Patent ID: 7913281

Claim:
A digital broadcast recording device, comprising: a tuner unit which receives a digital broadcast, and acquires data of a program which is broadcast on a virtual channel included in each physical channel; a channel table generation means which commands the tuner unit to scan the each physical channel over a predetermined range of frequencies, and creates and updates a channel table in which a correspondence is maintained between physical channels and virtual channels; an OSD generation unit which outputs an OSD (OnScreenDisplay) for displaying various states of this digital broadcast recording device; an actuation unit which receives commands for setting and operation of this digital broadcast recording device; a recording unit which records the data of the program to a medium; a recording appointment means which receives, from the actuation unit, a recording appointment which schedules the recording unit to record the data of the program to the medium; and a channel presetting means which, based on the channel table, sets a channel number to a program which is broadcast on a virtual channel included in each physical channel; wherein the channel presetting means, when the recording appointment means receives the recording appointment, commands the channel table generation means to update the channel table, and judges whether or not the number of the virtual channel corresponding to a channel number for the recording appointment is duplicated among the physical channels, and wherein the recording appointment means, when receiving the recording appointment, if the channel presetting means judges that the number of the virtual channel is duplicated between a first and a second physical channels, performs the following channel duplication cancellation processing: (A) commands the OSD generation unit to output an OSD message to the effect that the number of the virtual channel is duplicated; (B) when this OSD message is being output, receives, from the actuation unit, a selection of which one to make an appointment for recording of (i) a first program of a first physical channel on which the channel number for the recording appointment is currently set, and (ii) a second program of a second physical channel on which the channel number for the recording appointment is not set; (C) when receiving a selection of recording appointment of the first program, makes an appointment for recording with the channel number for the recording appointment; and (D) when receiving a selection of recording appointment of the second program, commands the channel presetting means to set a vacant channel number to the second program, and makes an appointment for recording with the vacant channel number.