CN1335018A - System and Method for Implementing Default Channel Arrangement and Display Using Custom Electronic Program Guide Forms - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems and methods for displaying an EPG grid according to a default channel lineup and customizing the default display according to user preferences. The default channel lineup is delivered to the television apparatus in two different data packets, a start order packet and an extended display order packet. The startup order package includes a list of default channels that were started on the guide. The extended display order package includes a list of channel groups indicating the display order of the channels available to the television apparatus. The default channel also gets a detailed description of the program. A channel edit screen allows the viewer to modify the default display of the guide by activating or deactivating channels, changing the order of channel display, or modifying the channels that receive a detailed program description.

Description

System and method for implementing default channel arrangement and display using customized electronic program guide form

References to cross-related applications

This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 60/113,967, filed December 28, 1998, incorporated herein by reference.

field of invention

The present invention relates generally to television systems and, in particular, to a television system including a clevault channel lineup for the clevault display of an electronic program guide, And the electronic program guide can be customized according to the hobbies of TV viewers.

Background of the invention

Today's television systems can receive hundreds of television channels. Information about these channels cannot be displayed in the TV system's electronic program guide (EPG electronic program guide) grid at the same time. Thus, for the initial display of the EPG, a determination needs to be made as to the default channels that will appear in the table. If it is not possible to display program descriptions for all default channels due to television system memory limitations, a determination needs to be made as to the default channel for which a program description will be obtained. Once these selections are made, the default order in which channels are displayed must also be determined.

One way to make these decisions is to send the TV system a channel list consisting of all the channels available to the TV viewer, and select the top channel on the list as the default channel to be displayed on the EPG form. The channel ranking is transmitted in a display order packet ("DPP" clisplay priority packet) and stored in the memory of the television system. The EPG will then by default display the channels that appear at the top (eg, top 50 channels) of the list. All displayed channels also get a program description. For example the following channel sequence can be transmitted in DPP:

1) Mainnet 1

2) Mainnet 2

3) Secondary network 1

4) Secondary network 2

5) Movie main channel 1

6) Movie main channel 2

7) Movie main channel 3

8) Movie main channel 4

9) Movie Sub Channel 1

10) Movie sub-channel 2 If there are four channels that will be displayed by default, then according to the illustrated example, these four channels will be main network 1, main network 2, sub-network 1, sub-network 2. For a different default display of channels, the channel lineup in the DPP is modified and resent to the television system. For example, if two main networks were to be displayed by default along with two movie main channels, the sequence of channels illustrated above would be modified to look like this:

1) Mainnet 1

2) Mainnet 2

3) Movie main channel 1

4) Movie main channel 2

5) Secondary network 1

6) Secondary network 2

7) Movie main channel 3

8) Movie main channel 4

9) Movie Sub Channel 1

10) Movie Sub Channel 2

A television viewer wishing to include another television channel in the channels displayed on the EPG retrieves the channel arrangement in memory and selects the desired channel from the arrangement.

One of the disadvantages of the above method is that the order of the channel list on the channel arrangement also specifies which channel will be displayed by default. Thus, a channel displayed by default must appear at the top of the channel sorting column, often separate from the category to which it belongs. Channels in the channel sorting column are therefore not sorted together by genre/theme. As a result, if a TV viewer activates a channel other than the default channel, the channels on the EPG form cannot be sorted together by genre/theme.

For example, in the example above, if there were only two mainnet channels and two main movie channels to be displayed on the guide, the guide could appear organized by themes of the channels, and TV viewers could view the Easily locate a specific Internet channel or movie channel using the Internet Channels section or Movie Channels section. However, if a TV viewer wants to make Subnetwork 1 also appear on the guide, then Subnetwork 1 can only be displayed below the main movie channel instead of being together with the rest of the network channels due to the limitation of channel display order due to channel arrangement. As more and more channels appear on the guide, it becomes more and more important to maintain the channels displayed on the EPG form in an organized manner so that the TV viewer can quickly locate the desired channel.

Another disadvantage of the above method is that the channels displayed by default also get a detailed program description. However, a TV viewer may only access detailed program descriptions for programs on those particular channels that the TV viewer watches most often, and rarely access detailed program descriptions for the remaining channels that the TV viewer is not interested in. Thus, storing detailed program descriptions for these channels is an inefficient use of the television system's memory space.

Therefore, there is a need for an EPG in which displayed default channels can be maintained by type along with non-default channels, allowing organization of channels on a topical basis. There is also a need for an EPG that does not automatically obtain a detailed program description for channels displayed in a default manner. Instead, the television viewer is able to make a selection of the channels for which the details will be given.

