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Claims  |
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We claim:
1. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality
of television programs;
data processing means for generating control commands;
a multimedia generator for receiving said television program schedule
information and said control commands from said data processing means and
generating, in response to said control commands, a first viewable display
comprising a portion of said television program schedule information in
grid format, said viewable display comprising program titles for a first
plurality of television channels and a plurality of time slots;
and a second viewable display comprising a portion of said television
program schedule information in grid format, said second viewable display
comprising program titles for a second plurality of television channels
and said plurality of time slots,
wherein said data processing means causes said multimedia generator to fade
out said first plurality of television channels and associated titles and
fade in said second plurality of television channels and associated
titles.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said multimedia generator generates a
third viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said third viewable display
comprising program titles for said first plurality of television channels
and a second plurality of time slots.
3. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
storage means for storing television program schedule information for a
plurality of television programs and promotional information including
digital video data and textual data;
data processing means for generating control commands;
means for receiving said digital video data from said storage means and
forming said data into a video signal;
a multimedia generator for receiving said program schedule information and
said control commands from said data processing means and generating, in
response to said control commands, a first viewable display comprising a
portion of said television program schedule information in grid format,
said viewable display comprising program titles for a first plurality of
television channels and a plurality of time slots, said viewable display
of program listings further comprising a video window displaying said
promotional video signal and a text window displaying said promotional
textual data,
and a second viewable display of television program listings in grid
format, said second viewable display of program listings comprising
program schedule information for a second plurality of television channels
and said plurality of time slots, said second plurality of television
channels differing from said first plurality of television channels,
wherein said data processing means causes said multimedia generator to fade
out said first plurality of television channels and associated listings
and fade in said second plurality of television channels and associated
listings.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein said data processor generates control
commands to said multimedia generator to control the size of said video
and text windows.
5. The system of claim 3 wherein said multimedia generator generates a
third viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said third viewable display of
program listings comprising program titles for said first plurality of
television channels and a second plurality of time slots.
6. The system of claim 4 wherein said promotional information includes data
representative of the size of said video and text windows, said data
processing means being adapted to read said representative data.
7. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality
of television programs;
means for receiving background views including graphical portions;
data processing means for selecting one of said background views and for
generating control commands;
a multimedia generator for receiving said selected background view and
control commands from said data processing means and generating, in
response to said control commands, a first viewable display comprising a
portion of said television program schedule information in grid format,
said viewable display of program schedule information comprising program
titles for a plurality of television channels and a plurality of time
slots, wherein said data processor causes said multimedia generator to
provide a video signal comprising said viewable display in partial
overlaying relationship with said background view.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein said data processing means periodically
alters said background view.
9. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
storage means for storing television program schedule information for a
plurality of television programs;
promotional information storage means for storing promotional information
including digital video data and textual data;
background view storage means for storing background views including
graphical portions;
data processing means for retrieving said program schedule and promotional
information and a background view and for generating control commands;
means for receiving said digital video data from said promotional
information storage means and forming said data into a video signal;
a multimedia generator for receiving control commands from said data
processing means and generating, in response to said control commands, a
viewable display comprising a portion of said television program schedule
information in grid format, said viewable display comprising program
titles for a plurality of television channels and a plurality of time
slots, said viewable display further comprising a video window displaying
said video signal and a text window displaying said textual data, wherein
said data processing means causes said multimedia generator to provide a
video signal comprising said viewable display in partial overlaying
relationship with said background view.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein said multimedia generator generates a
second viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said second viewable display
comprising program titles for a second plurality of television channels
and said plurality of time slots, said second viewable display further
comprising a video window displaying said video signal and a text window
displaying said textual data.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein said multimedia generator generates a
third viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said third viewable display
comprising program titles for said first plurality of television channels
and a second plurality of time slots.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said data processing means alters said
background view on a time-selected basis.
