Patent ID: 7934234

Claim:
A method of transmitting a television programme and other data, comprising: at a transmitting system, integrating into a digital datastream an application code for an application for causing the receiver/decoder to operate in an Internet mode; and transmitting the digital datastream containing at least one television programme; at a user's receiver/decoder: receiving the digital datastream; in a download mode, extracting the application code from the digital datastream; and in the download mode, starting the application defined by the extracted application code to cause the receiver/decoder to operate in the Internet mode, wherein the receiver/decoder, operating in Internet mode, is configured to: use a modem to communicate with a communications centre via a public switched telephone network (PSTN) connection; receive an Internet request from the user; and transmit the Internet request via the modem to the communications centre; wherein the receiver/decoder, operating in a television mode, is configured to: extract such a television programme from the digital datastream; and supply the extracted television programme to a television; and wherein, the communications centre is configured to: receive such an Internet request; obtain from the Internet a response to the received Internet request; and supply the Internet response to the transmitting system by sending a data packet, over the PSTN connection, containing information to enable the receiver/decoder to extract the Internet response sent over a satellite link; at the transmitting system, integrating the supplied Internet response into the digital datastream; and at the receiver/decoder, in the Internet mode, extracting the Internet response from the digital datastream sent over the satellite link and supplying the extracted Internet response to the user.