Patent ID: 7917929
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A reservation recording control apparatus, comprising: a communication unit configured to receive (i) reservation recording information for reservation-recording a broadcasting program selected by a user from a server over only a distributed computer network and (ii) a power-on check signal; a switching unit configured to switch the communication unit to a power-on state on the basis of the power-on check signal transmitted from the web server when the communication unit is in a power-off state; and a personal video recorder configured to download the reservation recording information from the server by the communication unit and record the broadcasting program selected by the user on the basis of the downloaded reservation recording information at a reserved time; wherein the server is adapted to transmit the power-on check signal, over only the distributed computer network, to the communication unit and, when the communication unit fails to acknowledge receipt of the power-on check signal, the server is adapted to continue to transmit a power-on signal, only via the distributed computer network, to the switching unit until the communication unit is switched to the power-on state; the switching unit switches the communication unit to the power-on state by outputting the power-on signal to the communication unit through a power line connected between the communication unit and the switching unit; and the communication unit, after being switched to the power-on state, informs the server of the power-on state by transmitting the power-on check signal back to the server and then downloads the reservation recording information from the server.