Patent ID: 6675385
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
In a system for providing an electronic program guide (EPG) to a viewer over a broadcast communications network, said broadcast communications network including a broadcasting station for transmitting on a broadcast medium, and a settop decoder at said viewer's location coupled to said broadcast medium, said broadcasting station including an EPG manager coupled to an EPG database containing basic EPG data, said broadcast communications network further including a multiple channel digital television signal, each of said multiple channels being formatted into a plurality of MPEG data packets, a method for providing said EPG over said broadcast communications network, said method comprising:retrieving said basic EPG data from said EPG database at said broadcasting station; composing a plurality of EPG Web pages in HTML format from said basic EPG data, each of said plurality of EPG Web pages having a respective URL, each of said plurality of EPG Web pages being linked by a cross referenced URL to another of said plurality of EPG Web pages to form an EPG; storing said plurality of EPG Web pages in HTML format at said broadcasting station to form a plurality of stored HTML EPG Web pages; formatting said plurality of stored HTML EPG Web pages into said plurality of MPEG data packets while retaining said HTML format; transmitting said plurality of MPEG data packets in said multiple channel digital television signal over said broadcast communications network; receiving said plurality of MPEG data packets at said settop decoder to form a received plurality of MPEG data packets including a received plurality of HTML EPG Web pages; and selecting at said settop decoder, at least one of said received plurality of HTML EPG Web pages in said HTML format for display, wherein said plurality of EPG Web pages includes a first EPG Web page representing the current time EPG data and a second EPG Web page representing a future time EPG data, and said step of formatting said plurality of stored HTML EPG Web pages into said plurality of MPEG data packet includes formatting said first EPG Web page to be transmitted over said broadcast communications network at a first data rate and formatting said second EPG Web page to be transmitted over said broadcast communications network a second data rate, wherein said first data rate is greater than said second data rate.