HK1001806B - Interruption tolerant video program viewing device and the method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Interruption-enabled television program viewing apparatus and method

The present invention relates to the fields of video, surveillance, storage and playback. And more particularly to simultaneously storing a video signal being received and displaying a previously stored signal.

There is a continuing effort to seek ways to enhance the ability of users to meet personal priority control during viewing of transmitted television programs. It is quite common for a user to be interrupted during viewing of a desired program to cope with the requirement of higher priority. Such an interruption may be a call received while the television broadcast program is being continuously played. This type of viewing disturbance, although of short duration, can result in the local loss of the portion of the program being presented for the duration of the interruption. This may occur several times during a long program or movie with a large loss of program continuity and disruption of the information and/or entertainment received.

Both transmission and reception control of TV systems has historically been performed by the broadcaster of the system. Thus pausing for higher priority events is generally not feasible. In video-on-demand systems, today's network bandwidth resources and switching constraints prevent overall video-on-demand for an infinitely increasing interval.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for giving a user a means for specifying that a portion of information in a television program broadcast or other transmission is stored and that can invoke the stored portion for viewing with the user's opinion. This stored video can be viewed intermittently or continuously in regular, slow or fast motion, under the user's direct or VCR-like television remote control.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for providing users with a normal broadcast and/or other delivery of these programs.

It is a further object of this invention to provide the user with full VCR-like control of that portion of the program in memory. These controls include play, rewind, fast and slow, pause, resume, screen split, frame skip, and picture-in-picture.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a user with the ability to review the immediately preceding broadcast portion of a program being viewed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a video signal viewing apparatus has a user command circuit, a receiving circuit coupled to the command circuit, and a display device coupled to the receiver circuit. The apparatus includes an input buffer circuit for receiving and buffering the signal portion of interest, a memory circuit coupled to an output of the input buffer circuit for storing the signal portion, and an output buffer circuit coupled to the memory circuit for receiving and buffering an output of the memory. The command circuit causes the output of the output buffer to be coupled to the receiver circuit for display on a display device upon receiving a command from a user. Preferably, the device memory circuitry comprises at least one Direct Access Storage Device (DASD), or at least one Sequential Access Storage Device (SASD), or a combination thereof.

It may be desirable for this memory circuit to be of a cyclic type, i.e. to continue writing incoming information data onto previously stored data after it has been filled to capacity.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the user holds an interrupt for the duration of the transfer of a certain amount of video data. Preferably, the memory circuit has a capacity at least equal to the amount of video data transmitted during the duration.

In one embodiment of the invention, the video signal comprises the content of the video signal for the entire program, and the signal portion comprises the content of the video signal up to and including the entire program.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that receives a video signal and is controlled by a user command. The apparatus comprises a video input circuit for receiving a video signal and a receiving circuit having a first receiver input coupled to the video input circuit for receiving an image, a second receiver input and a receiver output. The apparatus also has a display device coupled to the receiving circuit for receiving the receiving circuit output and for displaying the video signal; a memory circuit for receiving and storing a portion of the video signal; and a control circuit responsive to a user command and having the memory output coupled to the second receiver input for displaying the signal portion on the display device when the user issues a response command. Preferably the memory circuit comprises an input buffer circuit, memory circuitry coupled to the input buffer output to store the portion, and an output buffer circuit for receiving and buffering the memory output. Also, preferably, the memory circuit comprises at least one direct access memory device, or at least one sequential access memory device, or a combination thereof.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide a method of servicing a user that is interrupted while viewing a video signal on a display. This signal is sent during part of this interruption. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a video signal; coupling the portion to a ring storage circuit; storing the portion in the storage circuit; instructing the stored portion to be displayed at the end of the interrupt; and feeding the portion to the display upon receiving this command. Preferably the step of coupling further comprises the steps of input buffering and feeding the portion to a memory circuit, the step of feeding being followed by the step of output buffering.

