Patent Publication Number: US-2007113251-A1

Title: Display control apparatus and method, recording medium, and program therefor

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application JP 2005-309335 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Oct. 25, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to display control apparatuses and methods, recording media, and programs therefor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display control apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program therefor for easily detecting how much of a currently-broadcast program has been broadcast.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Proposals have been made for displaying a current time line indicating the current time so as to be superimposed on a program guide based on electronic program guide (EPG) data (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-295558).  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A user may want to know how far a program currently being broadcast has progressed, that is, how much of the program has been broadcast.  
      In contrast, the size of a frame corresponding to each program (hereinafter referred to as a “program frame”) in a program guide depends on the amount of information for introducing the program (e.g., the title of the program, the names of actors, etc.) and does not necessarily depend on the actual broadcast duration. For example, in the case of a program of a short broadcast duration (e.g., five minutes), information about this program does not fit in its program frame whose size is proportional to the broadcast duration. Therefore, a large program frame whose size is larger than the size proportional to the broadcast duration is assigned to this program. That is, it is difficult to detect the accurate broadcast duration of each program from the size of the associated program frame.  
      Accordingly, as in the invention described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.  
       2000 -295558, even when the current time line is displayed so as to be superimposed on the program guide, it is difficult to accurately detect how much of a currently-broadcast program has been broadcast since the size of each program frame does not accurately reflect the broadcast duration of each program. Even when the current time is displayed along with the program guide, it is necessary to calculate how much of a currently-broadcast program has been broadcast on the basis of the start time and the broadcast duration of the program and the current time.  
      Accordingly, it is desirable to easily detect how much of a currently-broadcast program has been broadcast.  
      According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a display control apparatus for controlling display of a program guide including programs listed according to a time axis. The apparatus includes the following elements: first calculating means for calculating a first display position at which a first index is displayed to be superimposed on the program guide, the first index indicating the current time with reference to the time axis; second calculating means for calculating, when the current time is included in a time slot in which a program designated from the program guide is broadcast, on the basis of the length in the time axis direction of a designated program area where information about the designated program is displayed and the broadcast duration of the designated program, a second display position at which a second index is displayed to be superimposed on the designated program area, the second index indicating how much of the designated program has been broadcast; and display control means for controlling the display of the program guide to display the first index at the first display position so as to be superimposed on the program guide and, when the current time is included in the time slot in which the designated program is broadcast, to display the second index, instead of the first index, to be superimposed on the designated program area.  
      The display control means may control the display of the program guide to move the first index and the second index at predetermined time intervals and, when the current time passes time slots of the displayed program guide, to change the time slots of the program guide to time slots including the current time.  
      The display control means may control the display of the program guide to change a display system in areas prior and subsequent to the current time indicated by the first index or the second index.  
      The display control means may control the display of the program guide so that the spacing between time-scale marks along the time axis is changeable in predetermined time units, and, in each time unit, the length in the time axis direction of an area where information about each program is displayed is substantially proportional to the broadcast duration of each program.  
      According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a display control method, a program, or a recording medium having a program recorded thereon. The display control method is a method for controlling display of a program guide including programs listed according to a time axis. The program is a program allowing a computer to perform a display control process for controlling display of a program guide including programs listed according to a time axis. The display control method or process includes the steps of calculating a first display position at which a first index is displayed to be superimposed on the program guide, the first index indicating the current time with reference to the time axis; calculating, when the current time is included in a time slot in which a program designated from the program guide is broadcast, on the basis of the length in the time axis direction of a designated program area where information about the designated program is displayed and the broadcast duration of the designated program, a second display position at which a second index is displayed to be superimposed on the designated program area, the second index indicating how much of the designated program has been broadcast; and controlling the display of the program guide to display the first index at the first display position so as to be superimposed on the program guide and, when the current time is included in the time slot in which the designated program is broadcast, to display the second index, instead of the first index, to be superimposed on the designated program area.  
      According to the embodiments of the present invention, a first display position at which a first index is displayed to be superimposed on a program guide is calculated. The first index indicates the current time with reference to a time axis. When the current time is included in a time slot in which a program designated from the program guide is broadcast, on the basis of the length in the time axis direction of a designated program area where information about the designated program is displayed and the broadcast duration of the designated program, a second display position at which a second index is displayed to be superimposed on the designated program area is calculated. The second index indicates how much of the designated program has been broadcast. The display of the program guide is controlled to display the first index at the first display position so as to be superimposed on the program guide and, when the current time is included in the time slot in which the designated program is broadcast, to display the second index, instead of the first index, to be superimposed on the designated program area.  
