Media Planner Interface for Broadcast Schedule Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media entertainment systems' electronic program guides (EPGs) are cumbersome for users to navigate, as they display only limited hours of broadcast schedules across multiple channels, making it difficult to find programs of interest and plan viewing schedules, especially when programs of different durations and start times are not aligned.
Innovation Solution
A media planner architecture that receives electronic program guide data and generates a layout displaying scheduled programs by days and day parts, allowing users to easily identify and record programs of interest, with features like program recommendations and customizable filters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the EPG grid displays only limited hours and channels at one time, then the display area is manageable, but the user must scroll extensively to find programs of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional two-dimensional EPG grid into a three-dimensional interface by adding a temporal dimension. Users can navigate through multiple time periods (today, tomorrow, this week, this month) as distinct layers or views, allowing them to access programs across extended periods without extensive scrolling within a single flat grid.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the broadcast schedule into organized groups by time period (day parts such as morning, afternoon, evening, night) and channel. This segmentation allows users to focus on specific time blocks and channels of interest, reducing the need to scan through the entire schedule and minimizing scrolling requirements.
2Loss of information
If the EPG grid shows programs of different durations with varying cell sizes, then program information is accurate, but it is difficult to quickly determine programs scheduled during particular time periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making all program cells within the same time period and channel uniform in size and alignment, regardless of actual program duration. This local uniformity within each time block allows users to quickly scan and identify programs by time period without the visual disruption of varying cell sizes, while program duration information is still preserved through metadata or separate indicators.
3Loss of information
If the EPG grid displays detailed program information, then program descriptors are comprehensive, but the interface becomes cumbersome for planning entire week's viewing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a multi-functional interface that can display and manage programs across different time scales (hours, days, weeks, months) within a single unified system. The interface provides overview capabilities for weekly planning while maintaining access to detailed program information, allowing users to plan entire weeks of viewing without navigating between multiple separate tools or interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables users to perform preliminary actions such as pre-selecting favorite channels, setting viewing preferences, and pre-planning recording schedules for the entire week in advance. The system prepares and organizes program data according to user preferences beforehand, so when users access the weekly view, the information is already filtered and organized, reducing the complexity of weekly planning.
Data Source
AI summary
A media planner displays descriptors that represent programs that are scheduled for broadcast on tiles according to a layout. The layout arranges the tiles according to a day and a day part based on a scheduled broadcast date and time associated with a program.