Abstract: A content delivery system headend is provided. The headend includes a Switched Digital Video (SDV) manager for coordinating SDV sessions requested by subscribers over an access network. The headend also includes an input unit such as a server for receiving content to be broadcast during the SDV sessions. Additionally, the headend includes a subscriber control unit for comparing channel change requests received by the SDV manager from subscribers to subscriber-established rules. Tuning information for accessing programming specified in the channel change requests is only supplied if the channel change requests do not conform to any of the subscriber-established rules for blocking the programming.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for maintaining inventory levels of identity data to be provisioned in electronic devices. The method includes monitoring over a communications network inventory levels of identity data records stored on a plurality of identity data personalization servers that each provision electronic devices with an identity data record. Additionally, if the inventory level on at least one of the identity data personalization servers falls below a minimum specified level, a refill request is sent to an identity data management authority requesting that additional identity data records be uploaded to the identity data personalization server.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for encoding and decoding transform unit coefficients is disclosed. In one embodiment, the encoding of the transform unit coefficients is performed by determining if all of the coefficients of a portion of the transform unit disposed on a portion of a scan pattern are zero, setting a flag associated with the portion of the transform unit to a first value if at least one of the coefficients of the portion of the transform unit coefficients disposed on the portion of the scan pattern are non-zero, and setting the flag associated with the portion of the transform unit coefficients to a second value if all of the coefficients of the portion of the transform unit coefficients disposed in the portion of the scan pattern are zero.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for encoding and decoding transform unit coefficients is disclosed. In one embodiment, the encoding of the transform unit coefficients is performed by determining a last significant subblock, wherein the last significant subblock is the last subblock along a subblock processing scan pattern that has at least one non-zero coefficient, encoding a position of the determined last significant subblock, encoding a first value for each subblock preceding the last significant subblock in the subblock processing scan pattern having at least one non-zero coefficient, and encoding the coefficients of the last significant subblock and the coefficients of the subblocks preceding the last significant subblock having the first encoded value.

Abstract: In embodiments of algorithmic media stream selection, a media routing device (120) receives media content (106) from a content distributor (202) and streams the media content to a media playback device (122). The media routing device can receive a request for a media content stream (110) from the media playback device, and select a substitute media content stream (112) for distribution to the media playback device based on one or more variable parameters. The media routing device then forwards the request to the content distributor for the substitute media content stream, and receives the substitute media content stream from the content distributor. The media routing device is implemented to then identify the substitute media content stream as the requested media content stream, and communicate the substitute media content stream to the media playback device for playback as the requested media content stream.

Abstract: A method and computing system for seamlessly inserting a local audio clip into a primary audio stream. The method sends the primary audio stream to an audio output port, and determines main parameters for the primary audio stream. The method receives a request to insert an encoded local audio clip, locates an insertion point in the primary audio stream that coincides with an end of a frame boundary, and identifies a best matching encoded local audio clip for the main parameters. The method receives and sends the best matching encoded local audio clip to the audio output port, stores the primary audio stream in a buffer while sending the best matching encoded local audio clip, and resumes the sending of the primary audio stream when the sending of the best matching encoded local audio clip is complete.

Abstract: A detector for determining an audio data bit rate of a pre-compressed audio elementary stream (AES), in which the pre-compressed AES includes a plurality of preamble length fields is provided. The detector includes an analyzer module configured to determine one or more candidate audio data bit rates of the AES from the plurality of preamble length fields, a detector module configured to determine whether one or more of the candidate audio data bit rates are correct, and a selector module configured to select one of the one or more candidate audio data bit rates determined to be correct as the audio data bit rate of the pre-compressed AES.

Abstract: A device is provided for use with a dither tone signal and an information signal. The device includes a laser diode, an electro-optic modulator, a first filter and a second filter. The laser diode can output a first light signal, whereas the electro-optic modulator can transmit a second light signal. The first filter can generate a first filtered signal based on the information signal. The second filter can generate a second filtered signal based on the dither tone signal. The first light signal is based on the dither tone signal, the information signal and the first filtered signal. The second light signal is based on the first light signal, the information signal, the dither tone signal and the second filtered signal. The filtered signals reduce or cancel the undesired leaked/interfering signals.

