A set top box is provided that interfaces a television and a personal computer that is connected to the Internet. The set top box includes a wireless remote control receiver that receives user commands from a wireless remote control unit. A radio frequency transceiver that transmits computer commands to the personal computer that is connected to the Internet in response to the user commands and that receives data that is generated from the Internet via the personal computer in response to the computer commands. A video processing system that processes the received data for display on a television and a television interface that displays the processed received data on the television.

Methods and systems for providing television related services via a networked personal computer

A personal computer is used to download and process auxiliary services which are intended for a television. Accordingly, information is provided to a television using a personal computer, so that the personal computer's processing power and memory may be used rather than stand-alone devices or a television memory. An external network interface is provided in the computer, as well as a low power television transmitter or transceiver. A unified television/personal computer remote control provides personal computer commands to the personal computer via radio frequency signals. Television commands may be provided to the television directly using infrared signals or indirectly through the personal computer using radio frequency signals. When television commands are provided using radio frequency signals, an infrared converter is provided for the television, to convert the radio frequency signals to infrared signals.

Methods and systems for providing information to a television using a personal computer

The digitized video image data stored in a video RAM in a pix-in-pix television receiver is modified by the addition of digital data from an external computer via a computer interface circuit under control of the pix-in-pix controller. The computer interface circuit is coupled to the internal controller of the television receiver via an external input terminal. The additional digital data received from the external computer may be representative of either text or graphics to be merged into the stored video image.

Data transfer from an external computer to a television receiver having picture-in-picture capability

A video multiplexing system for superimposition scalable video data streams upon a background data stream has a video decoder to extract a first luminance signal, an A/D converter to converter the first luminance signal to digital form, a three-port video memory for storing the digitized luminance signal, a D/A converter for receiving the stored digitized luminance signal and converting it to analog form, a mixing, or multiplexing circuit, having one input coupled to the D/A converter output, at least one other luminance signal source as an input and control inputs for directing the selection of one of the input luminance signals as an output, and a control circuit such as a microprocessor for controlling the various components The write operations to the video memory are synchronized to the incoming luminance signal, and the read operations from video memory are synchronized to the display device This video multiplexing architecture provides the ability to open a view port of arbitrary size at any position within a larger display Scaling of the digitized luminance signal to fit an a view port of arbitrary size is archived by varying the frequency of the A/D converter clocks so as to expand or shrink the resulting image

Video multiplexing system for superimposition of scalable video data streams upon a background video data stream

A personal computer is used to provide audio and/or video telephone communications. Audio telephone communications are provided by using a personal computer to relay audio telephone communications between external telephone networks and a unified television/personal computer wireless remote control. A personal computer may also be used to relay audio and/or video telephone communications between external telephone networks and a television. For video telephone communications, a television interface unit is provided which includes a wireless communications transceiver, a camera and a microphone. An infrared converter may also be included to convert received television commands into infrared television commands.

Methods and systems for providing audio and video telephone communications using a personal computer and a television

A video interface circuit for displaying the output of a video camera on a video monitor of the type used for displaying computer output data. In a first mode of operation, data from a video camera is stored in a first video memory while data previously stored in a second video memory is displayed on a video monitor. In a second mode of operation, there is provided the further steps of displaying information previously stored in the first and second video memories alternately on the video monitor. In a third mode of operation, data previously stored in the first and second video memories is read out one word at a time. If a predetermined bit in the word read from the second video memory has a first predetermined logical level, the word read from the first video memory is displayed on the video monitor. Alternately, if the predetermined bit in the word read from the second video memory has a second predetermined level, the word read from the second video memory is displayed on the video monitor.

Video interface circuit for displaying capturing and mixing a live video image with computer graphics on a video monitor

A dynamic switching circuit for multiple asynchronous clock sources comprising a pair of flip-flops which are set and reset in such a manner as to provide high frequency and low frequency output clock pulses without a glitch and within a period extending from approximately a few nanoseconds to no greater than a period equal to the sum of the periods of one of said high and low frequency clock pulses.

Ben W. Chen

Papers

Video interface circuit for displaying capturing and mixing a live video image with computer graphics on a video monitor

Dynamic switching circuit for multiple asynchronous clock sources