Patent ID: 8473999

Claim:
A method of forming a picture in picture (PIP) service over an internet protocol (IP) transmission to one or more users, the method comprising: receiving, at a PIP server at a headend of a PIP system, a request from a PIP client device at a user end of the PIP system for a PIP channel comprising a first predetermined channel superimposed with a second predetermined channel; determining, at the PIP server, if the PIP channel has already been formed by the PIP server using a PIP channel table at the PIP server, wherein the PIP channel table comprises details of existing PIP channels previously formed by the PIP server; forming the PIP channel at the PIP server if the PIP channel does not already exist and updating the PIP channel table at the PIP server to include the PIP channel; transmitting the PIP channel on a dedicated channel from the PIP server to the PIP client device that requested that PIP channel; decoding the PIP channel at the PIP client device using a single tuner; transmitting contents of the PIP channel table from the PIP server to a client table at the PIP client device to update the client table, wherein after the updating, the client table contains the same information as the PIP channel table; using the client table at the PIP client device to make the request for the PIP channel; wherein, if the requested PIP channel exists in the client table, using the single tuner to tune the PIP client device directly to the PIP channel without sending the request to the PIP server, and wherein if the requested PIP channel does not exist in the client table, the PIP client device requests the PIP channel from the PIP server; and determining, in response to the PIP channel not existing, an available bandwidth for the one or more users to support the PIP server creating the requested PIP channel, wherein if the available bandwidth is sufficient, creating the requested PIP channel, and if the available bandwidth is insufficient, entering the request on an Internet Group Management Protocol server for notification of when the available bandwidth is sufficient.