Abstract: A method for remote administration of at least one smart card via a communication network is described. The method includes the steps of associating the at least one smart card with a remote administrator by storing administrator identification information of the remote administrator in the at least one smart card, inserting the at least one smart card in at least one user unit, employing the administrator identification information stored in the at least one smart card to identify the remote administrator associated with the at least one smart card, and establishing communication between the at least one smart card and the remote administrator via the communication network in accordance with the administrator identification information. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Abstract: A method for retrieving metadata for use in a content guide is disclosed. The method includes: crawling one or more crawlable data sources; storing metadata extracted from the one or more crawlable data sources in an indexed cache; receiving a search request from a client according to search criteria, the search request requesting metadata for use in the content guide; searching a subset of the indexed cache according to the search criteria; extracting metadata from the indexed cache as results of the searching; identifying relevant metadata in the results, the relevant metadata including metadata suitable for use by the client in the content guide; and transmitting the relevant metadata to the client for use in the content guide.

Abstract: A system and method of personalizing organization of a product set is described, the method including establishing a first matrix populated by ratings associated with a first plurality of v viewers in a content distribution system and a second plurality of p products each of which is a content item, the first matrix having dimensions v and p, each entry in the first matrix including either an empty entry or a rating indicating viewer interest in a content item, bi-clustering the first matrix, thereby producing a second matrix, the second matrix including a matrix of ratings including a grouping of the viewers according to similarity of products chosen by the viewers and a grouping of the products according to similarity of viewers who viewed the products, associating viewers into groups of viewers based on the viewer grouping in the second matrix, selecting refinement parameters of products, the refinement parameters including a sub-set of a set of metadata parameters associated with the products, for each gr

Abstract: A transport stream migration method is described. The transport stream migration method includes providing a live server (17A) and a target server (19), the live server (17A) receiving a transport stream, designating exactly one of the live server (17A) and the target server (19) as a controlling server, the controlling server receiving a migration instruction, the target server (19) receiving a copy of the transport stream, negotiating a synchronization point by the live server (17A) and the target server (19), and migrating output of the transport stream from the live server (17A) to the target server (19) with respect to a time determined from the synchronization point negotiated. Related apparatus and systems are also described.

Abstract: This invention discloses a method for displaying advertisements transmitted to a user unit, the method includes receiving, at the user unit, at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed and only if the delay tag allows delaying display of the at least one advertisement, storing the at least one advertisement at the user unit, retrieving the at least one advertisement and displaying the at least one advertisement. A billing system for reporting a commercial broadcast to a multiplicity of users is also disclosed.

Abstract: In a system comprising a first access point serving a first wireless network; and a neighbouring access point serving a neighbouring wireless network having coverage overlapping with the first wireless network, where the first access point and the neighbouring access point transmit beacon messages at beacon times that are temporally separated by predetermined beacon periods, a method of operating the system is disclosed, the method comprising: the first access point sending a first offer to the neighbouring access point, the first offer offering a period of silent time to the neighbouring access point during which period of silent time the first access point silences the first wireless network, the period of silent time being independent of the beacon times and the beacon periods.

Abstract: A system and method for providing content to users including a multicast sub-system providing content to multiple users and a unicast sub-system providing content to individual users. The multicast sub-system being operative to push to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to the community and the unicast sub-system being operative to provide on demand to a user, content which has not been previously pushed to the user.

Abstract: A content sharing system, for implementation in a requesting peer, to receive at least a part of a chunk from a serving peer, the chunk being part of a content item, the requesting peer being operationally connected to a plurality of peers including the serving peer via a communications network, the content item being media content originally broadcast in a media stream by a Headend to at least some of the peers, the system including a metadata module to receive chunk metadata identifying the location of the chunk based on an identifier in the media stream originally broadcast by the Headend, a content transfer module to request the at least part of the chunk from the serving peer based on the chunk metadata, and receive the at least part of the chunk from the serving peer. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Abstract: A method for processing video content is disclosed. The method comprises: receiving, in a hardware device connected in operation to a computer, encrypted, encoded video content; decrypting the encrypted, encoded video content to form decrypted, encoded video content; decoding a first portion of the decrypted, encoded video content to form a decrypted, decoded video content portion; re-encrypting the decrypted, decoded video content portion to form a re-encrypted, decoded video content portion; re-encrypting a second portion of the decrypted, encoded video content to form a re-encrypted, encoded video content portion; and outputting the re-encrypted, decoded video content portion and the re-encrypted, encoded video content portion to the computer.

Abstract: A method for preventing rendering of content at overlapping time periods on more rendering devices than permitted by a license associated with the content is disclosed.