      As has been described above, according to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to easily detect the current time position in a program guide and to easily detect how much of a currently-broadcast program has been broadcast. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing a digital television (DTV) according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a diagram showing an example of a displayed program guide;  
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing another example of the displayed program guide;  
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional structure realized by a controller shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a process of displaying the program guide, which is performed by the DTV shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a diagram showing another example of the displayed program guide;  
       FIG. 7  is a diagram showing another example of the displayed program guide;  
       FIG. 8  is a diagram showing another example of the displayed program guide;  
       FIG. 9  is a diagram showing another example of the displayed program guide; and  
       FIG. 10  is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a personal computer. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Before describing an embodiment of the present invention, the correspondence between the features of the claims and embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification or the drawings is discussed below. This description is intended to assure that an embodiment supporting the claimed invention is described in this specification. Thus, even if an element in the following embodiment is not described as relating to a certain feature of the present invention, that does not necessarily mean that the element does not relate to that feature of the claims. Conversely, even if an element is described herein as relating to a certain feature of the claims, that does not necessarily mean that the element does not relate to other features of the claims.  
      A display control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a display control apparatus (e.g., a program guide display processor  101  in  FIG. 4 ) for controlling display of a program guide including programs listed according to a time axis. The apparatus includes the following elements: first calculating means (e.g., a global index position calculator  112  in  FIG. 4 ) for calculating a first display position at which a first index (e.g., a global index  72  in  FIG. 2 ) is displayed to be superimposed on the program guide, the first index indicating the current time with reference to the time axis; second calculating means (e.g., a focus index position calculator  114  in  FIG. 2 ) for calculating, when the current time is included in a time slot in which a program designated from the program guide is broadcast, on the basis of the length in the time axis direction of a designated program area where information about the designated program is displayed and the broadcast duration of the designated program, a second display position at which a second index (e.g., a focus index  74  in  FIG. 2 ) is displayed to be superimposed on the designated program area, the second index indicating how much of the designated program has been broadcast; and display control means (e.g., a display controller  111  in  FIG. 4 ) for controlling the display of the program guide to display the first index at the first display position so as to be superimposed on the program guide and, when the current time is included in the time slot in which the designated program is broadcast, to display the second index, instead of the first index, to be superimposed on the designated program area.  
      A display control method, a program, or a recording medium having a program recorded thereon according to an embodiment of the present invention is a display control method for controlling display of a program guide including programs listed according to a time axis or a program allowing a computer to perform a display control process for controlling display of a program guide including programs listed according to a time axis. The display control method or process includes the steps of calculating a first display position at which a first index is displayed to be superimposed on the program guide, the first index indicating the current time with reference to the time axis (e.g., step S 4  in  FIG. 5 ); calculating, when the current time is included in a time slot in which a program designated from the program guide is broadcast, on the basis of the length in the time axis direction of a designated program area where information about the designated program is displayed and the broadcast duration of the designated program, a second display position at which a second index is displayed to be superimposed on the designated program area, the second index indicating how much of the designated program has been broadcast (e.g., step S 6  in  FIG. 5 ); and controlling the display of the program guide to display the first index at the first display position so as to be superimposed on the program guide and, when the current time is included in the time slot in which the designated program is broadcast, to display the second index, instead of the first index, to be superimposed on the designated program area (e.g., step S 8  in  FIG. 6 ).  
      An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a digital television (DTV) according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
      The DTV  1  includes a controller  11 , a bus  12 , a terrestrial analog broadcast receiver  13 , an interface  14 , a terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15 , an interface  16 , a broadcasting satellite (BS) broadcast receiver  17 , an interface  18 , a communications satellite (CS) broadcast receiver  19 , an interface  20 , a display image generation/output unit  21 , a display  22 , a display interface  23 , a loudspeaker  24 , an audio output interface  25 , a memory card drive  26 , an external input/output interface  28 , a communication interface  29 , a light receiver  30 , a remote controller  31 , and a memory  32 . The DTV  1  includes these processors, which are connected via the bus  12  to the controller  11  including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), or the like.  
      Under the control of the controller  11 , the terrestrial analog broadcast receiver  13  receives a terrestrial analog television broadcast signal, demodulates the received signal to obtain an image signal (video signal) and an audio signal, and outputs the image signal (video signal) and the audio signal to the bus  12  via the interface  14 . The controller  11  gives an instruction to the terrestrial analog broadcast receiver  13  to receive a channel selected by a user by operating the remote controller  31 . To the other broadcast receivers, the controller  11  similarly gives instructions in response to user operations.  
