Abstract: A ringback tone service may be configured by determining an indication to suggest one or more callers to a user of a mobile-telephony device and obtaining historical call data describing recent calls placed by recent callers to the mobile-telephony device in a recent period of time. After identifying a number of frequent callers for whom no custom ringback tone is currently provisioned, the user is prompted to select from a list of custom ringback tones that are available to provision for incoming calls from the frequent caller(s). In some cases, the user may send a message to the caller, allowing the caller to select his or her own custom ringback tone via a user interface provided by a ringback tone-service provider.

Abstract: An auto-reply service provides to callers event-specific audiovisual media messages that were custom recorded on the callee's mobile-telephony device. The auto-reply service selects the media messages at least in part based on an event schedule associated with the callee.

Abstract: Media-playback devices may render context-aware media along with a continually updated set of selectable asset identifiers that correspond to assets (e.g., actors, locations, articles of clothing, business establishments, or the like) currently presented in the media. Using the currently-presented assets or asset controls, a viewer can access contextually relevant information about a selected asset.

Abstract: Disclosed is software which enables a service which allows users to load screen-shots of webpages to boards as clipped content, which preserves “live” links to the webpages from the clipped content, which identifies the content which was clipped, and which preserves links and other dynamic content in the clipped content.

Abstract: A video-platform server may obtain and provide context-specific metadata to remote playback devices, including identifying advertising campaigns and/or games that match one or more assets (e.g., actors, locations, articles of clothing, business establishments, or the like) that are depicted in or otherwise associated with a given video segment.

Abstract: An auto-reply service provides to callers event-specific audiovisual media messages that were custom recorded on the callee's mobile-telephony device. The auto-reply service selects the media messages at least in part based on an event schedule associated with the callee.

Abstract: Users are able to browse a digital-media content based on social-graph-related criteria, time-related criteria, and geolocation-related criteria. A social-chronographic-geographic media file browsing system builds a social-chronographic-geographic media query and retrieves digital-media content (and associated metadata) based on a given user's search criteria. In accordance with various embodiments, the social-chronographic-geographic media file browsing system retrieves an interactive map from cartographic data provider and then places a graphical media control on the interactive map according to the provided geolocation-related criterion.

Abstract: A system for protecting the digital rights of content owners allows digital media to be delivered to only those media rendering client devices that have been approved for the media content. Before delivering requested media, the media service provider may determine whether the media rendering client device that requested the media is the type of device that is authorized to receive the request media. If it is, the media service provider may transmit the media to a middleman server over a network (such as the Internet). A middleman server may then serve the media to the client device over a local network. By allowing the media content to be distributed to approved devices only, the media service provider can prevent a user from using the media in a way that is not authorized by the content owner.

Abstract: A device initialization method includes generating a license request for a personal media device. A timeout indicator may be obtained for a subscription associated with the personal media device. The license request and the timeout indicator may be combined to form a device license for the personal media device. The device license may be digitally-signed to form a signed device license.

Abstract: A layered media stream may be distributed via a managed server and a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. At least one base layer typically provides a lower-quality media stream, while one or more enhancement layers provide improvements to the media stream. A managed server may provide a base layer to clients. The managed server may also provide enhancement layers through the P2P network. The availability of the enhancement layers may provide clients with an incentive to participate in the P2P network. In some cases, when demand for the media stream is low, the managed server may provide all layers to clients in a traditional client-server network model. When demand for the media stream is high, the managed server may provide only the base layer, making enhancement layers available via the P2P network.

Abstract: Compression of audio signal data is described herein. In various embodiments, the compression of each unit of the audio signal data includes the employment of a distribution substantially representative of a subblock of residual data of the unit of audio signal data, to reduce the amount of data having to be transmitted to transmit the unit of audio signal data to a recipient.

Abstract: The invention is related to methods and apparatus for tailoring an amount of Pre-Data that can be used in media clip streaming applications. A variable-bit-rate encoded media clip can be encoded at an average playback bit rate. When the actual transmission bit rate exceeds the average playback bit rate, a maximum bit deficit computation that uses the average playback bit rate overestimates the amount of Pre-Data that can be used to buffer the media clip. Embodiments of the invention tailor the amount of Pre-Data at least in part to the amount of data used to encode intervals of data and to actual transmission bit rates or to predictions of actual transmission bit rates, thereby decreasing the amount of Pre-Data that can be used and decreasing a latency time before play of the media clip begins.

Abstract: A method of pre-processing an audio signal transmitted to a user terminal via a communication network and an apparatus using the method are provided. The method of pre-processing the audio signal may prevent deterioration of a sound quality of the audio signal transmitted to the user terminal by pre-processing the audio signal, and by enabling a codec module, encoding the audio signal, to determine the audio signal as a speech signal. Also, the method of pre-processing the audio signal may improve a probability that the codec module may determine a corresponding audio signal as a speech when the audio signal is transmitted via the communication network by pre-processing the audio signal using a speech codec.

Abstract: Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and systems associated with adjusting for input latency within an electronic are disclosed. An electronic device may receive a user input, such as a user actuation of a device key. A latency adjusted time of the input may be calculated based, at least in part, on a latency of the electronic device in determining the user actuation of the device key. The latency adjusted time may be used to determine a result of the user input.

Abstract: A media player for creating a media archive may include a media reader to read media content from a recording medium inserted into the media reader. The media player may also include an archival component to store the media content in a storage medium. In one embodiment, the media player includes a playback component to play back the media content from the storage medium concurrently with the storage of the media content by the archival component.

Abstract: Compression of audio signal data is described herein. In various embodiments, the compression of each unit of the audio signal data includes the employment of a distribution substantially representative of a subblock of residual data of the unit of audio signal data, to reduce the amount of data having to be transmitted to transmit the unit of audio signal data to a recipient.

Abstract: An audio-on-demand communication system provides real-time playback of audio data transferred via telephone lines or other communication links. One or more audio servers include memory banks which store compressed audio data. At the request of a user at a subscriber PC, an audio server transmits the compressed audio data over the communication link to the subscriber PC. The subscriber PC receives and decompresses the transmitted audio data in less than real-time using only the processing power of the CPU within the subscriber PC. According to one aspect of the present invention, high quality audio data compressed according to lossless compression techniques is transmitted together with normal quality audio data. According to another aspect of the present invention, metadata, or extra data, such as text, captions, still images, etc., is transmitted with audio data and is simultaneously displayed with corresponding audio data.

Abstract: A method to generate revenue from supplied content is provided. Content is provided to a consumer via a network by providing a content service that allows the consumer to select and retrieve content as a package together with a clearing of the selectable content to an operator used by the consumer to select and retrieve the content via the network. Any content selected by the consumer is supplied directly to the consumer via the operator. The operator is charged for the supplied content.

Abstract: A proxy server manages media-data traffic in a network by leveraging the logical separation between the playlist and media segments in modern adaptive streaming protocols to redefine a media stream from an end client's perspective. In various embodiments, the media stream can be redefined from the client's perspective by dynamically modifying the playlist before the playlist is received by the end client and/or by dynamically modifying requests for media segments before the requests are forwarded to a media-origin server.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling access restrictions for media resource playback may include defining a user-specific content control profile authorizing one or more classes of content to be delivered to a client device, generating a media resource request identifying a first media resource associated with a first class of content and one or more attributes of the content control profile, determining whether the first class of content has been authorized for delivery to the client device based at least in part upon the one or more attributes of the content control profile, and delivering the first media resource to the client device if the first class of content has been authorized for delivery to the client device.