Virtual channel system for web appliance, including interactive television

An interactive television, comprising:

• a video display;
• a television tuner electrically associated with the display;
• and
• at least one virtual channel memory associated with the display, the memory storing Web pages associated with virtual channel numbers, the virtual channel numbers being selectable for displaying the virtual channels on the video display, the Web pages being periodically received in the virtual channel memory, at least one virtual channel being established at least in part on user responses to prompts querying personal user demographics and viewer preferences.

An interactive television system, comprising:

• at least one Web server;
• at least one television signal source;
• and
• at least one interactive television, the interactive television receiving information from the Web server and the television signal source, the interactive television including at least one virtual channel memory, the virtual channel memory including at least one computer page having an associated virtual channel, the virtual channel being selectable to display the computer page using the interactive television, at least one virtual channel being established at least in part based on user responses to queries for personal demographic data.