Abstract: A method and system for digital closed caption transport are provided. In one example, the method involves receiving closed caption data and a program feed having video content, embedding the closed caption data into a standard video syntax, and encoding the video content into the standard video syntax as a background, wherein the closed caption data and the video content are encoded into a closed caption program feed.

Abstract: A method and system for digital closed caption transport are provided. In one example, the method involves receiving closed caption data and a program feed having video content, embedding the closed caption data into a standard video syntax, and encoding the video content into the standard video syntax as a background, wherein the closed caption data and the video content are encoded into a closed caption program feed.

Abstract: A method and system for digital closed caption transport are provided. In one example, the method involves receiving closed caption data and a program feed having video content, embedding the closed caption data into a standard video syntax, and encoding the video content into the standard video syntax as a background, wherein the closed caption data and the video content are encoded into a closed caption program feed.

Abstract: A digital radio broadcast system provides various interactive features, including skip forward and skip backward. In one embodiment, data is transmitted at a faster than real time rate and accumulated in a buffer at a receiver. The user can play a current track or skip to subsequent or earlier tracks. In another embodiment, two or more programming service streams (i.e., user channels) are communicated such that a user can move directly from a current track to the beginning of a track of another stream. In another embodiment, tiers of service levels are provided so that paying subscribers can bypass some or all of the commercial messages, while non-paying subscribers can not bypass the commercials. Replacement programming may be transmitted in a portion of the bandwidth of the free service. At a receiver, control data may be used with multimedia data to provide a multimedia clip which identifies features of a track, such as artist, song title or lyrics.

Abstract: A received analog television service is positively identified using a transmission signal identifier that is inserted into the analog signal at the transmitter side, and extracted at the receiver side. Channel map data which is used for identifying counterpart digital programming services is extended to encompass identification of the analog services. Descriptive information which is specific to the programming services, such as program guide data, can thereby be accurately matched up and displayed with a received analog programming service.

Abstract: Interactive Program Guide (IPG) data for television is delivered to integrated receiver-decoders (IRDs) in a decoder population via, for example, a satellite network. The IPG data provides scheduling information for global and local programming services which are carried via the satellite network as well as another network such as a CATV network or a terrestrial broadcast network. Each IRD is assigned to an IPG region using unit addressing. At the IRD, IPG data is filtered so that only the global data and the region-specific data for the IRD's IPG region is retained and processed by the IRD. Channel map data is also delivered to the IRDs so that bundles of IRD data can be filtered out using firmware filtering to discard program sources that are not present in the channel map. The IRD data which is retained after filtering is used to provide scheduling information via an on-screen display. A preferred source may be designated when there are duplicative channels on the different networks.

Abstract: A cable and connection with integrated DVI and IEEE 1394-2000 capabilities is utilized to transmit DVI signals and IEEE 1394-2000 signals over a single cable. A standard DVI cable and a DVI connector are used to integrate a DVI interface with an IEEE 1394-2000 interface. In the preferred embodiment, DVI data is transmitted over the first TMDS link, including channels 0-2, and IEEE 1394-2000 data is transmitted over two twisted pairs within the second TMDS link, including channels 3-5. Preferably, a DVI connector routes the DVI signals to or from the DVI digital signal lines corresponding to the first TMDS link to a DVI receiver circuit or a DVI transmitter circuit, as appropriate, and routes IEEE 1394-2000 signals to or from the DVI digital signal lines corresponding to the second TMDS link to an IEEE 1394-2000 interface circuit.

Abstract: Data pages of an interactive program guide (IPG) for television are transmitted according to a shuffle function which allows different television receivers to retrieve particular segments of the data pages based on the day and time of program listings which a viewer wishes to see. A page of data, which corresponds to a full-screen image, is divided into segments and retrieved by the receivers over time. The segments are shuffled to provide an optimal separation in the data stream. The optimal separation corresponds to the receiver's input buffer size and processing speed. The pages may be arranged sequentially, or with the even-numbered pages separated from the odd-numbered pages. The pages are partitioned into a number of subsets, and, within the pages of each subset, the segments are shuffled according to a perfect shuffle function such that respective adjacent segment pairs are arranged in an order which maximizes a minimum of their inter-segment distance after shuffling.

Abstract: Interactive Program Guide (IPG) data for television is delivered to integrated receiver-decoders (IRDs) in a decoder population via, for example, a satellite network. The IPG data provides scheduling information for global and local programming services which are carried via the satellite network as well as another network such as a CATV network or a terrestrial broadcast network. Each IRD is assigned to an IPG region using unit addressing. At the IRD, IPG data is filtered so that only the global data and the region-specific data for the IRD's IPG region is retained and processed by the IRD. Channel map data is also delivered to the IRDs so that bundles of IRD data can be filtered out using firmware filtering to discard program sources that are not present in the channel map. The IRD data which is retained after filtering is used to provide scheduling information via an on-screen display. A preferred source may be designated when there are duplicative channels on the different networks.

