Content guide information processing apparatus, content guide information processing method and computer program thereof

• US 8,438,599 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yuzawa, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US12/217,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20080271081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits

Abstract

Guide information is provided relating to playing/viewing of content retrieved through various modalities such as television broadcasting and a computer network. A unified program list is created that comprehensively handles program content. For a self-recorded program, program metadata retrieved during a recording operation is additionally registered. For a network program, a network program list is periodically retrieved from a service site, modified and recorded. To play the content, a guide screen is created and supplied based on a unified program list. When a self-recorded program is selected, the program is read and played from an HDD. When a network program is selected, the program is played in a streaming manner via the Internet.

Claims

1. A content guide information processing apparatus for guiding content viewing, comprising:

a content receiver for receiving content through different modalities;

a memory for storing received content;

a content player for playing received or stored content;

a content guide information management section for managing content guide information having integration of content received through different modalities to be supplied; and

a supply section for supplying content guide information,

the content guide information includes guide information for already received content and guide information for content yet to be received, the content guide information is in the form of a structured description language, and generation of the content guide information includes adding a structured description language type-field to the guide information for content yet to be received,

respective contents being associated with respective types, each type indicating whether the corresponding content is already received content or content yet to be received,

for already received content the guide information indicates a directory in which the content is stored, and for content yet to be received the guide information indicates a network address pointing to the content,

upon powering on the apparatus automatically sends an HTTP request for a network program list, receives an HTTP response comprising the network program list, extracts data required for the content guide information from the network program list, and registers the extracted data with the content guide information,

when a user selects a program for recording, program metadata retrieved during the recording operation, including an indication that the program is self-recorded, is registered with the content guide information,

the metadata retrieved during the recording operation being written in a tag field under a tag name, the tag field including a type field, a title field, and a location field, the type field indicating that the program is self-recorded, the title field indicating the recorded date and time and channel name for the program, and the location field indicating a directory on a local disk and a file name.

2. A content guide information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content receiver receives program content through television broadcasting or a distribution service over a network.

3. A content guide information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content guide information management section manages a uniformly described unified program list as content guide information irrespective of differences in modality for received content.

4. A content guide information processing apparatus to claim 2, wherein the content receiver retrieves program metadata in response to receiving television broadcasting or receives a program list periodically or in a predetermined timing from a service site distributing moving image programs.

5. A content guide information processing apparatus to claim 1, wherein the content guide information management section additionally registers contents information with the content guide information when the content is stored in the memory.

6. A content guide information processing apparatus to claim 1, wherein the content guide information management section additionally registers or modifies and registers a detail of a program list with the content guide information when the program list is received periodically or in predetermined timing from a service site distributing moving image programs.

7. A content guide information processing apparatus to claim 1, further comprising a user input device for selecting desired content by a user on content guide information supplied by the supply section, and wherein the content player starts playing content selected through the user input device.

8. A content guide information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the content player plays content from the memory when the content is already stored in the memory and plays content in a streaming manner when the content is distributed from a predetermined service site on a network.

9. A content guide information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory encodes received content and stores the encoded content.

10. A content guide information processing method for using a processor of an apparatus to guide content viewing, comprising:

receiving content through different modalities;

storing received content;

playing the received or the stored content;

managing content guide information having an integration of content supplied and received through different modalities; and

supplying content guide information,

the content guide information includes guide information for already received content and guide information for content yet to be received, the content guide information is in the form of a structured description language, and generation of the content guide information includes adding a structured description language type-field to the guide information for content yet to be received,

respective contents being associated with respective types, each type indicating whether the corresponding content is already received content or content yet to be received,

for already received content the guide information indicates a directory in which the content is stored, and for content yet to be received the guide information indicates a network address pointing to the content,

upon powering on the apparatus automatically sends an HTTP request for a network program list, receives an HTTP response comprising the network program list, extracts data required for the content guide information from the network program list, and registers the extracted data with the content guide information,

when a user selects a program for recording, program metadata retrieved during the recording operation, including an indication that the program is self-recorded, is registered with the content guide information,

the metadata retrieved during the recording operation being written in a tag field under a tag name, the tag field including a type field, a title field, and a location field, the type field indicating that the program is self-recorded, the title field indicating the recorded date and time and channel name for the program, and the location field indicating a directory on a local disk and a file name.

11. A content guide information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising receiving the program content through television broadcasting or a distribution service over a network.

12. A content guide information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising managing the content guide information by managing a uniformly described unified program list as content guide information irrespective of differences in modality for received content.

13. A content guide information processing method according to claim 11, further comprising retrieving program metadata in response to receiving television broadcasting or receiving a program list periodically or in predetermined timing from a service site distributing moving image programs.

14. A content guide information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising managing the content guide information by registering content information with the content guide information when the content is stored.

15. A content guide information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising managing the content guide by registering or modifying and registering a detail of a program list with the content guide information when the program list is received periodically or in predetermined timing from a service site distributing moving image programs.

16. A content guide information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising selecting desired content by a user from the supplied content guide information and playing the content selected by the user.

17. A content guide information processing method according to claim 16, further comprising reading and playing content stored to be played when the content is already stored in the content storage step or playing content in a streaming manner when the content is distributed from a predetermined service site on a network.

18. A content guide information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising encoding received content when required and storing the encoded content.

19. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable on an information processing system, the program causing the system to:

receive content through different modalities;

store received content;

play received or stored content;

manage content guide information having an integration of content supplied and received through different modalities; and

supply content guide information,

wherein the receiving of content retrieves program metadata in response to receiving television broadcasting or a program list periodically or in predetermined timing from a service site distributing moving image programs, and wherein the content guide information managing additionally registers content information with the content guide information when the content is stored or registers or modifies and registers a detail of a program list with the content guide information when the program list is received periodically or in predetermined timing from a service site distributing moving image programs,

the content guide information includes guide information for already received content and guide information for content yet to be received, the content guide information is in the form of a structured description language, and generation of the content guide information includes adding a structured description language type-field to the guide information for content yet to be received,

respective contents being associated with respective types, each type indicating whether the corresponding content is already received content or content yet to be received,

for already received content the guide information indicates a directory in which the content is stored, and for content yet to be received the guide information indicates a network address pointing to the content,

upon powering on the system automatically sends an HTTP request for a network program list, receives an HTTP response comprising the network program list, extracts data required for the content guide information from the network program list, and registers the extractive data with the content guide information,

when a user selects a program for recording, program metadata retrieved during the recording operation, including an indication that the program is self-recorded, is registered with the content guide information,

the metadata retrieved during the recording operation being written in a tag field under a tag name, the tag field including a type field, a title field, and a location field, the type field indicating that the program is self-recorded, the title field indicating the recorded date and time and channel name for the program, and the location field indicating a directory on a local disk and a file name.