Patent ID: 8397264

Claim:
A digital media device communicatively coupled to a television display for operation in association with a gateway device at a user premises to provide a dynamic graphical user interface enabling user access to media from at least one media source and application services from the gateway device, comprising: a first interface configured to receive a media signal from a media source for presentation via the television display; a second interface configured to enable bi-directional communications between the digital media device and a gateway device via a data communications link in the user premises, wherein the gateway device, which is independent from the media source, is configured to provide an application service and application service information from a service provider over a wide area network to the second interlace of the digital media device via the user premises data communications network, wherein the application service information includes notifications of status regarding applications services managed by the gateway device; and a processor coupled to the first interface and the second interface, wherein the processor is configured to form a composite signal from the media signal and application service information from the gateway device, wherein the composite signal comprises a composite image on the television display representing media obtained via the first interface and application services provided via the gateway device through the second interface, and wherein the processor enables dynamic addition or removal of graphical icons in cooperation with the gateway device and the service provider as determined by subscriptions to at least one of media applications, services applications and media sources connected to the digital media device; wherein the digital media device provides graphical interaction simultaneously with media and service distribution systems via a dynamic graphical user interface displayed on the television display and input received in the form of a selection signal from a remote control based on the displayed image, wherein graphical interaction via the dynamic graphical user interlace includes access to an arrangement of graphical icons displayed on the television display and represent identification of media applications, service applications and media that is selectable to generate the selection signal when highlighted, and wherein the selection signal is transmitted via the user premises data communications network to the gateway device or to the media source to enable the execution of programming embodied on the digital media device to provide at least one of: a service application provided from the gateway device through the second interface via a user premises data communication network and media from a media source connected to the digital media device via the first interface.