Abstract: Web pages and other Internet information resources are retrieved from a one-way broadcast signal such as a broadcast television signal. A user selects from a range of available information, including hypertext markup language (HTML) pages, which is carried in the broadcast stream by invoking a command which is defined according to a uniform resource locator (URL) format. Table mapping data is carried in the broadcast signal and provides a broadcast address corresponding to the URL of the user request signal for use in identifying a location in the broadcast signal from which the desired information can be retrieved. The broadcast address may provide information regarding a frequency, packet identifier, satellite, transponder, cryptographic scheme, modulation scheme, data rate, error correction scheme, page number or other relevant criteria associated with the broadcast signal which must be known to retrieve the requested information.

Abstract: Textual and graphical displays are provided on a television screen using a hypertext markup language (HTML). On-screen display devices allow a user to invoke hyperlinks to different pages of HTML-coded data in addition to functions calls for controlling television and non-television appliance functions. A method provides HTML-coded display data which is processed to provide a signal suitable for reproduction on a television. The display data may provide information on a featured movie or other presentation of an associated video programming service signal such as a network television broadcast. Function calls allow the control of various television functions and programming options, such as the purchase of pay-per-view programming, or television display options such as aspect ratio, channel, brightness, picture-in-picture, or split-screen. Non-television appliances which may be controlled with function calls include audio equipment which is associated with the programming service (e.g.

Abstract: A television viewer can easily navigate programs which are grouped according to a common service provider or other grouping criteria by depressing the "channel up" or "channel down" buttons on a hand-held remote control. Programming services which are provided via one or more transmission paths are integrated, thereby allowing a viewer to successively select the grouped channels regardless of the broadcast signal, transmission path, frequency spectrum, transport stream and/or PID in which the channel is carried. Data is provided with broadcast signals to indicate broadcast address information which corresponds to a primary channel and one or more secondary channels of a channel group. A viewer can successively view the channels of the group while bypassing intermediate non-group channels. Grouped channels can thus be designated by a common channel designator such as a channel number.

Abstract: An interactive on-screen visual interface guides a user through a menu of individual events available via an information network while allowing continuity of viewing of the current channel. The invention is especially applicable to the provision of an interactive program guide (IPG) for events such as television programs, movies, concerts, sporting events, interactive services, and the like which are available over a digital broadcast satellite (DBS) system or a cable television (CATV) network. A user can easily switch back and forth between a partial screen guide and a full-screen guide by a command entered, for example, on a hand-held remote control. The guide can be switched back to a non-display status. The guide's graphics can also be blended with video being viewed. The primary viewing channel can be resized to allow the user to view all of the primary channel while also accessing the guide. A trickle data stream provides programming information for a current time period, e.g.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for implementing an interactive program guide on an information network. A plurality of database pages are communicated over the information network. Each page corresponds to a time slot over which events are available on the network. Schedule data for each event to be included in the interactive guide is inserted into the database page for the time slot during which the event is to be provided. The database pages are transmitted via the information network at a transmission rate selected to enable the recovery of a particular database page within a predetermined acquisition time limit, for retrieval of schedule data for the time represented by that page. Schedule information for a current time period can be provided in a trickle data stream with future scheduling information provided in a demand data stream. The demand data stream is transmitted at a substantially higher rate than the trickle data stream.

Abstract: Impulse purchasing is provided for packages of services offered to consumers via an information network. A plurality of services is offered for individual purchase on an impulse basis via a user terminal coupled to the information network. The plurality of services is offered for purchase as a package on terms that may be more favorable than when the services are purchased individually. Upon purchase of a package, a package record is established for access by the user terminal. The package record provides cryptographically secure access to services provided in the package during a defined time period over which the package is valid.

Abstract: Incremental delivery of authenticated access rights to an access control processor is provided. Subgroups of the access rights are communicated to the processor in a plurality of messages. The subgroups are stored in different data banks within the processor, and validity designations associated with the data banks indicate whether the data currently stored therein has been authenticated under a cryptographic key currently in use. Access under a particular key is limited to that provided by access rights contained in storage banks having a validity designation in a valid state for that key.

Abstract: A desired information stream is recovered from a pair of independent bitstreams transmitted using quadrature modulation. One of the independent bitstreams is altered by an invertible alteration function prior to transmission. The quadrature modulated bitstreams are demodulated at a receiver to provide a demodulated I bitstream and a demodulated Q bitstream. One of the demodulated I and Q bitstreams is tentatively provided for decoding. The tentatively provided bitstream can be optionally inverted. One of the tentatively provided bitstream and the optionally inverted bitstream is decoded if it is desired to recover the bitstream that was not altered by the alteration function prior to transmission. One of the tentatively provided bitstream and the optionally inverted bitstream is decoded after applying the inverse of the alteration function thereto if it is desired to recover the bitstream that was altered by the alteration function prior to transmission.

Abstract: A microcomputer which is operable in either an internal program mode, wherein the microcomputer functions in accordance with an internally stored program, or in an external program mode, wherein the microcomputer functions in accordance with a program stored in a memory external to the microcomputer, provides internal RAM security during the external program mode.