Patent ID: 7865136

Claim:
A vehicular audio system that receives a transmitted electric wave of video or sound from a broadcasting station, wherein the video or sound is output from an output portion of the vehicular audio system, comprising: an operating unit through which a user inputs an instruction; a positional information detecting unit that detects positional information of a vehicle; a receiving area storage unit that stores at least one of an area in which the transmitted electric wave of a media source can be received or an area in which it is difficult to receive the transmitted electric wave of the media source; a receiving area determination unit that refers to the receiving area storage unit on the basis of the detected positional information and determines whether the transmitted electric wave of a second media source, which is different from a first media source whose video or sound is currently output from the output portion, can be received; and an output mode switching unit that prohibits switching to an output mode that outputs the video or sound of the second media source from an output mode that outputs the video or sounds of the first media source, even if the instruction for outputting the video or sound of the second media source from the output portion is input through the operating unit, when it is determined that the transmitted electric wave of the second media source cannot be received.