Video play button on overlay images

I recently came across a big play button on an overlay image for a video. Pressing the play button displays the player, but does not start (play) the video. The user needed to press play on the video player to start the video. When I questioned this I received the following reply:

The way the player works is that the player with the big orange play button (cover player) appears when browser displays the video. The purpose is to enable content producers to create a custom background thumbnail and to comply with the way most browsers handle videos. Once the play button is activated, the actual player appears.'

In my opinion it is potentially confusing. I'd appreciate feedback on what others think and is this double play button technique a recognised standard as I cannot find any references online promoting this method.