Electronic program guides are utilized in association with televisions and television receivers to allow users to locate programs of interest for viewing and/or recording. Typically, program information is presented in a grid format. Time slots are arranged along a horizontal axis of the electronic programming guide and channels are arranged along a vertical axis of the electronic programming guide. The user may scroll along both the horizontal and vertical axes of the electronic programming guide to locate programs of interest for viewing and/or recording. A problem with grid based electronic programming guides is that limited space is available for presenting additional information related to the programming guide data, and thus, users are deprived of useful information that could be presented in association with the electronic programming guide data.
The same number represents the same element or same type of element in all drawings.
The various embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus, systems and methods which facilitate the display of television guide information. More particularly, responsive to user selection of particular portions of an electronic programming guide, supplemental content related to the guide information may be displayed to a user. An electronic programming guide is initially displayed in first and second portions of a display menu. Responsive to a user selection, the size of the display menu devoted to the electronic programming guide data is modified to free space for the display of supplemental content. Thus, the supplemental content is presented in a first portion of the display menu previously devoted to the electronic programming guide. The electronic programming guide is simultaneously presented in a second portion of the display menu. In other words, the electronic programming guide data is shrunk such that supplemental content may be presented simultaneously with the electronic programming guide data in the space originally occupied by the electronic programming guide data. In short, the various embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus, systems and methods for visually displaying electronic programming guide data and supplemental content related to the electronic programming guide simultaneously responsive to user input.
The television receiver 102 is operable to receive content from one or more content sources (not shown in
The display device 104 may comprise any type of device capable of receiving and outputting a video signal in any format. Exemplary embodiments of the display device 104 include a television, a computer monitor, a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, a touch screen and a projector. The display device 104 and the television receiver 102 may be communicatively coupled through any type of wired or wireless interface. For example, the display device 104 may be communicatively coupled to the television receiver 102 through a coaxial cable, component or composite video cables, an HDMI cable, a VGA or SVGA cable, a Bluetooth or WiFi wireless connection or the like. In at least one embodiment, the television receiver 102 and the display device 104 may be integrated as a device combining the functionality of a display device and a television receiver.
The remote control 106 may comprise any system or apparatus configured to remotely control the output of content by the television receiver 102. The remote control 106 may minimally include a transmitter, an input device (e.g., a keypad) and a processor for controlling the operation of the remote control 106. The remote control 106 may communicate commands to the television receiver 102 requesting to playback content, temporally move through content (e.g., fast-forward or reverse), adjust the volume access electronic programming guides, set or edit recording timers and the like. In some embodiments, the remote control 106 may additionally be configured to remotely control the display device 104. The remote control 106 may communicate with the television receiver 102 and/or the display device 104 through any type of wireless communication medium, such as infrared (IR) signals or radio-frequency (RF) signals.
The remote control 106 may include any type of man-machine interface for receiving input from the user 108. For example, the remote control 106 may include buttons for receiving input from the user 108. In at least one embodiment, the remote control 106 includes a touch pad for receiving input from the user 108. The remote control 106 may further include a trigger, utilized in association with the touch pad, for allowing the user 108 to input information associated with the menus displayed on-screen.
To locate television programs available for viewing, the user 108 utilizes the remote control 106 to request access to an electronic programming guide of the television receiver 102.
The electronic programming guide 202 graphically displays television programs for multiple channels and time slots in a grid format. In the illustrated embodiment, time slots are arranged along a horizontal axis of the electronic programming guide 202 and channels are arranged along a vertical axis of the electronic programming guide 202. The user 108 may scroll along both the horizontal and vertical axes of the electronic programming guide to locate programs of interest for recording. The user 108 may then provide input to the television receiver 102, via the remote control 106, requesting to view and/or record particular programs listed in the electronic programming guide 202. It is to be appreciated that other formats of electronic programming guides 202 may be utilized in accordance with the teachings described herein. For example, time slots may be arranged along the vertical axis and channels may be arranged along the horizontal axis of an electronic programming guide.
