This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-096792, filed Apr. 20, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to an electronic apparatus and a channel selection method, which display an electronic program guide.
At present, electronic program guides (EPG) are widely used to perform programmed recording and programmed viewing of television programs.
There are demands for performing easy channel selection from a state in which an electronic program guide is displayed.
A general architecture that implements the various features of the embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate the embodiments and not to limit the scope of the invention.
Various embodiments will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In general, according to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus comprises a tuner, a receiver, a display controller, a selection module, and a request module. The tuner is configured to receive a broadcasting wave from a broadcasting station, the broadcasting station selected from a plurality of broadcasting stations. The receiver is configured to receive program information corresponding to programs that are broadcast by the plurality of broadcasting stations. A display controller is configured to display, on a display screen, an electronic program guide comprising program sections, the program sections corresponding to programs broadcast during a first time period, the electronic program guide based on the program information. The selection module is configured to display, if a first program section corresponding a first program is operated and the first program was not being broadcasted. The first window comprises a first operation area configured to allow a user to determine whether to select a first broadcasting station. The first broadcasting station is configured to broadcast the first program. The request module is configured to request the tuner select the first broadcasting station if the first operation area is operated.
First, a structure of an electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment will be explained hereinafter with reference to
The computer 10 comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a bridge circuit 102, a main memory 103, a graphics controller (GPU) 105, a sound controller 106, a BIOS-ROM 107, a solid state drive (SSD) 109, a BT (Bluetooth (Registered Trademark)) module 110, a card slot 111, a wireless LAN controller 112, an embedded controller (EC) 113, an EEPROM 114, a USB connector 13, the touch screen display 17, and a video memory (VRAM) 105A, and the like.
The CPU 101 is a processor which controls operations of the modules in the computer 10. The CPU 101 executes an operating system (OS) 201 and various application programs, which are loaded from the SSD 109 into the main memory 103. The application programs include a television viewing program 202.
The TV tuner receives broadcasting waves which are broadcasted from a broadcasting station which is selected from a plurality of broadcasting stations, and outputs TS (Transport Stream) packets from the received broadcasting waves.
The television viewing program 202 executes live reproduction processing for viewing broadcasting program data which is included in the TS packets that are output from a TV tuner 30, and processing for displaying an electronic program guide based on electronic program data which is included in the TS packets that are output from the TV tuner 30.
It is supposed that the OS 201 is, for example, Android (Registered Trademark) OS in the present embodiment. Specifically, suppose that a system using Android (Registered Trademark) OS is used, and that the computer 10 is equipped with Android (Registered Trademark) OS. In the present embodiment, the computer 10 may be equipped with an OS other than Android (Registered Trademark) OS as the OS 201. Specifically, since the system explained in the present embodiment is applicable to a system equipped with another OS, the system explained in the present embodiment is applicable to computer 10 which is equipped with an OS other than Android (Registered Trademark) OS.
The CPU 101 also executes a BIOS (basic input/output system) which is stored in the BIOS-ROM 107. The BIOS is a program configured to control hardware.
The bridge circuit 102 is a bridge device which connects a local bus of the CPU 101 with each device on a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus and each device on an LPC (Low Pin Count) bus. The bridge circuit 102 includes a serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) controller configured to control the SSD 109. The bridge circuit 102 also has a function of executing communication with the sound controller 106. The bridge circuit 102 also has a function of executing communication with the GPU 105 through a serial bus of the PCI EXPRESS standard.
The GPU 105 is a display controller which controls an LCD 17A that is used as a display monitor of the computer 10. Image signals (also referred to as display signals) which are generated by the GPU 105 are transmitted to the LCD 17A.
The sound controller 106 is a sound source device, and outputs audio data to be reproduced to a speaker 18A and a speaker 18B. The wireless LAN controller 112 is a wireless communication device which executes wireless communication of, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard.
The EC 113 is an embedded controller configured to manage electric power. The EC 113 has a function of turning on/off the computer 10 in response to operation by the user. A power supply circuit 121 generates operation electric power which is to be supplied to the components, by using electric power which is supplied from a battery 122 in the computer 10, or electric power which is supplied from an external power source such as an AC adaptor 123. The power supply circuit 121 also charges the battery 122 by using electric power supplied from the external power source.
A touch panel 17B is integrated into the touch screen display 17, as well as the LCD 17A. The touch panel 17B which is superposed on the LCD 17A includes a sensor and an MCU (Micro controller unit) and the like. When touching operation is performed on the touch panel 17B, the touched position is detected by the sensor, and the MCU outputs input information which includes the touched position on the touch panel 17B.
