Abstract: Systems and methods for sharing interactive media guidance application information are provided. First interactive media guidance application information that is associated with media available on a first media equipment device is provided. Second interactive media guidance application information is received at the first media equipment device. The second interactive media guidance application information is associated with media available to a second media equipment device. The first interactive media guidance application information is compared with the second interactive media guidance application information to identify at least one of a similarity and a difference between the first interactive media guidance application information and the second interactive media guidance application information.

Abstract: Various arrangements for acquiring network configuration data are presented. In response to a television receiver being booted, the television receiver may determine if it can communicate with a service provider's server. If so, the television receiver may request network configuration data from the television programming broadcast network configuration server via a network interface. The television receiver may receive the network configuration data from the television programming broadcast network configuration server via the network interface. Based on the network configuration data, the television receiver may process television programming data received via the tuner.

Abstract: A system for providing additional content to a program stream includes a primary program stream, additional content that is related to the primary program stream, and a server for associating the additional content with the primary program stream based on a location of a portable communication device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a machine architecture implementing a staging automation process, including features such as multiple IR transmitters and composite video inputs for automated high volume quality testing. Diagnostic display outputs from a unit under test are input to OCR and video quality algorithms to validate that the units under test are ready for a functional test process at the next stage.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to estimate demographics of a household are disclosed. An example method to determine demographics for non-panelist households includes calculating a first demographic constraint average and a second demographic constraint average based on a first demographic distribution of a first tuning event of a household and a second demographic distribution of a second tuning event of the household. The household is a non-panelist household. The example method also includes, based on the first demographic constraint average, determining a first likelihood of the household being associated with a first demographic constraint. The example method also includes, based on the second demographic constraint average, determining a second likelihood of the household being associated with a second demographic constraint. The example method also includes estimating a household characteristic of the household based on the first likelihood and the second likelihood.

Abstract: Various arrangements are presented for creating a customized preview video. A television receiver may compile viewing statistics based on a plurality of pieces of content output for presentation. The viewing statistics can include an amount of time spent outputting for presentation each piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content. The television receiver, based on the viewing statistics for the plurality of pieces of content output for presentation, may determine one or more preferred content types and one or more preferred content genres. Using stored electronic programming guide data, a plurality of scheduled content instances may be determined based on the one or more preferred content types and one or more preferred content genres. A plurality of preview clips corresponding to the plurality of scheduled content instances may be accessed. The plurality of preview clips may be assembled to create the customized preview video.

Abstract: Advertisements are presented to users via one or more delivery methods, such as a cable-television network and the Internet. An interactive product information screen allows the user to review information about a product to be purchased and, if desired, save purchase information associated with the user and the product at a central server. Subsequently, the user requests to review the saved purchase information either via the cable-television network or the Internet and can complete the transaction using either avenue.

Abstract: Features of various implementations are used to enable delivery of matched functionality, content and/or services, as a part of an interactive television suite of technologies. In some implementations, a content delivery process is enabled so that communication between the primary TV receiver and a supplemental set-top box is reduced in order to avoid the need for one or more provider-specific APIs. For example, one aspect of the disclosure is a method of identifying a media program by capturing display data from the media program, and extracting text from the display data in response to determining that the display data includes the text overlay, wherein the extracted text is associated with the media program. In some implementations, a supplemental set-top box is configured to operate a primary TV receiver, without a provider-specific API, in order to determine the channel line-up available to a particular subscriber through the primary TV receiver.

Abstract: An interactive video distribution system and video player are described. A client server arrangement may be used for providing a video player and video content to a client device. The video player may display navigation images enabling navigation to specific portions of the video content by activating a corresponding navigation image. The video player may also enable the sharing of a segment of the video with other video players, enabling the video players to play the streamed segment of the video without having to play the entire video, thereby reducing network bandwidth usage. The video player may be embeddable. The server may associate searchable tags with respective video segments.

