Apparatus and method for managing a personal channel

1. An apparatus for managing a personal channel of a user containing a number of metadata pieces belonging to at least one linear content item, the apparatus comprising:

a search string memory containing a number of predefined search strings,

a search string generator configured to generate a specified search string by logically combining at least one piece of metadata with at least one predefined search string,

a transceiver configured to control a search engine with the generated specified search string for retrieving a non-linear content item being semantically related to the at least one linear content item, and

a recommender engine configured to cause providing of an electronic recommendation signal to the user in dependence of the retrieved non-linear content item so that the user can add the non-linear content item to the personal channel that is semantically related to the linear content that is already in the personal channel, wherein the non-linear content item is of a different genre and/or of a different category than the specific linear content item, and wherein

the transceiver is additionally configured to iteratively control the search engine with at least one of the number of metadata pieces for automatically updating the search string memory by providing at least a part of a name of a search result, which has comparatively frequently occurred during the iterative operation of the search engine, as an additional predefined search string to the search string memory, said additional predefined search string comprising at least the part of the name of the search result, which has comparatively frequently occurred during the iterative operation of the search engine.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the metadata pieces are provided by an electronic program guide EPG.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the search string generator is configured to generate the specified search string by linking the at least one piece of metadata with the at least one predefined search string through a Boolean term.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the number of metadata pieces of the personal channel is present in the form of a plurality of metadata strings, each of the plurality of metadata strings specifying one aspect of the at least one linear content item,

a number of predefined search strings is associated to one of the plurality of metadata strings and

the search string generator is configured to generate the specified search string by combing at least one metadata string with at least one associated predefined search string.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the apparatus additionally comprises

a first input that allows for manually adding a user predefined search string to the search string memory.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

the apparatus comprises a second input that allows for receiving a user initiated feedback signal and

the search string generator is configured to generate the specified search string in dependence of the received feedback signal.

7. A video system having a receiver and a display, the receiver being configured to receive a linear content item provided by a broadcasting station and to receive a non-linear content item provided by a computer implemented network and the display being configured to display a received linear content item and a received non-linear content item, wherein

the receiver comprises a memory for storing a personal channel of a user and the apparatus according to claim 1 for managing the personal channel, the apparatus having an access to a search engine being coupled to the computer implemented network and

the apparatus is additionally configured to provide the electronic recommendation signal to the user via the display.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the search string generator is configured to generate the specified search string by linking the at least one piece of metadata with the at least one predefined search string through a Boolean term.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the number of metadata pieces of the personal channel is present in the form of a plurality of metadata strings, each of the plurality of metadata strings specifying one aspect of the at least one linear content item,

a number of predefined search strings is associated to one of the plurality of metadata strings and

the search string generator is configured to generate the specified search string by combing at least one metadata string with at least one associated predefined search string.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus additionally comprises

a first input that allows for manually adding a user predefined search string to the search string memory.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the apparatus comprises a second input that allows for receiving a user initiated feedback signal and

the search string generator is configured to generate the specified search string in dependence of the received feedback signal.

12. A method for managing a personal channel of a user containing a number of metadata pieces belonging to at least one linear content item, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a number of predefined search strings,

generating a specified search string by logically combining at least one metadata piece with at least one predefined search string,

controlling a search engine with the generated specified search string for retrieving a non-linear content item being semantically related to the at least one linear content item, wherein the non-linear content item is of a different genre and/or of a different category than the specific linear content item and

providing an electronic recommendation signal to the user in dependence of the retrieved non-linear content item so that the user can add the non-linear content item to the personal channel that is semantically related to the linear content that is already in the personal channel, wherein the step of controlling additionally comprises:

iteratively controlling the search engine with at least one of the number of metadata pieces for automatically updating the number of stored predefined search strings by providing at least a part of a name of a search result, which has comparatively frequently occurred during the iterative operation of the search engine, as an additional predefined search string to the stored predefined search strings, said additional predefined search string comprising at least the part of the name of the search result, which has comparatively frequently occurred during the iterative operation of the search engine.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means being operative to cause a programmable system when executing said computer readable code means to perform the managing method as claimed in claim 12 .

14. An apparatus for managing a personal channel of a user containing a number of metadata pieces belonging to at least one linear content item, the apparatus comprising:

a search string memory containing a number of predefined search strings,

a search string generator configured to generate a specified search string by logically combining at least one piece of metadata with at least one predefined search string,

a transceiver configured to control a search engine with the generated specified search string for retrieving a non-linear content item being related to the at least one linear content item, and

a recommender engine configured to cause providing of an electronic recommendation signal to the user in dependence of a retrieved non-linear content item, wherein the non-linear content item is of a different genre and/or of a different category than the specific linear content item, and wherein

the transceiver is additionally configured to iteratively control the search engine with at least one of the number of metadata pieces for automatically updating the search string memory by providing at least a part of a name of a search result, which has comparatively frequently occurred during the iterative operation of the search engine, as an additional predefined search string to the search string memory, said additional predefined search string comprising at least the part of the name of the search result, which has comparatively frequently occurred during the iterative operation of the search engine, and wherein

the apparatus comprises a second input that allows for receiving a user-initiated feedback signal with which the user can rate the recommendation made to the user, wherein the recommender engine is configured to monitor the user feedback signal and to cause providing of the subsequent electronic recommendation signals accordingly, and wherein the search string generator is configured to generate the specified search string in dependence of the received feedback signal via the second input.