SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSPORTING, PROCESSING, STORING AND DISPLAYING EIT AND EPG INFORMATION IN A TELEVISION SYSTEM CONTEXT

Abstract

An electronic program guide executing in a set top box provides real-time guide EIT information to users for periods beyond the six hours of conventional systems. Each transport providing information to the set top box contains a predetermined number of hours of full EIT data and a predetermined number of days of sparse EIT data. The sparse EIT data allows users to see information for programming in real time days into the future without having to tune to a different transport.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/104,110.

[0002] This invention relates to systems and methods for transporting, processing, storing and displaying data and information such as that associated with electronic programming guides and Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) information and Event Information Table (EIT) information in a television system context.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Advances in technology continue to create a wide variety of services and programs offered to users via television and other video equipment. Such content may be disseminated via various media including cable, satellite, broadcast, and terrestrial systems such as LMDS and MMDS. Such content may include (1) traditional broadcast and cable television programs, (2) video services, such as pay-per-view (PPV), near video-on-demand, promo channels, electronic programming guides, and localized or specially formatted information, (3) cable delivered pc-based content and services, and (4) interactive services.

[0004] A variety of devices may be used to interface to service a content delivery media, such as, for example, a set top box (STB) connected to a user's TV set. For purposes of this document, the term STB is used to refer to any and all such interface devices. Typically, today's STB capabilities include receiving signals from the media, providing content in a number of channels and causing the subscribers' TV set to display the selected channel.

[0005] Today, users can view programming or service information (SI) for near term services and program contents. However, a user may wish to determine which programs or contents are available for a future period, for example, a summary for seven days in the future. At this time, SI contains only a limited amount of information regarding future programming.

[0006] Currently, a user scrolls, for example, an electronic programming guide (EPG) for a display of available programming. The STB has to tune away from the current program, access requested data, obtain the requested information and display that information on the user's TV set. A user may wait anywhere from 3-20 seconds during this process. To return to the user's originally viewed channel, the STB reverses these steps while the user waits to return to original program.

[0007] It would be advantageous to provide users with event information conveniently in real time for a longer period such as, up to one week in the future. Conventional arrangements do not provide this capability. For large or multiple networks, the event information table (EIT) and SI information constitutes an amount of data so great that the STB cannot store all the data effectively for multiple days, for all networks and transports, compressed or uncompressed. Further, the latency caused by breaking large files into smaller files with some duplicate data is not effective.

[0008] Consequently, a need exists for systems and methods for efficiently providing information such as EIT and EPG information corresponding to longer periods of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 shows one arrangement for providing EIT and EPG information to a terminal.

[0010] FIG. 2 shows a paradigm of transporting, receiving, storing and displaying information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 3 shows a MMDS system and support processes of the present invention and forming the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 shows one method 10 for providing event information to a user. Each transport 12, 14, 16 carries two three-hour segment events 18, 20 and 22. In a three hour segment, the full EIT information 24 for that period is available. Typically, in MMDS, a transport comprises one of thirty-one six MHz channels. Each channel can have the capacity for 27 Mbits of data. Thus, in a transport between 6-12 video programs (more for others such as audio, still frame, and web page information) can be viewed from a programming guide.

[0013] In the method of FIG. 1, a STB can only store two three-hour segments at a time for a total of six hours of program information available to a user. Standards for providing EIT AND EPG information are disclosed in EN 300 468 v1.3.1. (1997-09) of the European Standard Telecommunications series document.

[0014] Operationally, if a user wants to view a selection of available programs, he scrolls an electronic programming guide. If the desired information is not in the STB, the STB tunes away to the home transport 28 (also referred to as the home channel). The home transport 28 contains full EIT 29 information across the entire M period for all programs. In the present environment, a user can only select from programming information up to six hours in the future without tuning to the home channel. This is due to memory limitations in the STB. The STB must then select the correct transport, retrieve it and display the event information on the user's TV. To return back to the user's prior viewing channel, the STB reverses the prior process. The STB selects the original transport, retrieves it and displays it on the user's TV. A time delay of between 3-20 seconds occurs while the user waits to received the selected information.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a paradigm 30 of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A user may view event information using the present invention up to M days in the future.

[0016] A user scrolls through an electronic programming source to find a desired program. A plurality of transports (32, 34, and 36) contains from 0 to N hours 38 of full set of EIT data 40 for all transports. A full EIT provides information regarding the events contained within each service. Such information includes for example, the name of the event, start time, duration of event, running status, and descriptors. Descriptors may include the kind of program, such as sports or entertainment, name of director and actors, and program rating.

[0017] From N hours 38 to M days 42, each transport contains sparse EIT data 44. Sparse EIT data is a subset of the full EIT data. A sparse EIT 44 contains for example, the name of event, start time, duration and event rating. Thus a single transport contains the full EIT 40 for N hours 38 and sparse EIT 44 for up to M days.

[0018] An actual transport 46 carries the full EIT 48 for its transport from N hours 38 to K days 49. Actual transport represents the currently tuned transport.

[0019] Content providers may utilize a variety of mediums to transmit event information to the STB under the present invention including MMDS, LMDS, satellite, DVB, wireless and wireline cable and digital transmission systems.

[0020] A conventional MMDS 50 of the sort shown in FIG. 3 has support processes of the present invention and form the present invention. A content provider provides media 52 such as information, data and content to the MMDS site 54. A RF link 56 transports that information, data and content to a plurality of STBs 58, 60 and 62. Each STB 58, 60 and 62 is operatively connected to equipment 64, 66 and 68 at a user location. Equipment 64, 66 and 68 may include a TV set or displaying device. Programming and/or content is available for viewing by a user from the equipment 64, 66 and 68.

[0021] Operationally, a user scrolls a program guide to find out information about future programming, for example 3 days away. The STB stores in memory the sparse EIT M days in the future for the requested programming information. If full information is needed, the STB tunes into that transport, obtains that information to display that information on the users TV. When the user has completed reviewing the selected information, the STB knows from memory where the transport is located that the user was originally tuned to (i.e. the actual transport) and returns to that transport.

[0022] This method and system is advantageous because it better utilizes memory in the STB while minimizing data transmission requirements of the system. The bandwidth that is saved by this invention and can be used to provide additional services to the subscriber.

[0023] Another advantage of the present invention is that all transports are used in a manner that provides coverage for all seven days of EIT and EPG information without requiring additional memory in the STB.

[0024] While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these descriptions are given for purpose of illustration and explanation. Variations, changes, modifications and departures from the systems and methods disclosed above may be adopted without departure from the scope or spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for providing video services, comprising:

a set top box;

an electronic program guide executing on said set top box;

a plurality of transports each containing a predetermined number of hours of full EIT data and a predetermined number of days of sparse EIT data, wherein said electronic program guide responds to user requests for electronic program guide information using said full and sparse EIT data.