Patent ID: 7668867

Claim:
A method for discovering media items, implemented on a computing device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the computing device to perform acts comprising: providing a first array of media items to a user; receiving the user's selection of a media item in the first array of media items to provide a second array of media items, the second array of media items including a selected media item from the first array and a media item other than the media items found in the first array, wherein the selected media item from the first array is representative of a linking criterion linking the media items in the second array of media items, the selected media item from the first array is displayed in a middle cell of the second array of media items; removing the first array; presenting the second array of media items to the user based on the linking criterion which associates the selected media item with other media items not found in the first array; analyzing the media items to identify a characteristic of each one of the media items and, based on the characteristic, and identify a relationship among a collection of media items, the analysis comprising: analyzing visual contents via face recognition and scene recognition; analyzing audio contents via voice recognition, speech recognition, and music analysis; assessing characteristics of the media items by examining data including electronic program guide-related data, close-captioning data, and textual information accompanying the media items; recording the relationship identified by the analysis module in a linked list; wherein the media items are grouped into buckets associated with the characteristic of each one of the media items depending on whether the media items possess the characteristic and the media items presented to the user in the second array are determined by the identified relationship; and wherein the first and the second array comprise a nxm array of media items, wherein n≧2 and m≧2.