Supporting common interactive television functionality through presentation engine syntax

An interactive television system comprising:

• a remote proxy server configured to:
• receive one or more directives, wherein said directives are indicative of an audio, video and/or graphic presentation which requires a set of resources;
• determine whether said one or more directives includes a prerequisite directive which indicates that acquisition of a subset of said set of resources is a prerequisite for initiating the presentation;
• convey first signals which identify said subset of resources to a remote client device, in response to determining the one or more directives include said prerequisite directive;
• and
• convey second signals which correspond to said one or more directives;
• a client device configured to:
• receive said first signals;
• receive said second signals;
• and
• prohibit initiation of said presentation until said subset of resources are acquired, in response to detecting said first signals.

A client device in an interactive television system, said device comprising:

• a receiver configured to receive signals corresponding to directives which are indicative of an audio, video and/or graphic presentation requiring a set of resources;
• and
• a processing unit coupled to said receiver, wherein said processing unit is configured to:
• determine whether said one or more directives includes a prerequisite directive which indicates that acquisition of a subset of said set of resources is a prerequisite for initiating the presentation;
• initiate said presentation, in response to determining the one or more directives do not include said prerequisite directive;
• and
• prohibit initiation of said presentation until said subset of resources are acquired, in response to determining the one or more directives include said prerequisite directive.

A computer readable medium comprising program instructions executable by a computer to:

• receive directives which are indicative of an audio, video and/or graphic presentation which requires a set of resources;
• determine whether said one or more directives includes a prerequisite directive which indicates that acquisition of a subset of said set of resources is a prerequisite for the presentation;
• initiate said presentation, in response to determining the one or more directives do not include said prerequisite directive;
• and
• prohibit the presenting of said presentation until said subset of resources are acquired, in response to determining the one or more directives include said prerequisite directive.