Yet another aspect of the invention is an apparatus having means for receiving and displaying a video signal. The apparatus includes at least one direct access storage medium; an input buffer coupled to the medium; an output buffer coupled to the medium; a hierarchical storage system for storing the media and a portion of the video signal in the buffer; means for routing the stored portion to the display; and a device for controlling the display. The device for controlling the display comprises the following functions: pause of display, resume, normal, slow and fast playback, rewind, select picture, frame skip and picture-in-picture format.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood upon reading and further consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The listed figures are:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an algorithm employed by the present invention when a user is ready to review a display;

FIG. 3 illustrates the addition of a sequential access memory device to the memory circuit of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a long memory display algorithm of the present invention; and

figure 5 shows an embodiment of the invention when video transmissions are received by a T-1 telephone line.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for enabling interrupted television program viewing. The method and apparatus of the present invention facilitates the reception of standard broadcast TV transmissions, cable TV transmissions, and/or the continuous transmission of public or private programming. One feature of the present invention is a hierarchy of memory that includes at least one directly accessed, non-sequential storage medium in conjunction with an algorithm that employs a data buffer. This technique can be applied to analog and/or digital image transmission.

In one embodiment, the user's television receiver and display are equipped with a device having user command circuitry. It enables the user, when interrupted, to command the television broadcast display to pause and to initiate the storage of the portion of the television picture that is in progress that occurs next during the interruption. Upon return the user can command the stored portion to be displayed. The display can be adapted so that the user can catch up with normal broadcasts, i.e. continue watching television in delayed mode. The stored images may be viewed in regular, fast or slow motion, intermittently or continuously, either directly by the user or under VCR or television remote control. The apparatus includes an input buffer circuit for buffering images received during an interrupt to properly feed into a memory device. The stored image is transferred from the memory device to the display in response to a user command. The apparatus also includes an output buffer circuit as a buffer between the output of the memory device and the display. Buffering of input and output with circuits capable of high speed read/write is desirable because the read/write storage time of medium capacity storage devices is relatively slow. This caching is commonly implemented using a high-speed brick memory device. The amount of buffer memory required depends on the efficiency of the read/write algorithm employed, as is well known to the skilled person, and preferably the storage means has a capacity at least equal to the amount of video data sent during the predetermined maximum duration of the serviceable interruption.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the video signal includes video signal content of a complete program, and the signal portion includes video signal content up to and including the complete program. For this case, the device memory typically includes at least one direct access storage device, and at least one sequential access storage device. This sequential access memory device has a very large memory capacity but also has relatively long read and write access times. The direct access memory device desirably provides input and output buffering for the sequential access memory device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus includes a video display control function. The functions controlled include play, rewind, stop, continue, normal advance, fast advance, and slow advance. Preferably, the control function is controlled by a remote control circuit and comprises a means for selecting the catch-up function. Catch-up functions include selecting picture-in-picture, frame skipping and/or screen segmentation. The pip may be used to display a picture of the stored image on a portion of the display in a full display that is displaying the in-progress program picture, or vice versa. Screen splitting may be used to display a picture of the stored image on one side of the display area and a picture of the program in progress on the other side of the display area. The selection frame enables the user to select whether the frame to be displayed at a particular instant is a stored image or a frame of an ongoing program. The user may switch from one to another as desired by the user.

