JP2000201338A - Device and method for reporting program information, device and method for receiving program information and equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain reduction in the burden of program selection for a user by retrieving the program information of a program having the strong tendency of user of viewing with a keyword showing the taste of the user as a reference, and reporting that information through a prescribed communication line. SOLUTION: A server 21 acquires program information of programs based on digital satellite broadcasting and ground waves from various information sources and registers them in a program information data base 26. The server 21 accepts a request from a user through a telephone line or the like concerning a service to be provided by itself. Concerning this request, the server 21 acquires a keyword for providing program information and registers it in a user information data base 29 as one part of user information of respective users 22. When the provision of periodical program information is requested, a retrieval engine 30 retrieves such a program from the program information data base 26 according to the keyword recorded in the user information data base 29.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a program information notification device, a program information notification method, a program information reception device, a program information reception method, and a terminal device, and can be applied to, for example, a digital satellite broadcasting system. The present invention reduces the burden on the user of selecting a program by searching for various pieces of program information based on a keyword provided by the user and notifying the user of program information of a program that the user tends to listen to.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in digital satellite broadcasting,
A large number of programs are provided from one satellite, and an EPG (Electronic Program) is provided so that a user's desired program can be easily searched from such a large number of programs.
Guide) to introduce the program contents.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a digital satellite broadcasting system of this kind. In the digital satellite broadcasting system 1, the ground station 2 receives a baseband video signal SV and an audio signal SA from, for example, various program providers, and compresses the data with the encoders 3A to 3N to generate a transport stream. Here, this processing is performed in accordance with ITU-T Recommendation H.264. 262, ISO / I
EC 13818-2 and ISO / IEC 13818-3
Encoding by the method specified in ITU-T Recommendation H
222.0, which is executed by a multiplexing process according to a method defined by ISO / IEC13818-1.

Further, the ground station 2 generates data for data broadcasting from the data server 4 by using a transport stream. Also EPG generator (EPGGEN)
5 obtains broadcast schedule data from each program provider, generates an EPG based on the broadcast schedule, a program name, an introduction of the program contents, a future broadcast schedule, and the like, and outputs the generated EPG as a transport stream.

A multiplexer (MUX) 6 performs time-division multiplexing on the transport streams output from the encoders 3A to 3N, the data server 4, and the EPG generator 5 to create one multiplexed stream. A modulation circuit (MOD) 7 modulates the multiplexed stream. The ground station 2 generates a plurality of modulated signals obtained by multiplexing a plurality of programs in this manner, frequency-multiplexes the plurality of modulated signals, and uplinks the signals from the antenna 8 to the satellite 9.

On the user side, a broadcast wave downlinked from the satellite 9 is received by the antenna 10 and input to the receiving terminal 11. Here, the receiving terminal 11 selectively receives a broadcast wave of a predetermined frequency in response to a user's selection operation and demodulates the multiplexed stream. Further, a desired packet is selected from the multiplexed stream to reproduce a transport stream based on a video signal and an audio signal, and a video signal and an audio signal are reproduced from the transport stream.

[0007] On the user side, the video signal and the audio signal are monitored by the monitor device 15, whereby a desired program can be selected. In previewing the broadcast in this way, the receiving terminal 11 displays the contents of the EPG on the monitor device 15 by the user's operation so that the broadcast schedule and the like can be confirmed and the desired program can be previewed. ing.

[0008] In this type of receiving terminal, the result of the trial listening of the pay program and the reservation of the trial listening of the pay program can be notified to the customer management system 14 via the telephone line 12.

[0009]

By the way, in this kind of digital broadcasting, since a program is provided by a large number of channels, a user listens to a desired program out of many programs. There is a problem that it is difficult to find a desired program.

[0010] In a conventional receiving terminal, in order to reduce the burden of selecting a program, by registering a channel, a desired channel can be quickly selected from many channels. However, even in this case, the program that the user wants to listen to may be broadcast on a channel other than the registered channel, in which case,
You will miss this program.

Even when a desired program is selected using the EPG, the desired program is eventually selected from many programs.

