Patent ID: 8156521

Claim:
A videophone-capable television receiver with a television program reception function of receiving a television broadcast program and a mail reception function of receiving an e-mail, comprising: a message outputter which outputs a message when there exists an unopened e-mail that is received by said mail reception function and is not yet opened; an inputter that inputs at least one of a voice and an image of a viewer of the television broadcast program received by said television program reception function; wherein the inputter comprises a microphone for sending a videophone speech and a camera for sending a videophone image; a determiner which determines, based on at least one of the voice and the image of the viewer input by said inputter, whether or not the viewer matches an addressee of said unopened e-mail; and a prohibitor which prohibits said message outputter from performing an output operation at any time when a result of determination by said determiner is negative, while prohibiting said message outputter from performing an output operation at a time that hinders said addressee from viewing the television broadcast program received by said television program reception function, when a result of determination by said determiner is positive.