JP4353906B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs a recording process of a broadcast program signal according to recording reservation information of a broadcast program received in advance.

  A video cassette recorder (VCR) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) using a magnetic tape as a recording device that receives a program signal of a broadcast program by television broadcasting, records it on a recording medium, and plays it back as necessary. Video disk recorders and the like that use as recording media optical disks typified by writable DVDs such as representative magnetic disks, DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk-ReWritable) and DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disk-Recordable) It is popular.

  Such a recording apparatus is configured to perform reserved recording in order to reliably perform recording processing even when the user is out at the broadcast time of a program to be recorded. Specifically, the recording apparatus stores reservation information indicating a recording process preset by the user, and the set broadcast channel when the recording start time in the recording process indicated by each reservation information has elapsed. In response to this, the recording process of the program signal received on the recording medium is started, and when the recording end time in the recording process indicated by each reservation information has elapsed, the recording process being executed is terminated.

  On the other hand, together with program signals transmitted from each broadcasting station, an electronic program guide (EPG: Electric) that distributes program information indicating the broadcasting channel, broadcasting start date / time, broadcasting end date / time, broadcasting content, etc. of the broadcasting program broadcast by each broadcasting station Program Guide) system is provided. The electronic program guide is used when a user views a broadcast program on a television device. In addition to the broadcast channel and the broadcast date and time, the performers, program titles, and program information indicated by each program information in the electronic program guide are used. A program to be viewed can be selected based on a genre or the like.

  In addition, a recording apparatus that can reserve recording processing using such an electronic program guide is also provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Therefore, when making a recording reservation for a broadcast program, the user selects a program based not only on the broadcast channel and broadcast date but also on the performers, program titles, program genres, etc. indicated by each program information in the electronic program guide The operability can be improved.

  Furthermore, the electronic program guide system distributes not only program information of each broadcast program but also change information indicating changes in the broadcast date and time of each broadcast program due to, for example, extension of sports broadcasts, broadcast of special programs, etc. Can know in real time changes in the broadcast date and time of each broadcast program. In addition, in a recording apparatus that can receive an electronic program guide, when such change information is received, recording is performed by changing the broadcast date and time of the broadcast program reserved for recording based on the change contents indicated by the received change information. Configured to do. By using such a recording apparatus, it is possible to reliably record a broadcast program reserved for recording even when the broadcast date / time is changed.

The electronic program guide as described above is provided not only via radio waves but also via the Internet, for example. Accordingly, there is also provided a recording apparatus that can receive the electronic program guide via the Internet and perform the above-described processing by providing a configuration that can be connected to the Internet (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent No. 28388892 JP 2001-218188 A

  However, in the recording apparatus as described above, although the reserved recording process can be surely performed, unless the user confirms the recording contents after returning home, is the broadcast program set to be reserved surely recorded? I can't know. Therefore, there is a problem that the user often goes out while feeling uneasy about whether or not the desired broadcast program has been reliably recorded and whether or not the broadcast date has been changed.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to accept an e-mail address related to an input person who inputs recording reservation information of a broadcast program, and for each received e-mail address. By creating a recording reservation table in which recording reservation information is arranged with different background colors, when a recording device is used by a plurality of users, each broadcast program reserved for recording is reserved by which user. or the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable you to easily distinguish the background color of the recording reservation information.

The recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives an input of recording reservation information of a broadcast program, and the receiving unit performs the recording process according to the recording reservation information received by the receiving unit. A recording reservation table configured to receive an e-mail address related to an input person who has input reservation information, and arranged the recording reservation information with different background colors for each e-mail address received by the receiving means. It is characterized by providing the means to create.

According to the present invention, the recording apparatus that receives the recording reservation information of the broadcast program and performs the recording process in accordance with the received recording reservation information receives the e-mail address of the input person who has input the recording reservation information. A recording reservation table in which the corresponding recording reservation information is arranged with different background colors for each received e-mail address is created. Therefore, when the recording device is used by a plurality of users, it is possible to easily distinguish which user has reserved each broadcast program reserved for recording by the background color of the recording reservation information .

  The recording apparatus according to the present invention includes an input unit for inputting an e-mail address related to the input person, and the receiving unit is configured to receive an e-mail address input from the input unit. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, by providing an input unit for inputting an e-mail address related to an input person who inputs recording reservation information of a broadcast program, when inputting recording reservation information of a broadcast program, an arbitrary It becomes possible to input an e-mail address. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user who made a reservation by e-mail of the start and / or end of the reserved recording process.

  The recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a communication unit that performs data communication with an external device, and the reception unit is configured to receive the electronic mail address based on data received from the external device by the communication unit. It is characterized by being.

  According to the present invention, a communication unit that performs data communication with an external device is provided, and recording reservation information of a broadcast program is input by receiving the e-mail address based on data received from the external device. It becomes possible to receive an e-mail address relating to the input person from an external device. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to operate the operation unit of the recording apparatus in order to input an e-mail address, and the operation processing burden on the user can be reduced.