The electronic program guide 400 includes a program table area 401, a date area 410, a time display bar 420, and a broadcasting station display bar 430.
The program table area 401 is displayed in the center of the electronic program guide 400. The date area 410 is displayed in an upper right end part of the electronic program guide 400. The time display bar 420 is displayed on the left of the program table area 401. The broadcasting station display bar 430 is displayed above the program table area 401. Although a broken line 413 indicates the current time, the broken line 413 is not displayed in the actual screen.
A broadcasting date of programs which are displayed in the program table area 401 is displayed in the date area 410. In the example illustrated in
In the example illustrated in
Broadcasting station sections 431 to 433 are arranged in a column direction in the broadcasting station display bar 430. In the example illustrated in
The program table area 401 includes broadcasting station areas 441 to 444, which corresponds to the respective broadcasting station sections. Each broadcasting station area includes program sections which correspond to respective programs (451, 452, 453, 454). Each program section is provided in a region which corresponds to a broadcasting time period in the broadcasting station area. Each program section corresponds to a program which is broadcasted during a first time width which starts with the date “February 6 (Sat)” as a starting point.
As illustrated in
The demultiplexer 301 separates PSI/SI (Program Specific Information/Service Information), video data, and audio data from TS (Transport Stream) packets which are output from the TV tuner 30. The demultiplexer 301 outputs the separated audio data to the audio decoder 302, outputs the separated video data to the video decoder 303, and outputs the separated PSI/SI to the PSI/SI decoder 304.
The audio decoder 302 decodes the audio data, and outputs the decoded audio data to the sound controller 106. The video decoder 303 decodes the video data.
The PSI/SI decoder 304 decodes the PSI/SI. The PSI/SI decoder 304 outputs the decoded data to the EPG display processor 305. The PSI (program specific information) is information for identifying information which is included in each TS packet. The SI (service information) is obtained by expanding the PSI to include program information such as a program name and an electronic program guide (EPG). The EPG display processor 305 prepares EPG display data for displaying an electronic program guide including a program table, based on the program information.
The EPG display processor 305 includes a program table data generator 305A, an EPG display controller 305B, and an operation detector 305C.
The program table data generator 305A generates program table data. The program table data comprises program information which is formed of information such as the broadcasting start time, the broadcasting time, the broadcasting station, the program title, the performers, and the summary, and program information items are arranged on a two-dimensional plane based on the dates and the broadcasting stations, with one program serving as a cell. Then, the information items of the programs are databased by the program table data generator 305A such that each program information item can be selected based on the broadcasting date and the broadcasting station. The EPG display controller 305B generates EPG display data for displaying an electronic program guide based on the program table data.
The touch panel 17B outputs information, which includes the touched position on the touch panel 17B, to the television viewing program 202. Based on the input information, the controller 306 detects a user's operation, and one of the video decoder 303 and the EPG display processor 305 requests output of the display data to the graphic controller 105, in accordance with the detection result.
When the EPG display processor 305 outputs EPG display data to the graphics controller 105, input information from the touch panel 17B is supplied to the operation detector 305C.
The operation detector 305C detects an operated position and an operation type, based on the input information which includes the touched position on the touch panel 17B. The operation type includes touching operation, tapping operation, sliding operation, and pinching operation (pinch-in operation and pinch-out operation). The touching operation is an operation of touching the display screen. The tapping operation is an operation of a user touching the screen by a finger and thereafter separating the finger from the screen. The sliding operation is an operation of a user moving the finger which is touching the screen in a target direction while the finger is in contact with the screen.
The operation detector 305C detects that a touching operation is performed on the screen, based on the input information from the touch panel 17B. The EPG display processor 305 detects a user operation (such as tapping operation and sliding operation), based on the input information from the touch panel 17B after a touching operation is detected. In other words, the EPG display processor 305 detects a user operation (such as tapping operation and sliding operation) based on a change in the input information from the touch panel 17B.
A tapping operation or sliding operation is performed on the program table area 410, and thereby the EPG display controller 305B prepares EPG display data for scrolling the display contents in the program table area 401.
In the case where a touching operation is performed on a program section on the program table area 401 when the electronic program guide is displayed, the channel selection request module is notified that the broadcasting station which broadcasts the program that corresponds to the touched program section is selected. The channel selection request module requests the tuner to select the notified broadcasting station. The channel selection request module 307 requests the tuner 30 to select the broadcasting station which broadcasts the program that corresponds to the program section. The tuner 30 selects the broadcasting station in accordance with the request.