In the illustrated embodiment of
As the user 108 scrolls through the electronic program guide 202, particular cells of the grid, such as a cell corresponding with a particular channel or a cell corresponding with a particular television program, may be selected by the user 108. For example, the user 108 may utilize arrow keys and an enter button of the remote control 106 to highlight and select the cell 206 of the grid corresponding with the Basketball Game television program. Responsive to the user selection, the television receiver 102 identifies supplemental content for presentation in association with the electronic programming guide 202.
In at least one embodiment, the television receiver 102 shrinks the size of the electronic programming guide 202 to accommodate the display of the supplemental content.
The electronic programming guide 202 is smaller in
In some embodiments, the supplemental content 304 displayed by the television receiver 102 may be identified based on particular regions of the electronic programming guide 202 selected by the user 108. For example, the supplemental content 304 may be identified based on characteristics of the television channel and/or television program selected in the electronic programming guide 202 by the user 108. As illustrated in
In other embodiments, the supplemental content 304 may be identified by the television receiver 104 based on either of the television program or the particular channel selected. For example, the supplemental content 304 may be information regarding a football game to be broadcast on the Sports Network. Likewise, the supplemental content 304 may advertise basketball tickets for one of the teams playing in the Basketball Game, and thus, may have nothing to do with the selected channel.
In at least one embodiment, the supplemental content 304 may allow the user 108 to set a recording timer for an advertised television event. For example, as illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, the user 108 may select the Sports Network 101 cell to view supplemental content 304 related to the network. Thus, a general advertisement or other information related to the television network may be presented in the supplemental content 304 panel. In some embodiments, the supplemental content 304 presented for a particular channel may be identified based partially on characteristics of the particular program selected as well as the particular channel. For example, if the user 108 selects a movie or television program including a particular actor, then the supplemental content 304 displayed to the user 108 may comprise an advertisement for another movie or television show including the same actor.
In at least one embodiment, the supplemental content 304 is identified by the television receiver 102 based on analyzation of the data associated with a particular cell of the electronic programming guide 202 selected by the user 108. For example, the supplemental content 304 may present advertisements for upcoming events that include the same actor(s) as a television program associated with the highlighted cell. Other characteristics may also be utilized, such as topical characteristics of television shows, e.g., food, home-improvement and cars. For example, if the user 108 selects a cell of the electronic programming guide 202 related to a cooking show, then the supplemental content 304 may display advertisements or information related to upcoming cooking shows. In at least one embodiment, the identification process is utilized to provide advertisements or previews for programs on other unrelated networks. For example, if the user selects a program on network A that includes actor A, then the supplemental content 304 may present an advertisement for an upcoming movie including actor A on unrelated network B.
In at least one embodiment, the supplemental content 304 may include a video preview regarding an upcoming event.
In the illustrated display menu 500, the user 108 selects cell 504 of the electronic programming guide 502. Responsively, the television receiver 102 displays the supplemental content 506 in the display menu 500. In the illustrated embodiment, the supplemental content 506 includes an advertisement for an upcoming movie on the same channel. Additionally, the supplemental content 506 includes a video preview 508 for the upcoming event. To initiate playback of the video preview 508, the user I 08 may actuate the preview button 510. The user 108 may also set a recording timer for the event by actuating the record button 512.
The video preview 508 may be stored locally on the television receiver 102 prior to presentation of the supplemental content 506. For example, a video provider may transmit video preview data to a television receiver 102 in association with electronic programming guide data. The television receiver 102 may store the video previews for on-demand viewing by a user 108. In other embodiments, the television receiver 102 may query an external server for the video preview data responsive to actuation of the preview button 510 by the user 108.
The tuner 602 is operable to receive an audio/video input 610 from a content source. More particularly, the tuner 602 receives and tunes a television signal including television programming. The tuner 602 may receive an over-the-air broadcast, a direct broadcast satellite signal, a cable television signal or an internet protocol television (IPTV) signal and tune the audio/video input 610 to extract the selected television programming. In at least one embodiment, the television receiver 102A may include multiple tuners 602, utilized by the user 108, to view and/or record multiple television programs simultaneously.
