Abstract: Methods and systems for transmitting an interruption-free version of a television program for recording on a user equipment device. In one aspect, a system transmits a first stream including a television program to a user equipment device. The system receives an indication that the television program is being recorded on the user equipment device. The system determines whether an interruption is imminent during transmission of the television program. In response to determining that the interruption is imminent, the system generates a second stream including the television program. The second stream does not include the interruption during the transmission of the television program. The system transmits the second stream to the user equipment device along with an instruction to switch recording of the television program from the first stream to the second stream.

Abstract: A system that is an independent measurement system to gauge video consumption or viewing is disclosed. Methods for formulating a universal set of measurements or metrics that is operable across all video players, video-content types, ad (advertisement) networks, display devices, and browsers is also disclosed. This set of measurement or metrics advantageously is configured to operate consistently and equally well regardless of the particular video player, video-content type, network, display devices, and browsers that are used.

Abstract: The present invention enables real-time video commenting by viewers of media content on a web site. The media content may be video, audio, text, still images or other types of media content. When a content viewer indicates a desire to provide a real-time video comment, a content server causes a video input device at the content viewer's location to be activated. The content viewer's video comment is captured by the video input device and transmitted to the content server, where it is stored and associated with the video being commented upon. When the original video is subsequently presented to content viewers, indicia of the video comment such as a thumbnail or description of the comment is also presented, thus inviting content viewers to view the video comment in addition to the original video.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying a break in a broadcast including receiving a broadcast of an event, the broadcast comprising one of audio and video, receiving event data about the event, determining, during the event, a break threshold based on the event data and a type of the event and identifying a break based on the broadcast of the event and the break threshold.

Abstract: An imaging device captures images of a head-mounted display (HMD), or other object, including locators providing a pattern of light. The imaging device compresses captured images of the locators of the HMD by identifying pixels of a captured image having at least a threshold brightness and additional pixels within a threshold distance of the identified pixels. To generate a compressed image, the camera performs run-length encoding of pixels other than the identified pixels and additional pixels. The compressed image is provided by the imaging device to a console or other computing device. In some embodiments, the imaging device also determines whether a segment of adjacent pixels in a captured image is above the threshold brightness and sets the segment of adjacent pixels to a specific value and performs run-length encoding on the segment of adjacent pixels above the threshold brightness.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for detecting a smart phone to enable content. An embodiment operates by detecting that a mobile device is within a vicinity of a media device. A different set of media options corresponding to the mobile device is determined. The media device is configured with the different set of media options. An indication that the media device has been configured with the different set of media options is provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a method, a system, and a website server for playing a website video. The method includes: receiving a video playback request that includes a client identification and a video identification, and querying a playback record corresponding to the client identification; accumulating video playback times in the playback record to obtain current video playback times; determining advertisement information duration corresponding to the current video playback times, where the playback times are inversely proportional to the advertisement information duration; and extracting, from an advertisement information library according to the determined advertisement information duration, advertisement information that meets the duration, acquiring video data corresponding to the video identification, inserting the extracted advertisement information ahead of the video data, and transmitting the extracted advertisement information and the video data to a client for playing.

Abstract: A system includes a head mounted display (HMD), a processor, and a memory. The HMD is configured to generate sensor data indicative of a gaze vector of a user and a position of the user. The processor is configured to communicate with the HMD. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to obtain data indicating the gaze vector of the user and the position of the user. The instructions also cause the processor to determine a component vector for a virtual component of a virtual reality simulator based on the position of the user and a position of the virtual component. The instructions further cause the processor to calculate an alignment value based on the gaze vector and the component vector, and adjust a simulation setting of the virtual component based on the alignment value.

Abstract: A method and a device for synchronous high-speed photographing of microparticle rotation in a liquid cyclone field and for determining the rotation velocity of a microparticle in a liquid cyclone field by using a combination of a synchronous high-speed photographing system and a transparent microparticle containing two centrosymmetrically arranged inner cores having the same diameter. The method comprises: using a transparent microparticle comprising two inner cores having the same diameter and arranged centrosymmetrically as a rotation test particle; acquiring synchronously two groups of two dimensional image series of microparticle motion in a liquid cyclone field using two orthogonally arranged high-speed digital cameras; and reconstructing a three dimensional motion trajectory of the microparticle from the two groups of synchronous image series, and determining a rotation velocity of the microparticle in the cyclone field at the same time.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top box having a controller to establish a user profile, retrieve from a media communication system media content schedules according to the user profile, determine a consumption status for each of the retrieved media content schedules, generate an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) comprising the retrieved media content schedules, each media content schedule depicting its corresponding consumption status, and present the EPG at a media presentation device upon request. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A handheld wireless display device, having at least SVGA-type resolution, includes a wireless interface, such as Bluetooth™, WiFi™, Wimax™, cellular or satellite, to allow the device to utilize a number of different hosts, such as a cell phone, personal computer, media player. The display may be monocular or binocular. Input mechanisms, such as switches, scroll wheels, touch pads, allow selection and navigation of menus, playing media files, setting volume and screen brightness/contrast, activating host remote controls or performing other commands. The device may include MIM diodes, Hall effect sensors, or other position transducers and/or accelerometers to detect lateral movements along and rotational gestures around the X, Y and Z axes as gesture inputs and movement queues. These commands may change pages, scroll up, down or across an enlarged screen image, such as for web browsing. An embedded software driver (e.g.

