Hitachi, Ltd.

Hiromi Ukai

Yuichi Yagawa

Hideo Nishijima

Hitoaki Owashi

Akira Tanaka

Hiroshi Yoshiura

Shigeki Hirasawa

Isao Echizen

Masataka Okayama

Kousuke Anzai

Yoshiyuki Azuma

Katsuhiko Abe

Shuichi Tago

A method for using digital contents is provided. In the method, a request is made to a provider apparatus for a certificate containing a first provider ID embedded therein by a certification authority, and the certificate is received from the provider apparatus. A decision is made by using the certificate as to whether or not the provider is authorized by the certification authority. A request is made to the provider apparatus for a digital content having a second provider ID embedded therein by a contents guarantee authority when the provider is authorized by the certification authority, and the digital content is received from the provider. The first provider ID is read from the certificate, the digital content is correlated with the second provider ID, and the digital content is stored in a storage medium. The second provider ID is detected from the digital content in response to a request to use the digital content. The first provider ID is compared with the second provider ID when the second provider ID is detected. The digital content is used when the first provider ID and the second provider ID match. The use of the digital content is restricted when the first provider ID and the second provider ID do no match.

Method and apparatus for using contents

A TV program selection support system selects only programs suiting viewer's preference or necessary for a viewer from a large number of programs to be broadcast and proposes the selected programs to the viewer. The TV program selection support system comprises a program receiver for receiving broadcast TV programs, an EPG receiver for receiving an electronic program table listing TV programs, an EPG storage device for storing an EPG received by the EPG receiver, an operating means to be operated by the viewer to select a program from the stored electronic program table, a program selection support program for determining viewer's view tendency by analyzing the operation made by the viewer, creating an electronic program table on the basis of the view tendency and displaying the created electronic program table.

TV program selection support system

A support method for helping the user find a desired program from a collection of recorded television programs easily and quickly, and a recording/reproducing apparatus using this method. The recorded program viewing support system, when recording a television program, records electronic program information on the program, classifies the electronic program information according to predefined program category criteria, and successfully assigns predefined category numbers (recording channels) to the program to be recorded. Before the user views a recorded program, the user specifies the number of the recorded channel. A recorded channel number is allocated with a category item and hence the user can easily know the contents of the recorded programs. The user can change the channel number successively or directly specify it by using a remote controller to find a desired program easily and quickly. When disk media such as HDD and DVD-RAM are used as a storage in particular, the recorded programs can be randomly accessed allowing the user to zap through recorded programs.

Recorded program viewing support method

A rack 110 is displayed on a display unit 100. A plurality of file cases 112A to 112D are disposed within the rack 110 in an array. A series of files which have a common file name and different versions are all accommodated in one of the file cases 112A to 112D. Files 116A to 116D of the latest version are shown on the file cases 112A, 112B, 112C and 112D with the other files for the older versions being housed within the file cases 112A, 112B, 112C and 112D, respectively.

Method and system for managing files by version and programs therefor

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Sagamihara, Japan

Hiromi Ukai