Patent ID: 7421191

Claim:
A monitor device to which one or a plurality of apparatuses can be connected, comprising: a reproduction signal selecting device that selects one reproduction signal from one or a plurality of reproduction signals from a same apparatus on the basis of a combination set by said combination setting device; a display device that displays the reproduction signal selected by said reproduction signal selecting device; an apparatus selecting device that selects one of said one or plurality of apparatuses; a combination obtaining device that obtains, from said combination setting device, a combination corresponding to the apparatus selected by said apparatus selecting device; an input check device that checks to distinguish a reproduction signal inputted from among the one or plurality of reproduction signals from said one or plurality of apparatuses; and a control device that controls said reproduction signal selecting device so that, among the one or plurality of reproduction signals from the apparatus selected by said apparatus selecting device, said reproduction signal selecting device outputs to said display device the reproduction signal distinguished by said input check device, on the basis of the combination obtained by said combination obtaining device, wherein the monitor device receives instructions from a combination setting device that groups the one or plurality of reproduction signals from said one or plurality of apparatuses to set a combination or combinations each comprising the one or plurality of reproduction signals from the same apparatus, and wherein, from among the one or plurality of reproduction signals from the apparatus selected by said apparatus selecting device, said reproduction signal selecting device selects one reproduction signal on the basis of the combination set by said combination setting device, wherein said plurality of reproduction signals of different signal formats include an analog signal and a digital signal, and wherein when said input check device judges that the reproduction signal being inputted has changed to another reproduction signal, said control device checks the combination obtained by said combination obtaining device to see whether said another reproduction signal is sent from the apparatus selected by said apparatus selecting device, and when said another reproduction signal is not from the apparatus selected by said apparatus selecting device, said control device controls said reproduction signal selecting device so that said reproduction signal selecting device does not output to said display device the reproduction signal being inputted.