Scientific-atlanta, Inc.

Michael W Raley

David B Lett

Robert O Banker

Michael T Hayashi

Kinney Chapman Bacon

Scott L Hamilton

Jeffrey B Huppertz

Voytek E Godlewski

An auxiliary device control for a subscriber terminal includes a four wire ribbon cable defining a bidirectional communication and data interface from the terminal to one or more auxiliary devices. A communication and data protocol for the bidirectional transfer of instructions, status, and data over the interface includes an address field, command or reply field, data length field, and checksum field transmitted at 9600 baud. In a preferred implementation, the auxiliary device to be controlled is an IR peripheral controller which can tune a VCR, and switch it on and off. Several transactions in the communications and data protocol are used to effect the operation where a control VCR command and reply transaction cause the control of the tuning and recording of the VCR. A set-up VCR command and a brand reply transaction is used to provide information to configure the controller with brands and model of the VCRs. A program event code command and a program event timer reply transaction provide for the automatic recording of a program event based on an event code listed in a television schedule. A channel map command and a reply transaction provide for the downloading of the local cable system channel line up into the controller.

Auxiliary device control for a subscriber terminal

A near video on demand time shifting feature for a subscriber terminal emulates the video cassette recorder functions of pause, fast forward, and rewind for a NVOD service subscription. The subscriber terminal stores global transactions concerning NVOD events in an event portion of memory. The subscriber terminal provides an on screen display feature for assisting in ordering the NVOD service and a user interface which provides the functions of pause, fast forward and rewind. When viewing a NVOD event, if the subscriber selects the pause function, the subscriber terminal causes a pause on screen display to be viewed for one time increment. After the elapse of the time increment, the subscriber terminal will tune the channel of the next showing which is one time increment earlier than that presently viewed. If the subscriber selects the rewind function, the subscriber terminal will tune the channel of the next showing which is one time increment earlier than that presently viewed. If the subscriber selects the fast forward function, the subscriber terminal will tune the channel of the previous showing which is one time increment later than that presently received.

Method of providing video on demand with VCR like functions

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Lilburn, GA, United States of America

Michael W Raley