Patent ID: 6986156

Claim:
A method implemented by a programmable network manager coupled to at least one server and at least one television set-top terminal (STT) via a bi-directional communication network, the method comprising the steps of: allocating a first amount of network bandwidth equivalent to the amount of bandwidth required to transmit concurrently a first set of broadcast transmissions of at least one video program for the duration of a first time interval with a first start interval time and a first end interval time; allocating a second amount of network bandwidth equivalent to the amount of bandwidth required to transmit concurrently a second set of broadcast transmissions of at least one video program for the duration of the first time interval; transmitting a first broadcast transmission of the first video program over the first amount of network bandwidth during the first time interval; transmitting a second broadcast transmission of the first video program over the first amount of network bandwidth during the first time interval, the start time of the second broadcast transmission delayed from the start time of the first broadcast transmission; configuring the second amount of network bandwidth for the duration of the first time interval exclusively for at least one dedicated transmission of any portion of the at least one video program from the at least one server to the at least one STT; providing the first and second broadcast transmissions of the first video program to a first STT and a second STT during the first time interval; receiving a viewer input from the first STT during the first time interval, the viewer input being configured to select a dedicated transmission of the first video program to the first STT; and responsive to receiving the viewer input, establishing a first dedicated network session between the at least one server and the first STT and providing a dedicated transmission of the first video program to the first STT over a transmission channel in the second amount of network bandwidth for the duration of a second time interval with a second start interval time and a second end interval time.