System for collating data from multiple sources to form a composite program guide for display
A video decoder system collates program guide information acquired from a variety of local and remote sources. Program guide information is received from a first source and a selectable program guide menu icon is displayed. A category of program guide information items from the first source is collated by a display attribute in response to selection of the menu icon and the collated program guide information items are displayed. The display attribute allocated to the category of program guide information items is common to both the category of items and to the menu icon. Codes identifying program categories may be converted to other codes using equivalence mapping information for classifying programs according to a master set of program categories. Composite program map information may be formed including new data identifiers allocated to program guide information items for use in retrieving the items from a second source.
1. In a video decoder system for receiving program guide information from a first source containing a first code identifying a program category, a method for collating program guide information from a plurality of sources, comprising the steps of:
converting said first code to a second code in accordance with equivalence mapping information for allocating a category in a master set of program categories to said received program category;
converting a third code to a fourth code, the third code being from a second source and identifying a particular program category, in accordance with equivalence mapping information for allocating a category in the master set of program categories to the particular program category;
sorting and merging program guide information from said first source and said second source, according to said master set of program categories; and
displaying said sorted and merged program guide information,
wherein sorting and merging program guide information according to said master set of program categories comprises sorting and merging the second code and the fourth code.
2. A method according to claim 1 , further including the step of receiving said equivalence mapping information.
3. A method according to claim 1 , further including the step of retrieving said equivalence mapping information from said program guide information from said first source.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said equivalence mapping information is pre-stored in decoder memory and said method including the further step of retrieving said equivalence mapping information from said decoder memory.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein sorting and merging program guide information according to said master set of program categories comprises sorting and merging the second code.