Abstract: Despite the massive advances in digital electronics, telecommunications networks, and electronic devices in the past 20 years our engagement with video content is essentially unchanged to that of the first video recorders as it is merely where we access it and upon what we access it that have changed. It is still a passive experience. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide multimedia content that facilitates user engagement and transactions directly through their viewing of the multimedia content in shareable multimedia content elements. Such engagement and transactions may be accessing additional informational content linked to specific elements within the multimedia content or triggering the purchase of an item contained within the multimedia content. Embodiments of the invention may support monetization, analytics, secondary multimedia content, website functionality and micro-websites.

Abstract: An embodiment of a method includes determining a channel signature for each of a plurality of cable devices associated with a selected household; determining whether at least one of the channel signatures is substantially different than the remaining ones of the channel signatures; and if at least one of the channel signatures is substantially different than the remaining ones of the channel signatures, flagging the selected household for potential theft of services review. Additional embodiments may include determining a radio frequency (“RF”) signal power level for each of the cable devices; calculating a sum of the determined RF signal power levels; determining whether the calculated sum is equal to an RF power signal level measured at a tap of the selected household; and if the calculated sum is not equal to the measured RF power signal level, flagging the selected household for potential theft of services review.

Abstract: A system includes a content management database configured to access a plurality of media signatures corresponding to a respective plurality of media assets and a signature component configured to process a media request from a requestor to access a given media asset from a content provider via a network and to generate a signature to substantially uniquely identify the given media asset, the signature being derived from media content data corresponding to the given media asset in response to accessing the media content data via the network. The signature component can also be configured to provide to the requestor the given media asset retrieved via the network if the generated media signature does not match any of a plurality of media signatures and provide the given media asset from a content storage system if the generated media signature matches a respective one of the plurality of media signatures.

Abstract: A media access device such as, for example, a cable or satellite set top box (STB), a digital video recorder (DVR), a personal computer, and/or a digital media receivers automatically optimizes an order of content choices presented in a content listing, such as a program guide display, favorite channel display, and/or a recording listing display based on the past viewing and/or recording history of a current user.

Abstract: Methods for supplying, ordering, and transacting items based on motion images are proposed. The methods are applicable to a server and include the following steps. A first video stream is received from a first electronic device, and at least one item is identified from the first video stream to generate a frame and a tag associated with each item. An editing operation on a first tag is received from the first electronic device to generate first tag data. The first tag and the first frame are combined into the first video stream to generate a composite video stream. The composite video stream is transmitted to a second electronic device. In response to an ordering operation detected on the first item from the second electronic device, first ordering data is generated according to the first tag data to add the first item into an order list of the second electronic device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating haptic coefficients associated with an audiovisual document. Initially, data is extracted from an audio and/or video track and is used to calculate at least one first group of haptic coefficients from an autoregressive model applied to the read data. These haptic coefficients are designed to program a filter supplying at the output the control parameters for controlling at least one haptic actuator. Then, a “haptic” sequence of the audiovisual document is determined and calculated haptic parameters are associated with the determined sequence. In this manner, the haptic parameters enabling the control of one or more actuators are easily calculated and easily reproducible. Advantageously, the data used for the calculation is extracted from the selected sequence.

Abstract: A channel content playback method based on a hybrid network system which may avoid idleness of a digital video broadcasting (DVB) network and a hybrid set top box that may implement the method. The method includes accessing, by the hybrid set top box, an electronic program guide (EPG) system, acquiring, from the EPG system, a channel list of channel content, receiving, based on channel selection performed by a user according to the channel list, target channel content through a DVB network channel, acquiring a first uniform resource locator (URL) from the EPG system according to a rewind operation of the user, and acquiring, according to the first URL, the rewound target channel content from a content delivery network (CDN) system located in an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for smoothly and efficiently upgrading set top boxes, e.g., personal video recorders, which have customer selected content stored thereon are described. The described methods allow content stored on a set top box to be uploaded to a network storage device, e.g., automatically at a predetermined time prior to a scheduled upgrade, or in some cases, via manual control of the set top box to be upgraded. After stored content is uploaded to the network storage device, the set top box is replaced with a new set top box. The new set top box can be preloaded with the previously uploaded content or a content download can be triggered, e.g., by activating a hidden application and by supplying information identifying the set top box being replaced as part of the upgrade process.

Abstract: Image data of each of pictures which constitute dynamic image data is classified into a plurality of layers, image data of each of the classified layers is encoded, and a video stream having the encoded image data of the pictures of each of the layers is generated. A container in a predetermined format which includes the generated video stream is transmitted. Decoding timing information, which has been set so that a higher layer has a shorter decoding time interval of the encoded image data of each of the pictures, is added to the encoded image data of the pictures of each of the layers. The operations enable a reception side to perform a favorable decoding process commensurate with its decoding capability.