Broadcast receiving device and program selecting method

Abstract

A tuner receives broadcast data on specified channels. A channel search unit controls the tuner to search for available channels, and creates a channel map representing the available channels and a selection order thereof. A channel order setting unit changes setting about enabling/disabling of the selection and/or the selection order of the channels in the channel map. An operation input unit accepts a channel selecting operation of a user. When the user performs an operation for channel forward selection or channel reverse selection through the operation input unit, a channel switching unit changes the selection of the channel according to the channel map and causes the tuner to receive the broadcast data on the selected channel.

1 - 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A broadcast receiving device comprising:
 a tuner receiving program information and broadcast data on a designated channel;   a search unit searching for available channels by controlling said tuner, and creating a channel map representing the available channels and an order of selection of the channels;   a setting unit creating setting information defining enabling/disabling of the selection and/or change in the selection order for the channels in said channel map; and   a program guide display unit displaying an electronic program guide in a table form having a time axis and a channel axis according to the program information received by said tuner, wherein   said program display unit displays all the selectable channels indicated by said setting information or a part of said selectable channels occupying consecutive selection positions in the selection order to align in a direction of the channel axis of said electronic program guide and in the order of the selection; and   a counter of storing, for each channel in said channel map, a number of times of change to another channel for watching, regarding that a selected certain channel was watched when the operation of selecting another channel was not performed through said operation input unit within a predetermined time after said certain channel was selected, and incrementing the number of times of watching of said selected channel, wherein   said counter increments the number of times of change for watching from a first channel to a second channel when said counter regarded that said second channel was watched after said first channel was watched, and   said setting unit creates said setting information according to the number of times of change to another channel stored for each of said channel in said counter.   
     
     
         25 . The broadcast receiving device according to  claim 24 , wherein
 said setting unit changes the selection order of the channels in said channel map such that, during watching of each channel in said channel map,   
       the channels are successively selected in descending order of the number of times of the watching stored for each of said channels in said counter.