Abstract: A viewer of an interactive video casting system can be presented with promotions having purchase offers or offers of credits toward future purchases. These promotions can be provided by correlating a program being viewed with user profile information and product information. If presented with the promotion while viewing a program, the viewer can buy products/services offered in the promotion, or defer the promotion for future viewing or as a credit. Credits toward a future purchase can be maintained in a storage area for the user and applied to a later purchase. Promotions can also be correlated to other interactive video casting tools or interfaces, such as the user's calendar, so that promotions relevant to calendar entries can be presented to the user.

Abstract: A system is described comprising: a first node coupled to a second node by a communications network, the first node and second node communicating digital and/or analog signals over the communications network; the first node comprising a power output selector module to apply a specified voltage to the communications network to power one or more devices communicatively coupled to the communications network; and the second node using the voltage to provide power to one or more electrical components.

Abstract: A method of displaying multimedia content on a display area of a broadband Internet-enabled television system includes providing a remote control to control contents being displayed on the display area. A television content is displayed on the display area. A first instruction transmitted by the remote control in response to activation of a first button is received. A first synthetic channel page is displayed in response to the first instruction. The first synthetic channel page includes a television content section and an Internet content section.

Abstract: A hybrid communicator/remote control includes an integrated display screen configured to display a contact list. Each contact in the contact list includes an address, such as a network address, for establishing two-way communication with the contact. Moreover, each contact in the contact list includes a visual identifier, such as a name, picture, or the like, that identifies the contact. A user may select a contact from the contact list, after which a communication channel is established between the hybrid communicator/remote control and a device used by the selected contact, such as a telephone, Internet-accessible telephone, or another hybrid communicator/remote control.

Abstract: A system and method to provide an interactive coupon channel via a video casting network. A viewer can tune to the coupon channel to search for coupons by keyword or category. The coupon channel can also be accessed through another channel, such as a shopping channel. Once a coupon is selected by the user, the coupon channel can send the coupon to another user/viewer, save, or print the coupon. The user may also directly redeem the coupon online with a merchant affiliated with the interactive television system. A notification feature can notify the user of an expiration date of the coupons. Also, coupons can be correlated with other television programming of otherwise presented via use of triggers embedded in the television programming.

Abstract: A plurality of video streams are simultaneously displayed on a terminal coupled to a network. The video streams are ranked according to a set of ranking criteria and displayed in accordance with the ranking. Highly ranked video streams may be displayed in prominent positions or emphasized in order to quickly draw the user's attention to the video streams.

Abstract: An aggregator is provided in connection with advertisement swapping. The aggregator can be implemented in an interactive television system so as to perform real-time aggregation of trigger information for advertisement swapping through cooperation with content providers or third-party entities. The aggregated information can then be made available to set top boxes and/or ancillary devices of subscribers. Advertisement swapping may be performed via use of the trigger information to perform channel switching to a channel that broadcasts substitute advertisements or via use of the trigger information to retrieve substitute advertisements from a storage unit. The advertisement swapping may be performed by devices of opted-in subscribers, or by devices at a broadcast center.

Abstract: A user can perform secure transactions via an interactive television ticker. While viewing an advertisement scrolling in the ticker, the user can select that advertisement to initiate an on-line transaction. That resulting transaction can be performed within the ticker. A visual indicator (such as an icon) can be displayed in the ticker to indicate to the viewer that the transaction is secure, so as to allow confidential information to be safely exchanged. Security can be provided by way of a security application integrated with software of the ticker or by way of another security component with which the ticker software communicates.

Abstract: An apparatus is described comprising: telephony circuitry electrically coupled to a telephone network, the telephony circuitry to transmit and receive telephone signals over the local telephone network; a first network controller electrically coupled to the telephone network, the network controller to transmit and receive digital data signals over the local telephone network; and a second network controller communicatively coupled to one or more external devices, wherein the second network controller provides access to the local telephone network to the one or more external devices via a first communication interface coupling the second network controller with the first network controller.

Abstract: An architecture and method are disclosed for concurrently processing multimedia data from several satellite transponders or satellite carriers. In one embodiment, a combination of a fast Fourier transform, a complex multiplication, and an inverse fast Fourier transform are performed on a group of transponders/carriers to filter the underlying multimedia content, to decimate the signals and to correct for gain and phase imbalances.

