System and method for transmitting and utilizing electronic programs guide information

A method of updating television schedule information data in a television schedule information transmission system having a central data processing system and a plurality of subscriber systems, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving commands via a television telecast signal, wherein the commands are of variable length, and wherein a command includes command data and the television schedule information data used by the command;
• responsive to receiving the command, reading a portion of the command data from the command to determine whether a command type associated with the command is recognizable;
• storing the television schedule information included in the command if the command type is recognizable;
• and
• skipping over the command if the command type is not recognizable, wherein skipping over the command comprises:
• determining the length of the command from the command data;
• and
• ignoring the television telecast signal for the length of the command.

A method of updating television schedule information data in a television schedule information transmission system having a central data processing system and a plurality of subscriber systems, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving television schedule information data including an associated identifier via a television telecast signal;
• determining whether the received television schedule information data is recognizable based on reading the identifier;
• storing the received television schedule information data and the associated identifier in the memory if the received television schedule information data is recognizable;
• and
• ignoring the received television schedule information data and the associated identifier if the received television schedule information data is not recognizable, wherein the ignoring step comprises:
• determining the size of the received television schedule information data;
• and
• skipping over the television telecast signal for the size of the received television schedule information data.

A system for updating television schedule information data in a subscriber system included in a television schedule information transmission system having a central data processing system and a plurality of subscriber systems, comprising:

• a decoder for receiving commands via a television telecast signal, wherein the commands are of variable length, and wherein a command includes command data and the television schedule information data used by the command;
• control circuitry configured to:
• read a portion of the command data to determine whether a command type associated with the command is recognizable;
• store, in a memory, the television schedule information data included in the command if the command type is recognizable;
• and
• skip over the command if the command type is not recognizable, wherein skipping over the command comprises:
• determining the length of the command from the command data;
• and
• ignoring the television telecast signal for the length of the command.

A system for updating television schedule information data in a television schedule information transmission system having a central data processing system and a plurality of subscriber systems, comprising:

• a decoder for receiving via a television telecast signal television schedule information data including an associated identifier;
• and
• control circuitry configured to:
• determine whether the received television schedule information data is recognizable based on reading the identifier;
• store the received television schedule information data and the associated identifier if the received television schedule information data is recognizable;
• and
• skip over the television telecast signal for the size of the television schedule information data if the television schedule information data is not recognizable.