Abstract: The present invention is an interactive system and method whereby participants may engage in a contest that is simultaneously or subsequently broadcast. The broadcast signal may be for the purpose of a pure entertainment source or may be an enticement to play the shown or other interactive games. The games may be computer simulation games, role-playing games, strategy games, question and answer games, casino games, or other games as desired. The broadcast signals may show a specialized view of the game being played and may contain live commentary or other enhancements. The games may be played with set top boxes connected to a television, a broadcast network, and a server system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for generating a graphics window that is capable of emulating enhanced video from a combined video and interactive content stream. The set-top emulator can randomly access the combined video and interactive content stream to provide an easy manner of randomly accessing portions of the combined video and interactive stream for quality control purposes. Random access allows selective viewing of the enhanced video which saves time. Additionally, the combined video and interactive content stream can be simultaneously viewed as it is being produced to allow immediate feedback to an interactive television producer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method that provides rate controlled insertion of asynchronous data into a synchronous stream in a broadcast system. A calculation of the transmission time for an asynchronous data file is determined from the file size, available data transfer rate, redundancy transmission factor, bandwidth scale factor and connect time latency. Transmission time may be employed to schedule transmission of asynchronous data for use at a predetermined time. Transmission time for multiple files may be combined to determine a transmission start time for a first file such that a last asynchronous file is transmitted by a predetermined time.

Abstract: A data modification system and method for selective insertion of local meta data into an incoming data stream, the incoming data stream having a video data component and a meta data component. The data modification system comprises an incoming data terminal, a local data terminal, and a data modification unit coupled to the incoming data terminal and the local data terminal, wherein the data modification unit is adapted to selectively combine data from the incoming data tenninal and the local data terminal. The method comprises receiving a data signal, the data signal comprising a first data component and a second data component, separating the first data component from the second data component, determining whether to modify the second data component, retrieving a third data component from a database, merging the third data component with the first data component, and outputting the third data component and the first data component to a distribution terminal.