1.TVSou(搜视网)
2.TVMao(电视猫)
3.TVNet(中国影视网)
4…

How do you think about this piece of news : Microsoft Attempts to Patent EPG? For me, at least two points:
1. EPG is ‘the next big thing’ in the media field.  The reason?  well, take a look at the growing history of the soft giant then.
2. Microsoft is really a leader of vision.

tvtv is the first EPG service provider i’ve ever seen so far. Here’s some points I’ve got from the site:

1. running as a branch of Sony United Kingdom Ltd but being one of the most popular tv guide sites in Germany
2. online epg service, digital and analog(‘will be offered starting mid 2004′.seems the site hasn’t been updated for a long, long time. or it may mean the service hasn’t been making progress yet.)

P.S.Getting it via searching ‘epg service’ in google.

I do mentioned before about the difference betweeen EPG 1.0 and 2.0. And i know well that it’s still not clear enough. Here comes the work-around.

First, I’d like to run a relatively full analysis to the big EPG value chain based on my own knowledge.

Then I’ll try to explain how EPG 1.0 works in that chain.

Finally, how EPG 2.0 does.

Check out here titled “Broadband Bananas Interactive TV Videos” by Broadband Bannanas, many EPG-related applications there.
I totally agree on this:

..There is a tremendous range of levels of fuctionality in these services…

Just the following applications it mentions isn’t deep and wide enough at all. EPG related service and products still are waiting for your wise minds to dig out..

P.S. I found it via Wikipedia, one of my favourate websites.

Media Center, Tivo, and now Mac Mini(later?), all these of video recording devices, require EPG first.

Can this be a proof of my belief on the popularization of EPG?!

Update:

Also the onlined Google Video Store..

For epg 1.0, most likely, it’s produced by some knowledged guys in the traditional broadcast tv field. The meaning of the words is simple: epg generation is not a piece of cake. Say, you have to own some resource which isn’t not so easily to reach and acquire, you have to be filled with some vertical knowledge, like broadcasting, streaming, etc, and blah blah..
For egp 2.0, things might be a bit different, since we now have a brand new way of prodcuing content: UGC(User Generated Content), one of the key features of Web 2.0.. Think about it, carefully..

A snapshot on googling “Electronic Program Guide” at 16:10pm on Jan.10, 2006.

in my view, the traditional tv guide should be defined as EPG 1.0, typical player is TVGuide.com and the big portal’s related service or product,like MSN TV etc. EPG 1.0 focus on TV only.

I do have a strong belief that EPG is not only limited in TV field. I’d like to expand it into internet video field, like PCTV, STB TV, Mobile TV. Furthermore, perhaps audio can also be covered, like mp3 and podcast sites. and then I name it as EPG 2.0, since i think it’s a significant update.

Update:

Google ‘TV Guide’ findings…
Yahoo! TV

• bounded with Tivo

Euro TV

• including most of the euro countries, like France, Germany, Netherlands,…
• embedd egp support “EuroTv Data on your site“

Australian TV Guide – yourTV.com.au

DigiGuide: The Best TV Guide with UK Radio and UK TV Listings

..