Interactive television applications

1. A method of providing an interactive application user interface simultaneously with a video program display within a display area of a television receiver, the method comprising:

in response to a user requesting access to interactive applications through interfacing with the television receiver, opening a menu of interactive applications superimposed on the video program display, with the video program display occupying substantially the entire display area;

in response to selection of one of the interactive applications by the user from the menu of interactive applications, opening an interactive application window which in a first state comprises a plurality of menu items, with the application window and video program display arranged in a split-screen arrangement; and

in response to the user selecting one of the menu items, causing the application window to enter a second state in which content relating to the selected menu item is displayed, wherein a proportion of the display area occupied by the application window is greater in the second state than in the first state and the proportion of the display area occupied by the video program display in the second state is less than in the first state.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content includes one or more video content items.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein in the second state at least one said video content item is output simultaneously with the video program display.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein in the second state one or more still images corresponding to the video content items are output.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein user selection of one of the video content items causes the selected video content item to be displayed without the video program display within the display area.

6. An apparatus for providing an interactive application user interface simultaneously with a video program display within a display area of a television receiver comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that includes program code arranged to perform the following when executed by the processor:

in response to a user requesting access to interactive applications through interfacing with the television receiver, opening a menu of interactive applications superimposed on the video program display, with the video program display occupying substantially the entire display area;

in response to selection of one of the interactive applications by the user from the menu of interactive applications, opening an interactive application window which in a first state comprises a plurality of menu items, with the application window and video program display arranged in a split-screen arrangement; and

in response to the user selecting one of the menu items, causing the application window to enter a second state in which content relating to the selected menu item is displayed, wherein a proportion of the display area occupied by the application window is greater in the second state than in the first state and the proportion of the display area occupied by the video program display in the second state is less than in the first state.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the content includes one or more video content items.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein in the second state at least one said video content item is output simultaneously with the video program display.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein in the second state one or more still images corresponding to the video content items are output.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein user selection of one of the video content items causes the selected video content item to be displayed without the video program display within the display area.

11. A tangible computer readable medium for providing an interactive application user interface simultaneously with a video program display within a display area of a television receiver comprising program code arranged to perform the following when executed on a suitable configured processor or processor:

in response to a user requesting access to interactive applications through interfacing with the television receiver, opening a menu of interactive applications superimposed on the video program display, with the video program display occupying substantially the entire display area;

in response to selection of one of the interactive applications by the user from the menu of interactive applications, opening an interactive application window which in a first state comprises a plurality of menu items, with the application window and video program display arranged in a split-screen arrangement; and

in response to the user selecting one of the menu items, causing the application window to enter a second state in which content relating to the selected menu item is displayed, wherein a proportion of the display area occupied by the application window is greater in the second state than in the first state and the proportion of the display area occupied by the video program display in the second state is less than in the first state.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the content includes one or more video content items.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein in the second state at least one said video content item is output simultaneously with the video program display.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein in the second state one or more still images corresponding to the video content items are output.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein user selection of one of the video content items causes the selected video content item to be displayed without the video program display within the display area.