Thomson Licensing

Thomson Licensing S.a.

Robert Skipworth Comer

Robert Joseph Logan

Sheila Renee Crosby

James Edwin Hailey

Keith Reynolds Wehmeyer

Hugh Boyd Morrison

Michael Wayne Johnson

Thomas Edward Gospel

Shelia Renee Crosby

A program guide is displayed which lists the availability of information for a program listed in the guide, where such information is obtained from a source accessible through the Internet, where the guide uses first color to indicate the availability of such information and a second color when such information is not available.

System and method for processing and decoding MPEG compatible data and internet information

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.

System for collating data from multiple sources to form a composite program guide for display

A video decoder system automatically acquires program guide information from local and remote peripheral devices to form a composite program guide. Program guide information is received from a first source and access data is retrieved from memory. The access data is used to initiate communication automatically between the video decoder and a second source external to the video decoder. Program guide information retrieved from the second source together with program guide information provided by the first source is incorporated into a composite program guide for display. The communication may be initiated upon different conditions and a peripheral device and associated communication protocol may be identified from various sources of configuration information.

System for automatically forming a program guide from information derived from multiple sources

A television apparatus and method provides visual/audio feedback to a user via the auxiliary image (i.e., PIP window) simultaneously during the menu selection process for configuring the television system. The apparatus enables a user to verify the connection between an auxiliary video/audio source device (e.g., DVD player, satellite receiver, VCR etc.) and a desired input source of the television receiver during the configuration process of the television system. The television apparatus includes a television receiver suitable for generating video output signals for displaying a multi-image on a display device. The multi-image displays comprise a main image corresponding to the currently tuned/selected input signal and an on-screen display (&ldquo;OSD&rdquo;) of a configuration menu. The multi-images comprise the main image, the configuration menu and an auxiliary image, such as picture-in-picture (PIP) and picture-outside-picture (POP) displays.

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Carmel, IN, United States of America

Robert Skipworth Comer