Vertically oriented program guide for media content access systems and methods

1. A system comprising: a media content processing subsystem comprising at least one processor configured to provide a program guide graphical user interface having at least a first viewing

pane and a second viewing pane to a display for presentation to a user,

provide a first selector object within said first viewing pane,

provide a list of content channels within said first viewing pane, and

provide within said second viewing pane and in response to a content channel included in said list of content channels being moved into said first selector object:

a time axis comprising a plurality of consecutive time slots in a time period and arranged vertically and chronologically in said second viewing pane,

a plurality of vertically oriented graphical blocks corresponding to said plurality of consecutive time slots and representative of a plurality of media content instances available via said content channel during at least one of said plurality of consecutive time slots within said time period represented by said time axis, and

a second selector object;

wherein, when a first graphical block that is included in said plurality of graphical blocks is located within said second selector object of said second viewing pane, said media content processing subsystem is configured to:

display, within said first graphical block, enhanced program guide information corresponding to a media content instance included in said plurality of media content instances, said first graphical block representative of said media content instance; and

accentuate a size of said first graphical block to allow said enhanced program guide information to be displayed within said first graphical block.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to position said first graphical block within said second selector object in response to a user input command.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to provide a graphical object configured to indicate a current time and vertically scroll along said time axis.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said time period represented by said time axis is user-definable.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein when another of said content channels is moved into said first selector object within said first viewing pane, said media content processing subsystem is further configured to update one or more contents of said second viewing pane.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said media content processing subsystem comprises a set-top box.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to accentuate a size of a second graphical block of said plurality of graphical blocks when said second graphical block is within said second selector object of said second viewing pane.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to distinguish at least one of said plurality of graphical blocks corresponding to media content instances that have already been transmitted prior to a current time, using one or more of colors, shading and graphics.

9. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; at least one facility configured to direct said at least one processor to

generate a program guide graphical user interface having at least a first viewing pane and a second viewing pane,

generate a first selector object within said first viewing pane,

generate a list of content channels within said first viewing pane, and

generate within said second viewing pane and in response to a content channel included in said list of content channels being moved into said first selector object:

a time axis comprising a plurality of consecutive time slots in a time period and arranged vertically and chronologically in said second viewing pane,

a plurality of vertically oriented graphical blocks corresponding to said plurality of consecutive time slots and representative of a plurality of media content instances available via said content channel during at least one of said plurality of consecutive time slots within said time period represented by said time axis, and

a second selector object; wherein, when a first graphical block that is included in said plurality of graphical blocks is located within said second selector object of said second viewing pane, said at least one facility is configured to direct said at least one processor to: display, within said first graphical block, enhanced program guide information corresponding to a media content instance included in said plurality of media content instances, said first graphical block representative of said media content instance; and accentuate a size of said first graphical block to allow said enhanced program guide information to be displayed within said first graphical block; and an output driver configured to provide said program guide graphical user interface to a display for presentation to a user.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to position said first graphical block within said second selector object in response to a user input command.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to provide a graphical object configured to indicate a current time and vertically scroll along said time axis.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein when another of said content channels is moved into said first selector object within said first viewing pane, said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to update one or more contents of said second viewing pane.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to accentuate a size of a second graphical block of said plurality of graphical blocks when said second graphical block is within said second selector object of said second viewing pane.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein said at least one facility is further configured to direct said at least one processor to distinguish at least one of the plurality of graphical blocks corresponding to media content instances that have already been transmitted prior to a current time, using one or more of colors, shading and graphics.

15. A method comprising:

providing, by at least one computing device, a program guide graphical user interface having at least a first viewing pane and a second viewing pane to a display for presentation to a user;

providing, by the at least one computing device, a first selector object within said first viewing pane to said display for presentation to said user;

providing, by the at least one computing device, a list of content channels within said first viewing pane to said display for presentation to said user; and

providing within said second viewing pane, by the at least one computing device in response to one content channel of said list of said content channels being moved into said first selector object:

a time axis comprising a plurality of consecutive time slots in a time period and arranged vertically and chronologically in said second viewing pane, a plurality of vertically oriented graphical blocks corresponding to said plurality of consecutive time slots and representative of a plurality of media content instances available via said one content channel during at least one of said plurality of consecutive time slots within said time period represented by said time axis, and a second selector object; wherein, when a first graphical block that is included in said plurality of graphical blocks is located within said second selector object of said second viewing pane, said method further comprises: displaying, by the at least one computing device within the first graphical block, enhanced program guide information corresponding to a media content instance included in said plurality of media content instances, said first graphical block representative of said media content instance; and accentuating, by the at least one computing device, a size of said first graphical block to allow said enhanced program guide information to be displayed within said first graphical block.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising updating one or more contents of said second viewing pane when another of said content channels is selectively located within said first selector object within said first viewing pane.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising accentuating a size of a second graphical block of the plurality of graphical blocks when said second graphical block is within said second selector object of said second viewing pane.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising distinguishing at least one of the plurality of graphical blocks corresponding to media content instances that have already been transmitted prior to a current time, using one or more of colors, shading and graphics.