Video display device and method for displaying content

Abstract

To enable more useful recording and reproducing processing.SOLUTION: A video display device includes a tuner that receives first content of a broadcast program transmitted by broadcast waves and program information related to the broadcast program, a communication unit that communicates with a server device via a network and obtains second content corresponding to the broadcast program, a display unit that displays the first or second content, a digital interface unit that connects and communicates with a storage for storing the first content, a storage unit that stores information, and a control unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a video display device and a method for displaying content.

Background Art

[0002] Recording devices that record broadcast programs of digital broadcasts on recording media such as optical discs or storage devices such as HDDs (Hard Disc Drives) have become widespread. By playing back the recorded broadcast programs, the recording device enables time-shifted viewing of the broadcast programs.

[0003] The technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-289057 (Patent Document 1) records and plays back the broadcast program of the selected channel, and deletes the recorded broadcast program when the broadcast of the broadcast program ends. Further, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a user who wants to record a broadcast program operates a designated key during the playback of the broadcast program, as a result, when the broadcast of the broadcast program ends, the deletion of the recorded broadcast program is prohibited. Thus, the technology described in Patent Document 1 enables recording from the head position of a broadcast program that has already started.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, after recording all of the broadcast program being viewed, unnecessary broadcast programs are deleted. Therefore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, programs that the user does not want to record are also recorded, resulting in wasted processing.

[0006] The objective of the present invention is to provide a video display device that enables more useful recording and playback processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] As a means to solve the aforementioned problem, the technology described in the claims is used.

[0008] For example, a video display device comprises a tuner that receives a first content of a broadcast program transmitted by broadcast waves and program information related to the broadcast program, a communication unit that communicates with a server device via a network and acquires a second content corresponding to the broadcast program, a display unit that displays the first or second content, a digital interface unit that connects to and communicates with storage for storing the first content, a storage unit that stores information, and a control unit. The control unit outputs the first content via the digital interface unit, stores it in the storage connected to the digital interface unit, and when a user performs an operation to play the first content, the first content stored in the storage is output via the digital interface. A first control is performed to read the content via the face unit and display it on the display unit, and based on the program information received by the tuner, program identification information for identifying the broadcast program and the network address information of the server device where the second content is stored are acquired and stored in the storage unit. When the user performs an operation to play the second content, the address information stored in the storage unit is used to access the server device where the second content is stored via the communication unit, the program identification information stored in the storage unit is used to acquire the second content from the server device via the communication unit, and a second control is performed to display the second content acquired from the server device on the display unit. The second content becomes playable after the broadcast of the first content has finished. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The effects obtained by some of the representative inventions disclosed in this application can be briefly explained as follows.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a video display device that enables more useful recording and playback processing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a system configuration diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] This is a block diagram of a broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2B] This is a software configuration diagram of a broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2C] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the data format of the reservation information table in the example. [Figure 2D] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the data format of the recorded program information table in the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of a broadcasting station server according to an embodiment. [Figure 4A] This is a block diagram of the service provider server according to the embodiment. [Figure 4B] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the data format of the content information table in the example. [Figure 5] This is an operation sequence diagram of the recording reservation process of a broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a screen display diagram of the electronic program guide display screen of a broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a screen display diagram of the program details information display screen of a broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] This is an operation sequence diagram of the broadcast receiving device during scheduled recording processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] This is an operation sequence diagram of the recorded program playback processing of a broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a screen display diagram of the recorded program list display screen of the broadcast receiving device according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a sequence diagram of the recording reservation process and the operation sequence during the scheduled recording process of a broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 12]It is an operation sequence diagram during the recording program playback process of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] It is an operation sequence diagram during the recording program playback process of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 14A] It is a software configuration diagram of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 14B] It is a conceptual diagram explaining the data format of the authentication information table according to the embodiment. [Figure 15A] It is a block diagram of the service provider server according to the embodiment. [Figure 15B] It is a conceptual diagram explaining the data format of the user information table according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] It is an operation sequence diagram during the reserved recording process of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] It is an operation sequence diagram during the recording program playback process of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] It is an operation sequence diagram during the recording program playback process of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 19] It is a screen display diagram of the content distribution confirmation screen of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described using the drawings.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) First, an example of a digital broadcast service receivable by the broadcast receiving apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.

[0014] For example, in one example of BS / terrestrial digital broadcasting that can be received by the broadcast receiving device of this embodiment, multiple transport streams (TS) can be multiplexed and transmitted on a single transponder (frequency channel). A TS is a sequence of TS packets of a predetermined length, formed by dividing data streams such as video / audio elementary streams (ES), program-specific information (PSI), and service information (SI), and adding a TS header.

[0015] The PSI (Program Information System) is a unique information table defined in the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)-2 system standard, used to identify which program each ES (Electronic Sample) included in a TS (Timestamp) belongs to. The PSI consists of the PAT (Program Association Table), PMT (Program Map Table), CAT (Conditional Access Table), etc. The PAT defines the list of programs included in the TS using the PMT's PID (Packet Identifier). The PMT defines the PIDs of the components of each program, etc. The CAT contains information related to restricted access.

[0016] Furthermore, SI extends PSI to include program information, etc., and contains information related to the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) as defined by the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) in ARIB STD-B10. SI consists of BIT (Broadcaster Information Table), SDT (Service Description Table), EIT (Event Information Table), TOT (Time Offset Table), etc. BIT includes broadcaster identification information, network information, and broadcaster SI transmission information. SDT includes information such as a network ID for identifying the network, a TS ID for identifying the TS, and a service ID (so-called channel number) for identifying individual services (so-called channels) within the network. EIT includes a service ID for identifying individual services within the network, and information related to events, such as the name of each event (so-called program), broadcast date and time, and broadcast content. TOT includes information related to the current date and time.

[0017] Furthermore, TS includes PCR (Program Clock Reference) information, which serves as the basis for playback timing in the decoder, and BML documents that have been subsetted based on the BML (Broadcast Markup Language) specification defined in ARIB STD-B24.

[0018] In this embodiment, the broadcast receiving device can receive and decode the TS, which consists of the video / audio ES and various information, and provide the user with broadcast programs, EPG, data broadcast screens created using BML, etc.

[0019] Furthermore, the broadcast receiving device of this embodiment can integrate functions utilizing a broadband network with digital broadcasting services, enabling a broadcast-communication collaboration system that combines digital broadcasting services with functions such as acquiring additional content via the broadband network, computational processing on server devices, and presentation processing in cooperation with mobile terminal devices. To realize the aforementioned broadcast-communication collaboration system, the broadcast receiving device of this embodiment is capable of executing applications written in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) or the like. In addition, the broadcast-communication collaboration system supported by this broadcast receiving device uses an extended BML specification, application control information (Application Information Table: AIT) in the broadcast-communication collaboration system, and extended PSI / SI information necessary when transmitting applications over broadcast waves. The AIT is information for providing or disseminating various information necessary to start an application, such as the application acquisition destination, and control information that controls the start / stop of the application.

[0020] The above explanation is based on Japan's digital broadcasting service, but the broadcast receiving equipment in this embodiment, including the corresponding broadcast-communication cooperation system, is not limited to application within Japan.

[0021] Next, we will describe a specific example of the configuration of the embodiment in this example.

[0022] [System Configuration] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a communication system including a broadcast receiving device in this embodiment. The communication system in this embodiment consists of a broadcast receiving device 100 and an antenna 100A, a broadband network 200 such as the Internet and a router device 200R, a broadcasting station's radio tower 300T, a broadcasting station server 300, a service provider server 400, and other application servers 500.

[0023] The broadcast receiving device 100 is a television receiver that, in addition to existing digital broadcast receiving functions, has functions compatible with the aforementioned broadcast communication interoperation system. The broadcast receiving device 100 receives broadcast waves transmitted from the radio tower 300T via the antenna 100A. The broadcast receiving device 100 can also connect to the internet 200 via the router device 200R, and can send and receive data by communicating with various server devices on the internet 200. The router device 200R is connected to the internet 200 by wired communication, and is also connected to the broadcast receiving device 100 by wireless or wired communication.

[0024] Radio tower 300T transmits broadcast waves from the broadcasting equipment of the broadcasting station, including digital broadcast signals, AIT, control information related to application presentation, etc. The control information related to application presentation refers to control information regarding the overlay of broadcast programs and applications on a television receiver, and whether or not applications can be presented. The broadcasting station shall also have a broadcasting station server 300. The broadcasting station server 300 stores broadcast programs (program content, etc.) and metadata for each broadcast program, such as the program title, program ID, program summary, cast, broadcast date and time, etc., and is capable of providing the program content etc. and each metadata to service providers based on a contract. The provision of the program content etc. and each metadata to the service providers may be done through an API (Application Programming Interface) provided by the broadcasting station server 300.

[0025] The service provider server 400 is a server device prepared by a service provider to provide services and content distribution services through the aforementioned broadcast-communication collaboration system. The service provider server 400 stores, manages, and distributes program content and metadata provided by the broadcasting station server 300, as well as content and applications created for the broadcast-communication collaboration system. It also has the function of searching for and providing a list of available applications in response to inquiries from television receivers. Note that the storage, management, and distribution of the program content and metadata and the storage, management, and distribution of the applications may be performed by different server devices. The broadcasting station and the service provider may be the same or different companies. Multiple service provider servers 400 may be prepared for each different service. Also, the functions of the service provider server 400 may be provided by the broadcasting station server 300.

