Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes receiving cluster information comprising categories and total numbers of media receivers (e.g. television (TV) viewers) associated with the categories and receiving sample data comprising numbers of advertisements (ads) displayed to sampled receivers (e.g., TV viewers) that are classified within the categories. The method also includes calculating probabilities for numbers of ads displayed to the total numbers of receivers associated with the categories, wherein the calculation is based on the cluster information and the sample data, merging the calculated probabilities associated with two or more of the categories, and outputting an estimated number of ads displayed based on the merged probabilities.

Abstract: Displaying content associated with a television program using logical addresses identifying the content. Content associated with the television program is automatically displayed by a set top box. Before the broadcast of a program, television listing information, such as EPG data, is stored at the set top box. The listing information includes batch mode logical addresses or links. During the program, a viewer is notified about the link, enabling the content to be accessed and displayed concurrently with the program. In addition, real-time logical addresses or links, which are embedded in the program, may be extracted and displayed to the viewer. If both the real-time and batch mode links are available, a determination is made according to pre-defined rules regarding which link is brought to the attention of the viewer. In this manner, real-time links can be supplied with the broadcast to supplement or replace the batch mode links.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a walled garden program for substantially optimized bandwidth delivery are described. In particular, layers of data that are substantially similar across multiple pages of Web content are identified for subsequent reuse during transcoding operations. To this end, the content pages are transcoded into a program that includes multiple video components. The pages are transcoded such that a layer that was determined to be substantially similar across multiple ones of the pages is not encoded into a respective video component for each substantially similar occurrence of the layer. Rather, the layer and all other substantially similar layers are represented in the program with a single still of the video components and interaction model metadata. By reusing similar components, the amount of data used to represent the Web content is reduced, providing for substantially optimized bandwidth delivery to the client.

Abstract: Subject matter includes a reprogrammer for roving remote controllers that are capable of being used in multiple locations with different devices to be controlled at each location. An exemplary roving remote controller changes control code sets to operate whatever devices are present in a particular room. In one implementation, an exemplary multimedia system has reprogrammers for one or more roving remote controllers that adapt to their setting. When a remote controller is moved from a first room to a second room, the program content being controlled in the first room is automatically transferred to the second room.

Abstract: Subject matter includes a reprogrammer for roving remote controllers that are capable of being used in multiple locations with different devices to be controlled at each location. An exemplary roving remote controller changes control code sets to operate whatever devices are present in a particular room. In one implementation, an exemplary multimedia system has reprogrammers for one or more roving remote controllers that adapt to their setting. When a remote controller is moved from a first room to a second room, the program content being controlled in the first room is automatically transferred to the second room.

Abstract: A mixed-media service collection for multimedia platforms allows simultaneous access to various mixed-media services for rendering multimedia content, depending on current client conditions. In one implementation, in response to the client accessing a service collection, for example, by changing channels, only some of the mixed-media services in the service collection are simultaneously actuated based on client conditions. The client conditions may include the availability of subsystems to implement services and the client's authorization to receive services. If client conditions do not allow some services in the service collection to be actuated, then other services in the service collection are available to be actuated instead.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for forecasting television impressions comprises receiving information relating to previous television (TV) impressions at a time slot on a TV channel, information relating to one or more programs shown at the time slot on the TV channel and predicting a future TV impression at the time slot on the TV channel. The future TV impression is based on at least one of the information related to previous TV impressions and the information related to programs shown at the time slot on the TV channel.

Abstract: Television advertisements and associated advertisement parameters are received from advertisers. The television advertisements are automatically selected for airing during an advertisement availability based on the associated advertisement parameters. Data related to the selected television advertisements are provided to a television provider to facilitate airing of the selected television advertisements during the advertisement availability. Reporting data related to television advertisement airings and impressions are received from the television provider.

Abstract: Advertising parameters and associated television advertisements are received from advertisers. The television advertisements can be designated as pending approval. An automated approval process and a television provider approval process can be utilized to approve or disapprove of the television advertisements pending approval. Approved television advertisements can be provided to the television provider, e.g., by a download process over a network.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer program products, provide adjustments to advertisement impression estimates based on sampled data. According to one method, an estimated number of advertisement impressions is made based on the sampled data and the estimate is discounted to achieve a level of certainty that the resulting discounted estimate is less than the actual number of advertisement impressions. The amount of the discount can be determined based on a sampling error model of the sampling data.

Abstract: Reporting data related to content processing devices, e.g., television devices, are processed to identify channel tunes and corresponding tune times of the content processing devices. Automatically generated channel tunes based on the corresponding tune times are identified. Content items that are aired during a time period defined by the corresponding tune times can be adjusted.

