Patent ID: 8904427

Claim:
A method of content sub-item substitution, said method comprising: receiving virtual channel definitions from a headend, said virtual channel definitions defining each of a plurality of virtual channels on the basis of one or more metadata attributes associated with a given said virtual channel, wherein said virtual channels represent groupings for user recorded content according to said one or more metadata attributes; receiving from said headend one or more content sub-item substitution opportunities for each of said virtual channels, each said content sub-item substitution opportunity specifying one or more content sub-items for use in said content sub-item substitution; and receiving and recording a content item, said content item including metadata associated with said content item and one or more substitutable content sub-items; wherein said method further comprises, upon playback of a previously recorded content item: matching said metadata associated with said previously recorded content item with said one or more metadata attributes, thereby determining a virtual channel valid for said previously recorded content item; selecting a content sub-item substitution opportunity based on said determined virtual channel; and substituting said one or more substitutable content sub-items with said one or more content sub-items specified in said selected content sub-item substitution opportunity.