Electronic program guide using markup language

DETAILED DESCRIPTION This and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing an interactive program guide system that has program guide display screen look and functionality assigned or updated using markup language documents.
Program guide data is provided by a data source in a satellite uplink facility.
This information is transmitted to a television distribution facility such as a cable headend via a satellite link.
The television distribution facility distributes the information (and television programming signals) to user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented.
One suitable distribution scheme involves transmitting television channels and distributing the information for program listings in the vertical blanking interval of one of the channels or in a sideband.
Alternatively, the information for program listings may be provided on a television channel sideband, using an in-band digital channel, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any other suitable data transmission technique.
The user television equipment for receiving and processing the television program listings and program listings information may include a set-top box.
The set-top box is also able to receive the television programming distributed by the television distribution facility.
The program guide implemented on the set-top box processes television program listings information and generates display screens (e.
g.
, an interactive television program guide grid) for display, e.
g.
, on a standard television monitor.
Program guide display elements may have a set of associated attributes.
Display element attributes may include display element style and layout information (e.
g.
, font size, font type, color, screen coordinates, etc.
), actions associated with the display element, or any other suitable attribute.
Display element actions may be indicated and selected using the markup language documents.
The markup language used may be any suitable markup language or system of marking up, or tagging, a document (e