The storage medium 604 is operable to store electronic programming guide data and other system information utilized by the television receiver 102A. The storage medium 604 may comprise any type of non-volatile memory appropriate for storing video signals recorded by the television receiver 102A. Exemplary storage mediums 604 include semi-conductor memory, hard drives (e.g., magnetic memory) and flash memory. In some embodiments, the television receiver 102A may optionally include DVR functionality to record and persistently store video signals received by the television receiver 102A. For example, the storage medium 604 may include a hard drive for storing video signals. In at least one embodiment, the storage medium 604 may be utilized to store video previews, advertising information and the like for on-demand viewing by the user 108. In some embodiments, a hard drive or other storage medium may be internally located within the television receiver 102A. In other embodiments, a hard drive or other storage medium may be located external with respect to the television receiver 102A. The television receiver 107A may also utilize a combination of internal and external storage mediums 604 for storage of video signals and other data.
The processor 606 is operable to control the operation of the television receiver 102A. The processor 606 may be a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices that cooperatively operate to control the operation of the television receiver 102A. The processor 606 may include various components or modules for processing and outputting audio/video content. Exemplary components or modules for processing audio/video content include a demodulator, a decoder, a decompressor, a conditional access module and a transcoder module.
The processor 606 is operable to receive the audio/video input stream 610, received via the tuner 602, and generate an audio/video output stream based on the audio/video input 610 for display by an associated display device 104. An audio/video output stream is outputted to the display device 104 (see
The interface module 608 is operable to wirelessly receive data from the remote control 106. The interface module 608 may communicate with the remote control 106 utilizing any type of IR or RF communication link. In at least one embodiment, the interface module 608 receives a key code from the remote control 106, and responsively provides the key code to the processor 606. In some embodiments, the interface module 608 may receive positional information from a scrolling device of the remote control 106, e.g., a touch pad, scroll wheel or the like. Some of the data received by the interface module 608 may request to view electronic programming guide data and the like.
The processor 606 is operable to receive user input requesting to display an electronic programming guide. Responsive to the user input, the processor 606 outputs a display menu, for display by the display device 104, that includes the electronic programming guide data. More particularly, the programming guide data is displayed in first and second portions of the display menu.
After outputting a programming guide for display to the user 108, the processor 606 receives user input selecting a region of the programming guide. In other words, the user 108 may highlight a cell of the programming guide corresponding with a particular channel or program listed in the programming guide. The processor 606 processes the user input to identify supplemental content for display by the display device 104. In at least one embodiment, the supplemental content is identified by the processor 606 based on the region of the programming guide selected by the user, e.g., the particular channel or program selected by the user. The processor 606 then outputs simultaneously, for display in the display menu, supplemental content in the first portion of the display menu and the programming guide in the second portion of the display menu. If the user 108 provides input requesting to exit the supplemental content, then the processor 606 responsively outputs the programming guide in the first and second portions of the display menu, returning the programming guide to its original size.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various functional elements 602 through 608 shown as operable within the television receiver 102A may be combined into fewer discrete elements or may be broken up into a larger number of discrete functional elements as a matter of design choice. Thus, the particular functional decomposition suggested by
The process includes displaying a programming guide in first and second portions of the display menu (operation 702). In at least one embodiment, the first and second portions of the display menu comprise a single panel of a display menu. The panel may be positioned in any region of the display menu and may be any appropriate size depending on desired design criteria. The programming guide may be displayed in association with other data in the display menu, such as a video output of presently viewed programming.
The process further includes receiving user input selecting a region of the programming guide (operation 704). For example, a user may select a particular cell of the programming guide, selecting a program or channel of the programming guide. The process further includes identifying supplemental content for display to the user (operation 706). In at least one embodiment, the supplemental content is identified based on characteristics of the region of the programming guide selected by the user.
The process farther includes displaying supplemental content in the first portion of the display menu responsive to the user input and simultaneously displaying the programming guide in the second portion of the display menu (operation 708). Thus, the programming guide data is resized to accommodate the display of the supplemental content. In at least one embodiment, the programming guide data is presented in a first panel of the display menu and the programming guide data is presented in a second display menu. Thus, the user is presented with supplemental information, e.g., advertisements for upcoming programming, on-demand simultaneously with the programming guide data.
Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope of the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims and any equivalents therein.