An electronic program schedule system with access to both stored television program schedule information and data feeds containing status information for live programs such as sporting events. The system includes a data processor for receiving program schedule information for a plurality of programs and data feeds containing status information for certain of the programs, and a video display generator for generating a display signal simultaneously comprising information from both the stored schedule information and the received data feed. The system is further provided with user control means such as a remote controller for generating user control commands and transmitting signals to the data processor in response thereto so as to control the content of the display signal. The display signal may be displayed on a display apparatus such as a television receiver. In addition, the program schedule system of the present invention utilizes category-specific user interfaces providing access to multiple services including television programs, received data feeds, home shopping services, and video games as well as the stored program schedule information.

Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with data feed access

A client-server interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide client is implemented on user television equipment. The interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to define expressions that are processed by the program guide server. The program guide server may provide program guide data, schedules reminders, schedules program recordings, and parentally locks programs based on the expressions. Users' viewing histories may be tracked. The program guide server may analyze the viewing histories and generates viewing recommendations, targets advertising, and collects program ratings information based on the viewing histories.

Client-server electronic program guide

When selecting a television program for recording, a user may configure the delivery of the selected television program and associated data and interactive applications to different user equipment devices in a home network, which may have different capabilities. Because the user equipment devices in the home network may have different capabilities, the user may wish to deliver different types and amount of content, different amounts of data, and different versions of interactive applications to the user equipment devices in the home network.

Interactive media guidance system having multiple devices

An interactive information distribution system (100) includes service provider equipment for generating an information stream that is coupled to an information channel and transmitted to subscriber equipment (124). The service provider also generates a command signal that is coupled to a command channel and transmitted to the subscriber equipment (124). The service provider also receives information manipulation requests from the subscriber via a back channel (109). A communication network (110) supporting the information channel, command channel and back channel is coupled between the service provider equipment and the subscriber equipment (124).

System for interactively distributing information services

A system and method may be provided that allows users to store, retrieve, and manipulate on-demand media content and data stored on a remote server network in an on-demand media delivery system. More particularly, the system may allow a user to access his or her on-demand media account from user equipment in different locations as long as the current user equipment can communicate with a remote server that stores user-specific information. The system upon user selection may freeze the delivery of on-demand media at a particular point and allow the user to resume the media at a later time from some other network location in system. Users may upload personal images or files to an on-demand delivery server for later retrieval and display. Users may be permitted to assign access rights to the uploaded files.

Systems and methods for providing storage of data on servers in an on-demand media delivery system

A video server system and method has a modular and expandable system design to deliver a plurality of video streams on user demand and under user control. The video server system and method has a central control module adapted to receive control commands such as SELECT, PLAY, REWIND, PAUSE etc. to select and playback a video from a plurality of videos stored in a storage module. The central control module is a computer motherboard having a first small computer serial interface (SCSI) coupled to the storage device. The central control module also has memory for buffering data blocks of video retrieved from the storage device or devices prior to delivery to the delivery module also included in the system. The delivery module is also a computer motherboard having memory and also having a plurality of video processors for processing the video data prior to coupling the data to a client location. The delivery module additionally has a SCSI interface configured to operate in a target mode so that the central control module transfers video data to the delivery module in the same manner that it would use if it were writing to a conventional SCSI disk drive.

Pong-Sheng Wang

Papers

System and process for delivering digital data on demand