Abstract: To transmit EPG information efficiently in a small volume of transmission, it is so disposed that SDTs corresponding to respective transponders are referred in an NIT stating the overall configuration of the network and necessary information for reception. In each SDT, a real channel for transmitting video signals and a corresponding dummy channel are provided in a pair, and the dummy channel is provided with a gEMT and a dEMT for stating information on events. An ETT is provided correspondingly to the real channel. In an ETT, a gEMT is caused to be referred to. In a dEMT, outline documents of events are stated, and in a gEMT information other than the outline documents of events is stated.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products for remote direction of streaming digital content from a multiplicity of sources of digital information to a multiplicity of client devices, including receiving digital content from the sources, receiving from a remote director and storing in computer memory remote director instructions, transcoding the digital content from sources into digital content having streaming format, including in an output stream, in dependence upon the remote director's instructions, digital content having streaming format, and communicating to client devices the output stream.

Abstract: A method an apparatus for providing a video preview as part of an electronic program guide in a Set-Top Box or other television receiver device. A listing of television programs is presented to a viewer, for example, in the form of a grid showing television programming as a function of time. When a command is transmitted by the viewer from a remote commander to initiate a preview of a specified program, the program is mapped to a video file containing a preview of the specified program. The video file may be stored in a local disc drive or at a service provider head end. The video file can then be played in a window of the electronic program guide to provide a preview of the specified program to the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reconstituting packetized data streams representing a television program when the program uses multiple packet identifiers (PID) as in selective encryption schemes. Transmission of multiple sets of system information (SI) is avoided by incorporating a lookup table within a private data packet. A dual buffer arrangement in the set-top box provides ease of reconstitution of a data stream by generation of an interrupt upon receipt of a packet with a shadow PID. The buffers are toggled as a result of the interrupt and a corresponding packet can be found either at the beginning of the newly active buffer or the end of the inactive buffer. The stream of packets representing a program can then be reconstituted by creation of a new packet having the primary PID and shadow packet's payload.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus transmit and receive information in a cable TV network including at least one base station connected to a branching cable network, branching from the base station to at least two subscribers, provided with transmitters. A unique carrier frequency is assigned to each of the subscriber's transmitters, the carrier frequencies being orthogonal. Signals from the subscriber's transmitters are transmitted simultaneously, received in the base station as a broadband signal, and separated using a common algorithm.

Abstract: A system for redistributing a broadband audio-visual-data signal to a multiplicity of receiver units within a multiple dwelling unit (MDU) includes a main receiving antenna that receives a broadband video/audio/data signal having a number of individual program multiplex signals therein and a transmodulator device that transmodulates a selected subset of the individual program multiplex signals associated with the broadband signal from a first modulation scheme to a second modulation scheme. The transmodulated signals are broadcast over a cable network, along with terrestrial signals, to individual receiver units at the MDU. The receiver units send requests for user-selected ones of the individual program multiplex signals to the transmodulator device, demodulate the transmodulated and/or terrestrial signals and provide user-specified channels to television sets for display.

Abstract: A CATV communication system includes a center and a plurality of terminal devices connected via a CATV net. The center includes: a first transmitter for transmitting upstream channel use information representing unoccupied channel; a first detector for detecting channel get request from data transmitted from the terminal device; a second detector for detecting a presence of the unoccupied channel; a second transmitter for assigning one of the detected unoccupied channels to the terminal device transmitted the channel get request and for transmitting channel assign data including a designation of the assigned channel; and a first communication unit for performing data communication with the terminal device via the assigned channel.

Abstract: Requests are received for retrieving and storing data from and to a plurality of storage devices. A processor is designated for handling each request, based, e.g., on the load of each processor. A request for retrieving data is forwarded directly from the designated processor to the storage device via a switch. Responses from the storage devices are routed directly to the designated processor via the switch. The switch independently routes the request for retrieving data and the responses between the storage devices and the processor, based on directory information obtained by the processor. Data provided by a designated processor is stored on the storage devices via a switch. The switch independently routes the data to be stored directly from the designated processor to the storage devices, based on directory information created by the processor. Requests and responses are exchanged between the switch and the storage devices via at least one high speed network connected to the storage devices.

Abstract: An audio/video (or audiovisual, “A/V”) signal processing apparatus and method for extracting a compact representation of a multimedia description and transcoding hints metadata for transcoding between different (e.g., MPEG) compressed content representations, manipulating (e.g., MPEG compressed) bitstream parameters such as frame rate, bit rate, session size, quantization parameters, and picture coding type structure (e.g., group of pictures, or “GOP”), classifying A/V content, and retrieving multimedia information.

