Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for use in providing updating content to be played back in cooperation with a portable processor readable medium. Some of these methods receive, over a network and from a remote source, updated content to be accessed in association with a processor readable portable storage medium; receive, over the network from the remote source, in association with the received updated content a designation that the updated content is to be associated with a first placeholder title as defined in an index table being implemented in association with playback in association with the portable storage medium; and store the updated content, on a separate processor readable storage medium that is different than the portable storage medium, such that the updated content is associated with the first placeholder title and accessible in association with the first placeholder title as dictated by the index table.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems for use in providing supplemental content to be played back with a portable storage medium. Some embodiments retrieve supplemental content associated with a portable storage medium distributed to be played back by a playback device; access a predefined clip template; process the supplemental content in accordance with the predefined clip template; and generate a plurality of clips of supplemental content in accordance with the predefined clip template, such that the plurality of clips of supplemental content have a playback length that is a fraction of a playback length of the supplemental content.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide methods of playing back multimedia content relative to a portable storage medium to detect, at a playback device, an initial access to a portable storage medium; request pre-roll content corresponding to content recorded on the portable storage medium; and disguise the requesting of the pre-roll content and receiving of the pre-roll content such that a user of the playback device does not experience a delay in playback of content while the pre-roll content is being received, wherein the disguising comprises: playing back disguise content, locally accessible by the playback device, while requesting and receiving the pre-roll content at the playback device; and halting playback of the disguise content and initiating playback of the pre-roll content received from the remote source such that the user of the playback device does not perceive a delay associated with obtaining the pre-roll content from the remote source.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide methods of playing back multimedia content relative to a portable storage medium to detect, at a playback device, an initial access to a portable storage medium; request pre-roll content corresponding to content recorded on the portable storage medium; and disguise the requesting of the pre-roll content and receiving of the pre-roll content such that a user of the playback device does not experience a delay in playback of content while the pre-roll content is being received, wherein the disguising comprises: playing back disguise content, locally accessible by the playback device, while requesting and receiving the pre-roll content at the playback device; and halting playback of the disguise content and initiating playback of the pre-roll content received from the remote source such that the user of the playback device does not perceive a delay associated with obtaining the pre-roll content from the remote source.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems to playback and customize the playback of content relative to the portable storage medium. Some of these methods identify content to be rendered, through a playback device, in association with a first portable storage medium; identify one or more customizable display parameters to be applied in displaying the identified content; receive a first definition, following the identification of the customizable display parameters, for at least a first customizable display parameter of the one or more customizable display parameters; and cause the first definition for the first customizable display parameter to be stored on the playback device in association with the first customizable display parameter such that the first definition is to be applied by the playback device in rendering the content relative to the first customizable display parameter.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems to playback and customize the playback of content relative to the portable storage medium. Some of these methods identify content to be rendered, through a playback device, in association with a first portable storage medium; identify one or more customizable display parameters to be applied in displaying the identified content; receive a first definition, following the identification of the customizable display parameters, for at least a first customizable display parameter of the one or more customizable display parameters; and cause the first definition for the first customizable display parameter to be stored on the playback device in association with the first customizable display parameter such that the first definition is to be applied by the playback device in rendering the content relative to the first customizable display parameter.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide systems and/or methods of managing content in providing a playback experience associated with a portable storage medium by detecting access to a first portable storage medium with multimedia content recorded on the first portable storage medium; evaluating content on the first portable storage medium; evaluating local memory of the multimedia playback device; determining, in response to the evaluation of the content on the first portable storage medium and the evaluation of the local memory, whether memory on the local memory needs to be freed up in implementing playback of multimedia content in association with the first portable storage medium; and moving one or more contents stored on the local memory of the multimedia playback device to a virtual storage accessible by the multimedia playback device over a distributed network in response to determining that memory on the local memory needs to be freed up.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide methods of playing back multimedia content relative to a portable storage medium to detect, at a playback device, an initial access to a portable storage medium; request pre-roll content corresponding to content recorded on the portable storage medium; and disguise the requesting of the pre-roll content and receiving of the pre-roll content such that a user of the playback device does not experience a delay in playback of content while the pre-roll content is being received, wherein the disguising comprises: playing back disguise content, locally accessible by the playback device, while requesting and receiving the pre-roll content at the playback device; and halting playback of the disguise content and initiating playback of the pre-roll content received from the remote source such that the user of the playback device does not perceive a delay associated with obtaining the pre-roll content from the remote source.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems to playback and customize the playback of content relative to the portable storage medium. Some of these methods identify content to be rendered, through a playback device, in association with a first portable storage medium; identify one or more customizable display parameters to be applied in displaying the identified content; receive a first definition, following the identification of the customizable display parameters, for at least a first customizable display parameter of the one or more customizable display parameters; and cause the first definition for the first customizable display parameter to be stored on the playback device in association with the first customizable display parameter such that the first definition is to be applied by the playback device in rendering the content relative to the first customizable display parameter.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems to playback and customize the playback of content relative to the portable storage medium. Some of these methods identify content to be rendered, through a playback device, in association with a first portable storage medium; identify one or more customizable display parameters to be applied in displaying the identified content; receive a first definition, following the identification of the customizable display parameters, for at least a first customizable display parameter of the one or more customizable display parameters; and cause the first definition for the first customizable display parameter to be stored on the playback device in association with the first customizable display parameter such that the first definition is to be applied by the playback device in rending the content relative to the first customizable display parameter.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content.

Abstract: The present embodiments methods and systems for use in providing supplemental content to be played back with a portable storage medium through a playback device that conforms to a fixed length content framework, by receive request for supplemental content from a playback device; identifying the supplemental content; retrieve supplemental content; accessing a predefined clip template defined prior to receiving the request; processing the supplemental content and generating a plurality of clips of supplemental content that have a playback length that is a fraction of a playback length of the supplemental content; and forward supplemental content clips to the requesting playback device.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems for use in providing supplemental content to be played back with a portable storage medium. Some embodiments retrieve supplemental content associated with a portable storage medium distributed to be played back by a playback device; access a predefined clip template; process the supplemental content in accordance with the predefined clip template; and generate a plurality of clips of supplemental content in accordance with the predefined clip template, such that the plurality of clips of supplemental content have a playback length that is a fraction of a playback length of the supplemental content.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for use in providing updating content to be played back in cooperation with a portable processor readable medium. Some of these methods receive, over a network and from a remote source, updated content to be accessed in association with a processor readable portable storage medium; receive, over the network from the remote source, in association with the received updated content a designation that the updated content is to be associated with a first placeholder title as defined in an index table being implemented in association with playback in association with the portable storage medium; and store the updated content, on a separate processor readable storage medium that is different than the portable storage medium, such that the updated content is associated with the first placeholder title and accessible in association with the first placeholder title as dictated by the index table.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems to playback and customize the playback of content relative to the portable storage medium. Some of these methods identify content to be rendered, through a playback device, in association with a first portable storage medium; identify one or more customizable display parameters to be applied in displaying the identified content; receive a first definition, following the identification of the customizable display parameters, for at least a first customizable display parameter of the one or more customizable display parameters; and cause the first definition for the first customizable display parameter to be stored on the playback device in association with the first customizable display parameter such that the first definition is to be applied by the playback device in rending the content relative to the first customizable display parameter.