Video Distribution System
AssigneeOchoa Optics LLC
InventorsCharles Hunter, Bernard Ballou, Kelly Sparks, John Hebrank
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to video distribution systems and, more particularly, to a system that blanket transmits video/audio content such as movies (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer's computer-based recording, storage and playback system. Customers preselect from a list of available movies or other content in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay for only the video/audio content that is actually viewed.
Claims15
A method of distributing movies to customer households comprising the steps of:
- blanket transmitting a plurality of movies to customer households in a digital, highly compressed, low resolution form that cannot be played back with acceptable resolution after conventional decoding;
- permitting each customer household to preselect and record desired movies in the highly compressed form in which they are transmitted;
- decoding those movies that the customer household wishes to view with conventional decoding, followed by image enhancement to increase the resolution of the movie to acceptable resolution;
- permitting each customer household to play back for viewing any recorded movies that the customer household wishes to view;
- communicating movie playback information from each customer household to a central controller system;
- and
- billing customer households for those recorded movies that are actually played back for viewing.
A system for distributing movies to customer households, comprising:
- a digital data transmission system blanket transmitting a plurality of movies to customer households in a digital, highly compressed, low resolution that cannot be played back with acceptable resolution after conventional decoding;
- a user station at each customer household, the user station including means permitting the customer household to preselect desired transmitted movies for recording;
- a receiver and associated digital recording device at each customer household for recording movies in the highly compressed, low resolution form in which they are transmitted;
- a decoder for conventionally decoding those movies that the customer household wishes to view;
- an image enhancer for increasing the resolution of the conventionally decoded movie to acceptable resolution;
- a playback device at each customer household for playing back those recorded movies that the customer household desires to view;
- a central controller system having a database for storing therein an address corresponding to each customer household;
- a communications link between each customer household and the central controller system to verify to the controller system that a recorded movie has been played back for viewing;
- and
- a billing system associated with the central controller system to bill customer households for only those recorded movies that are played back for viewing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.