13. A process for providing an electronic television program guide on a
television channel comprising:
receiving television program schedule information,
providing a portion of said television program schedule information to a
multimedia generator,
controlling said multimedia generator with commands from a data processor,
said multimedia generator generating, in response to said control
commands, a video signal comprising a viewable display of program schedule
information in grid format, said schedule information comprising program
titles for a plurality of television channels and a plurality of time
slots,
repeating said controlling and generating steps for a second viewable
display of program schedule information comprising program titles for a
second plurality of channels and said plurality of time slots,
wherein said multimedia generator fades out said first plurality of
television channels and associated listings and fades in said second
plurality of television channels and associated listings.
14. The process of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:
controlling said multimedia generator with commands from said data
processor, said multimedia generator generating, in response to said
control commands, a video signal comprising a third viewable display of
program schedule information in grid format, said schedule information
comprising program titles for said first plurality of television channels
and a second plurality of time slots.
15. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality
of television programs, said program schedule information comprising
program title information, said program title information comprising
abbreviated titles and complete titles;
data processing means for generating control commands;
a multimedia generator for receiving said program schedule information and
said control commands from said data processing means and generating, in
response to said control commands, viewable displays of television program
schedule information in a grid comprising grid cells, said grid cells
comprising program title information, wherein said multimedia generator
generates a first viewable display of television program schedule
information for a first plurality of television channels and a plurality
of time slots, and a second viewable display of television program
schedule information for a second plurality of television channels and
said plurality of time slots, said second plurality of television channels
differing from said first plurality of television channels,
wherein said abbreviated titles and said complete titles are selected by
said data processing means from said program title information in
accordance with the available display space in said grid cells.
16. In an electronic television programming guide system including a
storage means for storing television program schedule information, data
processing means for retrieving said program schedule information and for
generating control commands, and multimedia generator means for receiving
said control commands and said retrieved program schedule information and
generating in response thereto a viewable display of television program
schedule information in grid format, a process for forming descriptions of
television programs for display in the grid cells of said listings
viewable display comprising:
providing a database of television program schedule information to a data
processor,
extracting program title and program duration information from said
schedule information,
determining the size of a grid cell in which said title information will be
displayed in response to said program duration information,
determining the available space in said grid cell,
determining the space required for display of the program title,
comparing said program title space with the available space in said grid
cell,
comparing said program title information to a library of program titles
stored in a memory means if said program title space is greater than said
grid cell space,
displaying said program title if said title is not included in said
library,
editing said title,
placing said edited title in said database, and
placing said edited title in said library.
17. A system for creating a database of program schedule information for
use with an electronic television programming guide utilizing display
cells for the display of program title information comprising:
means for extracting program title and program duration information from
said television program schedule information;
means for determining the sizes of the display cells in which said title
information will be displayed in response to said program duration
information; and for each of said display cell sizes:
means for determining the available space for the display of program title
information,
means for determining the space required for the display of said title,
means for comparing said available space with said required space,
means for comparing said program title information to a library of program
titles stored in a memory means if said required space is greater than
said available space,
means for displaying said program title if said title is not included in
said library,
means for editing said title, and
means for placing said edited title in said database.
18. The system of claim 17 wherein said program schedule information
comprises program titles for time slots of about 30, 60, 90 and 120
minutes.
19. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
storage means for storing television program schedule information, said
program schedule information comprising information identifying the
program channel, program start time, program duration, and program title
for a plurality of television programs;
data processing means for generating control commands;
a multimedia generator for receiving said control commands from said data
processing means and a portion of said program schedule information from
said storage means and generating in response thereto a video signal
comprising a first viewable display of television program schedule
information in grid format for a first plurality of television channels
and a plurality of time slots, wherein, after a predetermined amount of
time, said multimedia generator generates a second video signal comprising
a second viewable display of television program schedule information in
grid format for a second plurality of television channels and said
plurality of time slots, said second plurality of television channels
differing from said first plurality of television channels;
wherein said viewable displays comprise rows to designate television
channels and columns to designate time slots, said program titles being
displayed in the grid formed by said rows and columns, and said multimedia
generator fades out said first plurality of television channels and
associated titles and fades in said second plurality of channels and
associated titles and provides said viewable displays in video signal
format to a modulator for transmission as a television signal.