[0026] Other application servers 500 are known server devices that store, manage, and distribute general applications, operating programs, content, and data other than those related to the broadcast-communication collaboration system. There may be multiple other application servers 500 on the Internet 200.

[0027] [Hardware configuration of broadcast receiving equipment] Figure 2A is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the broadcast receiving device 100. The broadcast receiving device 100 consists of a main control unit 101, a system bus 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, a storage unit 110, a LAN communication unit 121, an expansion interface unit 124, a tuner / demodulation unit 131, a separation unit 132, a video decoding unit 133, an audio decoding unit 134, a subtitle decoding unit 135, a data broadcasting reception processing unit 141, a data broadcasting engine 142, an application control unit 143, an application engine 144, a content processing unit 151, a video overlay unit 161, an audio selection unit 162, a video display unit 163, and a speaker 164.

[0028] The main control unit 101 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire broadcast receiving device 100 according to a predetermined operating program. The system bus 102 is a data communication path for sending and receiving data between the main control unit 101 and each operating block within the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0029] ROM (Read Only Memory) 103 is a memory that stores basic operating programs such as the operating system and other operational programs. For example, rewritable ROM such as EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or flash ROM is used. RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 is the work area when basic operating programs and other operational programs are executed. ROM 103 and RAM 104 may be integrated with the main control unit 101. Also, ROM 103 may not have an independent configuration as shown in Figure 2A, but may use a portion of the storage area within the storage unit 110.

[0030] The storage unit 110 stores the operating program and settings of the broadcast receiving device 100, as well as the personal information of the broadcast receiving device 100 user. It can also store operating programs downloaded from the network and various data created by said operating programs. Furthermore, it can store content such as video, still images, and audio acquired from broadcast waves or downloaded from the network. A portion of the storage unit 110 may replace all or part of the functions of the ROM 103. In addition, the storage unit 110 needs to retain the stored information even when the broadcast receiving device 100 is not supplied with external power. Therefore, devices such as semiconductor memory such as flash ROM or SSD (Solid State Drive), or magnetic disk drives such as HDD (Hard Disc Drive) are used.

[0031] Furthermore, the aforementioned operating programs stored in the ROM 103 and storage unit 110 can be updated and their functions expanded by downloading them from server devices on the Internet 200.

[0032] The LAN (Local Area Network) communication unit 121 is connected to the Internet 200 via the router device 200R and transmits and receives data with various server devices on the Internet 200. The connection to the router device 200R may be a wired connection or a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The LAN communication unit 121 shall be equipped with an encoding circuit, a decoding circuit, etc. Furthermore, the broadcast receiving device 100 may also be equipped with other communication units such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit, an NFC communication unit, or an infrared communication unit.

[0033] The tuner / demodulator 131 receives broadcast waves from the radio tower 300T via the antenna 100A and tunes (selects) to the channel of the service desired by the user based on the control of the main control unit 101. Furthermore, the tuner / demodulator 131 demodulates the received broadcast signal to acquire a TS (Time Steady Signal). In the example shown in Figure 2A, a configuration with one tuner / demodulator is illustrated, but the broadcast receiving device 100 may be configured to have multiple tuners / demodulators for purposes such as simultaneous display of multiple screens or recording of programs in the background. In addition, based on the control of the main control unit 101, control such as restricting access to the demodulated TS may be performed.

[0034] The separation unit 132 receives the TS output from the tuner / demodulation unit 131 and separates and outputs it into various data streams, such as video data stream, audio data stream, subtitle data stream, program information data stream, AIT data stream, BML data stream, etc. These data streams may be in ES format, for example. The video decoding unit 133 decodes the video data stream input from the separation unit 132 and outputs video information. The audio decoding unit 134 decodes the audio data stream input from the separation unit 132 and outputs audio information. The subtitle decoding unit 135 decodes the subtitle data stream input from the separation unit 132 and outputs subtitle information.

[0035] The data broadcasting reception processing unit 141 decodes the BML data sequence input from the separation unit 132 and reconstructs the BML document. The data broadcasting engine 142 is a BML browser that executes the BML document and outputs data broadcasting screen information by executing the BML document reconstructed by the data broadcasting reception processing unit 141. The application control unit 143 interacts with the application engine 144 regarding the application created for the broadcasting communication collaboration system based on the AIT data sequence input from the separation unit 132 or AIT files obtained from each server device on the Internet 200, and controls and manages the lifecycle and events of each application. It also controls the functional constraints of the application as appropriate, depending on the state of the application and the AIT instructions. The application engine 144 is an HTML browser that acquires and executes the application created for the broadcasting communication collaboration system based on the control of the application control unit 143.

[0036] The content processing unit 151, based on the control of the main control unit 101, accesses video content etc. stored on each server device on the Internet 200 via the LAN communication unit 121 and acquires the program stream (PS) of the video content etc. The acquired PS may be further supplied to the separation unit 132 and subjected to the same processing as the TS output from the tuner / demodulation unit 131. The content processing unit 151 may also perform DRM (Digital Rights Management) processing on the acquired PS based on the control of the main control unit 101. The content processing unit 151 is also equipped with a transcoding function. That is, it is possible to transcode the PS acquired from each server device on the Internet 200 via the LAN communication unit 121 and then supply it to the separation unit 132. Alternatively, it is possible to transcode the TS or ES output from the separation unit 132 and store it in the storage unit 110.

[0037] The video overlay unit 161 receives video information output from the video decoding unit 133, subtitle information output from the subtitle decoding unit 135, data broadcasting screen information output from the data broadcasting engine 142, and application execution screen information output from the application engine 144, and performs selection and / or overlay processing. The video overlay unit 161 is equipped with a video RAM (not shown), and the video display unit 163, etc., are driven based on the video information input to the video RAM. In addition, the video overlay unit 161 performs scaling processing and overlay processing of EPG screen information created by interpreting the program information data sequence output from the separation unit 132, etc., as necessary, based on the control of the main control unit 101. The audio selection unit 162 receives audio information output from the audio decoding unit 134 and application execution audio information output from the application engine 144, and performs selection processing as appropriate based on the control of the main control unit 101. The video display unit 163 is a display device such as an LCD panel, and provides the user of the broadcast receiving device 100 with video information selected and / or superimposed by the video superimposition unit 161. The speaker 164 provides the user of the broadcast receiving device 100 with audio information output from the audio selection unit 162.

[0038] The expansion interface unit 124 is a group of interfaces for expanding the functions of the broadcast receiving device 100. In this embodiment, it consists of a video / audio interface, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, a memory interface, and the like. The video / audio interface handles input of video / audio data from external video / audio output devices and output of video / audio data to external video / audio input devices. The USB interface connects to a PC or the like to send and receive various types of data. By connecting an HDD, it can replace the storage unit 110 and record broadcast programs and various types of content. It can also connect a keyboard or other USB devices. The memory interface connects to a memory card or other memory medium to send and receive data.

[0039] The broadcast receiving device 100 may be a television receiver, an optical disc drive recorder such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recorder, a magnetic disc drive recorder such as an HDD recorder, an STB (Set Top Box), etc. It may also be a PC (Personal Computer), tablet terminal, game console, etc. equipped with digital broadcast receiving function and broadcast communication linkage function. However, it is not necessary to have a broadcast communication linkage function. If the broadcast receiving device 100 is a DVD recorder, HDD recorder, STB, etc., it may be equipped with a video output unit and an audio output unit instead of the video display unit 163 and speaker 164. By connecting an external monitor and an external speaker to the video output unit and audio output unit, the same operation as the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment can be achieved.

[0040] [Software configuration of broadcast receiving equipment] Figure 2B is a software configuration diagram of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment, showing the software configuration in the ROM 103, RAM 104, and storage unit 110. In this embodiment, the ROM 103 stores the basic operation program 1001 and other operation programs, and the storage unit 110 stores the reception function program 1002, the reservation management program 1003, the program recording program 1004, and other operation programs. The storage unit 110 also includes a reservation information storage area 1200 for storing information related to broadcast program recording reservations and viewing reservations, a recorded content storage area 1300 for storing information related to recorded programs, and various information storage areas for storing various other information.

[0041] The basic operation program 1001 stored in ROM 103 is loaded into RAM 104, and the main control unit 101 then executes the loaded basic operation program to constitute the basic operation execution unit 1101. Similarly, the receiving function program 1002, the reservation management program 1003, and the program recording program 1004 stored in storage unit 110 are each loaded into RAM 104, and the main control unit 101 then executes each of the loaded operation programs to constitute the receiving function execution unit 1102, the reservation management execution unit 1103, and the program recording execution unit 1104. Furthermore, RAM 104 includes a temporary storage area for temporarily holding data created during the execution of each operation program as needed.

[0042] For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the process by which the main control unit 101 controls each operation block by loading the basic operation program 1001 stored in the ROM 103 into the RAM 104 and executing it will be described as if the basic operation execution unit 1101 controls each operation block. The same description will be applied to other operation programs.

