Advanced television system

Abstract

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.