Patent Publication Number: US-2011072462-A1

Title: System and Method to Modify an Electronic Program Guide

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure is generally related to modifying an electronic program guide. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A set-top box device may display portions of an electronic-program guide. The electronic program guide may identify media content that is available for viewing. A viewer may be interested in viewing a particular type of media content via the set-top box device. The viewer may spend time and effort interacting with the electronic program guide when attempting to identify portions of the electronic program guide that have the particular type of media content. The viewer may find it frustrating trying to identify the portions of the electronic program guide that have the particular type of media content when the electronic program guide displays a large amount of content (e.g. hundreds of channels). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a first particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a second particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a third particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a fourth particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of a first particular embodiment of a method to modify an electronic program guide; 
         FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of a second particular embodiment of a method to modify an electronic program guide; and 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a general computer system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A set-top box device may determine interaction data based on user interaction with a first portion of an electronic program guide. The set-top box device may perform an analysis of the interaction data and the first portion of the electronic program guide. The set-top box device may identify a second portion of the electronic program guide based on the analysis. The set-top box device may modify the electronic program guide to display the second portion of the electronic program guide adjacent to a location of the first portion of the electronic program guide. 
     In a particular embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes determining, at a set-top box device, first interaction data based on user interaction with a first portion of an electronic program guide that is displayable via the set-top box device. The computer-implemented method includes performing an analysis of the first interaction data and the first portion of the electronic program guide. The computer-implemented method also includes identifying a second portion of the electronic program guide based on the analysis. The computer-implemented method further includes modifying the electronic program guide to display the second portion of the electronic program guide adjacent to a location of the first portion of the electronic program guide. 
     In another particular embodiment, a set-top box device includes a processor and a computer-readable storage medium including operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine user interaction data including first data associated with displaying channels of an electronic program guide. The user interaction data includes a predetermined number of user selections that include a most recent user selection. The computer-readable storage medium further includes operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify a recommended channel of the electronic program guide based on the user interaction data. The computer-readable storage medium further includes operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to modify the electronic program guide to display the recommended channel adjacent to a location of one of the channels. 
     In another particular embodiment, a set-top box device includes a network interface to receive media content from a media content server. The set-top box device also includes a display interface to send the media content to a display device and to display an electronic program guide based on a user profile. The set-top box device further includes a computer-readable storage medium including an analyzer module that when executed by a processor causes the analyzer module to determine first interaction data based on a first period of user interaction with a first portion of the electronic program guide, to identify a second portion of the electronic program guide based on the first interaction data, and to modify the electronic program guide to display the second portion of the electronic program guide adjacent to a location of the first portion of the electronic program guide. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a block diagram of a first particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide is depicted and generally designated  100 . The system  100  includes a set-top box device  102  coupled to a media content server  104  via a network  106 . 
     The media content server  104  may send media content  190  to the set-top box device  102  via the network  106 . The media content  190  may include television programming content, movie content, video-on-demand content, over-the-top content, other media content, or any combination thereof. 
     The network  106  may include one or more transmission media, such as fiber-optic cable, Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) cable, twisted pair cable, wireless transmission media (e.g. 802.11 or 802.16), other transmission media, or any combination thereof. The network  106  may receive the media content  190  from the media content server  104  and may send the media content  190  to the set-top box device  102 . In a particular embodiment, the network  106  is an Internet Protocol (IP) based network. 
     The set-top box device  102  may be coupled to a display device  110 . The set-top box device  102  may display the media content  190  at the display device  110 . A user (not shown) may interact with the set-top box device  102  via a remote control device  108 . A first portion  126  of an Electronic Program Guide (EPG)  112  may be displayed  180  at the display device  110  by the set-top box device  102 . A second portion  127  and a third portion  128  of the EPG  112  may be not displayed  180  at the display device  110  by the set-top box device  102 . 
     The EPG  112  may enable a user to select content that is of interest to the user via the remote control device  108 . The EPG  112  may also enable the user to find out more information about particular content listed in the EPG  112 . For example, using the remote control device  108 , the user may select an information command  116  to display program information  133  associated with the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . The first portion  126  of the EPG  112  may be a particular channel or set of channels having a first content type  130 . Using the remote control device  108 , the user may select a preview command  117  to display a preview  135  associated with the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . 