Summary of the invention

The present invention includes systems and methods for displaying EPG tables according to a default channel arrangement. Moreover, the display of the EPG form can be customized according to the user's preferences.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the default channel arrangement is transmitted in two different packets: an enabling pridrity packet and an extended display priority packet. The television device receives in the boot sequence packet a list of default individual channels to be displayed on the electronic program guide form. The television device also receives in the extended display order packet a list of channel groups indicating the display order of all individual channels available to the television device in the display order on the EPG form. Default individual channel lists and channel list groups are then stored in the memory of the television device. Thus, it can be appreciated that the channels in the channel lineup can now be maintained together on a genre/theme basis.

To display the EPG table by default, the television set retrieves a default list of individual channels and their associated schedule information from memory. Then, the television device displays the default independent channel list and a part of the program list information related to the independent channel on the electronic program guide table according to the display order indicated by the channel group list.

In one particular aspect of the invention, the default individual channel will also obtain a detailed program description for the programs broadcast by the default individual channel.

In another specific aspect of the invention, a television viewer can modify the default display of the EPG table from a channel edit screen by activating a non-default stand-alone channel. In this way, according to the order indicated by the channel group list, the non-default cubic channels and their program list information can be displayed. Viewers can also modify the individual channels to get a detailed program description, or the order in which individual channels are displayed.

Brief description of the drawings

1 is a schematic block diagram of an interactive television programming system including a television system and a cable box according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of the cable box (cable box) in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a comparatively detailed schematic block diagram of the television system in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a startup sequence packet;

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of an extended display order packet;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an extended display order packet according to another optional embodiment;

Figure 7 is an illustration of an EPG screen displaying channels according to the information in the start-up sequence packet among Figure 4 and the extended display sequence packet among Figure 5;

Figure 8 is an illustration of the EPG screen of Figure 7 for an alternative embodiment;

Figure 9 is an illustration of a channel edit screen for modifying an EPG screen display.

Detailed description

Broadly speaking, the present systems and methods refer to an interactive television schedule system having a television set equipped with an interactive electronic program guide (EPG) available on the EPG A customized channel display and shows detailed program descriptions.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an interactive television table of contents system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The interactive television listing system includes a television system 45 that receives input signals from the cable box 20 and the IRD box 25 . Television system 10 includes a television 50 and a VCR 15 .

Television 50 is provided with an interactive EPG 45 for displaying television program listing information and information related to additional services as will be described in more detail below (collectively "EPG data"). The TV viewer interacts with the TV 50 and the EPG 45 through the viewer input device 40, preferably using the IR remote controller 40, in the usual way. Other viewer input devices 40 may also be used, such as keyboards, keypads, joysticks, mice, trackballs, touch pads, and the like.

A number of different methods can be used to transmit the EPG data to the various receivers 20, 25, 30, 35 of the television system 10. For example, cable box 20 and/or IRD box 25 may be utilized to provide EPG data via cable and/or DBS Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS Direct Broadcast Satellite), respectively. The antenna 35 connected to the TV set 50 can also be used as another source of EPG data. Also, the data can be transmitted using other inputs 30, such as general satellite systems, coaxial cables, telephone lines, and fiber optic cables.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of cable box 20 of FIG. 1 for providing EPG data to television system 10. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 , cable box 20 includes a processor 60 and a memory 65 . Memory 65 of cable box 20 stores software 70 for receiving, organizing, and displaying EPG data, and stores the EPG data itself. However, the EPG data is preferably stored in memory of television system 10, as described below in conjunction with FIG.

Memory 65 may also store data related to television viewer profiles and the like. In one embodiment of the invention, a portion of the data stored in memory 65 is retrieved via a cable modem 75 from the Internet. The rest of the data is generated by the processor based on data received from the head end of the cable.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of the television system 10 in FIG. 1 . Referring to FIG. 3 , a source of television signal 100 , such as antenna 35 , cable box 20 , or IRD box 25 , is connected to a television tuner 105 . The output signal of tuner 105 is a modulated intermediate frequency signal 110 containing video and audio television information. Tuner 105 is respectively connected with a picture detector (PICTURE DET) 115 and a sound detector (SOUND SET) 120 that generate baseband video signal and baseband audio signal through an intermediate frequency amplifier (IFAMP) 110. The audio signal is coupled to a speaker 130 through a sound amplifier (SOUND AMP) 125. The video signal is coupled to an input of switch 135 through a video amplifier (not shown). The sound detector 120 and the image detector 115 are connected to the sound and image input ends of the VCR 15 respectively. In addition, the television signal source 100 can also be directly connected to the RF input of the VCR 15 if the internal tuner and demodulation circuitry of the VCR 15 is enabled.