The invention also provides a method of serving a user of a television program that is interrupted during the viewing of a video signal on a display. This method enables the video signal portion transmitted during relaying to be stored and subsequently viewed. The method comprises the following steps: pausing the display, coupling a subsequently received signal to the storage medium, storing it in the storage medium, displaying the portion in response to a command, and feeding the portion to the display. Preferably, the coupling step comprises an input buffering step and the feeding step immediately follows the output buffering step.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. An external transmitter device 100 in fig. 1 transmits a television program selected by a user. In the normal receive mode, the tuning and demodulation circuit 102 communicates the selected, received and digitized transmission information to the receiver circuit 104 which feeds a pair of display devices 106. This is simply constructed and operated in accordance with standard digital TV receivers. Control circuitry 108 enables a user to pause the display and cause digital images to be fed to an input buffer circuit 110 within memory circuitry 109. This input buffer circuit 110 is a dual-port video buffer that simultaneously receives video transmissions and feeds them to the memory circuit 112 for storage. A memory circuit 112 of storage circuits 109 includes at least one Direct Access Storage Device (DASD) 111. The control circuit 108 causes the memory circuit 112 to feed the stored image to be fed to an output buffer circuit 114 in the memory circuit 109 in accordance with a user command. The output buffer circuit 114 provides the video signal to the receiver circuit 104 for display on the display device 106. User commands are typically sent to the control circuitry 106 via the remote control 116. The transmitting circuit 100, tuning and demodulation circuit 112, receiving circuit 104, remote control circuit 116 and display device 106 may all be the same as used in standard TV reception. In practice, both the input buffer circuit 110 and the output buffer circuit 114 are themselves temporary memory devices that support the memory circuit 112. If the output of the tuning and demodulation circuit 102 is an analog image, an analog-to-digital converter 103 is used to form the digitized image before being fed to the input buffer 110. In addition, the image output from the output buffer circuit 114 is fed to the digital/analog converter 105 to form an analog image signal before being fed to the receiving circuit 104.

It is desirable that the memory circuit be of the ring type. It continues to write the input information data on the previously stored data when it is full to its capacity. Thus, if the memory capacity is 15 minutes of video data, the data received at the 16 th minute is overwritten on the storage location holding the data received at the 1 st minute, and so on. As such, once the memory is filled with 15 minutes of video data, the data is overwritten on the older video data for continued storage. This memory thus always contains video data equivalent to the last 15 minutes.

In one embodiment, upon receiving an interrupt, the user issues a DSIPLAY PAUSE command to initiate the suspend algorithm. The suspend algorithm begins by feeding signals to input buffer circuit 110 and storing them in memory circuit 112, preferably a DASD 111. This DASD111 becomes occupied by the video data thereafter. In the case where it is dual-ported, the buffer simultaneously receives a subsequent digitized video signal from the image source and outputs a front portion of the delayed video signal to the memory circuit 112. This can be satisfactorily achieved as long as the memory capacity can accommodate the video data input during the interruption. With today's direct access storage devices, compression techniques and input image rates, interruptions from minutes to well over an hour can be easily accommodated.

When the user is ready to resume viewing, the user issues a command to display the memory. This initiates the memory-display algorithm shown in fig. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, input buffer circuitry 110 continuously receives and temporarily stores subsequent video data and outputs its oldest stored data to DASD 111. DASD111 writes the received video data to the next storage unit and outputs its earlier stored video data in the order of reception in a first-in-first-out manner. Output buffer circuitry 114 receives the DASD111 output and feeds its earliest received video data to receive circuitry 104 for display on display device 106. This memory-display algorithm ensures that new video data currently being transmitted is stored while the user is viewing the stored image.

This algorithm requires that the reading and writing of the storage device be started for each video memory during each cycle. This is most easily done with a dual port buffer. In some cases, it may be beneficial to employ two single-port video buffers instead of a dual-port buffer. Two single-port buffers are used to fill one buffer with an input signal and the other to output its data to the memory device independently and simultaneously at each cycle.

The buffers alternate between read and write operations, one to read the input image data and the other to write its stored image data. Since reading and writing of the storage means to the video buffers must be performed each cycle, the size of the video buffer needs to be approximately twice that of the temporal sequence described above. Flexible file data storage and retrieval methods can be employed to optimize the time period for each read and write, taking into account the mechanical limitations of the storage device, the propagation distance, and the number of times required to access the device.

Another alternative configuration, which is most suitable for the case of long duration interrupts and thus long picture storage periods, is shown in figure 3. FIG. 3 illustrates the addition of a sequential access memory device (SASD 113) to the memory circuit (112 of FIG. 1). SASD 113 has a much larger storage capacity than DASD 111. The SASD 113 may be constructed using tape storage or preferably from an optical disk having read and write capabilities. Although SASD currently has a relatively long access time, DASD111 provides more than enough input and output buffering to prevent information loss. Employing SASD 113 requires an additional read and write of DASD 111. First, the data portions already stored on DASD111 are archived for storage to SASD 113. DASD111 then retrieves the data portion that has been archived in SASD 113 for final display. At data rates of about 3 megabytes/second for direct access storage, the video data stream must be compressed.

