Program guide image objects for media content access systems and methods

Abstract

An exemplary system includes a media content processing subsystem configured to provide a program guide including a matrix of cells associated with a plurality of media content instances, and a selector object within the program guide. The selector object is configured to select one of the cells such that the cells in the matrix include a selected cell and at least one unselected cell. The subsystem is further configured to provide at least one image object within the at least one unselected cell. The image object represents the media content instance associated with the unselected cell. In certain embodiments, the image object includes a video content stream. The subsystem is further configured to provide a graphical user interface to a display for presentation to a user, the graphical user interface including at least a portion of the program guide and the image object.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 providing, by a media content processing subsystem, a program guide graphical user interface to a display for presentation to a user, the program guide graphical user interface including
 a matrix of cells associated with a plurality of media content instances, the matrix of cells being arranged along a time axis and a channel axis, and 
 a selector object indicating a selection of one of the cells such that the cells in the matrix include a selected cell and at least a first unselected cell and a second unselected cell; 
 
 selecting, by the media content processing subsystem based on a video content placement preference predefined by the user, the first unselected cell over the second unselected cell for placement of video content; 
 providing, by the media content processing subsystem to the display, video content for playback within the first unselected cell, the video content representing a first media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a first time slot and a channel corresponding to a first location of the first unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis; and 
 providing, by the media content processing subsystem to the display, non-video content for display within the second unselected cell, the non-video content representing a second media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a second time slot and a channel corresponding to a second location of the second unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the video content comprises a video component of the first media content instance. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the video content comprises an advertisement for the first media content instance. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first unselected cell that includes the playback of the video content represents a scheduled future broadcast of the first media content instance. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the media content processing subsystem from a media content provider communicatively coupled to the media content processing subsystem, a media content stream carrying the video content; 
 wherein the providing of the video content to the display for playback within the first unselected cell comprises using the media content stream to provide the video content to the display. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the video content placement preference predefined by the user specifies a particular media content instance to be given priority over other media content instances for placement of video content. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the video content placement preference predefined by the user specifies a particular channel to be given priority over other channels for placement of video content. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the video content placement preference predefined by the user specifies a particular television program to be given priority over other media programs for placement of video content. 
     
     
       9. A method comprising:
 providing, by a media content processing subsystem, a program guide graphical user interface for display, the program guide graphical user interface including
 a matrix of cells associated with a plurality of media content instances, the matrix of cells arranged along a time axis and a channel axis, 
 a selector object indicating a selection of one of the cells such that the cells in the matrix include a selected cell and a plurality of unselected cells, 
 a first image within a first unselected cell included in the plurality of unselected cells, the first image representing a first media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a first time period and a channel corresponding to a first location of the first unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis, and 
 a second image within a second unselected cell included in the plurality of unselected cells, the second image representing a second media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a second time period and a channel corresponding to a second location of the second unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis, the second time period not overlapping the first time period; and 
 
 providing, by the media content processing subsystem, first video image content for display as the first image within the first unselected cell and second video image content for display as the second image within the second unselected cell in the program guide graphical user interface. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the first video image content comprises a playback of a video component of the first media content instance; and 
 the second video image content comprises a playback of a video component of the second media content instance. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the first video image content comprises a playback of a first video stream; and 
 the second video image content comprises a playback of a second video stream. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising receiving, by the media content processing subsystem, the first video stream and the second video stream from a media content provider communicatively coupled to the media content processing subsystem. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the second unselected cell at the second location represents a scheduled future broadcast of the second media content instance. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the second video image content comprises an advertisement for the second media content instance. 
     
     
       15. A system comprising:
 a media content processing subsystem that comprises a processor and that provides:
 a program guide including a matrix of cells associated with a plurality of media content instances, the matrix of cells being arranged along a time axis and a channel axis; 
 a selector object within the program guide, the selector object configured to indicate a selection of one of the cells such that the cells in the matrix include a selected cell and a plurality of unselected cells; 
 a first image selectively placed within a first unselected cell included in the plurality of unselected cells, the first image representing a first media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a first time period and a channel corresponding to a first location of the first unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis; 
 a second image selectively placed within a second unselected cell included in the plurality of unselected cells, the second image representing a second media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a second time period and a channel corresponding to a second location of the second unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis, the second time period not overlapping the first time period; and 
 a graphical user interface to a display for presentation to a user, the graphical user interface including
 at least a portion of the program guide that includes the first unselected cell and the second unselected cell, 
 first video image content displaying as the first image within the first unselected cell, and 
 second video image content displaying as the second image within the second unselected cell. 
 
 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the first video image content comprises a playback of a video component of the first media content instance; and 
 the second video image content comprises a playback of a video component of the second media content instance. 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the first video image content comprises a playback of a first video stream; and 
 the second video image content comprises a playback of a second video stream. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the media content processing subsystem is further configured to receive the first video stream and the second video stream from a media content provider communicatively coupled to the media content processing subsystem. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the second unselected cell at the second location represents a scheduled future broadcast of the second media content instance. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein the second video image content comprises an advertisement for the second media content instance. 
     
     
       21. A system comprising:
 a media content processing subsystem that comprises a processor and that:
 provides a program guide graphical user interface to a display for presentation to a user, the program guide graphical user interface including
 a matrix of cells associated with a plurality of media content instances, the matrix of cells being arranged along a time axis and a channel axis, and 
 a selector object indicating a selection of one of the cells such that the cells in the matrix include a selected cell and at least a first unselected cell and a second unselected cell; 
 
 selects, based on a video content placement preference predefined by the user, the first unselected cell over the second unselected cell for placement of video content; 
 provides video content to the display for playback within the first unselected cell, the video content representing a first media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a first time slot and a channel corresponding to a first location of the first unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis; and 
 provides non-video content to the display for display within the second unselected cell, the non-video content representing a second media content instance included in the plurality of media content instances and associated with a second time slot and a channel corresponding to a second location of the second unselected cell along the time axis and the channel axis. 
 
 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the video content placement preference predefined by the user specifies a particular media content instance to be given priority over other media content instances for placement of video content. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the video content placement preference predefined by the user specifies a particular channel to be given priority over other channels for placement of video content. 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the video content placement preference predefined by the user specifies a particular television program to be given priority over other media programs for placement of video content.