Addressable cable television control system with video format data transmission

The method of utilizing a central station to limit remote user access to a plurality of cable television signals each transmitted at a different frequency channel on a cable plant from said central station to a plurality of user stations remote from said central station, each having a tuner for selecting one of said television signals, comprising:

• generating a plurality of category codes at said central station to limit user access to predetermined categories of said television signals, each category code being representative of the access criteria required for one of said user stations to receive said predetermined categories of television signals, each said category code including a channel enable code representative of the frequency channels of said television signals to which said user station is authorized for access, a tier enable code representative of a user level at which said user station is authorized for access to said television signals, and a program enable code representative of a predetermined time at which said user station is authorized for access to one of said television signals;
• transmitting each of said category codes from the central station to its respective user station;
• storing each of said category codes at said respective user station;
• generating a plurality of control codes at said central station to limit user access to said predetermined categories of television signals, each control code being representative of the access criteria required for said user stations to receive one of said television signals, said control code having a tier code representative of a user level required for access to said one television signal and a program code representative of user access to a given program transmitted by said television signal at a predetermined time;
• transmitting said control code to each user station tuned to said television signal;
• comparing said control code of the tuned television signal to the category code of said user station provided by the control station, including comparing the channel enable code to the channel frequency of said tuned television signal, comparing the tier enable code to the tier code of the tuned television signal, and comparing the program enable code to the program code of said television signal;
• and
• enabling said user station to access to said tuned television station in response to the channel enable code corresponding to the tuned channel, of the tier enable code corresponding to the tier code, or the program enable code corresponding to the program code.