Abstract: An analog TV broadcast receiver connected to a multi-directional antenna has a receiving direction counter for a channel which is set at an initial receiving direction to measure intensity of a TV broadcast signal in the initial receiving direction, when a channel registration in the TV broadcast receiver starts. The measured intensity, if higher than a threshold, is registered in a channel map. The receiving direction counter is sequentially incremented to measure the intensities in all receiving directions. All the measured intensities higher than the threshold are registered in the channel map as best receiving directions. A user can delete one or more of the registered best receiving directions by viewing images on a screen of the TV receiver that are given by the registered best receiving directions. It can solve a problem that a receiving direction which a user considers to give an undesired image remains registered.

Abstract: A television broadcast receiver determines the signal strength, the desired to undesired (D/U) ratio, the carrier to noise (C/N) ratio of a received television signal. Based on these values, the television broadcast receiver determines an overall evaluation value indicating the condition of reception of the television signal by reading a receiving condition evaluation table and determines a message explaining the condition of reception of the television signal by reading a message table. Then, the television broadcast receiver presents to a user the determined overall evaluation value and message along with the signal strength, the D/U ratio, and the C/N ratio. Accordingly, the user can easily make a judgment on whether the receiving condition is good or not based on the overall evaluation value.

Abstract: A television receiver includes at least two tuner units that respectively connect to multidirectional antennas respectively capable of electrically switching a directivity of a receiving radio wave and that select a television broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user. The television receiver further includes an optimum direction updating section (optimum direction updating process). Thereby, when a tuner unit currently being not used is present, an optimum receive direction of the multidirectional antenna on a channel other than a channel selected in a tuner unit currently being in use is serially updated by using the tuner unit currently being not in use. Consequently, it is possible to provide the television receiver that is capable of performing the channel selection always in the optimum receive direction of the multidirectional antenna and channel selection operation quickly or in a reduced period of time in the event of the channel selection.

Abstract: An antenna direction allocation screen is displayed on a television connected to a broadcasting receiver. On this screen, a user allocates direction numbers “0 to 15” indicating each directivity direction of a smart antenna that is assumed in a broadcasting receiver to each direction number “(0) to (15)” that the user itself can identity a direction. Then, the broadcasting receiver records a correspondence between two direction numbers. Next, the broadcasting receiver reads the direction number “(0) to (15)” corresponding to the direction number “0 to 15” indicating the directivity direction that the smart antenna actually faces, and displays its direction number on a television.

Abstract: A television signal receiver comprises a tuner, a decoder, a first storage medium that stores a frame of video signals extracted by the decoder as a captured image, a second storage medium that stores sound data representing a variety of shutter sounds to be generated for informing a user that a captured image has been stored in the first storage medium, and a sound generating circuit that, when a captured image is stored in the first storage medium, selects a shutter sound among the variety of shutter sounds represented by the sound data stored in the second storage medium and generates the selected shutter sound. Since the television signal receiver is configured to generate a shutter sound when a captured image is stored in the first storage medium, it can inform a user about storage of a captured image in the first storage medium without causing video images of a television program to be partly hidden from view.

Abstract: A broadcast signal receiving apparatus 1 can display channel map information of receivable channels on a screen of a monitor display apparatus when a user desires. The broadcast signal receiving apparatus 1 comprises a channel map information updater (primary controller) 8 that updates the channel map information regularly. The channel map information includes a deletion counter for each channel registered in the channel map information which is used to judge whether channel information of the channel is deleted from the channel map information or not. The channel map information updater 8 increases a value of deletion counter of a channel by one when broadcast signal of the channel cannot be received, resets a value of deletion counter of a channel when broadcast signal of the channel can be received in each updating of the channel map information, and deletes channel information of a channel from the channel map information when the value of deletion counter of the channel reaches to a threshold.