      The terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15  corresponds to digital television broadcasting and data broadcasting. Under the control of the controller  11 , the terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15  receives a terrestrial digital broadcast signal. The terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15  decodes the broadcast signal to obtain a program&#39;s image signal and audio signal, EPG data, and the like and outputs the obtained signals and data to the bus  12  via the interface  16 .  
      The BS broadcast receiver  17  corresponds to BS television broadcasting, BS audio broadcasting (radio broadcasting), and data broadcasting. Under the control of the controller  11 , the BS broadcast receiver  17  receives a BS digital broadcast signal. The BS broadcast receiver  17  decodes the broadcast signal to obtain a program&#39;s image signal and audio signal, EPG data, and the like and outputs the obtained signals and data to the bus  12  via the interface  18 .  
      The CS broadcast receiver  19  corresponds to CS television broadcasting, CS audio broadcasting, and data broadcasting. Under the control of the controller  11 , the CS broadcast receiver  19  receives a CS digital broadcast signal. The CS broadcast receiver  19  decodes the broadcast signal to obtain a program&#39;s image signal and audio signal, EPG data, and the like and outputs the obtained signals and data to the bus  12  via the interface  20 .  
      Under the control of the controller  11 , the display image generation/output unit  21  displays various images on the display  22 . For example, the display image generation/output unit  21  displays a program&#39;s image on the display  22  on the basis of the image data supplied via the bus  12  from each of the terrestrial analog broadcast receiver  13 , the terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15 , the BS broadcast receiver  17 , and the CS broadcast receiver  19 . At the time the program&#39;s image is displayed by the display image generation/output unit  21 , the program&#39;s sounds are output from the loudspeaker  24  under the control of the controller  11 .  
      Under the controller  11 , the display image generation/output unit  21  displays a program guide including various broadcast programs (hereinafter may also be referred to as an “EPG display screen”) on the basis of the EGP data stored in an EGP data storage device  41  of the memory  32 .  
      When the display image generation/output unit  21  is informed by the controller  11  of a user operation on the EPG display screen, the display image generation/output unit  21  changes the EPG display screen in response to the user operation.  
      The display  22  includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like. Under the control of the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12  and the display interface  23 , the display  22  displays a program&#39;s image, the EGP display screen, or the like. The EGP display screen displayed on the display  22  will be described subsequently.  
      Under the control of the controller  11 , the loudspeaker  24  outputs sounds associated with audio data supplied from each of the terrestrial analog broadcast receiver  13 , the terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15 , the BS broadcast receiver  17 , and the CS broadcast receiver  19  via the bus  12  and the audio output interface  25 .  
      The memory card drive  26  reads data from a memory card  27  installed in a slot in a housing of the DTV  1  and writes data to the memory card  27 . For example, still image data captured with a digital camera or the like is read from the memory card  27  and output via the bus  12  to the display image generation/output unit  21 . The display image generation/output unit  21  displays a still image on the basis of the data read from the memory card  27 .  
      The external input/output interface  28  performs transmission and reception of data (signals) to and from devices connected via various cables to external input/output terminals  28 - 1  to  28 -n including video input/output terminals, audio input/output terminals, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) terminal, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 terminal, and a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) terminal provided on the housing of the DTV  1 .  
      For example, when a digital camera or an audio player is connected to the DTV  1  via a USB cable, the external input/output interface  28  obtains still image data captured with the digital camera or audio data stored in the audio player. When a hard disk recorder (HDR) is connected to the DTV  1  via an IEEE 1394 cable, the external input/output interface  28  outputs digital broadcasting program data (image signal and audio signal) obtained by the terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15  via the IEEE 1394 cable to the HDR, which in turn stores the program data. Also, the external input/output interface  28  obtains the program data stored in the HDR via the IEEE 1394 cable and outputs the obtained data to the display image generation/output unit  21 , which in turn displays the program&#39;s image.  
      The communication interface  29  performs data transmission and reception with various devices via a network. For example, when a network-compatible recorder/player is connected via the network to the DTV  1 , the communication interface  29  transmits digital broadcast program data obtained by the terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15  to the recorder/player, which in turn stores the program data. Also, the communication interface  29  outputs the program data supplied via the network from the recorder/player to the display image generation/output unit  21 , which in turn displays the program&#39;s image.  
      The light receiver  30  receives infrared light emitted from the remote controller  31 , demodulates the light to obtain a signal associated with the user operation, and outputs the signal to the controller  11  via the bus  12 . The remote controller  31  includes, besides a cross key and a determination key, for example, a home key operated to display a menu screen.  
      The memory  32  includes a flash memory or the like. The EGP data storage device  41  is provided in the memory  32 .  
