A system and method for providing an electronic program guide for
broadcasted digital television wherein the electronic program guide
displays only currently broadcasting minor channels, and timely event and
contextual information. The system of the present invention includes
program code in a memory for causing a tuner/de-multiplexor subsystem to
tune to a preselected major channel broadcast frequency and to provide
thereby at least one transport stream comprising a plurality of associated
digital data elementary streams. The elementary streams include minor
channel audio and video, as well as program and system information tables
(PSIT), all of which are associated by packet identifiers to provide a
table hierarchy. The system of the present invention compares presently
broadcasting minor channel and PSIT information with corresponding
information in memory. If the presently broadcasting information is more
contemporaneous than the stored information, the stored information is
updated, or replaced, with the presently broadcasting information to
enable display of only actively broadcasting minor channels and
up-to-the-minute event and contextual information.