Abstract: A broadcast signal receiving apparatus 1 can simplify up-and-down channel selection corresponding to operations of an up key 21a or a down key 21b by a user without increasing cost. The broadcast signal receiving apparatus 1 comprises a channel selector (primary controller) 8 that performs the up-and-down channel selection. The channel map information includes an addition or deletion flag for each channel included in the channel map information. The channel selector 8 confirms the addition or deletion flag of each channel when the up key 21a or the down key 21b is operated by the user, and ignores the channel that the addition or deletion flag is set in deletion in the up-and-down channel selection.

Abstract: An MPU (11) of a digital broadcasting receiver has functional units that includes an antenna judging unit (115) for deciding whether an antenna connected to an antenna unit (151) is a bidirectional antenna having directivities in two directions forming substantially 180 degrees with each other or a unidirectional antenna having its directivity only in one direction, a second intensity obtaining unit (116) for setting the connected antenna in a plurality of prescribed directions between 0 degree and 180 degrees or between 0 degree and 360 degrees so that reception intensities are obtained for the individual setting directions if it is decided that the antenna is a bidirectional antenna or a unidirectional antenna, and a direction setting unit (117) for setting a direction of the connected antenna in the direction of the maximum reception intensity among the obtained reception intensities.

Abstract: A micro processing unit 11 of a digital broadcasting receiving apparatus is functionally equipped with a first intensity obtaining unit for setting an antenna connected to an antenna unit in a plurality of preset directions and obtaining reception intensity in each set direction, and an antenna judging unit for judging on the basis of the obtained reception intensity in each direction whether the connected antenna is a smart antenna or not, and judging on the basis of the obtained reception intensity in each direction whether the connected antenna is a bi directional antenna having directivities in two directions intersecting to each other at substantially 180 degree or a unidirectional antenna having directivity in only one direction when the connected antenna is judged as the smart antenna.

Abstract: In a digital TV broadcast signal receiver connected to a multi-directional antenna called smart antenna, even when a user reshuffles a channel frequently, it is aimed to shorten a time delay between channel choice by the user and switching operation of the multi-directional antenna for switching signal receiving direction. Initially, sensitivities of TV broadcast signals of all receivable channels in all signal receiving directions are measured and measurement results are memorized in a memory. A signal receiving direction, in which a number of receivable channels is the largest, is decided as an optimum signal receiving direction with respect to each receivable channel. Even when the channel is reshuffled among these receivable channels, it is no need to switch the signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna. Consequently, the time for switching the signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna can be reduced even when the channels are reshuffled frequently.

Abstract: Disclosed a antenna apparatus including: a first antenna having a fixed directivity for receiving a signal in a first frequency band; a second antenna capable of switching a directivity thereof at a time of receiving a signal in a second frequency band; a judgment section to judge which of the signal in the first frequency band and the signal in the second frequency band a television broadcast signal corresponding to a tuned channel is; and a selection section to select the first antenna as an antenna to receive the television broadcast signal corresponding to the tuned channel when the television broadcast signal is judged to be the signal in the first frequency band, and to select the second antenna as the antenna to receive the television broadcast signal when the television broadcast signal is judged to be the signal in the second frequency band.

Abstract: An electronic instrument includes: a display control unit for displaying a control content corresponding to the command information based on the result of the speech recognition; an instruction unit for instructing that a control for the control content displayed by the display control unit, is cancelled; a control unit for performing the control based on the command information based on the result of the speech recognition after a predetermined standby time elapses since the control content corresponding to the command information based on the result of the speech recognition starts to be displayed by the display control unit when the instruction unit does not instruct that the control for the control content is cancelled within the predetermined standby time, and for canceling the control based on the command information based on the result of the speech recognition when the instruction unit instructs that the control is cancelled within the predetermined standby time.

Abstract: An antenna system including an antenna capable of responding to a horizontally-polarized-wave and a vertically-polarized-wave and receives digital television broadcasting signals.

Abstract: A broadcast reception apparatus is connected to a directional antenna capable of changing an airwave reception direction. The broadcast reception apparatus includes a tuner selecting a frequency of airwave received by the directional antenna. When a prescribed condition is satisfied, power is supplied to the tuner, and thereafter power is supplied to the directional antenna.

