Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand (SOD) services, dependent subscription services and contingent services for a interactive information distribution system, where a consumer may subscribe to packages of on-demand programs for a single price and view the programs in the subscribed package at any time for no additional cost. The apparatus and method are embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so-called navigator, and hardware, including a subscriber terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and service provider equipment that supports the functionality of the terminal. As such, graphical user interface functionality is distributed between the service provider equipment and subscriber equipment (subscriber terminal). Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real time interactive process for accessing SOD services that allows the subscriber to rapidly identify and access a subscription service.

Abstract: A telecasting service is provided that offers video programs upon viewer demand, and which includes an interactive interface for facilitating viewer selection of video programs. The interactive interface allows the viewer to scan through a list of video programs available on the demand telecasting service. The interactive interface also provides the viewer with still images, full-motion previews, and textual descriptions of the available programs. The demand telecasting service distinguishes subscribers from non-subscribers, and provides an interactive facility for allowing non-subscribers to subscribe to the system.

Abstract: The program guide data collection and delivery device for collecting and delivering program guide data of a plurality of broadcasting stations respectively broadcasting their own programs collects own-station EPG data from a plurality of program guide data transmitting devices respectively corresponding to each of the broadcasting stations, and delivers all-station EPG data to a plurality of program guide data providing devices. By this configuration, the rate of inter-access among the stations is not made high regardless of a frequent modification of EPG data of the broadcasting stations, and the program guide viewers of one station can be provided with the latest EPG data of other stations without changing the individual system configuration, even when there is an increase in the number of broadcasting stations within the whole system.

Abstract: The system enables listeners and viewers of a broadcast to access additional information associated with a broadcast. Listeners and viewers utilize a user device to connect to a database containing program descriptions (e.g. audio, text, video, or combination thereof) further describing the programming and ancillary information. The database is indexed by the broadcast's program list or schedule thereby allowing a user of the system to search and select a particular program description of interest. Hearing or viewing program descriptions enables users to preview excerpts and review a broadcast before purchasing an item heard or viewed on a broadcast.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand (SOD) services for a interactive information distribution system, where a consumer may subscribe to packages of on-demand programs for a single price and view the programs in the subscribed package at any time for no additional cost. The apparatus and method are embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so called navigator, and hardware, including a subscriber terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and service provider equipment that supports the functionality of the terminal. As such, graphical user interface functionality is distributed between the service provider equipment and subscriber equipment (subscriber terminal). Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real time interactive process for accessing SOD services that allows the subscriber to rapidly identify and access a subscription service.

Abstract: A method for displaying an enhanced multimedia presentation including personalized supplementary audio, video, and graphic content selectable by a user and rendered by a receiving device, comprises the steps of: communicating a multimedia presentation file to the receiving device, the multimedia presentation file comprising base multimedia presentation content and, frame-synchronized information including starting frame timing identifier, ending frame timing identifier, starting frame spatial coordinates, ending frame spatial coordinates, and motion vector specifications for describing frame-accurate location, motion and timing of the personalized supplementary audio, video, and graphic content, the frame-synchronized information indicating one or more free areas of the multimedia presentation absent significant base multimedia content; extracting the frame-synchronized information from the multimedia presentation file; retrieving the personalized supplementary content from the receiving device; decoding the

Abstract: A picture processing apparatus for picture-in-picture applications where the number of pixels n in the horizontal direction of an original picture, the number of pixels m in the vertical direction thereof, the number of pixels N in the horizontal direction of the converted picture, and the number of pixels M in the vertical direction thereof are supplied to a dividing device. Thus, ratios A=N/n and B=M/m are obtained. The inverse number 1/A of the value A is cumulated by circuits. An address generating circuit generates addresses at four points for calculating a density value a of a converted pixel corresponding to the integer part of a cumulated value &Sgr;(1/A). These addresses are supplied to memories. The pixel data at the four points that are read from the memories are supplied to respective multiplying devices. The decimal part of the value &Sgr;(1/A) is supplied as an interpolating coefficient p to a multiplying device. A coefficient (1−q) is supplied to a multiplying device.

Abstract: The invention provides an information providing apparatus and method by which the amount of data to be transmitted when data of a program table composed of characters and images or the like are to be transmitted is reduced and it is made possible to cope with a change in contents of data rapidly. Data of an electronic program guide to be provided is hierarchized into data (A1 data) which may possibly be changed such as the broadcasting date, the start time and the end time, data (A2 data) which are not changed at all such as a program name, and data (A3 data) composed of still pictures, moving pictures, voice and so forth which have comparatively large data amounts, and for each medium, data of a hierarchy suitable for the medium is provided. Each A3 data is referred to by one or a plurality of A2 data, and each A2 data is referred to by one or a plurality of A1 data.

