Signal processing apparatus and methods

Abstract

A unified system of programming communication for use on individual computer systems with capacity for generating relevant user specific information simultaneously at each station of a plurality of subscriber stations. The system includes a transmission station which is a central control system of a system of receiver station computers controlled by the station transmission. Each individual computer system is self-structuring in that any given transmission station can transmit control information causing selected apparatus at selected receiver stations to combine the computers at those stations based on the transmission of the station, thereby causing the individual computers to come under control of station. The unified system also includes apparatus for combining the user specific information generated at subscriber station into broadcast programming, so that broadcast programming is displayed at every station with user specific information displayed in the broadcast programming. The unified system includes apparatus for restricting the combined programming so that it is available only at selected stations tuned to a given transmission station's transmission. The unified system includes apparatus for documenting the use of the control signals and/or programming at said selected stations and for monitoring the availability and use, of programming.