Electronic individual viewer search and selection of TV program offerings involves displaying search results in hierarchical form according to degree of descriptor similarity

摘要

The method involves using content-based descriptors representing program-individual characteristic data sent to the receiver in standard form in a defined time pattern and updated with current program information. Search information are provided or extracted in standard form at the receiver and search results are displayed automatically in hierarchical form according to a degree of similarity between current and viewer-specified descriptors.