<s>
Electronic	B-Device
programming	I-Device
guides	I-Device
(	O
EPGs	B-Device
)	O
and	O
interactive	O
programming	O
guides	O
(	O
IPGs	O
)	O
are	O
menu-based	O
systems	O
that	O
provide	O
users	O
of	O
television	O
,	O
radio	O
and	O
other	O
media	O
applications	O
with	O
continuously	O
updated	O
menus	O
that	O
display	O
scheduling	O
information	O
for	O
current	O
and	O
upcoming	O
broadcast	O
programming	O
(	O
most	O
commonly	O
,	O
TV	O
listings	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-interactive	O
electronic	B-Device
programming	I-Device
guides	I-Device
(	O
sometimes	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
navigation	O
software	O
"	O
)	O
are	O
typically	O
available	O
for	O
television	O
and	O
radio	O
,	O
and	O
consist	O
of	O
a	O
digitally	O
displayed	O
,	O
non-interactive	O
menu	O
of	O
programming	O
scheduling	O
information	O
shown	O
by	O
a	O
cable	O
or	O
satellite	O
television	O
provider	O
to	O
its	O
viewers	O
on	O
a	O
dedicated	O
channel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EPGs	B-Device
are	O
transmitted	O
by	O
specialized	O
video	O
character	O
generation	O
(	O
CG	O
)	O
equipment	O
housed	O
within	O
each	O
such	O
provider	O
's	O
central	O
headend	O
facility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
tuning	O
into	O
an	O
EPG	B-Device
channel	O
,	O
a	O
menu	O
is	O
displayed	O
that	O
lists	O
current	O
and	O
upcoming	O
television	O
shows	O
on	O
all	O
available	O
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
more	O
modern	O
form	O
of	O
the	O
EPG	B-Device
,	O
associated	O
with	O
both	O
television	O
and	O
radio	O
broadcasting	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
interactive	O
 [ electronic ] 	O
programming	O
guide	O
(	O
IPG	O
,	O
though	O
often	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
EPG	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
IPG	O
allows	O
television	O
viewers	O
and	O
radio	O
listeners	O
to	O
navigate	O
scheduling	O
information	O
menus	O
interactively	O
,	O
selecting	O
and	O
discovering	O
programming	O
by	O
time	O
,	O
title	O
,	O
channel	O
or	O
genre	O
using	O
an	O
input	O
device	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
keypad	B-Device
,	O
computer	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
or	O
television	O
remote	B-Protocol
control	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	O
used	O
to	O
populate	O
an	O
interactive	O
EPG	B-Device
may	O
be	O
distributed	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
either	O
for	O
a	O
charge	O
or	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
,	O
and	O
implemented	O
on	O
equipment	O
connected	O
directly	O
or	O
through	O
a	O
computer	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Television-based	O
IPGs	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
Programme	O
Delivery	O
Control	O
(	O
PDC	O
)	O
technology	O
can	O
also	O
facilitate	O
the	O
selection	O
of	O
TV	O
shows	O
for	O
recording	O
with	O
digital	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorders	I-Application
(	O
DVRs	O
)	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
personal	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorders	I-Application
(	O
PVRs	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1981	O
,	O
United	O
Video	O
Satellite	O
Group	O
launched	O
the	O
first	O
EPG	B-Device
service	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
a	O
cable	O
channel	O
known	O
simply	O
as	O
The	O
Electronic	B-Device
Program	I-Device
Guide	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
EPG	B-Device
Channel	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
renamed	O
Prevue	O
Guide	O
and	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
serve	O
as	O
the	O
de	O
facto	O
EPG	B-Device
service	O
for	O
North	O
American	O
cable	O
systems	O
throughout	O
the	O
remainder	O
of	O
the	O
1980s	O
,	O
the	O
entirety	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
and	O
–	O
as	O
TV	O
Guide	O
Network	O
or	O
TV	O
Guide	O
Channel	O
–	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
decade	O
of	O
the	O
21st	O
century	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1986	O
at	O
a	O
trade	O
show	O
in	O
Nashville	O
,	O
STV/Onsat	O
,	O
a	O
print	O
programming	O
guide	O
publisher	O
,	O
introduced	O
SuperGuide	O
,	O
an	O
interactive	O
electronic	B-Device
programming	I-Device
guide	I-Device
for	O
home	O
satellite	O
dish	O
viewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remote	B-Protocol
control	I-Protocol
was	O
used	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
the	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
