Abstract: A system that allows a personal computer to remotely control the operation of a video cassette recorder (VCR). The system includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter connected to a personal computer. The personal computer is programmed to generate a first VCR control signal that is transmitted by the RF transmitter to a RF receiver located within a transceiver base unit. The transceiver base unit transmits a second VCR control signal, using an infrared transmitter, to the VCR in response to the first VCR control signal. The VCR control signals include commands to record, stop, play, etc. the video cassette recorder. The first VCR control signal can be transmitted in response to a control data signal that is inserted into the vertical blanking interval of a publicly broadcasted video signal that is received and decoded by the computer. The control data signal may contain program information which is used to trigger the transmission of the first VCR control signal.

Abstract: A system that displays text and graphic information with vertical blanking interval of a publicly broadcasted video signal. The system also includes a personal computer that has a VBI decoder which can separate the data from the video signal. The separated data contains command and address information, which instruct the personal computer to retrieve text/graphic information from a storage device, and display the retrieved text/graphic information on a computer monitor. The personal computer also contains a NTSC decoder which can decode the video signal and display a television image on the computer monitor. The broadcaster inserts data that retrieves text and graphic information which correspond to the television image displayed by the computer monitor. The retrieved text and graphic information may be stored for later viewing by the user.