A channel selection canvas for display on a video display device is disclosed. The video display device can be a television, a laptop computer, or personal digital assistant device. The channel selection canvas allows a user to preview and choose video signals to be watched. The channel selection canvas displays a set of television channel video thumbnails, which can be full motion video, slow motion video or sampled video snapshots. A channel selection canvas can also display video thumbnails for security cameras, baby monitors, video phones and the like. A channel selection canvas generator that generates channel selection canvases is also disclosed. The channel selection canvas generator can reside within a television, set top box or similar video processing device.