Remote control: Regulators, proprietary developers and broadcasters are all battling for control over the feature set they want to see adopted electronic programme guide (EPG)

摘要

Electronic programme guides (EPG) are increasingly the gateway not only to hundreds of competing television and radio channels, but also to a host of interactive services, video on demand (VOD) and personal video recorder (PVR) functions. And, if set-top boxes are to be eventually replaced by 'media centres' or similar then the range of services enabled by the EPG will evolve further to encompass other devices within the home. The revenue-generating opportunities of the EPG are also becoming increasingly apparent and, while some countries are happy to let the market shape its own development, in others regulators are becoming involved with the aim of protecting the end user. The UK, for example, is currently considering to what extent EPGs should be controlled.