Picture recorder and commercial message detection method

A picture recorder that records TV broadcast programs and skips commercial sections included in broadcasts for reproduction, includes: an audio input unit that separates an audio signal from the broadcast program; and an audio processing unit that detects a commercial section from an audio signal separated in the audio input unit, and generates the reproduction position information indicating the position of the commercial section. The audio processing unit includes: a silent section determining unit that compares the level of an audio signal included in the broadcast program with a threshold V0, and determines a section less than V0 as a silent section; and a commercial section determining unit that, when the interval T between adjacent silent sections matches a predetermined time length Tc, determines a section sandwiched by the silent sections as a commercial section.