[0043] The reception function execution unit 1102 controls each operating block of the broadcast receiving device 100 to realize broadcast reception functions and broadcast communication cooperation functions. In particular, the broadcast program playback unit 1102a mainly controls the tuner / demodulation unit 131, separation unit 132, video decoding unit 133, audio decoding unit 134, subtitle decoding unit 135, data broadcast reception processing unit 141, and data broadcast engine 142. The broadcast communication cooperation unit 1102b mainly controls the application control unit 143 and application engine 144. The terminal cooperation management unit 1102c controls cooperation with mobile information terminals during broadcast communication cooperation processing.

[0044] The reservation management execution unit 1103 manages information related to the processing of recording and viewing reservations for broadcast programs using a reservation information table stored in the reservation information storage area 1200. The program recording execution unit 1104 controls the operation of scheduled recording based on the reservation information table stored in the reservation information storage area 1200, as well as the operation of manual recording while watching a broadcast program. It also manages information related to recorded programs using a recorded program information table stored in the recorded content storage area 1300.

[0045] Each of the aforementioned operating programs may be pre-stored in the ROM 103 and / or storage unit 110 at the time of product shipment. Alternatively, they may be obtained after product shipment from other application servers 500 on the Internet 200 via the LAN communication unit 121. Furthermore, each of the aforementioned operating programs stored on a memory card, optical disc, etc., may be obtained via the expansion interface unit 124, etc.

[0046] Figure 2C is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the data format of the reservation information table stored in the reservation information storage area 1200. The reservation information table consists of information such as the reference number 1201, broadcast date information 1202, broadcast time information 1203, broadcast channel information 1204, broadcast program title information 1205, repeat flag 1206, recording / viewing mode 1207, and recording destination information 1208. Other information may also be included.

[0047] Reference number 1201 is used to manage each reservation information stored in the reservation information table. Broadcast date information 1202, broadcast time information 1203, broadcast channel information 1204, and broadcast program title information 1205 are information about the date and time, channel, and program title of the broadcast program to be reserved. Repeat flag 1206 is a flag that indicates whether the recording or viewing process of the broadcast program to be reserved will be repeated weekly or daily. Recording / viewing mode 1207 is mode setting information that determines whether the process performed based on each reservation information is a scheduled recording process or a scheduled viewing process, and if a scheduled recording process is performed, which recording mode will be used for the scheduled recording process. Recording destination information 1208 is information that, when a scheduled recording process is performed, the information about the broadcast program to be recorded will be recorded to which storage (for example, storage unit 110 or a USB HDD connected to the expansion I / F).

[0048] Figure 2D is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the data format of the recorded program information table stored in the recorded content storage area 1300. The recorded program information table consists of reference number 1301, recording date information 1302, recording time information 1303, recording channel information 1304, recorded program title information 1305, recording mode 1306, recorded program identification information 1307, recorded program content storage location information 1308, and resume information 1309. Other information may also be included.

[0049] Reference number 1301 is used to manage each recorded program information stored in the recorded program information table. Recording date information 1302 and recording time information 1303 are, in this embodiment, information about the date and time the recording process of the recorded program was performed. Recording channel information 1304 and recorded program title information 1305 are information about the broadcast channel and program title of the recorded program. Recording mode 1306 is mode setting information indicating which recording mode was used to record each recorded program. Recorded program identification information 1307 is a unique identification number for identifying content related to a recorded program on a content server on the network. Recorded program content storage location information 1308 is information indicating the storage location of content related to a recorded program. Recorded program content storage location information 1308 may be identification information such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address for identifying the content server on the network where content related to a recorded program is stored. Directory information and file names may be added to define the location where content related to a recorded program is stored within the content server. If content related to a recorded program is stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100, the information may be identification information that can identify the storage. The resume information 1309 is information regarding the stop position when the playback process of content related to a recorded program is temporarily paused.

[0050] [Broadcaster Server Configuration] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the broadcasting station server 300. The broadcasting station server 300 consists of a main control unit 301, a system bus 302, RAM 304, a storage unit 310, a LAN communication unit 321, and a digital broadcasting signal transmission unit 360.

[0051] The main control unit 301 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire broadcasting station server 300 according to a predetermined operating program. The system bus 302 is a data communication path for sending and receiving data between the main control unit 301 and each operating block within the broadcasting station server 300. The RAM 304 serves as the work area when each operating program is executed.

[0052] The storage unit 310 stores the basic operation program 3001, the broadcast content management / distribution program 3002, and the broadcast content transmission program 3003, and further includes a broadcast content storage area 3200 and a metadata storage area 3300. The broadcast content storage area 3200 stores the program content of each broadcast program broadcast by the broadcasting station. The metadata storage area 3300 stores metadata such as the program title, program ID, program summary, cast, broadcast date and time, etc., for each of the aforementioned broadcast programs.

[0053] Furthermore, the basic operation program 3001, the broadcast content management / distribution program 3002, and the broadcast content transmission program 3003 stored in the storage unit 310 are each loaded into the RAM 304, and the main control unit 301 then executes each of the loaded programs to form the basic operation execution unit 3101, the broadcast content management / distribution execution unit 3102, and the broadcast content transmission execution unit 3103.

[0054] For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the process in which the main control unit 301 controls each operation block by loading the basic operation program 3001 stored in the storage unit 310 into the RAM 304 and executing it will be described as if the basic operation execution unit 3101 controls each operation block. The same description will be applied to other operation programs.

[0055] The broadcast content management / distribution execution unit 3102 manages the program content and metadata of each broadcast program stored in the broadcast content storage area 3200 and the metadata storage area 3300, and controls the provision of the program content and metadata of each broadcast program to service providers based on the contract. Furthermore, when providing the program content and metadata of each broadcast program to the service provider, the broadcast content management / distribution execution unit 3102 may, if necessary, perform authentication processing of the service provider server 400 based on the contract.

[0056] The broadcast content transmission execution unit 3103 manages the time schedule when transmitting program content of broadcast programs stored in the broadcast content storage area 3200 from the radio tower 300T via the digital broadcast signal transmission unit 360.

[0057] The LAN communication unit 321 is connected to the Internet 200 and communicates with service provider servers 400 and the like on the Internet 200. The LAN communication unit 321 is equipped with encoding circuits, decoding circuits, and the like. The digital broadcast signal transmission unit 360 modulates a TS consisting of video data sequences, audio data sequences, program information data sequences, AIT data sequences, etc., related to the program content of each broadcast program stored in the broadcast content storage area 3200, and transmits it as a digital broadcast wave via the radio tower 300T.

[0058] [Service provider server configuration] Figure 4A is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the service provider server 400. The service provider server 400 consists of a main control unit 401, a system bus 402, RAM 404, a storage unit 410, and a LAN communication unit 421.

[0059] The main control unit 401 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire service provider server 400 according to a predetermined operating program. The system bus 402 is a data communication path for sending and receiving data between the main control unit 401 and each operating block within the service provider server 400. The RAM 404 serves as the work area when each operating program is executed.

[0060] The storage unit 410 stores the basic operation program 4001, the video content management / distribution program 4002, and the application management / distribution program 4004, and further includes a metadata storage area 4200, a video content storage area 4300, and an application storage area 4400. The metadata storage area 4200 stores metadata provided from the broadcasting station server 300, as well as metadata related to video content produced by service providers. The video content storage area 4300 stores program content of broadcast programs provided from the broadcasting station server 300 as video content. It also stores video content produced by the service providers. The application storage area 4400 stores applications necessary for realizing each service of the broadcast-communication cooperation system, for distribution in response to requests from each television receiver.

[0061] Furthermore, the basic operation program 4001, the video content management / distribution program 4002, and the application management / distribution program 4004 stored in the storage unit 410 are each deployed to the RAM 404, and the main control unit 401 then executes the deployed basic operation program, the video content management / distribution program, and the application management / distribution program, thereby forming the basic operation execution unit 4101, the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102, and the application management / distribution execution unit 4104.

[0062] For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the process in which the main control unit 401 controls each operation block by loading the basic operation program 4001 stored in the storage unit 410 into the RAM 404 and executing it will be described as if the basic operation execution unit 4101 controls each operation block. The same description will be applied to other operation programs.

[0063] The video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 acquires program content and metadata of broadcast programs from the broadcasting station server 300, manages the video content and metadata stored in the video content storage area 4300 and the metadata storage area 4200, and controls the distribution of the video content and metadata to each television receiver. The application management / distribution execution unit 4104 manages the applications stored in the application storage area 4400 and controls the distribution of each application to each television receiver in response to requests. Furthermore, when distributing each application to each television receiver, the application management / distribution execution unit 4104 may perform authentication processing for each television receiver as needed.

[0064] The LAN communication unit 421 is connected to the internet 200 and communicates with the broadcast receiving device 100 via the broadcast station server 300 on the internet 200 and the router device 200R. The LAN communication unit 421 is equipped with encoding circuits, decoding circuits, etc.

[0065] Figure 4B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the data format of the content information table stored in the metadata storage area 4200. The content information table consists of information such as program identification information 4201, content storage location information 4202, content name 4203, content title information 4204, content genre information 4205, content broadcast date information 4206, content broadcast time information 4207, and content summary information 4208. Other information may also be included.