The recording apparatus of the present invention receives an e-mail address related to an input person who inputs the recording reservation information of the broadcast program, and changes the background color for each received e-mail address , and corresponding recording reservation information. Create a video recording reservation table. Therefore, when the recording apparatus is used by a plurality of users, it is possible to easily distinguish which user has reserved each broadcast program reserved for recording by the background color of the recording reservation information .

  The recording apparatus of the present invention includes an input unit for inputting an e-mail address related to an input person who inputs the recording reservation information of the broadcast program, so that when recording reservation information of the broadcast program is input, You can enter your email address. Therefore, the start and / or end of the reserved recording process can be notified to the user who made the reservation by e-mail. In addition, in the case where a communication unit that performs data communication with an external device is provided and the electronic mail address is received based on data received from the external device, recording is performed to input the electronic mail address, for example. There is no need to operate the operation unit of the apparatus, and the operation processing burden on the user can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing a recording / reproducing apparatus as an embodiment thereof.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a broken line indicates a flow of program information (EPG signal) indicating a program signal of a broadcast program related to television broadcasting or a content of a broadcast program broadcast from each broadcasting station. The recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is connected to a monitor device 3 such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT display via a video signal video cable and an audio signal audio cable. Programs, electronic program guides based on EPG signals, broadcast programs recorded by the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 and the like can be displayed on the monitor apparatus 3.

  The recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is configured to be able to perform wireless communication with a remote control apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a remote control apparatus) 1a in accordance with an IrDA (Infrared Data Association) standard using infrared rays. Can be operated from. Note that the recording / reproducing device 1 and the remote control device 1a may be connected not only through wireless communication using infrared rays but also via, for example, a wireless LAN compliant with the IEEE 802.11b standard, a wireless communication compliant with the Bluetooth standard, or the like. .

  The recording / reproducing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10, a ROM 11, a RAM 12, a tuner unit 13, an EPG decoding unit 14, a program extension detection unit 15, an operation unit 16, a display unit 17, a communication unit 18, a date and time management unit 19, and a reservation management unit 20. , A recording / reproducing unit 21, an OSD (On Screen Display) unit 23, an output unit 24 for outputting a program signal to the monitor device 3 via a video cable and an audio cable, a remote control code analyzing unit 25, and infrared rays from the remote control device 1a Infrared light receiving section 26 and the like are received, and each is connected to each other via bus 10a.

  The control unit 10 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or the like, and controls each hardware unit as described above connected via the bus 10a, and is stored in the ROM 11 in advance. The control program being read is appropriately read into the RAM 12 and executed. The ROM 11 stores in advance various control programs necessary for operating the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 as a recording apparatus according to the present invention, mailers that are software necessary for sending and receiving e-mails, and the like. The RAM 12 is configured by SRAM, flash memory, or the like, and temporarily stores data generated when the control unit 10 executes the control program.

  The tuner unit 13 is a tuner for receiving, for example, a UHF television broadcast signal, a VHF television broadcast signal, a BS broadcast signal, or a CS broadcast signal, and is connected to an antenna 2 a arranged toward the broadcast relay base 2. ing. The tuner unit 13 detects the radio wave received by the antenna 2a according to the broadcast channel selected by the user, receives the program signal of the broadcast program, and transfers the received program signal to the recording / playback unit 21 or the output unit 24. . Note that the audio included in the program signal received by the tuner unit 13 is input to a speaker (not shown) and output as audio.

  Here, the radio wave received by the antenna 2a includes, in addition to the radio wave related to the program signal, program information indicating the genre, broadcast channel, broadcast start date / time, broadcast end date / time and title of the broadcast program broadcast by each broadcast station. Radio waves related to EPG (electronic program guide) signals including change information indicating changes in the broadcast date and time of each broadcast program are periodically included. When the tuner unit 13 detects the radio wave received by the antenna 2 a and receives an EPG signal, the tuner unit 13 transfers the received EPG signal to the EPG decoding unit 14.

  The EPG decoding unit 14 decodes the EPG signal acquired from the tuner unit 13 and transfers it to the output unit 24 if it is program information to display the electronic program guide on the monitor device 3. If it is change information, the program extension detection unit 15 to transfer. Based on the change information acquired from the EPG decoding unit 14, the program extension detection unit 15 detects the extension of the broadcast program, the broadcast stoppage due to the special program, and notifies the control unit 10 of the detected content. Note that the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can receive the electronic program guide not only via the radio wave received by the antenna 2a but also from, for example, an EPG server provided on the network NW.

  The operation unit 16 includes various function keys necessary for the user to operate the recording / reproducing apparatus 1. When each key is operated by the user, the control unit 10 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operated key. To send. As a result, the control unit 10 executes various processes according to the control signal acquired from the operation unit 16. Specifically, the operation unit 16 includes a power key for starting the recording / reproducing apparatus 1, a recording key for starting recording processing of the broadcast program by the recording / reproducing apparatus 1, a stop key for ending the recording process, and the like. Is provided.

