Patent ID: 7831987
Filing Date: 2010-11-09
Classification: H04H,H04N

Abstract:
1. A program selecting method executed by a program selecting control apparatus, the method comprising: an obtaining step of obtaining program related information related to a plurality of viewable broadcast programs through a broadcasting signal, the program related information containing program title information; a first tuning and displaying step of tuning to a channel of a broadcast program to receive video data of the broadcast program, and displaying the received video data of the broadcast program on an entire screen; a determining step of determining whether a viewer carries out a zapping operation or not, the zapping operation being a channel-selecting operation for the viewer to switch viewing broadcast programs at time intervals shorter than a predetermined period; a first storing step of obtaining a still picture from the received video data of the broadcast program which had been viewed before a start of the zapping operation and storing the still picture; a second storing step of obtaining a plurality of still pictures after the start of the zapping operation from video data of broadcast programs respectively viewed through the zapping operation, and storing the plurality of still pictures, wherein a number of still pictures of each broadcast program viewed through the zapping operation is obtained based on a view time of each respective broadcast program viewed through the zapping operation; an arranging and displaying step of, in case that the zapping operation is repeated a predetermined number of times, (1) displaying the plurality of still pictures and program titles corresponding to the broadcast programs viewed through the zapping operation so that the broadcast programs are arranged in a row in the order of viewing in the zapping operation on a first partial area of the screen, (2) displaying video data of a broadcast program being viewed on a second partial area of the screen, and (3) displaying the still picture corresponding to the broadcast program which had been viewed before the start of the zapping operation, on a third partial area of the screen, wherein the number of still pictures obtained for each respective broadcast program viewed through the zapping operation is displayed so that the number of still pictures are stacked upon each other; and a second tuning and displaying step of, when one still picture is selected from among the plurality of still pictures displayed by the arranging and displaying step, tuning to a channel of a broadcast program corresponding to the selected still picture to receive video data of the broadcast program corresponding to the selected still picture, and displaying the received video data of the broadcast program corresponding to the selected still picture on the screen.