Patent ID: 7657910

Claim:
A first network entertainment unit, comprising: a local area network (LAN) interface, through which the first network entertainment unit is configured to communicate with a second network entertainment unit in a venue, wherein the first network entertainment unit and the second network entertainment unit are both located in the venue; a wide area network (WAN) interface, via which the first network entertainment unit is coupled to a remote central resource, wherein the remote central resource stores entertainment content items available to be retrieved by the first network entertainment unit for performance by the first network entertainment unit; a user interface, comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) and a user input device, that interacts with a user to allow the user to select one or more entertainment content items; a local memory that stores a plurality of the entertainment content items and a master list of all of the entertainment content items, including entertainment content items available from a remote central resource; and content management logic that, when a selected entertainment content item is not stored in the local memory of the first network entertainment unit, causes; i) requesting over the LAN interface the selected entertainment content item; ii) when the selected entertainment content item is not stored in the second network entertainment unit, requesting over the WAN interface the selected entertainment content item; iii) receiving the requested entertainment content item via the WAN interface; and iv) performing the received entertainment content item by the first network entertainment unit.