[0066] Program identification information 4201 is a unique identification number used to identify each video content on the service provider server 400. Content storage location information 4202 is directory information that defines the storage location of each video content in the video content storage area 4300. If content storage location information 4202 is 'NULL', it indicates that the corresponding video content is not stored in the video content storage area 4300, or even if it is stored in the video content storage area 4300, it is not intended for distribution. Content name 4203 is the file name of each video content. Content title information 4204, content genre information 4205, content broadcast date information 4206, content broadcast time information 4207, and content summary information 4208 are information regarding the title, genre, broadcast date and time, and program summary of each video content.

[0067] The operation of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0068] [Operation sequence when scheduling a recording] First, the operation of the recording reservation process for broadcast programs using the EPG in the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment will be explained. Figure 5 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the recording reservation process in the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment.

[0069] In this embodiment, when recording is scheduled using the broadcast receiving device 100, the user first operates a remote control (not shown) to instruct the broadcast receiving device 100 to turn on its power (S501). Upon receiving the power-on instruction from the remote control, the broadcast receiving device 100 performs startup and initialization processes under the control of the basic operation execution unit 1101 (S502). If the broadcast receiving device 100 is already running, the processes from S501 to S502 are unnecessary. After the startup and initialization processes are completed, the broadcast program playback unit 1102a of the receiving function execution unit 1102 then receives a digital broadcast wave and performs processes such as tuning to a predetermined channel with the tuner / demodulation unit 131 and demodulating the modulated signal (S503). Furthermore, the separation unit 132 performs separation processing of each data sequence, the video decoding unit 133 and the audio decoding unit 134 perform decoding processing of the video data sequence and audio data sequence, and the video and audio signals of the broadcast program are output from the video display unit 163 and the speaker 164 via the video superposition unit 161 and the audio selection unit 162 (S504).

[0070] Furthermore, the broadcast program playback unit 1102a acquires the program information data sequence separated by the separation unit 132 (S505). When the user operates the remote control to instruct the display of the EPG (S506), the broadcast program playback unit 1102a interprets the acquired program information data sequence to create EPG information, and then displays the EPG display screen on the video display unit 163 (S507).

[0071] Figure 6 is a screen display diagram illustrating an example of the EPG display screen shown in the processing of S507. The EPG display screen 163a is a broadcast schedule of broadcast programs in the digital broadcasting service. In this embodiment, it is a matrix shape with the vertical axis representing time and the horizontal axis representing service ID (channel), displaying program information 163a1 for each broadcast program broadcast on each channel during each time period. An operation guide 163a2 is displayed at the bottom of the EPG display screen 163a. ​​The program selection cursor 163a3 can be moved by operating the cursor keys of the remote control (not shown in the diagram). Furthermore, by pressing the OK key on the remote control, it is possible to display detailed information of the broadcast program selected by the program selection cursor 163a3.

[0072] In the EPG display screen 163a shown in the process of S507 in Figure 5, when the user operates the cursor keys and select key of the remote control to select a predetermined broadcast program (S508), the reservation management execution unit 1103 displays a program details display screen for the selected predetermined broadcast program on the video display unit 163 based on the control of the reception function execution unit 1102 (S509).

[0073] Figure 7 is a screen display diagram illustrating an example of the program details display screen shown in the processing of S509. The program details display screen 163b consists of a program information display area 163b1 that displays information such as the program title, program overview, and cast of the selected predetermined broadcast program, a sub-window area 163b2 that displays the video of the broadcast program currently being viewed, a reservation setting key 163b3 that allows various settings related to the recording reservation process and the viewing reservation process, and an operation selection key 163b4 that allows selection such as whether to process a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for the selected predetermined broadcast program.

[0074] By operating the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control (not shown in the diagram) to select the "Recording Destination" key of the reservation setting key 163b3, you can select the storage for storing information about the broadcast program to be recorded. By selecting the "Program Save" key, you can set whether or not to save the content of the broadcast program to be recorded to the storage of the broadcast receiver 100. By selecting the "Recording Mode" key, you can set which recording mode to use to record the broadcast program to be recorded. By selecting the "Weekly / Daily" key, you can set whether the scheduled recording or scheduled viewing process for the target broadcast program is repeated weekly or daily. Furthermore, by operating the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control to select any of the operation selection keys 163b4, it is possible to execute a reservation for recording or viewing for the selected broadcast program.

[0075] In the program details display screen 163b shown in the process of S509 in Figure 5, when the user operates the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control to select the "Record Reservation" key of the operation selection key 163b4 (S510), the reservation management execution unit 1103 stores information such as the settings of each item set on the program details display screen 163b in the reservation information table of the reservation information storage area 1200 (S511). Specifically, for example, setting information corresponding to the settings of the "Recording Destination" key and "Program Save" key of the reservation setting key 163b3 is stored in the recording destination information 1208 of the reservation information table. The setting with the "Recording Mode" key is stored in the recording / viewing mode 1207. The setting with the "Weekly / Daily" key is stored in the repeat flag 1206.

[0076] After completing the process in S511, the program details display screen 163b is terminated, and the broadcast program playback unit 1102a displays the video of the currently viewed broadcast program on the video display unit 163 (S512). With these operations, the recording reservation process of the broadcast receiving device 100 is completed.

[0077] [Operation sequence when scheduled recording] Next, the operation of the scheduled recording process based on the scheduled recording information table stored in the scheduled recording information storage area 1200 of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 8 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the scheduled recording process of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment.

[0078] While the broadcast receiving device 100 is operating or in standby mode, the program recording execution unit 1104 appropriately checks the time information of the built-in clock (not shown) and the reservation information table in the reservation information storage area 1200 based on the control of the basic operation execution unit 1101 (S801). When the broadcast start date and time of the broadcast program to be recorded, which is stored in the reservation information table, approaches, the basic operation execution unit 1101 performs startup and initialization processing of the broadcast receiving device 100 (S802). Note that if the broadcast receiving device 100 is already operating, processing S802 is unnecessary. After the startup and initialization processing is completed, the broadcast program playback unit 1102a of the receiving function execution unit 1102 receives a digital broadcast wave (S803), and further performs processing such as tuning to the channel of the broadcast program to be recorded and demodulating the modulated signal in the tuner / demodulation unit 131 (S804). Furthermore, if the broadcast receiving device 100 is already operating and has selected any broadcast program that is not the target of scheduled recording, the processing in S804 may be performed by appropriately selecting an available tuner. Also, the video of the broadcast program that is the target of scheduled recording does not need to be displayed on the video display unit 163.

[0079] Once the tuning process to the channel of the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is completed, the program recording execution unit 1104 acquires program-related information, such as program identification information and program content storage location information, for the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording that is superimposed on the digital broadcast wave, based on the control of the receiving function execution unit 1102 (S806). The program identification information and program content storage location information may be included in PSI or SI. They may also be included in AIT used for the broadcast communication cooperation function. They may also be included in BML data sequences used for data broadcasting. They may also be transmitted along with the program content of the broadcast program by other means and included in the digital broadcast wave. Alternatively, they may be acquired by accessing a predetermined server device specified by the AIT of the broadcast communication cooperation function.

[0080] The program-related information obtained in the processing of S806, including program identification information and program content storage location information for the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording, is stored in the recorded program information table of the recorded content storage area 1300 under the control of the program recording execution unit 1104 (S807), along with the information listed in the reservation information table of the reservation information storage area 1200 referenced in the processing of S801. Specifically, for example, the obtained program identification information is stored in the recorded program identification information 1307 of the recorded program information table. The obtained program content storage location information is stored in the recorded program content storage location information 1308. In addition, the broadcast date information 1202, broadcast time information 1203, broadcast channel information 1204, broadcast program title information 1205, and recording / viewing mode 1207 of the reservation information table in the reservation information storage area 1200 are stored in the recording date information 1302, recording time information 1303, recording channel information 1304, recorded program title information 1305, and recording mode 1306 of the recorded program information table.

[0081] After completing the process in S807, the reservation management execution unit 1103 deletes the reservation information stored in the reservation information table of the reservation information storage area 1200 (S808). With these operations, the scheduled recording process of the broadcast receiving device 100 is terminated.

[0082] The series of processes described above is an example of the process when the "Save Program" key is set to "Do not save" in the reservation setting key 163b3 on the program details display screen 163b, that is, an example in which the program content related to the broadcast program to be recorded is not stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100. When the "Save Program" key is set to "Save", the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment may, in the process of S807, either store the program content (TS or ES) output from the separation unit 132 as is, or, after the content processing unit 151 performs transcoding processing on the program content according to the setting of the "Recording Mode" key of the reservation setting key 163b3, store it in the storage specified by the "Recording Destination" key of the reservation setting key 163b3 (for example, the recording content storage area 1300 of the storage unit 110 or the HDD connected to the expansion I / F unit 124).

