Abstract: A video recording and playing apparatus for recording and playing a broadcast program, according to the present invention, the apparatus comprises a recording unit to record broadcast programs on a storage unit, and a deletion unit to automatically delete a broadcast program recorded on the storage unit. The deletion unit determines, from among a plurality of broadcast programs recorded on the storage unit, a broadcast program which becomes a target of deletion, based on an audio signal or a rating of each broadcast program, in cases where a video recording capacity of the storage unit becomes smaller than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A print control unit 118 that, once it receives a datacasting automatic activation notification or a datacasting manual activation notification, determines whether or not datacasting is present for a currently selected channel. In a case in which datacasting is present, the print control unit 118 acquires maintenance information acquired from a printer 200 through a maintenance information acquisition process. Based on the acquired maintenance information, the print control unit 118 determines whether or not to issue a command to the printer 200 requesting execution of a maintenance process.

Abstract: A content player which receives a broadcast content and an information content and plays back a video image concerning a content, comprises a channel selection unit configured to select a channel to view the broadcast content; an acquisition unit configured to acquire location information of an information content corresponding to the broadcast content on the channel selected by the channel selection unit; a detection unit configured to detect that the broadcast content on the selected channel has been viewed starting halfway; a determination unit configured to, if the detection unit has detected that the broadcast content has been viewed starting halfway, determine whether to notify that it is possible to view, from the beginning, the broadcast content that has been viewed starting halfway; and a notification unit configured to generate a notification image for notification when the determination unit has determined to notify.

Abstract: A television signal receiving apparatus receives television signals including broadcast data signals and outputs the received data signals to a display device. The display device displays an image that has characters and/or pictures generated from the data signals. A communication unit of the receiving apparatus is connected to and communicates with an external device. A control unit controls the image to be displayed on the display device according to results of communication with the communication unit.

Abstract: An image display method includes a display step of synthesizing and displaying a predetermined image and a moving image, a detecting step of detecting a specific target in the moving image, and a decision step of deciding whether the specific target detected in the moving image is positioned to be overlapping with the predetermined image. In addition, a signal processing step displays a predetermined mark at a position of the detected specific target, if it is decided that the specific target detected in the moving image is positioned to be overlapping with the predetermined image.

Abstract: Additional information indicating photographic conditions for a received image signal is compared with additional information indicating photographic conditions for an access target image signal. If the both conditions satisfy a predetermined relationship, an access to the access target image signal is permitted.

Abstract: To improve ease of operation with which a user selects an image when many images are simultaneously displayed on a screen, a frame, which divides many images into 12 areas, is superimposed and displayed on a screen displaying thumbnail exhibition thereon. For example, the press of a channel key allows selecting one of the areas and moving to the selected area a focus frame indicating a candidate image for selection, and then the presses of cursor keys allow moving the focus frame to a desired image to be selected. The number of areas can be changed and displayed according to the number of channel keys when a television remote control is used, or according to the number of numeric keys when a mobile telephone is used.

Abstract: Additional information indicating photographic conditions for a received image signal is compared with additional information indicating photographic conditions for an access target image signal. If the both conditions satisfy a predetermined relationship, an access to the access target image signal is permitted.

Abstract: To improve ease of operation with which a user selects an image when many images are simultaneously displayed on a screen, a frame, which divides many images into 12 areas, is superimposed and displayed on a screen displaying thumbnail exhibition thereon. For example, the press of a channel key allows selecting one of the areas and moving to the selected area a focus frame indicating a candidate image for selection, and then the presses of cursor keys allow moving the focus frame to a desired image to be selected. The number of areas can be changed and displayed according to the number of channel keys when a television remote control is used, or according to the number of numeric keys when a mobile telephone is used.

Abstract: A table is allocated indexes corresponding to display positions on a monitor screen, respectively, and data indicating an unexposed part at each of the display positions is stored in each index of the table. Focal position information is acquired from Exif header information on image data of an image, and a location of one of the indexes in the table at which no image data is registered is searched in an ascending order of the indexes. According to the table, the images are arranged so that the focal position of each image differs from the unexposed part at the display position of the image.

Abstract: The present invention enables to select necessary metadata from presumed metadata candidates that are more likely to be added and to easily select metadata desired by a user, thereby reducing working load on a user largely, and facilitating the operation of adding shooting scene information even to a large amount of shot data recorded in a large-capacity recording medium. A processing process of detecting metadata associated with second contents data from the second contents data which is in a same category as first contents data, and a processing process of selectably outputting candidates of non-time information metadata to be stored, associated with the first contents data, in a storing section, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the second contents data and time information metadata associated with the first contents data which is to be added metadata, are performed.

