Community antenna broadcast system having an improved channel selecting system permitting purchase of a selected channel from a plurality of non-purchased channels

A community antenna broadcasting system comprising:

• a transmitting center for broadcasting programs;
• a transmission path;
• and
• at least one home terminal for receiving the programs broadcast from said transmitting center via said transmission path;
• said transmitting center comprising (a) transmitter means for transmitting main information for each of a plurality of physical channels, said main information including video and audio information, (b) supervision means for outputting control information which includes numbers of physical channels which are associated with respective ones of the physical channels, and (c) multiplexer means for multiplexing said main information and said control information and for transmitting multiplexed information on said transmission path;
• and
• said at least one home terminal comprising (a) input means for reading from a prepaid card information which includes a number of a selected channel which corresponds to a desired program, (b) control processor means for collating the control information and said information to output a channel selection instruction, (c) channel selection means supplied with said main information which is received via said transmission path for selecting the selected channel in response to the channel selection instruction and for outputting only that portion of said main information corresponding to said selected logical channel, and (d) reception means for receiving said main information which corresponds to said selected channel which is received from said channel selection means, wherein an arbitrary one of said logical channels is assigned over a plurality of ones of said physical channels, and wherein the physical channel corresponding to the logical channel is automatically selected without requiring a manual operation.

A community antenna broadcasting system comprising:

• a transmitting center for broadcasting programs;
• a transmission path;
• and
• a plurality of home terminals for receiving the programs broadcast from said transmitting center via said transmission path;
• said transmitting center comprising (a) transmitter means for transmitting main information for each of a plurality of channels, said main information including video and audio information, first polling means for receiving via said transmission path a polling information which includes terminal number information and card number information, (b) supervision means for outputting control information which includes numbers of channels and for supervising the card number information based on the polling information which is received via said first polling means, and (c) multiplexer means for multiplexing said main information and said control information and for transmitting multiplex information on said transmission path;
• and
• each of said home terminals comprising (a) card reader means for reading from a prepaid card information which includes the card number information and a number of a desired channel which corresponds to a desired program, (b) control processor means for collating the control information and said information to output a channel selection instruction, (c) channel selection means supplied with said main information which is received via said transmission path for selecting the desired channel in response to the channel selection instruction and for outputting only that portion of said main information corresponding to said selected logical channel, (d) reception means for receiving said main information which corresponds to said selected channel which is received from said channel selection means, and (e) second polling means for transmitting the polling information to aid transmitting center via said transmission path, wherein an arbitrary one of said logical channels is assigned over a plurality of ones of said physical channels, and wherein the physical channel corresponding to the logical channel is automatically selected without requiring a manual operation.