[0083] Furthermore, whether or not the program content of the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100 may be switched according to the setting of the "Save Program" key of the reservation setting key 163b3 on the program details display screen 163b, as described above, but it may also be switched automatically according to whether or not program-related information such as program identification information and program content storage location information related to the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is superimposed on the digital broadcast wave. That is, for example, if program-related information such as program identification information and program content storage location information related to the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is superimposed on the digital broadcast wave, the program content of the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is not stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100. On the other hand, if program-related information such as program identification information and program content storage location information related to the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is not superimposed on the digital broadcast wave, the program content of the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0084] In this case, it is also desirable to make it possible to visually indicate whether or not the program identification information and program content storage location information for each broadcast program are superimposed on the digital broadcast wave in the program information 163a1 of the EPG display screen 163a. ​​For example, the program information 163a1 of a broadcast program in which the program identification information and program content storage location information are superimposed on the digital broadcast wave should be clearly indicated by the addition of text, symbols, or illustrations, a difference in background color, etc.

[0085] Furthermore, in S803, the broadcast program playback unit 1102a may be configured to receive broadcast waves only for a predetermined period (for example, the first minute of the program). Also, if the program identification information 1307 and program storage location information 1308 related to the broadcast program to be recorded are transmitted at predetermined intervals (for example, 15 seconds), in S803, the broadcast program playback unit 1102a may be configured to receive digital broadcasts only during that interval (for example, 15 seconds). This allows the tuner to be released quickly.

[0086] Furthermore, if reservation information for multiple broadcast programs with overlapping broadcast times (12:03) is stored in the reservation information table, S803 may be configured to cycle through and receive the broadcast waves of each program.

[0087] Furthermore, if recording is performed manually while watching a broadcast program, rather than using a reservation information table stored in the reservation information storage area 1200, then the processes in S801 and S808 are unnecessary. While watching the broadcast program selected in the process of S804, the user may operate a remote control (not shown in the diagram) to give a manual recording instruction (S805), and then the processes in S806 to S807 will be executed.

[0088] [Operation sequence when playing back recorded programs] Next, the operation of the playback process for recorded programs based on the recorded program information table stored in the recorded content storage area 1300 of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 9 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the recorded program playback process of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment.

[0089] In this embodiment, when playing back a recorded program using the broadcast receiving device 100, the user first operates a remote control (not shown) to instruct the broadcast receiving device 100 to turn on the power (S901). Upon receiving the power-on instruction from the remote control, the broadcast receiving device 100 performs startup and initialization processing under the control of the basic operation execution unit 1101 (S902). Note that if the broadcast receiving device 100 is already running, processing S901 to S902 is unnecessary. After the startup and initialization processing, the user operates the remote control to instruct the display of the recorded program list (S903), and the reception function execution unit 1102 displays the recorded program list screen on the video display unit 163 (S904).

[0090] Figure 10 is a screen display diagram illustrating an example of the recorded program list display screen shown in the processing of S904. The recorded program list display screen 163c displays a list of recorded program information 163c1 for each recorded program stored in the recorded program information table of the recorded content storage area 1300, and an operation guide 163c6. The recorded program information 163c1 mainly consists of a thumbnail section 163c2 and a program summary section 163c3 that displays information such as the recorded program title, recording date and time, recording channel, recording mode, and recording time. Furthermore, the recorded program information 163c1 may appropriately include an unviewed mark 163c4 indicating whether or not each recorded program has not been viewed, and a cloud mark 163c5 indicating whether or not the program content related to each recorded program is stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100. The cloud mark 163c5 is displayed when the program content for each recorded program is not stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100. In other words, it is displayed when the "Save Program" key is set to "Do not save" in the reservation setting key 163b3 on the program details display screen 163b and the scheduled recording process is performed.

[0091] The program selection cursor 163c7 can be moved by operating the cursor keys on the remote control (not shown in the diagram). Furthermore, by pressing the OK key on the remote control, playback of the recorded program selected by the program selection cursor 163c7 can be started.

[0092] In the recorded program list display screen 163c shown in the process of S904 in Figure 9, when the user operates the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control to select a predetermined recorded program (S905), the receiving function execution unit 1102 reads the recorded program identification information 1307, the recorded program content storage location information 1308, and the recording mode 1306 of the predetermined recorded program from the recorded program information table stored in the recorded content storage area 1300 (S906).

[0093] The receiving function execution unit 1102 interprets the recorded program content storage location information 1308 read in the processing of S906 and extracts information (for example, IP address information, etc.) for identifying the content server (in this embodiment, the service provider server 400) where the video content related to the predetermined recorded program is stored on the network. Furthermore, the receiving function execution unit 1102 sends the recorded program identification information 1307, the recorded program content storage location information 1308, and the recording mode 1306 related to the predetermined recorded program to the service provider server 400 identified by the extracted IP address information via the LAN communication unit 121, requesting the transmission of the video content related to the predetermined recorded program (S907). Note that if the recorded program content storage location information 1308 only contains IP address information, it is not necessary to send the recorded program content storage location information 1308 in the processing of S907.

[0094] The basic operation execution unit 4101 of the service provider server 400 transmits the recorded program identification information 1307, recorded content storage location information 1308, and recording mode 1306 related to the predetermined recorded program, received via the LAN communication unit 421, to the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102. The video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 refers to the content information table stored in the metadata storage area 4200 based on the received recorded program identification information 1307. Furthermore, by obtaining the content storage location information 4202 and content name 4203 corresponding to the program identification information 4201 that matches the received recorded program identification information 1307, it selects the video content related to the predetermined recorded program (S908). Instead of obtaining the content storage location information 4202 and content name 4203, directory information and file name obtained by interpreting the received recorded content storage location information 1308 may be used.

[0095] Next, the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 refers to the video content storage area 4300 based on the content storage location information 4202 and content name 4203 obtained in the processing of S908, and reads the video content related to the predetermined recorded program. Furthermore, the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 performs transcoding processing on the read video content according to the received recording mode 1306 (S909) and transmits it to the broadcast receiving device 100 via the LAN communication unit 421 (S910). Alternatively, instead of the transcoding processing in S909, multiple video contents with different bitrates may be prepared in advance in the video content storage area 4300, and the video content with a predetermined bitrate may be selected according to the received recording mode 1306. Also, if there is sufficient bandwidth between the service provider server 400 and the broadcast receiving device 100, the transcoding processing in S909 may be omitted. The presence or absence of the transcoding processing may be switched depending on the network conditions between the service provider server 400 and the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0096] Upon receiving the video content of the predetermined recorded program transmitted from the service provider server 400, the broadcast receiving device 100 transmits the received video content to the separation unit 132 via the LAN communication unit 121, based on the control of the receiving function execution unit 1102. Furthermore, based on the control of the broadcast program playback unit 1102a, the separation unit 132 performs separation processing of each data sequence, the video decoding unit 133 and audio decoding unit 134 perform decoding processing of the video data sequence and audio data sequence, etc., and outputs the video signal and audio signal of the broadcast program from the video display unit 163 and speaker 164 via the video superposition unit 161 and audio selection unit 162 (S911). The recorded program playback processing of the broadcast receiving device 100 is realized through the above operations.

[0097] As described above, the operation of the recording reservation process, the scheduled recording process, and the recorded program playback process have been explained. In this embodiment, when recording a broadcast program, the broadcast receiving device 100 does not need to individually store the program content related to the broadcast program in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100. Instead, the content related to the recorded broadcast program is acquired from a content server on the network each time it is played back. However, unlike well-known VOD (Video On Demand) systems that require the user to access a content server to search for / select desired content, in this embodiment, the user does not need to be aware of the existence of a content server, and the recording and playback processes of broadcast programs can be made as easy to use as a conventional VTR (Video Tape Recorder). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the recorded program information table that manages the information of recorded programs does not require a large storage area, and therefore, it is possible to manage and store a large number of recorded programs. Alternatively, it is possible to manage them with small-capacity storage. In other words, it is possible to provide a broadcast receiving device that enables more useful recording and playback processes.

[0098] (Example 2) The following describes Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration and effects in this embodiment are the same as those in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the following will mainly describe the differences between this embodiment and Embodiment 1, and will omit explanations of common points as much as possible to avoid duplication.

[0099] In the digital broadcasting service of this embodiment, program identification information and program-related information regarding the storage location of the program content are included in the program information data column. In this case, if the "Save Program" key is set to "Do not save" in the reservation setting key 163b3 of the program details display screen 163b shown in Figure 7, that is, if the program content related to the broadcast program to be recorded is not individually stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100, then the scheduled recording process for the broadcast program to be recorded can be performed as soon as the program information data column is obtained from the digital broadcast wave.

[0100] [Recording reservation and operation sequence during scheduled recording] Figure 11 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of a series of operations for recording reservation processing and scheduled recording processing of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment.

[0101] In the diagram, the processes S1101 to S1109 perform the same operations as the processes S501 to S509 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 5, so their explanation is omitted. The program information data column acquired in the process of S1105 includes program identification information and program content storage location information for each broadcast program of the digital broadcasting service, as mentioned above. In the program details display screen 163b displayed in the process of S1109, when the user operates the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control (not shown) to select the "Record Reservation" key of the operation selection key 163b4 (S1110), the program recording execution unit 1104 acquires program identification information and program content storage location information for the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording from the program information data column, based on the control of the receiving function execution unit 1102 (S1111).