In a refinement of this embodiment, the input buffer and output buffer have sufficient, typically silicon, memory to buffer the number of SASD accesses. DASD was replaced in this case only with SASD. This is becoming more and more economically practical with the development of optical discs with reduced access times and the advent of cheaper and denser silicon memories. The silicon device is the memory selected as the buffer.

When feasible in a receiving device, the SASD 113 is typically put into use when the user realizes that an interruption will take so long that the video data storage that he needs will exceed the capacity of the DASD 111. This is specified by the user issuing a LONG PAUSE command. This initiates a long pause algorithm, starting feeding video signals to both input buffer circuit 110 and DASD111 and SASD 113, which activate the memory circuits. For purposes of this description, DASD111 is preferably initially considered to be divided into a first portion and a second portion. The two portions typically have comparable capacities and each has the lowest required capacity. The capacity of the first portion must be greater than the amount of video data received in a time equal to the worst case write access time of the SASD. The capacity of the second portion must be greater than the amount of video data received in a time equal to the read access time for the worst case of the SASD. Input buffer circuitry 110 feeds a first portion of DASD111 which outputs to SASD 113. At any one time, both DASD111 and SASD 113 have stored video information. In this embodiment, the beginning and main portions of the stored image and the first portion stored on DASD111 reside in SASD 113. The second part is only called when the SASD 113 starts writing out. This occurs when the SASD overflows and in response to a DISPLAY long memory command.

When the user is ready to resume viewing, the user issues a command DISPLAY device to initiate the long memory DISPLAY algorithm shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, input buffer circuitry 110 continues to receive and temporarily store subsequent video data and output its oldest stored data to the first portion of DASD 111. This first portion DASD111 writes the received video data into its next storage unit and continues to output its earlier stored data to the SASD 113 in the order received. SASD 113 writes its received video data to its next storage unit and continues to simultaneously output its earlier stored video data to the second portion of DASD111 in the order received. The second portion of DASD111 writes the received data to its next storage unit and continues to simultaneously output its earlier stored video data to output buffer circuitry 114 in the order received. This output buffer circuitry 114 receives the output of DASD111 and outputs the video data it received earliest to receive circuitry 104 for display on display device 106. This long memory display algorithm also ensures that new video data being transmitted at the time can be stored while the user is viewing the stored image.

Another alternative embodiment of this long pause algorithm has the second portion of DASD111 primed with the first portion of DASD111 prior to feeding SASD 113. In this case, the beginning of the stored image resides in the second portion of DASD111, followed by the portion in SASD 113, followed by the portion in the first portion of DASD 111. This allows the long memory display algorithm speed to be increased by at least the read access time of the SASD 113.

In a desirable alternative, the SASD is automatically activated when the image storage capacity approaches the capacity of the DASD storage. With this capacity the device is changed from operating with a pause algorithm to operating with a long pause algorithm. If this occurs, the system automatically replaces the memory display algorithm shown in FIG. 2 with the long memory display algorithm shown in FIG. 4 when the user is ready to resume viewing.

It should be noted that in the simplest manner, separate DASD are utilized for each portion to simply implement the first and second portions of DASD 111. A single DASD111 may be used to coordinate with the appropriate size of the input and output buffers to enable flexibility in implementing the read and write cycles of the devices to optimize the duration of each cycle and the amount of processed visual data per cycle for video data transmission without data loss or buffer overflow.

The user is preferably given the option to catch up with the television program or to watch the remainder of the program with a certain delay on the interrupted return. This certain delay is equal to the duration of the interruption. Catching up with normal program transmission allows the user to reuse this interrupt system for the entire capacity of the memory circuit 112.

