Sony Corporation

Ayako Nakayama

Hidetoshi Ichioka

Shinichi Wakai

Keiichi Yoshioka

Koji Fujita

Shingo Utsuki

Hiroshi Takagi

Shigeharu Kondo

Yoshiaki Arishima

Hitoshi Kimura

Kensuke Ohnuma

The present invention enables a user to retrieve his or her desired one of a number of image programs easily and to view it quickly. An image retrieval assisting apparatus () for assisting retrieval of broadcast contents in a broadcast-contents-recording/reproducing apparatus or a broadcast receiving set comprises a classification criterion information storage portion () for storing classification criterion for classifying broadcast contents into a plurality of categories, program information acquisition means () for acquiring program information of said broadcast contents, program information classification means () for classifying said program information into said categories according to said classification criterion, an HDD () for storing said classified program information, and display means () for displaying said categories defined by said classification criterion horizontally on a monitor screen in a selectable manner and displaying only the program information fallen in a selected category vertically on said monitor screen in a selectable manner.

Image retrieval assisting method, image retrieval assisting apparatus, and broadcast receiving set

An image retrieval assisting apparatus and method for retrieving a desired image program from a number of image programs, such as broadcast contents in a broadcast-contents-recording/reproducing apparatus or a broadcast receiving set. A classification criterion information storage portion stores classification criterion for classifying broadcast contents into a plurality of categories. A program information acquisition portion acquires program information of the broadcast contents. A program information classification portion classifies the program information into the plurality of categories according to the stored classification criterion. An HDD stores the classified program information, and a display displays categories defined by the stored classification criterion horizontally on a monitor screen in a selectable manner and displays only the program information categorized in a selected category vertically on the monitor screen in a selectable manner.

Video search assisting method, video search assisting device, and broadcast receiving apparatus

The present invention relates to an information processing system, information processing apparatus and method, recording medium and program, adapted to exchange picture-recording schedule information between the terminals. A user apparatus-registers generated picture-recording schedule information to a server-through a network, together with the information representative of a providing destination. The server-, when registering the picture-recording schedule information, makes a notification to a user apparatus-as a providing destination thereof. The video recording/reproducing apparatusof the user apparatus-accesses the server-through the network, and designates a picture-recording schedule program desired for scheduling of picture-recording of among the programs registered in the picture-recording schedule information. The server-sends the schedule information on a designated program to the video recording/reproducing apparatusthrough the network. The video recording/reproducing apparatusreceives this and makes a scheduling of picture-recording on the basis of the picture-recording schedule information. The invention is applicable to the hard-disk video recorder.

Information processing system, information processing device and method, recording medium, and program

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Kanagawa, Japan

Ayako Nakayama