Abstract: A server system provides a client system with a number of on-line services including a log-in service. Once the server receives a request from the user for initiating access to the server, the log-in service accesses a user database for information including access privileges of the authorized user in relation to the other services available on the server. The server then generates an information packet containing this information, and transmits the information packet to the client. The client than transmits a second request to the server, requesting use of another service offered by the server. The information packet provided by the server in response to the log-in request is transmitted along with the second request to the server. The server then regulates access by the client to this other service by using the information packet transmitted back to the server from the client. Thus, access to the user database is minimized.

Abstract: Web browser software is implemented in a processing system housed in a set-top box connected to a television and communicating over a wide-area network with one or more servers. The browser allows a user to use a remote control device to navigate between hypertex, anchors in World-Wide Web pages displayed on the television. User inputs are entered from the remote control device using an infrared IR link in order to move a selection between hypertext anchors or various control buttons displayed on the television display. The browser is capable of downloading audio files from Web sites and generating sound through a speaker of the television set based on the audio files. Background music is generated during Web browsing based on audio files downloaded from one of the servers or audio files stored in memory in the set-top box. A background music audio file from a server can be downloaded while another background music audio file is played.

Abstract: A proxy server transcodes audio data on behalf of a client computer prior to transmitting the audio data to the client computer. In response to a request from the client computer, the proxy server obtains the audio data from a remote server. If the proxy server determines that transcoding is appropriate, the proxy server transcodes the audio data and transmits the transcoded audio data to the client computer. Transcoding can include changing the type of the audio file, compressing the audio data, reducing the number of audio channels, or reducing the data sampling rate. The proxy server determines the extent and type of transcoding based on file formats that the client computer can process, the size of the requested audio file, the memory capacity of the client computer, the bandwidth of the connection between the proxy server and the client computer, and the desired level of audio quality.

Abstract: A method for displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) to a viewer. The method includes displaying one or more data slices representative of broadcast programming to a viewer. In response to input from the viewer, the displayed number of data slices is increased, for example, from one slice to two slices. In browser mode the viewer can scroll through multiple EPG data slices without selecting to view full mode EPG, while in full mode the EPG can expand from a single column of data slices to multiple columns of data slices based upon viewer selections. The EPGs of the present invention can display programming that a viewer is more likely to watch at a particular time than other programming. A data slice representing the predicted programming can be inserted into the EPG so that the viewer can identify programming that is likely to be of interest.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an automatic software upgrade over a satellite link. A server automatically downloads software updates over a satellite link to a client after such upgrades become available at the server. The download may be designated as mandatory or non-mandatory. Thus the download may be automatically performed or alternatively may prompt a user at the client to decide whether to accept the upgrade. The download eliminates the need for the client to be actively communicating with network infrastructure for the download to occur and enables the download to take place during low traffic time. Furthermore, the download requires little or no input from a user at the client.

Abstract: An system for allowing a computer network site to recognize an anonymous user without revealing the identity of the user. The system involves generating a user alias based on the user's identity and the computer network site such that it is computationally difficult to determine the user's identity from the alias alone. The system further involves informing the computer network site of the alias upon access of the site by the user. The computer network site may then block access to the site's contents whenever it receives an alias associated with a disruptive user.

Abstract: Systems and methods for utilizing a back channel as a feedback system to regulate the quality of broadcast. A signal source transmits a signal corresponding to the broadcast to one or more home entertainment systems. The displaying, recording or utilization of the broadcast is tracked at the individual home entertainment systems. The tracked information is transmitted in either real time or on a deferred basis from home entertainment systems as feedback across a back channel. The quality of the broadcast is regulated and/or optimized as a result of the feedback. As such, the broadcast can be dynamically restructured by modifying the bandwidth of the broadcast, by changing the modulation of the broadcast, by changing the encoding scheme of the broadcast, by varying parameters of the encoding scheme of the broadcast, by redistributing satellite channels to take full advantage of transponders available in a satellite television system, etc.

Abstract: A browser-based email system has a thin client connected to a host mail server. The thin client implements a browser. The host mail server provides pages to the thin client, which can be rendered by the browser to present an email service to a user. The thin client is equipped to receive audio and video data and supports a user interface to facilitate capture of the audio or video data for inclusion in an email message. After a data stream is captured and stored locally at the client, the browser submits a request to the host mail server that contains a token in lieu of the data stream. The host mail server returns a response specifying a new page that contains the email message. The response also includes the token and indicates a location in the new page at which the audio or video data is to be rendered. Upon receiving the response, the browser inserts the data stream into the new page at the location and renders the new page.

Abstract: Systems for adaptively deinterlacing interlaced video to generate a progressive frame on a per pixel basis. Two consecutive fields of interlaced video are converted into a frame of progressive video. One of the fields is replicated to generate half the lines in the progressive frame. Each of the pixels in the other half of the progressive frame are generated pixel-by-pixel. For a given output position of the pixel in the other half of the progressive frame, a correlation is estimated between the corresponding pixel in the non-replicated field and at least one vertically adjacent pixel of the replicated field, and optionally one or more vertically adjacent pixels in the non-replicated fields. A value is then assigned to the output pixel that corresponds to the output position, the value depending on the correlation.