Abstract: A channel search algorithm is provided for application at a receiving end of a data transmission channel. In the operation of the data transmission channel, information is transmitted by modulation of an RF carrier and the modulation includes an encoding of information bits by symbols selected from a known symbol constellation, with one or more symbol constellations being established in accordance with a known standard. The channel search algorithm is operative to recognize and select a channel carrying an information signal modulated by a symbol constellation other than that established by the standard, and that selection of a channel using a non-standard symbol constellation is made in seamless coordination with the operation of a channel search, in accordance with the standard, for signals modulated by symbol constellations established by the standard.

Abstract: A method for distributing content on demand over a cable network in which the subscribers are connected to a Central Unit in a hierarchical order of nodes, each node comprises a plurality of subscribers clusters. A Management System is provided at the Central Unit. Some of the subscribers within each cluster are provided with an STB, and the rest of the subscribers within each cluster are provided with an SSTB. Titles are transmitted from the Central Unit to the SSTBs, and stored within the SSTBs. A viewable list of the titles stored in all the SSTBs that are connected within the cluster of that subscriber is provided to each STB subscriber or SSTB subscriber. Whenever a subscriber selects a title for viewing from the viewable list, the selected title is transmitted to the STB or the SSTB of that subscriber from at least one of the SSTBs within the cluster of that subscriber which contain the title or a portion thereof.

Abstract: A switched telecommunication access system for providing video data to gateway devices.

Abstract: A method and system for allowing a plurality of devices at a physical drop to receive access to video and/or data services from a plurality of video/data service providers in a digital broadband network serviced by a telecommunication services provider utilizes a broadcast manager, in communication with the video/data service providers, for transmitting an electronic message in a modified format determined by the telecommunication services provider, wherein the electronic message contains information identifying the physical drop, a type of the device being provisioned a the physical drop, and a maximum number of devices for the device type allowed to receive corresponding service at the physical drop. A broadband digital terminal, in communication with the broadcast manager and the physical port, is programmed to receive the electronic message and store the corresponding information.

Abstract: A wireless entertainment system includes a delivery station, a wireless telephone network, and a receiver. Entertainment, such as a motion picture, is ordered by a customer through a wireless telephone, and is delivered to the customer through the wireless telephone network. The entertainment is delivered in a non-permanent method (streaming) to the customer through the network, to a receiver, such as a television viewing set in the customer's home, or to an intermediate storage medium, such as a memory device, that is then communicated directly to a viewing device.

Abstract: A video on demand system includes one or more hybrid fiber coax access networks connecting set top units to corresponding head end units. The head end unit for an access network is connected to an asynchronous transfer mode wide area network (ATM WAN). A hierarchical system of video servers, including at least one center server and at least one local server, or cache node, are also connected to the ATM WAN. When a user wishes to select a video, a service control unit coupled to the ATM WAN generates a selection list of proposed videos for which server and network resources are available to immediately serve the user-selected video. The service control unit determines whether server and network resources are available by sending separate queries to server and network resources management control units. Alternatively, the service control unit may generate the selection list based on whether the probability of a particular video being immediately served is greater than a threshold.

Abstract: Assets, such as content and related data are packaged, transmitted, received and managed in a digital cable television system to standardize the distribution of content and services from a content/service provider to subscribers in the system. The standardized format for packaging content enables the digital cable system to package, transmit, receive and manage diverse types of content, such as MPEGs, executable files, HTML pages, and the like, using standard system components without requiring reprogramming of the system to deploy new services. Service and content providers are freed from having to develop custom formats for delivering content and data to the cable system. Moreover, the standardized bundling of content and related data that is enabled by the invention allows the cable system operator to automate the deployment of services based on specific content and data to select subscribers.

Abstract: Systems and methods facilitate the provisioning of a new service in a cable system without requiring that server hardware and/or software be changed to implement the service, or that an equivalent session manager be created in a set-top box. Session requests are generated at the STB and transmitted to the service, which then interprets the request, rather than forwarded from the STB to a server implementing the service, as in conventional systems. To effect the routing to the service the session request contains routing information. Servers facilitating the implementation of services do not know details about, or even the existence of, new services added to the system.

Abstract: A method and restricted-access system for monitoring access to a restricted-access system including the setting up of a second telecommunications connection, via which an identifier for a control device is sent to a transmission provider which, in response to this, sends a decoding key via the second telecommunications connection to the user of the control device, wherein the user then enters the transmitted decoding key into the control device.