  The infrared light receiving unit 26 receives the infrared light from the remote control device 1 a and converts it into a predetermined electric signal, and transfers the obtained electric signal to the remote control code analyzing unit 25. The remote control code analyzing unit 25 analyzes the electrical signal acquired from the infrared light receiving unit 26, acquires the control signal input from the remote control device (input unit) 1a, and sends the acquired control signal to the control unit 10. Therefore, the control unit 10 executes various processes in accordance with the control signal transmitted from the remote control device 1a and analyzed by the remote control code analysis unit 25. In addition to the power key, the recording key, and the stop key, the remote control device 1a is provided with 1 to 12 numeric keys, a cross key, a determination key, a clear key, and the like.

  The display unit 17 is a display device including a liquid crystal monitor, for example, and displays an operation state of the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 and information to be notified to the user. In addition, it is also possible to substitute a part or all of the various keys of the operation unit 16 by using the display unit 17 as a touch panel system.

  The communication unit 18 is an interface for connecting to a network NW such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network), and performs data communication with an external device connected via the network NW. Note that the control unit 10 executes the mailer stored in the ROM 11, so that e-mail can be transmitted to and received from an external device set via the network NW.

  The date and time management unit 19 includes clock means (not shown) that indicates absolute time (year, month, day, hour, minute, and second), and according to instructions from the control unit 10, the current date and time are reserved with the control unit 10. It notifies the management unit 20 and the like, and is mainly used for recording a broadcast program by timer reservation (hereinafter referred to as reservation).

  The reservation management unit 20 manages reservation information (recording reservation information) indicating recording processing reserved by the user operating the operation unit 16 or the remote control device 1a. Specifically, the reservation management unit 20 determines whether the start date and time of each reserved recording process has elapsed based on the current date and time acquired from the date and time management unit 19 according to the control from the control unit 10. If it is determined that the recording has elapsed, the recording / reproducing unit 21 starts the recording process. In addition, the reservation management unit 20 determines whether or not the end date and time of each reserved recording process has elapsed, and when determining that it has elapsed, causes the recording / playback unit 21 to end the recording process.

  The recording / playback unit 21 has an encoder, and the program signal transferred from the tuner unit 13 is encoded and compressed into program data of a predetermined format by the encoder, and is connected to a connected hard disk device (hereinafter referred to as HDD) 22. Remember. The HDD 22 stores the program data encoded and compressed by the recording / reproducing unit 21 in units of files. As the encoding format, for example, MPEG format, DV compression format, motion JPEG format, etc. can be used.

  The recording / playback unit 21 has a decoder, reads out program data stored in the HDD 22, decodes and decompresses the program data into a program signal by the decoder, and transfers the decompressed program signal to the output unit 24. The recording / playback unit 21 starts recording program data when the user instructs the start of the recording process from the operation unit 16 or the remote control device 1a, or when the reservation management unit 20 instructs the start of the recording process. To do. The recording / playback unit 21 ends the recording of the program data when the user instructs the end of the recording process from the operation unit 16 or the remote control device 1a or when the reservation management unit 20 instructs the end of the recording process. To do.

  The OSD unit 23 displays a menu screen according to the instruction from the control unit 10 on the program signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 or the video based on the program signal read from the HDD 22 by the recording / playback unit 21. The OSD unit 23 includes a memory (not shown) in which various menu images related to the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 are stored in advance. The corresponding menu image is read from the memory in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 10, and the output unit 24. Forward to.

  The output unit 24 outputs the program signal transferred from the tuner unit 13 and the program signal transferred from the recording / playback unit 21 to the monitor device 3 and causes the monitor device 3 to display the program signal. Further, the output unit 24 superimposes the menu image transferred from the OSD unit 23 on the program signal as necessary and outputs it to the monitor device 3 to display various menu screens related to the recording / reproducing device 1 on the monitor device 3. . Further, the output unit 24 can output the EPG signal transferred from the EPG decoding unit 14 to the monitor device 3 and display the EPG signal on the monitor device 3.

  With the configuration described above, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can display a broadcast program based on the program signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 on the monitor device 3, and the program signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 can be displayed on the HDD 22. And the program signal recorded on the HDD 22 can be reproduced on the monitor device 3 as necessary. Furthermore, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can display the electronic program guide based on the EPG signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 on the monitor device 3, and can accept reservations for recording processing via the electronic program guide.

  Here, when the recording / playback apparatus 1 of the present embodiment receives a reservation for recording processing by the user, the recording / playback apparatus 1 receives an e-mail address assigned to a computer or a mobile phone owned by the user who made the reservation. It is configured. Hereinafter, a recording process reservation method in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, a case where a recording process is reserved using an electronic program guide will be described. However, for example, even when a user makes a reservation for a recording process by appropriately operating the remote control device 1a. Good.

