Group live-view interactive program guide

A method of providing media in a media system of a hospitality establishment, the method comprising:

• detecting an event occurrence by a computer server;
• in response to detecting the event occurrence, retrieving by the computer server user information corresponding to a guest assigned to a particular guest room of the hospitality establishment from a user profile server via an external computer network,
• selecting a plurality of original video streams from a plurality of available original video streams according to the user information;
• receiving the plurality of original video streams at the computer server;
• dynamically generating, by the computer server, a guide video stream that includes each of the original video streams resized and arranged such that all of the original video streams are simultaneously visible and playing on the guide video stream at a plurality of first positions and such that the guide video stream further includes a reserved space for a picture-in-picture preview area, wherein the reserved space for the picture-in-picture preview area does not overlap with the plurality of first positions;
• transmitting the guide video stream from the computer server to a set-top box located in the particular guest room;
• sending to the set-top box RF channel details for the plurality of original video streams playing at each of the plurality of first positions;
• receiving the guide video stream at the set-top box via a first RF tuner included in the set-top box;
• displaying the guide video stream on a display device by the set-top box;
• providing, by the set-top box, an interactive user interface on the display device in conjunction with the guide video stream to thereby allow a user of the set-top box to select one of the original video streams shown playing on the guide video stream for preview;
• utilizing the RF channel details to determine a particular RF channel that corresponds to a position of a particular original video stream selected by the user on the guide video stream;
• changing a second RF tuner included in the set-top box to receive the particular RF channel by the set-top box in response to the user selecting the particular original video stream for preview;
• playing an audio portion of the particular original video stream on one or more speakers while continuing to display the guide video stream on the display device by the set-top box, and further playing a video portion of the particular original video stream as a preview resized and superimposed over the picture-in-picture preview area of the guide video stream such that the original video streams shown playing on the guide video stream within the first positions are all still visible and playing along with the preview on the display device, the second RF tuner receiving the particular original video stream simultaneously with the first RF tuner receiving the guide video stream;
• allowing the user to select the particular original video stream for full screen playback via the interactive user interface while the preview of the particular original video stream is being played superimposed over the picture-in-picture preview area of the guide video stream;
• and
• in response to the user selecting the particular original video stream for full screen playback, playing full screen on the display device the particular original video stream already being received via the second RF tuner by the set-top box.

A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising a plurality of processor executable instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform steps of:

• detecting an event occurrence by a computer server;
• in response to detecting the event occurrence, retrieving by the computer server user information corresponding to a guest assigned to a particular guest room of a hospitality establishment from a user profile server via an external computer network;
• selecting a plurality of original video streams from a plurality of available original video streams according to the user information;
• receiving the plurality of original video streams at the computer server;
• dynamically generating, by the computer server, a guide video stream that includes each of the original video streams resized and arranged such that all of the original video streams are simultaneously visible and playing on the guide video stream at a plurality of first positions and such that the guide video stream further includes a reserved space for a picture-in-picture preview area, wherein the reserved space for the picture-in-picture preview area does not overlap with the plurality of first positions;
• transmitting the guide video stream from the computer server to a set-top box located in the particular guest room;
• sending to the set-top box RF channel details for the plurality of original video streams playing at each of the plurality of first positions;
• receiving the guide video stream at the set-top box via a first RF tuner included in the set-top box;
• displaying the guide video stream on a display device by the set-top box;
• providing, by the set-top box, an interactive user interface on the display device in conjunction with the guide video stream to thereby allow a user of the set-top box to select one of the original video streams shown playing on the guide video stream for preview;
• utilizing the RF channel details to determine a particular RF channel that corresponds to a position of a particular original video stream selected by the user on the guide video stream;
• changing a second RF tuner included in the set-top box to receive the particular RF channel by the set-top box in response to the user selecting the particular original video stream for preview;
• playing an audio portion of the particular original video stream on one or more speakers while continuing to display the guide video stream on the display device by the set-top box, and further playing a video portion of the particular original video stream as a preview resized and superimposed over the picture-in-picture preview area of the guide video stream such that the original video streams shown playing on the guide video stream within the first positions are all still visible and playing along with the preview on the display device, the second RF tuner receiving the particular original video stream simultaneously with the first RF tuner receiving the guide video stream;
• allowing the user to select the particular original video stream for full screen playback via the interactive user interface while the preview of the particular original video stream is being played superimposed over the picture-in-picture preview area of the guide video stream;
• and
• in response to the user selecting the particular original video stream for full screen playback, playing full screen on the display device the particular original video stream already being received via the second RF tuner by the set-top box.