Abstract: Various systems, devices and methods automatically identify advertisements or other portions of television or other media content prior to broadcast using automated content analysis. Information about identified content may be used for any number of different purposes, including advertisement identification; advertisement replacement; second screen browsing or augmentation of identified content; tracking of times or places that ads or other content are viewed; and many others.

Abstract: A virtual set-top box (vSTB) for executing a middleware component on an electronic device emulating hardware capabilities of the physical STB, including providing management components to create an STB execution environment to process streaming video media content received over a connection for presenting the content on a display of the electronic device.

Abstract: A system and method are provided of minimizing network bandwidth used from an external network by client peers in a local network. The method can include the operation of organizing a plurality of clients each having media streamlets and a client parent in a structure within the local network. Mapping information propagates through the structure. The mapping information represents local streamlet locations as stored by the plurality of clients. Another operation is retrieving a local streamlet from a client identified in the mapping information as having the local streamlet for the requesting client.

Abstract: A computing device includes program instructions to select, based on indicia of interest for media content for each of a plurality of users, a first user and second user to engage in an interaction related to a media content item. The computing device further includes programming to select a topic related to the media content item for the interaction and initiate the interaction between the first and second user based on the topic.

Abstract: Systems and methods are operable to control operation of a portable media device based on machine readable information of a graphical artifact shown on a display concurrently with presentation of a video portion of a media content event. A portable media device, using a portable media device provisioned with an image capture device, captures at least one image that includes the display that is presenting the graphical artifact and the video portion of the media content event, identifies the graphical artifact in the captured at least one image, determines the machine readable data based on the identified graphical artifact, and operates the portable media device to perform at least one operation based on the determined machine readable data.

Abstract: Systems and methods of a media device are operable to perform a channel change operation. An exemplary embodiment receives a first data table from a data table server, wherein the first data table comprises first control information used to perform a channel change operation such that the media device reconfigures itself to change to a new channel from a currently presenting channel or to a new media content event from a currently presenting media content event. The exemplary embodiment later receives a second data table after initiation of the channel change operation, wherein the second data table is broadcast to the media device in one of a plurality of received broadcasting media content streams that has the new media content event, and wherein the second data table comprises second control information that corresponds to at least some of the first control information used to perform the channel change operation.

Abstract: Systems, devices and methods are provided to automatically identify advertisements or other portions of a broadcast television stream before the stream is distributed via a cable, DBS, IPTV or other medium. The television broadcast is received at the data processing system, and audio content of the television broadcast is analyzed to generate an audio fingerprint of a portion of the audio content. The identified audio fingerprint are compared to audio fingerprints stored in a database to thereby identify the portion of the television broadcast based on the generated audio fingerprint. By identifying the contents of an actual broadcast prior to redistribution of the broadcast, additional actions may be taken that are unique to the identified content.

Abstract: Video content is processed for delivery using an automated process that allows for convenient packaging of encrypted or digital rights management (DRM) protected content in a manner such that the packaged content can be efficiently stored in a content delivery network (CDN) or other content source for subsequent re-use by other media clients without re-packaging, and without excessive storage of unused content data.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices may generate speech files that reflect emotion of text-based content. An example process includes selecting a first text from a first source of text content and selecting a second text from a second source of text content. The first text and the second text are aggregated into an aggregated text, and the aggregated text includes a first emotion associated with content of the first text. The aggregated text also includes a second emotion associated with content of the second text. The aggregated text is converted into a speech stored in an audio file. The speech replicates human expression of the first emotion and of the second emotion.

Abstract: Systems, methods, machine-readable media, and media device are provided to facilitate seamless flow content splicing to dynamically insert particularized content items in television programming content. A plurality of particularized content items may be received and stored in a content store. First content that corresponds to television programming may be received and processed to detect a first set of color characteristics of video content. A subset of the particularized content items may be selected based on matching a second set of color characteristics of the subset of the particularized content items to the first set of color characteristics of the video content corresponding to the television programming. The first content may be output for display. Then, the subset of the particularized content items may be output for display in succession so that display of the subset of the particularized content items directly follows display of the first content.

Abstract: A virus scanning router may manages a local network, including routing network traffic between devices on the network and routing network traffic being sent to and from such devices via an external communication system. The virus scanning router remotely scans for viruses the files stored on one or more such devices on the network. The virus scanning router may be a device trusted by the other devices on local network to facilitate the virus scanning router reading and scanning one or more files stored on such devices for viruses. The virus scanning router also takes corrective actions such as isolating the infected device or isolating an affected network zone to which the remote device belongs.

