Abstract: A base may locate a remote control by transmitting a first location signal, receiving a second location signal at base receivers from a remote control device transponder transmitted in response, and calculating a location of the remote control device based on the received second location signal. The base may provide navigation information based on the calculated location. In some implementations, the base may perform a setup routine by providing an interface that accepts position information, accepting an indication that the remote control is located at a position, transmitting a first calibration signal, receiving a second calibration signal at the receivers transmitted by the transponder in response, and recording baselines for the position. When the base unit subsequently analyses a second location signal to calculate a location of the remote control, the base may base the calculated location at least partly on the baselines.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided to distribute access to stored or other local media content across a number of different placeshifting systems. A server maintains a database of stored programs or other content that is available from at any number of different placeshifting systems. The server processes requests for content received from authenticated users by identifying a placeshifting system that has local content that corresponds to the requested content and that is accessible via a network. The server then facilitates a placeshifting session between the identified placeshifting system and a client device operated by the authenticated user in which the client device obtains the requested content.

Abstract: An automated diagnostic system is presented here. The system includes a network-enabled device, a remote network-based search engine, and a data communication network to facilitate data communication between the network-enabled device and the remote network-based search engine. The device automatically detects a problem, error, or failure associated with its operation, and automatically sends a corresponding search query to the remote network-based search engine. The search engine receives the search query and, in response to the search query, searches for relevant information pertaining to the problem, error, or failure, and sends a corresponding response to the network-enabled device. The response includes response data having some contextual association with the solution. The device receives the response, processes at least some of the response data to determine a course of action, and initiates that course of action.

Abstract: A method of seeking within a time shift buffer includes receiving a media stream from a remotely located media source over a network, and generating a time shift buffer associated with the media stream. The time shift buffer includes a number of frames with keyframes provided at a certain intervals. When a seek request associated with a desired time within the media stream is received, the system determines a nearest keyframe within the set of keyframes that is previous to and closest in time to the desired time, displays the nearest keyframe, then considers in turn each of the frames subsequent to the nearest keyframe until a desired frame corresponding to the desired time is reached displayed. The system cancels the previous examining step and determines a new nearest keyframe in the event a second seek request is received.

Abstract: An adaptive gain control system and related operating method for digital audio samples is provided. The method is suitable for use with a digital media encoding system that transmits encoded media streams to a remotely-located presentation device such as a media player. The method begins by initializing the processing of a media stream. Then, the method adjusts the gain of a first set of digital audio samples in the media stream using a fast gain adaptation scheme, resulting in a first group of gain-adjusted digital audio samples having normalized volume during presentation. The method continues by adjusting the gain of a second set of digital audio samples in the media stream using a steady state gain adaptation scheme that is different than the fast gain adaptation scheme, resulting in a second group of gain-adjusted digital audio samples having normalized volume during presentation.

Abstract: A method of encoding a time-domain audio signal is presented. A device transforms the time-domain signal into a frequency-domain signal including a sequence of sample blocks, wherein each block includes a coefficient for each of multiple frequencies. The coefficients of each block are grouped into frequency bands. For each frequency band of each block, a scale factor is estimated for the band, and the energy of the band for the block is compared with the energy of the band of an adjacent sample block, wherein the blocks may be adjacent to each other in either or both of an interchannel and a temporal sense. If the ratio of the band energy for the first block to the band energy for the adjacent block is less than some value, the scale factor of the band for the first block is increased. The coefficients of the band for each block are quantized based on the resulting scale factor. The encoded audio signal is generated based on the quantized coefficients and the scale factors.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and program products are provided for selectively restricting the transmission of copy protected digital media content from a computer system, over a network, and to a remote display. In one embodiment, a method includes the steps of capturing digital media content rendered on the local display by a media player application executed by the computer system; determining whether the media player application is accessing copy protected digital media content; and, if the media player application is not accessing copy protected digital media content, converting the captured digital media content to a media stream and transmitting the media stream over a network for presentation on a remote display.

Abstract: An adaptive gain control system and related operating method for digital audio samples is provided. The method is suitable for use with a digital media encoding system that transmits encoded media streams to a remotely-located presentation device such as a media player. The method begins by initializing the processing of a media stream. Then, the method adjusts the gain of a first set of digital audio samples in the media stream using a fast gain adaptation scheme, resulting in a first group of gain-adjusted digital audio samples having normalized volume during presentation. The method continues by adjusting the gain of a second set of digital audio samples in the media stream using a steady state gain adaptation scheme that is different than the fast gain adaptation scheme, resulting in a second group of gain-adjusted digital audio samples having normalized volume during presentation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and program products are provided for selectively restricting the transmission of copy protected digital media content from a computer system, over a network, and to a remote display. In one embodiment, a method includes the steps of capturing digital media content rendered on the local display by a media player application executed by the computer system; determining whether the media player application is accessing copy protected digital media content; and, if the media player application is not accessing copy protected digital media content, converting the captured digital media content to a media stream and transmitting the media stream over a network for presentation on a remote display.

Abstract: A method of providing data associated with reception of media content is presented. In the method, a communication device receives media content from a media content receiver via a communication network. The received media content is output to a user of the communication device. Data is then generated in the communication device which includes information identifying a channel selected by the user over which the media content receiver receives the media content. The data further includes information identifying a time period during which the communication device receives the media content. The data is transferred via the communication network to a communication node.