If the user does not want to catch up with the real-time transmission, as is likely in a technical lecture or on-demand movie, only the algorithm shown in fig. 2 is performed. If the user finally chooses to catch up with the real-time transmission, there are likely several ways to accomplish this catch-up, as is the case with normal TV transmissions. One approach is to drop some image frames using frame skipping, i.e., dropping a frame from every other data frame in accordance with a drop rate. This frame dropping speed may be set by the user or may be automatically calculated at a user-specified time that can catch up with normal program transmission.

A second way to catch up with normal television transmissions is to delete from the display or quickly pass through the display of designated portions that are not of interest to the user. This may involve skipping commercials in a manner well known to the skilled artisan. The third approach is to replay the stored image faster than the normal display rate. A fourth approach is to display the stored data simultaneously with the image in continuation at different locations on the user's display. This can be done by splitting the screen or in a way similar to a picture-in-picture (PIP).

In an alternative embodiment, all received television transmissions for a user-selected program are fed sequentially and simultaneously to the receive circuitry 104 and the input buffer circuitry 110. The user views the program fed to the receiver circuit 104 on the display device 106 in the normal manner. The input buffer circuit feeds the received video data to the memory circuit 112 for storage. The memory circuit thus fills up its storage capacity C with the television program_storageA byte. Memory store operation in a round robin fashion and cycle through C_storageAn image of bytes. Once it has filled to its capacity, the video data received in each next cycle is overwritten on the preceding cycle. Thus, at the first C of receiving a television program_storageAny time after a byte, the memory will be immediately preceded by C_storageThe program data in bytes is stored in DASD 111. The user can issue a display command to the control circuit 108 at any time to cause the output buffer circuit 114 to be fed to the receiving circuit 104 for output to the display device. In this embodiment, the user does not have to pause the operation by an interrupt. Rather, the user need only command the image being displayed to come from memory via output buffer 114 or not directly from toneA harmonic demodulation circuit 102. The user can view this image in a picture-in-picture manner. The television in progress may be displayed on the entire screen 115 while the stored images are displayed on a portion of the screen 107. This can also be viewed in a separate screen, with portion 107 representing a separate screen. In the selected screen, either the television or stored video in progress will be displayed on the entire screen 115, as selected by the user. This embodiment may employ any catch-up circuit.

Consider an uncompressed image transmitting 2 megabytes of digital data per second to gauge the amount of memory that is accommodated. This corresponds to 120 optical bytes/min. Thus, a 15 minute uncompressed image requires 1.8 kilobytes of storage capacity. The compression scheme will reduce the amount of storage required at a particular compression ratio. For example, the MPEG-1 format for compressing sound and images is 1.5 mbits/sec, i.e., 187.5 kbytes/sec. Thus, less than 170 optical bytes are required to store 15 minutes of television, while 675 optical bytes are required to store one hour of MPEG-1 compressed image. In addition, longer televisions may be stored in multiple direct access devices or in a hierarchical structure including direct access storage devices and sequential access storage devices such as compact disks and tape drives. For example, tape drives with access times on the order of seconds are now available. Thus, a hierarchy comprising a direct access storage device and a sequential storage device can store very long televisions.

The minimum size of the video input buffer circuit 110 may be evaluated by considering that the buffer must be large enough to temporarily store video data received within the maximum access time of the memory device employed in the memory circuit 112. A storage device with an access time of 15mesc requires a buffer of 230 kbytes of data for uncompressed pictures. The compression scheme will greatly reduce the size of the input buffer circuit 110. To be practically compatible with TVs and direct access storage devices, the buffer size is preferably chosen to be an integer multiple of the field of frames and a sector size close to that of the storage device. The size of this required buffer, even for uncompressed pictures, is well within the video buffers available today. In the case where the image is received in a compressed format, the receiving circuit includes a decompression circuit.

