Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for allocating bandwidth among members of two statistical multiplexing groups having overlapping members. At least two groups of such services having overlapping members are defined. The members of a first one of the groups consume a first bandwidth and the members of a second one of the groups consume a second bandwidth. A total bandwidth of all the members of the groups together is restricted to be no more than a total available bandwidth. In order to accomplish this, the members of the first and second groups are statistically multiplexed based on bandwidth requirements of members common to both said first and second groups.

Abstract: Instances of data-storage media having pits and lands, such as individual DVDs or CDs, are manufactured by selectively illuminating a light-curable material to form cured regions corresponding to the lands. The selective illumination of the light-curable material can be implemented using mask-based illumination or selective laser illumination or both. The mask used in mask-based illumination can have one or more extra opaque portions and/or one or more extra transparent portions corresponding to false pits and/or false lands, respectively, where selective laser illumination is used to convert one or more false pits/lands produced during mask-based illumination into true pits/lands for the competed medium.

Abstract: A system and method for providing quality assurance for interactive television and software application data packages delivered via a network. By employing “code checks” that determine “code points” based on the original package, content or data packages may be checked for errors at any later point within the network path from the provider to the subscriber. The data package can be checked for errors by performing some or all of the code checks and comparing the current code point values to the original code point values. If the current values differ from the original values, then the data package has changed and an error is likely to have occurred. Further action may then be taken to determine the nature of the error and to respond to it.

Abstract: A method and apparatus updates supplement information (SI) in a time-shifted multimedia program that includes a primary multimedia-content feed and one or more SI overlays. In one embodiment, the invention identifies spatial, temporal, and/or logical occurrences of supplemental information (SI) in a recorded program and replaces this potentially outdated information with SI that is either less time-sensitive and/or updated to be relevant to the playback time of the program. In another embodiment, SI overlays are identified by tags that are embedded into a multimedia program feed and stored (time-shifted) along with the feed by an enhanced digital video recorder (EDVR) set-top. The set-top decodes the stored feed, reads the tags to determine sources for replacement SI, retrieves the replacement SI from the sources, and creates updated overlays from the replacement SI. The set-top then replaces the original overlays with updated SI overlays and outputs the result to a display.

Abstract: A process and facility supports device-specific delivery of a multimedia object to an end user's device as a function of the device's capabilities, the transport interface to the device, and/or the viewing state and/or access privileges of the device's user with respect to the object or the user's relationship to an owner of the device and/or multimedia object.

Abstract: Content is distributed from a source to a sink only if the sink is within a predetermined geographic locality. In one embodiment, a signature request is sent to the sink. The sink obtains an actual signature compares it to the requested signature, and if the requested signature and the actual signature resemble each other sufficiently closely, then the content is sent to the sink The signature is compiled from parameters obtained from appropriate parameter detectors. The parameter detectors generate, detect and monitor various signals required for determining the locality of the sink.

Abstract: A process and facility supports recipient-specific customization of mass-duplicated tapes. Video from a master tape is passed through a VBI encoder whose output feeds two or more overlay units, each associated with a tape recorder. Recipient-specific watermarking instructions and address information for each tape are fed to the VBI encoder where they are encoded into the VBI of the video. Each overlay unit reads the VBI and decodes the address, and if relevant for that unit, applies the overlays to the video, which is recorded by its associated recording deck. Optionally, each tape and overlay unit includes a barcode that is scanned into a database where associations between tapes and the overlays are stored. Alternatively, high-density barcode labels that include the overlay instructions are printed and applied to tapes. The barcodes are scanned into the overlay units and applied following the receipt of a timecode or other trigger.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for allocating bandwidth among members of two statistical multiplexing groups having overlapping members. At least two groups of such services having overlapping members are defined. The members of a first one of the groups consume a first bandwidth and the members of a second one of the groups consume a second bandwidth. A total bandwidth of all the members of the groups together is restricted to be no more than a total available bandwidth. In order to accomplish this, the members of the first and second groups are statistically multiplexed based on bandwidth requirements of members common to both said first and second groups.