Abstract: When setting reception channels, channel information and the direction information of a smart antenna are erased from a memory, and thereafter, the broadcast of a predetermined channel is automatically received while the direction of the directivity of the smart antenna is being switched in all directions. From among all the directions of the directionalities, the direction of the directivity as is capable of receiving and reproducing the broadcast of the predetermined channel best is determined, whereupon the channel information of the predetermined channel and the direction information of the determined direction of the directivity are automatically stored in the memory in association with each other.

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: When a channel of a digital TV broadcasting is selected, a direction information of the channel, which is stored in a channel setting table, is set in a smart antenna and then, in a case of a signal absence state of a broadcasting signal or when a reduction of receiving signal intensity is detected, an optimal directivity direction, in which the broadcasting signal is reproducible and the receiving state of the wave is optimal, is determined by switching (scanning) the directivity direction of the smart antenna. And, the determined directivity direction is stored in the channel setting table as the direction information of a current channel and the directivity direction is set in the smart antenna.

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 receiver for receiving a broadcasting of a prescribed channel transmitted from a broadcasting station by a directivity switching antenna capable of switching directivity to a plurality of preset directions, includes a control unit for controlling the directivity switching antenna to switch a directive direction, a memory for storing channel information showing the prescribed channel and direction information showing the directive direction of the directivity switching antenna, and an instructing unit for allowing a user to instruct the prescribed channel to be set as a receiving channel. When the instructing unit instructs the user to set the prescribed channel as the receiving channel, the control unit stores only the channel information of the prescribed channel in the memory.

Abstract: A broadcast receiver includes a smart antenna, a tuner which extracts a signal of predetermined channel from among airwaves received by the smart antenna, a signal processing unit which processes the signal extracted by the tuner, and a control unit, in a case the airwave has become unreceivable, to set a pointing direction of the antenna on that occasion as a reference direction, to shift the pointing direction a predetermined magnitude counterclockwise or clockwise, and to decide propriety of reception of the airwave. The control unit iterates counterclockwise and clockwise shifts alternately in a region near the reference direction, while the shift magnitude of the pointing direction is being increased in succession and so that the direction as to which the propriety of reception has been decided once may not be included in the directions of the shifts, until the reception of the airwave becomes possible.

Abstract: A broadcast receiver includes a smart antenna, a tuner for extracting a signal of a predetermined channel from airwaves received by the smart antenna, a signal processing unit for processing the signal extracted by this tuner, and a control unit for controlling the smart antenna. The control unit detects a receivable direction by performing automatic scanning for each of the channels with respect to each of the directions of the smart antenna, and when the receivable direction is first detected during execution of automatic scanning for a certain channel, the automatic scanning is stopped at a point in time of the detection and transition to automatic scanning for the next channel is made.

Abstract: A broadcast receiver for receiving airwaves by a directional switching antenna capable of switching directivity in a plurality of directions, includes a control unit for performing signal return processing for making a return to a normal reception state when it becomes impossible to receive the airwaves by the antenna. The signal return processing includes a plurality of signal return processings of different kinds. When impossibility of reception occurs, the control unit selects optimum signal return processing from among the plurality of signal return processings according to predetermined conditions and executes the selected signal return processing.

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: A digital/analog tuner device comprising a still image capture device stores, as the captured image, a video image of a video signal with VBI (Vertical Blanking Interval) portions of the video signal being removed, when storing a captured image, and also stores aspect ratio information of the captured image. For displaying on a television receiver the captured image with the VBI portions being removed, blank portions in accordance with the aspect ratio information are added to the captured image for output. This makes it possible to prevent the generation of e.g. noises due to the VBI portions contained in video signals, and prevent the deformation of captured images due to the loss of the aspect ratio information in capturing the images.