Abstract: An out-of-band ranging technique is automatically initiated at a customer premises equipment unit when the equipment is installed, when power is restored after a power failure or interruption, upon verification of the equipment, upon reconnection after a disconnection of the equipment or the like. To this end, an out-of-band tone is employed that is automatically transmitted when the customer premises equipment that transmits the TDMA signal is powered ON, or transmitted in response to a specific command generated locally or remotely. Specifically, when ranging is being effected the customer premises equipment generates and transmits the out-of-band ranging tone until a message is received from a remote terminal indicating that the transmission of the ranging tone be terminated. The loop delay being determined is the delay interval between transmission of the termination message and detection that transmission of the ranging tone has terminated.

Abstract: An out-of-band ranging technique is automatically initiated at a customer premises equipment unit when the equipment is installed, when power is restored after a power failure or interruption, upon verification of the equipment, upon reconnection after a disconnection of the equipment or the like. To this end, an out-of-band tone is employed that is automatically transmitted when the customer premises equipment that transmits the TDMA signal is powered ON, or transmitted in response to a specific command generated locally or remotely. Specifically, when ranging is being effected the customer premises equipment generates and transmits the out-of-band ranging tone until a message is received from a remote terminal indicating that the transmission of the ranging tone be terminated. The loop delay being determined is the delay interval between transmission of the termination message and detection that transmission of the ranging tone has terminated.

Abstract: A single centralized video controller is employed to convert and distribute video channels to one or more analog TVs (i.e., viewing devices or the like). This is realized without the need for changes to either the TVs or the interconnecting COAX. Specifically, the centralized controller includes one or more MPEG2 decoders, the number of which depends on a desired number of active TVs to be used in viewing different programs, and one or more wireless (e.g., radio frequency (RF)) communications links to television controllers (i.e., remote control units) associated on a one-to-one basis with the desired number of TVs. In operation, channel selection for each of the one or more TVs is communicated up-stream from the centralized controller to a remote video server and, therein, to a video services controller. The video services controller causes the video server to transmit only the selected program channels to the local centralized video controller.

Abstract: A system for composing multimedia signals from various source signals, such as still-frame video signals, full motion video signals and audio signals includes a plurality of composing units, each of which is capable of composing a multimedia signal from selected source signals. One of such composing units is assigned for each multimedia signal to be composed. Each composing unit accepts parameters specifying various properties for each element of the multimedia signal, such as size, position and precedence for each video element and gain for each audio element. The composing units can include decompressors for decompressing source signals furnished in compressed form and a compressor to compress the multimedia signal to be transmitted to a user. The source signals can be received from a packet network and the resulting multimedia signals transmitted to the respective users via the same packet network.

Abstract: Signal distribution systems, such as interactive cable television systems, wherein a central server that communicates with remote terminals wherein the server assigns a specific address to each newly-connected terminal for control messages and polls. In the case of an interactive cable television system, such terminal is the set-top box or converter connected between the cable system and the television receiver. Periodically, the server broadcasts a control message containing a tentative address, and polls the tentative address. Upon receiving such a message, a newly-connected converter stores the tentative address and responds to the poll with an uplink message. After receiving the uplink message, the server inserts the tentative address in its polling list in accordance with the transmission delay measured from sending the poll to receiving the uplink message and selects a new tentative address to use in subsequent broadcast control messages.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for delivering audio and/or video signals to users in connection with the provision of interactive television services. Various sources of such signals are connected to a digital network, such as a packet network. Also connected to such network are control and application processors and interfaces to distribution arrangements such as cable television systems and telephone subscriber loops. Each user has a signal converter for receiving a digital signal from the distribution arrangement, converting such signal for viewing on a conventional television receiver and transmitting control packets to other elements of the system. The signal sources can include a data cache for storing recorded video and audio materials, a broadcast source for receiving broadcast signals, apparatus for composing multimedia signals from multiple sources and apparatus for running games.

Abstract: Described is a technique for an interactive television ("ITV") system wherein viewers are allowed to select a desired level of advertisements with which they are provided. The technique comprises transmitting to a interactive services subscriber location a program and a set of advertisements (collectively referred to as a "show"). The set of advertisements is selected based upon an input from a user associated with the interactive services subscriber location. The input comprises an indicator of an amount of advertisements in the set of advertisements. Another feature of the ITV system described is that it allows for adjusting an amount of a bill of a subscriber to interactive television services based upon the amount of advertisements viewed in a show.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the coding and efficient display of overlapping windows with transparency. Each pixel within a window which is not to be displayed may be coded as a "transparent" pixel. The method identifies those pixels which have been coded as transparent and displays non-transparent pixels contained in windows of lower display priority in place of the transparent pixels contained in windows of higher display priority. A pixel coded as transparent may have associated with it an integer representative of the number of successive pixels in the window which are also transparent. A pixel may be coded as transparent by assigning to it a preselected data value which is distinct from values otherwise used to indicate, e.g., the color and/or intensity for each displayed pixel. The method and apparatus may include one or more windows which contain full motion video (i.e., television) images, each of which may also contain transparent pixels.

