Apparatus and method for effectively implementing a wireless television system

Abstract

An apparatus and method for effectively implementing a wireless television system may include a communications processor and a transmitter device that combine at least one of a local-area network interface, a wide-area network interface, and one or more television data interfaces for effectively performing a wireless network transmission process. A transmitted stream from the wireless television system may be received via wireless network processing for viewing local-area network data, wide-area network data (such as Internet data), or television data by flexibly utilizing various electronic devices such as a notepad personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a handheld TV remote control device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A base station comprising:
 a subsystem processor configured to process program information generated by a program source to generate a digital processed stream;   a communications processor coupled to the subsystem processor, the communications processor configured to perform a network processing procedure on the digital processed stream to produce an output stream for transmission; and   a network interface configured to transmit the output stream over a network to a display system, the network interface selected from a group consisting of a local-area network interface and a wide-area network interface, wherein the network processing procedure depends upon a type of bus arbitration required for the network interface.   
     
     
         2 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the communications processor is configured to receive control information from a remote display system via the network interface, and wherein the subsystem processor is configured to control the program information provided by the program source based on the control information. 
     
     
         3 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the communications processor is configured to receive control information from a remote display system via the network interface, and wherein the subsystem processor is configured to select a different program source for providing program information responsive to receiving control information. 
     
     
         4 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the network interface is configured to transmit the output stream over a wired connection to a wireless transmitter, and the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the output stream to the display system at least in part over a wireless network. 
     
     
         5 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the network comprises a local area network and wherein the network interface is a local-area network interface configured to transmit the output stream over the local-area network. 
     
     
         6 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the network comprises a packet-switched network and wherein the network interface is configured to transmit the output stream at least in part over the packet-switched network. 
     
     
         7 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the subsystem processor is configured to receive the program information from the program source via the Internet. 
     
     
         8 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the base station is integrated with a program source. 
     
     
         9 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the program source is a television. 
     
     
         10 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the base station is integrated with a modem for receiving data. 
     
     
         11 . The base station of  claim 10  wherein the modem is configured to use the network interface to receive data. 
     
     
         12 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the base station is integrated with the program source and with a modem for receiving data. 
     
     
         13 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the program source is a personal computer. 
     
     
         14 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the program source is a media server. 
     
     
         15 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the subsystem processor is configured to receive digital audio-video data from the program source. 
     
     
         16 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the subsystem processor is configured to process a supplemental data transmission and to provide the supplemental data transmission as the output stream to the network interface for transmission to the display system. 
     
     
         17 . The base station of  claim 16 , wherein the supplemental data transmission comprises data received in a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the program information received from the program source. 
     
     
         18 . The base station of  claim 16 , wherein the supplemental data transmission comprises metadata from the program information received from the program source. 
     
     
         19 . The base station of  claim 16 , wherein the supplemental data transmission comprises data received from the Internet. 
     
     
         20 . The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the subsystem processor is configured to process the program information to provide the digital processed stream at least in part by compressing the program information.