Downloading applications software through a broadcast channel

A set-top terminal device comprising:

• a network interface module adapted to couple the terminal to a communication network for two-way low-speed data communication and for receiving at least selected ones of a plurality of broadcast digital broadband channels at least one of which carries audio/video program information in compressed, digital form in packets of a standardized format and at least one of which carries cyclically repetitive transmissions of interactive service application software in packets of the standardized format, said interactive service application software comprising at least executable code;
• and
• a digital entertainment terminal comprising:
• (a) an audio/video processor for processing the compressed, digital audio program information;
• (b) a protected memory storing an operating system and resident application;
• (c) a random access memory for receiving and storing a non-resident application;
• (d) means for receiving inputs from a user;
• (e) a control processor controlling operations of the set-top terminal;
• wherein:
• said control processor captures said executable code from one of the selected broadcast digital broadband channels within a transmission cycle, loads the captured executable code into the random access memory as the non-resident application and begins operation in accord with the non-resident application loaded into the random access memory,
• the operating system and resident application control all communications with elements of the communication network, and
• the resident application interfaces with the non-resident application via a set of predetermined function calls to facilitate communication with elements of the communication network during the selective execution of the non-resident application.

A storage medium, readable by computer, said medium storing application software for controlling a digital set-top terminal, wherein said application software comprises:

• executable code for controlling operations of a digital set-top terminal in response to user inputs;
• and
• a plurality of function calls for calling predetermined network communications functions of software resident in the digital set-top terminal, wherein the plurality of functions calls comprise:
• (a) a channel change function call, and
• (b) a function call for establishment of a two-way low-speed data communication;
• wherein the storage medium is an element of a server.

In a network broadcasting audio/video program information through a plurality of broadband channels to a plurality of terminals connected to the network and selectively providing low-speed two-way data communications between individual ones of the terminals and a server, a method comprising the steps of:

• cyclically broadcasting at least one interactive service application on one of the broadband channels, said at least one interactive service application comprising executable code;
• selectively receiving the one broadband channel at one of the terminals;
• in response to a message transmitted from the server to the one terminal, receiving the executable code and loading the executable code into memory in the one terminal;
• and
• executing the loaded code from memory to control interactive operations of the one terminal.

A method of providing an interactive communication service comprising:

• forming a transport stream for an interactive service application, said transport stream comprising first packets containing executable code and second packets containing digital, compressed data for a plurality of sequences of video frames;
• wherein each of the first packets includes a first predetermined packet identifier, each of the second packets includes a second predetermined packet identifier, and a plurality of the second packets include time stamp values;
• cyclically broadcasting the transport stream on a digital broadband channel;
• storing the executable code in memory in a digital set-top terminal;
• and
• executing the stored code to control operations of the digital set-top terminal including presentation of a predetermined one of the sequences of video frames, wherein the control of presentation comprises capturing packets having the second predetermined packet identifier and within a predetermined range of time stamp values.