Abstract: A system supplying information associated with a broadcast television program to a consumer such that said consumer perceives the associated data as the result of two way interactivity with external sources of data such as online services or the Internet. The system includes equipment for inserting the associated data into the vertical blanking interval of the television signal on the supplier side of the system. On the receiving side, the system includes a personal computer capable of receiving the television program and storing the associated data locally. The consumer may then interact with the stored associated data in an apparently two way interactive manner. Additional interactivity may be achieved by adding an actual two way communication channel to the personal computer so that online services or the Internet may be accessed.

Abstract: An interactive video system is disclosed that processes a video data stream and an associated data stream corresponding to the video data stream. The interactive video system displays a video image defined by the video data stream on a display device and performs interactive command functions specified by the associated data stream. The interactive command functions include commands that specify placement of a video display window, commands that specify parameters of graphical objects that are associated with the video image and commands that specify pixel data or graphics description for the graphical object and commands for placement of selection windows and that specify interactive functions for the selection windows.

Abstract: An interactive video system is disclosed that processes a video data stream and an associated data stream corresponding to the video data stream. The interactive video system displays a video image defined by the video data stream on a display device and performs interactive command functions specified by the associated data stream. The interactive command functions include commands that specify placement of a video display window, commands that specify parameters of graphical objects that are associated with the video image and commands that specify pixel data or graphics description for the graphical object and commands for placement of selection windows and that specify interactive functions for the selection windows.