20. The system of claim 19 wherein the grid generated by said multimedia
generator comprises grid cells of varying lengths.
21. The system of claim 20 wherein the lengths of said grid cells are
proportional to the durations of said time slots.
22. The system of claim 19 further comprising storage means for storing
promotional information including video data and associated textual data,
wherein said control commands comprise window control commands, and said
multimedia generator generates a third viewable display of program
listings comprising program titles for a third plurality of television
channels, a promotional video window for displaying said video data, and a
promotional text window for displaying said promotional textual data in
response to said window control commands.
23. The system of claim 19 further comprising background view storage means
for storing background views, wherein said data processor retrieves a
background view from said background view storage means and said
multimedia generator provides said viewable displays of program schedule
information in partial overlaying relationship with said background view.
24. The system of claim 23 wherein said data processing means alters said
background view on a time-selected basis.
25. The system of claim 22 wherein said window control commands control the
size of said video and text windows.
26. A process for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
receiving television program schedule information for a plurality of
television programs,
receiving background views including graphical portions,
controlling a multimedia generator using control commands from a data
processor,
selecting one of said received background views for display,
generating, in response to said control commands, a video signal comprising
a viewable display of a portion of said television program schedule
information in grid format, said viewable display comprising program
titles for a plurality of television channels and a plurality of time
slots, wherein said video signal comprises said viewable display in
partial overlaying relationship with said selected background view.
27. The process of claim 26 further comprising generating, in response to
said control commands, a second video signal comprising a second viewable
display of a second portion of said television program schedule
information in grid format, said second viewable display comprising
program titles for a second plurality of television channels and said
plurality of time slots, wherein said second video signal comprises said
second viewable display in partial overlaying relationship with said
selected background view.
28. The process of claim 26 or 27 wherein said data processor selects said
background view.
29. The process of claim 28 wherein said data processor periodically alters
said selected background view.
30. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality
of television programs;
data processing means for generating control commands;
a multimedia generator for receiving said program schedule information and
said control commands from said data processing means and generating, in
response to said control commands, a first viewable display comprising a
portion of said television program schedule information in grid format,
said viewable display comprising program titles for a plurality of
television channels and a plurality of time slots, and a second viewable
display comprising a portion of said television program schedule
information in grid format, said second viewable display comprising
program titles for said plurality of television channels and a second
plurality of time slots,
wherein said data processing means causes said multimedia generator to fade
out said first plurality of time slots and associated titles and fade in
said second plurality of time slots and associated titles.
31. The system of claim 30 wherein said multimedia generator generates a
third viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said third viewable display
comprising program titles for a second plurality of television channels
and said second plurality of time slots.
32. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
storage means for storing television program schedule information for a
plurality of television programs;
background view storage means for storing background views including
graphical portions;
data processing means for retrieving said program schedule information and
one of said background views and for generating control commands;
a multimedia generator for receiving said selected background view and
control commands from said data processing means and generating, in
response to said control commands, a first viewable display comprising a
portion of said television program schedule information in grid format,
said viewable display of program listings comprising program titles for a
plurality of television channels and a plurality of time slots, wherein
said data processor causes said multimedia generator to provide a video
signal comprising said viewable display in partial overlaying relationship
with said background view.
33. The system of claim 7 or 32 wherein said multimedia generator generates
a second viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said second viewable display
comprising program titles for said plurality of television channels and a
second plurality of time slots.
34. The system of claim 7 or 32 wherein said data processing means alters
said background view on a seasonal basis.
35. The system of claim 7 or 32 wherein said data processing means selects
said background view based on the geographic location of said system.
36. The system of claim 7 or 32 wherein said data processing means selects
said background view based on a holiday or special event.
37. The system of claim 9 wherein said multimedia generator generates a
second viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said second viewable display
comprising program titles for said plurality of television channels and a
second plurality of time slots, said second viewable display further
comprising a video window displaying said video signal and a text window
displaying said textual data.
