Electronic Program Guide Content Manager for Popular Program Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronic program guides, popular programs are often scattered and users must manually search to find favorites, with existing features only listing popular shows on active channels without considering all time slots.
Innovation Solution
A content manager component that modifies the electronic program guide to prominently display favorite programs and popular programs for respective time slots, allowing users to select and rank favorite programs and automatically switch between channels showing these programs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If programs are displayed by channel rows from left to right, then the program guide maintains a simple and systematic structure, but popular programs become scattered and users must manually search to find favorites
Solution Approach 1:
The program guide is segmented into distinct sections: a popular programs section that displays favorite and popular programs prominently, and a traditional channel-based section. This segmentation allows users to quickly access popular programs without disrupting the overall systematic structure of the guide.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension to the program guide by adding a popular programs section that operates alongside the traditional channel rows. This creates a multi-dimensional layout where programs can be accessed both by channel (traditional) and by popularity (new dimension), resolving the contradiction between simplicity and ease of finding favorites.
2Loss of information
If the program guide displays all channels and time slots, then complete information is provided, but the interface becomes cluttered and popular programs are harder to locate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts popular programs from the traditional channel-based display and places them in a dedicated popular programs section. This extraction allows the main channel rows to remain uncluttered while ensuring popular programs are prominently displayed and easily locatable, without losing any program information.
Solution Approach 2:
The program guide applies different display qualities to different sections: the popular programs section uses a condensed, easy-to-scan format with prominent positioning, while the channel rows maintain their traditional detailed format. This local differentiation optimizes both information completeness and location efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing features only list popular shows on active channels, then the display remains simple, but programs outside current time slots are not considered
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-identifies and stores popular programs across all time slots and channels before the user views the guide. This preliminary action allows the popular programs section to display relevant programs for any time slot without requiring complex real-time calculations, enhancing adaptability while keeping the implementation manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The program guide automatically identifies and displays popular programs based on stored user preferences and viewing patterns, without requiring manual user input for each time slot. This self-service approach enables comprehensive time slot coverage while minimizing the complexity of program selection logic.
Data Source
AI summary
Presentation of content and display of program information in an electronic program guide (EPG) can be controlled. A content manager component of a device can control or modify display of program information in the EPG based on user information selecting favorite programs on various channels or applications. Based on the modified EPG, the content manager component can switch to respective channels or applications presenting respective favorite programs at respective times of presentation of the respective favorite programs. The content manager component also can modify the EPG to prominently display a defined number of most popular programs for respective time slots in the EPG to facilitate presentation of popular programs to the user via the EPG and selection of popular programs by the user.