Recording control apparatus and method for controlling recording control apparatus

• US 8,565,587 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2008
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Asanuma, Tomoya, Kikkawa, Teruki, Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu, Hanamitsu, Satoshi, Yonishi, Osamu, Shikata, Yasushi, Mito, Koji, Miyamoto, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US12/043,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20080226257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,056 Days
• Field of Search: 386/292
• US Class Current: 386/292
• 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 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

A recording control apparatus is connected to and in communication with a recording apparatus capable of recording a broadcasting video image on a storage unit and has two or more operating state levels that differ in power consumption. The recording control apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire program information about a program currently being viewed, a determination unit configured to determine a user'"'"'s recording tendency level as to a program currently being viewed based on the program information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a control unit configured to issue a command to control the operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. A recording control apparatus that controls a recording device that records image data of a program, wherein the recording device having a first recording standby state and a second recording standby state having larger power consumption than the first recording standby state, and required time from a point at which the recording device receives a recording instruction until recording of image data starts in the second recording standby state being shorter than the first recording standby state, the recording control apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit that receives image data of a program;

a determination unit that determines a recording tendency of the program being received by the receiving unit based on a title of the program being received by the receiving unit and a recording history of image data by the recording device; and

a control unit configured to control the recording device based on the recording tendency determined by the determination unit,

wherein the control unit sets the recording device to the first recording standby state in a case where the receiving unit has been receiving a program of low recording tendency, and sets the recording device to the second recording standby state in a case where the receiving unit has been receiving a program of high recording tendency.

2. The recording control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires information indicating a recording standby state of the recording device in advance and stores the acquired information.

3. The recording control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with the recording device,

wherein the control unit controls the communication unit to issue a command to set the recording standby state of the recording device to the recording device.

4. The recording control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the recording tendency of the program that is received by the receiving unit a predetermined period or more.

5. A method for controlling a recording control apparatus that controls a recording device that records image data of a program, wherein the recording device having a first recording standby state and a second recording standby state having larger power consumption than the first recording standby state, and required time from a point at which the recording device receives a recording instruction until recording of image data starts in the second recording standby state being shorter than the first recording standby state, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving image data of a program;

determining a recording tendency of the program being received based on a title of the program being received and a recording history of image data by the recording device; and

controlling the recording device based on the determined recording tendency,

wherein the controlling step sets the recording device to the first recording standby state in a case where the receiving step has been receiving a program of low recording tendency, and sets the recording device to the second recording standby state in a case where the receiving step has been receiving a program of high recording tendency.

6. The method for controlling a recording control apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

acquiring information indicating a recording standby state of the recording device in advance and storing the acquired information.

7. The method for controlling a recording control apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

communicating with the recording device,

wherein the communicating is controlled to issue a command to set the recording standby state of the recording device to the recording device.

8. The method for controlling a recording control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in a determining step, the recording tendency of the program that received a predetermined period or more.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit that receives image data of a program;

a control unit that sets recording standby modes of a recording device which records image data of a program in accordance with a title of the program being received by the receiving unit,

wherein the recording standby modes include a first recording standby mode and a second recording standby mode having larger power consumption than the first recording standby mode.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein required time from a point at which the recording device receives a recording instruction until recording of image data starts in the second recording standby mode is shorter than the first recording standby mode.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with the recording device,

wherein the control unit controls the communication unit to output the recording instruction to the recording device, and the recording device records the image data of the program in accordance with the recording instruction output from the communication unit.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein if the title of the program being received by the receiving unit matches a predetermined condition, the control unit sets the recording standby mode to the second recording standby mode.

13. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit that receives image data of a program;

a control unit that sets recording standby modes of a recording device which records image data of a program in accordance with a genre of the program being received by the receiving unit,

wherein the recording standby modes include a first recording standby mode and a second recording standby mode having larger power consumption than the first recording standby mode.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein required time from a point at which the recording device receives a recording instruction until recording of image data starts in the second recording standby mode is shorter than the first recording standby mode.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with the recording device,

wherein the control unit controls the communication unit to output the recording instruction to the recording device, and the recording device records the image data of the program in accordance with the recording instruction output from the communication unit.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein if the genre of the program being received by the receiving unit matches a predetermined condition, the control unit sets the recording standby mode to the second recording standby mode.

17. A recording system comprising:

a receiving unit that receives image data of a program;

a recording device that records image data of a program;

a control unit that sets, in accordance with a title of the program being received by the receiving unit, recording standby modes in which the recording device waits for recording image data,

wherein the recording standby modes include a first recording standby mode and a second recording standby mode having larger power consumption than the first recording standby mode.

18. A recording system comprising:

a receiving unit that receives image data of a program;

a recording device that records image data of a program;

a control unit that sets, in accordance with a genre of the program being received by the receiving unit, recording standby modes in which the recording device waits for recording image data,

wherein the recording standby modes include a first recording standby mode and a second recording standby mode having larger power consumption than the first recording standby mode.

19. A recording system comprising:

a receiving unit that receives image data of a program;

a recording device that records image data of a program, the recording device recording image data into one of a first recording medium and a second recording medium which has larger power consumption for recording than the first recording medium;

a control unit that sets, in accordance with a time length of the program being received by the receiving unit, recording standby modes in which the recording device waits for recording image data,

wherein the recording standby modes include a first recording standby mode in which the recording device waits for recording image data into the first recording medium and a second recording standby mode in which the recording device waits for recording image data into the second recording medium.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the second recording medium has larger recording capacity than the first recording medium.

21. A recording system comprising:

a receiving unit that receives image data of a program;

a recording device that records image data of a program;

a control unit that controls a plurality of operation modes,

wherein the plurality of operation modes includes a power-on mode, a power-off mode and a plurality of recording standby modes,

wherein the plurality of standby modes includes a first recording standby mode having lower power consumption than the power-on mode, a second recording standby mode having lower power consumption than the first recording standby mode, a third recording standby mode having lower power consumption than the second recording standby mode, and a fourth recording standby mode having lower power consumption than the third recording standby mode.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein recording of image data is ready in the first recording standby mode, a flash memory operates in the second recording standby mode, an electronic program guide is ready in the third recording standby mode, and a channel is selectable in the fourth recording standby mode.

23. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving image data of a program;

setting recording standby modes of a recording device which records image data of a program in accordance with a title of the program being received,

wherein the recording standby modes include a first recording standby mode and a second recording standby mode having larger power consumption than the first recording standby mode.

24. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving image data of a program;

setting recording standby modes of a recording device which records image data of a program in accordance with a genre of the program being received,

wherein the recording standby modes include a first recording standby mode and a second recording standby mode having larger power consumption than the first recording standby mode.