Abstract: In interactive television, a broadcaster may broadcast triggers to a great many receiver units prompting the receiver units to attempt to send requests to a single destination on the Internet at roughly the same time. Such a large number of simultaneous requests can give rise to throughput problems and server overload. A receiver unit in accordance with the invention, rather than immediately attempting to send a request, waits a period of time (for example, a random period) before sending the request so as not to overload the server. In one embodiment, a trigger is received on an interactive television receiver unit prompting the viewer to select an icon. If the viewer selects the icon, then a browser in the receiver unit retrieves a web page on the Internet identified by a URL in the trigger. The web page includes an indication of a destination, scheduling information, and a form area. The viewer enters user information in association with the form area.

Abstract: A television receiving system displays an advertisement for a future television program. If the future television program is identified as recordable, the system also displays an option to set a reminder for the advertised program and/or an option to record the advertised program on a video recorder. If a viewer of the advertisement selects the reminder option, then a reminder is programmed in the system. If the viewer selects the record option, then the system automatically programs the video recorder to record the advertised program. If the viewer has established an interactive session during a television advertisement, and has not completed the interactive session when the advertisement ends, then the current television program is paused until the interactive session is completed.

Abstract: A television program is received that includes an index that identifies multiple television program segments contained in the television program. The index of program segments is displayed to a television viewer, and the television viewer is allowed to select at least one program segment for recording. The index of program segments can identify the name of each program segment, the time period during which each program segment is transmitted, the program type for each program segment, the content rating for each program segment, or whether the viewer is required to watch a particular program segment. The selected program segments may be recorded on a video recorder. The television viewer is also allowed to select the order of viewing of the program segments.

Abstract: A viewer of television programming is alerted to the availability of content related to the programming (e.g. an associated Internet web page) by an icon momentarily displayed on the screen. Using a remote control, the viewer can select the icon. A control panel then appears, superimposed over the television image, and provides additional detail about the related content. By further operating the remote control, the viewer can select the associated content for viewing, or return to watching the television. Various other features and variations are disclosed.

Abstract: An interactive television system includes “connected” receiver units capable of establishing bi-directional connections to remote information stores, such as Web servers, and “disconnected” receiver units unequipped to make such connections. The system supports the use of broadcast triggers that include connectivity values indicating whether an information resource identified by a trigger refers to “connected content” or “disconnected content.” The term “connected content” refers to information resources that require bi-directional connections to remote information stores; the term “disconnected content” refers to information resources, such as a locally stored program guide, that do not require such bi-directional connections. Disconnected receiver units identify and reject connected-content triggers by examining connectivity values broadcast as part of triggers.

Abstract: Systems and methods for displaying Internet content associated with television programming. Content associated with a program included in the television programming is automatically displayed by a set top box. Before the broadcast of a program, listing information or EPG data is stored at the set top box. The listing information includes batch mode logical addresses or links. During the program, a viewer is notified about the link, and the content may be accessed and displayed concurrently with the program. In addition, real-time logical addresses or links, which are embedded in the program, may be extracted and the viewer is notified of these links. If both the real time and batch links are available, a determination is made according to pre-defined rules regarding which link is brought to the attention of the viewer.

Abstract: A television receiving system displays an advertisement for a future television program. If the future television program is identified as recordable, the system also displays an option to set a reminder for the advertised program and/or an option to record the advertised program on a video recorder. If a viewer of the advertisement selects the reminder option, then a reminder is programmed in the system. If the viewer selects the record option, then the system automatically programs the video recorder to record the advertised program. If the viewer has established an interactive session during a television advertisement, and has not completed the interactive session when the advertisement ends, then the current television program is paused until the interactive session is completed.

Abstract: Described are methods and apparatus for enhancing a television advertisement simultaneously displayed on a number of remote receivers. In one embodiment, one or more advertisement templates are stored in memory on each of the remote receivers. The templates include formatting information and data fields into which can be inserted predefined types of information. For example, a selected template may be adapted to receive and display an advertiser's name, product, and a hyperlink to the advertiser's web site. A content creator, (e.g., a program producer, broadcaster, affiliate, cable company or satellite provider), embeds an advertisement summary in a data service channel of a broadcast signal. The advertisement summary includes a resource identifier unique to a selected one of the advertisement templates.

Abstract: Described are a method and apparatus for incorporating broadcast television into Web pages. Broadcast television can be embedded into Web pages using, for example, a “tv:” attribute in conjunction with common HTML tags. Within the “tv:” attribute, a Web-page author can reference a TV station by channel number, network, or broadcast call letters. HTML documents are parsed to recover both the conventional tags and tags that include TV attributes. The resulting Web pages display the identified broadcast TV in a frame specified by the TV attribute. One embodiment supports the presentation of television in the background of an HTML document. In that embodiment, HTML tags corresponding to overlying HTML content are provided with an attribute that defines a level of transparency from zero to one-hundred percent. The transparency attribute allows content providers to overlay any type of HTML information over a broadcast television show without completely obscuring the underlying show.