38. A process for providing an electronic television program guide on a
television channel comprising:
receiving television program schedule information,
providing a portion of said television program schedule information to a
multimedia generator,
controlling said multimedia generator with commands from a data processor,
said multimedia generator generating, in response to said control
commands, a video signal comprising a viewable display of program schedule
information in grid format, said schedule information comprising program
titles for a plurality of television channels and a plurality of time
slots,
modulating said video signal to a television channel frequency,
transmitting said video signal for a predetermined period of time,
repeating said controlling, generating, modulating, and transmitting steps
for a second viewable display of program schedule information comprising
program titles for said plurality of channels and a second plurality of
time slots,
wherein said multimedia generator fades out said first plurality of time
slots and associated listings and fades in said second plurality of time
slots and associated listings after said predetermined period of time.
39. The system of claim 17 further comprising means for placing said edited
title in said library.
40. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality
of television programs;
means for receiving promotional information including digital video data
and associated textual data;
means for forming said digital video data into a promotional video signal;
data processing means for generating control commands;
a multimedia generator for receiving control commands from said data
processing means and generating, in response to said control commands, a
first viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said viewable display of program
listings comprising program titles for a first plurality of television
channels and a plurality of time slots;
and a second viewable display comprising a portion of said television
program schedule information in grid format, said second viewable display
comprising program titles for a second plurality of television channels
and said plurality of time slots, said second viewable display further
comprising a video window containing said promotional video signal and a
text window containing said promotional text,
wherein said second plurality of television channels is less than said
first plurality of television channels and said data processing means
causes said multimedia generator to fade out said first plurality of
television channels and associated titles and fade in said second
plurality of television channels, the titles associated with said second
plurality of television channels, and said video and text windows.
41. The process according to claim 13 further comprising:
modulating said video signal to a television channel frequency and
transmitting said video signal for a predetermined time period, wherein
after said predetermined time period said multimedia generator fades out
said first plurality of television channels and associated titles and
fades in said second plurality of television channels and associated
titles.
42. The system of claim 7 wherein said background views comprise a
pictorial graphical portion.
43. The system of claim 7 wherein said background views comprise a textual
portion.
44. The system of claim 42 wherein said pictorial graphical portion is
animated.
45. The process of claim 13 or 14 further comprising:
receiving promotional information including digital video data and
associated textual data,
forming said digital video data into a promotional video signal,
providing said promotional video signal and said textual data to said
multimedia generator,
wherein at least one of said viewable displays generated by said multimedia
generator further comprises a video window containing said promotional
video signal and a text window containing said promotional textual data.
46. The process of claim 45 wherein said data processor generates control
commands to said multimedia generator to control the size of said video
and text windows.
47. The system of claim 1 or claim 30 further comprising:
means for receiving promotional information including digital video data
and associated textual data;
means for forming said digital video data into a promotional video signal;
wherein said data processor causes said promotional video signal and said
textual data to be provided to said multimedia generator; and
said viewable displays of program listings generated by said multimedia
generator further comprise a video window containing said promotional
video signal and a text window containing said promotional textual data.
48. The system of claim 47, wherein said multimedia generator generates a
third viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said third viewable display
comprising program titles for said first plurality of television channels
and said second plurality of time slots.
49. The system of claim 7 or 32 wherein said multimedia generator generates
a second viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said second viewable display
comprising program titles for a second plurality of television channels
and said plurality of time slots.
50. The system of claim 49 wherein said data processing means periodically
alters said background view.
51. The system of claim 49 wherein said multimedia generator generates a
third viewable display comprising a portion of said television program
schedule information in grid format, said third viewable display of
program listings comprising program titles for said first, plurality of
television channels and a second plurality of time slots.
52. The system of claim 51 wherein said data processing means alters said
background view.
53. The system of claim 51 wherein said data processing means alters said
background view on a time selected basis.
54. The process of claim 26 or 27 wherein said data processor selects said
selected background view on a seasonal basis.
55. The process of claim 26 or 27 wherein said data processor selects said
background view based on a geographical basis.
56. The system of claim 47 wherein said data processor generates control
commands to said multimedia generator to control the size of said video
and text windows.
57. The system of claims 7, 8, 9, or 23 wherein said background views
comprise bit maps.