[0102] Furthermore, the program-related information obtained in the S1111 process, including program identification information and program content storage location information for the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording, is stored in the recorded program information table of the recorded content storage area 1300, along with information on the settings of each item set on the program details display screen 163b, under the control of the program recording execution unit 1104 (S1112). Specifically, for example, the acquired program identification information is stored in the recorded program identification information 1307 of the recorded program information table. The acquired program content storage location information is stored in the recorded program content storage location information 1308. In addition, broadcast date and time information, broadcast channel information, and program title information are stored in the recording date information 1302, recording time information 1303, recording channel information 1304, and recorded program title information 1305. The settings made with the "recording mode" key of the reservation setting key 163b3 on the program details display screen 163b are stored in the recording mode 1306.

[0103] After completing the process in S1112, the display of the program details screen 163b ends, and the broadcast program playback unit 1102a displays the video of the broadcast program being viewed on the video display unit 163 (S1113). With these operations, the series of processes for recording reservation processing and scheduled recording processing of the broadcast receiving device 100 is completed. Furthermore, the operation of the recorded program playback processing in the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment is the same as the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so an explanation is omitted.

[0104] In this embodiment, the broadcast receiving device 100 allows for the simultaneous execution of the scheduled recording process for a selected broadcast program at the same time as the selection and scheduling of the broadcast program using the EPG, resulting in improved usability. Furthermore, regarding the scheduling of the selected broadcast program, there is no need to store the information in the reservation information table of the reservation information storage area 1200, simplifying the process. In other words, it becomes possible to provide a broadcast receiving device that enables more useful recording and playback processing.

[0105] (Example 3) The following describes Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration and effects in this embodiment are the same as those in Embodiment 2. Therefore, the following will mainly describe the differences between this embodiment and Embodiment 2, and will omit explanations of common points as much as possible to avoid duplication.

[0106] In the broadcast receiving device 100 described in Example 2, it is possible to execute the scheduled recording process for the selected broadcast program at the time the process of selecting a broadcast program and scheduling a recording using the EPG is completed. This is equivalent to completing the scheduled recording process for the selected broadcast program after the process of selecting a broadcast program and scheduling a recording using the EPG is completed, and enabling playback of the video content related to the selected broadcast program (i.e., the program content of the recorded program) even before the original broadcast start time of the selected broadcast program. On the other hand, it is undesirable for the service provider that provides the broadcast program to view the video content related to the broadcast program before the original broadcast start time of the broadcast program. Therefore, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment addresses the limitation on the date and time when playback of the recorded program can begin.

[0107] [Operation sequence when playing back recorded programs] Figure 12 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the recorded program playback process of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment. Note that the series of operations for the recording reservation process and scheduled recording process in the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment are the same as those shown in the operation sequence diagram in Figure 11, so their explanation is omitted.

[0108] In the diagram, the processes S1201 to S1204 perform the same operations as the processes S901 to S904 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted. In the recorded program list display screen 163c displayed in the process of S1204, when the user operates the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control (not shown) to select a predetermined recorded program (S1205), the receiving function execution unit 1102 reads the recording date information 1302, recording time information 1303, recorded program identification information 1307, recorded program content storage location information 1308, and recording mode 1306 related to the predetermined recorded program from the recorded program information table stored in the recorded content storage area 1300 (S1206).

[0109] In this embodiment of the digital broadcasting service, program identification information, program content storage location information, and playback start date and time information related to the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording are included in the program information data column as program-related information. In this embodiment of the broadcast receiving device 100, the series of operations for recording reservation processing and scheduled recording processing are performed in the same manner as shown in the operation sequence diagram in Figure 11. However, in the S1112 process, program identification information and program content storage location information related to the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording are stored in the recording program identification information 1307 and recording program content storage location information 1308 of the recording program information table in the recording content storage area 1300. Furthermore, playback start date and time information related to the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is stored in the recording date information 1302 and recording time information 1303 of the recording program information table. That is, the recording date information 1302 and recording time information 1303 read in the S1206 process become information on the playback start date and time of the video content related to the selected predetermined recording program.

[0110] After processing in S1206, the receiving function execution unit 1102 compares the time information of the built-in clock (not shown) with the recording date information 1302 and recording time information 1303 read in S1206 (S1207). If the current time is before the playback start date and time of the video content related to the selected predetermined recorded program indicated by the recording date information 1302 and recording time information 1303 (S1207: No), the receiving function execution unit 1102 does not perform the playback process of the selected predetermined recorded program, and displays the video of the broadcast program being viewed by the broadcast program playback unit 1102a on the video display unit 163 (S1208). On the other hand, if the current time is after the playback start date and time of the video content related to the selected predetermined recorded program indicated by the recording date information 1302 and recording time information 1303 (S1207: Yes), the processing in S1209 to S1213 is executed to perform the playback process of the video content related to the selected predetermined recorded program. Note that the processes S1209 to S1213 perform the same operations as the processes S907 to S911 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0111] As described above, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can achieve the same effects as in Embodiments 1 and 2. Furthermore, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can set restrictions on the date and time when playback of recorded programs can begin, making it possible to prevent viewing of video content related to broadcast programs before the original broadcast start time. In other words, it is possible to provide a broadcast receiving device that enables more useful recording and playback processing.

[0112] The aforementioned playback start date and time information may be the original broadcast start time of the broadcast program, the original broadcast end time of the broadcast program, or any other arbitrarily designated time.

[0113] (Example 4) The following describes Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration and effects in this embodiment are the same as those in Embodiment 3. Therefore, the following will mainly describe the differences between this embodiment and Embodiment 3, and will omit explanations of common points as much as possible to avoid duplication.

[0114] [Operation sequence when playing back recorded programs] Figure 13 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the recorded program playback process of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment. The series of operations for recording reservation processing and scheduled recording processing in the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment are performed in the same manner as the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 11. That is, in the process of S1112, the process of storing the playback start date and time information for the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording in the recording date information 1302 and recording time information 1303 of the recorded program information table is not performed.

[0115] In the diagram, the processes S1301 to S1307 perform the same operations as the processes S901 to S907 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted.

[0116] The basic operation execution unit 4101 of the service provider server 400 transmits the recorded program identification information 1307, recorded content storage location information 1308, and recording mode 1306 related to a predetermined recorded program, received via the LAN communication unit 421, to the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102. The video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 refers to the content information table stored in the metadata storage area 4200 based on the received recorded program identification information 1307. Furthermore, by obtaining the content storage location information 4202 and content name 4203 corresponding to the program identification information 4201 that matches the received recorded program identification information 1307, it selects the video content related to the predetermined recorded program (S1308). Instead of obtaining the content storage location information 4202 and content name 4203, directory information and file name obtained by interpreting the received recorded content storage location information 1308 may be used.

[0117] The video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 further acquires content broadcast date information 4206 and content broadcast time information 4207, and compares the time information of the built-in clock (not shown) with the acquired content broadcast date information 4206 and content broadcast time information 4207 (S1309). The content broadcast date information 4206 and content broadcast time information 4207 in the content information table stored in the metadata storage area 4200 are information regarding the original broadcast date and time of the corresponding video content, and information regarding the limitations on the date and time when playback of the video content can be started.

[0118] In the process of S1309, if the current time is before the playback start date and time of the selected video content indicated by the content broadcast date information 4206 and the content broadcast time information 4207 (S1309: No), the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 sends an error to the broadcast receiving device 100 (S1310). The broadcast receiving device 100, having received the error from the service provider server 400 (S1311), notifies the user, under the control of the reception function control unit 1102, that playback processing of the video content related to the predetermined recorded program cannot be performed. Furthermore, the broadcast program playback unit 1102a displays the video of the broadcast program being viewed on the video display unit 163 (S1312), and the series of procedures ends. The notification process may also be modified to clearly indicate to the user the playback start time of the video content related to the predetermined recorded program.

[0119] On the other hand, if the current time is after the date and time when playback of the selected video content can be started, as indicated by the content broadcast date information 4206 and the content broadcast time information 4207 (S1309: Yes), then the processes S1313 to S1315 are executed to perform playback of the video content related to the selected predetermined recorded program. Note that the processes S1313 to S1315 perform the same operations as the processes S909 to S911 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so the explanation is omitted.

[0120] As described above, the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as in Embodiment 3. In the digital broadcasting service of this embodiment, it is not necessary to include playback start date and time information in the program data sequence, and the broadcast receiving device 100 does not need to perform processing for the limitation of the playback start date and time of recorded programs. In other words, it is possible to provide a broadcast receiving device that enables more useful recording and playback processing.

[0121] (Example 5) The following describes Embodiment 5 of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration and effects in this embodiment are the same as those in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the following will mainly describe the differences between this embodiment and Embodiment 1, and will omit explanations of common points as much as possible to avoid duplication.

[0122] In this embodiment, the broadcast receiving device 100 will describe an example of performing authentication processing with a content server that stores video content related to the broadcast program (or recorded program) to be recorded during the operation of scheduled recording processing and recorded program playback processing.

[0123] [Software configuration of broadcast receiving equipment] Figure 14A is a software configuration diagram of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment, showing the software configuration in the ROM 103, RAM 104, and storage unit 110. Compared to the software configuration diagram of the broadcast receiving device 100 described in Embodiment 1 (Figure 2B), the software configuration diagram of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment includes an authentication information storage area 1400 in the storage unit 110, which stores login information and the like when the broadcast receiving device 100 accesses each content server.

