A system for localizing an EPG program schedule, including an EPG service provider
station including a database of channels and corresponding EPG program schedule
information, a database manager identifying a plurality of channel line-ups potentially
receivable at a viewing location, a transmitter, and a receiver, a multimedia viewer
situated at the viewing location including an automatic channel line-up identifier
identifying a first line-up of television channels receivable at the viewing location,
a channel line-up processor at the viewing location calculating a channel line-up
from among the plurality of channel line-ups that substantially matches the first
line-up, a receiver receiving from the EPG service provider station the plurality
of channel line-ups, and a transmitter transmitting to the EPG service provider
station the identifier of the channel line-up calculated by the channel line-up
processor, and a network connection linking the multimedia viewer to the EPG service
provider, wherein the EPG service provider station transmitter transmits to the
multimedia viewer the plurality of channel line-ups and also transmits to the multimedia
viewer EPG program schedule information localized to the viewing location and based
on the identifier of the channel line-up calculated by the channel line-up processor,
and wherein the EPG service provider station receiver receives from the multimedia
viewer the identifier of the calculated channel line-up, and wherein the multimedia
viewer receiver also receives from the EPG service provider station the EPG program
schedule information.