Video-on-demand system
A video-on-demand system including a video server storing video-on-demand content and for streaming video-on-demand through a first layer of an internet page having a first layer and a second layer; and a controller for causing there to be formed in the second layer a plurality of selectable overlay images such that a user at a location in communication with the internet remote from the video server and the controller can display streamed video-on-demand of the first layer in combination with the overlay images of the second layer and can select one of the overlay images; wherein the overlay images correspond to respective control functions for the video-on-demand stream; and the controller is responsive to selection of an overlay image to change the video-on-demand stream in accordance with the corresponding respective control function.
1. An electronic device comprising:
an interface configured to receive via a network, video-on demand content, an overlay image and a link associated with the overlay image; and
a processor configured to:
decode an internet page, the internet page comprising a first layer including the video-on demand content and a second layer including the overlay image and to output for simultaneous display both the first layer and the second layer; and
send information representing a user selection of an overlay image and receive advertising content via the link associated with the overlay image corresponding to the information representing the user selection, wherein the overlay image and the link is a personal recommendation tailored to a user identifier by remotely located matcher circuitry.
2. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein matcher circuitry has compared a personal profile with remotely stored advertising content to provide the personal recommendation.
3. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the personal profile is associated with a unique identifier which does not identify a particular individual.
4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the matcher circuitry has compared a history profile with remotely stored advertising content to provide the personal recommendation.
5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the advertising content relates to an item of video-on-demand content.
6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , where the processor is configured to determine which of a plurality of overlay images to output for display in the second layer.
7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein video-on-demand content is received by the interface as HTML.
8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more overlay image and links which are personal recommendations are also received in an internet page comprising a menu with a choice of video-on demand content.
9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the link is the address of a different internet page and the interface receives associated advertising content in the different internet page.
10. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein selection of the link causes the interface to receive the advertising content in the second layer.
11. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the advertising content is output for display in portion of a display concurrently with the item of video-on-demand content.
12. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to decode the overlay images in the internet page into a form for storage in memory and to output for display the overlay images simultaneously with the video-on-demand content.
13. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an electronic memory which is configured under the control of the processor to store a plurality of overlay images received as second layers of internet pages.
14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to retrieve an overlay image from the electronic memory.
15. A method comprising:
receiving via a network, video-on demand content, an overlay image and a link associated with the overlay image;
decoding by a processor an internet page, the internet page comprising a first layer including the video-on demand content and a second layer including the overlay image;
outputting for simultaneous display both the first layer and the second layer;
sending information representing a user selection of an overlay image;
receiving advertising content via the link associated with the overlay image corresponding to the information representing the user selection, wherein the overlay image and the link is a personal recommendation tailored to a user identifier by remotely located matcher circuitry.
16. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon code components which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 15 .
17. Server circuitry comprising:
an interface configured to distribute video-on-demand content via a network;
a processor configured to encode an internet page via which the video-on-demand content is to be replayed, the internet page including a first layer and a second layer, and configured to receive user selections from the internet page via the interface wherein:
an item of selected video-on-demand content is for output in the first layer,
an overlay image that can be selectively combined with the video-on-demand content of the first layer is identified in the second layer,
a link is provided in association with the identified overlay image, the link identifying advertising content, the overlay image and the link being a personal recommendation selected by matcher circuitry of the server circuitry.
18. The server circuitry as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the interface is configured to distribute the overlay images and associated links in cacheable form.
19. The server circuitry as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the overlay image is provided in a first form and an additional form indicating its selection.
20. The server circuitry as claimed in claim 17 , comprising an account memory which is credited a when user selection of the overlay image is made.
21. The server circuitry as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the personal recommendation is selected by matcher circuitry based on a personal profile associated with a unique user identifier.
22. The server circuitry as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the internet page is an HTML internet page and the first and second layers are layers of the HTML internet page.