  A user who wants to make a reservation for recording processing operates the predetermined key of the remote control device 1 a to display the electronic program guide based on the EPG signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 on the monitor device 3. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic program guide, and shows the broadcast channel, broadcast start date / time, broadcast end date / time, title, and the like of a broadcast program broadcast by each broadcast station. The user selects a broadcast program to be reserved for recording by operating the cursor key of the remote control device 1a while viewing the electronic program guide, and confirms the broadcast program by operating the enter key.

  When the enter key is operated in the electronic program guide, the control unit 10 of the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 transfers the menu image indicating the program information of the broadcast program selected by the user to the output unit 24 by the OSD unit 23. A reservation content confirmation screen as shown in 2 (b) is displayed on the monitor device 3. The reservation content confirmation screen shown in FIG. 2 (b) displays the genre, broadcast channel, title, broadcast start date / time and broadcast end date / time of the broadcast program selected by the user. Prompt the user to enter an email address.

  The e-mail addresses once inputted to the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 are stored in the RAM 12, and the e-mail addresses stored in the RAM 12 are displayed in a list on the reservation content confirmation screen, and the displayed e-mails are displayed. The user selects his / her e-mail address from the addresses, and the user inputs a new e-mail address from the remote control device 1a only when his / her e-mail address is not included in the listed e-mail addresses. Also good.

  Further, as a mechanism for inputting an e-mail address, an operation key capable of inputting characters that may be used for the e-mail address may be provided in the remote control device 1a. Further, a menu image for inputting an e-mail address managed by the OSD unit 23 is displayed on the monitor device 3, and the e-mail is operated by operating the cursor key, the decision key, the clear key, etc. of the remote control device 1a on this menu screen. You may comprise so that an address may be input.

  When the user inputs an e-mail address from the remote control device 1a and operates the enter key on the reservation content confirmation screen, the control unit (accepting means) 10 of the recording / reproducing device 1 accepts a recording reservation of the selected broadcast program. . Here, the reservation management unit 20 has a reservation management table as shown in FIG. 3, and the control unit 10 that has received the recording reservation registers the recording reservation information indicating the received reservation contents in the reservation management table. . When the clear key is operated on the reservation content confirmation screen, the control unit 10 displays the electronic program guide shown in FIG.

  In the reservation management table, for each recording process of a reserved broadcast program, a reservation number for identification, an e-mail address of a user who made a reservation, a genre, a broadcast channel, a start date and time indicating a recording start date and time, a recording end The recording reservation information including the end date and time, the title, etc., indicating the date and time is registered. This reservation management table is stored every time the control unit 10 receives a recording reservation for a broadcast program by the user's operation of the remote control device 1a as described above, and whenever the recording process indicated by each recording reservation information is executed. Updated by.

  By managing such a reservation management table, for example, when the user operates a predetermined operation key of the remote control device 1a in order to confirm the contents of the reserved recording process, the control unit 10 causes the reservation management unit 20 to The registered contents of the reservation management table managed by the are transferred to the OSD unit 23. The OSD unit 23 stores each reservation content for each user's e-mail address based on the registered content of the reservation management table transferred from the reservation management unit 20 and a predetermined menu image stored in the memory. The arranged recording reservation tables are created and output from the output unit 24 to the monitor device 3. Thereby, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can display the reservation confirmation list (recording reservation table) as shown in FIG.

  The reservation confirmation list displays the reserved user's e-mail address, genre, broadcast channel, recording start date / time, recording end date / time, and title for each reserved recording process. The user can correct and change the contents of each recording process by appropriately operating the remote control device 1a in the reservation confirmation list. In the reservation confirmation list, the background color of each recording process is displayed differently for each user's e-mail address. When the recording / playback apparatus 1 is used by a plurality of users, which recording process is used by which user It is possible to easily determine whether the reservation is made. The reservation confirmation list displays each user's e-mail address in order to identify the user who made each reservation. The user name is registered in each user's e-mail address, and the e-mail address is registered. A user name may be displayed instead of.

  The reservation management unit 20 that manages the reservation management table as described above executes the reserved recording process according to the recording start date and time and the recording end date and time indicated by each recording reservation information, and displays the program signal acquired by the tuner unit 13. Recording is performed on the HDD 22 by the recording / playback unit (recording unit) 21. Here, the recording / playback unit 21 has a recording management table as shown in FIG. 5, and records recording information indicating the recording contents when recording processing is performed according to the recording reservation information managed by the reservation management unit 20. Register in the management table.

  In the recording management table, for each recorded program data, recording information including an e-mail address, a genre, a broadcast channel, a recording start date and time, a recording end date and time, a title, a storage area in the HDD 22, and the like of the user who made the recording reservation. It is registered. This recording management table is updated by the control unit 10 every time the recording / playback unit 21 records the program data on the HDD 22 according to the recording reservation information managed by the reservation management unit 20 as described above.

