Patent ID: 8554752

Claim:
An information receiving apparatus for receiving content from a content folder, connected with an information providing apparatus for providing related information associated with the content through a communication network, comprising: a first related information receiving portion to receive the related information associated with the content from the information providing apparatus, the related information being program information corresponding to attributes of the content; a mode selecting portion to select one from a link mode and a no link mode to specify a link condition between the received content and the received related information; a first related information request transmitting portion configured: (1), when the link condition is switched to the link mode, to transmit a related information request for requesting transmission of the related information together with content designation information designating the received content to the information providing apparatus, (2), when switching the received content in the link mode, to transmit the related information request together with content designation information designating the switched-to content, after the switching, to the information providing apparatus, and (3), when switching the received content in the no link mode, not to transmit the related information request and a content designation information to the information providing apparatus so that related information received prior to the switching of the received content is received after the switching of the received content; and a display control portion to perform (a) display control of the received content and the related information received from the information providing apparatus based on the content designation information and the related information request and (b) display control of the selected link condition.