1988	O
a	O
patent	O
was	O
awarded	O
that	O
concerned	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
a	O
searchable	O
electronic	B-Device
program	I-Device
guide	I-Device
–	O
an	O
interactive	O
program	B-Device
guide	I-Device
(	O
IPG	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TV	O
Guide	O
Magazine	O
and	O
Liberty	O
Media	O
established	O
a	O
joint	O
venture	O
in	O
1992	O
known	O
as	O
TV	O
Guide	O
On	O
Screen	O
to	O
develop	O
an	O
EPG	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
joint	O
venture	O
introduced	O
an	O
interactive	O
program	B-Device
guide	I-Device
to	O
the	O
market	O
in	O
late	O
1995	O
in	O
the	O
General	O
Instrument	O
CFT2200	O
set	O
top	O
cable	O
box	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scientific	O
Atlanta	O
introduced	O
the	O
8600X	O
Advanced	O
analog	O
Set-top	O
box	O
in	O
1993	O
that	O
included	O
an	O
interactive	O
electronic	B-Device
program	I-Device
guide	I-Device
,	O
downloadable	O
software	O
,	O
2-way	O
communications	O
,	O
and	O
pause/FF/REW	O
for	O
VCR-like	O
viewing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Western	O
Europe	O
,	O
59	O
million	O
television	O
households	O
were	O
equipped	O
with	O
EPGs	B-Device
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2008	O
,	O
a	O
penetration	O
of	O
36%	O
of	O
all	O
television	O
households	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Sky	O
as	O
an	O
early	O
mover	O
and	O
the	O
BBC	B-Application
iPlayer	I-Application
and	O
Virgin	O
Media	O
as	O
ambitious	O
followers	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
developed	O
and	O
innovative	O
EPG	B-Device
market	O
to	O
date	O
,	O
with	O
96%	O
of	O
viewers	O
having	O
frequently	O
used	O
an	O
EPG	B-Device
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inview	B-Device
Technology	I-Device
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
UK	O
's	O
largest	O
and	O
oldest	O
EPG	B-Device
producers	O
,	O
dating	O
back	O
to	O
1996	O
and	O
currently	O
in	O
partnership	O
with	O
Humax	O
and	O
Skyworth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scandinavia	O
also	O
is	O
a	O
highly	O
innovative	O
EPG	B-Device
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
in	O
Italy	O
,	O
the	O
EPG	B-Device
penetration	O
is	O
relatively	O
high	O
with	O
38%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
France	O
,	O
IPTV	O
is	O
the	O
main	O
driver	O
of	O
EPG	B-Device
developments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interactive	O
program	B-Device
guides	I-Device
are	O
nearly	O
ubiquitous	O
in	O
most	O
broadcast	O
media	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EPGs	B-Device
can	O
be	O
made	O
available	O
through	O
television	O
(	O
on	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
and	O
all	O
current	O
digital	B-Application
TV	I-Application
receivers	O
)	O
,	O
mobile	O
phones	O
(	O
particularly	O
through	O
smartphone	B-Application
apps	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
TV	O
Guides	O
are	O
becoming	O
more	O
ubiquitous	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
7	O
million	O
searches	O
for	O
"	O
TV	O
Guide	O
"	O
being	O
logged	O
each	O
month	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
For	O
television	O
,	O
IPG	O
support	O
is	O
built	O
into	O
almost	O
all	O
modern	O
receivers	O
for	O
digital	O
cable	O
,	O
digital	O
satellite	O
,	O
and	O
over-the-air	O
digital	B-Application
broadcasting	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
also	O
commonly	O
featured	O
in	O
digital	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorders	I-Application
such	O
as	O
TiVo	B-Application
and	O
MythTV	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Demand	O
for	O
non-interactive	O
electronic	O
television	O
program	B-Device
guides	I-Device
–	O
television	O
channels	O
displaying	O
listings	O
for	O
currently	O
airing	O
and	O
upcoming	O
programming	O
–	O
has	O
been	O
nearly	O
eliminated	O
by	O
the	O
widespread	O
availability	O
of	O
interactive	O
program	B-Device
guides	I-Device
for	O
television	O
;	O
TV	O
Guide	O
Network	O
,	O
the	O
largest	O
of	O
these	O
services	O
,	O
eventually	O
abandoned	O
its	O
original	O
purpose	O
as	O
a	O
non-interactive	O
EPG	B-Device
service	O
and	O
became	O
a	O
traditional	O
general	O
entertainment	O
cable	O
channel	O
,	O
eventually	O
rebranding	O
as	O
Pop	O
in	O
January	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Television-based	O
IPGs	O
provide	O
the	O
same	O
information	O
as	O
EPGs	B-Device
,	O
but	O
faster	O
and	O
often	O
in	O
much	O
more	O
detail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
television	O