      The EGP data storage device  41  stores the EPG data obtained from the terrestrial analog broadcast receiver  13 , the terrestrial digital broadcast receiver  15 , the BS broadcast receiver  17 , and the CS broadcast receiver  19 . The EPG data includes information about each program&#39;s broadcasting station name (channel name), title, broadcast start time, broadcast end time, actors, genre, or the like and is used to display a program guide. Alternatively, EPG data downloaded from a predetermined server by the communication interface  29  may be stored in the EGP data storage device  41  and used to display a program guide.  
      A program guide displayed by the DTV  1  with the above-described structure will be described.  
       FIG. 2  is a diagram showing an example of a program guide displayed on the display  22 .  
      The program guide shown in  FIG. 2  is displayed in response to, for example, a user operating the remote controller  31 . Using the program guide, the user can, for example, check the schedule or the contents of each program to be broadcast, select a program to be displayed on the display  22 , or set timer recording.  
      The program guide is a two-dimensional table with a channel axis in the horizontal direction and a time axis in the vertical direction. The names of broadcasting stations are displayed in the order of channels in the top row of the program guide in the channel axis direction (hereinafter referred to as a “broadcasting station display row”). For example, in  FIG. 2 , the names of four broadcasting stations, namely, Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) General (NHK G), NHK Education (NHK E), JTBN, and TBAC, are displayed. Time-scale marks indicating time slots of the displayed program guide are displayed in the left column of the program guide in the time axis direction (hereinafter referred to as a “time-slot display column”). For example, in  FIG. 2 , time-scale marks are displayed indicating that a program guide from the order of 13 o&#39;clock to the order of 15 o&#39;clock is displayed.  
      In columns of the program guide, which are associated with the broadcasting stations, program frames serving as areas where information about programs to be broadcast by the associated broadcasting stations are displayed side by side in chronological order along the time axis. In each program frame, for example, information about each program&#39;s start time, title, actors, or the like is displayed.  
      A focus frame  71  for designating a program in the program guide is displayed so as to surround one program in the program guide. For example, the user operates the remote controller  31  to move the focus frame  71  vertically and horizontally to change the program to be designated. For example, the user moves the focus frame  71  to scroll the program guide in predetermined time units (for example, one hour) or in units of a predetermined number of broadcasting stations (for example, one station). For example, the user operates the remote controller  31  to scroll the program guide in units of pages or to change the date of a program guide to be displayed.  
      In the following description, a program designated by the focus frame  71  is referred to as a focus program, and the position of a program frame where the focus frame  71  is displayed is referred to as a focus position.  
      A global index  72  serving as an index for indicating the current time with reference to the time axis of the program guide is displayed so as to be superimposed on the program guide. The global index  72  is displayed at a position indicating the current time with reference to the time-scale marks displayed in the time-slot display column, as a straight line parallel to the channel axis and perpendicular to the time axis. For example, if the current time is 14:10, the global index  72  is displayed at a position lower from the time-scale mark indicating 14 o&#39;clock by one sixth of the spacing between the time-scale mark indicating 14 o&#39;clock and the time-scale mark indicating 15 o&#39;clock (=10 minutes/60 minutes), as a straight line parallel to the channel axis and perpendicular to the time axis. A character string  73  indicating the time (minutes) indicated by the global index  72  is displayed in the vicinity of the global index  72  in the time-slot display column.  
      When the focus program is currently being broadcast, that is, when the current time is included in the time slot in which the focus program is broadcast, a focus index  74  indicating how much of the focus program has been broadcast is displayed, instead of the global index  72 , in a program frame associated with the focus program (hereinafter referred to as a“focus program frame”). The focus index  74  is displayed at a position indicating the current time with reference to the time-scale marks obtained by dividing the length (height) of the focus program frame in the time axis direction by the broadcast duration of the focus program, as a straight line parallel to the channel axis and perpendicular to the time axis.  
      For example, when the focus program is “Today&#39;s Dish”, which is broadcast at 14:00 for 25 minutes, and when the current time is 14:10, the focus index  74  is displayed at a position indicating the current time with reference to the time-scale marks obtained by dividing the height of the program frame of“Today&#39;s Dish” into 25 equal portions (that is, at the position of the 10-th time-scale mark from the top end of the program frame (though the top end of the program frame is not counted as a time-scale mark)). Thus, the focus index  74  is displayed at a position that substantially accurately indicates how much of the focus program has been currently broadcast in the focus program guide, regardless of the length of the focus program frame in the time-axis direction or the broadcast duration of the focus program.  
