Narrative electronic program guide with hyper-links

A device for displaying program information in an on-screen video display comprising:

• a tuner adapted to receive electronic program guide data;
• a memory operatively coupled to the tuner and adapted to store the electronic program guide data;
• a converter operatively coupled to the memory and the tuner, the converter being adapted to convert the electronic program guide data into an on-screen video display arranged into organizational categories, wherein the on-screen video display comprises a hyper-link associated with information for display and wherein the on-screen video display is narrative text written in a story-like format, wherein the narrative text comprises paragraphs and wherein the organizational categories provide a first-level organization that defines overall content of the on-screen video display and a second-level organization that defines the content of the paragraphs of the narrative text;
• a user interface receiver adapted to receive a user command to select the hyper-link;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled to the user interface receiver, the converter and the tuner, the controller being adapted to receive the user command and to control the converter and the tuner to display the information associated with the hyper-link.

A method of displaying program information in an on-screen video display comprising:

• receiving electronic program guide data;
• storing the electronic program guide data;
• converting the electronic program guide data into an on-screen video display, wherein the on-screen video display comprises a hyper-link associated with information for display and wherein the on-screen video display comprises the step of displaying the on-screen video is displayed as narrative text written a story-like format, wherein converting the electronic program guide data into an on-screen video display comprises providing narrative text comprising paragraphs and organizational categories that provide a first-level organization that defines over content of the on-screen video display and a second-level organization that defines the content of the paragraphs of the narrative text;
• receiving a user command to select the hyper-link;
• and
• displaying the information associated with the hyper-link.

A system for distributing and processing data representative of an electronic program guide, the system comprising:

• a program guide data transmitting system adapted to receive and process schedule feeds to produce program guide data and to broadcast the program guide data wherein the schedule feeds include information representative of:
• a plurality of program titles, each title representing a television program;
• a subject matter description for each television program;
• a time of transmission for each television program;
• a guide title giving a topical organization for the program guide;
• and a hyper-link associated with information for display;
• a receiver station adapted to receive the broadcast of the program guide data from the program guide data transmitting system, wherein the receiver station comprises:
• a tuner adapted to receive the program guide data;
• a memory operatively coupled to the tuner and adapted to store the program guide data;
• a converter operatively coupled to the tuner and adapted to store the program guide data;
• a converter operatively coupled to the memory and the tuner, the converter being adapted to convert the program guide data into an on-screen video display, wherein the on-screen video display comprises a hyper-link associated with information from display and wherein the narrative text comprises text in which the plurality of titles, the subject matter description and time of transmission are written in a story-like manner;
• a user interface receiver adapted to receive a user command to select the hyper-link;
• and a controller communicatively coupled to the user interface receiver and the tuner, the controller being adapted to receive the user command and the control the tuner to display the information associated with the hyper-link.