Information service control point

(-- 57) summary -- various methods for transmitting data to a remote station from the central office through the communication pathway which takes a form of some kind, and a related apparatus are offered. The data which forms at least one title as a whole is memorized by at least one memory storage. The data which forms the title is searched separately from other data blocks from a memory location as a data block next. Each data block is a serial segment of data. At the end, the searched data block is transmitted to a remote station from the central office. According to the desirable case of the operation, the memory storage of two types is prepared. By the 1st type with desirable forming as an array of playback equipment, data is memorized as a data block and it becomes possible to distribute to two or more memory storage as one thinks best. By the 2nd type with desirable forming as a ring which consists of semiconductor devices, two or more access points which can perform data retrieval respectively separately from other access points and which were combined with the storage medium are obtained. Since the flexibility of this system is improved, it is also possible to transmit a data block separately mutually from the central office. As for a data retrieval step, it is desirable to answer reception of the demand to a predetermined title and to carry out. According to the various systems of an indication, competition between the users who ask for the title offered greatly flexibly is suppressed to the minimum, It becomes possible to transmit the title (for example, a movie, education, entertainment, consumers, business-related information, and arbitrary information convertible into a data stream) which makes various groups to a far-reaching televiewer.