EPG menu with a projected 3D image

A display system for displaying a graphical user interface in a plane in three dimensions with an apparent depth closer to a user, the display system comprising:

• a three-dimensional graphical user interface;
• a three-dimensional image that comprises a two-dimensional planar image with apparent depth to the user when presented in the three-dimensional graphical user interface;
• a three-dimensional interactive program guide, the display system further comprising:
• the three-dimensional graphical user interface comprising:
• a media component configured to produce a signal comprising media content and the three-dimensional interactive program guide;
• a display device communicatively coupled to the media component, the display device configured to selectively display the three-dimensional interactive program guide simultaneously with a media content image corresponding to the media content;
• wherein the media content image is presented as the three-dimensional image when the three-dimensional interactive program guide is not displayed on the display device and is temporarily converted to the three-dimensional image when the three-dimensional interactive program guide is displayed on the display device to assist the user in interacting with the three-dimensional interactive program guide;
• wherein the media component comprises a media player configured to receive the signal over a network wherein the signal comprises the media content and the three-dimensional interactive program guide while the media player is configured to simultaneously display the three-dimensional graphical user interface and the media content image corresponding to the media content;
• wherein the three-dimensional interactive program guide has the apparent depth as taken along an axis normal to a display screen of the display device wherein the apparent depth is another depth with respect to the display device and the user's point of view extending out of a physical display screen of the display device;
• wherein the apparent depth of the three-dimensional interactive program guide changes in response to input received via the three-dimensional graphical user interface that is presented simultaneously with the media content image;
• wherein the three-dimensional interactive program guide, when displayed, is positioned such that the three-dimensional interactive program guide overlaps with the three-dimensional image as taken along the axis normal to the display screen of the display device to partially embed the three-dimensional image within the three-dimensional interactive listing media content preventing a partial or an entire occluding of the three-dimensional interactive program guide;
• wherein the three-dimensional interactive program guide, when displayed, is positioned such that an apparent distance to the three-dimensional interactive program guide is greater than the apparent distance to most of the three-dimensional image as taken along an axis;
• wherein the three-dimensional graphical user interface is presented on the display device as the plane configured in three-dimensions in order for the apparent depth to appear closer to the user of the display device than the two-dimensional planar image with apparent depth of the three-dimensional image which is configured at a surface of the plane to appear further from the user of the display device wherein the three-dimensional graphical user interface has the apparent depth with respect to the display screen of the display device;
• wherein the three-dimensional graphical user interface is configured in the plane in parallel with the display screen of the display device for an apparent display device depth with respect to a display device surface of the display device;
• and
• wherein the three-dimensional graphical user interface is presented with the apparent distance along the axis from the three-dimensional graphical user interface to the surface of the plane which is greater than the apparent distance along the axis of a closest portion of the two-dimensional planar image with apparent depth of the three-dimensional image to the user preventing the partial or the entire occluding of the three-dimensional interactive program guide from the three-dimensional graphical user interface.