Dynamic Program Guide Cell Sizing for Information Completeness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic program guides face challenges in displaying all program information effectively, as fixed cell sizes can result in information truncation for short programs, while adjustable cell sizes lead to reduced program visibility and increased scrolling requirements, compromising the compactness and viewability of the guide.
Innovation Solution
A program guide generation apparatus and method that calculates a time-base size and inside content size for each program display frame based on broadcast duration and information amount, allowing dynamic adjustment of frame sizes to ensure complete information display without compromising the compactness of the time axis direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fixed cell size is used in the program guide layout, then more programs can be displayed on one screen and scrolling operations are minimized, but program information cannot be fully displayed when the cell size is too small for short-duration programs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic cell size adjustment where the height of program guide cells is automatically modified based on the duration of broadcast programs. Shorter programs receive smaller cell heights while longer programs receive larger cell heights, allowing the layout to adapt to content requirements rather than forcing uniform sizing. This resolves the contradiction by enabling both compact display for short programs and sufficient space for longer programs with more information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of cell height dynamically based on program duration. By calculating the appropriate cell height proportional to the broadcast duration, the system optimizes the balance between displaying maximum programs per screen and ensuring complete information display for each program, eliminating the need for fixed cell size compromises.
2Loss of information
If the cell size expands to accommodate all program information, then complete program information can be displayed, but the cell size extends in the time axis direction reducing the number of programs visible on one screen and increasing scrolling requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly expanding all cells to ensure information completeness, the system dynamically adjusts each cell's height based on actual program duration and information requirements. This selective expansion ensures that only necessary cells increase in size, maintaining compactness for short programs while providing adequate space for longer programs, thus balancing information completeness with screen efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different cell heights to different programs based on their specific information requirements. Instead of a uniform expansion approach, each program cell is locally optimized with the minimum necessary height to display its information completely, preventing unnecessary vertical space consumption and maximizing the number of programs visible on screen.
3Reliability
If a minimum value for cell size is set to prevent truncation, then short programs can display at least some information, but either only partial program information can be displayed or the minimum value becomes large causing the same problems as expanding cell sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the static minimum cell size approach with dynamic sizing based on program duration. Instead of forcing a minimum height that may be too large for short programs or too small for long programs, the cell height is calculated proportionally to the broadcast duration, ensuring reliable information display for all programs without the compromises of fixed minimum values.
Data Source
AI summary
A program guide generation apparatus includes: a program-related information acquisition unit that acquires program-related information including information related to a start time of a broadcast program, information related to a broadcast duration length being the length of the duration of the broadcast of the broadcast program; a program display frame size calculation unit that calculates a time-base size obtained from the broadcast duration length and calculates an inside content size; a program guide generation unit that generates layout data of the program display frame in accordance with the time-base size calculated by the program display frame size calculation unit; and a display update unit that, upon a program display frame being selected by an operation input inputted via an input device, changes a size of the selected program display frame to the inside content size.