Abstract: Estimating a number of unique ad impressions in a streaming video system includes defining parameters of an ad campaign and a desired number of ad impressions for the campaign. A computer system determines a discrete probability distribution of video advertising segments per unit time per client device in a population of video advertising segments streamed to a plurality of client devices, based on historical data. The system randomly samples the probability distribution without replacement, based on the defined number of desired ad impressions. An enhanced binary search algorithm may be used for the sampling. Each sample of the probability distribution identifies a number of ads streamed to a different client device in the probability distribution. The system determines, based on the sampling, a number of unique client devices included the samples, thus obtaining an estimate of unique ad impressions for the defined ad campaign.

Abstract: Estimating ad inventory in an online video streaming system accurately handles interdependencies among targeted attributes. The estimating includes determining a probability distribution of samples taken from electronic data records of ad impressions in an interactive online video streaming service, among a population comprising each different combination of targeted attributes recorded for each of the samples. In addition, the estimating may include populating an electronic data structure with data relating the each different combination of the targeted attributes to corresponding forecasted number of available impressions in a defined time period, based on the probability distribution and a forecasted total number of available impressions in the time period.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes analyzing characteristics of a media program to label portions of the media program with a plurality of labels. Portions of the media program that are determined to be substantially similar are labeled with a same label. The method then analyzes different partitionings of a sequence of the labels to determine partitions for the media program based on a weighting function. A plurality of partitions of the media program are outputted based on comparing the different partitionings of the sequence of labels using the weighting function. The plurality of partitions partition the media program into a plurality of portions and provide points for insertion of information for a service in the media program.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture for generating a media program database having a plurality of media programs is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method is comprises the steps of receiving first media program metadata from a first source, searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source, determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program, merging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program, and storing the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata in the media program database.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for providing supplemental video content for third party websites is disclosed. In one embodiment, coded instructions are transmitted from a content enhancement server to a host server, for incorporation into the webpage source code. The host server is controlled by a first entity and the content enhancement server is controlled by a second entity commercially distinct from the first entity. Keywords are obtained by executing of the coded instructions in the webpage received in the client computer from the host server to send the address of the requested webpage to the content enhancement server, which generates supplemental substantive video content information for transmission to the client.

Abstract: A method determines user preference information for a user for a number of advertisements in a set of advertising blocks and a temporal distribution of the advertising blocks. When each advertising block in the set of advertising blocks occurs according to the temporal distribution during sending of a video program, the method determines a number of advertisements in the advertising block based on the user preference information, determines advertisements for the advertising block equal to the number of advertisements, and sends the determined advertisements during the advertising block.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes storing a caption file including a set of visual representations of captions for a media program and a video file including video information for the media program. A server receives a request for the media program where the request is associated with a user device. The method determines the caption file and the video file for the media program based on the request. The server then sends visual representations of the captions from the caption file out of band with video information from the video file over a network to the user device. The user device is configured to overlay a visual representation of a caption over a portion of the video information.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives a video at a partial encoder. The partial encoder determines characteristics of the video by performing a portion of an encoding process of the video. The method analyzes the characteristics of the video to determine splice points in the video to splice the video into multiple parts. The video is spliced into a plurality of parts based on the splice points and the plurality of parts are sent to a plurality of encoders. The plurality of encoders encode the plurality of parts substantially in parallel, the encoded plurality of parts are combined to form an encoded version of the video, and the partial encoder does not encode any of the encoded plurality of parts in the encoded version of the video.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method determines a job to dispatch for transcoding a source file. The source file is stored on a node in a distributed file system in which a plurality of nodes are storing a plurality of source files. The method then determines location information for the source file in the distributed file system where the location information identifies the node in which the source file is stored. Also, a node in the plurality of nodes is determined in which to dispatch the source file based on the location information for the source file. Then, the job is dispatched to the determined node such that transcoding of the source file is performed on the determined node.

