Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a virtual video on demand services is disclosed. The method and apparatus disclose the storing of a segment of the video program in advance for VOD viewing at a later time. When the subscriber selects VOD service, a pre-stored video segment is retrieved for presentation to the subscriber. Remaining video program segments simultaneously broadcast on a plurality of channels are recorded in parallel while the pre-stored video program segment is retrieved and presented to the user.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture for generating a video signal having an auxiliary data payload complying with a data payload protocol selectable from at least two available data payload protocols is disclosed. An exemplary embodiment of the method comprises the steps of generating a data reference signal (which describes an auxiliary data payload protocol including an auxiliary data payload clock speed) at a baseline clock speed compliant with both of the two data protocols; appending the auxiliary data payload signal at the auxiliary data payload clock speed to the data reference signal; and inserting the data reference signal and the appended auxiliary data payload signal in a portion of at least one line of a video frame. An exemplary embodiment of the apparatus comprises a generator, for generating at least one line of a video frame having a data reference signal at a baseline clock speed compliant with two data protocols and an appended auxiliary data payload.

Abstract: A system and method for positioning a dish antenna having a plurality of low noise block converters for the simultaneous reception of signals from a plurality of satellites in a direct broadcast satellite system. An integrated receiver/decoder alternately powers at least two low noise block converters to sample signals for comparison to a dynamic threshold value to detect a peak signal for each of the low noise block converters. When the peak signals are detected, they are compared to a dynamic master threshold to indicate a master lock for the system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transferring a data signal includes a transmitter having an encoder and a receiver having a decoder. The encoder includes a segment selector for identifying a signal segment from a group of speech, audio, video and graphic signals, each selected segment comprising a representation of an information quantity. The encoder includes a plurality of encoder libraries, one of the libraries containing a generic representation corresponding to the information quantity and a symbolic code corresponding to the object. The decoder has a second plurality of libraries corresponding to the plurality of encoder libraries, and one of the decoder libraries generates the information quantity as output in response to matching of the symbolic code transmitted from the encoder.

Abstract: A device for generating a display of an electronic program guide on a screen includes a receiver having a tuner which receives an input stream of television content and electronic program guide data, and which separates the electronic program guide data from the input stream. A memory is coupled to the tuner to store the electronic program guide data separated from the input stream. A display generator creates a display which combines a set of electronic program guide data. The display includes a narrative text written in a story-like manner. The narrative text resembles a magazine article and includes a hyper-link that provides a link to a television program. The display includes a program title, a program subject matter description, and a time of transmission.

Abstract: In a broadcast system such as a direct-to-home satellite system, program guide information for different time periods is transmitted on different carousels (e.g., one for 0-6 hours from current time, one for 6-24 hours, one for 24-72 hours, etc.) and broadcast on all transponders. Guide information for time periods in the near future is transmitted more frequently (i.e., less information per carousel) than guide information for later time periods. The receiving IRD sets a bit mask to indicate which carousel or carousels it requires and downloads them in serial or parallel. Updated information is never missed because it is given a bit pattern that is never screened by the mask. Further, the IRD can download the program guide information in the background (i.e., while displaying video) because it does not need to tune to a different transponder.

Abstract: A multiple-room communication system is adapted to provide digital television programming (e.g. DBS) to a plurality of rooms in a single family dwelling and may be further adapted to provide digital television programming to a plurality of dwelling units in a multiple dwelling unit such as an apartment. A central unit includes a plurality of integrated receiver decoder modules that receive e.g. satellite signals from a satellite antenna and filter and supply the signals to a distribution system that is coupled to a plurality of display devices that are located in various rooms throughout the single family home. A plurality of hand-held remote controllers, each being associated with one of the integrated receiver decoder modules, are used to communicate with and control the associated integrated receiver decoder module to cause it to supply a desired signal to a desired display device.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing earth station interference in a receiver antenna from non-GSO and terrestrial sources is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an absorber coupled to a receiver antenna feed assembly disposed between the non-GSO or terrestrial source and the feed assembly. Embodiments are disclosed in which the absorber is strategically placed where it minimally affects the receiver antenna mainlobe performance, while reducing interference from non-GSO and terrestrial sources.

Abstract: A system for distributing separate multiple satellite communication services signals to receivers at a local earth site on a single cable line. A dual satellite antenna receives the signals from two separate satellites, each of which can correspond to a respective satellite communication service. The received satellite signals are processed into two separate frequency bands. A frequency converter using frequency division multiplexing converts at least one of the received frequency bands so as to position both of the frequency bands adjacent to each other. A summer receives the adjacent frequency bands and distributes them on a single cable line to receivers so that the receivers have access to the separate multiple satellite communication service signals on a single cable line.

Abstract: Efficient assembly and transmission of information to multiple receivers and efficient acquisition of information from multiple sources over a shared communication channel is provided. An adaptive fuzzy control system prioritizes files for broadcast delivery or acquisition. Files are assigned a degree of membership in fuzzy variables and mapped onto a multi-dimensional control surface to determine which files should be sent or acquired first. Each of the fuzzy variables is divided into sets wherein a particular file can be a member of more than one set at varying degrees. The control surface is periodically reshaped to adapt in a dynamic environment, thereby converging on the optimal solution for the current conditions.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for broadcasting high quality audio “studio direct” with the same digital information employed in the studio by the video producer with AC-3 digital audio signals for broadcast to individual receiver decoders (IRD) include a method for altering meta data bits with minimum recalculation of cyclical redundancy check values. Control over individual data bits such as copyright bits is maintained by determining the bit status, comparing it to a preferred status, changing the status if it does not comply with the preferred status, and reevaluating cyclical redundancy check value in each data packet to avoid disruption in the data transmission. The calculation according to the present invention simplifies the hardware, storage and processing demands of previously known calculation techniques by forward and reverse comparisons of partial packet cyclic redundancy check (CRC) values.