Abstract: Different components of television programs, such as the video and audio components or different time segments of the program, are assigned to different channels transmitted in the form of packetized digital information in at least one of the channels of a multi-channel cable television distribution system. A particular subscriber's converter is configured to receive a particular subset of program components by enabling the converter to receive the virtual channels carrying the components in such subset. An embodiment is disclosed in which different combinations of program segments are enabled for different subscribers. Another embodiment is disclosed in which the viewing of a program by multiple subscribers who begin viewing at different times is synchronized by using "filler" program segments having different lengths.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for transmitting stored programs, such as movies and musical works, to customers via a distribution network, such as a cable television system. The programs are stored in compressed form in a program library, such as a tape cartridge library. On receipt of a request for a program, a request processor sends control messages causing a data block comprising the requested program to be read from the program library at high speed and stored in a large dynamic random access memory (DRAM) in a server. The server then sends the program from DRAM over the distribution system to a customer as a series of digital packets. Each instance of sending a program is managed by a separate command word. The customer can request such operations as "fast forward" by sending control messages that change pointers in the command word. Command words can be grouped to send multiple audio and/or video overlays simultaneously and linked to send program sequences.

Abstract: One or more channels in a multi-channel cable television distribution system is used for the transmission of interactive television (ITV) signals in the form of packetized digital information from the cable system headend to subscribers. A converter at each subscriber location is connected between the cable system and the subscriber's television receiver. Such converter contains a receiver for the ITV channels. Control packets in the ITV signals are addressed to individual converters to enable the receipt of one or more virtual channels by a converter. The converter decodes and expands the packetized digital information in such enabled channels and generates a conventional video signal, which is transmitted to the subscriber's television receiver on one of the channels used for the ITV signal from the headend, replacing the packetized digital information. The remaining channels from the cable system are forwarded to such television receiver unaltered.

Abstract: Signal distribution systems, such as interactive cable television systems, have a central server that communicates with remote terminals wherein the server assigns a specific address to each newly-connected terminal for control messages and polls. In the case of an interactive cable television system, such terminal is the set-top box or converter connected between the cable system and the television receiver. Periodically, the server broadcasts a control message containing a tentative address, and polls the tentative address. Upon receiving such a message, a newly-connected converter stores the tentative address and responds to the poll with an uplink message. After receiving the uplink message, the server inserts the tentative address in its polling list in accordance with the transmission delay measured from sending the poll to receiving the uplink message and selects a new tentative address to use in subsequent broadcast control messages.

Abstract: In order that a microprocessor can respond properly to both instruction words and data words that are organized in off-chip memory in accordance with either of two byte order conventions, on-chip circuitry is added which controllably changes the byte order of both the instructions and the data to that of the microprocessor.

Abstract: A silicon semiconductor wafer containing a plurality of silicon integrated circuits formed therein or attached thereto contains at least one data bus to which some of the circuits are connected. Each of the circuits coupled to the data bus contains an arbitration request circuit which selectively passes a signal that requests that its circuit be given access to the data bus so it can transmit information to another circuit on the wafer. In addition, each of the circuits coupled to the data bus has an arbitration circuit which detects which of any of the circuits coupled to the data bus is requesting access to the data bus and facilitates its circuit gaining access to the data bus if its circuit has a higher preselected priority than any other circuit which is simultaneously seeking access to the data bus. The distribution of the arbitration request circuits and of the arbitration circuits simplifies layout and tends to improve the speed of operation.

Abstract: A microprocessor with a macro-rom exhibits reduced latency time and greater flexibility by including both a macro-rom queue and a main program queue. The arrangement eliminates the undesirable latency associated with fetching program as part of a return sequence from a macro-rom instruction. Also, the arrangement allows parameters to be extracted from the main program queue as the macrosequence is executing from the macro-roms program queue.

Abstract: A microprocessor with a hierarchical PLA control arrangement with a relatively rich function capability is achieved by applying the same subsection of the bit field of the output register of a control PLA to the inputs of each of the controlled PLA's. In addition, routing bits in the output register of the control PLA are applied to gate the clocks at the inputs of the controlled PLA's. Significant increase in PLA function, relative to PLA size, is achieved.

Abstract: A single-chip processor architecture is disclosed which permits the registers and control latches of the processor to be easily accessed without using instructions to achieve such access. The architecture provides for an internal access (IA) function which is enabled by applying an IA Request signal to an IA terminal of the processor. During the IA function, program execution in the processor is suspended and the registers and control latches may be accessed as if they were storage locations in a random access memory. After the IA function is enabled, the address of a register or control latch selected for access is applied to the Address/Data port of the processor, and an IA Control Code specifying the strobing of the Address/Data port is applied to the Status terminals of the processor. After strobing of the address, a second IA Control Code specifying either reading or writing of the selected register or control latch is applied to the Status terminals.

Abstract: A hierarchical organization of programmable logic arrays permits the control of microprocessor functions to be achieved in a way which allows otherwise wasted clock time to be used. The mostly independent operations of the several PLA's is organized by "handshake" signals from the latches of one PLA to those of another via AND circuits operative to selectively enable clock signals, in some instances, and data in other instances, to be applied to the latches. The use of the AND circuits enables requisite operations to be achieved with relatively small PLA's.

Abstract: A microcomputer system arranged for performing direct memory access operations has direct memory access circuitry included on a single chip with the main processor of the microcomputer. Addressing for direct memory access operations is accomplished by circuitry also used for generating addresses when processing routine instructions in the main processor.

Abstract: A hierarchical organization of programmable logic arrays permits the control of microprocessor functions to be achieved in a way which allows otherwise wasted clock time to be used. The mostly independent operations of the several PLA's is organized by "handshake" signals from the latches of one PLA to those of another via AND circuits operative to selectively enable clock signals, in some instances, and data in other instances, to be applied to the latches. The use of the AND circuits enables requisite operations to be achieved with relatively small PLA's.