Patent ID: 8621547

Claim:
A method of controlling, at an intermediate television transmission station, a transmission of television programming to a subscriber station, said intermediate television transmission station having a computer for controlling the storage and communication of said television programming, said method comprising the steps of: receiving units of said television programming on different channels, by said intermediate television transmission station, said units of said television programming originating from one or more remote television programming origination sources; selectively receiving signals on at least one of said different channels containing said units originating from said one or more remote television programming origination sources, each of said signals identifying one of said received units of said television programming or a source of said one of said received units of said television programming; inputting said signals to said computer; storing at least one of said received units of said television programming based on said signals and a programming schedule; prior to receiving said units of said television programming on different channels, receiving and storing at said computer said programming schedule, said programming schedule originating from at least one schedule origination source separate from said one or more remote television programming origination sources and designating for said at least one of said stored units of said television programming: (a) an output path to be used in transmitting said at least one of said stored units to said subscriber station; and (b) a time for transmitting said at least one of said stored units to said subscriber station; and automatically transmitting said at least one of said stored units from said intermediate television transmission station to said subscriber station at said time and on said output path according to said programming schedule based on said step of receiving and storing said programming schedule.