Patent ID: 7448063

Claim:
A television reception system for receiving live interactive programming, the live interactive programming comprising a plurality of digitally compressed video signals, the video signals further comprising at least a first video signal and a second video signal, the reception system comprising: a tuner that receives and tunes a transmission signal carrying the plurality of video signals from a plurality of video cameras providing differentiable views of a live event, the tuner including a demodulator that demodulates the plurality of video signals as directed by a microprocessor; an audio switcher that receives an audio signal associated with the live event; a forward error correction unit that detects redundant data in the transmitted video signals and corrects errors in the transmitted video signals; a demultiplexor that demultiplexes the plurality of video signals to obtain a first video signal, and that extracts graphics data and control data from the plurality of video signals, and that demultiplexes the audio signal; a decompressor/decoder connected to the demultiplexor that decompresses and decodes the first video signal the extracted graphics data and control data; a video synchronizer that receives the decompressed and decoded first video signal and the extracted graphics data and control data and synchronizes the decompressed and decoded first video signal and the extracted graphics data and control data; a video frame buffer that holds the synchronized first video signal for a number of frames and delays output of the synchronized first video signal to allow the decompressor/decoder lock onto and decompress the second video signal and to wait for a vertical interval of the second video signal; a viewer interface for receiving a viewer entry; the microprocessor, connected to the viewer interface and the decompressor/decoder and the demodulator, the microprocessor directing demodulation of the demodulator and directing operation of the demultiplexor to perform a seamless switch from the first video signal to the second video signal in response to at least one of the received viewer entry and a control code; wherein the decompressor/decoder further decompresses and decodes the demultiplexed second video signal; and the microprocessor coordinates the decompressing and decoding of the first video signal, the holding of the first video signal in the video frame buffer by manipulating the fill and empty rate of the video frame buffer, and the decompressing and decoding of the second video signal such that the switch from the first video signal to the second video signal is imperceptible to a viewer as the first video signal is displayed as an output of the video frame buffer after the delay thereby masking the acquisition and decoding of the second video signal; and a means for displaying the first video signal and the second video signal.