Method of accessing a repetitively transmitted video program

A digital video communication system includes a two-way communication link between a source and a viewer. A video program, in sequential compressed digital form, is repetitively supplied to a fifo memory that has taps corresponding to the number of fixed length segments in the video program. The program is taken from one of the taps and supplied to a one segment-long fifo memory which has taps corresponding to fields in the segment. A program request by a viewer results in the segment at which the beginning of the program will next appear to be addressed and remembered. The field fifo is reset to the first tap and the video program data is processed and transmitted to the viewer from the first field tap. Should the viewer wish to interrupt the video program, a field counter is enabled by an interrupt signal to step over the field taps (at the field rate), thus "freezing" the program. The interrupt signal also causes the address counter to count up (change tap addresses) at the segment rate. When the interruption request is removed, the normal program transmission is restored from the "frozen" field of the video program.