Preferably, the present invention is capable of memory replay, rewind, stop, resume and normal, fast and slow motion displays. Preferably, these functions are controlled by the user using a remote control (116 of fig. 1). This is preferably used in an embodiment where all transmissions are stored continuously in the storage means, unlike the previous embodiment where they are only stored when the user wishes to pause. Its storage algorithm may be the same as described in the pause algorithm or the long pause algorithm. When using the aforementioned program, if the memory size of the storage device is not large enough to store the entire program transmission, the earlier part of the program is overwritten by the new transmission. When the user specifies the number of frames or time units to rewind, the location of this data on the direct access storage device is calculated and the algorithm displaying the memory can be applied as in FIG. 2. The display may be controlled at regular speed, slow motion, or faster than normal.

The present invention is advantageous in many locations. These include home, library, educational and industrial environments where TV signals may be transmitted by broadcast, cable, satellite or telephone. Figure 5 illustrates a system embodying the present invention in the case of receiving incoming television images from a T-1 telephone line 152 having an analog bandwidth of 1.544 MHz. When used for digital signals, digital information is transmitted and received over the T-1 line using a modem. This digital data rate is matched to the bit/Hz capacity of the modem employed. The system of fig. 5 utilizes a 1 bit/Hz modem connected to a T-1 line 152. The output of the T-1 line 152 is fed to a T-1 receiver card 154 which buffers the video data thereafter. It can receive television programs compressed in MPEG-1, 1.5 mbits/sec format. The received image is fed directly to an MPEG-1 decompressor and decoder card 156 before the system is paused by the user. The image is then passed through an image card 158 and displayed on a video display 160. When a user issues a DISPLAY PAUSE command, a predetermined amount of video data is received in the memory 154 of the T-1 receiving card and then the image is transferred to the disk memory 162. The disk memory 162 is placed in a circular mode of operation so that when its memory capacity is full, it continues to receive data thereafter and begins to overwrite the oldest data in the disk. This continues until the user issues a DISPLAY MEMORY command. After the user issues a DISPLAY command, the oldest stored disk data is fed to the MPEG-1 decompressor and decoder card 156 and thence to the video DISPLAY 160 for DISPLAY. If the pause duration is so short that the disk MEMORY is not full when the user issues the DISPLAY MEMORY command, the disk continues to be filled when the DISPLAY of stored data begins. Each time thereafter the user issues a DISPLAY command, the oldest stored disk data is displayed.

The T-1 receiver card 154, MPEG-1 decompressor and decoder card 156, and video card 158 are all inserted into a Personal Computer (PC)150 having a disk storage 162 and configured to operate as a digital TV receiver and display. This PC screen or an external monitor may be used as the image display 160. The personal computer has preloaded operational algorithms that can be used as a complete medium for implementing the present invention. Standard VCR-like functions are remotely controlled by the user using remote control 164. The controller typically employs infrared technology.

The algorithms may be implemented by software hardware or a combination of software and hardware. Thus, although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments using specific routines, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception and specific purpose of the invention may be readily utilized in many other configurations not specifically described herein.

Claims (32)

1. An image signal viewing apparatus having a receiver circuit, a user command circuit coupled to said receiver circuit, and a display device coupled to said receiver circuit, said apparatus comprising:

input buffer circuitry coupled to the receiver circuitry and having an input for receiving and buffering a portion of the signal and an input buffer output;

memory circuitry coupled to the input buffer output for storing the portion and having a memory output; and

an output buffer circuit having an output buffer input coupled to the memory output for receiving and buffering the memory output, and an output buffer output,

wherein the command circuit causes the output buffer output to be coupled to the receiver circuit for feeding the portion for display on the display device upon receipt of a command from the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said memory circuit comprises at least one of;

a direct access storage device; and

a sequential access storage device.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said input buffer circuit further comprises:

an input coupling circuit coupling the portion to the input for receiving; and

control circuitry responsive to said user command circuitry coupled to said input coupling circuitry to cause said portion to be fed to said input for receipt when commanded by said user.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is characterized in that

The user has an interrupt, the interrupt having a duration; and

the signal portion corresponds to the amount of video data that should be transmitted during the duration.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 and in which said input memory circuit has a container at least equal to said amount of video data being transmitted.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said duration is 15 minutes.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 4 wherein said amount of video data transmitted is 170 megabytes.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is characterized in that

