Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

U.S. Philips Corporation

Jonathan R Piesing

Leendert Teunis Rozendaal

Gerrit H Soepenberg

Octavius John Morris

Richard J Houldsworth

Paul A Clarke

Alexis S Ashley

Sebastian A F A Van Den Heuvel

A method of processing a broadcast signal comprises receiving a broadcast signal, the signal including a video component and an audio component. A data component including an interactive application is also received which may be part of the broadcast signal. The broadcast signal is monitored for an identification signal, and the operation of the interactive application is interrupted if the identification signal is not present.

Processing of a broadcast signal

A transmission system includes a transmitter () and at least one receiver () configured to receive signals transmitted therefrom. Carousel-forming data file and directory objects are sent in cycles, with predetermined groups of file and directory objects being formed into respective modules at the transmitter, suitably according to MPEG-2 DSM-CC protocols. Each of the modules is transmitted as a whole, and the receiver is arranged to record received file data and directory objects under a predetermined grouping formulation, at elementary stream or module level.

Efficient recording of object carousels

A data playback apparatus and method for handling of a recorded data stream and associated linear application include a data stream playback stage operable to perform linear real-time and non-linear playback of a stored data stream from storage. An application processing stage runs a linear application from a given start point on commencement of linear real-time playback of the data stream. To avoid problems where the application is unsuited to the non-linearity, the application processing stage stops running of said application and, on recommencing of linear real-time playback, recommences running of the application from the given start point.

Playback of applications with non-linear time

A monitoring apparatus includes a programmable event filter (18) which identifies the occurrence of a predetermined signal (such as a memory address location) on a signal path of a programmed device such as a CD-i player. On detection, one or more successive bus signals are captured in a buffer (20) and subsequently written to storage (14) for processing by an internal processor (10) or the bus signals are sent over a bidirectional communications link (16) to a host device implementing suitable data processing algorithms. A particular use for the monitoring apparatus is in non-intrusive debugging of programmed devices taking account of their operating systems.

Growing community of inventors

Croydon, United Kingdom

Jonathan R Piesing