Remote control terminal, information acquiring apparatus, information providing apparatus, information providing system, information providing method, and program

An information acquiring apparatus which can communicate with an information providing apparatus which provides electronic content guide information related to a program and a remote control terminal which acquires and displays the electronic content guide information and which can remote-control the information acquiring apparatus, and which acquires and displays video information and the electronic content guide information of the program, comprising:

• a channel selecting unit which performs a channel selecting operation based on program identification information provided from the remote control terminal;
• a video information receiving unit which receives the video information of a program to be watched based on the program identification information;
• a scenario information acquiring unit which acquires scenario information included in the electronic content guide information related to the program to be watched based on the program identification information;
• a display unit which displays the video information of the program and the scenario information related to the program to be watched;
• and
• a display control unit which can control the display unit to change a display state of the scenario information related to the program to be watched depending on a display state of the scenario information on the remote control terminal based on predetermined setting information or predetermined operation information,
• wherein when a display of the scenario information is stopped in the information acquiring apparatus, the display control unit controls the display unit to display the scenario information the display of which is stopped,
• wherein when the program to be watched is liked by each of a plurality of users based on preset user preferences associated with a respective display control unit, then the respective display control unit displays scenario information related to the program to be watched and matched with the respective user's, and
• wherein when the program to be watched is not liked by a particular one of the plurality of users based on the particular user's preferences associated with the particular user's display control unit, then the particular user's display control unit displays scenario information related to a different program from the program to be watched.

An information providing apparatus which can communicate with an information acquiring apparatus which acquires video information and electronic content guide information of a program and a remote control terminal which acquires and displays the electronic content guide information and which can remote-control the information acquiring apparatus, and which provides the electronic content guide information related to the program, comprising:

• a scenario information storage unit which stores scenario information included in the electronic content guide information related to a program in association with program identification information;
• and
• a scenario information providing unit which provides, based on the program identification information provided by the information acquiring apparatus and the remote control terminal, scenario information which is related to a program watched by using the information acquiring apparatus and which is configured to be able to be displayed in different display states between the information acquiring apparatus and the remote control terminal to the information acquiring apparatus and the remote control terminal,
• wherein when a display of the scenario information is stopped in the information acquiring apparatus, a display control unit controls a display unit of the remote control terminal to display the scenario information the display of which is stopped,
• wherein when the program to be watched is liked by each of a plurality of users based on preset user preferences associated with a respective display control unit, then the respective display control unit displays scenario information related to the program to be watched and matched with the respective user's, and
• wherein when the program to be watched is not liked by a particular one of the plurality of users based on the particular user's preferences associated with the particular user's display control unit, then the particular user's display control unit displays scenario information related to a different program from the program to be watched.

An information providing system in which an information providing apparatus which provides electronic content guide information related to a program, an information acquiring apparatus which acquires and displays video information and the electronic content guide information of the program, and a remote control terminal which can remote-control the information acquiring apparatus can communicate with each other, wherein

