may cause the communication processing unit 120 to acquire a communication component and the output processing unit 130 to output the communication component in accordance with an application program indicated in the acquisition information related to the selected channel. According to this configuration, when a selected channel is a channel for which broadcast reception is unavailable, an application program related to the channel for which broadcast reception is unavailable is executed. Execution of the application program causes a communication component distributed over a communication network to be received, and a broadcast service based on the received communication component is provided. Various functions related to the provision of the broadcast service are realized by the application program.

[0090] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment, and includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention. The configurations described in the above embodiment can be combined in any manner. In addition, part of each configuration may be omitted or modified. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] S1... broadcasting system, 10... receiving device, 20... broadcasting device, 30... distribution device, 102... operation input unit, 104... channel selection management unit, 106... service list storage unit, 110... reception processing unit, 112... broadcast receiving unit, 114... broadcast decoding unit, 120... communication processing unit, 122... communication I / F unit, 124... browsing unit, 130... output processing unit, 132... video decoding unit, 134... audio decoding unit

Claims

1. a reception processing unit that acquires a broadcast component from a reception signal obtained by receiving a broadcast wave; a communication processing unit that acquires a communication component distributed over a communication network; an output processing unit that outputs the acquired broadcast component or the acquired communication component; A channel selection management unit; The channel selection management unit Refer to a service list including service information indicating broadcast reception availability information indicating whether the reception signal can be received for each channel and acquisition information related to acquisition of the communication component distributed in parallel with the broadcast component; determining whether the selected channel can receive the reception signal; When the selected channel can receive the reception signal, the reception processing unit acquires the broadcast component; When the selected channel cannot receive the reception signal, the service list is used to identify the acquisition information related to the selected channel, and the communication processing unit is caused to acquire the communication component. Receiving device.

2. The channel selection management unit searches for a broadcast receivable channel that can receive the reception signal, Acquire service information indicating the acquisition information for each channel; A channel related to broadcast service information that does not correspond to the broadcast receivable channel is determined to be a broadcast unreceivable channel.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1.

3. The channel selection management unit Identifying the area in which the device is used; The service information relating to the channels on which the broadcasting service is provided in the area is acquired.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1.

4. The channel selection management unit The region is identified based on a region code extracted from control information transmitted in the received signal.

4. The receiving device according to claim 3.

5. The channel selection management unit From a service information management device that stores service information related to channels on which broadcasting services are provided for each region The service information corresponding to the specified area is acquired.

5. The receiving device according to claim 4.

6. The channel selection management unit When the selected channel cannot receive the reception signal, In accordance with an application program indicated in the acquisition information related to the selected channel, the communication processing unit acquires the communication component, and the output processing unit outputs the communication component.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1.

7. A broadcasting facility that transmits a broadcast wave that transmits the broadcast component; The receiving device according to claim 1 . Broadcasting system.

8. a distribution device that transmits the communication component common to the broadcast component to the communication network; The broadcasting system according to claim 7.

9. A receiving method in a receiving device, comprising: The receiving device includes: Refer to a service list including service information indicating broadcast reception availability information indicating whether or not a reception signal obtained by receiving a broadcast wave for each channel can be received, and acquisition information related to acquisition of a communication component distributed over a communication network in parallel with the broadcast component; determining whether the selected channel can receive the reception signal; When the selected channel can receive the received signal, acquiring the broadcast component from the received signal; When the selected channel cannot receive the reception signal, the service list is used to identify the acquisition information related to the selected channel, and the communication component distributed through the communication network is acquired. and outputting the acquired broadcast component or communication component. Receiving method.

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