      Since the global index  72  is not displayed in the column where the focus index  74  is displayed, the global index  72  may be displayed as two separate straight lines. When the focus program is not currently being broadcast, that is, when the current time is not included in the time slot in which the focus program is broadcast, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the focus index  74  is not displayed, and only the global index  72  is displayed so as to be superimposed on the program guide.  
      A character string  75  indicating the date and the day of the program guide being displayed is displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the program guide. A character string  76  indicating the current date and the current day and a character string  77  indicating the current time are displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the program guide.  
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional structure of a program guide display processor  101  realized by executing a predetermined program by the controller  11  shown in  FIG. 1 . By executing the program by the controller  11 , the program guide display processor  101  including a display controller  111 , a global index position calculator  112 , a focus position setting unit  113 , and a focus index position calculator  114  is realized.  
      The display controller  111  obtains the EPG data from the EGP data storage device  41  via the bus  12 . The display controller  111  obtains information indicating various instructions input by the user using the remote controller  31  from the light receiver  30  via the bus  12 . The display controller  111  obtains information indicating the current time from a real-time clock  102 .  
      On the basis of a user instruction or the like, the display controller  111  sets a display range (the number of time slots and the number of broadcasting stations) of a program guide to be displayed on the display  22 . On the basis of the EPG data, the display controller  111  calculates the display positions of program frames associated with programs in the program guide. The display controller  111  supplies program guide display information including the display range of the program guide, the positions of the time-scale marks indicating the time slots of the program guide, which are displayed in the time-slot display column, the positions of columns associated with the broadcasting stations, the display positions of the program frames, and the details of the character strings  75  to  77  to the global index position calculator  112 , the focus position setting unit  113 , and the focus index position calculator  114 . Also, the display controller  111  supplies the program guide display information to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 .  
      The display controller  111  obtains global index position information indicating the display position of the global index  72  from the global index position calculator  112  and supplies the obtained global index position information to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 . The display controller ill obtains focus position information indicating the focus position from the focus position setting unit  113  and supplies the obtained focus position information to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 . The display controller  111  obtains focus index position information indicating the display position of the focus index  74  from the focus index position calculator  114  and supplies the obtained focus index position information to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 . The display controller  111  supplies the information indicating the current time to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 .  
      The global index position calculator  112  obtains the information indicating the current time from the real-time clock  102 . The global index position calculator  112  calculates the display position of the global index  72 , as will be described subsequently with reference to  FIG. 5 . The global index position calculator  112  supplies the global index position information indicating the calculated display position of the global index  72  to the display controller  111 .  
      The focus position setting unit  113  obtains information indicating an instruction to move the focus frame  71 , which is input from the user using the remote controller  31 , from the light receiver  30  via the bus  12 . On the basis of a user instruction or the like, the focus position setting unit  113  selects a program frame where the focus frame  71  is to be displayed. The focus position setting unit  113  supplies the position of the program frame where the focus frame  71  is to be displayed, that is, the focus position information indicating the focus position, to the display controller  111  and the focus index position calculator  114 .  
      The focus index position calculator  114  obtains the information indicating the current time from the real-time clock  102 . As will be described subsequently with reference to  FIG. 5 , the focus index position calculator  114  calculates the display position of the focus index  74 . The focus index position calculator  114  supplies the focus index position information indicating the calculated display position of the focus index  74  to the display controller  111 .  
      Next, with reference to the flowchart of  FIG. 5 , a program guide displaying process performed by the DTV  1  will be described. This process starts when, for example, the user uses the remote controller  31  to display a program guide on the display  22  and information instructing the display  22  to start displaying the program guide is supplied from the light receiver  30  via the bus  12  to the display controller  111 .  
      In step S 1 , the display controller  111  sets a display range of the program guide. Specifically, the display controller  111  obtains the EPG data from the EGP data storage device  41  via the bus  12 . The display controller  111  also obtains the information indicating the current time from the real-time clock  102 . The display controller  111  sets, as the display range of the program guide, a range including time slots and broadcasting stations designated by the user. On the basis of the EPG data, the display controller  111  calculates the display positions of program frames associated with programs in the program guide. The display controller  111  supplies program guide display information including the display range of the program guide, the positions of the time-scale marks indicating the time slots of the program guide, which are displayed in the time-slot display column, the positions of columns associated with the broadcasting stations, the display positions of the program frames, and the details of the character strings  75  to  77  to the global index position calculator  112 , the focus position setting unit  113 , and the focus index position calculator  114 .  
