Video on demand methods and systems

Abstract

An entertainment head-end provides broadcast programming, video-on-demand services, and HTML-based interactive programming through a distribution network to client terminals in subscribers' homes. A number of different features are provided, that combine to provide user experiences evocative of conventional television. These include a variety of novel user interfaces, such as automatically saving favorite programs, displaying an electronics programming guide that displays a list of the saved favorite programs on a favorites channel, and automatically overwriting saved programs as space is needed.

1 . A method of presenting video entertainment comprising:
 receiving a composite signal comprising plural transmission channels;   mapping the transmission channels to plural viewing channels wherein viewing channels have monikers that distinguish different programming;   on certain of said viewing channels, providing broadcast programming channels;   displaying an electronic programming guide including at least said plural viewing channels and at least one additional viewing channel comprising a channel associated with a user's viewing habits listed amongst the plural viewing channels;   upon receiving an indication of a selection of the channel, displaying a list of locally stored programs on a single page; and   upon completion of viewing a selected locally stored program, the selected locally stored program is not deleted, but is overwritten when storage space is needed, wherein locally stored viewed programs are overwritten before locally stored non-viewed programs.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining that a broadcast program corresponds to the user's viewing habits; and   recording the broadcast program automatically when a terminal is not activated to display the broadcast program.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising listing the recorded favorite broadcast program in the list of locally stored programs when the single page is displayed. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the locally stored programs on the single page are recorded from the broadcast programming channels. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the locally stored programs were recorded because a terminal was not activated to display a broadcast program during broadcast. 
   
   
       6 . A computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions for performing the method of  claim 1 . 
   
   
       7 . A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
 receiving plural transmission channels;   mapping the transmission channels to plural viewing channels having monikers that distinguish different programming;   on certain of the plural viewing channels displaying broadcast programming;   displaying an electronic programming guide comprising the plural viewing channels and at least one additional viewing channel comprising a channel associated with a user's viewing habits listed amongst the other viewing channels; and   upon receiving a selection indication of the channel, displaying a list of locally recorded programs;   wherein upon completion of viewing a selected locally recorded program, the selected locally recorded program is not deleted after viewing but is overwritten by a subsequent recording of a second broadcast program determined to correspond to the user's viewing habits, and wherein the selected locally recorded program is overwritten instead of another locally recorded program because the selected locally recorded program was already viewed.   
   
   
       8 . The computer readable medium of  claim 7 , wherein the list includes the title and length of the locally recorded programs. 
   
   
       9 . The computer readable medium of  claim 7  further comprising instructions for recording the second broadcast program received on a transmission channel when a terminal is not activated to display the second broadcast program. 
   
   
       10 . The computer readable medium of  claim 7  further comprising instructions for listing a recorded broadcast program in the list of locally recorded programs. 
   
   
       11 . A system for receiving a composite signal comprising plural transmission channels and providing entertainment, the system comprising:
 a display;   a remote control;   a digital processor;   volatile and non-volatile memory;   at least one network connection; and   digital processor executable instructions for performing a method comprising, mapping the transmission channels to viewing channels comprising monikers that distinguish different programming, on certain of said viewing channels, providing broadcast programming channels, displaying an electronic programming guide having the viewing channels and at least one additional viewing channel comprising a channel listed amongst the other viewing channels the channel being associated with a user's viewing habits, displaying a list of locally stored programs upon receiving a selection of the channel, and upon completion of viewing a selected locally stored program, the selected locally stored program is not deleted, but is overwritten automatically when disk space is needed, wherein viewed locally stored programs are overwritten before non-viewed locally stored programs.   
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the digital processor executable instructions for performing a method further comprise instructions for automatically recording a broadcast program associated with the user's viewing habits when the display is not activated to display the broadcast program. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the digital processor executable instructions for performing a method further comprise instructions for listing the recorded broadcast program in the list of locally stored programs when the channel is selected. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the digital processor executable instructions for performing a method further comprise instructions for playing back one of the locally stored programs upon receiving an indication of a selection of a program in the list. 
   
   
       15 . A system for receiving a composite signal comprising plural transmission channels and providing entertainment, the system comprising:
 a display;   a remote control with a menu button;   a digital processor;   volatile and non-volatile memory;   at least one network connection; and   digital processor executable instructions for performing a method comprising, mapping the transmission channels to viewing channels comprising monikers that distinguish different programming, on certain of said viewing channels, providing broadcast programming channels, displaying an electronic programming guide having the viewing channels and at least one additional viewing channel comprising a channel listed amongst the other viewing channels the channel being associated with a user's viewing habits, monitoring viewing channels to determine at least one television program that should be automatically copied to the channel, if the display is not activated by the user to watch the at least one television program, then storing the at least one television program locally to the non-volatile memory if there is sufficient storage space in the non-volatile memory, displaying a list of locally stored programs upon receiving a selection of the channel, the list including the at least one television program, if stored, displaying a playback user interface control panel upon receiving indication that the menu button on the remote control has been pressed, and upon completion of viewing a selected locally stored program, the selected locally stored program is not deleted, but is overwritten when disk space is needed, wherein viewed locally stored programs are overwritten before non-viewed locally stored programs.   
   
   
       16 . A method of presenting video entertainment comprising:
 receiving a composite signal comprising plural transmission channels;   mapping the transmission channels to plural viewing channels wherein viewing channels have monikers that distinguish different programming;   on certain of said viewing channels, providing broadcast programming channels;   displaying an electronic programming guide including at least said plural viewing channels and at least one additional viewing channel comprising a channel associated with a user's viewing habits listed amongst the plural viewing channels;   monitoring viewing channels to determine first and second television programs that should be automatically copied to the channel because they conform to the user's viewing habits, if the display is not activated by the user to watch the first and the second television programs;   storing the first television program locally to the non-volatile memory if there is sufficient storage space in the non-volatile memory;   after storing the first television program, storing the second television program locally to the non-volatile memory if there is sufficient storage space in the non-volatile memory;   determining that the viewer has completed viewing the second television program; and   overwriting the second television program automatically, if additional storage space is needed, even though the second television program is newer than the first television program.