The output end of the VCR 15 is connected to the other input end of the switch 135 . The output of the switch 135 is connected to an input of a conventional picture-in-picture (PIP) integrated circuit chip 140 . An output terminal of the PIP chip 140 is connected to a video input terminal 142 of a television set 50 having a screen (not shown).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the television system 10 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes an EPG memory 145 for storing an updatable database of television program listing information. The database can be updated with a continuous data link during the frame vertical blanking interval (VBI) broadcast on the television channel of the television system 10 in a well-known manner.

EPG memory 145 is connected to a microprocessor 150 programmed to control the operation of television 50 . The operating program of the microprocessor 150 is stored in a read only memory (ROM) 155 . Viewer input device 40 is coupled to microprocessor 150 for issuing commands and interacting with the EPG by the viewer.

A video processor 160 is coupled to the microprocessor 150 . When a TV viewer wants to check the TV program list information, the microprocessor 150 reads a part of the corresponding data from the EPG memory 145 and sends it to the video processor 160, where the list of programs is formatted for display. Preferably, the information stored in the video processor 160 is a bit map displayed on the screen of the television set 50.

The video processor 160 is also connected to another input terminal of the PIP chip 140 . Preferably, the viewer input device 40 controls the microprocessor 150 by moving a cursor on the television 50 screen. To this end, both the microprocessor 150 and the video processor 160 are coupled to a cursor position register 165. In addition, the viewer is able to make a selection of the information items displayed on the screen by selecting a specific key on the viewer input device 40 .

Microprocessor 150 is also coupled to tuner 105 for channel change, to VCR 15 for play/record selection and start/stop selection, to switch 135 for selection of an input signal to switch 135, and for selection of PIP operation mode and coupled with the PIP chip 140 .

Referring back to EPG memory 145, television listings information is stored in the EPG memory's listings database and includes listings for all available channels for a specified period of time, say a day or a week. For each program, these program listings typically include the title, program description, day of the week, start time of the day, duration of the program, channel on which the program is delivered, and such information as may be received at source 100 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage time of program listings for the guide is different, depending on the ordering and preferences of the viewer. For example, the information may be stored for one or two days, or a week, or longer.

The EPG memory 145 also stores the channel arrangement of all channels available to the viewer in the order they appear on the EPG form. The order of the channels in the channel arrangement does not depend on the default channels that will be displayed on the EPG form. Therefore, the channels displayed by default don't have to appear together at the top of the channel arrangement, but all channels in the channel arrangement can be organized according to their theme.

In this regard, unlike the prior art in which the channel lineup information is sent in a single DPP packet, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the channel lineup information is sent in two separate packets: an activation sequence packet ("EPP" ) and an Extended Display Order Packet ("XDPP)". The EPP contains a list of default individual channels that will be activated (ie displayed on the EPG form) and will have detailed program descriptions. The XDPP contains a channel arrangement consisting of all channel groups arranged in order, wherein the individual channels belonging to each channel group will be displayed on the EPG table once activated. In this way, activated channels can appear together in the guide according to their groups, making the EPG table look organized.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example EPP 200 . According to the example illustrated in FIG. 4, there are three network channels, "WCVB5", "WABC", "WBGH", all branches of the ABC network, among the default independent channels to be displayed on the EPG form. Other default channels include three movie channels, "HBO1", "HBO2", and "SHOWTIME", an "MTV" channel, and a sports channel "ESPN". All of these default channels also include a detailed program description via the EPG. As described in more detail below, the detailed program description appears as a separate information box upon selection of one of these channels.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary XDPP with a channel arrangement consisting of all channel groups consisting of individual channels and to be transmitted together with the EPP illustrated in FIG. 4 . According to the example illustrated in Figure 5, all independent channels belonging to the ABC network, such as "WCVB5", "WABC", "WBGH" in Figure 4, once activated, either by default or by view or started with the guide, they will be displayed at the top of the guide. Independent channels belonging to the ABC network will be followed by all independent channels belonging to the FOX network, CBS network, and NBC network. Following the network channels are all MTV channels, SHOWTIME channels, HBO channels, AMC channels, and ESPN channels.

