You will commonly hear in this digital age the question what is an EPG? Well, it stands for Electronic Programme Guide and it is a digital guide displaying the schedule for broadcast radio and television programmes. These guides are usually displayed on-screen with a multitude of functions allowing a viewer to navigate through the guide and discover content by genre, start time, title and channel, using a remote control. The on-screen information that is displayed can be delivered to the viewer by a dedicated channel or collected by the receiving equipment (ie. set-top boxes), from certain information sent by each channel. The main benefits of an EPG are that a viewer can have handy access to where and when their favorite shows are scheduled, and can often find out what happens in specific episodes.

The approach of Electronic Programme Guides

The onset of digital set top boxes, mobile tv and IPTV technology, has meant that tv has never before been more accessible and more in demand. A significant increase in the number of channels and the amount of tv programming, presents a vast number of new problems for viewers. Trawling through the huge array of tv channels can be time-consuming and quite often, difficult. However, personalised tv show recommendations and intelligent tv guides is one solution to combat these difficulties. One of the major goals in EPG technology is to create a personalised EPG, which uses a viewers initial viewing preferences to help find additional tv shows that they might want to watch. Having personalised EPG's would mean that the viewer is most likely to receive apt programme information at the correct time. Integrating EPG technology allows a viable solution to the problem of providing viewers with highly relevant tv recommendations. It will also highly personalise tv listings to meet viewing preferences and enhances the guide with relevant information about on demand tv.




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