Patent ID: 6347400
Filing Date: 2002-02-12
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A receiving apparatus which receives transmitted program information of a plurality of programs together with transmitted video and audio signals thereof, comprising:selecting means for selecting a desired program from among the plurality of programs; and chargeable program information display control means for displaying information relating to a chargeable program that is selected by a given user operation from among programs selectable by the selecting means, the chargeable program information display control means concurrently displaying a broadcast schedule of the selected program, an information field indicating whether the selected program is chargeable and the price thereof, and a graphic display indicating progress in time of the selected chargeable program at a current time prior to a purchase of the chargeable program, said graphic display being a display of elapsed broadcast time with respect to a total broadcast duration of the selected chargeable program; wherein the chargeable program information display control means concurrently displays, as part of the information relating to the chargeable program, information relating to chargeable programs broadcast on other channels that have the same contents as the selected chargeable program, as well as a purchasing icon for enabling the purchase of the selected chargeable program; and wherein the chargeable program information display control means judges whether the selected chargeable program is or will be additionally broadcast by a near video on demand service on said other channels, and presents a first graphic display if it is judged that the selected chargeable program is not or will not be additionally broadcast by a near video on demand service and a second graphic display if it judged that the selected chargeable program is or will be additionally broadcast by the near video on demand service.