General Instrument Corporation

M/a-com Government Systems, Inc.

Cable/home Communication Corp.

M/a-com Linkabit, Inc.

Jerrold A Heller

Woo H Paik

Gordon Kent Walker

Klein S Gilhousen

Edward A Krause

James N Esserman

Robert D Blakeney, Ii

Paul Shen

Vincent C Liu

Chris Heegard

Scott A Lery

Michael V Harding

Michael Van Harding

James Neil Esserman

A method and apparatus for communicating high definition television signals is provided. Video signals are divided into blocks of PCM data. The PCM data is processed using motion estimation and compensation to provide DPCM data. For each block, one of PCM and DPCM data is selected for transmission based on a predetermined criteria. The selected data is compressed using the discrete cosine transform to provide blocks of transform coefficients. The coefficients are quantized to improve their coding efficiency and variable length coded. The variable length coded coefficients are coded using a concatenated coding scheme with a Reed-Solomon outer code and trellis inner code to provide coded signals for transmission. The coded signals are transmitted using QAM.

Method and apparatus for communicating digital information such as

A secure communication network serves a plurality of terminals grouped into different security categories. Each terminal includes a replaceable security element containing a security algorithm specific to the security category to which the terminal is assigned. Upon the breach of a particular security version, the security elements in the affected category are replaced with new elements containing a different algorithm. The security elements are relatively low cost, and can be replaced on an as needed or periodic basis to maintain system security.

Apparatus and method for upgrading terminals to maintain a secure

An image area is refreshed during the transmission of a set of motion compensated sequential video images. The video images are divided into a plurality of adjacent regions. The image area is refreshed during a refresh cycle by communicating a different region in each successive video image of the set without motion compensation. Motion compensation of the previously refreshed regions of the image area during the refresh cycle is restricted to an area containing only the previously refreshed regions. Video image data from a current region being refreshed is encoded for use by a decoder in identifying it as non-motion compensated data.

Method and apparatus for refreshing motion compensated sequential video

A system in a subscriber television network for enabling descrambling of a received scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and/or an impulse-purchase basis. A received mask signal uniquely related to the scrambled signal is compared with a received authorization signal indicating whether the subscriber is authorized to receive the scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and a prepaid signal for enabling descrambling is provided when the compared signals match. A not-prepaid signal is provided when they do not match. A received cost signal indicating the charge for descrambling the scrambled signal and a received credit signal indicating the subscriber's endlessly accumulated credit are processed with reference to a stored record of the subscriber's prior accumulated charges to determine whether the subscriber has sufficient available credit to pay for descrambling of the scrambled signal. If a program is not prepaid and if sufficient credit is available, the subscriber is given the option of causing the signal to be descrambled on an impulse-purchase basis. To prevent a subscriber from obtaining descrambling through such deceit as changing the mask, authorization, cost and/or credit signals, these signals are processed with key signals which are used in scrambling and descrambling the television signal such that descrambling is prevented if any of the mask et al authorization, cost and/or credit signals is changed.

Selective enablement of descramblers

In a system for scrambling an audio signal for transmission with a video signal having non-video information intervals, an analog audio signal is converted into a scrambled compressed digital audio signal; individual bits from the scrambled compressed digital audio signal are combined to provide 2-bit digital words; each digital word is converted into an 8-bit digital PAM data signal having a binary value bearing a predetermined relationship to the binary value of the converted 2-bit digital word; the 8-bit digital PAM data signal is converted into a 4-level PAM analog signal; and the PAM analog signals are inserted into the non-video information intervals of the video signal for transmission. A descrambling system descrambles the 4-level PAM analog signals by a complementary scheme.

Digital audio scrambling system with pulse amplitude modulation

A system in a subscriber television network for enabling descrambling of a received scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and/or an impulse-purchase basis. A received mask signal uniquely related to the scrambled signal is compared with a received authorization signal indicating whether the subscriber is authorized to receive the scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and a prepaid signal for enabling descrambling is provided when the compared signals match. A not-prepaid signal is provided when they do not match. A received cost signal indicating the charge for descrambling the scrambled signal and a received credit signal indicating only the subscriber's accumulated credit are processed with reference to a stored record of the subscriber's prior accumulated charges to determine whether the subscriber has sufficient available credit to pay for descrambling of the scrambled signal. If a program is not prepaid and if sufficient credit is available, the subscriber is given the option of causing the signal to be descrambled on an impulse-purchase basis. To prevent a subscriber from obtaining descrambling through such deceit as changing the mask, authorization, cost and/or credit signals, these signals are processed with key signals which are used in scrambling and descrambling the television signal such that descrambling is prevented if any of the mask authorization, cost and/or credit signals is changed.

Selective-subscription descrambling

In the scrambling system, an analog audio signal is converted into a digital signal to provide a sequence of digital signal samples corresponding to the analog audio signal. Each digital signal sample is compressed to provide compressed signal samples having a sign bit, three exponent bits and seven mantissa bits. Each bit of each compressed signal sample is exclusive-OR'd with a unique keystream to thereby scramble the audio signal. A Hamming code generator generates code bits for correcting singular errors in a combination of the sign bit, the exponent bits and the code bits; and a parity bit generator generates a parity bit for detecting double errors in a combination of the sign bit, the exponent bits and the code bits and for further detecting an error in the most significant mantissa bit and/or the parity bit. The bits from a plurality of successive compressed, error-encoded signal samples are interleaved and serialized in order to separate the bits from any single sample by at least a predetermined duration associated with an FM discriminator click. The serialized, interleaved, error-encoded, compressed signal samples are combined to provide two-bit digital words. The digital words are converted to digital PAM data signals which when converted to an analog signal by digital-to-analog conversion, provide a pulse-amplitude-modulated signal having a level related to the binary value of the digital words. The digital PAM data signals are converted to an analog signal to provide the pulse-amplitude-modulated signal. The descrambler system descrambles the scrambled audio signal by a process that is the converse of the scrambling process. Singular errors in a scrambled signal sample are detected and corrected by a Hamming error corrector. Double errors in a scrambled signal sample are detected by a parity bit check and compensated for by repeating the last received error free signal sample.

Digital audio scrambling system with error conditioning

Systems for scrambling and descrambling video information lines. The scrambling system includes a memory; a storage system for sequentially storing groups of four video information lines in the memory; and a retrieval means for forming groups of four scrambled video information lines by retrieving the stored video information from the memory in a sequence different from the sequence within the stored group in which the information was stored. The retrieval system forms the scrambled video information lines by retrieving a portion of a first stored video information line from a first position therein to form a portion of a first scrambled video information line occupying a second position therein; retrieving a portion of the first stored video information line from the corresponding second position therein to form a portion of a second scrambled video information line occupying a position therein other than the corresponding second position; and forming the portion of the first scrambled video information line occupying the corresponding first position therein by retrieving a portion of a stored video information line other than the first stored video information line from a position therein other than the corresponding first position. The sequence of formation of the scrambled lines, the respective sizes of the retrieved portions, and the combinations of stored video lines within the stored groups for forming the first and second scrambled video lines are varied from one group to the next in response to a keystream of control bits. The descrambling system functions conversely to the scrambling system.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Jerrold A Heller