Digital Entertainment Terminal Providing Dynamic Execution in Video Dial Tone Networks

1. In a digital entertainment terminal adapted to receive broadband information from at least one information provider via a broadband data network, the digital entertainment terminal comprising a first memory for storing a first executable data enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the broadband data network, a second memory for storing second executable data from the at least one information provider, and a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, a method for receiving the broadband data in response to user inputs, comprising the steps of: executing a first portion of said second executable data from said at least one information provider and stored in said second memory in response to a first user input; receiving first broadband information from said at least one information provider in response to said first portion executing step; and suspending said first portion executing step and executing said first executable data in response to a second user input; said method further comprising the steps of receiving second broadband information during said executing of said first executable data, comprising the steps of: accessing a connection block descriptor stored in said first memory corresponding to said second broadband information, said connection block descriptor comprising network interface access data and program decoding data; supplying said network interface access data to a network interface coupled to said digital entertainment terminal for communication with the broadband data network; receiving encoded data from said network interface in response to said supplying step; and decoding said encoded data with said program decoding data to obtain said second broadband information.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said accessing step comprises the step of selecting said connection block descriptor from a channel map stored in said first memory in response to a third user input, said channel map comprising a plurality of said connection block descriptors having a respective plurality of program identifiers, said third user input corresponding to a selected one of said program identifiers.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of resuming said first broadband information receiving step in response to a fourth user input, said resuming step comprising the steps of suspending said execution of said first executable data, and resuming execution of said first portion.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein said resuming execution of said first portion comprises the steps of: accessing a second connection block descriptor stored in said first memory corresponding to said first broadband information; supplying second network interface access data of said second connection block descriptor to said network interface; receiving second encoded data from said network interface in response to said second network interface access data supplying step; and decoding said second encoded data with second program decoding data of said second connection block descriptor to obtain said first broadband information.

5. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein at least one of said program identifiers corresponds to a control channel providing control data of a second information provider, the method further comprising the step of downloading said control data from said control channel into said second memory in response to a fourth user input.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein said data of said at least one information provider and said control data of said second information provider are stored in first and second portions of said second memory, respectively.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein said control data downloading step comprises the step of overwriting said second executable data from said at least one information provider stored in said second memory.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said control data downloading step further comprises the step of transmitting a session termination message corresponding to said suspended first portion to said broadband data network.

9. In a digital entertainment terminal adapted to receive broadband information from at least one information provider via a broadband data network, the digital entertainment terminal comprising a first memory for storing a first executable data enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the broadband data network, a second memory for storing second executable data from the at least one information provider, and a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, a method for receiving the broadband data in response to user inputs, comprising the steps of: executing a first portion of said second executable data from said at least one information provider and stored in said second memory in response to a first user input, wherein said executing step comprises the step of displaying a menu identifying available network services; receiving first broadband information from said at least one information provider in response to said first portion executing step; and suspending said first portion executing step and executing said first executable data in response to a second user input; further comprising the step of initiating a level 1 gateway session with the broadband data network in response to a third user input.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of resuming said receiving step in response to a fourth user input, said resuming step comprising the steps of suspending said execution of said first executable data, and resuming execution of said first portion.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of downloading control data of a second information provider identified from said menu into said second memory in response to a fifth user input.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said data of said at least one information provider and said control data of said second information provider are stored in first and second portions of said second memory, respectively.

13. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said control data downloading step comprises the step of overwriting said second executable data from said at least one information provider stored in said second memory.

14. In a digital entertainment terminal adapted to receive broadband information from at least one information provider via a broadband data network, the digital entertainment terminal comprising a first memory for storing a first executable data enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the broadband data network, a second memory for storing second executable data from the at least one information provider, and a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, a method for receiving the broadband data in response to user inputs, comprising the steps of: executing a first portion of said second executable data from said at least one information provider and stored in said second memory in response to a first user input, receiving first broadband information from said at least one information provider in response to said first portion executing step; suspending said first portion executing step and executing said first executable data in response to a second user input; and resuming said first broadband information receiving step in response to a third user input, said resuming step comprising the steps of suspending said execution of said first executable data, and resuming execution of said first portion; wherein said resuming step comprises the steps of: accessing a connection block descriptor stored in said first memory corresponding to said first broadband information, said connection block descriptor comprising network interface access data and program decoding data; supplying said network interface access data to a network interface coupled to said digital entertainment terminal for communication with the broadband data network; receiving encoded data from said network interface in response to said supplying step; and decoding said encoded data with said program decoding data to obtain said first broadband information.

15. In a digital entertainment terminal adapted to receive broadband information from at least one information provider via a broadband data network, the digital entertainment terminal comprising a first memory for storing a first executable data enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the broadband data network, a second memory for storing second executable data from the at least one information provider, and a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, a method for receiving the broadband data in response to user inputs, comprising the steps of: executing a first portion of said second executable data from said at least one information provider and stored in said second memory in response to a first user input; receiving first broadband information from said at least one information provider in response to said first portion executing step; and suspending said first portion executing step and executing said first executable data in response to a second user input; further comprising the steps of: accessing a predetermined connection block descriptor stored in said first memory corresponding to a control channel on said network; receiving at least a portion of a first application from said control channel in accordance with said predetermined connection block descriptor; and storing said received portion of said first application in said first memory.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said portion receiving step comprises the steps of downloading said portion into said second memory and transferring the downloaded portion from the second memory to the first memory.