Abstract: A television receiver which allows a user to view at least an image of a broadcast program, includes a first display unit adapted to display a video of a broadcast program upon selection of a first channel, a second display unit adapted to display a slide show that switches and displays images included in a first image group designated from image groups including a plurality of still images or moving images upon selection of a second channel, and an operation unit adapted to execute at least two channel selection operations including a direct channel selection as an operation for directly selecting the first channel and the second channel, and a sequential channel selection as an operation for sequentially selecting the channels, and a display mode of the slide show by the second display unit is varied in correspondence with the channel selection operation of the channel made upon starting the slide show.

Abstract: This invention implements an image display technique capable of setting a display effect and providing a more effective display which reflects a feature in an image without performing any cumbersome operation by a viewing user in a slide show of sequentially displaying digital images. An image display method of adding a special effect to a plurality of images, changing the plurality of images in time series, and sequentially displaying the plurality of images includes an input step of inputting an image, an area detection step of detecting a plurality of feature areas from the input image, a determination step of determining the content of the special effect on the basis of the detection results of the plurality of detected feature areas, and a display control step of displaying the image with the determined special effect.

Abstract: A table is allocated indexes corresponding to display positions on a monitor screen, respectively, and data indicating an unexposed part at each of the display positions is stored in each index of the table. Focal position information is acquired from Exit header information on image data of an image, and a location of one of the indexes in the table at which no image data is registered is searched in an ascending order of the indexes. According to the table, the images are arranged so that the focal position of each image differs from the unexposed part at the display position of the image.

Abstract: A table is allocated indexes corresponding to display positions on a monitor screen, respectively, and data indicating an unexposed part at each of the display positions is stored in each index of the table. Focal position information is acquired from Exif header information on image data of an image, and a location of one of the indexes in the table at which no image data is registered is searched in an ascending order of the indexes. According to the table, the images are arranged so that the focal position of each image differs from the unexposed part at the display position of the image.

Abstract: An image display controlling apparatus includes a memory for storing attention area information and date and time information for each set of image data of a plurality of images to be displayed on an image display. The attention area information is evaluated based on standard date and time information and the stored date and time information, and protection area information is produced for a protection area set within the attention area. Also an adjustment is made for listing and displaying the plurality of the images with a superimpostion controlled based on the protection area information.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus comprises: an audio signal detection circuit which detects a specific audio signal from a broadcasting program including an image signal and an audio signal; a control unit which controls an image processing processor, wherein the audio signal detection circuit generates a control signal for controlling the control unit when the audio signal detection circuit detects the specific audio signal, and the control unit controls the image processing processor according to the control signal so as to display a specific image and/or text by synthesizing the specific image and/or text corresponding to the specific audio signal and an image of the broadcasting program displayed according to the image signal.

Abstract: A broadcast receiving apparatus determines whether a broadcast signal that is being played back and that includes print information is a broadcast signal that is being broadcasted or a broadcast signal that is played back by a recording apparatus. The broadcast receiving apparatus also determines whether the print information included in the broadcast signal that is being played back includes acquisition instructing information instructing acquisition of a print content item transmitted from an external server. If it is determined that the print information included in the broadcast signal that is being played back includes the acquisition instructing information and the broadcast signal that is being played back is played back by the recording apparatus, the broadcast receiving apparatus notifies a user that a print content item which the print information included in the broadcast signal that is being played back intended to acquire during broadcasting cannot possibly be acquired.

Abstract: In a slide show, image displaying method and apparatus are provided that can automatically set a display effect suitable for a picture on the basis of information proper to individual pictures. After at least one image data is obtained, in executing a slide show of this image, characteristic areas such as faces in the image are detected, and a display effect is selected from a plurality of predetermined display effects on the basis of the number and/or size of the characteristic areas. The image is displayed while being changed in time series on the basis of this selected display effect.

Abstract: Partial data related to information data is received, image data corresponding to the received partial data is generated by sequentially processing the received partial data, and the generated image data is output to a display unit. Before output of the image data corresponding to the partial data to the display unit is completed, reception of the information data is started. Then, image data corresponding to the information data is generated by processing the received information data, and image data to be displayed on said display unit is switched to the image data corresponding to the information data from the image data corresponding to the partial data after the reception of the information data is started.