Patent ID: 7965976

Claim:
An information processing apparatus capable of selecting a program to be recorded, comprising: an inquiry decision block for determining whether inquiring a user is necessary based on a comparison of priorities among programs to be recorded when a total number of the programs exceeds a predetermined number and transmission times of the programs overlap; an inquiry block for inquiring the user which of the programs overlapping in transmission time is to be recorded when an inquiry is determined to be necessary, the inquiry block determining an inquiring method according to whether the user is watching a TV apparatus; a selection block for selecting a program on the basis of a response by said user to said inquiry; and a reflection block for reflecting a selection result obtained by said selection block as a criterion by which to record a program if a similar overlapping status occurs later, wherein the inquiry block determines whether to use an electronic mail to inquiry the user based on an interval between a starting time of an overlapping program and a current time, wherein the reflection block reflects the selection result based on a preference of the user over a character in the program, wherein the inquire decision block determines to inquire the user when a program becomes subject to recording under a first condition and is not allowed to be recorded under a second condition, and wherein the inquiry decision block references an electronic program guide at predetermined intervals to monitor whether a broadcast time of a broadcast program is changed.