Patent ID: 7984114

Claim:
A method of providing direct access to content available on an entertainment system having a head end and a plurality of user terminals connected by a distribution system, the method comprising: transmitting, from the head end, a content promotion that promotes content available for direct access by a user at a user terminal; at the head end, tracking content promotion at all times by storing a start time and an end time of each promotion, wherein tracking further includes recording state changes that correspond with changing sequential promotions; displaying the content promotion at the user terminal; receiving, at the user terminal, a selection input made by the user on an input device; time-stamping the selection input to electronically record a time at which the selection input was made; transmitting, from the user terminal to the head end, the time-stamped selection input; using the time recorded in the time-stamped selection input to identify content available for direct access that was being promoted by the content promotion being displayed at the user terminal at the time at which the selection input was made; transmitting, from the head end to the user terminal, the content identified by the time recorded in the time-stamped selection input that was being promoted at the time at which the selection input was made by the user; and delivering the content identified by the time recorded in the time-stamped selection input to the user at the user terminal.