Method and apparatus for auto-tuning program guides
AssigneeThomson Licensing
InventorsDarrel W. RANDALL, Steven C. RHOADS
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A user interface for a content distribution system is disclosed which allows a manager of an environment of TV sets to view which content is playing on individual TV sets, and to change, track and otherwise adjust the content. The invention advantageously provides these features without interfering with other TV sets' programming when another TV set is being adjusted, changes or tracked by the manager. The invention provides auto-tuning of program guides.
Claims20
A method of generating a user interface which is configured to display a program guide on a remote control used to control program changes on more than one device which is statically tuned to a channel, comprising:
- polling devices in a network which contains the devices, wherein each of the devices is configured to statically display programs to determine a list of programs available for display;
- searching the network to locate available channels available for display and to populate the program guide with available channels;
- refreshing the program guide so that the program guide can be displayed on the remote control and the program guide is configured to highlight a channel of interest, wherein when the channel of interest is highlighted by a user of the remote control the remote control is tuned to the channel of interest in order to acquire content associated with the channel of interest and to provide a preview of the channel of interest on the remote control.
A remote control which is configured to display a program guide and which can be used by a manager of an environment to statically tune more than one display in the environment to different channels centrally from the remote control, comprising:
- a display configured to display and operate the program guide;
- and
- a processor configured to refresh the program guide so that the program guide can be displayed control and the program guide can be configured to highlight a channel of interest, wherein when the channel of interest is highlighted by the manager the remote control is tuned to the channel of interest in order to acquire content associated with the channel of interest and to provide a preview of the channel of interest on the remote control.
A user interface for controlling a plurality of displays in an environment from a single remote control which will display the user interface, comprising:
- a program guide which can be generated by a processor in the remote control, the program guide being refreshable so that the program guide can be displayed on the remote control and the program guide is configured to highlight a channel of interest, wherein when the channel of interest is highlighted by a user of the remote control the remote control is tuned to the channel of interest in order to acquire content associated with the channel of interest and to provide a preview of the channel of interest on the remote control.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.