PROGRAM VERIFICATION FOR CABLE TELEVISION AT A CONSUMER LOCATION

摘要

Verifying that a correct program is being received and displayed on a television set of a consumer. In addition, video quality is checked to assure that transmission has not degraded the video quality. When the consumer requests a program by transmission of a message via a controller in a set top box to a system computer controlling a cable television system, the system computer sends the necessary commands to cause the requested program to be communicated to the consumer site and also transmits to the controller in the set top box a start time of the requested program and information defining the initial video content of that program. At the start time, the controller verifies that the initial video content is being received and that the consumer has the set top box correctly tuned. The controller uses aframe grabber circuit at the consumer site to grab the initial portion of the program and then to analyze the stored portion with respect to the initial video content. If the stored portion is not the same as the initial video content, the controller transmits an error message to the system computer. In response to the error message, the system computer corrects the switching or transmission problem so that the correct program is being sent to the consumer site. The system computer then verifies that the correct program is being received.