     In operation, the set-top box device  102  may determine first interaction data  114  based on the user interacting with the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . The first portion  126  may have an associated first content type  130 , such as action, adventure, drama, news, sports, music, another content type, or any combination thereof. For example, the user may interact with the first portion  126  of the EPG  112  by selecting one or more of the information command  116  and the preview command  117 . The set-top box device  102  may display program information  133  at the display device  110  in response to receiving the information command  116 . The program information  133  may provide information associated with the first portion  126  of the EPG  112  such as a title, a partial list of actors and actresses, a running time, a summary, a content rating, other type of information associated with media content, or any combination thereof. The set-top box device  102  may display a preview  135  at the display device  110  in response to receiving the preview command  117 . The preview  135  may be displayed for a second period of time  136 . The preview  135  may enable a viewer to view selected parts of media content associated with the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . 
     The set-top box device  102  may perform a first analysis  122  of the first interaction data  114  and the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . For example, the first analysis  122  may identify the first content type  130  of the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . The first analysis  122  may identify that the set-top box device  102  received the information command  116  and may identify that the program information  133  was displayed for the first period of time  134  at the display device  110  after the set-top box device  102  received the information command  116 . The first period of time  134  may be used to determine a weight given to the program information  133  when performing the first analysis  122 . For example, when the first period of time  134  is relatively short (e.g. less than ten seconds), the first analysis  122  may give a smaller weight to the program information  133  when performing the first analysis  122 . When the first period of time  134  is relatively long (e.g. more than ten seconds), the first analysis  122  may give a larger weight to the program information  133  when performing the first analysis  122 . When the first period of time  134  is even longer (e.g. more than twenty seconds), the first analysis  122  may give an even larger weight to the program information  133  when performing the first analysis  122 . To illustrate, the user may view the program information  133  for fifteen seconds and view the preview  135  for forty-five seconds. In this example, the program information  133  may be given a weight of twenty-five percent because the user spent twenty-five percent of the time (fifteen divided by the sum of fifteen and forty-five) viewing the program information  133 . The preview  135  may be given a weight of seventy-five percent because the user spent seventy-five percent of the time (forty-five divided by the sum of fifteen and forty-five) viewing the preview  135 . 
     The first analysis  122  may identify that the set-top box device  102  received the preview command  117  and may identify that the preview  135  was displayed at the display device  110  for the second period of time  134  after the set-top box device  102  received the preview command  117 . The second period of time  136  may be used to determine a weight given to the preview  135  when performing the first analysis  122 . For example, when the second period of time  136  is relatively short (e.g. less than ten seconds), the first analysis  122  may give a smaller weight to the preview  135  when performing the first analysis  122 . When the second period of time  136  is relatively long (e.g. more than ten seconds), the first analysis  122  may give a larger weight to the preview  135  when performing the first analysis  122 . 
     The set-top box device  102  may identify a second portion  127  of the EPG  112  based on the first analysis  122 . A second content type  131  may be associated with the second portion  127  of the EPG  112 . The second content type  131  may be similar to the first content type  130 . The set-top box device  102  may modify the EPG  112  to display the second portion  127  of the EPG  112  adjacent to a location of the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . For example, when the first portion  126  of the EPG  112  is located at channel  3 , the set-top box device  102  may modify the EPG  112  to display the second portion  127  of the EPG  112  at a location adjacent to channel  3  of the EPG  112 . 
     The set-top box device  102  may determine second interaction data  120  based on user interaction with the second portion  127  of the EPG  112 . For example, after the second portion  127  of the EPG  112  is displayed adjacent to a location of the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 , the user may interact with the second portion  127  of the EPG  112 . To illustrate, the user may select a command to display program information or a preview associated with the second interaction data  120 . The set-top box device  102  may perform a second analysis  124  based on one or more of the first interaction data  114 , the second interaction data  120 , the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 , the second portion  127  of the EPG  112 , and the first analysis  122 . Based on the second analysis  124 , the set-top box device  102  may identify a third portion  128  of the EPG  112 . A third content type  132  may be associated with the third portion  128  of the EPG  112 . The third content type  132  may be similar to one or more of the first content type  130  and the second content type  131 . 
     Thus, by performing the first analysis  122  and the second analysis  124 , the set-top box device  102  can identify the second portion  127  and the third portion  128  of the EPG  112  and modify the display device  110  to locate the portions  127 - 128  adjacent to a location of the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . The set-top box device  102  can quickly identify program content that is similar to the first content type  130  associated with the first portion  126  of the EPG  112  without the user having to search through the EPG  112 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a block diagram of a second particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide is depicted and generally designated  200 . The system  200  includes a set-top box device  202  coupled to a media content server  204  via a network  206 . 