(Channel Selection by Using Program Guide)
When a touching operation is performed on the program table area 401, the EPG display controller 305B displays a pop-up window 500, which corresponds to the program section on which the touching operation is performed, on the electronic program guide 400, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
When a touching operation is performed on the channel selection button 510, the channel selection request module requests the tuner 30 to select a broadcasting station which broadcasts a program that corresponds to the program section on which the touching operation is performed.
As illustrated in
The selection button 531 is a selecting operation area for displaying a pop-up window which corresponds to the program section 453. The selection button 532 is a selecting operation area for displaying a pop-up window which corresponds to the program section 454.
A pop-up window 540 illustrated in
When a tapping operation is performed, the EPG display controller 305B determines whether the operation position is located in the program table area (Step B11). When it is determined that the operation position is located on the program table area (Yes of Step B11), the EPG display controller 305B determines whether a position which corresponds to the operation position is a program section or not (Step B12). When it is determined that the position is a program section (Yes of Step B12), the EPG display controller 305B detects the row-direction heights of program sections which are located above and under the detected program section (Step B13).
The EPG display controller 305 displays a pop-up window in accordance with the detected heights (Step B14). When the row-direction heights of the upper and lower program sections are lower than a preset height, the EPG display controller 305B displays the pop-up window 530. When the row-direction height of the upper program section is lower than the preset height and the row-direction height of the lower program section is not lower than the preset height, the EPG display controller 305B displays the pop-up window 530. When the row-direction height of the upper program section is not lower than the preset height and the row-direction height of the lower program section is lower than the preset height, the EPG display controller 305B displays the pop-up window 540.
When a tapping operation is performed after the pop-up window is displayed, the EPG display controller 305B determines whether the tapped position is located on the channel selection button 510 (Step B15). When it is determined that the tapped position is located on the channel selection button 510 (Yes of Step B15), the EPG display controller 305B notifies the channel selection request module that the broadcasting station which broadcasts the program that corresponds to the program section is selected. The channel selection request module requests the tuner to select the notified broadcasting station (Step B16).
When it is determined that the tapped position is not located on the channel selection button 510 (No of Step B15), the EPG display controller 305B determines whether the tapped position is located on the detail information button 520 (Step B17). When it is determined that the tapped position is located on the detail information button 520 (Yes of Step B17), a detailed explanation of the program is displayed on the display screen (Step B18).
When it is determined at Step B12 that the position is not located on the program section (No of Step B12), the EPG display controller 305B determines whether the operation position is located on an unobtained/broadcasting stopping section (Step B19).
When it is determined that the operation position is located on the unobtained/broadcasting stopping section (Yes of Step B19), the EPG display controller 305B determines whether any program section is displayed in the broadcasting station area which includes the unobtained/broadcasting stopping section (Step B20). When it is determined that a program section is displayed (Yes of Step B20), the EPG display controller 305B displays no pop-up window. When it is determined that a program section is displayed (No of Step B20), the EPG display controller 305B displays a pop-up window as illustrated in
When a tapping operation is performed after the pop-up window is displayed, the EPG display controller 305B determines whether the tapped position is located on the channel selection button 510 (Step B22). When it is determined that the tapped position is located on the channel selection button 510 (Yes of Step B22), the EPG display controller 305B notifies the channel selection request module that the broadcasting station which broadcasts the program which corresponds to the unobtained/broadcasting stopping section is selected. The channel selection request module requests the tuner to select the notified broadcasting station (Step B23).
Although the program information is obtained from the broadcasting waves, the program information may be obtained from a server which is connected to the Internet. In addition, the electronic apparatus may not include the liquid crystal display apparatus, or the touch panel.
According to the present embodiment, when an operation is performed for a program section which corresponds to a program which is not broadcasted in the program table area, the TV tuner 30 is requested to select the broadcasting station which broadcasts the program that corresponds to the operated program section, and thus it is possible to perform channel selection in a state where an electronic program guide is displayed.
The processing represented by each flowchart explained in the present embodiment can be achieved by a program, and the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be easily achieved, by installing and executing such software in an ordinary computer by using a storage medium which is readable by a computer and stores the software.
The various modules of the systems described herein can be implemented as software applications, hardware and/or software modules, or components on one or more computers, such as servers. While the various modules are illustrated separately, they may share some or all of the same underlying logic or code.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012-096792 | Apr 2012 | JP | national |