Enhanced Electronic Program Guide With Thumbnail Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing Electronic Program Guides (EPGs) for digital broadcasting are limited in providing user-friendly information, offering only fixed text such as program titles and times, which inconveniences users with numerous TV channels and lacks visual representation.
Innovation Solution
A display apparatus and method that connects to multiple source devices, receives metadata from these sources, processes this data to generate an enhanced EPG with graphic data, and displays it in a predetermined order, allowing for thumbnail images and improved user interface for easier content selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional fixed text EPG is used, then device complexity is low, but user interface quality and information presentation capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional text-only EPG (one-dimensional information) to enhanced EPG with thumbnail images, graphics, and visual elements (multi-dimensional information presentation). This dimensionality change enriches the user interface quality by providing visual representation of program content, making it more intuitive and engaging while maintaining manageable system complexity through standardized processing protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces metadata as an intermediary layer between the content sources and the EPG display system. This metadata contains structured information about programs, episodes, and visual elements, enabling the system to generate enhanced EPG without directly processing complex content from multiple sources. The metadata acts as a mediator that simplifies information integration while enhancing presentation quality.
2Loss of information
If multiple source devices are integrated, then information completeness and user experience improve, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal metadata processing framework that handles information from multiple diverse source devices (broadcasting systems, internet platforms, local storage) through a common interface and standardized protocols. This multi-functional approach enables the system to integrate information from various sources without creating separate processing paths for each source, thereby maintaining information completeness while controlling data processing complexity through standardization.
3Loss of information
If detailed program information is provided, then user decision-making capability improves, but information overload and navigation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments program information into hierarchical levels: program-level metadata (basic information), episode-level metadata (detailed information), and visual elements (thumbnails, graphics). This segmentation allows users to access detailed information when needed while maintaining a clean, navigable interface at the program level. The segmented structure enables progressive disclosure of information, reducing navigation difficulty while preserving information completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
A television controlled by a remote controller, the television including a network interface to receive metadata corresponding to a content to be displayed on a screen, the metadata includes a thumbnail image, title information, actor information, genre information and synopsis information corresponding to the content, and a controller configured to control a display to display a thumbnail image corresponding to the content based on the received metadata on the screen, control the display to display title information, actor information, genre information and synopsis information corresponding to the specific content based on the received metadata, control the display to display related content information relates to another content corresponding to the specific content based on the received metadata, and when the related content information is selected, control the display to display a thumbnail image corresponding to the another content, a first item to identify a first source providing the another content and the second item to identify a second source providing the another content, the second source is different from the first source.