Intuitive image-based program guide for controlling display device such as a television

摘要

A control device such as a tablet computer presents a scrollable image-based program guide (IBPG) on a display that a user can swipe to cause the device to command a display device to present an audio video (AV) program represented by the image. The IBPG is a subset of an electronic program guide (EPG) from a TV signal provider. Social networking information (SNI) related to a video program is presented on or adjacent an image in the IBPG representing the program.

主权项

1. A device comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to, for at least one video program: establish a respective image; access a wide area network to obtain social networking information (SNI) related to the video program; juxtapose at least some of the SNI related to the video program with the image; use at least some of the SNI as a search term to access a computer network with a query based on the search term and present on a display at least one search result item selectable by a user to access and play a video represented by the result item; and/or present on the display at least one time-based graph illustrating a volume of social networking comments pertaining to the program as a function of time, a user selection of a part of the graph causing a recording device associated with the display and recording the program to play back the program starting at a time represented by the part of graph selected by the user.