58. The process of claim 13, 14, 26, or 27 further comprising the steps of
selecting an audio signal and transmitting said audio signal together with
said viewable displays of program listings.
59. The system of claim 1, 10, or 30 wherein at least one of said second
plurality of television channels is not included in said first plurality
of television channels.
60. The system of claim 1, 2, 3, 7, or 9 wherein said multimedia generator
provides said viewable displays in video signal format to a modulator for
transmission as a television signal.
61. The system of claims 1, 2, 5 or 11 wherein at least one of said second
plurality of time slots is not included in said first plurality of time
slots.
62. A method of creating a database of program schedule information for use
with an electronic programming guide comprising:
providing a database of television program schedule information to a data
processor,
extracting program title and program duration information from said
schedule information,
determining the size of a display cell in which said title information will
be displayed in response to said program duration information,
determining the available space in said display cell,
determining the space required for display of the program title,
comparing said program title space with the available space in said grid
cell,
comparing said program title information to a library of program titles
stored in a memory means if said program title space is greater than said
display cell space,
displaying said program title if said title is not included in said
library,
editing said title,
placing said edited title in said database, and
placing said edited title in said library.
63. The method of claim 62 further comprising the steps of:
generating a viewable display of program schedule information for a
predetermined portion of said television program schedule information
comprising, for each program included in said predetermined portion, a
display cell for displaying one of the complete program title and an
edited program title,
providing said viewable display as a television signal, and
transmitting said television signal on a television channel.
64. A system for providing an electronic television programming guide on a
television channel comprising:
means for receiving television program schedule information for a plurality
of television programs, said program schedule information comprising
program title information, said program title information comprising
abbreviated titles and complete titles;
data processing means for generating control commands;
a display generator for receiving said program schedule information and
said control commands from said data processing means and generating, in
response to said control commands, a viewable display of television
program schedule information in a grid comprising display cells, at least
one said display cell having an available space for displaying said
program title information;
wherein said data processing means selects said abbreviated title or said
complete title in accordance with the available display space in each said
display cell in which program title information is to be displayed.
65. The system of claim 64 further comprising:
means for providing said viewable display as a television signal, and
means for transmitting said television signal on a television channel.
66. The system of claim 56 further comprising a clock for maintaining the
current time wherein said data processing means alters said background
view in response to the current time.
67. The system of claims 1, 3, 7, 9, 19, 30 or 32 further comprising
background music generating means for generating an audio signal wherein
said data processing means generates further control commands and in
response thereto said multimedia generator selects said background music
generating means and generates a composite signal comprising one of said
viewable displays of program listings and said audio signal.
68. The system of claim 67 wherein said composite video signal is an NTSC
composite signal.
69. The system of claim 47 wherein said multimedia generator provides said
viewable displays in video signal format to a modulator for transmission
as a television signal.
70. The system of claim 48 wherein said multimedia generator provides said
viewable displays in video signal format to a modulator for transmission
as a television signal.
71. The system of claim 48 wherein at least one of said second plurality of
time slots is not included in said first plurality of time slots.
72. The system of claim 51 wherein at least one of said second plurality of
time slots is not included in said first plurality of time slots. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electronic program guide system which provides
a user with schedule information for broadcast or cablecast programs
available for viewing on a television receiver. More particularly, it
relates to an improved electronic program guide channel that provides the
viewer with a more versatile, readable, and aesthetically pleasing display
of program listings as well as promotional information.
Electronic program guides for television systems are known in the art,
particularly with regard to cable television systems. For example, one
common implementation of a electronic program guide channel utilizes a
dedicated cable television channel for continuously broadcasting program
schedule information. The advantage of such a system is that it is
relatively easy to deploy because it is centrally implemented at the cable
head-end. No additional electronics or software are required at the viewer
location because full control of the display is maintained at the cable
head-end. The display information is then broadcast continuously on a
dedicated cable channel. The television viewer simply tunes the cable
converter box or television tuner to the channel on which the schedule
information is modulated and views the program listings. Typically, these
program guides utilize a scrolling display of television listings. Some
systems employ a partial screen of listings with additional information in
the remainder of the screen such as advertisements for movies on pay
channels, pay-per-view (PPV) event schedules, time and weather
information, and other commercial information. These systems generally
incorporate a grid or matrix to display the program schedule information,
with a different row for each channel and columns representing different
time slots.
