On May 3, 4:40=A0pm, Albert Manfredi <bert22...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On May 3, 1:24=A0am, G-squared <stratu...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > Who gives a hoot about those useless program guides anyway? Even if
> > they were all perfect, it is SO clunky to get the EPG updated as to be
> > useless. It takes the tuner minutes to go through all 18 carriers I
> > get. The TV is running on a computer anyway so Yahoo TV listings are
> > there in seconds and are more accurate besides
>
> Stations don't have a choice, though. They need to comply, whether
> users care or not.
>
> As a viewer, I tend to agree with you. I have two older receivers that
> make you wait while they gather the info from a few stations, before
> drawing the matrix. Then, if you scroll down or to the rigth far
> enough, another long wait until the received fetches the added
> information. But this is entirely receiver-dependent. It doesn't have
> to be done this way.
>
> I have a new PVR/DVD recorder that takes a different approach. It only
> shows the station you're tuned to, and basically devalues PSIP
> entirely. It doesn't even provide the PSIP time.
>
> I get the feeling there's a chicken and egg thing going on here. As
> long as stations don't populate their EPGs well, e.g. including making
> data available for a few days ahead of time, users will ignore the
> EPG, and manufacturers won't spend time and money making it right.
>
> Ideally, this EPG stuff COULD be a selling point for manufacturers,
> just as the EPG is what made TiVo famous. Ideally, you'd see
> manufacturers bragging about their great PSIP EPG in TV ads. Instead,
> all you see in TV ads is the cable and DBS companies trying to lure in
> more subscribers.
>
> Bert
As I understand it, there are two forms of EPG. In the first form,
each Digital TV station can insert it's programming information (for
all subchannels) in the PSIP stream and TVs and other devices can
display it. This guide is relatively worthless because it is so slow
to fill and contains so little information. (At least on my TVs.)
There is also the GemStar TV-Guide that is broadcast (usually) by the
supplier of the clock signal used to automatically set the TV device
clock. The GemStar Guide (after the initial 3 days) displays 7 days
of programming for all stations (OTA, cable, sat) for your market. My
Sony OTA HD-DVR uses the GemStar guide. The guide comes in a standard
grid with indicators for HD vs SD, New vs Repeat and program
synopsis. Stations can be switched or recordings set by clicking on a
guide entry. *This* guide is very useful and ****tional. However, the
manufacturer must license the guide software from GemStar.
Dan (Woj...)
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