Patent ID: 7343617

Claim:
In a hyperlinked television system including a broadcaster transmitting a hyperlinked television broadcast and a receiver receiving the transmitted hyperlinked television broadcast, a method for indicating to a viewer of the hyperlinked television broadcast that a video object of a video frame has associated therewith hyperlinked information, the video object being displayed based on video frame data, the method comprising: determining by the receiver whether the video object in the video frame is visible to a viewer of the television broadcast during a particular shot, wherein the video frame is associated with one or more visibility bits, and the receiver determines whether the video object in the video frame is visible to the viewer based on the one or more visibility bits; displaying an interactive content icon responsive to the determination by the receiver that the video object is to the viewer during the particular shot, the icon for indicating that the video object has hyperlinked information associated therewith; receiving user actuation of a user input device in response to the display of the interactive content icon; and visually highlighting the video object during the particular shot in response to the user actuation of the user input device, wherein the visually highlighting is automatic based on the one or more visibility bits and not in response to a user pointing or selecting the video object.