• the information providing apparatus comprises:
• a scenario information storage unit which stores scenario information included in the electronic content guide information related to a program in association with program identification information;
• and
• a scenario information providing unit which provides, based on the program identification information provided by the information acquiring apparatus and the remote control terminal, scenario information which is related to a program watched by using the information acquiring apparatus and which is configured to be able to be displayed in different display states between the information acquiring apparatus and the remote control terminal to the information acquiring apparatus and the remote control terminal,
• the information acquiring apparatus comprises:
• a channel selecting unit which performs a channel selecting operation based on the program identification information provided from the remote control terminal;
• a video information receiving unit which receives the video information of the program to be watched;
• a first scenario information acquiring unit which acquires the scenario information related to the program to be watched from the information providing apparatus based on the program identification information;
• a first display unit which displays the video information of the program and the scenario information related to the program to be watched;
• a first display control unit which can control the first display unit to change a display state of the scenario information related to the program to be watched depending on a display state of the scenario information on the remote control terminal based on predetermined setting information or predetermined operation information, and
• the remote control terminal comprises:
• a program identification information acquiring unit which acquires the program identification information to designate a program watched by using the information acquiring apparatus;
• a channel selection control unit which remote-controls a channel selecting process by the information acquiring apparatus based on the acquired program identification information;
• a second scenario information acquiring unit which acquires the scenario information related to the program to be watched based on the acquired program identification information;
• a second display unit which displays the scenario information related to the program to be watched;
• and
• a second display control unit which can control the second display unit such that the display state of the scenario information related to the program to be watched is changed depending on the display state of the scenario information in the information acquiring apparatus based on the predetermined setting information or the predetermined operation information,
• wherein when a display of the scenario information is stopped in the information acquiring apparatus, the second display control unit controls the second display unit to display the scenario information the display of which is stopped,
• wherein when the program to be watched is liked by each of a plurality of users based on preset user preferences associated with a respective display control unit, then the respective display control unit displays scenario information related to the program to be watched and matched with the respective user's, and
• wherein when the program to be watched is not liked by a particular one of the plurality of users based on the particular user's preferences associated with the particular user's display control unit, then the particular user's display control unit displays scenario information related to a different program from the program to be watched.

An information providing method applied to an information providing system in which an information providing apparatus which provides electronic content guide information related to a program, an information acquiring apparatus which acquires and displays video information and the electronic content guide information of the program, and a remote control terminal which can remote-control the information acquiring apparatus can communicate with each other, comprising the steps of:

• by the remote control terminal,
• acquiring program identification information to designate a program watched by using the information acquiring apparatus;
• remote-controlling a channel selecting process by the information acquiring apparatus based on the acquired program identification information;
• acquiring scenario information included in the electronic content guide information related a program to be watched from the information providing apparatus based on the acquired program identification information;
• displaying the scenario information related to the program to be watched;
• and
• controlling a display of the scenario information to change a display state of the scenario information related to the program to be watched depending on a display state of the scenario information in the information acquiring apparatus based on predetermined setting information or predetermined operation information,
• wherein when a display of the scenario information is stopped in the information acquiring apparatus, the display control unit controls the display unit to display the scenario information the display of which is stopped,
• wherein when the program to be watched is liked by each of a plurality of users based on preset user preferences associated with a respective display control unit, then the respective display control unit displays scenario information related to the program to be watched and matched with the respective user's, and
• wherein when the program to be watched is not liked by a particular one of the plurality of users based on the particular user's preferences associated with the particular user's display control unit, then the particular user's display control unit displays scenario information related to a different program from the program to be watched.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having stored thereon a program to cause a computer to execute an information providing method applied to an information providing system in which an information providing apparatus which provides electronic content guide information related to a program, an information acquiring apparatus which acquires and displays video information and the electronic content guide information of the program, and a remote control terminal which can remote-control the information acquiring apparatus can communicate with each other, wherein the information providing method comprises the steps of:

• by the remote control terminal,
• acquiring program identification information to designate a program watched by using the information acquiring apparatus;
• remote-controlling a channel selecting process by the information acquiring apparatus based on the acquired program identification information;
• acquiring scenario information included in the electronic content guide information related a program to be watched from the information providing apparatus based on the acquired program identification information;
• displaying the scenario information related to the program to be watched;
• and
• controlling a display of the scenario information to change a display state of the scenario information related to the program to be watched depending on a display state of the scenario information in the information acquiring apparatus based on predetermined setting information or predetermined operation information,
• wherein when a display of the scenario information is stopped in the information acquiring apparatus, the display control unit controls the display unit to display the scenario information the display of which is stopped,
• wherein when the program to be watched is liked by each of a plurality of users based on preset user preferences associated with a respective display control unit, then the respective display control unit displays scenario information related to the program to be watched and matched with the respective user's, and
• wherein when the program to be watched is not liked by a particular one of the plurality of users based on the particular user's preferences associated with the particular user's display control unit, then the particular user's display control unit displays scenario information related to a different program from the program to be watched.