      In step S 2 , the display image generation/output unit  21  generates an image of the program guide. Specifically, the display controller  111  supplies the program guide display information to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 . The display image generation/output unit  21  obtains the EGP data from the EGP data storage device  41  via the bus  12 . On the basis of the program guide display information and the EPG data, the display image generation/output unit  21  generates an image of the program guide to be displayed on the display  22 .  
      In step S 3 , the focus position setting unit  113  sets the focus position. Specifically, the focus position setting unit  113  selects, in accordance with a predetermined rule, the program frame where the focus frame  71  is to be displayed at the time the displaying of the program guide starts. The focus position setting unit  113  supplies the focus position information indicating the focus position to the display controller  111  and the focus index position calculator  114 .  
      In step S 4 , the global index position calculator  112  calculates the display position of the global index  72 . Specifically, the global index position calculator  112  obtains the information indicating the current time from the real-time clock  102 . The global index position calculator  112  calculates the position of the current time with reference to the time-scale marks indicating the time slots of the program guide, which are displayed in the time-slot display column displayed on the basis of the program guide display information. That is, the global index position calculator  112  calculates the display position of the global index  72 . The global index position calculator  112  supplies the global index position information indicating the calculated display position of the global index  72  to the display controller  111 .  
      In step S 5 , the focus index position calculator  114  determines whether the focus program is currently being broadcast. Specifically, the focus index position calculator  114  obtains the information indicating the current time from the real-time clock  102 . On the basis of the program guide display information and the focus position information, the focus index position calculator  114  obtains the broadcast time slot of the program (focus program) designated by the focus frame  71 . When the time slot in which the focus program is broadcast includes the current time, the focus index position calculator  114  determines that the focus program is currently being broadcast, and the flow proceeds to step S 6 .  
      In step S 6 , the focus index position calculator  114  calculates the display position of the focus index  74 . Specifically, on the basis of the program guide display information and the focus position information, the focus index position calculator  114  obtains the length (height) of the focus program frame in the time-axis direction. The focus index position calculator  114  calculates the position indicating the current time with reference to the time-scale marks obtained by dividing the length (height) of the focus program frame in the time-axis direction by the broadcast duration (the number of minutes) of the focus program. That is, the focus index position calculator  114  calculates the display position of the focus index  74 . The focus index position calculator  114  supplies the focus index position information indicating the calculated display position of the focus index  74  to the display controller  111 .  
      If it is determined in step S 5  that the focus program is not currently being broadcast, the processing in step S 6  is skipped, and the flow proceeds to step S 7 .  
      In step S 7 , the display image generation/output unit  21  synthesizes an image. Specifically, the display controller  111  supplies the global index position information, the focus position information, and the information indicating the current time to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 . In the program guide image generated in step S 2 , the display image generation/output unit  21  superimposes the focus frame  71  on the program frame indicated by the focus position information, and superimposes the global index  72  at the position indicated by the global index position information. The display image generation/output unit  21  superimposes the character string  73  indicating the current time (minutes) in the vicinity of the global index  72  in the time-slot display column.  
      When the focus program is currently being broadcast, the display controller  111  supplies the focus index position information to the display image generation/output unit  21  via the bus  12 . The display image generation/output unit  21  superimposes the focus index  74 , instead of the global index  72 , at the position indicated by the focus position information in the focus program frame. The display image generation/output unit  21  deletes the straight line of the global index  72  from the column where the focus frame  71  is displayed.  
      In step S 8 , the display image generation/output unit  21  displays the program guide. Specifically, the display image generation/output unit  21  supplies the image synthesized in step S 7  to the display  22  via the bus  12  and the display interface  23 . The supplied image, that is, the program guide such as that described as above with reference to  FIG. 2  or  3 , is displayed on the display  22 .  
      In step S 9 , the controller  11  determines whether an instruction is given to end displaying the program guide. If no instruction is given to end displaying the program guide, the flow proceeds to step S 10 .  
      In step S 10 , the display controller  111  determines whether it is time to update the display of the program guide. The display controller  111  obtains the information indicating the current time from the real-time clock  102 . If the display controller  111  determines that the current time is not the time to update the display of the program guide, the flow proceeds to step S 11 .  
      In step S 11 , the display controller  111  determines whether an instruction is given to move the focus frame  71 . If no instruction is given to move the focus frame  71 , the flow returns to step S 9 .  
      Thereafter, the processing from step S 9  to step S 11  is repeated until it is determined in step S 9  that an instruction is given to end displaying the program guide or it is determined in step S 10  that it is time to update the display of the program guide.  
      For example, when the user uses the remote controller  31  to move the focus frame  71 , and information instructing the movement of the focus frame  71  is supplied from the light receiver  30  via the bus  12  to the display controller  111  and the focus position setting unit  113 , in step S 11 , the display controller  111  determines that it is instructed to move the focus frame  71 , and the flow proceeds to step S 12 .  
