Patent ID: 7844661

Claim:
A method for combining a separately generated user interface framework and local media content for playback, the method comprising accessing local media content for playback at a media player that provides a local user interface for playback of the local media content; accessing local user interface content at the media player for generating the local user interface; rendering the local media content for playback in the local user interface provided by the media player; extracting metadata related to the local media content and the local user interface content at the media player; transmitting the metadata from the media player to a media server over a network; generating, at the media server, remotely sourced video media content related to the local media content presently rendered for playback in the local user interface provided by the media player, the remotely sourced video media content generated based, at least in part, upon the metadata transmitted by the media player; generating, by the media server, a remotely sourced user interface framework related to the local media content presently rendered for playback in the local user interface provided by the media player, the remotely sourced user interface framework generated based, at least in part, upon the metadata transmitted by the media player, the remotely sourced user interface framework comprising: a first playback window for positioning the remotely sourced video media content related to the local media content presently rendered for playback in the local user interface provided by the media player within the remotely sourced user interface framework generated by the media server, and a second playback window for positioning the local media content presently rendered for playback in the local user interface provided by the media player within the remotely sourced user interface framework generated by the media server; transmitting the remotely sourced user interface framework and the remotely sourced video media content from the media server to the media player over the network; and generating, at the media player, a composite user interface for playback of the remotely sourced video media content and the local media content at the media player, the composite user interface rendering the remotely sourced video media content for playback in the first playback window of the remotely sourced user interface framework generated by the media server and rendering the local media content presently rendered for playback in the local user interface provided by the media player in the second playback window of the remotely sourced user interface framework generated by the media server.