System and method for capturing video frames for focused navigation within a user interface

A method for enabling access to a plurality of channels within a user interface, the method comprising:

• capturing a video frame from a respective broadcast on each of a plurality of channels, each captured video frame representing a different channel;
• displaying a plurality of icons representing interactive functions along a first axis of the user interface, the icons being scrollable along the first axis to move a selected icon into a single, non-movable focus area within the user interface;
• organizing the captured video frames into a sequence;
• in response to a particular icon representing a television function being scrolled into the focus area, displaying at least a subset of the sequence of video frames along a second, perpendicular axis of the a user interface, one video frame being displayable within the focus area;
• scrolling the video frames along the second axis one at a time through the focus area to progressively change the video frame within the focus area to a next video frame in the sequence in response to a single initiating action by a user, the scrolling of video frames automatically proceeding until being terminated by the user;
• and
• discontinuing the scrolling of video frames to show a particular video frame within the focus area corresponding to a selected channel in response to a single terminating action by the user.

A system for enabling access to a plurality of channels within a user interface, the system comprising:

• a frame capture device to capture a video frame from a respective broadcast on each of a plurality of channels, each captured video frame representing a different channel;
• and
• a transmission component to provide the captured video frames to a display interface, wherein the display interface is to display a plurality of icons representing interactive functions along a first axis of the user interface, the icons being scrollable along the first axis to move a selected icon into a single, non-movable focus area within the user interface, wherein the display interface is further to organize the captured video frames into a sequence and display, in response to a particular icon being scrolled into the focus area, at least a subset of the sequence of video frames along second, perpendicular axis of a user interface, a single video frame in the sequence being displayable within the focus area of the user interface, and wherein the display interface is further to scroll the video frames along the second axis one at a time through the focus area to progressively change the video frame within the focus area to a next video frame in the sequence in response to a single initiating action by a user, the scrolling of video frames automatically proceeding until being terminated by the user, and discontinue the scrolling of video frames to show a particular video frame within the focus area corresponding to a selected channel in response to a single terminating action by the user.

A system within a broadcast center for centrally capturing video frames to enable access to a plurality of channels within respective user interfaces of a plurality of entertainment systems, the system comprising:

• a scheduler to initiate the capture of a video frame from a broadcast on each of a plurality of channels, each captured video frame representing a different channel;
• a tuner to tune to each channel in response to a signal from the scheduler;
• a frame capture device to capture each video frame in response to the tuner tuning to the respective channel;
• an image cache to store the captured video frames;
• and
• a transmission component to transmit the captured video frames in the image cache to the plurality of entertainment systems, the captured video frames being sent separately from the broadcasts, wherein each entertainment system comprises a display interface to scroll through at least a subset of the captured video frames through a single, non-movable focus area of the user interface in response to a single initiating action by a user, wherein the scrolling of video frames automatically proceeds until being terminated by the user, and wherein the display interface is to discontinue the cycling of video frames to show a particular video frame corresponding to a selected channel in response to a single terminating action by the user.

A system for enabling access to a plurality of channels within a user interface, the system comprising:

• means for capturing a video frame from a respective broadcast on each of a plurality of channels, each channel to be represented within the user interface by a single captured video frame;
• means for scrolling a linear sequence of at least a subset of the captured video frames one at a time through a non-moving focus area of a user interface in response to a single initiating action by a user, the scrolling of video frames automatically proceeding until being terminated by the user;
• and
• means for discontinuing the advancing of video frames to show a particular video frame corresponding to a selected channel in response to a single terminating action by the user.

A system for enabling access to a plurality of channels within a user interface, the system comprising:

• means for capturing a video frame from a respective broadcast on each of a plurality of channels, each captured video frame representing a different channel;
• means for displaying a plurality of icons representing interactive functions along a first axis of the user interface, the icons being scrollable along the first axis to move a selected icon into a single, non-movable focus area within the user interface;
• means for organizing the captured video frames into a sequence;
• means for displaying, in response to a particular icon representing a television function being scrolled into the focus area, at least a subset of the sequence of video frames along second, perpendicular axis of the user interface, one video frame being displayable within the focus area;
• means for scrolling the video frames one at a time through the focus area along the second axis to progressively change the video frame within the focus area to a next video frame in the sequence in response to a single initiating action by a user, the scrolling of video frames automatically proceeding until being terminated by the user, and
• means for discontinuing the scrolling of video frames to show a particular video frame within the focus area corresponding to a selected channel in response to a single terminating action by the user.

An article of manufacture comprising a computer-accessible medium including program code for causing a computer to perform a method for enabling access to a plurality of channels within a user interface, the method comprising:

• capturing a video frame from a respective broadcast on each of a plurality of channels, each channel to be represented within the user interface by a single captured video frame;
• scrolling a linear sequence of the captured video frames representing different channels through a single, non-moving focus area of a user interface in response to a single initiating action by a user, the scrolling of video frames automatically proceeding until being terminated by the user;
• and
• discontinuing the scrolling display of video frames to show a particular video frame corresponding to a selected channel in response to a single terminating action by the user.

An article of manufacture comprising a computer-accessible medium including program code for causing a computer to perform a method for enabling access to a plurality of channels within a user interface, the method comprising:

• capturing a video frame from a respective broadcast on each of a plurality of channels, each captured video frame representing a different channel;
• displaying a plurality of icons representing interactive functions along a first axis of the user interface, the icons being scrollable along the first axis to move a selected icon into a single, non-movable focus area within the user interface;
• organizing the captured video frames into a sequence;
• in response to a particular icon representing a television function being scrolled into the focus area, displaying at least a subset of the sequence of video frames along second, perpendicular axis of the user interface, one video frame being displayable within the focus area;
• scrolling the video frames one at a time through the focus area along the second axis to progressively change the video frame within the focus area to a next video frame in the sequence in response to a user holding down a button on a remote control device, the scrolling of video frames automatically proceeding until being terminated by the user;
• and
• discontinuing the scrolling of video frames to show a particular video frame within the focus area corresponding to a selected channel in response to the user releasing the button on the remote control device.