Patent ID: 8863193

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a user interface; an operation receiver configured to receive, from the user interface, a user request for program information from a first external apparatus; a transceiver configured to receive first metadata of a plurality of programs from a second external apparatus via the Internet; to transmit the user request to the first external apparatus via a wireless network; and to receive, from the first external apparatus, a channel identifier of a program currently being displayed by the first external apparatus, and second metadata of the program currently being displayed by the first external apparatus, wherein the second metadata is received at the first external apparatus along with the program currently being displayed by the first external apparatus; and an extractor configured to extract, from the first metadata, third metadata of a program associated with (i) a channel indicated by the channel identifier, and (ii) a current time point, and to extract, from the first metadata, fourth metadata of a program immediately preceding in time the program indicated by the third metadata, wherein the information processing apparatus is configured to compare the second metadata with the third metadata in response to the user request, and, if the third metadata corresponds to the second metadata, to output first program information that is based on the third metadata, and, if the second metadata does not correspond to the third metadata, to output second program information that is based on the fourth metadata.