Electronic program guide: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:10, 25 November 2021

Revision as of 02:30, 26 December 2021

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{{Short description|Television term}}

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A more modern form of the EPG, associated with both television and radio broadcasting, is the interactive [electronic] programming guide (IPG, though often referred to as EPG).<ref>{{cite web|title=A typical PVR website which makes no references to "IPG", using instead "EPG" throughout for the interactive electronic programme guide, as can be confirmed with a site search|url=http://www.toppy.org.uk/|website=Toppy}}</ref> An IPG allows television viewers and radio listeners to navigate scheduling information menus interactively, selecting and discovering programming by time, title, channel or genre using an input device such as a [[keypad]], computer [[Keyboard (computing)|keyboard]] or television [[remote control]]. Its interactive menus are generated entirely within local receiving or display equipment using raw scheduling data sent by individual broadcast stations or centralized scheduling information providers. A typical IPG provides information covering a span of seven or 14 days.

Data used to populate an interactive EPG may be distributed over the [[Internet]], either for a charge or free of charge, and implemented on equipment connected directly or through a computer to the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|title=An example of a computer program to export Internet-derived data from an EPG (DigiGuide) to set timers on a PVR (Topfield)|url=http://website.lineone.net/~rwein/toppy/toppy.htm|website=Lineone.net}}</ref> {{deadDead link|date=March 2021}}</ref>

Television-based IPGs in conjunction with [[Programme Delivery Control]] (PDC) technology can also facilitate the selection of TV shows for recording with [[digital video recorder]]s (DVRs), also known as personal video recorders (PVRs).

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===Key events===

[[File:EPG-TVGuide.png|thumb|''[[Pop (U.S. TV network)|The EPG Channel]]'', an electronic program guide (EPG) from 1987.]]

====North America====

In 1981, [[Gemstar-TV Guide International|United Video Satellite Group]] launched the first EPG service in [[North America]], a cable channel known simply as [[Pop (U.S. TV network)|The Electronic Program Guide]]. It allowed cable systems in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] to provide on-screen listings to their subscribers 24 hours a day (displaying programming information up to 90 minutes in advance) on a dedicated cable channel. Raw listings data for the service was supplied via [[communications satellite|satellite]] to participating cable systems, each of which installed a computer within its headend facility to present that data to subscribers in a format customized to the system's unique channel lineup. The EPG Channel would later be renamed Prevue Guide and go on to serve as the de facto EPG service for North American cable systems throughout the remainder of the 1980s, the entirety of the 1990s, and – as TV Guide Network or TV Guide Channel – for the first decade of the 21st century.

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In June 1988, {{Cite patent|US|4751578}} was awarded to Eli Reiter, Michael H. Zemering and Frank Shannon. This patent concerned the implementation of a searchable electronic program guide – an interactive program guide (IPG).

TV Guide Magazine and Liberty Media established a joint venture in 1992 known as TV Guide On Screen to develop an EPG. The JV was led by video game veteran, Bruce Davis.<ref>On-Screen Guides: The Vanguard of Interactive Television, Red Herring, October 1993, page32</ref> Leading competitors to TV Guide On Screen included Prevue Guide and Starsight Telecast. The joint venture introduced an interactive program guide to the market in late 1995 in the General Instrument CFT2200 set top cable box.<ref> press release: TV Guide On Screen Preferred by 80% of Participants in Usability Study of Interactive Program Guides, May 1, 1995 </ref> Telecommunications Inc, owner of Liberty Media, acquired United Video Satellite Group, owner of Prevue Guide, in 1995. TV Guide On Screen and Prevue Guide were later merged. TV Guide On Screen for digital cable set top boxes premiered in the DigiCable series of set top boxes from General Instrument shortly thereafter. See wiki on TV Guide for subsequent developments.<ref>[[TV Guide]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=May 2020}}

Scientific Atlanta introduced the 8600X Advanced analog Set-top box in 1993 that included an interactive electronic program guide, downloadable software, 2-way communications, and pause/FF/REW for VCR-like viewing. Millions were deployed by Time Warner and other customers. <ref>"Honoring the Past, Scientific Atlanta 1977-2000", "Time Warner Taps S-A for Interactive Analog Box", Multichannel News March 14, 1994</ref>

====Western Europe====

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Devices embedded within modern digital cable and satellite television receivers, on the other hand, customarily rely upon third-party listings metadata aggregators to provide them with their on-screen listings data. Such companies include [[Tribune Media Services|Tribune TV Data]], Gemstar-TV Guide (now [[TiVo Corporation]]), FYI Television, Inc. in the United States and Europe; TV Media in the United States and Canada; Broadcasting Dataservices in Europe and Dayscript in [[Latin America]]; and What's On India Media Pvt. Ltd in [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Indonesia]], the [[Middle East]] and [[Asia]].

Some IPG systems built into older set-top boxes designed to receive terrestrial digital signals and television sets with built-in digital tuners may have a lesser degree of interactive features compared to those included in cable, satellite and IPTV converters; technical limitations in these models may prevent users from accessing program listings beyond (at maximum) 16 hours in advance and complete program synopses, and the inability for the IPG to parse synopses for certain programs from the MPEG stream or displaying next-day listings until at or after 12:00 &nbsp;a.m. local time. IPGs built into newer television (including [[Smart TV]]), digital terrestrial set-top box and antenna-ready DVR models feature on-screen displays and interactive guide features more comparable to their pay television set-top counterparts, including the ability to display grids and, in the case of DVRs intended for terrestrial use, the ability – with an Internet connection – to access listings and content from [[over-the-top content|over-the-top]] services.

A growing trend is for manufacturers such as [[Elgato]] and [[Topfield]] and software developers such as [[Microsoft]] in their [[Windows Media Center]] to use an Internet connection to acquire data for their built-in IPGs. This enables greater interactivity with the IPG such as media downloads, [[Season ticket|series recording]] and programming of the recordings for the IPG remotely; for example, [[Icetv|IceTV]] in Australia enables TiVo-like services to competing DVR/PVR manufacturers and software companies.

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[[Category:Television terminology]]