INTERACTIVE TELEVISION SYSTEMS WITH DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDING AND ADJUSTABLE REMINDERS

摘要

An interactive television sysetm is provided in which an interactive television applciation is used to support network-based or local personal video recorder capabilities. A user may use the interactive television application to view lists of program listings. The user may selecet a program listing of interest. The interactive television application may allow the user to set a reminder for the selected program at the scheduled broadcast time. The interactive television application may also allow the user to set a reminder for the selected program at a later time at which the program is not scheduled to be broadcast. The user may be provided with a reminder at this later time. In response, the user may direct the network-based or local personal video recorder to play back the program or may defer the reminder gain. The interactive television application may collect information on program usage and popularity to determine how long to retain certain programming on the network.