In another alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the channel groups listed in the XDPP are generic channel types not associated with any particular television or cable network. For example, all individual channels that belong to a major TV network are grouped into a group of type "Main Network", regardless of whether the network is "ABC", "NBC", or any other major TV network. Also, all movie channels are grouped into the "Movie" type, regardless of whether the movie is offered by "HBO," "SHOWTIME," or any other movie channel.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an EPG screen generated by video processor 160 ( FIG. 3 ) under the control of microprocessor 150 . The viewer invokes an EPG guide mode displaying the EPG screen 170 by pressing a "Guide" key on the viewer input device 40 . Viewers can return to full-screen TV mode with the same key or by calling up a linked TV program.

The EPG screen 170 is divided into a number of different display areas. Arranged along the left side of the screen 50 are a PIP window 172, a first panel ad window 174, and a second panel ad window 176. The rest of the EPG screen 170 is generally occupied by an action key bar frame (action keg bar) 178, a navigation bar frame (navigation bar) 180, a form guide 182, and an information frame 184. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the windows, as well as other user interface devices, including the action key bar 178, the navigation bar 180 and the form guide 182, are fixed in position. In another embodiment of the invention, the location and size of windows and other user interface devices are customized by the viewer.

The PIP window 172 displays live broadcast programs or pre-recorded video clips generated by the PIP chip 140 . The translucent laminate of the PIP window 172 can display a title, channel (your station number and/or station name), and the status of the PIP window 172 (locked or unlocked).

The first and second billboard windows 174 and 176 display advertisements for programs or products and services to be broadcast in the future. Advertisements for programs that will be broadcast in the future are linked to the time and channel of the program so that the viewer can automatically watch or record the program by highlighting the advertisement and pressing the watch operation button 178a or record operation button 178b, respectively .

Highlighting an ad for a product or service enables the viewer to read from information box 184 one or more pages of information about that product or service. In addition, the ad is linked with the time and channel of an informercial, enabling the viewer to watch or record the commercial by highlighting the ad and pressing the watch action button 178a or record action button 178b, respectively.

The viewer can access the television program listing information by activating the table button 180a in the list of menu buttons arranged on the navigation bar frame 180 . Once the tables button 180a is activated, the tables guide 182 displays a list of television programs with respective channel names in the form of a series of program bars. The default list of channels displayed on form guide 182 is determined by the individual channels listed in the EPP. The order of the channels on the table guide 182 is determined by the order specified in XDPP.

Selection of a program display bar will result in the display of additional information about the selected program in information box 184 . Such additional information may include a detailed description of the selected program, such as who will appear in the program and what the program will be about.

In addition to the program display bar, form guide 22 also includes an advertisement display bar 190 with virtual channel advertisements. A virtual channel ad, for example, could promote a current or future TV show. Such a virtual channel advertisement for a television program can be linked to the time and channel of the program so that the viewer can automatically watch or record the program.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the EPG screen 170 also includes a plurality of menu buttons (not shown) associated with different channel groups. Selection of a particular menu button will cause the screen to jump to the portion of the form guide having the program bar associated with the selected channel group. In addition, the program display bar is displayed in a separate information box 184 upon selection of the menu button. In yet another embodiment, a page down button in the EPG screen 170 or on the viewer input device 40 is used to jump from channel group to channel group in the form guide 182 . Any of these methods may become a pressing need when positioning individual channels in form guides becomes an issue due to the increasing number of channels displayed.

For example, a menu button could contain titles such as "Movies," "Sports," and "News." When the "Movie" menu button is selected, or the titles of all programs belonging to the channel of the movie channel group, such as HBO, SHOWTIME, etc., are all displayed in the information box 184, or the screen cursor jumps to The first bar to display.

FIG. 8 is another alternative representation of the EPG screen of FIG. 7. FIG. According to the embodiment in FIG. 8, all channels belonging to a particular channel group are compressed into a single program display bar 206 which is expandable according to the selection of the display bar. The program bar 206 is identified by the name of the channel group 206a and includes an instruction 206b to tabulate the bar for viewing the program bar associated with an individual channel. For example, in table guide 182 of Figure 7, the three channels belonging to the ABC network, "WCVB5", "WABC", "WBGH", can now be compressed into a single "ABC" arrangement as shown in Figure 8 middle. When the program display bar 206 is selected, the program display bars for individual channels belonging to the identified channel group can be expanded within the form guide 182 themselves, or in the information box 184 .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the default channels displayed on the table guide 182, as well as the order of the displayed channels, can be modified by the viewer through a channel edit screen according to his/her preference. FIG. 9 is an illustration of an exemplary channel edit screen 210. As shown in FIG. The screen 210 includes two sections, a section 212 consisting of three columns with 36 complete channels and a single column section 208 with the viewer's favorite channels. Additional channel pages (which can be toggled between pages using the page key of the viewer input device 40) can be used to accommodate more than 36 channels.

