Patent ID: 8793303

Claim:
A method comprising: transmitting, by a media server over a home network via a media channel, media content to a media receiver, wherein: the media receiver provides a local user interface for presenting the media content on a screen of a presentation device connected to the media receiver, and the local user interface is configured to present local user interface components for controlling playback of the media content on the screen of the presentation device at default positions in response to particular control commands received by the media receiver; generating, by the media server, a remote user interface to be combined with the local user interface provided by the media receiver, wherein the remote user interface includes: a playback window for presenting the media content, and remote user interface components including descriptive information associated with the media content and menu graphics for selecting other media content stored on the media server; receiving, by the media server over the home network via a separate backchannel, compositing information from the media receiver, wherein the compositing information includes the default positions of the local user interface components for controlling playback of the media content; determining, by the media server based on the compositing information, whether positions of the remote user interface components within the remote user interface conflict with the default positions of the local user interface components for controlling playback of the media server content; adjusting, by the media server based on the compositing information, the positions of one or more remote user interface components within the remote user interface when a conflict is determined to accommodate the local user interface components for controlling playback of the media content; and transmitting, by the media server over the home network via a user interface channel, the remote user interface to the media receiver for creation of a composite presentation to be presented on the screen of the presentation device, wherein: the composite presentation combines the local user interface provided by the media receiver and the remote user interface generated by the media server, the composite presentation presents the media content within the playback window of the remote user interface, the descriptive information and the menu graphics are presented within the composite presentation at positions that avoid conflict with the default positions of the local user interface components for controlling playback of the media content, the menu graphics respond to user input received at the media receiver and transmitted to the media server over the home network via the backchannel, and the composite presentation is configured to present the local user interface components for controlling playback of the media content on the screen of the presentation device at the default positions in response to the particular control commands received by the media receiver.