Abstract: The CATV system (8) according to the invention comprises a primary station (2) and a secondary station (4). The CATV system (8) has a frequency band (12) with a plurality of substantially equally spaced and sized frequency channels (10). The CATV system (8) is arranged for transmitting data signals in at least part of the frequency channels (10) from the primary station (2) to the secondary station (4). The secondary station (4) comprises acquire means for acquiring a frequency channel (10) in which at least part of the data signals are transmitted. The acquire means are arranged for scanning the frequency band (12) in frequency steps which are substantially equal to the size of the frequency channels (10) from a starting frequency until a frequency channel (10) carrying data signals is found. In this way it is possible to acquire a frequency channel (10) relatively fast.

Abstract: A system, computer code, and method are provided for automatically managing avail inventory data of media programming streams for a communications network, such as a cable TV network. The computer-implemented method includes the steps of correlating available addressable units of the communications network with the avail inventory data, and generating a proposed price for purchase of at least one avail based on the results of the correlating step.

Abstract: A plurality of intelligent device systems for use with a wideband signal distribution network, and methods for transmitting digital information and receiving digital and non-digital information onto and off of an RF carrier through a wideband signal distribution network, are disclosed. The intelligent device systems provide networks of intelligent devices that modulate and demodulate digital video, IP video/data/voice and digital wireless onto, and off of, a wideband signal distribution system, such as an analog carrier system, using existing EIA/TIA 568 standard wiring infrastructure. The methods modulate and demodulate digital video, IP video/data/voice and digital wireless onto, and off of, a wideband distribution system, such as an analog carrier system, and separate IP portions from non-IP portions.

Abstract: Interactive Program Guide (IPG) data for television is delivered to integrated receiver-decoders (IRDs) in a decoder population via, for example, a satellite network. The IPG data provides scheduling information for global and local programming services which are carried via the satellite network as well as another network such as a CATV network or a terrestrial broadcast network. Each IRD is assigned to an IPG region using unit addressing. At the IRD, IPG data is filtered so that only the global data and the region-specific data for the IRD's IPG region is retained and processed by the IRD. Channel map data is also delivered to the IRDs so that bundles of IRD data can be filtered out using firmware filtering to discard program sources that are not present in the channel map. The IRD data which is retained after filtering is used to provide scheduling information via an on-screen display. A preferred source may be designated when there are duplicative channels on the different networks.

Abstract: A network system according to the present invention comprises an IP encoder connected with a plurality of clients through a network. The IP encoder compresses and encodes inputted video information, forms a packet comprising the compressed and encoded video information, and multicasts the formed video information to the plurality of clients.

Abstract: A telecommunications system comprising a broadband and a narrower-band wired network for transmitting broadcast and on-demand services, and a network adapter between these two. The narrower-band wired network is used for relaying services to terminals which are connected to a transceiver in a wireless telecommunications network. The network adapter is in turn connected to a base station in the wireless telecommunications network, data transmission from the terminal to the broadband wired network being arranged to take place through the network adapter in the wireless telecommunications network. The network adapter or a network control device connected to the broadband network is additionally arranged to generate signalling parameters needed for connection set-up in the wireless telecommunications network for transmission to the terminal in a multiplexed service broadcast.

Abstract: A Hybrid Fiber-Coax [HFC] telecommunication system including several modulation devices (MC1-MCn) and a combiner device (CSN) coupled thereto. The modulation devices provide modulated telecommunication signals under the form of output currents that are applied to the combiner device that is further connected to a coaxial cable (COAX) for transmitting thereon these modulated signals in predetermined frequency channels according to the Frequency Division Multiple Access [FDMA] structure. The invention comprises in operating the combiner device as a current-mode summing node instead as of a voltage-mode summing node. As a result, the implementation is relatively easy, because a current summing node may be just a single junction point, and its linearity is thus obviously high.

Abstract: The current invention provides a system for distributing content data to user locations. The content data is preferably comprises digital video data that is available on demand form a requesting location. A system server stores user accounts and generates customized program schedules for the user account based user criteria which includes user preferences. Authorized users access their accounts to modify user criteria and to select program transmissions. Preferably, a computer and a television set receive program transmissions from a system network, wherein the computer provides a logical interface between the television set and content data transmitted over the system network.