[0124] Figure 14B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the data format of the authentication information table stored in the authentication information storage area 1400. The authentication information table consists of information such as reference number 1401, service name information 1402, connection destination information 1403, login name information 1404, password information 1405, and credit card information 1406. Other information may also be included.

[0125] Reference number 1401 is used to manage each piece of authentication information stored in the authentication information table. Service name information 1402 is information about the service name of the content distribution service accessed by the broadcast receiving device 100. Connection destination information 1403 is identification information, such as an IP address, for identifying the server device that runs the content distribution service on the network. Login name information 1404 and password information 1405 are the login name and password used by the broadcast receiving device 100 when accessing the server device that runs the content distribution service. Credit card information 1406 is information about the credit card owned by the user of the broadcast receiving device 100.

[0126] [Service provider server configuration] Figure 15A is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the service provider server 400. The service provider server 400 in this embodiment also consists of a main control unit 401, a system bus 402, RAM 404, a storage unit 410, and a LAN communication unit 421. Compared to the internal configuration of the service provider server 400 described in Embodiment 1 (Figure 4A), a user information storage area 4500, which stores information such as user information that is permitted to access the service provider server 400, has been added to the storage unit 410.

[0127] Figure 15B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the data format of the user information table stored in the user information storage area 4500. The user information table consists of information such as the reference number 4501, username information 4502, user-related information 4503, password information 4504, and expiration date information 4505. Other information may also be included.

[0128] Reference number 4501 is used to manage each user's information stored in the user information table. User name information 4502 is identification information for identifying users who are permitted to access the service provider server 400. User supplementary information 4503 is supplementary information (address, telephone number, etc.) about each user. Password information 4504 is the password registered by each user to access the service provider server 400. Expiration date information 4505 is information regarding the expiration date of each user's permission to access the service provider server 400.

[0129] The operation of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0130] [Operation sequence when scheduled recording] Figure 16 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the scheduled recording process of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment. Note that the processes S1601 to S1606 in the figure are the same as the processes S801 to S806 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 8, so their explanation is omitted.

[0131] In the S1606 process, program-related information such as program identification information and program content storage location information for the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is obtained. The receiving function execution unit 1102 then interprets the obtained program content storage location information and extracts information (for example, IP address information) for identifying the content server (in this embodiment, the service provider server 400) where the video content for the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is stored on the network. Furthermore, it refers to the authentication information table in the authentication information storage area 1400 and obtains the login name 1404 and password 1405 corresponding to the service provider server 400. Subsequently, the receiving function execution unit 1102 sends the obtained login name 1404 and password 1405 to the service provider server 400 and requests user authentication (S1607). Note that the login name and password sent to the service provider server 400 may be entered as appropriate by operating a remote control or the like (not shown in the figure).

[0132] The basic operation execution unit 4101 of the service provider server 400 transmits the login name 1404 and password 1405 received via the LAN communication unit 421 to the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102. The video content management / distribution execution unit 4102 refers to the user information table stored in the user information storage area 4500 based on the received login name 1404. Furthermore, it compares the password information 4504 corresponding to the username information 4502 that matches the received login name 1404 with the received password information 1405, and then checks the expiration information 4505 to perform user authentication processing (S1608). In the processing of S1608, if the received password information 1405 and password information 4504 match, user authentication is successful. If the received password information 1405 and password information 4504 do not match, or if the information stored in the expiration information 4505 indicates that the expiration date has passed, or if a username matching the received login name 1404 does not exist in the user information table, user authentication is unsuccessful. The authentication result from the S1608 process is transmitted to the broadcast receiving device 100 via the LAN communication unit 421 by the video content management / distribution execution unit 4102.

[0133] Upon receiving the authentication result from the service provider server 400 (S1609), the broadcast receiving device 100, under the control of the program recording execution unit 1104, verifies the received authentication result (S1610). If the user authentication process at the service provider server 400 is successful (S1610: Yes), the program recording execution unit 1104 stores the program identification information and program content storage location information related to the broadcast program to be recorded, obtained in the S1606 process, along with the information described in the reservation information table of the reservation information storage area 1200, which was referenced in the S1601 process, in the recorded program information table of the recorded content storage area 1300 (S1611). After completing the S1611 process, the reservation management execution unit 1103 deletes the reservation information stored in the reservation information table of the reservation information storage area 1200 (S1612).

[0134] On the other hand, if user authentication fails on the service provider server 400 (S1610: No), the reservation management execution unit 1103 deletes the reservation information stored in the reservation information table of the reservation information storage area 1200 without performing the S1611 process (S1612). Alternatively, the program content (TS or ES) of the broadcast program to be recorded, output from the separation unit 132, may be stored either as is or after transcoding in the recording content storage area 1300 of the storage unit 110 or in the HDD connected to the expansion I / F unit 124.

[0135] [Operation sequence when playing back recorded programs] Figure 17 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the recorded program playback process of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment. Note that the processes S1701 to S1706 in the figure are the same as the processes S901 to S906 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted.

[0136] After reading the recording program identification information 1307, recording program content storage location information 1308, and recording mode 1306 related to the predetermined recording program selected in processing S1705 from the recording program information table stored in the recording content storage area 1300 in processing S1706, the receiving function execution unit 1102 interprets the read recording program content storage location information 1308 and extracts information (for example, IP address information, etc.) for identifying the content server (in this embodiment, the service provider server 400) where the video content related to the recording program is stored on the network. Furthermore, it refers to the authentication information table in the authentication information storage area 1400 and obtains the login name 1404 and password 1405 corresponding to the service provider server 400. Subsequently, the receiving function execution unit 1102 sends the obtained login name 1404 and password 1405 to the service provider server 400 and requests user authentication (S1707). Furthermore, the login name and password to be sent to the service provider server 400 may be those entered as appropriate by operating a remote control or the like (not shown in the diagram).

[0137] The processing of S1708 in the service provider server 400 is the same as the processing of S1608 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 16, so the explanation is omitted.

[0138] Upon receiving the authentication result from the service provider server 400 (S1709), the broadcast receiving device 100, under the control of the receiving function execution unit 1102, verifies the received authentication result (S1710). If the user authentication process at the service provider server 400 is successful (S1710: Yes), the processes S1711 to S1715 are executed. Note that the processes S1711 to S1715 are the same as the processes S907 to S911 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted. With the above operations, the broadcast receiving device 100 realizes the recorded program playback process for the predetermined recorded program.

[0139] On the other hand, if user authentication fails on the service provider server 400 (S1710: No), the broadcast program playback unit 1102a displays the video of the broadcast program being viewed on the video display unit 163 without performing the processes S1711 to S1715, that is, without performing the recorded program playback process for the predetermined recorded program (S1716).

[0140] As described above regarding the operation of the scheduled recording process and the recorded program playback process, in this embodiment, the broadcast receiving device 100 can perform authentication processing with the service provider server 400, which stores video content related to the broadcast program (or recorded program) to be recorded, during the scheduled recording process and the recorded program playback process. In other words, only the broadcast receiving device 100 owned by a user who has made a prior contract with a service provider that provides broadcast programs can acquire the video content provided by the service provider.

[0141] Furthermore, in the process of S1607 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 16, or in the process of S1707 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 17, credit card information 1406 may be transmitted simultaneously with the login name 1404 and password 1405, and billing may be performed simultaneously during user authentication processing when scheduled recording processing or recorded program playback processing. For example, when scheduled recording processing, the user may be charged according to the video content of the broadcast program to be scheduled recording, and when playing back the recorded program of the said video content, the user may be able to view the said video content without being charged. Alternatively, the user may not be charged when scheduled recording processing of the broadcast program to be scheduled recording, but may be charged each time when playing back the recorded program of the video content related to the said broadcast program. In addition, the amount of the billing may be changed as appropriate according to the length of playback time, image quality, popularity, etc. of the video content.

[0142] (Example 6) The following describes Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration and effects in this embodiment are the same as those in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the following will mainly describe the differences between this embodiment and Embodiment 1, and will omit explanations of common points as much as possible to avoid duplication.

[0143] In the broadcast receiving device 100 of this embodiment, the scheduled recording process is performed in the same manner as shown in the operation sequence diagram in Figure 8. However, in the S807 process, program identification information and program content storage location information related to the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording, acquired in the S806 process, are stored in the recorded program information table of the recorded content storage area 1300, and at the same time, the program content (TS or ES) of the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording is stored in the recorded content storage area 1300. The program content of the broadcast program to be scheduled for recording may be transcoded by the content processing unit 151 as needed, based on the setting of the "recording mode" key of the reservation setting key 163b3 on the program details display screen 163b. In addition, the recorded program content storage location information 1308 in the recorded program information table of the recorded content storage area 1300 stores information regarding the storage location of the program content within the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100, as well as the program content storage location information acquired in the S806 process.

[0144] Furthermore, in the digital broadcasting service of this embodiment, each program content of the broadcast program distributed by the broadcast waves transmitted from the radio tower 300T shall have a resolution of 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels, and the video content related to the said broadcast program that can be obtained from the service provider server 400 shall have a resolution of 7680 pixels × 4320 pixels.

