Patent ID: 8537982

Claim:
A computer-driven multimedia content delivery apparatus, comprising multiple geographically distributed on-site modules, each said on-site module repeatedly receiving and storing the following from one or more multimedia content servers: video segments and schedules dictating times to begin displaying the video segments wherein all video segments scheduled within a predetermined time interval are delivered in a bundle in advance of said predetermined time interval; wherein each on-site module automatically displays received video segments at a video monitor according to the respective schedule of said on-site module; wherein each on-site module additionally displays call-in instructions including at least an entry code corresponding to said on-site module and a telephone number of an audio server; wherein responsive to the audio server, a call placed to one of the telephone numbers is received and a telephone connection is engaged in; wherein operations are performed, responsive to receiving user entry of one of the entry codes via the telephone connection, said operations comprising: using the received entry code to identify the corresponding on-site module and consulting the schedule specific to the identified on-site module to identify video segment scheduled to be currently playing at the identified on-site module; automatically computing a state of progression of the video; performing one of the following: identifying a stored audio segment corresponding to the identified video segment currently playing, said correspondence including a planned synchronization between timing of the video segment to timing of the audio segment, and starting delivery of the stored audio segment via the telephone connection such that the audio segment as delivered exhibits the planned synchronization with the video segment; identifying a stored audio segment corresponding to a video segment scheduled to play next after the identified video segment currently playing, said correspondence including a planned synchronization between timing of the video segment to timing of the audio segment, and at the start of the video segment scheduled to play next, commencing delivery of the stored audio segment via the telephone connection such that the audio segment as delivered exhibits the planned synchronization with the video segment.