[0012] Even if the EPG is used, if a program is provided by a plurality of broadcasters, it is necessary to search for the EPG for each broadcaster. Because program information such as EPG is not provided, program information is eventually obtained via other media such as newspapers and magazines.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a program information notifying apparatus, a program information notifying method, a program information receiving apparatus, and a program information receiving apparatus which can reduce a user's burden of selecting a program. A method and a terminal device are proposed.

[0014]

According to the first or fifth aspect of the present invention, a keyword indicating a user's preference is applied to a program information notifying apparatus or a program information notifying method. The program information of the program which the user tends to listen to is searched based on the reference, and the program information is notified via a predetermined communication line.

According to the ninth or thirteenth aspect, the present invention is applied to a program information receiving apparatus or a program information receiving method, and sends a keyword to a predetermined server via a predetermined communication line. The program information of the broadcast program specified by the keyword is received.

Further, in the invention according to claim 17, applied to the terminal device, at least the operation of the recording device is controlled by remote control in accordance with a command from the server input through a predetermined communication line, and the operation is performed by the server. Record the indicated program.

According to the first or fifth aspect of the present invention, program information of a program which the user tends to listen to is searched based on a keyword indicating the user's preference, and the program information is notified via a predetermined communication line. By doing so, it is possible to selectively provide the user with information on programs suitable for the user's tastes and preferences from many programs, thereby reducing the burden of program selection.

According to the ninth or thirteenth aspect, a keyword is transmitted to a predetermined server via a predetermined communication line, and program information of a broadcast program specified by the keyword is received. As a result, a desired program can be selected from the program information selected by the server, and the burden of program selection can be reduced accordingly.

According to the seventeenth aspect, at least the operation of the recording device is controlled by remote control in accordance with a command input from the server via a predetermined communication line, and the program specified by the server is recorded. if,
For example, a user who has received the program information from the server via the dedicated terminal can record the program by the terminal device according to the claims via the server from the dedicated terminal. This makes it possible to instruct recording of the selected program easily even from outside.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) First Embodiment (1-1) Configuration of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a program information providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. . In this program information providing system 20, the server 21
, The program information of the broadcast program that each user 22 desires to listen to is provided, and the setting of the user 22 instructs the recording of the program that the user 22 desires.

That is, in the program information providing system 20, the server 21 acquires program information such as digital satellite broadcasts and terrestrial programs from various information sources. Here, the server 21 is, for example, via the Internet,
Program information such as a program name, a program content, and a broadcast time is acquired from the key station 24 and the local station 25 of the terrestrial television broadcast, and registered in the program information database 26. Also, broadcast waves of a digital satellite broadcast system by different broadcasters are received by antennas 26A and 26B, respectively, and EPGs of the respective digital satellite broadcasts are acquired by EPG receiving devices 27A and 27B. Here, the EPG receiving devices 27A and 27B are digital satellite broadcast receiving devices configured to be able to externally output the EPG.
The server 21 similarly registers the program information in the program information database 26 using the EPG. Further, it acquires detailed program information from a program information provider 28 that provides program information by magazines, newspapers, and the like, and registers the program information in the program information database 26.

Here, the program information database 26 is formed by accumulating program information of broadcast programs receivable in an area where the service is provided by the server 21. The program information includes, for example, program name, broadcast date and time, channel, It is composed of information such as a broadcast area, performers, and text introducing the contents of the program.

Further, the server 21
A request for a service to be provided is received from the user 22 via a telephone line or the like. Here, the request is a request for providing program information on a regular basis, a request for providing program information by access, a request for recording reservation of a program, a request for changing program information to be provided, and the like.

The request for providing program information on a regular basis is as follows:
It is a request to periodically provide program information suitable for the user's tastes and preferences. The request for providing program information by access is a request for providing program information suitable for a keyword set at the time of access. On the other hand, the program recording reservation request is a request for recording of the program by the recording device such as a video tape recorder designated by the user for the program based on the provided program information. The change request is a request for changing the selection criteria of the program information to be provided.

The server 21 is, for example, an HTTP (Hyper Text T) via a homepage established on the Internet.
ransfer Protocol) and by e-mail.

