Electronic program guide
Electronic programming guides (EPGs) and interactive programming guides (IPGs) are menu-based systems that provide users of television, radio and other media applications with continuously updated menus that display scheduling information for current and upcoming broadcast programming (most commonly, TV listings). Some guides also feature backward scrolling to promote their catch up content. They are commonly known as guides or TV guides.
Non-interactive electronic programming guides (sometimes known as "navigation software") are typically available for television and radio, and consist of a digitally displayed, non-interactive menu of programming scheduling information shown by a
A more modern form of the EPG, associated with both television and radio broadcasting, is the interactive [electronic] programming guide (IPG, though often referred to as EPG).
Data used to populate an interactive EPG may be distributed over the Internet, either for a charge or free of charge, and implemented on equipment connected directly or through a computer to the Internet.[2]
Television-based IPGs in conjunction with Programme Delivery Control (PDC) technology can also facilitate the selection of TV shows for recording with digital video recorders (DVRs), also known as personal video recorders (PVRs).
History
Key events
North America
In 1981,
In 1986 at a trade show in
In March 1990, a second generation SuperGuide system was introduced that was integrated into the Uniden 4800 receiver.[5] This version had a color display and the hardware was based on a custom chip; it was also able to disseminate up to two weeks of programming information. When the user found the show of interest, they pressed a button on the remote and the receiver tuned to the show they wanted to watch. This unit also had a single button recording function, and controlled VCRs via an infrared output.[6] Available in North America, it was the first commercially available unit for home use that had a locally stored guide integrated with the receiver for single button viewing and taping. A presentation on the system was given at the 1990 IEEE consumer electronics symposium in Chicago.[7]
In June 1988 a patent was awarded that concerned the implementation of a searchable electronic program guide – an interactive program guide (IPG).[8]
TV Guide Magazine and Liberty Media established a joint venture in 1992 known as TV Guide On Screen to develop an EPG. The joint venture was led by video game veteran, Bruce Davis,[9] and introduced an interactive program guide to the market in late 1995 in the General Instrument CFT2200 set-top cable box.[10] Leading competitors to TV Guide On Screen included Prevue Guide and StarSight Telecast. Telecommunications Inc, owner of Liberty Media, acquired United Video Satellite Group, owner of Prevue Guide, in 1995. TV Guide On Screen and Prevue Guide were later merged. TV Guide On Screen for digital cable set top boxes premiered in the DigiCable series of set top boxes from General Instrument shortly thereafter. See wiki on TV Guide for subsequent developments.[11][circular reference]
Scientific Atlanta introduced the 8600X Advanced analog Set-top box in 1993 that included an interactive electronic program guide, downloadable software, 2-way communications, and pause/FF/REW for VCR-like viewing. Millions were deployed by Time Warner and other customers.[12]
Western Europe
In Western
Scandinavia also is a highly innovative EPG market. Even in Italy, the EPG penetration is relatively high with 38%. In France, IPTV is the main driver of EPG developments. In contrast to many other European countries, Germany lags behind, due to a relatively slow digitization process and the minor role of pay television in that country.[14]
Current applications
Interactive program guides are nearly ubiquitous in most broadcast media today. EPGs can be made available through television (on set-top boxes and all current digital TV receivers), mobile phones (particularly through smartphone apps), and on the Internet. Online TV Guides are becoming more ubiquitous, with over seven million searches for "TV Guide" being logged each month on Google.[15]
For television, IPG support is built into almost all modern receivers for digital cable,
Demand for non-interactive electronic television program guides – television channels displaying listings for currently airing and upcoming programming – has been nearly eliminated by the widespread availability of interactive program guides for television; TV Guide Network, the largest of these services, eventually abandoned its original purpose as a non-interactive EPG service and became a traditional general entertainment cable channel, eventually rebranding as Pop in January 2015. Television-based IPGs provide the same information as EPGs, but faster and often in much more detail. When television IPGs are supported by PVRs, they enable viewers to plan viewing and recording by selecting broadcasts directly from the EPG, rather than programming timers.
The aspect of an IPG most noticed by users is its graphical user interface (GUI), typically a grid or table listing channel names and program titles and times: web and television-based IPG interfaces allow the user to highlight any given listing and call up additional information about it supplied by the EPG provider. Programs on offer from subchannels may also be listed.
Typical IPGs also allow users the option of
The latest development in IPGs is personalization through a
Standards for delivery of scheduling information to television-based IPGs vary from application to application, and by country. Older television IPGs like
Devices embedded within modern digital cable and satellite television receivers, on the other hand, customarily rely upon third-party listings metadata aggregators to provide them with their on-screen listings data. Such companies include
Some IPG systems built into older set-top boxes designed to receive terrestrial digital signals and television sets with built-in digital tuners may have a lesser degree of interactive features compared to those included in cable, satellite and IPTV converters; technical limitations in these models may prevent users from accessing program listings beyond (at maximum) 16 hours in advance and complete program synopses, and the inability for the IPG to parse synopses for certain programs from the MPEG stream or displaying next-day listings until at or after 12:00 a.m. local time. IPGs built into newer television (including
A growing trend is for manufacturers such as
In developing IPG software, manufacturers must include functions to address the growing volumes of increasingly complex data associated with programming. This data includes program descriptions, schedules and
See also
References
- ^ "A typical PVR website which makes no references to "IPG", using instead "EPG" throughout for the interactive electronic programme guide, as can be confirmed with a site search". Toppy. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ "An example of a computer program to export Internet-derived data from an EPG (DigiGuide) to set timers on a PVR (Topfield)". Lineone.net. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ 1986 STTI exhibitor list, p. 33
- ^ STV Magazine. May 1987 p. 14
- ^ Onsat Magazine. June 10–16, 1990
- ^ US 5293357, Hallenbeck, Peter D., "Method and apparatus for controlling a television program recording device", published 1994-03-08, assigned to The Superguide Corp.
- ^ 1990 Transactions on IEEE consumer electronics society meeting notes/synopses, p. 310
- ^ US 4751578, Reiter, Eli; Zemering, Michael H. & Shannon, Frank, "System for electronically controllably viewing on a television updateable television programming information", published 1988-06-14, assigned to David P. Gordon
- ^ "On-Screen Guides: The Vanguard of Interactive Television". Red Herring. October 1993. p. 32.
- ^ "VCR function added to TV Guide on Screen". Broadcasting & Cable. 25 March 1996. p. 70. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ TV Guide
- ^ "Honoring the Past, Scientific Atlanta 1977-2000", "Time Warner Taps S-A for Interactive Analog Box", Multichannel News March 14, 1994
- ^ "Looking for TV Genius?". TV Genius. Red Bee Media. 25 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ "EPG Forecast, Western Europe (2008–2014)". International-Television.org. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ^ "Looking for TV Genius?". TV Genius. Red Bee Media. Archived from the original on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ Andrei Gorine (December 2002). "Programming Guide Manages Networked Digital TV". EE Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ Steve Graves (July 2008). "Hybrid Data Management Gets Traction In Set-Top Boxes". Embedded.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
External links
- "Electronic Programme Guide; Protocol for a TV Guide using electronic data transmission" (PDF). ETSI. April 2003.
300 707 V1.2.1
- "Television systems; Code of practice for an Electronic Programme Guide" (PDF). ETSI. December 2002.
TR 101 288 V1.3.1