Content display device, television receiver, content display method, content display control program, and recording medium

A content display device for displaying content items on a screen, comprising:

• a monitor to display content;
• a content switching instruction receiving section for receiving, by a user's operation, a switching instruction to switch a content item currently displayed on the screen to a previous content item or to a next content item;
• a content choosing section for, based on an order prescribed in a content list containing identifiers of respective content items to be displayed on the screen and descriptors of locations holding the respective content items to be displayed on the screen, choosing the previous content item which precedes the content item currently displayed on the screen or the next content item which follows the content item currently displayed on the screen, in accordance with the switching instruction received by the content switching instruction receiving section;
• a content display section for causing the content item, which is specified by a corresponding one of the descriptors of locations holding the content items and chosen by the content choosing section, to be displayed on the screen;
• a content list display section for displaying, on the screen, identifiers contained in the content list, the identifiers being (i) an identifier of the content item currently displayed and (ii) identifiers, of content items that may be displayed after the content item currently displayed, which are provided above and below the identifier of the content item currently displayed;
• a display range changing instruction receiving section for receiving, from the user, a display range changing instruction to change a display range of a content item;
• a display range control section for controlling, in accordance with a display range changing instruction received by the display range changing instruction receiving section, a display range of a currently displayed content item;
• and
• a control switching instruction receiving section for receiving a control switching instruction as to whether to switch an operation mode of the content display device to a scrolling mode in which to control the display range of the currently displayed content item or a content switching mode in which to control choice of the entries in the content list,
• wherein when in the scrolling mode the display range reaches an edge of the currently displayed content item and then a display range changing instruction to move the display range farther than the edge is inputted, the control switching instruction receiving section switches from the scrolling mode to the content switching mode in response to the display range changing instruction as a trigger.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors connected to a display device including a screen configured to operate in a scrolling mode and a content switching mode, having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by said one or more processors, causes said one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

• a content switching instruction receiving step in which a content switching instruction receiving section receives, from a user, a switching instruction to switch a content item currently displayed on a content display area of the screen to a previous content item or to a next content item;
• a content choosing step in which a content choosing section chooses, based on an order prescribed in a content list containing identifiers of respective content items to be displayed on a content list area of the screen and descriptors of locations holding the respective content items to be displayed on the content display area of the screen, the previous content item which precedes the content item currently displayed on the content display area of the screen or the next content item which follows the content item currently displayed on the content display area of the screen, in accordance with the switching instruction received by the content switching instruction receiving section;
• a content display step in which a content display section causes the content item, which is specified by a corresponding one of the descriptors of locations holding the content items and chosen by the content choosing section, to be displayed on the content display area of the screen;
• a content list display step in which a content list module displays, on the content list area of the screen, identifiers contained in the content list, the identifiers being (i) an identifier of the content item currently displayed and (ii) identifiers, of content items that may be displayed after the content item currently displayed, which are provided above and below the identifier of the content item currently displayed;
• overlapping the content list area over a subset of the content display area when the display device is in the content switching mode;
• and
• removing the content list area from the screen and scrolling the content chosen in the content choosing step within the content display area in response to a user's operation when the display device is in the scrolling mode.

A content display method for displaying content items on a display device including a screen, configured to operate in a scrolling mode and a content switching mode, the method comprising:

• a content switching instruction receiving step in which a content switching instruction receiving section receives, from a user, a switching instruction to switch a content item currently displayed on a content display area of the screen to a previous content item or to a next content item;
• a content choosing step in which a content choosing section chooses, based on an order prescribed in a content list containing identifiers of respective content items to be displayed on a content list area of the screen and descriptors of locations holding the respective content items to be displayed on the content display area of the screen, the previous content item which precedes the content item currently displayed on the content display area of the screen or the next content item which follows the content item currently displayed on the content display area of the screen, in accordance with the switching instruction received by the content switching instruction receiving section;
• a content display step in which a content display section causes the content item, which is specified by a corresponding one of the descriptors of locations holding the content items and chosen by the content choosing section, to be displayed on the content display area of the screen;
• a content list display step in which a content list module displays, on the content list area of the screen, identifiers contained in the content list, the identifiers being (i) an identifier of the content item currently displayed and (ii) identifiers, of content items that may be displayed after the content item currently displayed, which are provided above and below the identifier of the content item currently displayed;
• overlapping the content list area over a subset of the content display area when the display device is in the content switching mode;
• and
• removing the content list area from the screen and scrolling the content chosen in the content choosing step within the content display area in response to a user's operation when the display device is in the scrolling mode.