      In step S 12 , the display controller  111  determines whether it is necessary to scroll the screen. When the movement of the focus frame  71  is out of the range of the currently displayed program guide, the display controller  111  determines that it is necessary to scroll the screen, and the flow returns to step S 1 .  
      Thereafter, in step S 1 , a display range of the program guide is set by scrolling the program guide by a predetermined amount in the direction of movement of the focus frame  71 , and the program guide within the set display range is displayed on the display  22 . That is, the program guide is scrolled in the direction of movement of the focus frame  71 .  
      If it is determined in step S 12  that it is unnecessary to scroll the screen, that is, if the movement of the focus frame  71  is within the range of the currently displayed program guide, the flow returns to step S 3 .  
      Thereafter, in step S 3 , a new focus position is set, and the program guide where the focus frame  71  is moved to the set position is displayed on the display  22 .  
      If it is determined in step S 10  that it is time to update the display of the program guide, the flow proceeds to step S 13 . For example, the display of the program guide is updated at intervals of predetermined minutes (e.g., every ten minutes or every five minutes).  
      In step S 13 , the display controller  111  determines whether it is necessary to scroll the screen. If the current time is not included in the time slots of the currently displayed program guide, the display controller  111  determines that it is necessary to scroll the screen, and the flow returns to step S 1 .  
      Thereafter, in step S 1 , a display range of the program guide is set by scrolling the program guide by a predetermined time so that the current time is included in the program guide, and the program guide within the set display range is displayed on the display  22 . That is, as the time progresses, the program guide is automatically scrolled in predetermined time units.  
      For example, in the case where the display of the program guide is updated every minute, when one minute passes from 14:59 at which a screen shown in  FIG. 6  is displayed on the display  22  and the time becomes 15:00, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the display of the program guide is scrolled so that the time slots of the program guide displayed on the display  2  are moved one hour forward.  
      When the time slot in which the focus frame  71  is displayed disappears as the program guide is scrolled, the focus frame  71  is moved according to a predetermined rule.  FIGS. 6 and 7  show an example where, as the program guide is scrolled, the focus frame  71  displayed in the program frame of “Piano Lesson”, which is broadcast on the NHK E channel from 12:30, is moved to the program frame of “Enjoy Calligraphy”, which is currently being broadcast on the same NHK E channel.  
      If it is determined in step S 13  that it is unnecessary to scroll the screen, that is, if the current time is included in the time slots of the currently displayed program guide, the flow returns to step S 4 .  
      Thereafter, the processing from step S 4  onward is performed. As the time progresses, the program guide where the global index  72  and the focus index  74  are moved accordingly is displayed on the display  22 .  
      For example, when the user uses the remote controller  31  to give an instruction to end displaying the program guide, and information indicating the instruction to end displaying the program guide is supplied from the light receiver  30  via the bus  12  to the display controller  111 , the display controller  111  determines in step S 9  that it is instructed to end displaying the program guide, and the flow proceeds to step S 14 .  
      In step S 14 , the display controller  111  controls the display image generation/output unit  21  to end displaying the program guide, and the program guide displaying process ends.  
      In this manner, since the global index  72  and the focus index  74  are displayed, the user can easily know the position of the current time in the program guide and how much of the currently-broadcast focus program has been broadcast. Since the display of the program guide is automatically scrolled as the time progresses, the user-friendliness is enhanced.  
      Another example of the displayed program guide for enabling the user to know how much of a currently-broadcast program has been broadcast in an easier manner will be described.  
      For example, as shown in  FIG. 8 , different display systems may be used to display an area prior to the current time indicated by the global index  72  and the focus index  74  (a shadowed area, which is referred to as an “already-broadcast area”) and to display an area subsequent to the current time (hereinafter referred to as a “to-be-broadcast area”). For example, different background colors or different patterns may be used in the already-broadcast area and the to-be-broadcast area, or characters of different colors or different fonts may be used in the already-broadcast area and the to-be-broadcast area. Accordingly, the user can promptly distinguish the already-broadcast portion from the portion to be broadcast. Also, the user can promptly and easily find the positions of the global index  72  and the focus index  74 , thereby promptly and easily knowing how much of the currently-broadcast program has been broadcast.  
      In order to display the program guide shown in  FIG. 8 , for example, the display controller  111  supplies information instructing the display systems for displaying the already-broadcast area and the to-be-broadcast area to the display image generation/output unit  21 .  
