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Electronic Programmes Guides
 
Introduction
Overview
Free Samples
Table of Contents
Who Should Buy?
The Author
Reviews
Design - Functionality - Commercial Opportunities - Patent Issues.
Gemstar, Sky Digital, TiVo and more.

160-pages, full colour,
© IMR August 2002

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  Buyers
 
 

Sony Computer Entertainment, Insitut Fur Rundfunktechnik GmbH, Pioneer Digital Technologies Inc, BSkyB, Pinnacle Systems GmbH, Canalsatellite, Asia Information Services...

  Key design principles
 
 

Globally, digital television is set for explosive growth. Already the UK has 10 million digital television users, outstripping home internet use, and the US, too, is set for a dramatic digital take off. For broadcasters and telecommunications companies worldwide to profit from the coming boom, they must ensure that the gateway to services, their Electronic Programme Guides, are efficient and user-friendly.

Without a well-designed EPG, the 21st century viewer will struggle to navigate the multitude of channels and services on offer, and the operator will lose viewers. And those viewers who are not lost will not make full use of the interactive services, with a consequent further impact on profits.

Until now there has been little practical help available to TV operators, other than to employ specialist consultants at considerable cost.

Now IMR's Management Report overcomes this problem by bringing you:
  • Expert advice from the world's leading authorities
  • Analysis of the experience of the world's leading players, such as Sky and Gemstar
  • An exclusive research report into viewer behaviour
  • In-depth case studies from leading players in EPG production and operation
  • Practical guidance on how to design, build and operate an EPG
  • An analysis of the EPG as a revenue generator
  • Guidance on the increasingly painful pitfalls of patent infringement
  • An overview of EPG project management techniques
  Extensive coverage
 
 

  • You will find out how viewers use EPGs
  • You will get a practical action guide to EPG design
  • You will discover the full commercial potential of EPGs
  • You will learn how to avoid the snares of intellectual property rights
  Key features
 
 

Understanding viewer behaviour

The report presents the latest research into viewer behaviour when using EPGs. This is vital information for anyone seeking to design an EPG, because it demonstrates how viewers navigate the digital television environment and how they react to different screen formats.

Creating a user friendly, efficient EPG

The report sets out how to create the most efficient, user-friendly EPG possible. It provides the background material on viewer behaviour, frequently made mistakes, commercial opportunities and project management that will enable design and management teams to work together to understand the type of EPG that suits particular needs and how to go about building it. Expert consultancy in this area is difficult to find and expensive. The report reduces the need for consultants – the world's experts have been used to produce the report, and global best practice is examined throughout.

Cutting the cost of producing an EPG

The report explains how to reduce the cost and speed up the development of an EPG. It does so by exploring the key issues in project management, design, marketing and the legal requirements.

Explaining patent issues

The report examines the area of patent infringement in EPG design and includes a survey of Gemstar's contentious activity, supplied by top international law firm, MWE

Reducing the cost of running call centres

To support the channel service, most digital television operators have set up call centres at significant expense. By showing how to make EPGs more intuitive for viewers, the report points the way to substantial savings in the cost of setting up and running call centre support. It also shows how many of the help functions currently handled by call centres can be handled within the EPG.

Lifting channel ratings

The EPG is the gateway to interactive television, and research has shown that a well-designed EPG can produce as much as a massive 27% increase in viewing figures, compared with one that is poorly designed. The report highlights the mistakes commonly made in this new television environment, and demonstrates how they can be avoided. With billions of dollars being invested in new digital television services, avoidable mistakes are something you cannot afford to make.

Boosting commercial revenue

Many digital television operators are looking to EPGs as a major revenue stream in their own right. The report looks at how revenue can be sourced through the EPG and whether it is an appropriate medium to exploit commercially.

Learning from the leaders

The report features major case studies from leading proponents of EPG design such as Sky and Gemstar. It provides an independent analysis of their experiences and discusses the strengths and weaknesses in the design of their EPGs. Sky and Gemstar, in particular, are considered to be world leaders in EPG production, and the ability to learn from their example will be invaluable to any company wishing to understand how to develop a successful EPG.