Extending data records for dynamic data and selective acceptance based on hardware profile

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a data structure for a content item, the data structure comprising a base portion, an extension portion and a priority portion logically separate from one another, wherein the base portion includes base data for rendering the content item and said extension portion includes extended data that supplements the base data in rendering the content item, wherein said priority portion stores a plurality of priority indicators including a first priority indicator and a second priority indicator, wherein the first priority indicator is assigned to a first class of device and the second priority indicator is assigned to a second class of device and wherein the base data is useable by both the first class of device and the second class of device;

processing the base data regardless of a class level of the client device and regardless of the plurality of priority indicators;

determining, by the client device, that the client device corresponds to the first class of device;

extracting, by the client device, the first priority indicator corresponding to the first class of device from the priority portion, wherein the first priority indicator is previously stored in the priority portion in association with the first class of device and wherein the first priority indicator specifies whether devices of the first class of device are able to use the extended data and the second priority indicator specifies whether devices of the second class of device are able to use the extended data;

determining, by the client device, a manner in which to process the extended data based on the first priority indicator extracted from the priority portion, wherein the extended data comprises billing information for the content item; and

processing, by the client device, said extended data in the determined manner.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether said first priority indicator corresponds to one of: always store and never store; and,

storing said extended data when said first priority indicator corresponds to an always store indicator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first priority indicator is different from the second priority indicator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said client device conforms to one of a plurality of client device classes.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said first class of device includes one of: a low end class, a mid range class and a high end class.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said extension portion includes a pointer to said extended data, said method further comprising: transmitting, to a server, a request for the extended data indicated using said pointer included in said extension portion.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said data structure comprises a plurality of extension portions, each of said extension portions associated with respective extended data accessible to a respective class of device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the data structure includes receiving video on-demand content in the base portion and wherein the data structure corresponds to a data record in a video-on-demand database comprising a plurality of records corresponding to a plurality of video-on-demand content items.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of priority indicators includes a third priority indicator corresponding to a third class of device and wherein the data structure further includes a type identifier specifying a type of extension data stored in the extension portion.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the client device is a set-top box.

11. A memory device storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause a device to:

receive a data structure for a content item, the data structure comprising a base portion, an extension portion and a priority portion logically separate from one another, wherein the base portion includes base data for rendering the content item and said extension portion includes extended data that supplements the base data in rendering the content item, wherein said priority portion stores a plurality of priority indicators including a first priority indicator and a second priority indicator, wherein the first priority indicator is assigned to a first class of device and the second priority indicator is assigned to a second class of device and wherein the base data is useable by both the first class of device and the second class of device;

process the base data regardless of a class level of the device and regardless of the plurality of priority indicators;

determine that the device corresponds to the first class of device;

extract the first priority indicator corresponding to the first class of device from the priority portion, wherein the first priority indicator is previously stored in the priority portion in association with the first class of device and wherein the first priority indicator specifies whether devices of the first class of device are able to use the extended data and the second priority indicator specifies whether devices of the second class of device are able to use the extended data;

determine a manner in which to process the extended data based on the first priority indicator extracted from the priority portion, wherein the extended data comprises billing information for the content item; and

process said extended data in the determined manner.

12. The memory device of claim 11 , wherein the data structure includes a plurality of extension portions, each extension portion being associated with a different priority indicator.

13. The memory device of claim 11 , wherein the first priority indicator is different from the second priority indicator.

14. The memory device of claim 11 , wherein said extension portion includes a pointer to said extended data, and wherein the device is further configured to transmit, to a server, a request for the extended data indicated by said pointer within said extension portion.

15. The memory device of claim 11 , wherein the device is a set-top box.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor and storing computer readable instructions that when executed cause the apparatus to:

receive a data structure for a content item, the data structure comprising a base portion, an extension portion and a priority portion logically separate from one another, wherein the base portion includes base data for rendering the content item and said extension portion includes extended data that supplements the base data in rendering the content item, wherein said priority portion stores a plurality of priority indicators including a first priority indicator and a second priority indicator, wherein the first priority indicator is assigned to a first class of device and the second priority indicator is assigned to a second class of device and wherein the base data is useable by both the first class of device and the second class of device;

process the base data regardless of a class level of the apparatus and regardless of the plurality of priority indicators;

determine that the apparatus corresponds to the first class of device;

extract the first priority indicator corresponding to the first class of device from the priority portion, wherein the first priority indicator is previously stored in the priority portion in association with the first class of device and wherein the first priority indicator specifies whether devices of the first class of device are able to use the extended data and the second priority indicator specifies whether devices of the second class of device are able to use the extended data;

determine a manner in which to process the extended data based on the first priority indicator extracted from the priority portion, wherein the extended data comprises billing information for the content item; and

process said extended data in the determined manner.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the apparatus is a set-top box.