     The media content server  204  may send media content  290  to the set-top box device  202  via the network  206 . The media content  290  may include television programming content, movie content, video-on-demand content, over-the-top content, other media content, or any combination thereof. The network  206  may receive the media content  290  from the media content server  204  and may send the media content  290  to the set-top box device  202 . 
     The set-top box device  202  includes a network interface  240 , a display interface  242 , a receiver  244 , a processor  246 , and a memory  250 . The memory  250  may include operational instructions  251  that are executable by the processor  246  to perform various functions of the set-top box device  202 . The set-top box device  202  is coupled to a display device  210  via the display interface  242 . The set-top box device  202  is coupled to the network  206  via the network interface  240 . A digital video recorder  260  is coupled to or integrated with the set-top box device  202 . The digital video recorder  260  may include one or more scheduled recordings  262 . The set-top box device  202  may display the media content  290  received from the media content server  204  at the display device  210 . Particular channels of an Electronic Program Guide (EPG)  212  may be displayed  280  at the display device  210  by the set-top box device  202 . Other channels of the Electronic Program Guide (EPG)  212  may be not displayed  281  at the display device  210  by the set-top box device  202 . The set-top box device  202  may receive user interaction data  252  at the receiver  244  from a remote control device  208 . In response to receiving the user interaction data  252 , the set-top box device  202  may modify a portion of the EPG  212  displayed  280  at the display device  210 . 
     The EPG  212  may enable a user to select a part of the media content  290  that is of interest to the user via the remote control device  208 . For example, using the remote control device  208 , the user may select a channel to display at the display device  210 . 
     In operation, the operational instructions  251  may be executed by the processor  246  to display one or more channels of the EPG  212  at the display device  210 . The operational instructions  251  may be executed by the processor  246  to determine the user interaction data  252  associated with displaying the one or more channels of the EPG  212 . The user interaction data  252  may include user selections  253 , such as a most recent user selection  254 . The user interaction data  252  may indicate a user interest level  255  associated with at least one of the channels of the EPG  212 . For example, the user interest level  255  may be determined based on a type of content  267  associated with at least one of the channels of the EPG  212 . The user interest level  255  may be determined based on one or more of the type of content  267  that is selected for display at the display device  210 , the type of content  267  that is not selected for display at the display device  210 , and the scheduled recordings  262  at the digital video recorder  260 . 
     In a particular embodiment, a predetermined number of the user selections  253  may be used to identify a recommended channel  272  (e.g. channel one-hundred-three) of the channels of the electronic program guide based on the user interaction data  252 . For example, the recent user selections  253  may include data associated with the most recent user selection  254 . The operational instructions  251  may be further executed by the processor  246  to modify the EPG  212  to relocate the recommended channel  272  (e.g. channel one-hundred-three) adjacent to a location of one of the displayed channels. For example, channel one  269 , channel two  270 , and channel three  271  of the EPG  212  may be displayed at the display device  210 . The user interaction data  252  may indicate that the recent user selections  253  include selecting and viewing channel one  269  then selecting and viewing channel two  270 . In this example, channel two  270  is the most recent user selection  254 . Based on the user interaction data  252 , the recommended channel  272  may be identified because the type of content  267  (e.g. “action”) of the recommended channel  272  is similar to the type of content  267  (e.g. “action”) of the channels  269 - 270  that the user had recently selected for viewing. The EPG  212  may be modified to relocate the recommended channel  272  adjacent to channel one  269  or channel two  270 . A predetermined number of the recent user selections  253  may be used to identify the recommended channel  272 . 
     Thus, the set-top box device  202  may identify the recommended channel  272  based on the user interaction data  252  that indicates user interaction with channels  269 - 270 . The set-top box device  202  may modify the EPG  212  to relocate the recommended channel  272  adjacent to a location of one or more of the channels  269 - 270 . The recommended channel  272  may have a type of content that is similar to the displayed channels  269 - 270  (e.g. “action”). In this way, the set-top box device  202  may locate the recommended channel  272  adjacent to a location of one or more of the displayed channels  269 - 270  without the user having to search through portions of the EPG  112  that are not displayed  281 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a block diagram of a third particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide is depicted and generally designated  300 . The system  300  includes a set-top box device  302  coupled to a media content server  304  via a network  306 . 
     The media content server  304  may send media content  390  to the set-top box device  302  via the network  306 . The media content  390  may include television programming content, movie content, video-on-demand content, over-the-top content, other media content, or any combination thereof. 