The image signal is the image signal content of the complete program; and

said signal portion comprising the image signal content of said complete program.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said command circuit further comprises an image display function controller for controlling a function selected from the group consisting of at least one of: playback, rewind, stop, still, continue, fast forward, and slow forward, select pictures, and picture-in-picture format.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein said controller is a remote control.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which said memory circuit comprises a circular memory device.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 1 and further comprising a catch-up circuit for said user to catch up to said image signal in progress.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said catch-up circuit provides catch-up functionality in at least one of the following ways:

picture-in-picture;

frame skipping; and

and splitting the screen.

14. Apparatus for receiving an image signal controlled by a user command, comprising:

an image input circuit for receiving said image signal and having an image output;

receiving circuitry having a first receiver input coupled to said image output for receiving said image signal, a second receiver input and a receiver output;

display means having a display input coupled to said receiver output for receiving and displaying said image signals;

a memory circuit having a memory input coupled to said image output and a memory output, said memory circuit receiving and storing a portion of said image signal; and

control circuitry responsive to the user command, coupled to the storage circuitry and causing the storage output to be coupled to the second receiver output upon the user command so as to feed the portion for display on the display device.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14 wherein said storage circuit comprises:

an input buffer circuit for buffering said portion, forming said storage input and having an input buffer output;

memory circuitry coupled to said input buffer output for said storing and having a memory output; and

an output buffer circuit for receiving and buffering the memory output, the output buffer forming the storage output.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said storage circuit comprises a memory element selected from the group consisting of:

an input buffer;

a direct access storage device;

a sequential access storage device; and

and an output buffer.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein the apparatus further comprises

The user has an interrupt, the interrupt having a duration; and

the signal portion corresponds to the amount of image data transmitted during the duration.

18. The apparatus set forth in claim 17 wherein said input memory circuit has a value at least equal to said amount of image data being transmitted.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein said duration is 15 minutes.

20. The apparatus set forth in claim 17 wherein said amount of image data transmitted is 170 megabytes.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein the apparatus further comprises

The image signal is the image signal content of a complete program; and

said signal portion comprising the image signal content of said complete program.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said control circuit further comprises an image display function controller for controlling at least one of: playback, rewind, stop, still, continue, fast and slow forward, select pictures, and picture-in-picture format.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 22 wherein said controller is a remote control.

24. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said memory circuit further comprises a circular memory device.

25. A method of serving a user of a television program interrupted for a duration during which the user views a picture signal on a display, said signal having a portion corresponding to the amount of said picture signal transmitted during said duration, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving the image signal;

coupling the portion to a loop storage circuit;

storing the portion in the loop storage circuit;

commanding display of the portion; and

feeding the portion to the display upon receiving the command.

26. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein the method further comprises

The coupling step further comprises the steps of inputting the buffer and transferring the portion to a memory circuit; and

the feeding step follows the output buffering step.

27. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said memory circuit comprises at least one of the following memory elements:

an input buffer;

a direct access storage device;

a sequential access storage device; and

and an output buffer.

28. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said storage circuit has a container at least equal to said amount of image data being transmitted.

29. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein the method further comprises

Said image signal is the image signal content of a complete program; and

said signal portion comprising the image signal content of said complete program.

30. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising at least one of the following steps: rewind, stop, resume, normal forward playback, fast forward playback, and slow forward playback.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the commanding step is performed remotely.

32. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising the step of overtaking said image signal in progress. 33. An apparatus having circuitry for receiving and displaying image signals, comprising:

at least one loop storage medium;

an input buffer coupled to the medium;

an output buffer coupled to the medium;

a hierarchical storage structure for storing a portion of said image signal in said media and buffers;

circuitry to feed the stored portion to the display; and

to control said display, circuitry for controlling said display comprises an image display function controller for controlling a function selected from the group consisting of at least one of: playback, still, stop, rewind, continue, slow forward, fast forward, select pictures, and picture-in-picture format.