Abstract: A method stores entries including user activity information for users using computing devices and unique identifiers for computing devices as inventory information for the users. For an entry, a unique identifier for a computing device is determined based on network activity for the computing device being connected to a network and user activity information for the network activity includes user identification information determined from the computing device while the computing device is connected to the network. The method then determines multiple entries for the user including user identification information and a set of unique identifiers for a set of computing devices. The multiple entries for the user are compared against criteria to determine if the user should be assigned to a computing device based on the user activity of the user. The user is assigned to the computing device using the unique identifier if the comparison meets a threshold.

Abstract: Effectiveness of video content is predicted using an automated or semi-automated analysis process operating on a computer. Video content is analyzed using image and audio data processing to assign a collection of attributes to a video ad. The collection of attributes is correlated to a historical effectiveness (e.g., click-thru rate) of past video ads in the same or similar attribute space to obtain predicted ad effectiveness. Differences between the collection of attributes and historical attribute spaces of greater effectiveness may also be determined and reported in the form of suggestions for improving the effectiveness of the ad.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture for providing list of a plurality of media programs responsive to a user search query is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of accepting an general search query from a user computer, identifying a synonym for the general search query, identifying a category for the general search query according to the identified synonym, performing a categorical search of a media program database using the identified synonym and the identified category to obtain a search result, and transmitting the search result to the user computer for presentation on a display communicatively coupled to the user computer.

Abstract: A method for annotating general objects contained in video content is provided. The method sends video data to a client device and receives a first annotation from the client device defining a boundary around a portion of a first frame of the video data. Then, the first annotation is tracked through multiple frames of the video content. Other annotations determined to be associated with annotation that match the first annotation within a threshold are determined where the other annotations are received from other client devices and located in the first frame or other frames from the first frame. The method combines the other annotations and the first annotation into an object track and associates a tag with the object track. The tag is input by at least one of the client devices.

Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes retrieving a playlist for a video stream of video content for a client. The playlist is for portions of video content for the video stream. A traffic shaping service determines a set of rules for the playlist for a set of portions in the plurality of portions where each rule is associated with a network condition. For each rule, the method performs: dynamically allocating a port and setting a network condition to apply to the port according to the rule. During playback of the video content, the traffic shaping service receives a request for a portion from the client and determines a port associated with the request for the portion. The method then sends a traffic shaped portion through the determined port where the network condition is applied to the traffic shaped portion based on the network condition being set on the port.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives a request for a video stream of video content from a client. A playlist for the video stream is retrieved. The playlist is for a plurality of portions of video content. A traffic shaping service adjusts the playlist for a set of portions in the plurality of portions according to a set of rules where adjusting allows the service to perform traffic shaping for the set of portions. The method then sends the adjusted playlist to the client. During playback of the video content at the client, the traffic shaping service receives a request for a portion in the set of portions from the client using the adjusted playlist. The method determines a rule to apply to the portion where the rule is associated with a network condition and simulates the network condition for the portion to perform the traffic shaping service.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes storing a caption file including a set of visual representations of captions for a media program and a video file including video information for the media program. A server receives a request for the media program where the request is associated with a user device. The method determines the caption file and the video file for the media program based on the request. The server then sends visual representations of the captions from the caption file out of band with video information from the video file over a network to the user device. The user device is configured to overlay a visual representation of a caption over a portion of the video information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recommending a media program of a set of media programs to a user of a set of users is disclosed. The method and apparatus computes a measure wij of the implied similarity of a first media program (i) and a second media program (j) that corrects for the popularity of the media programs, thus resulting in a more accurate indication of the relatedness of the media programs.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method obtains metadata associated with a media program. The method receives user entered metadata from a first user for an object in a frame of the media program and compares the user entered metadata from the first user with user entered metadata from second users for the object. Then, the method verifies that the user entered metadata from the first user and the second users should be associated as augmenting metadata for the object in the media program based on the comparison. Upon verifying, the method performs: determining metadata storage including metadata for one or more other objects in the media program and storing the user entered metadata for the object in the media program in the metadata storage for the media program as the augmenting metadata.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, articles of manufacture, and memory structures for selective delivery of content based on geolocation are disclosed.