PASADENA, CALIF.- Sony will use Gemstar-TV Guide’s G-GUIDE interactive program guide (IPG) technology in its Blu-ray HDTV video disc recorder/receiver that will hit store shelves in Japan on April 10.
Gemstar announced that Sony’s BDZ-S77 ($3,800), which is billed as the world’s first Blu-ray Disc recorder, will incorporate the guide to assist users in finding and recording programming from both terrestrial analog and digital satellite sources.
The on-screen IPG enables products to receive and store selected SD and HD programs automatically, reserving them for the viewer to watch at a chosen time, much like a hard-disc-based personal video recorder (PVR).
Gemstar called the G-GUIDE IPG a “next-generation” IPG adapted for the Japanese market. It features Japanese-style program listings, advertising panels with animation and multiple-targeting capabilities, as well as other advanced IPG functions including:
* Free G-GUIDE data, updated automatically with two days of full listings and eight days of highlight listings.
* Easy one-touch access and record.
* Listing of all programs currently on-air, with detailed program information.
* Picture-in-Picture screen display on the G-GUIDE IPG.
* Search function with original G-GUIDE genre information.
The G-GUIDE technology is currently used in certain Sony Channel Server and CoCoon series hard-disk-drive recorders, which are also available in Japan, and have advertising capabilities much like those contained in the Gemstar’s new IPG for the U.S. market – TV Guide On Screen.
