Abstract:
Methods and systems are disclosed that provide a user with efficient video-rich navigation (VRN) of media assets in an interactive media guidance application, such as an interactive program guide. A user can select a displayed video asset and perform an action on the selectable video asset, for example, using a remote control. The manner in which the video assets are displayed and the actions enabled for the particular video assets are defined by screen data transmitted to the user equipment in a VRN data feed.
Abstract:
An interactive television program guide system for determining user input values for demographic categories is provided. The system includes user television equipment having a receiver for receiving program guide information for the interactive television program guide, a user input receiver for receiving user input from user interface, a microprocessor which utilizes the user input received to determine user values for demographic categories, and memory for storing the user values determined. In one illustrative use of the system for targeting advertisements the receiver also receives advertisements, where the advertisements have preselected values for specified demographic categories. The user television equipment, preferably using a microprocessor, compares the preselected values for the specified demographic categories associated with the advertisements with values of corresponding demographic categories stored in memory to determine which advertisements should be displayed.
Abstract:
A program guide system is provided that supports a program guide application and multiple non-guide applications. The program guide system has a program guide application interface that allows the non-guide applications to use both device resources and program guide resources. The application interface maintains a list of registered applications and directs control requests from various applications to the current primary application. The application interface also has a user interface input director that directs keystrokes and other user input commands to the appropriate application. If a keystroke for the program guide application is detected while a non-guide application is running, the program guide application is invoked.
Abstract:
The present invention allows control of the presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs, and enables a single broadcasting of each advertisement associated with a network to be made to numerous television systems in parallel. The presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs is controlled in the present invention by determining at television viewer equipment whether the television networks, channels, or programs with which the advertisements are associated are unavailable to the television viewer or are undesirable to the television viewer. Once this determination has been made, the television viewer equipment then presents the advertisements, or selects and presents suitable alternative advertisements. A single broadcasting of each network advertisement to all television systems is enabled in the present invention by broadcasting each advertisement with a network identifier to all television systems. At the television systems, the network identifier and channel map or program guide information located in television viewer equipment are then used by an interactive program guide or other application running in the television viewer equipment to determine whether a local affiliate for that network is available and not designated as undesirable by the television viewer. If the local affiliate is available and not designated as undesirable, the advertisement is then presented to the television viewer, otherwise a suitable alternative advertisement is then identified and presented to the television viewer.
Abstract:
A program guide system is provided in which an interactive television program guide that is implemented at least partially on user television equipment receives program listings data and real-time data such as sports scores, news data, and the like. The real-time data may be stored in a database maintained by the program guide, so that the program guide may access the stored real-time data at a later time. Updated program listings information may be provided to the program guide as part of the data stream in which the real-time data is provided. Unique keys may be generated for the program listings data and real-time data associated with each live event. The keys may be compared at the program guide to determine which program listings correspond to which items of real-time data. A controllable ticker may be displayed on top of a television program on the user television equipment. The controllable ticker may be sponsored. Different types of real-time data may be assigned different expiration times. When data has expired it may be removed from the database.
Abstract:
When selecting a television program for recording, a user may configure the delivery of the selected television program and associated data and interactive applications to different user equipment devices in a home network, which may have different capabilities. Because the user equipment devices in the home network may have different capabilities, the user may wish to deliver different types and amount of content, different amounts of data, and different versions of interactive applications to the user equipment devices in the home network.