Abstract: A communication system is used to transmit and receive a plurality of relatively narrow-band signals and wideband signals. The two signal types share a common electromagnetic spectrum by employing spreading gain and maintaining orthogonality between simultaneously transmitted wideband and narrow-band signals. Signal orthogonality is maintained by selectively choosing orthogonal codes and aligning or spacing a wideband carrier frequency with respect to the narrow-band carrier frequencies in accordance with the ratio of the wideband to the narrow-band chip frequencies. A pilot signal is preferably transmitted contemporaneously with the transmission of the first spreaded signal, and a control data signal, associated with a plurality of users on the first bandwidth, is transmitted on a common control channel using a single Walsh code that is shared by a plurality of users in a TDMA protocol.

Abstract: A method and system for compression encoding a video signal representative of a plurality of image frames which include a starting frame, an ending frame, and at least one intermediate frame, provides for identifying key points of at least one object in the starting and ending frames. For each object, a mathematical transformation is determined which estimates a representation of the corresponding key points in each intermediate frame by mapping the feature points from the starting frame to the ending frame. The representation of the object in the starting frame and the mathematical transformation are encoded and multiplexed to form an object bit stream. Each object bit stream produced in response to a set of image frames is then multiplexed to form an image bit stream. A signal-to-noise ratio can be scaled by adjusting the number of feature points identified, which in turn allows the compression ratio to be selectively changed.

Abstract: A computer based graphical user interface for facilitating the selection and display of transmitted audio, video and data includes a main menu state with a first multi-segment display having an active video/audio segment and a tuning segment. The active video segment displays a currently tuned program and the tuning segment includes an elongated graphic bar. The elongated graphic bar is dynamically sub-divided into a plurality of contiguous regions so that each of the regions uniquely corresponds to a program parsed from a multi-program data stream. The tuning segment also includes a graphic slider that overlays the graphic bar and that is movable along the length of the graphic bar so that the currently tuned program corresponds to the portion of the graphic bar underlying the current position of the graphic slider.

Abstract: A system in which a personal computer sends messages into a TCP/IP network using a conventional dial-up link and downloads data from the TCP/IP network using a high-speed one-way satellite link. A preferred embodiment uses a conventional SLIP provider to connect to the TCP/IP network and uses a commercial software TCP/IP package that has a standard driver interface. A spoofing protocol compensates for the long propagation delays inherent to satellite communication.

Abstract: A system (20) and method (30) for estimating the location of a terrestrial-based user terminal (23) is provided. The user terminal (23) is capable of measuring the relative signal strengths of a plurality of spot beams pilot signal emitted from a geostationary satellite (22). The user terminal (23) then estimates its position based on the measured relative signal strengths. Using this approach, the user terminal (23) can quickly determine its location without prior knowledge of its position or delay time.

Abstract: A mobile satellite communication system is provided to control the transfer of a terminal for a single-hop call from at least one of a clear mode and a ciphered mode with respect to a gateway station to a ciphered mode with respect to a satellite link connecting the terminal with another terminal for a single-hop, terminal-to-terminal call using a cipher key and an encryption algorithm common to the terminal and the other terminal. Frame number offset data, which indicates a mapping delay between received and transmitted time slots at the satellite, is provided to both terminals in a terminal-to-terminal call for ciphering synchronization.

Abstract: A system and method for transmitting wideband signals via a radio communication system adapted for transmitting narrow-band signals is described. A base station is used to transmit and receive a plurality of relatively narrow-band and a plurality of relatively wideband signals. The electromagnetic spectrum available to the plurality of narrow-band signals is selectively shared with the electromagnetic spectrum available to the wideband signals by systematically separating the orthogonal codes and the carrier frequencies used for transmission. The prefixes of the orthogonal codes are preferably mutually exclusive and the carrier frequencies are preferably separated by an offset. The offset may be substantially equal to an integer multiple of the narrow-band signal's chip rate. Alternatively, the offset may be substantially equal to an odd multiple of one half the narrow-band signal's chip rate in which case every other bit of the orthogonally encoded data is inverted.

Abstract: In a data communication system such as a high capacity DBS system, dynamic mapping of broadcast resources is provided to exploit occasional redundancy in the program content of two or more input data streams, freeing at least one broadcast resource to carry alternate bitstreams, such as additional programs or existing programs at higher quality. Transmission maps defining the correspondence between input data streams and broadcast resources, and reception maps defining the correspondence between broadcast resources and output data streams, are updated as needed to dynamically modify broadcast resource mapping to increase effective utilization of available bandwidth. Beneficial n:n-y:m mapping in a high capacity consumer DBS entertainment system is provided. Apparatus and methods for efficiently generating, maintaining and updating allocation maps with reduced overhead requirements, are disclosed.

Abstract: A system for directing an antenna for transmission over a two-way satellite network is disclosed. A transceiver is coupled to the antenna; the transceiver transmits and receives signals over the two-way satellite network. A user terminal is coupled to the transceiver and executes an antenna pointing program. The program instructs a user to initially point the antenna to a beacon satellite using predefined pointing values based upon the location of the antenna. The program receives new antenna pointing parameters that are downloaded from a hub over a temporary channel that is established via the beacon satellite. The program displays the new antenna pointing parameters and instructs the user to selectively re-point the antenna based upon the downloaded new antenna pointing parameters.