Precise channel selection via remote control
The objective was to develop a TV guide which enables the user to choose exactly the shows they are looking for – sorted by station, time and genre. The main challenge in the process was generating the considerable quantity of schedule information, which is updated several times per day, as well as importing this information into the application in a reliable, usable form. The format which has been used for additional channel data since the very beginning of TV digitization is the international standard EIT (Event Information Table). The guide data for all of the channels involved first had to be prepared in text format and then converted to EIT format. The MHP application was programmed in such a way that the newest data record supplied along with the digital TV signal was detected and integrated in the portal automatically.
MHP EPG to be equipped with additional functions
The EPG version used in Graz is part of a multi-stage EPG project and serves as the base module for further development. In future digital TV projects, the MHP program guide will be expanded to include a number of useful functions. ORF‘s MHP development department is currently working on EPG Module II, which includes photos and extended text descriptions of shows, and Module III calls for the integration of short on-demand video clips, meaning that viewers will even be able to retrieve various trailers for shows as desired.
The objective was to develop a TV guide which enables the user to choose exactly the shows they are looking for – sorted by station, time and genre. The main challenge in the process was generating the considerable quantity of schedule information, which is updated several times per day, as well as importing this information into the application in a reliable, usable form. The format which has been used for additional channel data since the very beginning of TV digitization is the international standard EIT (Event Information Table). The guide data for all of the channels involved first had to be prepared in text format and then converted to EIT format. The MHP application was programmed in such a way that the newest data record supplied along with the digital TV signal was detected and integrated in the portal automatically.
MHP EPG to be equipped with additional functions
The EPG version used in Graz is part of a multi-stage EPG project and serves as the base module for further development. In future digital TV projects, the MHP program guide will be expanded to include a number of useful functions. ORF‘s MHP development department is currently working on EPG Module II, which includes photos and extended text descriptions of shows, and Module III calls for the integration of short on-demand video clips, meaning that viewers will even be able to retrieve various trailers for shows as desired.
