A single centralized video controller is employed to convert and distribute
video channels to one or more analog TVs (i.e., viewing devices or the
like). This is realized without the need for changes to either the TVs or
the interconnecting COAX. Specifically, the centralized controller
includes one or more MPEG2 decoders, the number of which depends on a
desired number of active TVs to be used in viewing different programs, and
one or more wireless (e.g., radio frequency (RF)) communications links to
television controllers (i.e., remote control units) associated on a
one-to-one basis with the desired number of TVs. In operation, channel
selection for each of the one or more TVs is communicated up-stream from
the centralized controller to a remote video server and, therein, to a
video services controller. The video services controller causes the video
server to transmit only the selected program channels to the local
centralized video controller. However, when the video channel is already
being supplied from the video server to an optical line terminal and,
specifically, to an optical line card to which the requesting centralized
controller is connected to, there is no need to communicate the channel
request to the video server. The optical line terminal simply supplies the
requested channel via an optical line card to the additional requesting
centralized controller and, in turn, to the requesting TV.
