Interface Device Having Multiple Software Clients to Facilitate Display of Targeted Information

摘要

Advertisements or other types of targeted information are delivered to set-top boxes or other user interface devices of a signal distribution system. In one aspect of the invention, a user interface device comprises at least first and second software clients and a video buffer. The first software client receives packets associated with a first media stream, and the second software client receives packets associated with a second media stream containing the targeted information. The first software client delivers at least a portion of the packets associated with the first media stream to the video buffer. The second software client delivers at least a portion of the packets associated with the second media stream to the video buffer while one or more packets of the first media stream are still in the video buffer. The user interface device switches from the first media stream to the second media stream based on timing information which may be received from an external detection server.