Method for forming program guides.

摘要

Program Guide information is formed suitable for incorporation in a video program datastream (425) and for storage on a storage medium or for broadcast in variable broadcast encoding formats. A method of formatting video data to be suitable for output on one of a plurality of output channels and in one of a plurality of encoding formats is employed. The method involves forming program guide information (420) including a channel map (420) associating an output channel with a video program (410). The program guide information also associates the channel map with an encoding format (420). The program guide information and the video data are incorporated into a datastream (425) and the datastream is provided to an output channel (430). The method may also involve generating a parameter indicative of an encoding format (420) and combining the encoding format parameter and the channel map in the program guide.