Each cell 214 in area 212 consisting of three columns contains a channel number and a channel descriptor (eg, WCVB5, MTV). Channels in a zone consisting of three columns are initially arranged in the order specified by XDPP. Additionally, each cell 214 is color coded to represent an ON state, an OFF state, and a MY state. The ON state indicates that the channel is currently activated and will be displayed in table guide 182. Cells that represent the ON state are depicted with a bright green background. Initially, the independent channels listed in the EPP are represented by the ON state.

The OFF state indicates that the channel is not currently activated and therefore will not be displayed in the table guide 182. Cells that represent the OFF state are depicted with a gray background. The MY status indicates that the channel has been launched and is currently listed as one of the viewers' favorite channels. Cells representing the MY state are depicted with a blue background.

A viewer can activate an unactivated channel by selecting a channel cell and activating the ON button 216 . The viewer can also designate the channel as a favorite by activating an OFF button 218 (to deactivate an activated channel), or by activating the MY button 220. A user can also designate an activated channel as a channel to obtain a detailed description by selecting the channel and activating an information button 222 . Cells with channels with detailed program descriptions are identified with an information map in the corresponding cell. Initially, all channels listed in the EPP automatically get a detailed program description. Those channels listed as the viewer's favorite channels also automatically get a detailed program description. Viewers can also modify the order of channels displayed on form guide 182 . To this end, the viewer selects a cell 214 for the channel whose sort order is to be modified, and drags the cell to the desired position in the area 212 consisting of three columns. In an alternative embodiment, the user is restricted to moving groups of channels rather than allowing him or her to move individual channels. For example, a user who frequently watches sports could move the sports channel to the top of the table. Additionally, the channels or types of channels viewers watch most often are automatically tracked by the television system and these channels or types of channels are automatically promoted to the top of the table. However, to prevent frequent reorganization of channels caused by promoting channels to the top of the form guide, viewers should have the ability to disable this functionality. These channels may also be automatically designated as favorite channels in the one-column region 208 of the channel edit screen 210 .

While this invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments, many additional modifications and changes will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, EPG data may be stored in one or more places, such as on different servers accessible through a global communication network such as the Internet. In another embodiment, the EPG data is stored in a database at a central location, such as a database that is part of the EPG provider's computer system. It is therefore to be understood that, unless further inventive activity is undertaken, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims (25)

