Abstract: Audio enhancements can be provided for a shopping channel of an interactive television system. The audio enhancements allow a viewer of the shopping channel to customize the audio portion of the shopping experience, as well as providing the viewer with instructional voiceovers. The audio enhancements can be uploaded by the user, and then selected from a list of enhancements that are made available via the shopping channel. Implicit or explicit profiling may also be used to determine the audio enhancements to present to the user on the shopping channel.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for an electronic program guide comprises a regular guide subsystem and a child-oriented guide subsystem. The system may periodically download child-friendly graphics, animation, and audio for display by the child-oriented guide subsystem. A child-oriented remote control that has fewer and larger buttons may be used to provide commands to the child-oriented guide subsystem. The system may include a text-to-speech conversion module utilized by the child-oriented guide subsystem to produce audible speech renderings of selective text information. A ratings-based blocking module under parental control may be used for automatically blocking objectionably-rated broadcast programs from being viewable by way of the child-oriented guide subsystem.