Abstract: A player decodes and renders encoded digital data received from an encoder. During processing, the player periodically monitors dropped frames as well as time spent. If the dropped frames are below a minimum, the player determines to signal the encoder to increase bit rate or frame rate by consulting a table. If the player determines to increase bit rate, the player signals accordingly. However, if the player determines to increase frame rate, the player first verifies that the spent time is below a minimum. To the contrary, if the dropped frames are both above the minimum and a first maximum but not a second maximum, the player determines to signal the encoder to decrease bit rate or frame rate by consulting the table and signaling accordingly. However, if the dropped frames are above the second maximum, the player signals the encoder to decrease the frame rate without consulting the table.

Abstract: Embodiments of a remote control and a method are provided for automatically adjusting the volume output of an audio device, such as a television. In one embodiment, the remote control includes a wireless transmitter configured to transmit command signals to the audio device, a microphone configured to monitor sound levels external to the remote control, a memory storing a first threshold, and a controller. The controller is configured to: (i) determine a signal-to-noise ratio as a function of the sound levels detected by the microphone, and (ii) transmit via the wireless transmitter a first command to adjust the volume output of the audio device if the signal-to-noise ratio passes the first threshold.

Abstract: A method of encoding a time-domain audio signal is presented. In the method, an electronic device receives the time-domain audio signal. The time-domain audio signal is transformed into a frequency-domain signal including a coefficient for each of a plurality of frequencies, which are grouped into frequency bands. For each frequency band, the energy of the band is determined, a scale factor for the band is determined based on the energy of the band, and the coefficients of the band are quantized based on the associated scale factor. The encoded audio signal is generated based on the quantized coefficients and the scale factors.

Abstract: A method of providing a description of a remote control device to a communication device configured to interact with an electronic device over a communication network as a remote control device is presented. In the method, the communication device transfers an indication of the electronic device over the network to a communication node. Afterward, the communication device receives the description of the remote control device associated with the electronic device from the node over the network. The communication device transfers a command associated with the remote control device over the network to the electronic device, wherein the command is generated using the description of the remote control device.

Abstract: A player decodes and renders encoded digital data received from an encoder. During processing, the player periodically monitors dropped frames as well as time spent. If the dropped frames are below a minimum, the player determines to signal the encoder to increase bit rate or frame rate by consulting a table. If the player determines to increase bit rate, the player signals accordingly. However, if the player determines to increase frame rate, the player first verifies that the spent time is below a minimum. To the contrary, if the dropped frames are both above the minimum and a first maximum but not a second maximum, the player determines to signal the encoder to decrease bit rate or frame rate by consulting the table and signaling accordingly. However, if the dropped frames are above the second maximum, the player signals the encoder to decrease the frame rate without consulting the table.

Abstract: A method of providing data associated with reception of media content is presented. In the method, a communication device receives media content from a media content receiver via a communication network. The received media content is output to a user of the communication device. Data is then generated in the communication device which includes information identifying a channel selected by the user over which the media content receiver receives the media content. The data further includes information identifying a time period during which the communication device receives the media content. The data is transferred via the communication network to a communication node.

Abstract: A method of transmitting data over a communication network using negative acknowledgment is presented. In the method, a stream of data packets is transmitted from a first node of the network to a second node of the network. All but at least two of the stream of data packets is successfully received at the second node, wherein the data packets that are not successfully received are not located sequentially within the stream of data packets. A status packet is transmitted from the second node to the first node, wherein the status packet includes an indication of each of the data packets that were not successfully received. In response to receiving the status packet at the first node, the data packets that were not successfully received at the second node are retransmitted from the first node to the second node in response to receiving the status packet.

Abstract: A method of providing a description of a remote control device to a communication device configured to interact with an electronic device over a communication network as a remote control device is presented. In the method, the communication device transfers an indication of the electronic device over the network to a communication node. Afterward, the communication device receives the description of the remote control device associated with the electronic device from the node over the network. The communication device transfers a command associated with the remote control device over the network to the electronic device, wherein the command is generated using the description of the remote control device.

Abstract: An electronic program guide (EPG) presented by a set top box (STB) or other television receiver dynamically changes the electronic guide information provided for one or more programs during presentation. In various embodiments, multiple presentation screens for displaying different types of information related to the program are received with the EPG data and sequentially rendered to the viewer. The multiple presentation screens may be manually or automatically sequenced within the guide to provide additional space for presenting information about one or more programs from within the electronic program guide itself.

Abstract: Systems, methods and devices are provided to reduce change latency and/or to provide a picture-in-picture (PIP) feature within a placeshifted media stream. As the viewer receives a primary stream containing selected programming, secondary programming that is likely to be of interest to the user is predicted. A secondary stream containing the predicted content is obtained at the same time as the primary stream selected by the user. The secondary stream may be of lower quality than the primary stream to preserve network bandwidth. If the user subsequently selects the predicted secondary content, the previously-obtained content can be quickly provided as an output to the display. Alternately, the primary and secondary streams may be simultaneously output to the display in PIP or another manner.