  By managing such a recording management table, for example, when the user operates a predetermined operation key of the remote control device 1a to reproduce a recorded broadcast program, the control unit 10 is managed by the recording / reproducing unit 21. The registered contents of the recording management table to be transferred are transferred to the OSD unit 23. The OSD unit 23 shows the recording information of the broadcast program recorded in the HDD 22 based on the registration contents of the recording management table transferred from the recording / reproducing unit 21 and a predetermined menu image stored in the memory. A menu image is created and output from the output unit 24 to the monitor device 3. Thereby, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can display the recorded list as shown in FIG.

  The recorded list displays program information of each broadcast program recorded on the HDD 22 in each cell of a two-dimensional matrix using the e-mail address of the user who made the recording reservation and the genre of the broadcast program as keys. . The user can select desired program data by operating the cursor key of the remote control device 1a in the recorded list, and can reproduce the selected program data by operating the enter key.

  Here, in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the recording / reproducing unit 21 starts and ends the recording processing of the broadcast program according to the recording reservation information managed by the reservation managing unit 20, the control unit (transmitting unit) 10 An e-mail for notifying the start and end of the recording process is transmitted to the user who has performed the recording process.

  Specifically, the start time of the reserved recording process elapses based on the recording start date and time indicated by each recording reservation information managed by the reservation management table 20 in the reservation management table and the current time indicated by the date and time management unit 19. If it is determined that the recording / playback unit 21 starts recording the program signal according to the broadcast channel indicated by the recording reservation information. When the recording / playback unit 21 starts the recording process, the control unit 10 activates the mailer stored in the ROM 11, reads the e-mail address of the user who reserved this recording process from the reservation management table, and reads the read electronic An e-mail describing the time when the recording process is started is transmitted to the e-mail address.

  Further, the reservation management unit 20 determines that the end time of the recording process being executed has elapsed based on the recording end date and time indicated by each recording reservation information managed by the reservation management table and the current time indicated by the date and time management unit 19. In such a case, the recording process being executed by the recording / playback unit 21 is terminated. When the recording / playback unit 21 finishes the recording process, the control unit 10 activates the mailer stored in the ROM 11 and reads the electronic mail address of the user who reserved this recording process from the reservation management table. An e-mail is sent to the e-mail address describing the time when the recording process is completed. Thereby, the user who reserved the recording of the broadcast program can know the start and end of the recording process reserved by himself / herself even when he / she is away from home.

  Furthermore, in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when the program extension detection unit (detection means) 15 detects the extension of the broadcast program based on the EPG signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 via the antenna 2a, the control unit 10 The recording reservation information registered in the reservation management table of the reservation management unit 20 is changed as necessary. For example, when the program extension detection unit 15 detects the extension of the broadcast program during the recording process by the recording / playback unit 21 of the broadcast program reserved for recording, the control unit 10 displays the corresponding recording reservation information in the reservation management table. The end date and time of the recording process in is changed by the detected extension time. In addition, when the program extension detection unit 15 detects an extension of a broadcast program that affects the broadcast date and time of the broadcast program reserved for recording, among the broadcast programs ahead of the broadcast date and time of the broadcast program reserved for recording, The control unit 10 changes the start date / time and end date / time of the recording process in the corresponding recording reservation information in the reservation management table to the date / time corresponding to the detected extended time.

  Therefore, when the recording / reproducing unit 21 starts and ends the recording process in which the recording start date / time and the end date / time are changed according to the EPG signal as described above, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of this embodiment controls the recording unit 10 to perform the recording process. An e-mail describing the start and end of the recording process and the change of the recording date and time is transmitted to the e-mail address of the user who has reserved. If the start date / time and / or end date / time of the reserved recording process is changed, an e-mail indicating that the broadcast date / time has been changed may be sent to the user who reserved this recording process. . Thus, the user can also know that the broadcast date and time of the recorded broadcast program has been changed along with the start and end of the recording process reserved by the user.

  Hereinafter, reservation and execution of a recording process for recording a program signal received by the tuner unit 13 in the HDD 22 in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to flowcharts. FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the reservation and execution procedures of the recording process in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The processing procedure is an example and is not limited to this. Further, the following processing is executed by the control unit 10 in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 11.

  In the recording / reproducing apparatus 1, the control unit 10 determines whether or not an instruction to execute a recording reservation using the electronic program guide is instructed by a user operating a predetermined key of the remote control device 1a (S1). When it is determined that execution of recording reservation has been instructed (S1: YES), the tuner unit 13 receives an EPG signal (S2). Note that if the control unit 10 determines that execution of recording reservation is not instructed (S1: NO), the process proceeds to step S8.

  The control unit 10 decodes the EPG signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 by the EPG decoding unit 14 and outputs it from the output unit 24, and causes the monitor device 3 to display an electronic program guide as shown in FIG. 2A (S3). ). The control unit 10 determines whether or not a broadcast program to be reserved for recording has been selected by operating the enter key in the electronic program guide (S4), and if not selected (S4: NO). The display of the electronic program guide on the monitor device 3 is continued (S3).