Abstract: An analog TV broadcast receiver connected to a multi-directional antenna has a receiving direction counter for a channel which is set at an initial receiving direction to measure intensity of a TV broadcast signal in the initial receiving direction, when a channel registration in the TV broadcast receiver starts. The measured intensity, if higher than a threshold, is registered in a channel map. The receiving direction counter is sequentially incremented to measure the intensities in all receiving directions. All the measured intensities higher than the threshold are registered in the channel map as best receiving directions. A user can delete one or more of the registered best receiving directions by viewing images on a screen of the TV receiver that are given by the registered best receiving directions. It can solve a problem that a receiving direction which a user considers to give an undesired image remains registered.

Abstract: A TV broadcast receiver connected to a unidirectional antenna Y and a multi-directional antenna S for receiving terrestrial broadcasts comprises: an RF switch connected between a tuner and each of the two antennas Y and S for alternatively switching between the connections to the antennas Y and S; and a controller for determining receiving conditions of receiving TV broadcast signals based on the TV broadcast signals received via the antennas Y and S so as to determine the best one of the antennas Y and S for each channel. Since the controller determines the best one of the antennas Y and S to be used when selecting each channel, and controls the RF switch to switch between the connections to the antennas Y and S, the TV broadcast receiver makes it possible to readily select the best one of the antennas Y and S for each channel.

Abstract: A television broadcast receiver determines the signal strength, the desired to undesired (D/U) ratio, the carrier to noise (C/N) ratio of a received television signal. Based on these values, the television broadcast receiver determines an overall evaluation value indicating the condition of reception of the television signal by reading a receiving condition evaluation table and determines a message explaining the condition of reception of the television signal by reading a message table. Then, the television broadcast receiver presents to a user the determined overall evaluation value and message along with the signal strength, the D/U ratio, and the C/N ratio. Accordingly, the user can easily make a judgment on whether the receiving condition is good or not based on the overall evaluation value.

Abstract: If a channel determined by a new all-directional omni-directional scanning process is absent in a channel information table created previously, a TV broadcast receiver registers a channel number (by making register flag on) and a best receiving direction of such channel in the table. If such channel is present along with a best receiving direction in the table, the receiver renews (overwrites) the best receiving direction present in the table by a best receiving direction acquired by the new scanning process. Channels already registered in the table and determined by the new scanning process as non-selectable are not deleted and are retained in the table. Thus, the receiver prevents those channels previously determined as selectable from being handled as non-selectable by the new scanning process, and a user can select maximum channels normally viewable at each receiving location.

Abstract: When a new reception channel is to be added and set, a controller sequentially changes the reception direction for the directivity of a smart antenna and confirms the reception of a broadcast wave in each of the directions. When confirmation of the reception in all the directions has been completed, the controller determines, for the directivity of the smart antenna, in which of the directions the optimal reception and reproduction of the broadcast wave will be provided. When an appropriate direction for the directivity is present, the controller stores the thus determined direction in a channel setup table as part of the data for the channel that is being added. Thereafter, when this channel is selected for the reception of a TV broadcast, the direction determined for the directivity is set for the smart antenna.

Abstract: In a TV broadcast signal receiving system, setting up of a multi-directional antenna and a TV broadcast signal receiver is made simple and easy. The multi-directional antenna identifies a standard direction used as a standard for receiving a TV broadcast signal, at least latitude and longitude of a location of the multi-directional antenna. The TV broadcast signal receiver memorizes TV tower information including position information of latitudes and longitudes of positions of a plurality of TV towers and channel information of channels, TV broadcast signals of which are transmitted from each TV tower. The TV broadcast signal receiver decides an optimum signal receiving direction of each receivable channel with using the antenna information and the TV tower information, which is used for switching an effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna for receiving a TV broadcast signal of an optional channel chosen by a user.