Abstract: A system is described comprising: an originating node having system resources to be utilized to deliver multimedia content and/or data to a plurality of multimedia devices; and a resource allocation module to allocate the system resources to each of the multimedia devices based on a detected state of each of the multimedia devices.

Abstract: A multimedia transfer apparatus is described comprising: a plurality of media readers; one or more encoder modules, configured to encode data read by the media readers in a specified encoding format; and a data communication interface configured to copy the encoded data to a media storage and playback apparatus. Also described is a computer-implemented method for transferring multimedia content comprising: reading first multimedia data from a first CD/DVD; encoding the first multimedia data to produce first encoded data in parallel with reading multimedia data from a second CD/DVD; encoding the second multimedia data to produce second encoded data; and transmitting the first and second encoded data to a multimedia storage and playback apparatus.

Abstract: A request to establish video communication with a recipient associated with multiple communication devices is received. The recipient is identified using information contained within the request. A set of communication devices associated with the recipient is determined. A first communication device with a highest probability of being accessible to the recipient is selected from the set. The video communication request is forwarded to the first selected communication device.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is disclosed including: receiving a broadcast signal containing a set of multiplexed multimedia channels; storing said multiplexed multimedia channels in a temporary storage buffer on a mass storage device; determining a point in said temporary storage buffer to begin demultiplexing and decoding a first channel responsive to a user request to view a particular program on said first channel in its entirety, said point indicating the start of said program on said first channel; and demultiplexing and decoding said first channel of said set of multiplexed multimedia channels from said point within said temporary storage buffer.

Abstract: A shopping ticker can be invoked when the viewer presses a BUY button on a remote control while a television program is being shown. The television program, which can be a commercial, may not necessarily have an interactive commerce opportunity originally associated with it. However, instead of ignoring a signal sent from the remote control when the BUY button is pressed, the signal is processed to invoke the shopping ticker. The shopping ticker can include advertisements, links to e-commerce opportunities (including merchant web sites), product information, or other information that may be potentially useful to help initiate a transaction with the viewer, including context-sensitive shopping information that is related to the subject matter of the television program. A commerce opportunity is thus created in a situation where there originally would not have been such an opportunity and where the viewer's remote control action would otherwise have been ignored.

Abstract: A method for properly rendering various types of graphical and video content is disclosed comprising: determining whether a display on which the content is to be displayed is a progressive or an interlaced display; for a progressive display, de-interlacing any interlaced source content, transforming any bitmapped source content to fit the progressive display's resolution and/or scaling factors, and geometrically rendering any source content in a geometric description format into a bitmap image to fit the progressive display's resolution and/or scaling factors; and for an interlaced display, if the interlaced source content is not provided at the interlaced display's resolution and/or scaling factors, de-interlacing the interlaced source content to produce de-interlaced source content, and transforming the de-interlaced source content to fit the interlaced display's resolution and/or scaling factors.

Abstract: Outgoing video communication requests are intercepted and screened by one or more unauthorized recipient lists, authorized recipient lists, caller-specific authorized/unauthorized recipient lists, and/or various combinations of these. The video communication requests may be blocked or forwarded to the recipient depending on whether the recipient is included or not included in one of the various lists.

Abstract: A failsafe configuration for alternative network telephony is disclosed. An indication as to whether an alternative network telephony call processing system is available to process calls from an associated piece of telephone equipment is received automatically and transparently to a user of the telephone equipment. Calls placed from the telephone equipment at a time when the alternative network telephony call processing system is available to process calls are processed via alternative network telephony. Calls placed from the telephone equipment at a time when the alternative network telephony call processing system is not available to process calls are processed via the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

Abstract: A line indicating the current time is displayed across at least a portion of an electronic program guide (EPG). The line is perpendicular to the time axis of the EPG and bisects at least one program element of the EPG into an elapsed portion and a remaining portion, each being proportional in size to the time periods represented thereby. The ratio of the elapsed time to the running time of the program is an indication of the completion status of the program. In certain implementations, the line bisects a plurality of elements of the EPG, allowing the user to immediately determine the completion status of a plurality of programs.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for storing uncompressed and compressed multimedia content on a storage device, the uncompressed content is stored in an interim buffer of the storage device. Compression of uncompressed content stored in the interim buffer is done as a background task, storing the compressed content in a long term buffer of the storage device, responsive to a user request to record the multimedia content. Automatically stream the uncompressed multimedia content remaining in the interim buffer directly to a rendering device once the compressed multimedia content stored in the long term buffer has been streamed to the rendering device.