Patent ID: 7930721

Claim:
A method of providing interactive playback controls for use in conjunction with content provided by a lodging entertainment system having a head end, including a digital content server for storing digital files, and a plurality of guest terminals connected by a distribution system, the method comprising: streaming content selected by a guest from the digital content server to a frame buffer; streaming an interactive animation file, which implements the interactive playback controls using interactive animation software, from the digital content server to an on-screen display buffer, wherein the interactive playback controls comprise play, pause, stop, skip-forward, and skip-back to provide a guest-selectable interface for controlling playback of the entertainment content; combining, in a video mixer at the head end, the content in the frame buffer with the interactive animation file in the on-screen buffer to create interactive content; converting the interactive content into television signals for display on a television screen at the guest terminal; transmitting, from the guest terminal to the head end, interactive playback control selection data representing the interactive playback control selected by the guest; processing the interactive playback control selection data; recording the interactive playback control selection data at the head end, wherein the interactive playback control selection data comprises at least one of: (a) a length of time the pause control is active for each selection of the pause control for the selected content; (b) a length of time the stop (bookmark) control is active for each selection of the stop (bookmark) control for the selected content; (c) a length of time the skip-forward control is active for each selection of the skip-forward control for the selected content; (d) a length of time the skip-back control is active for each selection of the skip-back control for the selected content; (e) a cumulative total length of time the pause control has been activated for the selected content; (f) a cumulative total length of time the interactive playback controls have been activated for the selected content; (g) a cumulative total number of activations of the skip-forward control for the selected content; and (h) a cumulative total number of activations of the skip-back control for the selected content; analyzing the interactive playback control selection data at the head end, wherein a limit on use of the interactive playback control for the selected content is determined; and adjusting transmission of the interactive content from the head end to the guest terminal in accordance with the interactive playback control selected by the guest if the limit on the use of the interactive playback control for the selected content has not been exceeded.