A display apparatus and a method of controlling the display apparatus include displaying a plurality of display items on a display screen; acquiring a coordinate value of a position on the display screen pointed to by an input device; positioning a virtual pointer on the display screen in an area of first one of the plurality of display items that is proximate to the acquired coordinate value and highlighting the first display item on the display screen; and in response to the input device pointing to a new position, moving the virtual pointer according to a new coordinate value of the new position pointed to by the input device and highlighting a second one of the plurality of display items that is proximate to the new coordinate value on the display screen.