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: A system and method automates a scheduled retrieval, storage, and access of media data. Media data is retrieved from an external source and downloaded to an end user media device storage for subsequent playback at the end user media device. Media data is accessible from the end user media device storage based upon criteria including a selection of the end user, rules regulating the media data, and whether a playback time of the media data is sufficient to retrieve additional media data. The system performs regularly scheduled dynamic controls to determine whether additional media data is required for continuous and uninterrupted access of the media data.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, secure content objects are transcoded from an input format to an output format based upon identified capabilities of a receiving device. In one embodiment, a plurality of trusted processing components are identified to collectively transcode the secure content object from the identified input format to the determined output format. In one embodiment, each of the trusted processing components are authenticated prior to operating on the secure content object.

Abstract: A method, computer program product and computing device for offering complementary products/services includes monitoring one or more actions taken by a user while browsing a website. One or more search terms are assigned to at least one of the one or more actions taken by the user. One or more complementary terms are assigned that define one or more products/services that complement the one or more actions taken by the user. A query is executed on a datastore based on at least a portion of the one or more search terms and at least a portion of the one or more complementary terms to generate a result set.

Abstract: A user-friendly technique is described for assisting users to compose original documents, such as essays, research papers, literary papers, historical papers, memoranda, and the like. Interactive software provides document-specific active assistance with creating, researching, writing, editing, and finalizing documents. Such assistance may take the form of providing document specific guides, automatically generating and inserting content, and/or checking for document specific errors.

Abstract: A method and computer program product for receiving a plurality of media data file portions on a client electronic device from a remote distribution server computer. Each media data file portion is associated with a media data stream. A user is allowed to select a specific media data file portion for rendering. The specific media data file portion is chosen from the plurality of media data file portions. Upon the user selecting the specific media data file portion, at least a portion of the specific media data file portion is rendered and a specific media data stream associated with the specific media data file portion is obtained from an on-demand media server computer.

Abstract: A media delivery scheme distributes a stream of media files to a group of users while allowing individual users to request specific media files. In one embodiment, a media server maintains a playlist of media files to broadcast, and requests for media must satisfy certain restrictive criteria to be added to the playlist. In another aspect of a preferred embodiment, the media server schedules requested media so as to comply with provisions of the DMCA.

Abstract: A system and method of providing universal digital rights management system protection is described. One feature of the invention concerns systems and methods for repackaging and securing data packaged under any file format type, compression technique, or digital rights management system. Another feature of the invention is directed to systems and methods for securing data by providing scalability through the use of modular data manipulation software objects.

Abstract: A number of digital content rendering modules are equipped such that selective subsets of the modules may be employed to render digital content of different media, and of different format types. The modules are organized into a hierarchy, with a selected one occupying a root position of the hierarchy, to exclusively receive the digital contents to be rendered, and that each module is further responsible for verifying the integrity of its immediate downstream modules, to collectively protect the digital contents being rendered. Additionally, in accordance with another aspect, a tamper resistant module is employed to recover digital contents provided in a protected state, obfuscating the recovery. Further, the modules may be of different application domains.

Abstract: A video receiver/renderer is provided with a decoder equipped with hardware and/or software components adapted to decode at least two slices of a video in parallel, in part. In various embodiments, the decoder is constituted with multiple decoding units or decoding instructions that can be executed in multiple threads. A decoding unit/thread is advantageously equipped to determine whether a slice has decoding dependency, if so, whether the portion(s) of the video on which a slice's decoding is dependent has/have been decoded. If the result of the latter determination is negative, the decoding unit suspends itself until the determination result is affirmative. If the slice has no decoding dependency or the determination result is affirmative, the decoding unit proceeds to decode the slice.

Abstract: Streamlined prediction approaches are provided to predict pixel values of a 4×4 subblock of a macroblock of video data being encoded, under a number of prediction modes. Additionally, prediction approaches are provided to predict pixel values of a non-4×4 M×N subblock of a macroblock of video data being encoded, under a number of prediction modes, including 8×8, 8×4 and 4×8 subblocks. The invention may be practiced in an encoder and/or a decoder of a video apparatus.

Abstract: A system and method automates a scheduled retrieval, storage, and access of media data. Media data is retrieved from an external source and downloaded to an end user media device storage for subsequent playback at the end user media device. Media data is accessible from the end user media device storage based upon criteria including a selection of the end user, rules regulating the media data, and whether a playback time of the media data is sufficient to retrieve additional media data. The system performs regularly scheduled dynamic controls to determine whether additional media data is required for continuous and uninterrupted access of the media data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for buffering streamed presentation data within a container file includes receiving one or more data streams from each of one or more presentation sources within the presentation, creating within the container file a virtual file for each of the one or more presentation sources, temporarily storing first data associated with a first data stream of a first presentation source in association with a first virtual file corresponding to the presentation source, determining a container file size, and temporarily storing additional data from the first data stream in place of at least a portion of the first data if the container file size is within a predetermined range of an identified maximum buffer size.

Abstract: In one embodiment, video content is rendered within a windowpane displayed upon graphical user interface (GUI), a curser is positioned within the GUI responsive to user input, and a graphical resizing overlay is superimposed over the windowpane to facilitate arbitrary resizing of the windowpane and corresponding video content by the user when the cursor is positioned over the windowpane. In another aspect of the invention, an application window including at least a first windowpane and a second windowpane is displayed within a GUI, video content having a first display size is rendered within the first windowpane, the first windowpane and the corresponding video content is resized by a first amount resulting in a second display size, and the second windowpane is dynamically resized by a second amount proportional to the first amount such that the video content remains unobstructed by the first and second windowpanes and the application window.

Abstract: A compact signal coding method and apparatus including obtaining cumulative probabilities for successive quantized samples of a signal, determine the direct probability for the leading one of the successive quantized samples, and encode the quantized sample based at least in part on the determined direct probability.

Abstract: A system for determining selections that a user is likely to be interested in. The determination is made based on the user's prior indicated preferences. The user designates his or her preferred selections as entries in a user's preference list. Entries in the user's list are compared with entries in the other users' lists. When a significant number of matches have been found between two lists, the unmatched entries of the other user's preference list are extracted. The unmatched entries are further processed. Those unmatched entries with a high correlation to the user's preference list are presented to the user as selections in which the user is likely to be interested.

Abstract: Multiple entity control of access restrictions for media playback may include a first entity receiving a request for a media resource hosted by a third-party entity, the first entity authorizing a user to access the requested media resource and providing an indication to the third-party entity that the user is authorized to access the requested media resource, the third-party entity authenticating the user based upon a qualification specification, and delivering the requested media resource to the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for preserving matrix-surround information in encoded audio/video includes a receiver operative to receive matrix-surround encoded audio signals via a modem, separate the audio signals into a frequency spectrum having discrete audio frequencies, and determine a cutoff threshold used to encode the matrix-surround encoded audio signals. The method and apparatus further includes a decoder operative to decode a first set of the audio frequencies below the determined cutoff threshold using a first matrix-surround preserving audio encoding method and to decode a second set of audio frequencies above the cutoff threshold using a second non matrix-surround preserving audio encoding method.