Sony Corporation

Hidetoshi Ichioka

Hitoshi Kimura

Kensuke Ohnuma

Shinichi Wakai

Keiichi Yoshioka

Shingo Utsuki

Masaki Ishida

Ayako Nakayama

Hiroshi Okuda

Koji Fujita

Shigeharu Kondo

Hiroshi Takagi

Kairi Sai

Yoshiaki Arishima

Kunihito Sawai

Masaaki Oka

Takuo Ikeda

Teiji Yutaka

Masayoshi Tanaka

Hideki Asazu

Noritaka Otsuka

Hideki Murahashi

Kazuhide Sasamoto

Takaaki Maeda

Mutsumi Kogawa

Kaoru Hagiwara

Information processing methods to make it possible to reserve recording of a program without imposing a large burden on a user. A server transmits program attribute information to a video recording and reproducing apparatus via a network. The program attribute information includes program attribute names and program attribute retrieval conditions. The video recording and reproducing apparatus causes a display apparatus to display a list of the program attribute names. The user selects from the list a program attribute name to which a program that the user wishes to reserve for recording seems to be most closely related. The video recording and reproducing apparatus compares the retrieval conditions corresponding to the selected program attribute name and EPG (electronic program guide) information and, when the retrieval conditions are satisfied, records a program represented by the EPG in a recording reservation list. The methods can be applied to a hard disk video recorder.

Information processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program

A display device of present invention includes an operation input portion from which operation information is input by a user, a selection portion that selects a predetermined region on a display screen based on the operation information, and a scroll portion that scrolls the display screen in a state where a position of the selected predetermined region is held at a predetermined position.

Display device and display method

An apparatus automatically recommends content. A preference operation history managing unit generates history information of an operation relating to a preference for a content according to a plurality of operations relating to a preference for the content and explanation information relating to the content and using preference value parameters for each kind of these operations. A preference information managing unit generates and renews preference information including preference values in which a given preference value is based on a combination of a given keyword and a preference value for that keyword. A content recommending unit calculates a preference degree for the content according to the preference information and the explanation information with respect to the content and recommends at least a portion of the content according to the preference degree.

Apparatus and method for automatically recording content, and recording medium and program thereof

A reproducing operation of still image content and a reproducing operation of moving image content are carried out by similar inputs by a user. A video recording and reproducing processing unit reproduces video content, and a Web content processing unit automatically selects instructions, such as information for instructing another Web page to be displayed next, from data of a reproduced Web page, and reproduces the another Web page. As a result, a plurality of Web pages are continuously reproduced and output at predetermined time intervals. A main control unit controls the reproduction of video content by the video recording and reproducing processing unit and the continuous reproduction of Web content by the Web content processing unit based on signals input by operations to a single group of operating keys as interpreted by an input conversion table.

Image recording and reproducing apparatus, and image reproducing method

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

Program viewing is provided so that a user can easily search for a program which the user desires to view. An information processing apparatus includes an EPG information recording unit which stores EPG information of programs; a program selection unit which selects programs corresponding to a plurality of different selection conditions based on the EPG information; and a display control unit which controls the display on a display screen of a plurality of selection buttons associated with the plurality of selection conditions in a manner that features of the selected programs are represented, wherein, when any one of the selection buttons is selected, the display control unit controls the display on the display screen of information corresponding to the program associated with the selected selection buttons.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program

The present invention is intended to provide an apparatus and a method for realizing the presentation of a content list and the reproduction of content in accordance with proper user preference on the basis of date and time at which content is viewed. Content preference values that change with time are computed. On the basis of the computed content preference values, a content list is generated for presentation to the user. For example, preference values are computed on the basis of daily time zone, holiday, weekday, and day-of-the-week and a content list in accordance with the computed preference values is generated for presentation to the user. The novel configuration allows the presentation of an optimum content list on the basis of date and time at which content is viewed, thereby realizing the selection and viewing of content that properly reflects user preference.

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

An apparatus and method enable easy extraction of popular programs from program information. A keyword extracting section extracts keywords from program information received by a program information receiving section. A keyword counting section counts a number of keywords for one week among the extracted keywords to obtain a keyword count for that week. A difference value computing section computes a difference value between the keyword count for the current week and the keyword count for the past week. A popular keywords extracting section extracts a predetermined number of keywords in a descending order of difference values each indicating a difference between the keyword count for the current week keywords and the keyword count for the past week keywords, and sets the keywords as those for the current week.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program for the same

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

An automatic recording apparatus for content includes a preference operation history managing unit operable to generate history information of an operation relating to a preference for a content according to a plurality of operations relating to a preference for the content and explanation information relating to the content and by using a preference value parameter for each kind of these operations; a preference information managing unit operable to generate and renew preference information including a preference value with respect to a plurality of elements relating to a preference for the content according to the history information; and a content recommending unit operable to calculate a preference degree for the content according to the preference information and the explanation information with respect to the content and to make a content record reservation according to the preference degree; wherein the content is recorded according to the content record reservation. In this way, contents are recorded automatically in conformity with a user's complicated and diversified preferences based on various operations by the user relating to the content preferences.

A hard-disk recorder receives a broadcasting content distributed from a satellite broadcasting service system and records it. The satellite broadcasting service system generates degree-of-exposure control data for the broadcasting content, and sends it to the hard-disk recorder through a server system. The hard-disk recorder receives the degree-of-exposure control data, and controls the degree of exposure of the recorded content according to degree-of-exposure designation included in the received degree-of-exposure control data.

Content-exhibition control apparatus and method

An automatic keyword extraction apparatus includes a first extraction unit operable to extract a first keyword from title character string information of contents using a first keyword dictionary in which a character string designating a sub-genre is registered; and a second extraction unit operable to extract a second keyword from detailed character string information of the contents using a second keyword dictionary in which names of persons are registered, the extraction of the second keyword being performed utilizing a character type separation method. In this manner, it is possible for a user to extract a keyword for searching contents automatically, efficiently and accurately from the title character string information and detailed character string information of the contents such as EPG information even in home electric appliances in which the throughput capacity or the memory capacity of the CPU is not so large.

Extracting keywords from multilingual alphabetic and glyph scripts in an electronic programming guide

There is provided a system for recording and/or reproduction of broadcasting programs permits the facilitation of selection and management of recorded videos in the manner of following the operations of general AV equipment such as televisions and video decks, in which virtual channels are assigned according to categories defined by a user, and programs corresponding to the categories are recorded into the virtual channels, and since the recorded programs are set in array on a time base for simultaneous reproduction on each virtual channel, the user may happen to watch various recorded programs only by switching over the channels from one to another or continuing to reproduce recorded programs in a single channel after application of power at any time, which results in quite passive style only sufficient for the user to watch the recorded programs.

System and method for recording and reproducing broadcasting programs

The present invention provides a recording/reproducing apparatus capable of realizing proper recorded-content management on a large-capacity storage device. The content data recorded on the recording medium is managed with the content age computed by a lapse time from its recording date-and-time and a genre, and automatically deleted with priority of higher content age. Meanwhile, the user is allowed to instruct delete-prohibition management on a content not desired for automatic deletion. The content data placed under delete-prohibition management is excluded from a subject of automatic deletion. Meanwhile, concerning the delete-prohibition management, an upper limit value is provided. By disabling to unnecessarily placing a great deal of content data under delete-prohibition management, secured is a recording domain during automatic picture-recording or so.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hidetoshi Ichioka