Electronic Programme Guides

[andybreene]

I'm just doing some research on on EPGs and DBStalk seemed like a good place to start :)

I'm just wondering if anyone could point out any websites or resources where I could find out more information about how they work. Or if you know anything about it please share your knowledge

E.g the technology and companies behind them.

I've found a little bit of information on Wikipedia already

Specifically I'd like to know where the EPGS get the program information from and how this information is put into the EPG in the first place.

[andybreene]

anybody?

[kenglish]

The technical parts of the EPG are discussed in the standards of DVB-S (Digital Video Broadcasting: Satellite) and the ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee).

The actual guide info is usually compiled by a someone like TMS (Tribune Media Services, part of the Chicago Tribune newspaper syndicate), using scheduling input from individual stations, and detail info from the networks and programmers, themselves.

Stations, as well as newspapers and websites, subscribe to this info, which is downloaded from the web each week (a compressed file, that their own systems use to create EPG or printed guides).