[0145] [Operation sequence when playing back recorded programs] Figure 18 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the recorded program playback process of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment. Note that the processes S1801 to S1806 in the figure are the same as the processes S901 to S906 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 9, so their explanation is omitted.

[0146] After reading the recording program identification information 1307, recording program content storage location information 1308, and recording mode 1306 related to the predetermined recording program selected in the S1805 process from the recording program information table stored in the recording content storage area 1300 in the S1806 process, the receiving function execution unit 1102 displays a content distribution confirmation screen on the video display unit 163 (S1807). The content distribution confirmation screen is a screen display for confirming to the user whether the recording program playback process for the predetermined recording program selected will be performed by acquiring video content (resolution of 7680 pixels × 4320 pixels) from the service provider server 400, or by reading the program content (resolution of 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels) stored in the recording content storage area 1300.

[0147] Figure 19 is a screen display diagram illustrating an example of the content distribution confirmation screen displayed in the S1807 process. The content distribution confirmation screen 163d consists of a message box 163d1 that displays a message to confirm to the user whether or not to acquire video content related to the selected predetermined recorded program from the service provider server 400, and a selection operation key 163d2 for selecting an action. If the user selects the "Yes" key of the selection operation key 163d2 by operating the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control (not shown), the broadcast receiving device 100 executes the process of acquiring video content from the service provider server 400. If the user selects the "No" key of the selection operation key 163d2 by operating the remote control, the broadcast receiving device 100 does not execute the process of acquiring video content from the service provider server 400.

[0148] In the content distribution confirmation screen 163d displayed in the process of S1807 in Figure 18, if the user operates the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control to select the 'No' key of the selection operation key 163d2 (S1807: No), the program recording execution unit 1104 reads the program content (1920 pixels × 1080 pixels resolution) of the selected predetermined recorded program stored in the recorded content storage area 1300 based on the information of the recorded program content storage destination information 1308 in the recorded program information table (S1808). Furthermore, the receiving function execution unit 1102 transmits the read program content (resolution of 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels) to the separation unit 132, which performs separation processing of each data sequence, decoding processing of the video data sequence and audio data sequence in the video decoding unit 133 and audio decoding unit 134, and so on, and outputs the video signal and audio signal of the broadcast program from the video display unit 163 and speaker 164 via the video superposition unit 161 and audio selection unit 162 (S1817).

[0149] On the other hand, on the content distribution confirmation screen 163d, if the user operates the cursor keys and OK key of the remote control to select the "Yes" key of the selection operation key 163d2 (S1807: Yes), the processes S1809 to S1816 are executed, and the video content (7680 pixels x 4320 pixels resolution) related to the selected predetermined recorded program is obtained from the service provider server 400. Note that the processes S1809 to S1816 are the same as the processes S1707 to S1714 in the operation sequence diagram shown in Figure 17, so a detailed explanation is omitted. Furthermore, the receiving function execution unit 1102 transmits the acquired video content (resolution of 7680 pixels × 4320 pixels) to the separation unit 132, which performs separation processing of each data sequence, decoding processing of the video data sequence and audio data sequence in the video decoding unit 133 and audio decoding unit 134, and so on, and outputs the video signal and audio signal of the broadcast program from the video display unit 163 and speaker 164 via the video superposition unit 161 and audio selection unit 162 (S1817).

[0150] The above operations realize the recorded program playback processing of the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment. That is, with the broadcast receiving device 100 in this embodiment, when a user watches a predetermined recorded program, they can appropriately select between the normal-quality program content stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100 and the high-quality video content obtained from the service provider server 400. In other words, it is possible to provide a broadcast receiving device that enables more useful recording and playback processing.

[0151] Furthermore, in the processing of S1809, the login name 1404 and password 1405 may be transmitted simultaneously with the credit card information 1406, and the billing process may be performed simultaneously with the user authentication process. In this way, when a user watches a predetermined recorded program, the standard-definition program content stored in the storage of the broadcast receiving device 100 is free of charge, while the high-definition video content obtained from the service provider server 400 is charged, and the recorded program playback process for the recorded program is performed accordingly.

[0152] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above using Examples 1 to 6. Needless to say, the configurations that realize the technology of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are conceivable. For example, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. All of these fall within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the numbers and messages that appear in the text and figures are merely examples, and using different ones will not impair the effects of the present invention.

[0153] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the operation of the recording process was explained in terms of the operation of scheduled recording based on the reservation information table stored in the reservation information storage area 1200. However, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even when the recording process is performed manually while watching a broadcast program. In addition, after acquiring video content from the service provider server 400, when the separation unit 132, video decoding unit 133, etc., perform appropriate signal processing, the acquired video content may be simultaneously stored again in the recording content storage area of ​​the storage unit 110.

[0154] The functions of the present invention described above may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them, for example, using an integrated circuit. Alternatively, they may be implemented in software by having a microprocessor unit or the like interpret and execute an operating program that implements each of these functions. Hardware and software may also be used in combination.

[0155] The software that controls the broadcast receiving device 100 may be pre-stored in the ROM 103 and / or storage unit 110 of the broadcast receiving device 100 at the time of product shipment. Alternatively, it may be acquired after product shipment from other application servers 500 on the Internet 200 via the LAN communication unit 121. Furthermore, the software stored on a memory card or optical disc may be acquired via the expansion interface unit 124.

[0156] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown in the diagram are those deemed necessary for explanation and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines on the product. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0157] 100...Broadcast receiving device, 101...Main control unit, 102...System bus, 103...ROM, 104...RAM, 110...Storage unit, 121...LAN communication unit, 124...Expansion interface unit, 131...Tuner / demodulation unit, 132...Separation unit, 133...Video decoding unit, 134...Audio decoding unit, 135...Subtitle decoding unit, 141...Data broadcasting reception processing unit, 142...Data broadcasting engine, 143...Application control unit, 144...Application engine, 151...Content processing unit, 161...Video overlay unit, 162...Audio selection unit, 163...Video display unit, 164...Speaker.

Claims

1. A tuner that receives the first content of a broadcast program transmitted via broadcast waves, A communication unit that acquires program information related to broadcast programs via a network, communicates with a server device of the content distribution source to acquire second content corresponding to the broadcast program, A display unit that displays the first content or the second content, A digital interface unit that connects to and communicates with storage for storing the first content, A memory unit that stores information, A control unit, comprising A video display device, The control unit, The first content is output via the digital interface unit, stored in the storage connected to the digital interface unit, and when the user performs an operation to play the first content, the first control reads the first content stored in the storage unit via the digital interface unit and displays it on the display unit, and Based on the program information acquired by the communication unit, program identification information for identifying a broadcast program and information on the network source of the second content are acquired and stored in the storage unit. When the user performs an operation to play the second content, Using the information of the distribution source stored in the memory unit, the communication unit accesses the server device where the second content is stored, Using the program identification information stored in the memory unit, the second content is acquired from the server device via the communication unit. A second control is performed to display the second content acquired from the server device on the display unit. The second content becomes playable after the broadcast of the first content has finished. A video display device characterized by the following features.

2. In the video display device according to claim 1, The storage unit stores the authentication information necessary to access the server device. The control unit transmits the authentication information stored in the storage unit to the server device identified from the information of the source of distribution. A video display device characterized by the following features.

3. In the video display device according to claim 1, The program information further includes a playback start date and time indicating the date and time on which the distribution of the second content stored in the server device can be started, The control unit obtains the date and time at which playback of the second content can begin from the program information related to the broadcast program received by the tuner. When the user performs an operation to play the second content, the control unit compares the current time with the play start date and time, and if the current time is on or after the play start date and time, it executes the playback process, and if the current time has not reached the play start date and time, it does not perform the playback process. A video display device characterized by the following features.

4. In the video display device according to claim 3, The aforementioned playback start date and time are different from the broadcast start date and time. A video display device characterized by the following features.

5. In the video display device according to claim 1, When the user performs an operation to play the second content, the information displayed on the display unit includes the title of the broadcast program, a mark indicating that the second content is to be retrieved from the server device when playing the second content, and a thumbnail image of the second content. A video display device characterized by the following features.

6. In the video display device according to claim 1, The acquisition of program information related to broadcast programs via the network by the aforementioned communications unit is performed based on the information of the acquisition destination received by the tuner via the broadcast wave. A video display device characterized by the following features.

7. The first step of receiving the broadcast program content transmitted via broadcast waves with a tuner, The first content is stored in storage via a digital interface unit, and when a user performs an operation to play the first content, the first content stored in the storage is read out via the digital interface unit and displayed on the display unit. Based on the program information acquired by the communications unit, the steps include acquiring program identification information for identifying a broadcast program and the network address information of the server device where the second content corresponding to the broadcast program is stored, and storing them in the memory unit. When the user performs an operation to play the second content, the following steps are taken: using the address information stored in the storage unit, access the server device where the second content is stored via the communication unit; using the program identification information stored in the storage unit, retrieve the second content from the server device via the communication unit; and display the retrieved second content on the display unit. Perform The second content becomes playable after the broadcast of the first content has finished. A method for displaying content characterized by the following features.

Images