Abstract: A system (10), method (90) and apparatus (14) are provided for provisioning a multicast stream, such as an IP multicast stream, in a network. The system includes a first tier (12), such as a national backbone, with a first Multicast Address Discovery (MCAD) directory (34), and at least one second tier having a headend, such as a regional headend (14), with a second MCAD directory (36, 38). The system (10) includes a tiered MCAD directory network that allows the assignment of multicast addresses to multicast streams received from an upper tier MCAD directory. The tiered MCAD directory structure allows for requesting and storing stream descriptors and delivering stream descriptors on-demand to MCAD-enabled devices throughout the system. The system (10) also allows for stream provisioning maintenance and validation at lower tier headends via MCAD-enabled device queries or re-queries of upper tier MCAD directories.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of video encoding is disclosed, the method comprising: encoding a position of a last non-zero coefficient within a video block having a first width, wherein the position of the last non-zero coefficient is provided as a string of binary values, wherein each binary value in said string corresponds to a bin index value; and determining a context index value for each bin index value, wherein the context index value for each bin index value is configured to be shared across two or more blocks of different widths.

Abstract: A system is provided for creating binary codewords for transform coefficients used for relating transform units (TUs) divided into coding units (CUs) in a High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) system. The system provides binarization of the codewords and removes unnecessary operations to reduce system complexity and increase compression performance. The system generates transform coefficients that relate the TUs and begins by providing a parameter variable (cRiceParam) set to an initial value of zero. Significant transform coefficients are converted into binary codewords based on the current value of the parameter variable, and the parameter variable is then updated with a new current value after each transform coefficient has been converted. Updating can be provided with reference to table values or the values can be provided from combination logic.

Abstract: In embodiments of an audio control module (318), audio data (310) is received from an audio data source (314) for output to an audio rendering device (316). An initialization input (326) can be received from a wireless audio headset (320) and, responsive to receiving the initialization input, the audio data (328) is communicated to the audio headset. The audio that would be generated from the audio data (322) at the audio rendering device (316) is also limited, such as by replacing the audio data (322) with null audio data, clearing audio data packets from the audio data (322), or by asserting a mute signal (336) to the audio rendering device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for use in encoding and decoding a group of pictures in a video stream is provided. The method identifies a current picture in the group of pictures for encoding or decoding and determines a slice type for the current picture. When the slice type for the current picture is not equal to an I-type, the method identifies a collocated reference picture in the group of pictures using a syntax to determine if a collocated reference picture index should be accessed to identify the collocated reference picture and uses the collocated reference picture to encode or decode the current picture.

Abstract: A caption formatting method and computing system that receives an input video stream that includes a sequence of input transport stream packets. The method locates user data in the sequence of input transport stream packets, where the user data includes input caption data compliant with an input caption data format. The method extracts EIA-608 captions and EIA-708 captions from the input caption data, and formats the EIA-608 captions as caption data compliant with SCTE-20 format. The method creates a sequence of output transport stream packets based on the sequence of input transport stream packets, where the sequence of output transport stream packets include the caption data compliant with SCTE-20 format and the input caption data. The method sends an output video stream from the computing device, where the output video stream includes the sequence of output transport stream packets.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for negotiating a media format to be used by a client device to access a media object. The method includes receiving data over a communications network from a client device. The data specifies at least one media format in which the client device is able to render the media object. Based on the data received from the client device, one or more media formats is determined in which the media object is available so that the media object is renderable by the client device. The media object is delivered to the client device over the communications network in at least one of the one or more media formats.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for encoding video data is provided that includes receiving an array of transform coefficients corresponding to a luma component or a chroma component of the video data. The method further includes encoding a significance map for the array, where the encoding includes selecting, using a shared context derivation process that applies to both the luma component and the chroma component, context models for encoding significance values in the significance map.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for displaying data associated with a first application and data associated with a second application on a portable computing are disclosed. Data from physical and virtual sensors is captured and used to determine a context vector. The context vector may provide information about portable computing device usage. Application modes associated with the context vector by the first application and by the second application are identified in addition to a container mode associated with the context vector by a display container. In one embodiment, the display container is a virtual display space used to identify and describe data for display on a display device. A display configuration is determined form the application modes associated with the context vector and the container mode associated with the context vector and used to display data on a display device.

Abstract: Video, including a sequence of original pictures, is encoded using eye tracking maps. The original pictures are compressed. Perceptual representations, including the eye tracking maps, are generated from the original pictures and from the compressed original pictures. The perceptual representations generated from the original pictures and from the compressed original pictures are compared to determine video quality metrics. The video quality metrics may be used to optimize the encoding of the video and to generate metadata which may be used for transcoding or monitoring.

Abstract: A set top terminal is provided that includes a receiver having at least one tuner for receiving programming content over a content delivery system and a processor operatively associated with the receiver. The set top terminal also includes a switched digital video (SDV) application module operatively associated with the processor. The SDV application module is configured to perform an autodiscovery process by tuning to prescribed autodiscovery frequencies received by the tuner while the SDV application module is being initialized.