Patent ID: 8566873

Claim:
A method for formulating a program guide screen on a set top box used by a customer of a service provider, the method comprising steps of: identifying a plurality of predetermined programs from a content provider for which the set-top box is eligible; receiving program description information from the service provider, wherein: receiving the program description information occurs at a storage device, and the service provider is remote to the set top box and the storage device is located in proximity to the set top box; receiving a plurality of video clips from the service provider at the storage device, wherein at least one of the video clips comprises video scenes extracted from one of the plurality of predetermined programs; storing the video clips at the storage device without input from the customer selecting one of the video clips, wherein at least two of the video clips include respective first and second audio tracks; associating the predetermined programs with the video clips at the service provider; associating respective portions of the program description information with respective ones of the predetermined programs at the service provider; automatically removing from the storage device at least a portion of the video clips or at least a portion of the program description information if the associated predetermined programs are no longer available from the content provider; formulating the program guide screen by retrieving at least respective portions of the plurality of previously stored video clips and at least respective portions of the program description information from the storage device; and providing a user interface, configured to: generate at least two selectable regions on the program guide screen, the at least two selectable regions each simultaneously displaying a dynamic representation of the previously stored respective video clips of the predetermined programs; selectively switch play between the first and second audio tracks; display notification symbols for each of the stored video clips when the associated predetermined programs are immediately available for playback with full or partial control of the playback, wherein the notification symbols are selected from a plurality of variants; and allow the customer to watch from a beginning one of the predetermined programs from the service provider by selecting one of the selectable regions.