Virgin has proposed a radical makeover of its programme guide which would dump traditional programme grids in favour of TV channel 'zones'.
The conceptual designs look more like the user interface seen on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox360 than a typical time-based programme guide.Kevin Baughan, director of technical strategy at Virgin, said each channel would get a zone where viewers could pick from linear, on-demand and other kinds of content.
"We're moving away from programme guides and time, giving channels zones in which they can develop a relationship with the viewer," said Baughan.
A Virgin spokesman added that the work is still several months away from a live model and it could be years before the new-look guide arrives on customer hardware.
The developers are also looking at ways to use technology like DLNA and integrate content available on users' other equipment into the Virgin experience.
The new guide was unveiled at Futuresource's conference on Driving Digital Content last week, and reported on Broadband TV News.