  When the control unit 10 determines that the broadcast program is selected in the electronic program guide (S4: YES), the control unit 10 transfers the menu image indicating the program information of the selected broadcast program from the OSD unit 23 to the output unit 24, and FIG. A reservation content confirmation screen as shown in (b) is displayed on the monitor device 3 (S5). The control unit 10 determines whether or not the recording reservation information including the broadcast program to be reserved for recording and the e-mail address is received by the user inputting the e-mail address and operating the enter key on the reservation content confirmation screen. If it is not received (S6: NO), the reservation content confirmation screen is continuously displayed on the monitor device 3 (S5). When determining that the reservation information has been received (S6: YES), the control unit 10 registers the received recording reservation information in the reservation management table managed by the reservation management unit 20 (S7).

  On the other hand, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the program extension detection unit 15 detects the extension of the broadcast program based on the EPG signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 (S8), and detects the extension of the broadcast program. (S8: YES), the recording reservation information registered in the reservation management table managed by the reservation management unit 20 is changed as necessary (S9). Specifically, when the extension of the broadcast program being recorded by the recording / playback unit 21 is detected, the control unit 10 changes the recording end date and time of the recording reservation information corresponding to the broadcast program by the detected extension time. To do. When an extension of the broadcast program that affects the broadcast date and time of the broadcast program being reserved for recording is detected, the control unit 10 records the recording start date and time and the recording end date and time of the recording reservation information corresponding to the broadcast program that is reserved for recording. Is changed to the date and time corresponding to the detected extended time. In addition, when it is judged that the control part 10 has not detected the extension of a broadcast program (S8: NO), the process of step S9 is skipped.

  Further, the control unit 10 reads the recording start date and time and the recording end date and time of each recording reservation information in the reservation management table managed by the reservation management unit 20 (S10), and acquires the current time indicated by the date management unit 19 (S11). ), It is determined whether or not the recording start date has passed (S12). When it is determined that the recording start date / time has not elapsed (S12: NO), the control unit 10 proceeds to step S15, and when it is determined that the recording start date / time has elapsed (S12: YES), the recording reservation information Recording processing of the program signal to the HDD 22 corresponding to the broadcast channel indicated by is started (S13). Further, the control unit 10 transmits an e-mail indicating that the recording process is started to the e-mail address indicated by the recording reservation information (S14).

  The control unit 10 determines whether or not the recording end date / time has passed based on the recording end date / time read out in step S10 and the current time acquired in step S11 (S15), and the recording end date / time has passed. If it is determined that there is not (S15: NO), the recording process started in step S13 is continued (S16), and the process returns to step S8. If the control unit 10 determines that the recording end date has passed (S15: YES), the control unit 10 ends the recording process started in step S13 (S17), and records the recording information indicating the ended recording process. (S18). Further, the control unit 10 transmits an e-mail indicating that the recording process is completed to the e-mail address indicated by the recording information registered in the recording management table (S19).

  In this way, when the recording / playback unit 21 starts and ends the recording processing of the broadcast program, by sending an e-mail for notifying the start and end of the recording processing to the user who made the recording reservation, A user who made a recording reservation for a program can know the start and end of the recording process reserved by himself / herself even when he / she is away from home. Further, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 may notify that the broadcast date and time of the recorded broadcast program has been changed together with the start and end of each recording process.

  The recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment described above displays the reservation confirmation list shown in FIG. 4 on the monitor device 3 based on each recording reservation information registered in the reservation management table managed by the reservation management unit 20. The reservation confirmation list as shown in FIG. 9 may be displayed on the monitor device 3. The reservation confirmation list shown in FIG. 9 displays information on each program reserved for recording in each cell in a two-dimensional matrix using the e-mail address of the user who made the recording reservation and the genre of the broadcast program as keys.

  In this case, the control unit 10 creates a recording reservation table in which recording reservation information indicating broadcast programs for which each user has made a recording reservation is displayed for each user's e-mail address received when the recording reservation is received. It operates as a means to display the created recording reservation table (reservation confirmation list) on the monitor device 3. Note that the user name of each user registered in advance may be displayed instead of the email address of each user. In addition, it is not limited to displaying the user's e-mail address and broadcast program genre as keys, but by time zone, day of the week, date, etc. in broadcast date and time, as well as analog broadcast, digital broadcast, BS broadcast, CS broadcast, etc. Each program information may be displayed according to the type of program signal. Further, the broadcast program acquired by the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is not limited to the one acquired via radio waves, and may be a program by cable broadcasting such as cable television.