     The network  306  may include one or more transmission media, such as fiber-optic cable, Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) cable, twisted pair cable, wireless transmission media (e.g. 802.11 or 802.16), other transmission media, or any combination thereof. The network  306  may receive the media content  390  from the media content server  304  and may send the media content  390  to the set-top box device  302 . In a particular embodiment, the network  306  is an Internet Protocol (IP) based network. 
     The set-top box device  302  may be coupled to a display device  310 . The set-top box device  302  may display the media content  390  at the display device  310 . A user (not shown) may interact with the set-top box device  302  via a remote control device  308 . Particular portions (e.g. channels  1 ,  2 , and  3 ) of an Electronic Program Guide (EPG)  312  may be displayed  380  at the display device  310  by the set-top box device  302 . Other portions (e.g. channels  51 - 53 ,  101 - 103 , and  151 - 153 ) of the EPG  312  may be not displayed  381  at the display device  310 . The remote control device  308  may send user interaction data  314  to the set-top box device  302  when the user is interacting with the EPG  312 . 
     The set-top box device  302  includes a network interface  340 , a display interface  342 , a receiver  344 , a processor  346 , and a memory  350 . The memory  350  includes an analyzer module  352  that is executable by the processor  346  to perform various functions of the set-top box device  302 . The set-top box device  302  is coupled to a display device  310  via the display interface  342 . The set-top box device  302  is coupled to the network  306  via the network interface  340 . The set-top box device  302  may display media content  390  received from the media content server  304  at the display device  310 . The set-top box device  302  may receive the user interaction data  314  at the receiver  344  from the remote control device  308 . The set-top box device  302  may initially display portions of the EPG  312  at the display device  310  based on a user profile  353 . In a particular embodiment, the set-top box device  302  modifies the EPG  312  that is displayed at the display device  310  based on the user interaction data  314  and not based on the user profile  353 . The set-top box device  302  may modify the user profile  353  based on the user interaction data  314 . 
     In operation, the set-top box device  302  may receive the user interaction data  314  via the remote control device  308 . The user interaction data  314  may include various selections associated with navigating the EPG  312 , such as displaying information associated with a particular portion of the EPG  312 , displaying a preview associated with a particular portion of the EPG  312 , scheduling a recording associated with a particular portion of the EPG  312 , another interaction indicating an interest in a particular portion of the EPG  312 , or any combination thereof. The set-top box device  302  may determine first interaction data  354  based on a first period of user interaction  365  with a first portion  361  (e.g. channels one, two, and three) of the EPG  312 . The set-top box device  302  may identify a second portion  362  (e.g. channel fifty-three) of the EPG  312  based on the first interaction data  354 . The set-top box device  302  may modify the EPG  312  to display the second portion  362  of the EPG  312  adjacent to a location of the first portion  361  of the EPG  312 . For example, in  FIG. 3 , the set-top box device  302  may modify the EPG  312  to display channel fifty-three adjacent to one of channels one, two, and three. 
     The set-top box device  302  may identify second interaction data  355  based on a second period of user interaction  366  associated with displaying the second portion  362  of the EPG  312 . The set-top box device  302  may identify a third portion  363  (e.g. channel one hundred and three) of the EPG  312  based on one or more of the first interaction data  354 , the second interaction data  355 , the first portion  361  of the EPG  312 , and the second portion  362  of the EPG  312 . The set-top box device  302  may modify the EPG  312  to display the third portion  363  of the EPG  312  adjacent to a location of one of the first portion  361  and the second portion  362  of the EPG  312 . 
     The set-top box device  302  may identify third interaction data  356  based on displaying the third portion  363  of the EPG  312 . The set-top box device  302  may identify a fourth portion  364  (e.g. channel one hundred and fifty-three) of the EPG  312  based on one or more of the first interaction data  354 , the second interaction data  355 , the third interaction data  356 , the first portion  361  of the EPG  312 , the second portion  362  of the EPG  312 , and the third portion  363  of the EPG  312 . The set-top box device  302  may modify the EPG  312  to display the fourth portion  364  of the EPG  312  adjacent to a location of one of the first portion  361 , the second portion  362 , and the third portion  363  of the EPG  312 . At least one of the portions  361 - 364  of the EPG  312  may include on-demand media content. The third user interaction data  356  may be determined based on the user interaction data  314  associated with displaying previews of the on-demand media content within a particular time period. 