Abstract: A display unit has an on-screen-display (OSD) control block for controlling display of OSD patterns on a screen together with a main image. The screen adjustment of the display unit is effected by a dedicated switch for effecting enlargement/reduction or movement of the effective screen area on the screen. The OSD control block enlarges/reduces or moves the OSD pattern by responding to the enlargement/reduction or movement of the effective screen area, thereby providing a visual scale for the enlargement etc. of the screen during the screen adjustment.

Abstract: Apparatus for recording and collecting usage and other statistical data from components of a cable data network comprises a network manager for maintaining and collecting the statistics. Internet protocol addresses are associated with components of the network. The component maintains a software agent that manages a statistics database. Responsive to a manager request generated at a service provider defined time interval, the component software agent provides the usage statistics to the network manager in real-time during an Internet session with a host. When the host to Internet or other data connection is torn down due to failure, disconnect or inactivity time-out, remaining usage statistics data is collected and the session duration updated with the time of tear down.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus are disclosed for selectively inserting interactive content into a live TV or recorded broadcasting presentation and tracking the usage of the inserted content by end user viewers of the presentation. The method and apparatus enable operators to watch the live audiovisual programming feed, view and navigate product lists from e-commerce servers, control the insertion of interactive content into the audiovisual programming, monitor the content insertion status, and track the usage by client viewers of the inserted content in real time. It is especially useful for interactive e-commerce applications.

Abstract: A system is presented for two-way digital multimedia broadcast services, enabling a variety of interactive and other applications. These applications include: navigation from one video program to another by selection of objects in the current video; creation and transmission of records of user viewing selection histories; iterative video-based data search and retrieval; dynamic customization of coordination between video content of the broadcast stream and data embedded therein; and the dynamic creation of “personalized” programs by the user without, through the broadcast and selection of overlapping program segments which are themselves customized for a particular user or group of users.

Abstract: A power control method for a set top box is disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for locating the source of noise ingress into a CATV system return path by coupling a filter having a passband in the noise frequency bandwidth to the nodes between adjacent return path amplifiers. The filter is sequentially coupled to the nodes, working away from the CATV system headend. A signal level meter or the like monitors the effect on the noise of coupling the filter to the nodes. When a node is reached at which coupling of the filter to the node no longer has any effect on the signal level in the node, the source of the noise is isolated in the node immediately preceding the node under test.

Abstract: A testing arrangement tests an MPEG video decoder that decodes frames of digital video data. The testing arrangement receives a data message containing a plurality of test frames and a reference checksum for each test frame. A checksum calculator calculates a calculated checksum for each test frame as decoded by the MPEG video decoder. A comparator compares each calculated checksum to its corresponding reference checksum, and determines whether the MPEG video decoder has properly decoded the test frames based upon results of the comparison.

Abstract: To obtain unique identification data to be added to program data even if different encoders are used, identification data generated by adding serial data specific to an encoder to data (time code) indicating the time of encoding is inserted into program data to be stored in a storage device. Whether the program data has been transmitted is checked based on the thus-generated identification data. By virtue of the use of such an identification data, even if program data are produced at the same time point by using different encoders, they can be clearly distinguished from each other because they are associated with different identification data because serial data of the encoders are different.

Abstract: A cable modem provides upstream data signals in a cable system on a return channel. The upstream data signals are provided in a 50-550 MHz frequency range and yet do not affect the picture quality associated with conventional cable television signals. The data is provided on vestigial sidebands associated with the cable television signals or during black periods associated with the cable television signals. The data can be modulated in accordance with quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) techniques.

Abstract: Methods of testing circuits for degradation of electrical signals and compensating for this degradation are disclosed. One such method involves visually comparing a visual representation of a reference signal generated by a test signal source, which can be made substantially identical to an original signal, and a degraded signal generated by another test signal source after passing through a video system. The degraded image is then adjusted to visually match the reference image. Another disclosed method involves converting a degraded signal that has passed through a video system into two substantially identical copies of said degraded video signal and then adjusting one of the two substantially identical copies of said degraded video signal to compensate for the degradation of the system while comparing it with the other substantially identical copy of said degraded signal which remains uncompensated.

Abstract: One embodiment of a de-interlacing device has a decoder that extracts decoding motion vector data for use in de-interlacing of decompressed picture data, from an MPEG-2 type compressed data stream containing interlaced decompressed picture data made up of macroblock of data. The de-interlacing device also has a video rendering device for receiving the extracted decoding motion vector data from the decoder. The decoder has a determinator for determining whether the macroblock of data contains motion based on the decoding motion vector data and at least a subset of the block of data. The decoder generates motion vector based de-interlacing information containing information indicating whether each macroblock contains motion or no motion and if desired, a level of confidence that the referenced data is suitable for a particular method of de-interlacing.

Abstract: A mechanism for adaptive selection of anti-ghosting filtering accesses a first plurality of coefficients being used by the anti-ghosting filtering and compares a first set of one or more of the first plurality of coefficients to a first predetermined value. The mechanism then modifies the anti-ghosting filtering based on the results of this comparison. In one embodiment, the mechanism includes both an adaptive baseband equalization filter and a lookup table filter.