IPGs	O
are	O
supported	O
by	O
PVRs	O
,	O
they	O
enable	O
viewers	O
to	O
plan	O
viewing	O
and	O
recording	O
by	O
selecting	O
broadcasts	O
directly	O
from	O
the	O
EPG	B-Device
,	O
rather	O
than	O
programming	O
timers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
aspect	O
of	O
an	O
IPG	O
most	O
noticed	O
by	O
users	O
is	O
its	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
,	O
typically	O
a	O
grid	O
or	O
table	O
listing	O
channel	O
names	O
and	O
program	O
titles	O
and	O
times	O
:	O
web	O
and	O
television-based	O
IPG	O
interfaces	O
allow	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
highlight	O
any	O
given	O
listing	O
and	O
call	O
up	O
additional	O
information	O
about	O
it	O
supplied	O
by	O
the	O
EPG	B-Device
provider	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IPGs	O
within	O
some	O
DirecTV	O
IRDs	O
can	O
control	O
a	O
VCR	O
using	O
an	O
attached	O
infrared	O
emitter	O
that	O
emulates	B-Application
its	O
remote	B-Protocol
control	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latest	O
development	O
in	O
IPGs	O
is	O
personalization	O
through	O
a	O
recommendation	B-Application
engine	I-Application
or	O
semantics	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Semantics	B-Application
are	O
used	O
to	O
permit	O
interest-based	O
suggestions	O
to	O
one	O
or	O
several	O
viewers	O
on	O
what	O
to	O
watch	O
or	O
record	O
based	O
on	O
past	O
patterns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
such	O
IPG	O
,	O
iFanzy	B-Device
,	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
customize	O
its	O
appearance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Europe	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
Telecommunications	O
Standards	O
Institute	O
(	O
ETSI	O
)	O
published	O
standard	O
ETS	O
300	O
707	O
to	O
standardize	O
the	O
delivery	O
of	O
IPG	O
data	O
over	O
digital	B-Application
television	I-Application
broadcast	I-Application
signals	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ATSC	B-Device
standard	I-Device
for	O
digital	O
terrestrial	O
television	O
,	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
uses	O
tables	O
sent	O
in	O
each	O
station	O
's	O
PSIP	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
companies	O
include	O
Tribune	O
TV	O
Data	O
,	O
Gemstar-TV	O
Guide	O
(	O
now	O
TiVo	B-Application
Corporation	O
)	O
,	O
FYI	O
Television	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Europe	O
;	O
TV	O
Media	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Canada	O
;	O
Broadcasting	O
Dataservices	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
Dayscript	O
in	O
Latin	O
America	O
;	O
and	O
What	O
's	O
On	O
India	O
Media	O
Pvt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IPGs	O
built	O
into	O
newer	O
television	O
(	O
including	O
Smart	B-Device
TV	I-Device
)	O
,	O
digital	O
terrestrial	O
set-top	O
box	O
and	O
antenna-ready	O
DVR	O
models	O
feature	O
on-screen	O
displays	O
and	O
interactive	O
guide	O
features	O
more	O
comparable	O
to	O
their	O
pay	O
television	O
set-top	O
counterparts	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
display	O
grids	O
and	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
DVRs	O
intended	O
for	O
terrestrial	O
use	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
–	O
with	O
an	O
Internet	O
connection	O
–	O
to	O
access	O
listings	O
and	O
content	O
from	O
over-the-top	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
growing	O
trend	O
is	O
for	O
manufacturers	O
such	O
as	O
Elgato	B-Device
and	O
Topfield	O
and	O
software	O
developers	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
in	O
their	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
to	O
use	O
an	O
Internet	O
connection	O
to	O
acquire	O
data	O
for	O
their	O
built-in	O
IPGs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
enables	O
greater	O
interactivity	O
with	O
the	O
IPG	O
such	O
as	O
media	O
downloads	O
,	O
series	O
recording	O
and	O
programming	O
of	O
the	O
recordings	O
for	O
the	O
IPG	O
remotely	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
IceTV	B-Device
in	O
Australia	O
enables	O
TiVo-like	O
services	O
to	O
competing	O
DVR/PVR	O
manufacturers	O
and	O
software	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
meet	O
this	O
need	O
,	O
some	O
set-top	O
box	O
software	O
designs	O
incorporate	O
a	O
"	O
database	O
layer	O
"	O
that	O
utilizes	O
either	O
proprietary	O
functions	O
or	O
a	O
commercial	O
off-the-shelf	O
embedded	B-Application
database	I-Application
system	O
for	O
sorting	O
,	O
storing	O
and	O
retrieving	O
programming	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
