Abstract: Use of watermarking in a media stream as a trigger for carrying out a fingerprint-related action, such as starting to generate fingerprints of the media stream, increasing a rate of generation of fingerprints of the media stream, starting to report fingerprints of the media stream, requesting fingerprints, or engaging in a fingerprint comparison. In an implementation, a media client that is processing the media stream could detect the watermark in the media stream and could responsively carry out or cause to be carried out a fingerprint-related action. Or an entity in a media-distribution path along which the media stream flows to a media client could detect the watermark in the media stream and could responsively carry out or cause to be carried out a fingerprint-related action. Further, the watermark could be inserted into the media stream in the first place based on transport-stream carried metadata, among other possibilities.

Abstract: A set of content items can be accessed by a community of users having a set of interests. A set of interest based clusters for the set of content items correspond to the set of interests. For a user, a recommendation system can determine a group of user interest clusters selected from the set of interest based clusters. A popularity score for each content item of the set of content items with respect to the community of users can be generated, and an interest based popularity score for a content item within the interest based cluster can be generated based on a rank of the content item based on the popularity score of the content item. Recommendation candidates for the user can be generated based on the interest based popularity score of the content item for each content item in the group of user interest clusters.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes identifying an upcoming content-modification opportunity on a channel, where the upcoming content-modification opportunity relates to a modifiable content-segment transmitted by a content-distribution system on the channel, and where the modifiable content-segment includes an overlay content portion and a non-overlay content portion. The method also includes responsive to identifying the upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel, identifying a content-presentation device tuned to the channel. The method also includes determining location data associated with the overlay content portion.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) determining an estimated number of replacement advertisement segment viewings remaining before an end date of a first advertising campaign; (ii) determining a number of impressions remaining for the first advertising campaign in order to reach a guaranteed total; (iii) determining, using the estimated number of replacement advertisement segment viewings and the number of impressions remaining, a first value of serving a first replacement advertising segment corresponding to the first advertising campaign to a content-presentation device; (iv) determining a second value of serving a second replacement advertisement segment corresponding to a second advertising campaign to the content presentation device; (v) selecting the first replacement advertisement segment rather than the second replacement advertisement segment based on the first value being greater than the second value; and (vi) causing the first replacement advertisement segment to be transmitted to the co

Abstract: Disclosed herein are various embodiments for providing an audio duplication and redirection system. An embodiment operates by determining that a media redirection hardware adapter is connected to a port of a host device. Audio content is intercepted from an audio source directed to the host device, wherein the received audio content comprises a first set of one or more audio channels. The received audio content is separated into a second set of two or more audio channels including both a first channel for a first speaker and a second channel for a second speaker. Positional audio for the speakers is determined from the received audio content. The positional audio is provided to the first speaker over the first channel and to the second speaker over the second channel.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method, and computer program product embodiments for adapting an automated speech recognition system to provide more accurate suggestions to voice queries involving media content including recently created or recently available content. An example computer-implemented method includes transcribing the voice query, identifying respective components of the query such as the media content being requested and the action to be performed, and generating fuzzy candidates that potentially match the media content based on phonetic representations of the identified components. Phonetic representations of domain specific candidates are stored in a domain entities index and is continuously updated with new entries so as to maintain the accuracy of the speech recognition of voice queries for recently created or recently available content.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for utilizing a content recommendation system powering a streaming media publisher channel to enhance an ad creative being shown to the user via awareness or performance campaigns. This method allows the platform to present the most relevant hyper-personalized in-channel content to the publisher platform users in endemic banners that run on the platform which then correspondingly helps drive user reach. An example embodiment operates by implementing personalized content banners stitching related data content representations that may act as a hook for channel users opening their streaming device, both active and lapsed, to enter back into the channel.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for modifying one or more parameters of a data streaming payload to add optimized display and/or audio settings as metadata. An example embodiment operates by training and operating one or more machine learning models to predict optimized picture and sound settings based on previous user prioritization of changes. Having the optimized display settings in advance allows adjustments to be made in advance of playback.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for reducing particles (e.g., dust, lint, or the like) inside electronic devices. An example embodiment operates by a media device including one or more memories and at least one processor each coupled to at least one of the one or more memories and configured to process media content. The media device further include one or more openings configured to pass air inside the media device and an air filter configured to filter the air passed inside the media device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, device, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for using radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled remote control for providing payment information for the media systems. An example embodiment operates by a computer-implemented method. The method includes receiving, by at least one computer processor of a media device, payment information from a remote control. The payment information is received at the remote control using an RFID reader module of the remote control. The method further includes promoting an authentication request and receiving an authentication response in response to the authentication request. The method further include transmitting the payment information to a server for further processing in response to the authentication response satisfying a condition.