  In addition, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment described above can reproduce a recorded program selected from the recorded list shown in FIG. 6 on the monitor device 3, for example, an arbitrary input from the remote control device 1 a. A part or all of the recorded program may be transmitted to the e-mail address. Specifically, the recorded broadcast program is compressed in accordance with an appropriate standard, the recorded broadcast program is thinned out at an appropriate time interval, and an image of one minute from the start of the recorded broadcast program is extracted to be arbitrarily selected. You may make it transmit to a user.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described based on the recording / reproducing apparatus of the second embodiment. The recording / reproducing apparatus of the second embodiment is realized by the same configuration as the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment described above, and thus the description of the configuration of the recording / reproducing apparatus is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration example in which the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the second embodiment is connected to the network NW. For example, at the time of purchase, a mail account is assigned to the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment by registering a customer on a website (for example, Sharp Space Town) opened by a manufacturer, for example. Therefore, the mail server 4 provided on the network NW is provided with a mail box for each recording / reproducing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 10, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of Embodiment 2 is connected to a mail server 4 via a network NW.

  The mail server 4 includes a CPU 40, a ROM 41, a RAM 42, a hard disk device (hereinafter referred to as HDD) 43, a communication unit 44, and the like, which are connected to each other via a bus 40a. The CPU 40 controls each of the above-described hardware units connected via the bus 40a, and executes various operations according to a control program stored in advance in the ROM 41. The ROM 41 stores various control programs necessary for operating the mail server 4 in advance. The RAM 42 is configured by SRAM, flash memory, or the like, and temporarily stores data generated when the CPU 40 executes the control program.

  The communication unit 44 is an interface for connecting to the network NW, and can transmit and receive various types of information to and from the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 connected via the network NW. The HDD 43 is a large-capacity storage device, and constitutes a plurality of mailboxes for storing e-mails addressed to the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 and other apparatuses connected via the network NW.

  With the above-described configuration, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment also displays and tunes the broadcast program on the monitor apparatus 3 based on the program signal acquired by the tuner unit 13, similarly to the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. Recording of the program signal acquired in the HDD 13 to the HDD 22, playback of the program signal recorded in the HDD 22 on the monitor device 3, display of the electronic program guide based on the EPG signal acquired in the tuner 13 on the monitor device 3, and electronic program It is possible to accept a recording process reservation via a table.

  Further, the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment is configured to accept an e-mail address assigned to a computer or a mobile phone owned by the user who made the reservation when receiving a reservation for the recording process by the user. Has been. Furthermore, when the reserved recording process starts or ends, the recording / playback apparatus 1 of the second embodiment transmits an e-mail describing the start or end of the recording process to the corresponding e-mail address. And notify each user. Note that the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment acquires the user's email address by email.

  Specifically, when a user who wants to make a recording process operation operates a predetermined key of the remote control device 1a, the control unit 10 shows the EPG signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 as shown in FIG. The electronic program guide is displayed on the monitor device 3. When the user operates the enter key in the electronic program guide, the OSD unit 23 transfers the menu image indicating the program information of the broadcast program selected by the user to the output unit 24, as shown in FIG. A reservation content confirmation screen is displayed on the monitor device 3.

  The reservation content confirmation screen shown in FIG. 11A displays the genre, broadcast channel, title, broadcast start date and time and broadcast end date and time of the broadcast program selected by the user. Prompt the user to select an email address. Here, when the user selects a desired email address and operates the enter key, the control unit 10 reserves the recording reservation information including the program information and the email address of the selected broadcast program in the reservation management unit 20. Register in the management table.

  On the other hand, when the e-mail address desired by the user is not displayed on the reservation content confirmation screen, the user selects “Register new” and operates the enter key. In this case, the control unit 10 causes the OSD unit 23 to transfer a predetermined menu image to the output unit 24 and causes the monitor device 3 to display a menu image as shown in FIG. In accordance with this menu image, the user transmits a blank mail from a computer or mobile phone owned by the user.

  When receiving the blank mail transmitted by the user, the control unit 10 receives the email address of the user of the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 by extracting the email address of the sender of the received blank mail. When the control unit 10 receives an e-mail address, the control unit 10 causes the monitor device 3 to display a reservation content confirmation screen as shown in FIG. In the reservation content confirmation screen shown in FIG. 11 (c), the program information of the broadcast program selected by the user and the e-mail address input by e-mail are displayed. Prompt. When the user operates the enter key on the reservation content confirmation screen shown in FIG. 11 (c), the control unit 10 displays the recording reservation information including the program information and the e-mail address of the selected broadcast program in the reservation management unit 20. Register in the reservation management table.

  The reservation management unit 20 that manages the reservation management table as described above executes the reserved recording process according to the recording start date and time and the recording end date and time indicated by each recording reservation information, and displays the program signal acquired by the tuner unit 13. Recording is performed on the HDD 22 by the recording / playback unit 21. Further, when the recording / playback unit 21 performs the recording process according to the recording reservation information managed by the reservation management unit 20, the control unit 10 registers the recording information indicating the recording content in the recording management table managed by the recording / playback unit 21. .

  Hereinafter, reservation of a recording process for recording a program signal received by the tuner unit 13 in the HDD 22 in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a recording process reservation procedure in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. Note that the recording process performed by the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 and the process of notifying the user of the start and end of the recording process are the same as the recording process performed by the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. Further, the following processing is executed by the control unit 10 in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 11.