Abstract: Communication systems and methods are provided for communicating data signals over a plurality of different respective communication channels. The systems are realized with sets of signal filters wherein each filter set defines a respective communication channel. The filters of each set are distributed among transceivers which are coupled together with a two-conductor medium. The systems and methods provide communication to a significant number of communication end-users over a substantial number of communication channels without the need for complex modulation and demodulation hardware.

Abstract: A system for providing video-on-demand (VOD) services and Internet services in a wireless network environment. A VOD terminal displays predetermined video information. A wireless telecommunications server provides a wireless telecommunications service menu for selection by the VOD terminal. A VOD server provides service information related to the VOD which was selected from the service menu provided by the wireless telecommunications server, by the VOD terminal. An encoder encodes predetermined content input from the outside into a predetermined format to be stored in the VOD server. A converter coverts predetermined content input through the Internet into a predetermined format to be stored in the VOD server. According to the system, a VOD terminal user can receive VOD services and Internet services through a WAP in a wireless telecommunications environment so that information usage and satisfaction can be maximized.

Abstract: A video graphics system wherein a large quantity of video data is independently and selectively made available to plural video display devices. The large quantity of video data can be contributed to by plural sources of video data of differing formats. Further, the display devices can also be of varying types, each requiring a different input data format. A multi-sourced video distribution element, also referred to as a hub, serves as an interface between one or more sources of video display data and one or more video display devices. One source of data can be identified as a base image, and other sources of data can be utilized for overlay images integrated into the base image. The base image and any integrated overlay images are provided on a pixel bus internal to the hub. The hub can then be configured as an interface to one or more types of video display devices and/or to another hub.

Abstract: The first auxiliary memory 11a stores background image information in the form of digital data, and the second auxiliary memory 11b stores sound information in the form of digital data. When a request is transmitted from the terminal 36 to the information supplying device 28, a background image information of a genre, to which the requested song belongs, is retrieved from the first auxiliary memory 11a, packetized by the video packetizer 5, and outputted to the multiplexer 9. A sound information for the requested song is retrieved from the second auxiliary memory 11b, packetized by the audio packetizer 6, and outputted to the multiplexer 9. The background image information and the sound information are combined into a single packet data train and outputted to the terminal 36.

Abstract: The present invention is a highly integrated computer controlled digital headend configured to process a plurality of digital video, a plurality of digital data, a plurality of voice information, and a plurality of upstream communications. The digital headend includes at least one smart network interface module operatively coupled to a shared bus, a downstream module and an upstream module. Preferably, the smart network interface module is configured to receive, transfer and buffer the plurality of digital video, the plurality of digital data, the plurality of voice information and the plurality of upstream communications. The shared bus is operatively coupled to the at least one smart network interface module. The shared bus is configured to transport the digital video, the plurality of digital data, the plurality of voice information, and the plurality of upstream communications. The downstream module is operatively coupled to the shared bus.

Abstract: Through a memory device and a control circuit on the transmitter side, temporal gaps are inserted into the data stream, said temporal gaps being removed again on the receiving side by an additional memory device. Consequently, the necessary continuous data stream is able to be reproduced for the transmission of the video signals. The gaps in the data stream of the base station and the data and the requests are evaluated by a user-side control circuit, from these, switch-over signals are generated, and the user devices are switched over. The base state switches the station to receive mode in the temporal gaps of the video signals or of the data stream. The present invention is applicable to the transmission of continuous signals using a backward channel via microwaves.

Abstract: A digital multimedia newsroom production system allows users of the system to create, browse and catalog multimedia assets. The system includes a multimedia capture and encoding system that captures multimedia data, and substantially simultaneously provides a first compressed version of the multimedia data having a first resolution, and a second compressed version of the multimedia data having a second resolution that is different than the first resolution; a multimedia storage system, coupled to the multimedia capture and encoding system, that stores multimedia information including the first and second compressed versions of the multimedia data; and a video editing and playback system coupled to the multimedia storage system.

Abstract: In a sound/moving picture reproduction system 1, a main data transferring device 2 includes a sound/moving picture data storing portion storing sound/moving picture data. A plurality of auxiliary data transferring devices 4 are connected in parallel to the main data transferring device 2. The auxiliary data transferring devices 4 are arranged in one or more stages along a data transfer direction defined from the main data transferring device toward a plurality of data reproducing devices 8. Each of the plurality of auxiliary data transferring devices 4 includes a copied data storing portion storing copied data of received sound/moving picture data. The main data transferring device reads sound/moving picture data from the is sound/moving picture data storing portion and transfers the read sound/moving picture data to either one of the plurality of auxiliary data transferring devices.