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems, apparatus, and/or methods are described for restricting user devices from accessing a communication network. In one implementation, multiple user devices are assigned to a user profile. At least one access parameter is designated for the user profile. An access device monitors data usage, time usage, and content usage of each of the devices associated with the user profile. In some examples, the access device may consolidate the data usage and time usage of all of the devices. If one or more of the consolidated data usage, consolidated time usage, or content usage violates the access parameter of the user profile, the access device restricts at least one of the multiple user devices from accessing the communication network.

Abstract: Systems, methods and devices provide efficient bandwidth allocation on a satellite, mobile telephone or other data connection by allowing nodes to share bandwidth for commonly-requested data. A transmission center, uplink or other gateway suitably recognizes when content requests from multiple different nodes are simultaneously requesting delivery of the same content. When the same content is recognized, the gateway device allocates shared bandwidth on the data transmission link for the requested content that is accessible to both the first and second nodes.

Abstract: Method, systems, and computer-readable media are provided to facilitate content discovery based on augmented context. A first set of images of a graphical display may be acquired and analyzed to identify visual characteristics of an object represented. Attributes of the object may be identified. Specifications may be transmitted to the television receiver and/or a remote data source in order to pull matching information. A user-selectable interface element may be generated for presentation as an option to take an action relating to the object represented. A visual output of the interface element may be output as an overlay on the first set and/or a second set of images displayed by the computing device. A user selection responsive to the outputting of the visual output of the at interface element may be processed. A communication may be transmitted to the television receiver to cause the action responsive to the user selection.

Abstract: Messaging services for providing updates for multimedia content delivered over the Internet for a live event. In one embodiment, a messaging server provides real-time updates for multimedia content of a live event delivered over the Internet to multiple media players that request the multimedia content over the Internet. In one embodiment, the real-time updates indicate when the multimedia content is available for delivery over the Internet. In another embodiment, the real-time updates can be used to dynamically insert advertisement markers for advertisement breaks in the multimedia content.

Abstract: Media content presentation systems and methods are operable to control content presentation on a touch-sensitive display of a multi-media table that is communicatively coupled to a media device that is operable to access the media content. An exemplary embodiment receives, at the multi-media table from the media device, a media content event; presents the media content event on a portion of the touch-sensitive display of the multi-media table; detects a gesture-based touch movement made by a user on the touch-sensitive display; determines an intended user command based on the detected gesture-based touch movement; generates a media device command when the intended user command is configured to control presentation of the media content event; and communicates the generated media device command from the multi-media table to the media device, wherein the media device controls the media content event in accordance with the received media device command.

Abstract: An exemplary geographic playlist system includes a plurality of mobile devices with global positioning systems that provide geographic location information of the mobile device to a geographic location playlist device. The geographic location playlist device has a database of geographic playlist information that includes at least a unique identifier for each one of a plurality of media content events and at least one associated geographic location for each of the plurality of media content events. The geographic location playlist device determines a current geographic location of the mobile device, compares the geographic location of the mobile device with the geographic locations residing in the database, and generates user geographic playlist information that includes the identifier of media content events that has an associated geographic location that matches with the determined geographic location of the mobile device. A geographic playlist is then presented to the user of the mobile device.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices to stream media content are described. A user interface is presented to a user via a media device. When the media device has determined that an interaction with the user interface has occurred (e.g., the user has begun scrolling through a list, or has performed a keyword search), the media device requests, from a media content source, a subset of first media content based on the interaction with the user interface and prior to selection of the first media content via the user interface. The subset of first media content is then displayed in response to the selection of the first media content.

Abstract: A computing device is programmed to receive, first and second user indicia of interest for media content. The computing device is further programmed to receive first user data related to a media content item. Based at least in part on the first and second user indicia of interest and the first user data, the computing device is further programmed to generate output that the first user recommend the media content item to the second user.

Abstract: Messaging services for providing updates for multimedia content delivered over the Internet for a live event. In one embodiment, a messaging server provides real-time updates for multimedia content of a live event delivered over the Internet to multiple media players that request the multimedia content over the Internet. In one embodiment, the real-time updates indicate when the multimedia content is available for delivery over the Internet. In another embodiment, the real-time updates can be used to dynamically insert advertisement markers for advertisement breaks in the multimedia content.