Some issues with ESGs and EPGs helping the consumer to navigate

Within the context of a digital television broadcast, the essence of a guide is that it should provide information to a viewer that he may choose what to watch (listen or take part in). Further, that it should be possible for a viewer to make a selection based on the composition of a program or event offered within a service. Of course the receiver has to capture the details of whatever is capable of being received and thus it must also have some native awareness of the environment in which it is placed. An ESG (event schedule guide) takes, as its reference, the fact that to a very large extent, this information can be readily provided by the service information which can accompany any DVB broadcast. This SI is quite efficient at providing this core data both in terms of bit-rate and in terms of the amount of data required. Outline calculations indicate that around 30 kbit/s will support a 7 day schedule for a single multiplex in which each event can be described using the short event descriptor and yet the requirements for repetition rate set out in ETR 211 can be maintained