In this request, the server 21
Acquires a keyword for providing program information, and accepts a change in the keyword acquired in advance. Here, the keyword is a word indicating a hobby or a preference of each user 22, and is a word input by the user via a terminal device or the like. For example, for the user 22 who prefers to listen to the movie "Akira Kurosawa" of the movie director,
As if inputting the word "Akira Kurosawa", the user 22
Prompts for a keyword. Similarly, for the user 22 who likes and listens to the soccer “J-League” game, the user 22 is prompted to input a keyword so as to input the “J-League” word.

The server 21 receives a request for providing program information on a regular basis and a request for providing program information by access.
While input of these keywords is requested for the program information to be provided, a change in the provided program information is requested to change these keywords.

The server 21 registers the keyword obtained in this manner in the user information database 29 as a part of the user information of each user 22 in the case of a periodic program information provision request. In response to a request to change the provided program information, the keyword registered in the user information database 29 is changed according to the user's specification. Here, the user information includes, in addition to such keywords, information such as a location specifying a broadcast station receivable by the user 22 and information such as a user address necessary for notification of program information.

As described above, the user information database 29 is a database in which the user information of the users 22 is recorded.

In the server 21, a database management unit 31 manages a program information database 26 and a user information database 29, and updates the user information database 29 in response to a request from the user 22. In addition, the program information database 2 is stored in the EPG at regular intervals.
6 is updated, and the program information is acquired from the key station 24, the local station 25, and the like via the telephone line, and the program information database 26 is updated.

The search engine 30 searches the program information database 26 based on the keyword recorded in the user information database 29 at regular intervals, for example, once a week when a request for providing program information is made periodically. When there is a request to provide program information by access, the program information is searched from the program information database 26 by a keyword acquired with this request.

In this search, the search engine 30
In the program information, a search is made for program information in which these keywords are included in the information for specifying the contents of the program. More specifically, program information that includes the keyword specified by the database management unit 31 is searched for in the above-described performers, text data that introduces the contents of the program, words for program search, and the like.

At this time, the search engine 30 also receives, from the user information database 29, information such as a location specifying a broadcast station receivable by the user 22, and searches the program information database 26 based on this information. The program information is searched for a program that can be received by each user and that is likely to be previewed by the user.

Further, the search engine 30 notifies the user 22 of the program information searched by the keyword. Thereby, the search engine 30 notifies each user of the program information of the broadcast program that the user tends to preview by using the keyword indicating the user's hobby and preference. When a request for providing program information by access is made, the user is notified of program information on a program required by the user who is suitable for the request.

On the other hand, when a request for recording a program is input from the user 22 by notification of program information, or when recording of a program is requested for a program searched in this way by a prior request. The search engine 30 instructs the timer to record this program via the telephone line. In the search engine 30, when about 20 seconds before the broadcast start time of the corresponding program, recording is instructed by this timer.

Here, the instruction to record the program includes the keyword (KEYWORD) used for searching for the program information and the program name (TITLE), such as text data as shown in FIG.
, Terrestrial to specify the broadcast of the program, information indicating the type of digital satellite broadcasting etc. (SOURCE), information to identify the provider of the program (PROVIDER), channel (CHANNEL), start date and time of the program (BEGIN), A recording target, a recording time, and the like are specified based on information on the end date and time (END) of the program, and are issued together with a control command for instructing recording. The instructions for this record are:
The recording / reproducing device specified by the user is specified and executed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a terminal device of the digital satellite broadcasting system. This terminal device 40
It receives digital satellite broadcasts and requests various services from the server 21 described with reference to FIG.

That is, in the terminal device 40, the tuner 42 receives the broadcast wave downlinked from the satellite via the antenna 44 under the control of the system controller 43, receives the broadcast wave for the channel desired by the user, and multiplexes it. Output a stream. The demultiplexer 45 selects and outputs a packet of a program desired by the user from the multiplexed stream output from the tuner 42 under the control of the system controller 43.
The decoder 46 demodulates and outputs the video signal, the audio signal, and the data from the data broadcast by expanding and processing the data based on the packet.

In the terminal device 40, the video signal and the audio signal thus demodulated are output to the recording device 48 such as the monitor device 47 and the VTR, so that the desired program can be previewed directly or by time shifting. It has been made like that. Note that data by data broadcasting is output to an external device via, for example, a dedicated port, an RS232C port, or the like.

