Patent ID: 8095068

Claim:
A broadcast receiving apparatus to which a smart antenna so structure as to be capable of changing its directivity direction in a first predetermined number of directions and changing its gain in a predetermined number of steps is connected and which receives a television broadcast via the connected antenna and outputs an RF (radio frequency) signal, the broadcast receiving apparatus comprising: channel setting means which receives an operation input from outside and selects one channel for reception from a plurality of predetermined channels based on the received operation input and sets the selected channel; receiving means for receiving the television broadcast corresponding to the channel set by the channel setting means; RF determination means for determining whether or not the RF signal is being output; antenna setting means, which when the RF determination means determines that the output of the RF signal is started, sets the smart antenna to one preset direction of the first predetermined number of directions and sets the smart antenna to one preset gain of the second predetermined number of steps of gains; and change prohibition means which when the RF determination means determines that the RF signal is being output, prohibits the change of the direction and gain of the smart antenna even if a channel is set by the channel setting means; and number count means for obtaining a number of ready-to-receive channels of a plurality of channels for each one of the first predetermined number of directions and for each one of the second predetermined number of steps of gains, wherein the antenna setting means sets the one direction and one gain to the smart antenna based on the number of ready-to-receive channels obtained by the number count means.