Abstract: A system for displaying electronic program guide information about a plurality of video items on a screen, the system including a display module to display a plurality of pages layering into the screen, each of the pages including a plurality of graphical panels associated with the video items, and a user input module to receive a user input to turn at least one of the pages such that the at least one page is peeled away from other ones of the pages in order to bring the graphical panels of the at least one page in or out of view, wherein the display module is operative to show the turning of the at least one page bringing the at least one page in or out of view. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Abstract: A universal remote control (100) is described, the universal remote control (100) including a configuration port (155) operative to receive a download of configuration information sent to a device (110), the configuration information defining a communication protocol for sending control information from the universal remote control (100) to the device (110), and a processor (148) operative to determine if the configuration has previously been downloaded to the universal remote control (100) and in response to a negative result of the determining configuration request a download of the configuration information from the device (110) to the universal remote control (100), and configure the universal remote control (100) in accordance with the received configuration information thereby configuring the universal remote control (100) to send control information to the device (110). Related methods and apparatus are also described.

Abstract: A method for processing a data stream including receiving a transport stream (TS), storing at least a portion of the TS, the at least a portion of the TS having a beginning and including a plurality of TS packets, determining, from among the plurality of TS packets, at least one TS packet including a candidate access point, storing in an index store a byte offset of the candidate access point; and storing in the index store a plurality of indications of byte offset, each byte offset being associated with an arrival time of a received TS packet.

Abstract: A method of controlling revelation of one or more metadata items is disclosed. Each of the one or more metadata items is associated with one or more parts of an audio-visual data stream (101). The method comprises: for a given one or more parts (103, 105) of the audio-visual data stream (101), revealing one or more metadata items (113, 115, 117) associated with the given one or more parts (103, 105) of the audio-visual data stream (101) only after the given one or more parts (103, 105) of the audio-visual data stream (101) have been accessed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for managing, implementing and using interactive applications and content that are digitally recorded and viewed in real-time and/or a time-shifted moded are provided. The interactive applications may be associated with television programs or may be unrelated thereto, and may be transmitted together with television programs or separately therefrom. Interactive applications that are employed in a time-shifted mode can be matched to current conditions and interactive content may be updated to include current data. Users may view and manipulate highlights of television programs and receive alerts of occurrence of real-time events during viewing of recorded material. Additional manipulations of interactive applications and content are also enabled. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Abstract: A method and system for timecode generation including: receiving an encryption key and an implemented encryption method, for each one of a plurality of frames, receiving a timecode and an associated presentation time stamp (PTS) associated with the one frame, for each one of the plurality of frames, encrypting the timecode associated with the one frame using the encryption key and the implemented encryption method, thereby producing a plurality of encrypted timecodes, and at a time associated with the associated PTS associated with the one frame, outputting a packetized elementary stream (PES) including the plurality of encrypted timecodes. Related systems and methods are also described.

Abstract: A method for controlling access to content, the method comprising: receiving content in an area in which access to the content is blacked out, the content corresponding to a blacked out event; preventing display of the content at the time of receipt; recording the received content; and allowing access to the recorded content after a time criterion is met, wherein the time criterion comprises an elapse of a predetermined period of time measured from a specified one of the following: commencement of the blacked out event and termination of the blacked out event.

Abstract: A method and system for rating programs, the method including, receiving a sample of viewing logs from a plurality of set top boxes (STBs), determining, from the sample of viewing logs, at least groups of viewers sharing similar interests, and groups of programs sharing similar audience, computing time dynamics of rating distribution for the groups of viewers and the groups of programs, and incorporating at least one of the following into broadcast metadata the time dynamics of rating distributions of the groups of viewers for each of the groups of programs, rating distributions of the groups of viewers for each of the groups of programs marginalized by time, rating distributions of the groups of viewers for each program marginalized by time, relative sizes of each group of viewers, and a mapping of each program to groups of programs, thereby making the broadcast metadata available to the plurality of STBs for use in computing ratings. Related systems and methods are described.

Abstract: A system and a method for providing variable security mechanisms for securing digital content, in which a single security mechanism is not used for all content. Instead, at least one characteristic or feature of the security mechanism is varied between units, instances or categories of content. Therefore, even if unauthorized access is gained to a single unit of content, the overall integrity and security of the system for content distribution is not compromised. Preferably, security is provided though a general mechanism, which is then varied in order to provide variable, dissimilar security schemes for different types of content. By “type of content”, it is meant any of a single unit of content, a single instance of content or a single category of content. For example, for a category of content, the content may be characterized according to the identity of the content itself, such as the title of a movie for example, and/or according to the owner of a particular copy of the content.

Abstract: A method for securing encryption keys is described, the method including providing a first device and a second device, the first device including first secure hardware and first insecure hardware, and the second device including second secure hardware and second insecure hardware, generating in the first secure hardware at least two period keys, the at least two period keys stored in the first secure hardware, generating in the first secure hardware a plurality of session keys, the session keys being stored in either the first secure hardware or the first insecure hardware, encrypting at least one of the plurality of session keys generated in the first device according to a first of the two period keys included in the first secure hardware, encrypting at least one of the plurality of session keys generated in the first device according to a second of the two period keys included in the first secure hardware, generating in the second secure hardware at least two period keys, the at least two period keys stored