System and method for presenting program guide information in an electronic portable device

1. A method for providing to a controlling device personalized program guide information, comprising:

receiving from a server device via a communications network program guide data;

using personal preferences to filter the received program guide data;

causing filtered, received program guide data to be displayed within a display of the controlling device; and

causing the controlling device to use supplemental media data to dynamically highlight at least one icon within the filtered, received program guide data when the filtered, received program guide data is caused to be displayed within the display of the controlling device wherein the at least one icon is activable to cause the controlling device to issue one or more commands to cause at least one appliance to access media corresponding to the supplemental media data.

2. A system, comprising:

a controlling device having a display and programming used to display program guide information within the display;

a server device having an associated database of network program guide data; and

a home computing device in communication with the server device and the controlling device, the home computing device having programming that uses personal preferences provided to the home computing device to filter program guide data received from the database via the server device whereby the program guide data will include only programming information for user-specified sources of programming for each of plural, different user-specified periods of time and that causes the filtered, received program guide data to be downloaded to the controlling device whereby the downloaded, filtered, received program guide data is available for use by the programming of the controlling device to thereby display personalized program guide information within the display of the controlling device and wherein the controlling device uses supplemental media data to dynamically highlight at least one icon within the personalized program guide information when the personalized program guide information is caused to be displayed within the display of the controlling device and the at least one icon is activable to cause the controlling device to issue one or more commands to cause at least one appliance to access media corresponding to the supplemental media data.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprises a day of a week.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprises one or more hours of a day.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , where the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprise both a day of a week and one or more hours within the day of the week.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the home computing device comprises a personal computer.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the home computing device comprises a set-top box.

8. A system, comprising:

a controlling device having a display and programming used to display program guide information within the display;

a server device having an associated database of network program guide data; and

a home computing device in communication with the server device and the controlling device, the home computing device having programming that uses personal preferences provided to the home computing device for each of a plurality of users separately identifiable to the controlling device to filter program guide data received from the database via the server device whereby the program guide data will include only programming information for user-specified sources of programming for each of plural, different user-specified periods of time for each of the plurality of users and that causes the filtered, received program guide data to be downloaded to the controlling device whereby the downloaded, filtered, received program guide data is available for use by the programming of the controlling device to display personalized program guide information within the display of the controlling device for each of the plurality of users when each of the plurality of users is accordingly identified to the controlling device and wherein the controlling device uses supplemental media data to dynamically highlight at least one icon within the personalized program guide information when the personalized program guide information is caused to be displayed within the display of the controlling device and the at least one icon is activable to cause the controlling device to issue one or more commands to cause at least one appliance to access media corresponding to the supplemental media data.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprises a day of a week.

10. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprises one or more hours of a day.

11. The system as recited in claim 8 , where the plural, different user-specified periods of time comprise both a day of a week and one or more hours within the day of the week.

12. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the home computing device comprises a personal computer.

13. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the home computing device comprises a set-top box.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 , comprising extracting the supplemental media data from at least one Internet Web site.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the supplemental media data is extracted when causing the filtered, received program guide data to be displayed.

16. The method as recited in claim 1 , comprising extracting the supplemental media data from a media transmission.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , comprising extracting the supplemental media data when causing the filtered, received program guide data to be displayed.

18. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental media data comprises time remaining in sporting events.

19. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental media data comprises scores in sporting events.

20. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental media data comprises user rating data of media corresponding to the displayed, filtered, received program guide data.

21. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental media data is periodically updated while the displayed, filtered, received program guide data is being displayed within the display of the controlling device.