Abstract: Information from an information resource may be displayed with television video in a synchronized fashion. A trigger, broadcast along with the television video, identifies the resource and indicates how information from the resource should display. When a trigger is received, the receiver unit determines whether a rule stored in the receiver unit applies to the trigger. For example, if the rule applies, the receiver unit may take a predetermined action, or if the rule does not apply, the rule may have no effect and the receiver unit may act upon the trigger in a normal or default fashion. Based on one or more rules, the receiver unit may ignore certain triggers, but not others. Rules can be automatically loaded into the receiver unit on power-up by one-way broadcast communication, from a permanent storage device, or by downloading from the Internet. The rules can be updated periodically.

Abstract: A multimedia system is described that is capable of recognizing and performing functions based on an) number of rating systems such as the MPAA rating system or the U.S. television rating system. Specifically, the multimedia system stores a data structure representing information regarding each of the ratings in each of the rating systems. Once the rating of a multimedia program is determined, the multimedia system can use this information to perform functions such as providing to the user the information for education purposes, or such as blocking the program.

Abstract: Systems and methods for mapping, decompressing, and compositing graphical image in preparation for displaying an image on a display screen. Graphical image data is received by a graphics engine, which maps portions of the data to pixel positions on the display screen. If the data is compressed, it is decompressed after being mapped to pixel locations. The data is then composited in a scanline buffer, which stored display parameters that specify the colors and other properties of pixel in a single scanline on the display screen. Mapping the data prior to decompression reduces the random access memory resources otherwise required. In particular, the entire volume of compressed graphical image data received by the graphics engine does not need to be decompressed and stored in a random access memory device before being mapped to pixels on the display screen.

Abstract: An interactive television trigger has a time attribute value that indicates a future time when the trigger is to be executed. In many situations, the trigger is sent to the receiver unit prior to the future time (e.g., to account for bandwidth limitations or to allow prefetching of an information resource associated with the trigger). Redundant triggers may be sent as the future time draws closer. In this way, if the receiver unit did not receive a previously sent trigger for some reason, a redundant trigger is available for execution. The receiver unit may ignore duplicate triggers. The time attribute value also may indicate a life span during which the trigger is valid so that, if a user switches video channels but returns to a video channel for which execution of the trigger is desired, the trigger may be re-executed during the life span.

Abstract: A system for distributing digital data over a video channel to a plurality of remotely located client terminals. The system involves selecting a set of digital data to be distributed and converting it to an intermediate format compatible with video broadcast. The intermediate data is then broadcast over a video channel during a time when no video content is being transmitted so that the intermediate format data takes the place of the video content. The intermediate format data is received at a remotely located client terminal where the set of digital data is recovered.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for communicating logical addresses within a broadcast television signal are provided. According to one aspect of the present invention, a logical address of a resource, e.g., a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), may be communicated to a receiving device, such as a set-top box, by way of a data service channel of a video signal. A sequence of data complying with a predetermined syntax and including the logical address is embedded in either a text service channel (e.g., T1, T2, T3, T4) or a captioning service channel (e.g., CC1, CC2, CC3, CC4) of the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the video signal. According to another aspect of the present invention, a logical address of a resource may be received by way of a data service channel of a video signal. A video signal including data associated with one or more data services is received. Subsequently, a sequence of data complying with a predetermined syntax is retrieved from either a captioning service or a text service.

Abstract: The invention frees up memory to other uses by allocating memory to video graphics buffering only to the extent required. It also saves graphic processor bandwidth by processing, e.g. blending, only to the extent required. It does so by defining a regular grid of so-called tiles or cells in the overlay graphic data window, e.g orthogonally arrayed squares of 32-pixel sides, and allocating memory only to those requiring update, i.e. only those that are visible and subject to change between successive frames. Allocation is dynamic and requires little tagging overhead to keep track of the tiles in memory by location in the video graphic window. Processing is only of those tiles for which memory is allocated, since entirely transparent tiles within the window require no blending or processing whatsoever because they are invisible.

Abstract: An entertainment head-end provides broadcast programming, video-on-demand services, and HTML-based interactive programming through a distribution network to client terminals in subscribers' homes. A number of different features are provided, including novel user interfaces, enhanced video-on-demand controls, a variety of interactive services (personalized news, jukebox, games, celebrity chat), and techniques that combine to provide user experiences evocative of conventional television.

Abstract: A computer may be remotely accessed. At a first location, display commands are generated. The display commands are covered into a compressed video data stream. Each display element (5) is checked if it is encoded (52). If object is encoded, it is transcribed into MPEG (54). The image is adjusted for display (56) and compression (58). Additional steps of motion determination (60), change detection (62), compression depth and frame determination (66, 68) are executed. Then the data is transmitted to a second location. The display commands are decompressed and displayed as an image at the second location.

Abstract: A system for processing a video data stream has a data input to receive a video data stream with first and second fields of interlaced scan lines. The system has a resizing and filtering component to remove the first field of interlaced scan lines, thereby reducing the quantity of video data by one-half. The resizing and filtering component then resizes the remaining second field of interlaced scan lines by averaging pairs of sequential scan lines to produce averaged line pairs. Thereafter, the resizing and filtering component filters the averaged line pairs to remove any unwanted interlace flickering.

Abstract: A method, device and system for displaying at a user interface device a richly-detailed video or TV file upon selecting a link to a web page corresponding to the file. After the video or TV file has played, the web page is displayed, inserting a television or video experience into a web surfing experience. The video or TV file is downloaded to the user interface device during an otherwise idle time when bandwidth for downloading is available. Clicking the link to the web page may send a specialized URI from the device to a service center that signals the device to play the video or TV file and retrieve the web page, allowing the service center to manage display of the video or TV files. This has particular utility for links that are banner advertisements and provide video or TV advertisements upon clicking the banner to access a web page.