Universal and portable channel designations

A system for translating a set-top box default program guide to channel reference numbers familiar to a viewer at another region comprising:

• a program guide memory configured to store a default program guide for the set-top box, the program guide memory having an output;
• a channel line-up memory configured to store a list of service providers at the another region, wherein the viewer chooses a service provider's channel line-up for the another region from the list, the channel line-up memory having an output;
• and
• a translation engine coupled to the outputs of the program guide memory and channel line-up memory, configured to associate one or more channel/network(s) offered at the another region with one or more network/channel(s) offered by the set-top box default program guide wherein the another region service provider's channel line-up is capable of having the same number of networks available as the set-top box default program guide, is capable of having a lesser number of networks available as the set-top box default program guide, and is capable of having a greater number of networks available as the set-top box default program guide, to derive a set-top box translated program guide wherein the translation engine maintains the same channel numbers for all network/channel(s) offered by both the set-top box default program guide and the channel/network(s) offered at the another region, wherein for networks that are offered by the service provider channel line-up for the another region, but are not offered by the set-top box default program guide, no translation is possible since the network is absent, further wherein for networks that are not offered by the service provider channel line-up for the another region, but are offered by the set-top box default program guide, no translation is necessary, the step-top box configured to identify translated channel clashes where clashes are channels that correspond to networks not offered by the service provider channel line-up for the another region, but are offered by the set-top box default program guide, but duplicate channels in the service provider channel line-up for the another region, the set-top box also configured to reassign networks having duplicate channel(s) offered by the set-top box default program guide to channels not offered by the service provider channel line-up for the another region, and the set-top box also further configured to load the service provider's channel line-up for the another region by accessing a database having a list of all service providers and their channel line-ups in the set-top box or from a headend.