Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing enhanced catalog data capacity and functionality within a content distribution network. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an architecture configured to utilize an upstream out-of-band (OOB) channel for upstream catalog data request carriage, while a downstream in-band (IB) QAM is used for carriage of the catalog data issued by the network in response to the request. In another embodiment, the extant catalog structure is largely retained, yet modified so as to (i) eliminate redundancy within “barker” channel audio/video data delivery, and (ii) reduce the encoding resolution of the barker audio and/or video so as to utilize less bandwidth, thereby allowing enhanced capacity for catalog title expansion (and/or reduced latency in responding to catalog requests).

Abstract: A digital broadcast receiver device (100) is provided with: a descrambling unit (504) which uses keys for a plurality of services to decrypt encrypted video data for the plurality of services and generates video data for the plurality of services; and a CAS control unit (503) which, for each of the plurality of services, measures the update period of the key information and the key processing time for generating keys from the key information and determines, from among the plurality of services, which services are to be descrambled, that is, to be decrypted by the descrambling unit (504), selecting services such that the sum of the key processing times of all services to be decrypted is less than each one of the update periods of the services to be decrypted.

Abstract: Generally, a computer implemented layered multimedia assessment system which provides one or more server computers that allow one or more client devices and one or more administrator devices access to an layered multimedia assessment application which provides an administrator user interface and client user interface which serially provide one or more assignment events each having a first step in which the client user interacts with the client user interface to perform an assessment of assignment content and performs an interactive examination and a second step in which the client user participates to evaluate the performance of other client users.

Abstract: There is provided an IEEE 1394 transmitter for transmitting a plurality of audio data contents, having an audio data generator configured to sample the plurality of audio data contents sequentially to generate format data of an audio data content; and an IEEE 1394 transmission controller configured to add an IEEE 1394 header packet to the format data of the audio data content.