Patent ID: 8601519

Claim:
A system for providing digital entertainment data, the system comprising: a shared system bus interconnecting internal components of a gateway, the gateway comprising: a processor having a processor input connected to the shared system bus and a processor output connected to the shared system bus; memory having a memory input connected to the shared system bus and a memory output connected to the shared system bus; multiple pairs of a tuner and a demodulator connected to the shared system bus to receive control signals, with each pair of the tuner and the demodulator tuning to a frequency to receive a plurality of information signals broadcast from a source; a data switch having multiple input ports and multiple output ports; a dedicated link between one of the multiple input ports and a respective one of the multiple pairs of the tuner and the demodulator, such that each pair of the multiple pairs of the tuner and the demodulator is dedicated to a different input port of the data switch; a video overlay processor coupled to the data switch that superimposes a first audio-visual signal over a second audio-visual signal to produce a superimposed signal; and a mass storage device connected to the shared system bus, the mass storage device storing a plurality of content items and a corresponding single data record describing one content item in the plurality of content items the single data record being a row in a data table, the row having a plurality of data fields, the plurality of data fields comprising: an item identifier field describing a title of the one content item; a type field indicating a type of the one content item; a cost of playback field indicating a fee for playing the one content item; a usage field indicating the one content item has been played; a cost of purchase field indicating the fee for purchasing the one content item; a purchase field indicating the one content item has been licensed for purchase; and a storage position identifier specifying a position for the one content item in a lineup of different content items, the storage position identifier received from a source remote from the system.