  In the recording / reproducing apparatus 1, the control unit 10 determines whether or not an instruction to execute a recording reservation using the electronic program guide is instructed by a user operating a predetermined key of the remote control device 1a (S21). ) When it is determined that execution of recording reservation has been instructed (S21: YES), the tuner unit 13 receives an EPG signal (S22). Note that if the control unit 10 determines that the execution of the recording reservation has not been instructed (S21: NO), it waits until the execution of the recording reservation is instructed.

  The control unit 10 decodes the EPG signal acquired by the tuner unit 13 by the EPG decoding unit 14 and outputs it from the output unit 24, and displays the electronic program guide as shown in FIG. 2A on the monitor device 3 (S23). ). The control unit 10 determines whether or not a broadcast program to be reserved for recording has been selected by operating the enter key in the electronic program guide (S24), and if not selected (S24: NO). The display of the electronic program guide on the monitor device 3 is continued (S23).

  When it is determined that the broadcast program is selected in the electronic program guide (S24: YES), the control unit 10 transfers the menu image indicating the program information of the selected broadcast program from the OSD unit 23 to the output unit 24, and FIG. A reservation content confirmation screen as shown in (a) is displayed on the monitor device 3 (S25). The control unit 10 determines whether or not the recording reservation information has been accepted by the user inputting an e-mail address and operating the enter key on the reservation content confirmation screen (S26). : NO), the display of the reservation content confirmation screen on the monitor device 3 is continued (S25).

  When it is determined that the recording reservation information has been received (S26: YES), the control unit 10 determines whether or not “new registration” is selected in the e-mail address in the reservation content confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. (S27). When the control unit 10 determines that “new registration” is not selected (S27: NO), that is, when its own e-mail address is displayed on the reservation content confirmation screen, the selected broadcast program is displayed. Recording reservation information including the program information to be shown and the selected e-mail address is registered in the reservation management table managed by the reservation management unit 20 (S28), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that “new registration” is selected (S27: YES), that is, when the user's e-mail address is not displayed in the reservation content confirmation screen, the control unit 10 performs FIG. Is displayed on the monitor device 3 to instruct the user to send a blank e-mail (S29). The control unit 10 determines whether or not a blank mail transmitted by the user has been received in accordance with a blank mail transmission instruction (S30). If it is determined that it has not been received (S30: NO), the control unit 10 transmits a blank mail. The instruction is continued (S29).

  When the control unit 10 determines that the user has received the empty mail transmitted (S30: YES), the control unit 10 extracts the sender's e-mail address from the received empty mail (S31), and shows the selected broadcast program The recording reservation information including the information and the e-mail address extracted in step S31 is registered in the reservation management table managed by the reservation management unit 20 (S28), and the process ends.

  As described above, the recording / playback unit 21 starts and ends the recording process of the broadcast program as described in the first embodiment by registering the email address of each user when the recording process is reserved. In this case, the start and end of the recording process can be notified by e-mail to the user who made the recording reservation. Further, as in the second embodiment, an e-mail is transmitted from the mobile phone owned by the user to the recording / reproducing apparatus 1, and the e-mail address of the sender is extracted from the e-mail received by the recording / reproducing apparatus 1. Thus, when obtaining the e-mail address of each user, the operation burden on the user can be reduced as compared with the case where the e-mail address is input by operating the remote control device 1a.

  Note that mobile phones configured to be able to perform wireless communication according to the IrDA standard using infrared rays are commercially available, and an e-mail address is transmitted to the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 by IrDA communication using such a mobile phone. It may be.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a recording / reproducing device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. (A) is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of an electronic program guide, (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of a reservation content confirmation screen. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of a reservation management table. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of a reservation confirmation list. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of a video recording management table. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the recorded list. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for reservation and execution of recording processing in the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for reservation and execution of recording processing in the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of a reservation confirmation list | wrist. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration example including a recording / reproducing apparatus according to a second embodiment. (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a reservation content confirmation screen, (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a menu image, and (c) is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a reservation content confirmation screen. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process reservation procedure in the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Recording / playback device (recording device)
10 Control unit (accepting means, transmitting means)
15 Program extension detection unit (detection means)
18 Communication unit 21 Recording / playback unit (recording means)
1a Remote control device (input unit)

Claims (3)

In a recording apparatus comprising a receiving means for receiving an input of recording reservation information for a broadcast program, and performing a recording process according to the recording reservation information received by the receiving means,
The accepting unit is configured to accept an e-mail address related to an input person who inputs the recording reservation information,
A recording apparatus comprising: means for creating a recording reservation table in which the recording reservation information is arranged with different background colors for each e-mail address received by the receiving means. An input unit for inputting an e-mail address related to the input person;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit is configured to receive an e-mail address input from the input unit. A communication unit that performs data communication with an external device is provided.
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive the e-mail address based on data received by the communication unit from an external device.

Images