Customized program creation by splicing server based video, audio, or graphical segments

• US 20010013123A1
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Published: 08/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1991
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ACTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: ACTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Liga, Kevin M., Harper, Gregory W., Deo, Frank P., Freeman, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/767,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20010013123A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/53 of destinations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 11/042 Codec means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 : Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 : Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 : involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 : involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 : Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 : Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 : Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 : involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 : Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 : for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 : Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0806 : the signals being two or more video signals H04N7/0803, H04N7/081 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 : for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 : Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/104 : Switchers or splitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A Customized Programming creation system provides the ability to transmit Customized Programming offerings to individual users based upon their known profile or their responses to contemporaneous queries. In its basic form, the invention provides for a programming transmission center to maintain a single or multiple MPEG storage server environments. Through the use of digital conversion and MPEG compression standards, a vast library of programming and other information signals can be stored on such file servers. The transmission center selects and accesses programming segments or other information from the storage servers. Through the use of splice points encoded through the MPEG process, the programming transmission center can inconspicuously splice disparate program segments together to create a single custom program stream for delivery to a single user or multiple users of the same profile.

Using interactive programming technology, a user profile is created and stored based on known, purchased and/or usage-based variables. The interactive programming system collects information through the user'"'"'s receiver by monitoring the user'"'"'s viewing habits and cataloguing user responses to interactive programming queries. Such profile information is transmitted to the programming transmission center via a backchannel communication link with the user'"'"'s receiver. The Customized Programming stream may then be created to reinforce known or educated assumptions of programming and commercial selections that are most pertinent to the particular user, bringing some personalization to the vast library of stored programs and information.

Claims

1. A method of providing customized programming in a digital interactive programming system from a programming transmission center to at least one user, the customized programming comprising a succession of digital program segments selected by the interactive programming system from a plurality of digital program segments according to user preference information of the at least one user, the customized programming selected to appeal to the programming preferences of the at least one user, the method comprising:

accessing user preference information indicating the programming preferences of the at least one user;

selecting and accessing a first digital program segment of the succession of digital program segments from the plurality of digital programming segments according to the user preference information of the at least one user;

transmitting the first digital program segment to a reception system of the at least one user;

identifying a splice point in the first digital program segment before the completing the step of transmitting;

selecting and accessing a second digital program segment of the succession of digital program segments from the plurality of digital program segments according to the user preference information;

seamlessly switching from the first digital program segment to the second digital program segment at the splice point identified in the first digital program segment, wherein the switch occurs without creating any artifacts perceptible when the succession of digital program segments is presented to the at least one user; and

transmitting the second program segment to the reception system of the at least one user.

2. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

further comprising the step of storing the plurality of digital program segments on at least one storage server at the programming transmission center, and wherein the succession of digital program segments is accessed from the at least one storage server.

3. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 2

wherein the at least one storage server is selected from the group consisting of:

a data storage server, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, video tape, audio tape, compact disk, video disk, and mini-disk.

4. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

further comprising the step of encoding the succession of digital program segments with the splice point.

5. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 2

further comprising the step of encoding the succession of digital program segments with the splice point before the step of storing.

6. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 4

wherein the succession of digital program segments are encoded according to MPEG standards.

7. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the digital interactive programming system further comprises a user profile system and wherein the user preference information ins accessed from the user profile system.

8. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 2

further comprising the step of compressing the succession of digital program segments before the step of storing.

9. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 8

wherein the succession of digital program segments are compressed according to MPEG standards.

10. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

further comprising the step of receiving user preference information from the at least one user via a backchannel communication link between the reception system of the at least one user and the programming transmission center.

11. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 10

wherein the backchannel communication link is a communication system selected from the group consisting of:

radio, telephony, wireless telephony, a communication network, the Internet, two-way cable, digital subscriber line, fiber optic, and satellite.

12. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the step of accessing further comprises the steps of requesting and receiving at least one digital program segment from a remote transmission source.

13. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 12

wherein the remote transmission source is selected from the group consisting of:

a local transmission center, a regional transmission center, a local broadcast center, and a national broadcast center.

15. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 12

further comprising the step of selecting at least one digital program segment from the remote transmission source according to information within a library database of a library of digital program segments stored at the remote transmission source.

16. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 15

further comprising the step of updating the programming library according to a set of rules governing the database profile wherein the set of rule dictate which of the digital program segments are to be stored, a location for storing the digital program segments, and a period of time for storage, and wherein the rules are based upon an aggregation of related user preference information of a plurality of users.

17. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the step of accessing further comprises retrieving digital program segments from the Internet via a communication link between the programming transmission center and the Internet.

18. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the step of accessing further comprises retrieving digital program segments from a private network via a communication link between the programming transmission center and the private network.

19. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the steps of transmitting are performed over a transmission medium selected from the group consisting of:

terrestrial television broadcast, cable, satellite, fiber optic, microwave, radio, telephony, wireless telephony, the Internet, a private network, and a communication network.

20. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the plurality of digital program segments comprise programming selected from the group consisting of:

audio, video, still-frame video, multimedia, graphic image, animation, data, programming applications, and text.

21. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the steps of transmitting are performed over a narrow bandwidth transmission medium.

22. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 1

wherein the customized programming is transmitted to a plurality of users whose user preference information indicates common programming preferences.

23. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 10

further comprising the step of receiving the user'"'"'s input or a response to the at least one user to at least one interrogatory contained in the succession of digital program segments at the programming transmission center via the backchannel communication link, wherein the selection of the succession of digital program segments is further determined by the interactive programming system based upon responses of the at least one user to the posited interrogatories.

24. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 4

wherein the step of encoding further includes encoding at least one data command in at least one of the digital program segments, the data commands encoded for instructing reception system of the at least one user to retrieve additional digital program segments over a communication network wherein the communication network is selected from the group consisting of the Internet and a private network.

14. A method of providing customized programming as described in

claim 14

wherein the transmission received from the remote transmission source is received via a transmission medium selected from the group consisting of:

terrestrial television broadcast, cable, satellite, fiber optic, point-to-point microwave, radio, telephony, wireless telephony, the Internet, a private network, and a communication network.

25. A programming transmission system in a digital interactive programming system for providing customized programming from a programming transmission center to at least one user utilizing an interactive programming system, the customized programming comprising a succession of digital program segments selected by the interactive programming system from a plurality of digital program segments according to user preference information of the at least one user, the customized programming selected to appeal to the programming preferences of the at least one user, the programming transmission system comprising:

a program selector which selects and accesses the succession ofdigital program segments from the plurality of digital program segments, wherein the succession of digital program segments selected are determined in individual succession by the interactive programming system based upon user preference information of the at least one user;

a memory which stores the user preference information;

a data filter which identifies a splice point in each of the succession of digital program segments;

a program switcher which switches between a prior digital program segment and a successive digital program segment in the succession of digital program segments at the splice point of the prior digital program segment, wherein a seamless switch occurs without creating any artifacts perceptible when the succession of digital program segments is presented to the user;

a processor that coordinates the functions of the program selector, the data filter, the program switcher, and the interactive programming system; and

a programming transmitter that transmits the successive digital program segments to the at least one user.

26. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

further comprising at least one storage server for storing the digital program segments.

27. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 26

wherein the at least one storage server is selected from the group consisting of:

a data storage server, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, video tape, audio tape, compact disk, video disk, and mini-disk.

28. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

further comprising backchannel receiver that receives user preference information from a receiver of the at least on user over a backchannel communication link between the programming transmission center and the receiver of the at least one user

29. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 28

wherein the backchannel communication link is a communication system selected from the group consisting of:

radio, telephony, wireless telephony, a communication network, the Internet, a digital subscriber line, cable, fiber optic, and satellite.

30. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the memory comprises a computer readable medium selected from the group consisting of:

a data storage server, optical storage media, and magnetic storage media.

31. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

further comprising a receiver that receives the digital program segments via a transmission from a remote transmission source.

32. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 31

further comprising a database profile of a programming library of digital program segments, wherein the library of digital program segments is stored at least one of the remote transmission sources.

33. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 32

wherein the programming library is updated according to a set of rules governing the database profile which dictates the digital program segments to be stored, a location for storing the digital program segments, and a period of time for storage, and wherein the rules are based upon an aggregation of related user preference information of multiple users.

34. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 31

wherein the remote transmission source is selected from the group consisting of:

a local transmission center, a regional transmission center, a local broadcast center, and a national broadcast center.

35. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 31

further comprising at least one storage server that stores the digital program segments received from the remote transmission source.

36. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 31

wherein the program selector accesses the digital program segments directly from the receiver.

37. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 31

wherein the transmission received from the remote transmission source is received via a transmission medium selected from the group consisting of:

terrestrial television broadcast, cable, satellite, fiber optic, microwave, radio, telephony, wireless telephony, the Internet, a private network, and a communication network.

38. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the programming transmitter transmits the digital program segments over a transmission medium selected from the group consisting of:

terrestrial television broadcast, cable, satellite, fiber optic, microwave, radio, telephony, wireless telephony, the Internet, a private network, and a communication network.

39. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the digital program segments comprise programming selected from the group consisting of:

audio, video, still-frame video, multimedia, graphic image, animation, data, programming applications, and text.

40. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the programming transmitter transmits the digital program segments via a narrow bandwidth transmission medium.

41. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the customized programming is transmitted to a plurality of users whose user preference information indicates common programming interests.

42. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 28

wherein one or more of the digital program segments contain interrogatories for interacting with the particular user, and wherein the backchannel receiver receives user responses to the interrogatories or other user input via the backchannel communication link between the programming transmission center and the particular user'"'"'s receiver, whereby the digital program segments selected are determined by the interactive programming system based upon user responses to the posited interrogatories and other user input.

43. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the digital program segments are compressed and encoded according to MPEG standards.

44. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 43

wherein the splice points are MPEG codes.

45. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein a data command in the digital program segments instructs a particular user'"'"'s receiver to retrieve additional digital program segments from the Internet.

46. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein a data command in the digital program segments instructs a particular user'"'"'s receiver to retrieve additional digital program segments from a private network.

47. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the data filter comprises a digital multiplexer.

48. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

wherein the program switcher comprises a digital multiplexer.

49. A programming transmission system for providing customized programming as described in

claim 25

further comprising a data rate controller which controls the rate at which the successive digital program segments are transferred to the programming transmitter, thereby varying the rate of transmission of the digital program segments to coordinate the transmission rate with the filling and outflow rates of a buffering component in a receiver at a user'"'"'s location.

50. A method of creating customized programming for transmission within an interactive programming system comprising the steps of:

selecting multiple digital program segments;

encoding a splice point within one or more of the digital program segments to facilitate a seamless switch to another of the digital program segments;

compressing the digital program segments; and

storing the selected digital program segments on one or more storage servers accessible by a programming transmission center.

51. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the step of selecting is performed by the interactive programming system based upon user preference information of a particular user.

52. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the step of selecting is performed by the interactive programming system based upon user preference information of a plurality of users with common programming interests.

53. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the step of selecting is performed by the interactive programming system based upon a set of rules governing a database profile which dictates the digital program segments to be stored, a location for storing the selected digital program segments, and a period of time for storage, and wherein the rules are based upon an aggregation of related user preference information of multiple users.

54. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the steps of encoding and compressing are performed according to MPEG standards.

55. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the storage servers are selected from the group consisting of:

data storage servers, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, video tapes, audio tapes, compact disks, video disks, and mini-disks.

56. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the storage servers are located at the programming transmission center.

57. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein one or more of the storage servers are located at a remote transmission source from which the programming transmission center requests and receives digital program segments.

58. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 57

wherein the remote transmission source is selected from the group consisting of:

a local transmission center, a regional transmission center, a local broadcast center, a national broadcast center, an Internet server, and a private network server.

59. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the digital program segments comprise programming selected from the group consisting of:

audio, video, still-frame video, multimedia, animation, graphic image, and text.

60. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the digital program segments comprise still-frame video for transmission via a low bandwidth transmission medium.

61. A method of creating customized programming as described in

claim 50

wherein the step of encoding further includes encoding one or more data commands in one or more of the digital program segments, the data commands for instructing receiving equipment at a user'"'"'s location to retrieve additional digital program segments from the Internet.

62. A computer program product for instructing a computer controlled programming transmission system with interactive programming technology to provide customized programming to a user, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for controlling the programming transmission system, the computer readable program code comprising instructions for:

causing the programming transmission system to access information in a user preference;

causing the programming transmission system to select and access a first digital program segment, wherein the particular digital program segment selected as the first digital program segment is determined by the interactive programming system based upon the user preference information of a particular user;

causing the programming transmission system to transmit the first digital program segment to the particular user;

causing the programming transmission system to identify a splice point in the first digital program segment prior to the completion of its transmission to the user;

causing the programming transmission system to select and access a second digital program segment, wherein the particular digital program segment selected as the second digital program segment is determined by the interactive programming system based upon user preference information of the particular user;

causing the programming transmission system to seamlessly switch from the first digital program segment to the second digital program segment at the splice point identified in the first digital program segment, whereby the switch is accomplished without a user perceptible delay between the digital program segments; and

causing the programming transmission system to transmit the second digital program segment to the particular user, thereby providing an uninterrupted customized program transmission to the particular user.

63. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the programming transmission system to store the digital program segments on one or more storage servers at the programming transmission center, whereby the digital program segments are accessed from the storage servers.

64. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the programming transmission system to encode one or more of the digital program segments with the splice point.

65. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the programming transmission system to encode one or more of the digital program segments with the splice point before causing the programming transmission system to store the digital program segments.

66. A computer program product as described in

claim 64

wherein the digital program segments are encoded according to MPEG standards.

67. A computer program product as described in

claim 65

wherein the digital program segments are encoded according to MPEG standards.

68. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the programming transmission system to compress the digital program segments prior to the step of storing.

69. A computer program product as described in

claim 68

wherein the digital program segments are compressed according to MPEG standards.

70. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the programming transmission system to receive user preference information from the particular user via a backchannel communication link between a particular user'"'"'s receiver and the programming transmission center.

71. A computer program product as described in

claim 70

wherein the backchannel communication link is a communication system selected from the group consisting of:

radio, telephone, wireless telephone, a communication network, cable, fiber optic, and satellite.

72. A computer program product as described in

claim 71

wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

73. A computer program product as described in

claim 70

wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the programming transmission system to store the user preference information in a memory module at the programming transmission center.

74. A computer program product as described in

claim 73

wherein the memory module is a computer readable medium selected from the group consisting of:

a data storage server, optical storage media, and magnetic storage media.

75. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the instructions for accessing further comprise instructions for causing the programming transmission system to request and receive the digital program segments from a remote transmission source.

76. A computer program product as described in

claim 75

wherein the remote transmission source is selected from the group consisting of:

a local transmission center, a regional transmission center, a local broadcast center, and a national broadcast center.

77. A computer program product as described in

claim 75

wherein the transmission received from the remote transmission source is received via a transmission medium selected from the group consisting of:

terrestrial television broadcast, cable, satellite, fiber optic, microwave, radio, telephone, wireless telephone, and a communication network.

78. A computer program product as described in

claim 75

wherein the instructions for requesting and receiving further comprise instructions for causing the programming transmission system to select the remote transmission source based upon a database profile of a programming library of digital program segments stored at the remote transmission source.

79. A computer program product as described in

claim 78

further including instructions for causing the programming transmission system to update the programming library according to a set of rules governing the database profile which dictates the digital program segments to be stored, a location for storing the digital program segments, and a period of time for storage, and wherein the rules are based upon an aggregation of related user preference information of multiple users.

80. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the instructions for accessing further including instructions for causing the programming transmission system to retrieve digital program segments from the Internet via a communication link between the programming transmission center and the Internet.

81. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the instructions for accessing further including instructions for causing the programming transmission system to retrieve digital program segments from a private network via a communication link between the programming transmission center and the private network.

82. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the programming transmission system transmits the digital program segments over a transmission medium selected from the group consisting of:

terrestrial television broadcast, cable, satellite, fiber optic, microwave, radio, telephone, wireless telephone, and a communication network.

83. A computer program product as described in

claim 82

wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

84. A computer program product as described in

claim 82

wherein the communication network comprises a private network.

85. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the digital program segments comprise programming selected from the group consisting of:

audio, video, multimedia, graphic image, animation, data, programming applications, and text.

86. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the digital program segments comprise still frame pictures for transmission via a low bandwidth transmission medium.

87. A computer program product as described in

claim 62

wherein the customized programming is transmitted to a plurality of users whose user preference information indicates common programming interests.

88. A computer program product as described in

claim 70

further including instructions for causing the programming transmission system to receive the user'"'"'s input or the user'"'"'s responses to one or more interrogatories contained in the digital program segments at the programming transmission center via the backchannel communication link, whereby the particular digital program segments selected are further determined by the interactive programming system based upon user responses to the posited interrogatories.

89. A computer program product as described in

claim 64

wherein the instructions for encoding further include instructions for encoding one or more data commands in one or more of the digital program segments, the data commands for instructing receiving equipment at a user'"'"'s location to retrieve additional digital program segments from the Internet.

90. A computer program product as described in

claim 65

wherein the instructions for encoding further include instructions for encoding one or more data commands in one or more of the digital program segments, the data commands for instructing receiving equipment at a user'"'"'s location to retrieve additional digital program segments from the Internet.

91. A computer program product as described in

claim 64

wherein the instructions for encoding further include instructions for encoding one or more data commands in one or more of the digital program segments, the data commands for instructing receiving equipment at a user'"'"'s location to retrieve additional digital program segments from a private network.

92. A computer program product as described in

claim 65

wherein the instructions for encoding further include instructions for encoding one or more data commands in one or more of the digital program segments, the data commands for instructing receiving equipment at a user'"'"'s location to retrieve additional digital program segments from a private network.