Collectively, the prior electronic program guide systems are frustrating
for the viewer and do not incorporate features that render them especially
useful. They also lack features that would make them aesthetically
pleasing to watch. These deficiencies contribute to their limited use by
viewers and general preference for printed television schedules. For
example, only a few rows (channels) are typically displayed at one time
and scrolled either continuously or periodically, so that, in a cable
system with a large number of channels, the time for completing one cycle
through the listings for all the channels may be several minutes, and the
viewer may be required to wait some time to view the schedule for a
desired channel. In addition, many viewers may find a continuously
scrolling program guide difficult to read because their eyes must follow
the listings as they move up the screen. Scrolling listings are also used
in guides that display program listings in a split screen format together
with promotional and other information. The split screen format is
necessitated because of the need to include commercial advertising in the
screen as well as the schedule information. However, it may be frustrating
for viewers to be forced to continuously view this information while they
are waiting for the schedule information for a desired channel to appear
on the display.
Another possible reason why electronic program guides are under-utilized is
they simply are boring to watch. While a full screen of listings allows
for the display of more schedule information at one time and thus a
shorter cycle time through the entire program schedule, viewers could be
bored by the monotony of continuously viewing a full screen of listings.
As indicated above, however, split screen program guides that
simultaneously display additional information of possible interest to the
viewer have the disadvantage of much longer cycle times.
An additional problem with prior program guides is that program titles must
be truncated to fit into the cells of the grid. The width of the grid
cells vary with the duration of the program. Thus, a 30 minute program is
allotted only a small amount of space for the program title and
description. Therefore, titles and/or descriptions for half and even full
hour programs must often be truncated in order to fit into the allotted
space. Some systems simply cut off the description of a program without
abbreviating it in any way so the user is unable to determine the subject
matter of the program. For example, a recent television program display
included the following text in a grid cell: "Baseball: Yankees v."
Truncation of program listings in this manner greatly reduces the utility
of the program guide and is frustrating for viewers. Although some systems
partially alleviate this problem by providing two lines of text in each
grid cell, this solution is not ideal because program descriptions may
still be truncated.
A similar problem arises with electronic program guides as the time slots
change. Typically, 90 minutes of schedule information is displayed at one
time and at every half-hour, the 90 minute window shifts ahead by 30
minutes. In the case where a 30 minute shift causes a 30 minute size grid
cell to display, e.g., a two-hour movie, it is likely that the full title
of the movie will not fit into the cell. Truncation of the title is thus
required in this situation as well. In this case, while two lines of text
may be desirable to fit the title in the 30 minute cell, this may not be
the case for the 60 or 90 minute cells because there may be sufficient
space in these cells to fit the title on a single line.
There thus exists a need for substantial improvements in existing
electronic television program guide channels that will make the guides
more useful for the viewer and more pleasant to watch, while still meeting
the needs of the cable operator in terms of including commercial
information in addition to program schedules. Electronic program guide
channels represent a potentially useful tool for the viewer as well as a
source of revenue for cable operators, but it is believed that current
program guides are being under-utilized because of the aforementioned
drawbacks with these systems.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved technique of displaying
program information in order to make program schedule grids more readable.
There also exists a need for an improved technique of displaying program
information and associated commercial information in order to reduce the
cycle time for displaying the complete schedule of program information.
There also exists a need for providing a more aesthetically pleasing
display environment for the program schedule information.
There also exists a need for providing more flexible display formats for
the program schedule information that can be readily altered and
interchanged by the cable operator.
There is also a particular need for an improved display of text in the
cells comprising the program schedule grid.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a electronic program guide which can
provide improved display of program listings and video promotions in a
manner that does not detract from the utility of the program guide.
For example, them is a particular need for a flexible program schedule
system that allows the cable operator to broadcast full screen displays of
program schedule information as well as partial | | |
