Methods and systems that provide an interactive media guidance application having a locked mode for viewing media assets. In the locked mode, the interactive media guidance application may provide media assets suited to a certain audience. The interactive media guidance application may determine suitable media assets for the locked mode based on media assets viewed by other users having characteristics similar to the user of the interactive media guidance application. In the locked mode, the interactive media guidance application may allow access to only certain media assets and/or limit the time period for which the media assets are presented.

Advertisements in broadcast television programming are digitally replaced with different ads prior to viewing. Replacement can occur in time and/or place shifted content, and can be used to promote a particular advertisement that the viewer has not yet seen, thereby improving the reach of the ad without oversaturation. Data reporting by the playback devices is collected in a database of viewed ads. The information in the database can be used to refresh previously-viewed ads, to increase saturation of particular ads, to replace previously-broadcast but no longer relevant ads, or for other purposes as desired.

Methods and systems are described herein for providing streamlined access to media assets of interest to a user. The method includes determining that a supplemental viewing device, through which a user views a field of view, is directed at a first field of view. The method further involves detecting that the supplemental viewing device is now directed at a second field of view, and determining that a media consumption device is within the second field of view. A first media asset of interest to the user that is available for consumption via the media consumption device is identified, and the supplemental viewing device generates a visual indication in the second field of view. The visual indication indicates that the first media asset is available for consumption via the media consumption device, and the visual indication tracks a location of the media consumption device in the second field of view.

The present application discloses a display method and a display apparatus; and the display apparatus includes a controller configured to determine, on the basis of a schedule list and target program display information corresponding to a target EPG page, whether there is a schedule conflict; if there is a schedule conflict, determining a specified channel and specified time period corresponding to the schedule conflict; obtaining a specified schedule identifier corresponding to the specified channel in the specified time period, and displaying the specified schedule identifier on specified program information.

Methods and systems are described for downloading media assets efficiently and quickly before loss of network connectivity. The method may allow a user to download portions of a media asset in different versions to download a maximum portion of the media asset before loss of network connectivity. Certain versions of media assets may be downloaded more quickly than other versions of media assets. The method may also allow a user to view partially downloaded media assets without network connectivity. The method may also replace portions of media assets downloaded in a first version with portions of the media assets in a second version once network connectivity is restored.

Mechanisms are provided for allowing a user to dynamically manage rich media content in an efficient and effective manner. Tiles including media content, personalized video selections, content pack upgrades, and promotions for featured content are presented to a user. Each tile may include calls to view, purchase, discuss, rate, review, or read about associated content. Tiles may be presented as still images, logos, text, or live video. Multiple tiles may be manipulated using keyboard, mouse, touchpad, and/or touchscreen movements, motions, and gestures. In particular examples, an overlay provided on top of a tile mechanism provides a user with additional navigation and management options.

Items of video content offered for viewing on a video-on-demand (VOD) platform of a digital TV service provider are each assigned a respective title and hierarchical address corresponding to hierarchically-arranged categories and subcategories within which the title for the video content is to be categorized. The title is listed in a location of an electronic program guide (EPG) using the same categories and subcategories as its hierarchical address. Any TV subscriber can access the EPG and navigate through its categories and subcategories to find a title for viewing on the TV. The EPG dynamically adjust its display listings of each level of categories, subcategories, and titles in order to minimize the number of remote control keypresses needed for a viewer to navigate to a title of interest. In one basic form, the EPG display is reordered by listing more frequently visited categories or subcategories first, and other less frequently visited categories or subcategories lower on the listing or out-of-sight on another page of the display.

A broadcast receiving apparatus includes: a digital broadcast receiver configured to receive digital broadcasting in which contents are transmitted; a network transceiver configured to execute network communication; a data string converter configured to perform a mixing process for creating a new coded data string based on a coded data string of the received contents and a coded data string acquired by the network transceiver; a digital interface configured to output the contents to external equipment; and a controller configured to determine a state of the network communication of the external equipment. The state of the network communication of the external equipment includes a first state in which the network communication is in a communicable state and a second state in which the network communication is in an uncommunicable state. In accordance with the determined state of the network communication, the digital interface performs three types of output operations.

A display apparatus includes a display; a communicator configured to communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses, which respectively provide a plurality of contents; and a processor. The processor is configured to: based on receiving information relating to contents among the plurality of contents from external apparatuses, respectively, through the communicator, identify the external apparatuses that transmitted the information, among the plurality of external apparatuses, control the display to display a UI including the contents respectively received from the identified external apparatuses, and control the display to display, on the UI, reproduction states of the contents to be visually distinguishable according to states of inputs of users of the received contents, the inputs being received through the identified external apparatuses, respectively.

An electronic program guide, EPG, comprises a first portion and a second portion. The first portion comprises a list of channels and, for each channel in the list, a list of scheduled audiovisual content. The second portion comprises a selection area or section and a first graphical element representing a time line. The selection section may be used to select scheduled audiovisual content according to a selection criterion. Second graphical elements that represent scheduled audio visual content resulting from the selection are then placed on the first graphical element. The relative position of the second graphical elements on the first graphical element is determined by chronological order.