The addition circuit 49 is arranged on the output side of the decoder 46 and adds the video signal and / or the audio signal output from the system controller 43 to the video signal and / or the audio signal output from the decoder 46 and outputs the added signal. The video signal and the audio signal output from the system controller 43 are output instead of the video signal and the audio signal output from the decoder 46. Thereby, the terminal device 40
In, a menu screen by a user interface, various kinds of information obtained by connecting to the Internet are displayed on the monitor device 47, and an alarm sound or the like can be output as necessary.

The modem 50 is connected to the system controller 43
The desired data is transmitted to the telephone line 41 under the control of, and the desired data is obtained via the telephone line 41. As a result, the terminal device 40 can be connected to the customer management system and the Internet as needed. Further, the terminal device 40 requests the server 21 to provide a service, and
1 to obtain program information and the like.

The memory 51 includes a system controller 43
, The information of the recording by the timer, various information acquired via the Internet, and the like are held.

The system controller 43 is a central processing unit, and controls the operation of the entire terminal device in response to the operation of the operation element M. That is, the system controller 43 controls the demultiplexer 45 in response to the operation of the operator M by the user, and thereby receives a program desired by the user. Also, the system controller 43
Controls the operation of the recording device 48 in response to the operation of the user, so that the program desired by the user is recorded by the recording device 48, and the program recorded in the recording device 48 is reproduced. The system controller 43 similarly performs
It connects to the Internet to obtain desired data and displays the obtained information.

On the other hand, the system controller 43
Displays a predetermined menu screen when the user selects a service provided by the server 21. Further, in response to a user operation on this menu screen, for example, when the user selects a request for providing program information by access, the modem 50 is driven to connect to the server 21, and the corresponding menu screen is downloaded from the server 21. Is displayed. This allows the system controller 4
3 prompts the user to enter a keyword on this menu screen according to an instruction from the server 21, and notifies the server 21 of the entered keyword. In response to this notification, the system controller 43
When the program information is provided from 1, the program information is displayed on the monitor device 47.

On the other hand, if the user selects a regular program information provision request on the menu screen, the user drives the modem 50 in the same manner to connect to the server 21 and downloads the corresponding menu from the server 21. Display the screen. Accordingly, the system controller 43 prompts the user to input a keyword, a receivable broadcast, and the like on this menu screen in accordance with an instruction from the server 21, and notifies the server 21 of the input keyword, a receivable broadcast, and the like. Thus, in this embodiment, the data thus input is recorded in the user information database 29 as user information. When notified in this way, the system controller 43 cuts off the telephone line with the server 21.

On the other hand, the system controller 43
Receives a call from the server 21 via the modem 50, connects a line with the server 21, and acquires program information input via the line. The system controller 43 records the acquired program information in the memory 51, and displays the program information on the monitor device 47 by a user operation. This allows the system controller 4
3 is a server 2 that receives a request for providing program information on a regular basis.
For example, program information of a program which the user tends to listen to, which is transmitted every week, for example, is acquired from 1 and provided to the user.

On the other hand, in a state where the program information provided by the request for providing the program information by the access is displayed, or the program information provided by the request for providing the program information on a regular basis is displayed, the user specifies Is selected, the system controller 43 issues a program recording reservation request. Here, the system controller 43 connects the line with the server 21 and then, for the program selected by the user from the program information display screen,
It requests the server 21 to record the program.

In response to this request, and further according to the prior setting, a call is issued from the server 21 20 seconds before the start of the program and the control command and the information described above with reference to FIG. , The timer recording is set in the recording device 48, and the reception of the program specified by this information is started. Thus, in this embodiment, it is possible to instruct the terminal device 40 to record a program via the server 21 even by a personal computer or the like, for example, when going out.

When the program information change request menu provided in response to this is selected, the system controller 4
Reference numeral 3 similarly accesses the server 21 and notifies a keyword input by the user, a receivable broadcast, and the like.

