US 5,548,532 A · Apparatus and method for formulating an interactive TV signal

Abstract

Apparatus and a method for formatting executable codes and data, defining interactive applications, with video and audio program material, for reliable and convenient access includes compressing (18, 21) audio and video programs according to a protocol such as MPEG. The compressed audio and video (A/V) programs are segmented (19, 22) into transport packets, with audio transport packets identified by a first service identifier SCID.sub.Ai, and video transport packets identified by a second service identifier, SCID.sub.Vi. Interactive application programs associated with A/V programs are compiled (10) into functional modules and condensed. A module may be executable software or data. A module includes code/data and a header. The code/data portion of each module undergoes cyclic redundancy coding (CRC) over the entire module and CRC check bits are concatenated or appended to the module. Respective modules are segmented (14) into transport packets. The code/data transport packets are identified by a third service identifier SCID.sub.Di. The transport packets are formed into transmission units comprising an integer number of code/data transport packets and a header transport packet. A special directory module is generated (10) which interrelates the modules incorporated in an application program. Video packets, audio packets and module packets are subsequently time division multiplexed (16) for transmission.

Claims22

Dependent claims

Apparatus for generating an interactive audio/visual program comprising:

a source (18) of transport packets of compressed video signal;
a source (21) of transport packets of compressed audio signal;
a computer (10) for generating an interactive program associated with said compressed audio and video signals, said interactive program being formed of different modules, respective said modules including executable codes or data, and including a directory module linking application modules;
error coding means (79) for generating error check bits over respective said modules and concatenating error check bits to corresponding modules;
transport processor apparatus (14) for packeting said modules into transport packets and grouping transport packets from respective modules into transmission units, and forming auxiliary transport packets including header information for respective transmission units;
means (5) for assigning first identifier codes SCID.sub.v, to respective video transport packets, second different identifier codes SCID.sub.a, to respective audio transport packets, and third different identifier codes SCID.sub.D, to respective interactive program transport packets;
a multiplexer (16) for time division multiplexing said interactive program transport packets with said audio, and video transport packets in such fashion that said interactive program is repeated included with said compressed audio and compressed video signals.

4 more elements

A method for the transmission of audio, video and interactive components of an audio-video-interactive program (hereinafter AVI) comprising:

forming transport packets of compressed audio signal with respective packets including a payload of audio signal data and an identifier SCID.sub.ai for identifying the transport packet as containing audio component data;
forming transport packets of compressed video signal with respective packets including a payload of video data and an identifier SCID.sub.vi for identifying the transport packet as containing video component data;
generating an interactive application associated with the audio or video components;
segmenting the interactive application into modules similar to computer files, respective modules containing executable codes or application data;
dividing respective modules into one or more transmission units including integer numbers of transport packets, each transport packet including an identifier SCID.sub.Di for identifying the transport packet as containing interactive component data;
generating a further transport packet for respective transmission units, said further transport packet including transmission unit header information describing the information contained in the respective transmission unit;
and
time division multiplexing the audio, and video component packets with interactive component packets, said interactive component packets in transmission unit sequence with respective transmission units headed by said further transport packet.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for formulating an interactive TV signal

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for formulating an interactive TV signal

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22