Information Processing Apparatus, Tuner, And Information Processing Method

• US 20120272271A1
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishizawa, Manabu, Kobayashi, Yuki, Ishizuka, Kensaku, Kanai, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,131,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: a program guide displaying unit configured to display a program guide on a predetermined display, the program guide being such that program information is arranged in an area having a time axis and a channel axis; an indicator acquisition unit configured to acquire an indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing each of a plurality of programs listed in the program guide in a similar time zone; and a popularity determination unit configured to determine the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator. The program guide displaying unit displays at least some of the plurality of programs in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a program guide displaying unit configured to display a program guide on a predetermined display device, the program guide being such that program information is arranged in an area having a time axis and a channel axis;

an indicator acquisition unit configured to acquire an indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing each of a plurality of programs listed in the program guide in a similar time zone; and

a popularity determination unit configured to determine the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator,

wherein the program guide displaying unit displays at least some of the plurality of programs in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program guide displaying unit further displays a progress rate of each program in association with the plurality of programs in the program guide.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program guide displaying unit further displays a history of popularity in association with a program displayed in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the indicator acquisition unit further acquires an indicator indicative of the number of viewers having programmed the recording of each of the plurality of programs, and

the popularity determination unit determines the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator indicative of number of viewers having programmed the recording in place of the indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing the program or determines the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator indicative of number of viewers having programmed the recording as well as the indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing the program.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program guide displaying unit further displays an indicator providing a basis for the popularity, in association with the program displayed in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image information acquisition unit configured to acquire image information of a program from a tuner; and

a program image displaying unit configured to display an image of the program on the display device in accordance with the image information,

wherein the program guide display unit displays the program guide in a part of a display screen of the display device displaying the image of the program.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the program guide displaying unit displays a program guide in which only information on currently broadcasting programs is arranged.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a cursor displaying unit configured to display a cursor that allows a user to designate one of the programs in the program guide,

wherein the program displaying unit display detailed information indicating content of the program designated by using the cursor in a part of the display screen.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an attribute acquisition unit configured to acquire one or more characteristics of viewers designated as a population in which the popularity should be determined,

wherein the popularity determination unit determines the popularity of the program based on the indicator associated with the population comprising viewers that match a designated characteristic.

10. A tuner adapted to receive a broadcast signal on a selected channel, comprising:

a program guide displaying unit configured to display a program guide on a predetermined display device, the program guide being such that program information is arranged in an area having a time axis and a channel axis;

an indicator acquisition unit configured to acquire an indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing each of a plurality of programs listed in the program guide in a similar time zone; and

a popularity determination unit configured to determine the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator,

wherein the program guide displaying unit displays at least some of the plurality of programs in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.

11. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, comprising:

acquiring an indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing each of a plurality of programs listed in a program guide in a similar time zone, the program guide being such that program information is arranged in an area having a time axis and a channel axis;

determine the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator; and

displaying the program guide in a predetermined display device and displaying at least some of the plurality of programs in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.

12. A computer program embedded in a non-transitory, computer-readable medium, comprising:

a module configured to display a program guide in a predetermined display device, the program guide being such that program information is arranged in an area having a time axis and a channel axis;

a module configured to acquire an indicator indicative of the number of viewers viewing each of a plurality of programs listed in the program guide in a similar time zone; and

a module configured to determine the popularity of the program in accordance with the indicator,

wherein the module configured to display the program guide displays at least some of the plurality of programs in a mode indicating the popularity of the program.