(1-2) Operation of the First Embodiment In the above configuration, in the program information providing system 20 (FIG. 1), the server 21 converts the EPG from broadcast waves downlinked from a plurality of satellites. The program information is acquired from these EPGs and registered in the program information database 26. In addition, each terrestrial broadcast and further detailed program information are obtained via the telephone line, and these program information are registered in the program information database 26. As a result, in the server 21, the program information of receivable programs is stored in the server 21 for the area where the service is provided by the server 21.

The server 21 is connected to the terminal device 40
When a request for providing program information by input is input via a telephone line or the like, the program information providing system 20 searches the program information database 26 using the keyword added to the request for providing program information, and broadcasts it in the future. Then, program information having a keyword set by the user is selected from programs that can be previewed by the user. That is, when the user sets the word “Akira Kurosawa” as a keyword, program information on a movie or the like directed by Akira Kurosawa is selected, and this program information is notified to the terminal device 40. As a result, the user is provided with only the program information of a program that tends to be pre-listened out of many programs, and the program selection load is reduced accordingly.

On the other hand, when the user selects to provide the program information on a regular basis, a keyword indicating the user's hobbies and preferences is obtained from the terminal device 40 together with the receivable broadcast and the like for the user, and these information are obtained. It is notified to the server 21 as user information. In the server 21, these pieces of user information are registered, and a user information database 29 is constructed.

In response to this request, the server 21 uses the keyword registered as the user information and the receivable broadcast for the program information database 26 every week, for example.
Is searched, and program information is searched for a program that the user tends to listen to in the same manner as in the case of a request for providing program information by access. Further, the program information based on the search result is notified to the terminal device 40, and the terminal device 40
Provides program information to the user. This allows the user to selectively and regularly provide only the program information on the programs that tend to be pre-listened, thereby reducing the burden of program selection.

If the user wants to listen to a program of this type by, for example, time shifting, a control command is issued from the server 21 at a predetermined time before the start of broadcasting by a request from the user, and in response to the control command. Recording of a program is started in the terminal device 40. As a result, the user can, for example, check the program as needed even when away from home and instruct recording, not only simplifying the program selection, but also reliably listening to the selected program. Become.

(1-3) Effects of the First Embodiment According to the above configuration, the program information of the program that the user tends to listen to on the basis of the keyword is selected from the program information acquired from various information sources. By selecting and notifying the user, even if many programs are broadcast,
The burden on the user for selecting a program can be reduced.

Further, by requesting the server to provide such program information and displaying the program information provided from the server, the burden on the user to select a program can be reduced.

Further, by controlling the operation of the recording device and recording the program of the program information provided in this manner, not only the program selection can be simplified, but also the selected program can be surely previewed. it can.

(2) Second Embodiment FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a program information providing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this program information providing system 60, a terminal device 61 is a portable terminal device that receives provision of program information and issues a request for recording reservation of a program. That is, in the terminal device 61, the system controller 62 operates in the terminal device 4
In the same manner as the system controller 43 at 0, the server 21 is accessed via the telephone line, and a request for providing program information periodically and a request for providing program information by access are issued. Further, the program information obtained from the server 21 is recorded in the memory 63, and the
3 is a liquid crystal display panel (LCD) 64
To be displayed. Thus, in this embodiment, program information can be obtained even when the user is moving.

Further, the system controller 62 issues a program recording reservation request to the server 21 according to the user's selection operation based on the program information thus formed. In this case, in the request for recording reservation of the program, an address specifying the controller 70 is issued.

In the controller 70, the system controller 71 connects a line to the server 21 via a telephone line in response to a call from the server 21, and drives a remote commander 72 under the control of the server 21. Here, the remote commander 72 can remotely control various AV devices 73 by infrared rays, and can remotely control these AV devices 73 via a cable. The system controller 71
When the remote commander 72 is driven, the program specified by the terminal device 61 is recorded under the control of the server 21.

According to the second embodiment, by receiving program information by the terminal device 61 which is a dedicated terminal,
Even when moving, the program information of a desired program can be easily obtained from many programs, and the program selection can be simplified accordingly. In addition, a desired program can be selected and recorded from the program information thus provided.

