Patent ID: 7516140

Claim:
A processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions, the instructions comprising: accepting a raw media metadata from a media metadata provider. wherein the raw media metadata comprises media metadata properties used as information populating an electronic program guide; creating, by a processor, a dense media metadata data structure by extracting property instances of the media metadata properties from the raw media metadata for storing as compressed electronic program guide information, the dense media metadata data structure comprising: a first property table that includes multiple property instances of a first property type corresponding to one of the media metadata properties extracted from the raw media metadata, wherein duplicate property instances as extracted are not permitted; a second property table that includes multiple property instances of a second property type corresponding to a different one of the media metadata properties extracted from the raw media metadata, wherein duplicate property instances as extracted are not permitted; a media item object table that includes multiple media item entries, each unique media item entry of the multiple media item entries referencing a corresponding property instance in a corresponding property table, at least one property instance of the first and second property tables, wherein each media item entry includes a bit mask indicating at least one property table referenced by the media item object; a schedule object table that includes multiple schedule entries, each schedule entry of the multiple schedule entries referencing a single unique media item entry from among the multiple media item entries in the media item object table; a station object table that includes multiple station entries; and a station entry of the multiple station entries referencing a single unique schedule entry from among the multiple schedule entries in the schedule object table; and transmitting the compressed electronic program guide information to a client device via a network.