TV Guide Network - History - 1990s - Prevue Channel

Prevue Channel

Beginning in late March 1993, Prevue Networks, Inc. overhauled the Prevue Guide software once again, this time to modernize its appearance. Still operating on the same Amiga 2000 hardware, the old grid's black background with white text separated by colored lines gave way to a new, embossed-looking navy blue grid featuring 90 minutes of scheduling information per channel. Arrow symbols had been added to listings whose start or end times stretched beyond that timeframe, and for viewer convenience, local cable operators could now configure the grid's scrolling action to momentarily pause for up to four seconds after each screenful of listings. Additionally, local cable operators could enable light grey sports and movie summaries within the grid. Appearing between each listings cycle, these showed all films and sporting events airing on any channel during the next 90 minutes. The light grey program-by-program summaries for individual channels, red and light blue channel highlighting, and graphical "Prevue Weather" forecasts that were previously available to cable systems as optional grid features and inserts remained available in the same manners as before. Closed captioning, MPAA movie rating, and VCR Plus+ logos were additionally introduced by this version of the software, and unlike in prior versions, large graphical Prevue Guide logos appeared within its grid, between listings cycles. The old, synthesized interstitial music that had been used since 1988 was also replaced with a more modern piece called "Opening Act", from the defunct James & Aster music library.

By late 1993, Prevue Guide was re-branded "Prevue Channel", and an updated channel logo was unveiled to match. Beginning in early 1994 and up until its first couple of years as the TV Guide Channel, the network licensed production music (first at 1 min. length, later at 15 and 30-sec. lengths) from several music libraries for use as interstial music. In 1996, the Prevue Channel logo was given a new eye-like design, and two years later, the classic Dodger-like font face its logo had incorporated since 1988 was replaced with Univers, though Sneak Prevue continued to use the original typeface until its demise in 2002. In 1997, Prevue Channel became the first electronic program guide to show Canada's and the United States' formalized TV Ratings symbols. They appeared alongside program titles within the listings grid, as well as in the supplementary scheduling information overlays accompanying promo videos in the top half of the screen.

During the mid-1990s, Prevue Networks, Inc. also expanded beyond its Prevue Channel operation. In 1996, Prevue Networks introduced their first set top terminal-integrated digital IPG, Prevue Interactive, designed for the General Instruments DCT 1000. It was launched as part of TCI's first digital cable service offerings. In 1997, Prevue Networks and United Video Satellite Group also launched Prevue Online, an internet web site providing local TV listings, audio/video interviews, and weather forecasts. Another web site, PrevueNet, was co-launched to provide more history and useful information for the Prevue Channel, as well as for Sneak Prevue, UVTV, WGN Chicago, and WPIX New York.

The new navy blue grid version of the Prevue Channel software was as crash-prone as previous ones. Flashing red Amiga "guru meditation" errors (with the raw satellite feed's dual promo windows and national satellite listings grid showing through from behind them) remained a frequent sight on many cable systems throughout the United States and Canada. While Prevue Networks' software engineers released regular patches to correct bugs, it simultaneously became clear that an entirely new hardware platform would soon be needed. New Amiga 2000 hardware was no longer being manufactured by Commodore, which filed for bankruptcy in 1994, and Prevue Networks began resorting to cannibalizing parts from second-hand dealers of used Amiga hardware in order to continue supplying and maintaining operational units. During periods where Amiga 2000 hardware availability proved insufficient, newer models such as the Amiga 3000 were used instead. However, as those models' stock cases would not accept the company's large existing inventory of Zephyrus ISA demodulator cards, only their motherboards were used, in custom-designed cases with riser card and backplane modifications.

Towards the end of the decade, in 1998, Prevue Channel's programming was entirely revamped. New short "shows" were introduced to replace Prevue Tonight, FamilyVue, and Intervue. These included Prevue This, Prevue Family, Prevue Sports, Prevue TV, Prevue News and Weather, and Prevue Revue. They each lasted only a couple of minutes, but every show happened twice every hour.