Methods for transmitting multimedia files and advertisements

1. A computer-implemented method of transmitting, from a server to a multimedia player, digital data comprising one or more first obligatory advertising portions comprising a first type of content and one or more requested portions comprising a second type of content which is different than the first type of content, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from the multimedia player to transmit the digital data;

generating or accessing a first digital file in the server comprising the digital data;

transmitting all or a part of the digital data to the multimedia player in a manner that requires at least one of the first obligatory advertising portions to be played by the multimedia player before one of the requested portions is played;

receiving a second request from the multimedia player to repeat one or more requested portions previously transmitted at a second time after the first time;

determining the time interval between the first time and the second time; and

wherein when the time interval is less than a designated value, retransmitting the previously transmitted one or more requested portions, and wherein when the time interval is greater than the designated value, the server generating or accessing a second digital file comprising at least the previously transmitted requested portions and one or more of the first obligatory advertising portions, or one or more second obligatory advertising portions, and transmitting the second digital file to the multimedia player such that at least one obligatory advertising portion is played by the multimedia player before one of the requested portions is played.

2. A computer-implemented method of transmitting, from a server to a memory device associated with a multimedia player, digital data comprising one or more first obligatory advertising portions comprising a first type of content and one or more requested portions comprising a second type of content which is different than the first type of content, the method comprising:

receiving in the server a setup message from the multimedia player;

sending, from the server, a response message to the setup message indicating to the memory device that it should not transmit expired requested portions of the digital data without approval from the server;

receiving a first request from the multimedia player to transmit the digital data,

generating or accessing a first digital file in the server comprising the digital data;

transmitting at least a portion of the first digital file to the memory device such that at least one of the first obligatory advertising portions is played by the multimedia player before one of the requested portions is played; and

sending from the server to the memory device a message with an expire header that indicates when the requested portions of the digital data expires so as to permit the multimedia player to replay one or more of the requested portions from the memory device before the expiration of the one or more requested portions;

wherein upon expiration of one or more of the requested portions, the server generates or accesses a second digital file upon receiving a request to replay the one or more expired requested portions, the second digital file comprising at least the expired requested portions and one or more of the first obligatory advertising portions or one or more second obligatory advertising portions, the server subsequently transmitting the second digital file to the multimedia player in a manner that requires at least one obligatory advertising portion to be played by the multimedia player before one of the requested portions is played.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the memory device is a part of the multimedia player.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the memory device is located outside the multimedia player.