17. In a digital entertainment terminal adapted to receive broadband information from at least one information provider via a broadband data network, the digital entertainment terminal comprising a first memory for storing a first executable data enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the broadband data network, a second memory for storing second executable data from the at least one information provider, and a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, a method for receiving the broadband data in response to user inputs, comprising the steps of: executing a first portion of said second executable data from said at least one information provider and stored in said second memory in response to a first user input; receiving first broadband information from said at least one information provider in response to said first portion executing step; and suspending said first portion executing step and executing said first executable data in response to a second user input; further comprising the steps of: establishing an interactive session with said network in accordance with a default connection block descriptor; and receiving at least a portion of a first application in response to said interactive session.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein said portion receiving step comprises the step of loading said received portion of said first executable data into said first memory.

19. In a digital entertainment terminal adapted to receive broadband information from at least one information provider via a broadband data network, the digital entertainment terminal including a nonvolatile memory for storing a first executable data comprising a loader routine, an operating system, and a resident application for enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the broadband data network, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) for storing second executable data from the at least one information provider, and a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, a method for receiving the broadband data in response to user inputs, comprising the steps of: executing a first portion of said second executable data from said at least one information provider and stored in said DRAM in response to a first user input; receiving first broadband information from said at least one information provider in response to said first portion executing step; and suspending said first portion executing step and executing said first executable data in response to a second user input, wherein said digital entertainment terminal further comprises a DET processor, the method further comprising the steps of: supplying a tuning command to a network interface coupled to said digital entertainment terminal, said network interface comprising an RF tuner and a terminal interface; receiving from said terminal interface of said network interface to said DET processor an MPEG-encoded stream of data; decoding said MPEG-encoded stream of data in said DET processor to obtain decoded data; and loading said decoded data to one of said nonvolatile memory and DRAM as said first and second executable data, respectively.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said network interface further comprises a decryption processor, said MPEG-encoded stream of data being decrypted by said decryption processor.

21. In a digital entertainment terminal adapted to receive broadband information from at least one information provider via a broadband data network in accordance with a connection block descriptor assigned by said broadband data network, the digital entertainment terminal comprising a first memory storing a first application enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the broadband data network, a second memory, and a remote receiver adapted to receive signals from a remote control unit, a method for selectively processing the received broadband data, comprising the steps of: downloading data from the at least one information provider in accordance with a first corresponding connection block descriptor, stored in said first memory, into the second memory in response to a first command from the remote control unit; executing a first portion of said downloaded data stored in said second memory; receiving first broadband information from said at least one information provider in response to a second connection block descriptor accessed by the executed first portion of said downloaded data; suspending said receiving step in response to a second command from the remote control unit; and executing said first application stored in said first memory to receive second broadband data in response to a third connection block descriptor accessed by the executed first application.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein said first portion stored in said second memory comprises navigation software.

23. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein said first portion stored in said second memory comprises interactive software.

24. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of resuming said first portion executing step and suspending said first application executing step, in response to a third command from the remote control unit.

25. A digital entertainment terminal comprising: a user interface adapted to receive a terminal-specific input and an application-specific input; a communication interface for receiving encoded streams of data from an interface to a digital broadband data network; a first memory for storing a first application enabling communication between the digital entertainment terminal and the digital broadband data network; a second memory for storing a second application enabling reception of provider services via said digital broadband data network, wherein said first memory comprises nonvolatile memory and said second memory comprises dynamic memory; a processing unit for selectively executing said first application and said second application, in response to said application-specific input received by said user interface, to control reception and decoding of received encoded streams of data; and an MPEG decoder for decoding said received encoded streams of data; wherein said processing unit outputs decoded data from said MPEG decoder to said first memory as a downloaded portion of said first application, and wherein said downloaded portion of said first application comprises connection block descriptors identifying authorized program channels.

26. A terminal as recited in claim 25, wherein said processing unit further outputs decoded data from said MPEG decoder to said second memory as a downloaded portion of said second application.

27. A network for transporting broadcast and interactive signals to a plurality of subscribers, comprising: a broadcast provider interface for receiving a plurality of broadcast signals from a plurality of broadcast information providers and outputting multiplexed broadcast signals; an access subnetwork receiving said multiplexed broadcast signals and said interactive signals for the corresponding subscribers requesting said interactive signals and outputting a combined data signal, said access subnetwork assigning at least one bandwidth portion of said combined data signal to each of said subscribers in response to a corresponding session request signal; a backbone subnetwork for routing signaling data and said interactive signals between said information providers and said access subnetwork serving said subscribers requesting said interactive signals, said backbone subnetwork supplying said interactive signals to said subscribers through assigned bandwidth in the access subnetwork in response to said session request signals; and a local distribution network for supplying said combined data signal to said subscribers, each of said subscribers having digital terminals for selectively receiving said broadcast and interactive signals from said combined data signal in accordance with first and second applications executed in said digital terminal in response to a selection input.

28. A network as recited in claim 27, further comprising a control subnetwork for requesting said access subnetwork to assign said at least one bandwidth portion in response to said session request signal, said control subnetwork outputting a connection block descriptor to said subscribers for each of said interactive signals, each of said at least one bandwidth portion being identified by said corresponding digital terminal by said corresponding connection block descriptor.

29. A network as recited in claim 28, wherein at least one of said subscribers simultaneously receives more than one of said interactive signals, the digital terminal corresponding to said at least one subscriber selectively decoding said more than one interactive signals in response to said selection input by said subscriber.