Abstract: A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example transmitting, by a system comprising a processor, via a first emergency media channel a first video stream comprising first evacuation routing information for a first evacuation group responsive to receiving a notification of an emergency event, instructing, by the system, a first media processor device to select the first emergency media channel while disabling selection of other media channels according to the first evacuation routing information, where the content of the emergency media channel is presented at a display device by way of the first media processor device, and enabling, by the system, the first media processor device to select the other media channels responsive to receiving user input acknowledging the emergency media channel. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices, and software are described for providing supplemental content for presentation on a mobile device that identifies a video and a portion within the video. In one embodiment, a system includes a mobile device with an integrated video camera that tracks a display playing a movie. The mobile device automatically identifies the current scene in the movie and then accesses supplemental non-video content related to the identified scene. The accessed supplemental non-video content (e.g., audio, tactile, olfactory data) is then presented to the user at the same time the movie is played.

Abstract: Various embodiments facilitate the creation and presentation of a virtual entertainment world. In one embodiment, the virtual entertainment world is created to help a user find and watch content. The virtual entertainment world includes various environments, including a virtual program guide, a virtual viewing environment, and a concession environment. The virtual program guide provides a starting point for users to easily and efficiently find content. The virtual viewing environment provides an immersive environment for users to watch content. The concession environment provides a convenient location where users may make purchases.

Abstract: A method for providing customized information to a plurality of portable communication devices. A customer premises equipment (CPE) synchronizes with at least one of the plurality of portable communication devices. The CPE extracts descriptive data of media content stored in the at least one portable communication device. The CPE searches for a descriptive data of content available at the CPE based on the descriptive data extracted from the at least one portable communication device. The CPE determines that the extracted descriptive data matches the descriptive data of content available at the CPE. The CPE makes the content available to the at least one portable communication device.

Abstract: A player receives encoded content of a first resolution level from a content retransmitter and monitors bandwidth of the communication connection utilized to receive the content. When the bandwidth changes with respect to various threshold values corresponding to various resolution levels, the player signals the content retransmitter to increase or decrease the encoding resolution for future portions. The player also locates related substitute content. When the player signals the content retransmitter to decrease the resolution below a minimum, the player plays the substitute content instead of the received content. Subsequently when the bandwidth is again such that player signals the content retransmitter to increase the resolution to the minimum or above, the player plays the received content instead of the substitute content. In various implementations, the player may obtain substitute content prior to or at the time the player determines to play substitute content.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices, and software are described for providing supplemental content for display on a mobile device. In one embodiment, a system includes a video display that displays video content. A mobile device with an integrated display may track the video display, with a video camera or other methods, and identify the video content in the tracked video display. The mobile device may access supplemental content related to the identified video content, and display the accessed supplemental content on the integrated display.

Abstract: A display device and a method of providing a contents list are provided. An apparatus/method is provided. The method includes: playing contents; determining whether the contents are played more than a predetermined time; when the contents are played more than the predetermined time, storing contents information including source information on the contents in a previously-viewed-contents list; and displaying the stored previously-viewed-contents list according to a user's input.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, a device and a system for evaluating a user experience value of video quality. The method is: acquiring an uplink packet of a user equipment for requesting to watch an OTT video, where the uplink packet is transmitted by the user equipment to a video server storing the OTT video and carries request information of the user equipment on the OTT video; acquiring a downlink packet corresponding to the uplink packet, where the downlink packet is transmitted by the video server to the user equipment and carries the OTT video, and the OTT video is transmitted by the video server according to the request information in the uplink packet; buffering the downlink packet; and in response to determining that the buffered downlink packet satisfies a resolving condition, resolving the OTT video in the buffered downlink packet to generate a user experience value.

Abstract: A transmitting apparatus including circuitry configured to generate caption data corresponding to content data and having elements defined in Extensible Markup Language (XML), and output the content data and the generated caption data to a reproducing device.

Abstract: A system receives a user request for a media item and identifies candidate media items for suggesting to the user with the media item. The system predicts a user consumption time for each candidate media item and selects a sub-set of the candidate media items that have higher predicted user consumption times. The system provides the requested media item with the sub-set of the candidate media items.

Abstract: A video content source includes a processor and a media module executed by the processor. The media module identifies available on-demand media content, organizes on-demand media content by provider and associates on-demand media content by category. Aggregated on-demand media content is formed in a non-temporal grid organized by provider and category. The non-temporal grid may include various combinations of providers, categories and on-demand media content instances.