Abstract: An asymmetrical data communications system (ADCS) provides point-to-multipoint television programming including conventional television programming, near video-on-demand (NVoD) or video-on-demand (VoD), and the full variety of available programming, via a compressed, digitized UHF transmission. A program subsystem of the ADCS receives programming from content providers and processes the received signals for channel and VoD or NVoD service, then sends the aggregated signal to a transmission subsystem that modulates, channelizes, amplifies, filters and broadcasts the digital UHF signals over the air. Subscribing viewers are equipped with an intelligent control box (ICB) suitably configured to receive, demodulate, and decode the digital UHF broadcast and to transmit the resulting signal to one or more display or other terminal devices. The ICB further provides a matrix switch or gateway for receiving signals over any available transmission path.

Abstract: Microcellular low power wireless networks for interactive, full duplex communication of video, data and telephony signals at microwave frequencies. Networks according to the present invention link a number of remote node transceivers to a central head office via fiber optic link. The remote node transceivers convert optical signals to radiofrequency energy in the microwave (preferably MMDS) range for robust and reliable communications that can, among other things, support basic lifeline telephone service. Low power and cross polarization techniques according to the present invention, together with modulation and multiplexing techniques, allow the limited bandwidth allotted in conventional microwave bands to accommodate analog and digital video, video on demand, data communications including graphics-rich internet traffic, and voice and digital telephony, in a full duplex, bi-directional fashion.