Patent ID: 8166507

Claim:
In an entertainment network comprising a host computer system with a video codec and at least one electronic device, the host computer system and the electronic device connected by a video stream channel and a back channel, a method of transferring user interface information from the host computer to the electronic device, the method comprising acts of: the host computer receiving a request from the electronic device, the request requesting to interact with an application running at the host computer system; receiving capability information about the electronic device; determining from the capability information that the electronic device can process a video data stream; in response to the request, opening an application session for the electronic device at the host computer system, the application session for delivering user interface information for displaying the user interface of the application to the electronic device, the user interface information comprising graphics commands for rendering the user interface; establishing a remote desktop protocol (RDP) connection between the application session and an executable abstraction process within the host computer, rather than with an RDP process running on the electronic device; the application session generating user interface information, including graphics commands; the application session sending the user interface information over the RDP connection to the executable abstraction process; the executable abstraction process rendering the user interface information into a user interface and then encoding the user interface into a motion video stream; transmitting the video stream over the video stream channel to the electronic device such that the electronic device can use the video processor to display the user interface on a display of the electronic device rather than requiring components for rendering the user interface from the graphics commands of the user interface information.