1. A method for creating a display of an electronic program guide table for a television device, the method comprising: sending a list of default individual channels to be displayed on the electronic program guide form; sending a channel group list representing the order in which all individual channels available to the television device are displayed on the EPG form, each individual channel belonging to a particular channel group; and The program list information associated with the default individual channel to be displayed on the electronic program guide along with the default individual channel in the display order indicated by the channel group list is transmitted. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the program listing information includes detailed program descriptions for programs broadcast by the default independent channel. 3. A method for creating a display of an electronic program guide form for a television device having memory, the method comprising: receiving a list of default individual channels to be displayed on the electronic program guide form; receiving a channel group list representing the order in which all individual channels available to the television device are displayed on the electronic program guide table, each individual channel belonging to a specific channel group; storing in the memory a list of default individual channels and a list of channel groups; receiving program list information related to the default independent channel; storing the program table of contents information in the memory; Retrieving a list of default individual channels and their associated program listing information from memory; The list of default independent channels and a part of program list information related to the independent channels are displayed on the electronic program guide form in the display order indicated by the list of channel groups. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the program listing includes detailed program descriptions for programs broadcast by the default independent channel. 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: start a non-default standalone channel; and The non-default independent channel and a part of program list information related to the non-default independent channel are displayed in the display order indicated by the list of channel groups. 6. The method of claim 3, further comprising modifying a display order of a specific independent channel and part of program list information related to the specific independent channel on the electronic program guide table according to the preference of the viewer. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of displaying comprises: displaying a channel group associated with a particular individual channel on the electronic program guide form in the order of display indicated by the listing of channel groups; and Expands a list of individual channels belonging to the displayed channel group in response to a viewer command. 8. The method of claim 3, further comprising: display a menu button associated with a particular channel group; and Jumping to that part of the EPG displaying individual channels belonging to that particular channel group upon command of the viewer. 9. The method of claim 3, further comprising: display a menu button associated with a particular channel group; and According to a viewer's command, a plurality of independent channels belonging to the specific channel group and part of program list information related to the plurality of independent channels are displayed in a separate window of the electronic program guide table. 10. A system for creating a display of an electronic program guide form for a television device, the system comprising: means for transmitting a list of default individual channels to be displayed on an electronic program guide form; means for transmitting a channel group listing representing the order in which all individual channels available to the television equipment are displayed on the electronic program guide table, each individual channel belonging to a particular channel group; and Means for sending program listing information associated with a default individual channel to be displayed on the electronic program guide along with the default individual channel in a display order indicated by the channel group table. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the program listing information includes detailed program descriptions for programs broadcast by the default independent channel. 12. A system for creating electronic program guide table displays for television equipment, the system comprising: means for receiving a list of default individual channels to be displayed on the electronic program guide form; means for receiving a channel group listing representing the order in which all individual channels available to the television equipment are displayed on the electronic program guide table, each individual channel belonging to a particular channel group; means for storing a list of default individual channels and a list of channel groups; means for receiving program listing information associated with a default individual channel; means for storing the program listing information; means for retrieving a list of default individual channels and their associated program listing information from memory; Means for displaying a list of default individual channels and a portion of program listing information associated with the individual channels on the electronic program guide form in a display order indicated by the list of channel groups. 13. The system of claim 3, wherein the program listing information includes detailed program descriptions for programs broadcast by the default independent channel. 14. The system of claim 3, further comprising: means for enabling a non-default stand-alone channel; and Means for displaying the non-default independent channel and a portion of program listing information associated with the non-default independent channel in a display order indicated by the channel group listing. 15. The system of claim 3, further comprising means for modifying the display order of a specific independent channel and part of the program list information related to the specific independent channel on the electronic program guide form according to the preferences of the viewer . 16. The system of claim 3, wherein the means for displaying comprises: means for displaying a channel group associated with a particular individual channel on the electronic program guide form in the order of display indicated by the channel group listing form; and Means for expanding a list of individual channels belonging to the displayed channel group in response to a viewer command. 17. The system for seeking 3 also includes: means for displaying a menu button associated with a particular channel group; and Means for jumping to that part of the electronic program guide displaying a plurality of individual channels belonging to the particular channel group upon command of the viewer. 18. The system of claim 3, further comprising: means for displaying a menu button associated with a particular group of channels; and Means for displaying a plurality of independent channels belonging to the specific channel group and part of the program list information related to the plurality of independent channels in a separate window of the electronic program guide form according to a viewer's command. 19. A system for creating an electronic program guide table display for television equipment, the system comprising: a receiver for receiving a first data packet including a list of default individual channels displayed on the electronic program guide form, and also for receiving a first data packet including all individual channels indicating that the television equipment is available on the electronic program guide form A second data packet that displays a list of channel groups in order, each independent channel belongs to a specific channel group, and is also used to receive program list information related to these default independent channels; a memory coupled to the receiver for storing a list of default individual channels, a list of channel groups, and program listing information; a microprocessor coupled to the memory for retrieving from the memory a list of default individual channels and their associated program listing information; and A display screen coupled to the microprocessor is used for displaying default individual channel listings and partial program listing information associated with the individual channels on the electronic program guide form in a display order indicated by the channel group listings. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the program listing information includes detailed program descriptions for programs broadcast by the default independent channel. 21. The system of claim 19, further comprising a channel editing screen for enabling a non-default independent channel to display the non-default independent channel and the associated Part of the program list information related to the non-default independent channel. 22. The system of claim 19, further comprising a channel editing screen for displaying a specific independent channel and part of program listing information associated with the specific independent channel on the electronic program guide form according to the preferences of the viewer order to be modified. 23. The system of claim 19, wherein in response to a viewer's command, the display screen displays a channel group associated with a specific independent channel on the electronic program guide table according to the display order indicated by the channel group list, and also displays the channels belonging to An expanded list of the individual channels of the displayed channel group. 24. The system of claim 19, wherein in response to a viewer command, the display screen displays a menu button associated with a particular channel group and also displays a plurality of individual channels belonging to the particular channel group displayed in the electronic programming table part. 25. The system of claim 19 , wherein upon a viewer command, the display screen displays a menu button associated with a specific channel group, and also displays the channels belonging to the specific channel group in a separate window in the electronic program guide table. multiple independent channels and part of program list information related to the multiple independent channels.

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