      For example, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the spacing between the time-scale marks indicating the time slots of the program guide, which are displayed in the time-slot display column, may be changeable in predetermined time units (one hour in the example shown in  FIG. 9 ). In each time unit, the length of each program frame in the time-axis direction may be set to be substantially proportional to the broadcast duration of each program.  
      For example, in the example shown in  FIG. 9 , the broadcasting stations each broadcast only one program from 13 o&#39;clock to 14 o&#39;clock (the order of 13 o&#39;clock). Therefore, the spacing between the time-scale marks indicating 13 o&#39;clock and 14 o&#39;clock is set to be narrow. In contrast, from 14 o&#39;clock to 15 o&#39;clock (on the order of 14 o&#39;clock), two channels, namely, the NHK G channel and the NHK E channel, each broadcast four programs. Therefore, the spacing between the time-scale marks indicating 14 o&#39;clock and 15 o&#39;clock is set to be wider than that between the time-scale marks indicating 13′ o&#39;clock and 14 o&#39;clock so that information about each program can be displayed in each associated program frame and that the height of each program frame is substantially proportional to the broadcast duration of each program. Accordingly, the user can easily know the ratio among the programs broadcast in the same time unit. Without using the focus index  74 , the current time and how much of the currently-broadcast program has been broadcast can be indicated only using the global index  72 . Therefore, the user can easily know the relationship between the current time and how much of the currently-broadcast program has been broadcast.  
      To display the program guide shown in  FIG. 9 , for example, on the basis of the EPG data, the display controller  111  sets the spacing between the time-scale marks indicating the time slots of the program frame in accordance with the number of programs to be broadcast on the order of the same time (hour), the broadcast duration of each program, and the amount of information to be displayed in each program frame.  
      As has been described above, a first display position at which a first index is displayed to be superimposed on a program guide is calculated. The first index indicates the current time with reference to the time axis. When the current time is included in a time slot in which a program designated from the program guide is broadcast, on the basis of the length in the time axis direction of a designated program area where information about the designated program is displayed and the broadcast duration of the designated program, a second display position at which a second index is displayed to be superimposed on the designated program area is calculated. The second index indicates how much of the designated program has been broadcast. Display of the program guide is controlled to display the first index at the first display position so as to be superimposed on the program guide and, when the current time is included in the time slot in which the designated program is broadcast, to display the second index, instead of the first index, to be superimposed on the designated program area. Accordingly, the current time position in the program guide can be easily detected. In addition, how much of a currently-broadcast program has been broadcast can be easily detected.  
      The present invention is applicable to, besides the DTV described above, an apparatus for displaying a program guide, such as a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, and various audio visual apparatuses.  
      The series of processes described herein can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes is executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed from a program recording medium on a computer embedded in dedicated hardware or, for example, a general-purpose personal computer that is capable of performing various functions by installing various programs.  
       FIG. 10  is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a personal computer executing the above-described processes using a program. A CPU  201  executes various processes in accordance with a program stored in a ROM  202  or a storage unit  208 . A RAM  203  stores a program executed by the CPU  201  and data as necessary. The CPU  201 , the ROM  202 , and the RAM  203  are interconnected by a bus  204 .  
      An input/putout interface  205  is connected to the CPU  201  via the bus  204 . An input unit  206  including a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, or the like, and an output unit  207  including a display, a loudspeaker, or the like are connected to the input/output interface  205 . The CPU  201  executes various processes in response to instructions input from the input unit  206 . The CPU  201  outputs the processing results to the output unit  207 .  
      The storage unit  208  connected to the input/output interface  205  includes, for example, a hard disk and stores a program executed by the CPU  201  and various data. A communication unit  209  communicates with an external device via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), or the like.  
      A program may be obtained via the communication unit  209  and stored in the storage unit  208 .  
      Upon insertion of a removable medium  211  such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, a drive  210  connected to the input/output interface  205  drives the removable medium  211  and obtains a program and data recorded thereon. The obtained program and data are transferred, as necessary, to the storage unit  208  and stored in the storage unit  208 .  
      A program recording medium having a program stored thereon to be installed on a computer and executed by the computer includes, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the removable medium  211 , which is a packaged medium including a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (including a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM) and a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, the ROM  202  having a program temporarily or permanently stored therein, or the hard disk included in the storage unit  208 . The program is stored on the program recording medium using a wired or wireless communication medium, such as a LAN, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting, using, as necessary, the communication unit  209  serving as an interface, such as a router or a modem.  
      In the specification, the steps forming the program stored on the program recording medium are not necessarily performed in accordance with the time sequence following the order described above. Alternatively, the steps may be performed in parallel or individually.  
      It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.