Data Management in Set-Top Box Electronic Programming Guides

A white paper from the database management system experts at McObject.

The electronic programming guide (EPG) enables digital television users to search, filter and customize program listings and even control access to content. These capabilities entail significant data management, and a handful of vendors have incorporated commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) databases in their set-top boxes. This report presents lessons learned in such projects, mapping emerging digital TV standards, set-top box data management requirements, and typical data objects and interrelationships. Sample code and embedded database schema focus on efficiencies gained by implementing EPG data management using an in-memory database.