Method of transmitting information recorded on disks from a central server to subscriber stations via a high data rate telecommunication network for two-way communication between said central server and said subscriber stations,
- said central server including a central communication interface connected to said telecommunication network, plural data rate reducing circuits connected to said central communication interface, plural disk players, each of said disk players connected to one of said plural data rate reducing circuits, a magazine storing said disks, central memory means for storing titles of said disks together with corresponding addresses of said disks in said magazine, central computer means connected to said telecommunication network by said central communication interface and connected to said central memory means, transfer means for automatically transferring said disks between said magazine and said disk players, said transfer means comprising plural self-propelled carriages disposed beneath said disk magazine, at least one disk handling device for placing said disks on said disk players, and a transfer conveyor which conveys said disks between said carriages and said at least one disk handling device, a controller connected to said central computer means, connected to said plural disk players, and connected to said transfer means;
- each of said subscriber stations including a communication interface connected to said telecommunication network, computer means connected to said communication interface, input means for inputting information to said computer means, output means for outputting information from said computer means, a module connected to said communication interface for expanding digital signals received from said telecommunication network, a digital-to-analog converter connected to said module for converting said digital signals into analog signals, and transducer means connected to said digital-to-analog converter for converting said analog signals into humanly perceptible signals;
- said method including the steps of:
- initiating a two-way transmission from said subscriber computer means of one of said subscriber stations to said central computer means of said central server via said telecommunication network;
- transmitting from said central computer means to said subscriber computer means via said telecommunication network a directory of disks available in said disk magazine and outputting on said subscriber output means said directory of available disks in said disk magazine;
- selecting at least one of said available disks by means of said subscriber input means and transmitting a signal identifying said at least one selected disk from said subscriber computer means to said central computer means via said telecommunication network;
- reading at said central server from said central memory means an address in said disk magazine corresponding to each of said at least one selected disk;
- verifying that each of said at least one selected disk is available in said disk magazine;
- transmitting each corresponding address of each verified at least one selected disk from said central computer means to said central controller;
- controlling said plural self-propelled carriages, said transfer conveyor, and said at least one disk handling device to transfer each verified at least one selected disk to a selected disk player;
- playing at the central server each verified at least one selected disk on a disk player to retrieve digital signals therefrom;
- compressing said retrieved digital signals by means of a selected one of said plural data rate reducing circuits;
- transmitting said compressed digital signals to said one of said subscriber stations via said telecommunication network;
- expanding said transmitted digital signals by said data expanding module, converting said expanded digital signals into analog signals by said digital-to-analog converter, and delivering said analog signals to said transducer means.