Importance

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Abstract

A satellite scrambling communication network uses geographically separated uplinks to provide scrambled video and audio signals and descrambling control data to separated individual subscribers and to separated TV signal distribution systems. The network includes a business control center which provides a master data stream including individual subscriber address and encryption data and uplink channel allocation control data. A first uplink adds to the master data stream supplementary data peculiar to those TV channel distribution systems which will distribute the one or more TV channels from the first uplink. The transmission at the first uplink, in addition to the one ore more TV channels, includes the master data stream and the supplementary data peculiar to the first uplink. There are a plurality of geographically seperated additional satellite communication uplinks, each including means for receiving the master data stream as transmitted from the first uplink via the communication satellite. Each additional satellite communication uplink further includes means for transmitting one or more TV channels, as controlled by the allocation data in the master data stream. Each individual subscriber receiver/decorder is controlled by the master data stream. There are a plurality of geographically separated TV signal distribution systems, each with antenna means for receiving the TV channels from one or more of the uplinks. Each TV signal distribution system is controlled by the supplementary data streams which accompany the one or more TV channels from each of the uplinks.

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First Claim