Abstract: A method is described and includes obtaining a list of utterances comprising captions from an item of content; computing sentence transformer embeddings for each of the utterances; dividing the utterances into sentences and extracting a sentence embedding for each sentence; computing a semantic similarity between adjacent sentences; and merging the adjacent sentences into a block comprising a segment if the semantic similarity between the adjacent sentences is greater than a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for a voice control device including a microphone, a mute control, and a push-to-talk (PTT) control. An example embodiment operates by: entering a mute state from an always-listening state when the device receives a mute control signal; entering a PTT state from the mute state when the device is in the mute state and receives a first PTT control signal; activating the microphone when the device is in the PTT state; and entering the mute state from the PTT state when the device is in the PTT state and receives a second PTT control signal.

Abstract: A method for switching channels of communication between a host or media device and a peripheral device includes steps for detecting a trigger condition for performing a channel switch operation of a currently selected channel. The currently selected channel may be one of a plurality of channels that can be used by the media device to communicate with the peripheral device. For example, the host device may select a predefined channel (e.g., for a hard-coded channel selection) or a candidate channel (e.g., for a dynamic channel selection) from the plurality of channels. The host device may determine whether it is configured for performing a dynamic channel switch based on channel scores associated with channels in the plurality of channels.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for tailoring and censoring content based on audience detected. An example embodiment operates by detecting an audience within a vicinity of a media device based on identifying information received by the media device, determining a category of the audience with a user identification system based on the identifying information, identifying a content tailoring rule for the audience based on the category of the audience, retrieving a content to be played by the media device, and modifying the content based on the content tailoring rule and a category label of the content.

Abstract: Some embodiments include an apparatus, method, and computer program product for high precision device synchronization of electronic devices in a shared medium. Some embodiments include a first electronic device that utilizes a combination of synchronization techniques to synchronize with a second electronic device. The first electronic device receives a first signal from the second electronic device that includes network-based synchronization data and marker data, and performs network-based synchronization with the second electronic device at a first synchronization accuracy. The first electronic device receives a second signal, and uses the marker data and phase lock synchronization to detect a frequency change of the second signal received, as well as to determine a corresponding time marker. The first electronic device updates a clock of the first electronic device based at least on the corresponding time marker, the network-based synchronization data, and the marker data.

Abstract: Various embodiments for customizing a user interface based on user capabilities are described herein. An embodiment operates by determining a biometric of a user representing a characteristic of a finger size of the user based on an interaction performed by the user. It is determined that the biometric of the user indicates an ability of the user to navigate a user interface with one or more different features based on an ability of the user to interact with at least one existing feature of the user interface. Based on the determined biometric an identity of the user is determined. The determined identity of the user is verified by performing one or more verification actions subsequent to the determining the identity of the user. The user interface is customized, one or more different features corresponding to the finger size of the user are displayed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for synchronizing playback of an audio and/or video content. An embodiment operates by collectively selecting, by a first device in concert with a second device of a plurality of devices in a computer network session, and in accordance with a predetermined synchronization list comprising a first and second synchronization mechanism, the first synchronization mechanism over the second synchronization mechanism such that the first synchronization mechanism is more precise than the second synchronization mechanism. The first and second synchronization mechanisms are configured to provide a synchronized playback of the at least one of the audio content and the video content.

Abstract: A method and system for use of obfuscation coding. An example method includes a computing system receiving an image that depicts a human face. The method then includes the computing system generating a modified image based on the received image, with the generating of the modified image involving inserting into the received image an obfuscation marker that (i) obfuscates the human face in a manner that prevents a person observing the modified image from identifying the human face and (ii) includes predefined symbology that is interpretable by a machine to identify the obfuscated human face. Further, the method includes using the predefined symbology in the modified image as a basis to take action based on an identity of the human face.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for determining an optimal spot to insert supplemental content into a media stream to maximize the consumption of the supplemental content by users. An example embodiment operates by performing automated content recognition (ACR) on the media stream, thereby determining scene changes in the media stream. The embodiment identifies a plurality of potential supplemental content spots in the media stream based on the determined scene changes. The embodiment then performs a multivariate test involving test supplemental content over a portion of the potential supplemental content spots to a plurality of media devices, thereby determining the optimal supplemental content spot among the plurality of potential supplemental content spots in the media stream.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for classifying media accounts of a media system into different demographic buckets based on media content data associated with the media accounts, where media content associated with a media account can be accessed by a plurality of members in a household of the media account. A demographic classifier can receive a plurality of media accounts, a plurality of sets of probability scores corresponding to the plurality of media accounts, and a plurality of demographic buckets. The demographic classifier can further estimate, based on public available information, an approximate number of media accounts of the plurality of media accounts belonging to a specific demographic bucket.