Advanced television system
A digital television recording method comprising: broadcasting a television program associated with a broadcaster set of parameters enabling access to a first set of predetermined portions of the program; operating an agent for determining whether to record the program and for associating with the program, upon recording of the program, an agent set of parameters enabling access to a second set of predetermined portions of the program; storing the program together with the broadcaster set of parameters and the agent set of parameters to generate an addressable program; retrieving at least a portion of the addressable program; displaying the at least a portion of the addressable program to a user; receiving from the user a user set of parameters enabling access to a third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program; editing the addressable program to include the user set of parameters enabling access to the third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program thereby generating an edited addressable program; and storing the edited addressable program.
1 - 34 . (canceled)
35 . A broadcast system comprising:
a headend including a headend tagger for applying headend tags to program material being broadcast; and
a multiplicity of receiver-decoders at user locations, each said receiver-decoder receiving said program material being broadcast and including:
a receiver-decoder tagger for applying receiver-decoder tags to program material received by said receiver-decoder; and
a user actuated tagger for applying user actuated tags to said program material received by said receiver-decoder in response to user actuation.
36 . A receiver-decoder for use in a broadcast system which includes a headend including a headend tagger for applying headend tags to program material being broadcast and a multiplicity of receiver-decoders at user locations, receiving said program material being broadcast, said receiver-decoder comprising:
a receiver-decoder tagger for applying receiver-decoder tags to program material received by said receiver-decoder; and
a user actuated tagger for applying user actuated tags to said program material received by said receiver-decoder in response to user actuation.
37 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein said receiver-decoder is located in a set top box.
38 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein said receiver-decoder tags are operative to override at least one of the headend tags.
39 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein said user actuated tags are operative to override at least one of the following: at least one of the headend tags; and at least one of the receiver-decoder tags.
40 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein at least one of the headend tags can not be overridden by any of the following: the receiver-decoder tags; and the user-actuated tags.
41 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein at least one of:
the headend tags, the receiver-decoder tags, and the user-actuated tags comprises a tag determining at least one of the following:
a program retrieval parameter; and a content retrieval parameter.
42 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the receiver-decoder tags comprise a recording quality parameter determining a quality of recording of the program material.
43 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the user-actuated tags comprise a rating parameter determining a rating of the program as provided by the user.
44 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the program material comprises a commercial, and
the headend tags comprise at least one of the following:
at least one commercial parameter;
a parameter determining a request for additional information relating to at least one of the following: the commercial; and the program; and
a parameter determining expiration of the commercial after an event comprising at least one of the following: a predetermined number of people having viewed the commercial; and the user having viewed the commercial a predetermined number of times.
45 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the headend tags comprise a tag disabling one of the following:
fast-forward browsing through at least a portion of the program material; and
fast-backward browsing through at least a portion of the program material.
46 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the program material comprises two separate television programs for display simultaneously in a picture-in-picture (PIP) mode on a television screen, and the user-actuated tags comprise a tag determining a viewing selection for viewing only one of the two separate television programs on the full television screen.
47 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the headend tags comprises at least one tag determining at least one of the following information fields: a type of the program material; supplementary information accompanying the program material; an associated audio channel in a language which differs from a language used in an original audio channel associated with the program material; program delete enabled/disabled; parental control associated with at least a portion of the program material; an expiration time of the program material; picture-in-picture availability; a program title; a time when the program material is broadcast; a length of the program material; a determination whether the program material is encrypted; a compression format of the program material; characteristics of the program material; cancellation of material already transmitted in the program material; selective routing of part of the program material to selected users; context specific tagging; and a media item.
48 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the receiver-decoder tags comprise at least one tag determining at least one of the following information fields: a quality of recording of the program material; a type of program material whose recording is required; identifying information identifying a favorite program whose recording is required; a time and a date when recording of program material is required; existence of a review attached to the program material; context specific tagging; a media item; and a category of the program material.
49 . A receiver-decoder according to claim 36 and wherein the user-actuated tags comprise at least one tag determining at least one of the following information fields: a program rating provided by the user; a review of a program; a request for additional information relating to a program; a format of a program after editing operations; at least one highlight in a program; compression preferences for compressing a program prior to storage; image manipulation; and video wallpaper selection.
50 . A communication method comprising:
operating a headend including a headend tagger for applying headend tags to program material being broadcast; and
causing a multiplicity of receiver-decoders at user locations to receive said program material being broadcast and to apply receiver-decoder tags and user actuated tags to said program material received by at least one of said receiver-decoders.
51 . A communication method according to claim 50 and wherein at least one of said receiver-decoders is located in a set top box.
52 . A broadcast receiving method useful with a headend including a headend tagger which applies headend tags to program material being broadcast, the method comprising:
causing a receiver-decoder at a user location to receive said program material being broadcast and to apply receiver-decoder tags and user actuated tags to said program material received by said receiver-decoder.
53 . A broadcast receiving method according to claim 52 and wherein said receiver-decoder is located in a set top box.