Further, under the control of the server 21, various AV devices 73 are controlled by the controller 70 which is a dedicated terminal.
By remotely controlling the server and recording the program selected in this manner, even when it is difficult to control each terminal by connecting one AV device to another terminal device or the like, the server can be controlled in this manner. Thus, a desired program can be recorded.

(3) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a program is searched for by a keyword input by a user. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and this keyword is automatically input. You may make it set. In this case, for example, a method of automatically setting a keyword on the server side or on the user side based on past trial listening history or the like can be considered.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described where the program information of a program which the user has a strong tendency to listen to is provided for the broadcast which the user can receive, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the user is not limited to this. Even if the broadcast is not a receivable broadcast, a program that can be previewed in the user's area may also be notified.

In the first embodiment described above, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital satellite broadcast receiving terminal has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. It can be widely applied to receiving terminals for television broadcasting by waves and the like.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to television broadcasting has been described.
The present invention is not limited to this, and can be widely applied to broadcasting of music programs and the like.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention, various program information is searched by a keyword provided by the user, and the program information of the program which the user tends to preview is notified, so that the user can select the program. Burden can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a program information providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a chart for explaining program information for recording a program by reservation;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a terminal device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a program information providing system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a conventional digital satellite broadcasting system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Digital Satellite Broadcasting System, 12, 22, 41
…… Telephone line, 20, 60 …… Program information providing system,
26, a program information database, 29, a user information database, 30, a search engine, 31, a database management unit, 40, 61, terminal devices, 43, 62,
71: System controller, 70: Controller

Claims (17)

[Claims] A program information acquiring unit for acquiring program information of a broadcast program; a program information retaining unit for retaining the program information; and a program information retaining unit that retains the program information based on a keyword indicating a user's preference. Search for the program information,
It is characterized by comprising: program information search means for searching for program information of a program which the user tends to listen to by trial, and communication means for notifying the program information searched by the program information search means via a predetermined communication line. Program information notification device. 2. The program information notifying device according to claim 1, wherein said program information searching means searches for corresponding program information using a word notified via said communication line as said keyword. 3. The communication means registers a keyword for each user based on a word input through the communication line to construct a database, and the program information search means and the communication means The program information notification device according to claim 1, wherein the program information is searched and notified by the keyword recorded in the database in a period of (i). 4. The communication means outputs a command via the communication line to a recording device to which the program information is to be notified so that a program based on the program information is recorded by a timer. The program information notification device according to claim 1. 5. Searching for program information of a program which the user tends to listen to by trial from program information of a broadcast program acquired from a predetermined program information source based on a keyword indicating a user's preference, and using a predetermined communication line A program information notifying method of notifying the searched program information via a PC. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a corresponding program information is searched by using a word notified through the communication line as the keyword. 7. A database is constructed by registering the keywords for each user based on words input through the communication line, and the program information is recorded at predetermined intervals by the keywords recorded in the database. 6. The method for notifying program information according to claim 5, wherein the notification is performed by retrieving the program information. 8. The program information according to claim 5, wherein a command for recording a program based on the program information is output to the recording device to which the program information is notified via the communication line. Notification method. 9. A communication means for sending a keyword to a predetermined server via a predetermined communication line and receiving program information of a broadcast program specified by the keyword, and a display means for displaying the program information. A program information receiving apparatus comprising: 10. The program information receiving apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said communication means receives said program information by a call on said server side. 11. The program information receiving apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising recording means for recording a program based on said program information under control of said server. 12. The communication means is capable of instructing the server to control the recording means, and the control of the recording means is performed by the recording means connected to the communication line to execute the program based on the program information. 10. The program information receiving apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the program information is recorded. 13. A program for transmitting a keyword to a predetermined server via a predetermined communication line, receiving program information of a broadcast program specified by the keyword, and displaying the program information. How information is received. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the program information is received by a call from the server. 15. The method according to claim 13, wherein a program according to the program information is recorded under the control of the server. 16. The server can be instructed to control a recording unit, and the control of the recording unit is a control of recording a program based on the program information in a recording unit connected to the communication line. 14. The method of receiving program information according to claim 13, wherein: 17. A terminal device for controlling at least the operation of a recording device by remote control in accordance with a command from a server input via a predetermined communication line, and recording a program specified by the server. .