     Thus, the set-top box device  302  can identify the portions  362 - 364  of the EPG  312  based on the periods of user interaction  365 - 367  and display the portions  362 - 364  adjacent to the first portion  361  of the EPG  312 . By doing so, the set-top box device  302  can display media content that may be similar to the type of media content that the user has shown an interest in viewing without the user having to search the EPG  312  to find the similar media content. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a block diagram of a fourth particular embodiment of a system to modify an electronic program guide is depicted and generally designated  400 . The system  400  includes a set-top box device  402  coupled to display device  410 . 
     The set-top box device  402  may initially display portions of an Electronic Program Guide (EPG)  430  at the display device  410 . The EPG  430  may include channels  432 . Each of the channels  432  may have an associated type of content  434 . At a particular time, portions of the EPG  430  (e.g. channel one  461 , channel two  462 , and channel three  463 ) may be displayed  436  at the display  410 . Other portions of the EPG  430  (e.g. channels fifty-one  465 , fifty-two  466 , fifty-three  467 , ninety-one  468 , ninety-two  469 , and ninety-three  470 ) may be not displayed  438  at the display  410 . 
     In operation, portions of the EPG  430  may be displayed  436  at the display device  410  by the set-top box device  402 . The set-top box device  402  may receive user interaction data  452  via a remote control device  408 . The set-top box device  402  may identify one more channels of the EPG  430  based on the user interaction data  452 . For example, the user interaction data  452  may indicate user interaction with the channels  461  and  462 . The set-top box device  402  may identify that the channels fifty-three  467  and ninety-three  470  are similar to channels  461 - 462 . For example, the channels  467  and  470  may have the type of content  434  that is similar to the type of content  434  of the channels  461  and  462 . The set-top box device  402  may modify the EPG  430  to create a modified EPG  440 . The modified EPG  440  may relocate at least one of the identified channels  467  and  470  adjacent to one of the channels  461  and  462 . The set-top box device  402  may display the modified EPG  430  at the display device  410  instead of the EPG  430 . 
     Thus, the set-top box device  402  may identify the channels  467  and  470  based on the user interaction data  452  and modify the EPG  430  to display at least one of the identified channels  467  and  470  adjacent to one of the channels  461  and  462 . In this way, the set-top box device  402  may relocate the identified channels  467  and  470  adjacent to the channels  461  and  462  when the identified channels  467  and  470  have the type of content  434  that is similar to the type of content  434  of the channels  461  and  462 . 
       FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of a first particular embodiment of a method to modify an electronic program guide. The method may be performed by the set-top box device  102  of FIG.  1 , the set-top box device  202  of  FIG. 2 , the set-top box device  302  of  FIG. 3 , or the set-top box device  402  of  FIG. 4 . 
     First interaction data is determined at a set-top box device based on user interaction with a first portion of an electronic program guide that is displayable via the set-top box device, at  502 . Moving to  504 , an analysis is performed of the first interaction data and of the first portion of the electronic program guide. Advancing to  506 , a second portion of the electronic program guide is identified based on the analysis. Continuing to  508 , the electronic program guide is modified to display the second portion of the electronic program guide adjacent to a location of the first portion of the electronic program guide. For example, in  FIG. 1 , the set-top box device  102  may receive the first interaction data  114  and perform the first analysis  122 . The set-top box device  102  may identify the second portion  127  of the EPG  112  and modify the EPG  112  to display the second portion  127  adjacent to a location of the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . 
     Moving to  510 , second interaction data may be determined based on user interaction with the second portion of the electronic program guide. Proceeding to  512 , a third portion of the electronic program guide may be identified based on a second analysis. Moving to  514 , the electronic program guide may be modified to display the third portion of the electronic program guide adjacent to the location of the first portion of the electronic program guide. For example, in  FIG. 1 , the set-top box device  102  may perform the second analysis  124  based on the second interaction data  120 . The set-top box device  102  may identify the third portion  128  of the EPG  112  based on the second analysis  124 . The set-top box device  102  may modify the EPG  112  to display the third portion  128  adjacent to the first portion  126  of the EPG  112 . The method ends at  516 . 
     Thus, a set-top box device can analyze user interaction data associated with a first portion of an electronic program guide and identify a second portion of the electronic program guide that has a type of content similar to the first portion of the electronic program guide. The set-top box device can modify the electronic program guide to display the second portion adjacent to the first portion of the electronic program guide to enable a user to view the second portion without having to search through the electronic program guide to find similar content. 
       FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of a second particular embodiment of a method to modify an electronic program guide. The method may be performed by the set-top box device  102  of  FIG. 1 , the set-top box device  202  of  FIG. 2 , the set-top box device  302  of  FIG. 3 , or the set-top box device  402  of  FIG. 4 . 
     User interaction data associated with displaying channels of an electronic program guide is determined, at  602 . The user interaction data includes a predetermined number of user selections that include a most recent user selection. Moving to  604 , a recommended channel of the channels of the electronic program guide is identified based on the user interaction data. Proceeding to  606 , the electronic program guide is modified to relocate the recommended channel adjacent to a location of one of the channels. For example, in  FIG. 2 , the set-top box device  202  determines the user interaction data  252  associated with displaying the channels  266  of the EPG  212 . The set-top box device  202  identifies the recommended channel  272  based on the user interaction data  252 . The set-top box device  202  modifies the EPG  212  to relocate the recommended channel  272  adjacent to one of the channels  269  and  270 . The method ends at  608 . 
     Thus, a set-top box device may identify a recommended channel based on user interaction data associated with displaying channels of an electronic program guide. The set-top box device may modify the electronic program guide to relocate the recommended channel adjacent to a location of one of the displayed channels. In this way, the set-top box device can relocate the recommended channel adjacent to a location of one of the displayed channels without the user having to search through portions of the electronic program guide that are not displayed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , an illustrative embodiment of a general computer system is shown and is designated  700 . The computer system  700  can include a set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computer system  700  to perform any one or more of the methods or computer based functions disclosed herein. The computer system  700 , or any portion thereof, may operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computer systems or peripheral devices. The computer system  700  may be used to implement the set-top box device  102  of  FIG. 1 , the set-top box device  202  of  FIG. 2 , the set-top box device  302  of  FIG. 3 , or the set-top box device  402  of  FIG. 4 . 
     In a networked deployment, the computer system  700  may operate in the capacity of a set-top box device, a residential gateway, or a server, such as a media content server as described above with reference to  FIG. 1-4 . The computer system  700  can also be implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wireless telephone, a personal trusted device, a web appliance, or any other machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particular embodiment, the computer system  700  can be implemented using electronic devices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, while a single computer system  700  is illustrated, the term “system” shall also be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer functions. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the computer system  700  may include a processor  702 , e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics-processing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system  700  can include a main memory  704  and a static memory  706  that can communicate with each other via a bus  708 . As shown, the computer system  700  may further include a video display unit  710 , such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid-state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT). Additionally, the computer system  700  may include an input device  712 , such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device  714 , such as a mouse. The computer system  700  can also include a disk drive unit  716 , a signal generation device  718 , such as a speaker or remote control, and a network interface device  720 . 
     In a particular embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 7 , the disk drive unit  716  may include a computer-readable medium  722  in which one or more sets of instructions  724 , e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, the instructions  724  may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions  724  may reside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory  704 , the static memory  706 , and/or within the processor  702  during execution by the computer system  700 . The main memory  704  and the processor  702  also may include computer-readable media. 
     In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, such as application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or more of the methods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodiments described herein may implement functions using two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the present system encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations. 
     In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the methods described herein may be implemented by software programs executable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limited embodiment, implementations can include distributed processing, component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing. Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed to implement one or more of the methods or functionality as described herein. 
     The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium that includes instructions  724  or receives and executes instructions  724  responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device connected to a network  726  can communicate voice, video or data over the network  726 . Further, the instructions  724  may be transmitted or received over the network  726  via the network interface device  720 . 
     While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” shall also include any tangible storage medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. 
     In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, the computer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatile read-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be a random access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally, the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capture carrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmission medium. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium and other equivalents and successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored. 
     In accordance with various embodiments, the methods described herein may be implemented as one or more software programs running on a computer processor. Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement the methods described herein. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein. 
     It should also be noted that software that implements the disclosed methods may optionally be stored on a tangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium, such as a disk or tape; a magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk; or a solid state medium, such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile) memories. The software may also utilize a signal including computer instructions. 
     Although the present specification describes components and functions that may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference to particular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to such standards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP, MPEG, SMPTE, and H.264) represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed herein are considered equivalents thereof. 
     The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a complete description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the disclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may be exaggerated, while other proportions may be minimized. Accordingly, the disclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. 
     One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the description. 
     In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed to less than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimed subject matter. 
     The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the disclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.