Patent ID: 8233764

Claim:
A program recording apparatus which obtains an electric program guide and receives and records a desired program by using the obtained electric program guide, comprising: a setting unit operable to set recording of the desired program based on at least a broadcast time period and a broadcast channel; a searching unit operable to search a character string in a predetermined region of the electric program guide including the set broadcast time period to record and broadcast channel to record, and to discriminate a number sequence subsequent to a predetermined word included in the character string when the predetermined word is searched; and a controller operable to change the set broadcast time period to record to a new time period to record when the predetermined word is included in the character string, wherein the new time period to record has a termination point later than a termination point of the set broadcast time period to record and the termination point of the new time period to record is determined based on the value of the discriminated number sequence; the controller being operable to time-extend the termination point of the set broadcast time period to record in response to the value of the discriminated number sequence, in a range not overlapping another set broadcast time period to record, wherein, when the termination point of the new time period to record is later than a starting point of the another set broadcast time period to record, the controller time-extends the set broadcast time period to record until the starting point of the another set broadcast time period to record; the controller being operable to display on a display unit, when the predetermined word is included in the character string and a process to change the set broadcast time period to record is set, (i) an indication that a change was not carried out, when a change is canceled in carrying out the process; and (ii) an indication of a possibility the set broadcast time period to record might have been changed, other than when a change is canceled in carrying out the process.