Abstract: A computer implemented system is disclosed for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for an application program. The system includes a renderer, a proxy, and a workflow manager. The renderer is defined to render the GUI. The proxy is defined to provide to the renderer each component necessary for rendering the GUI. The proxy appears to the renderer as a single monolithic application program. The workflow manager is defined to communicate one or more document viewers and their associated user interface components to the proxy for provision to the renderer. The document viewers and their associated user interface components represent components necessary for rendering the GUI.

Abstract: A method and system for delivering personal media over cable television have been disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer implemented method comprises storing digital content, the digital content including digital photographs, digital video, and music. The digital content is queued for review. A photo show is generated from the digital content. The photo show is transmitted to a cable system for transmission on a video on demand system.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods, systems and apparatuses for use in managing content on at least a local network. Some embodiments provide a method for use in managing content that detects there is a change to content on a local network, determines whether the change is additional content on a first client device, determines whether the additional content can be identified, determines whether there is a predictive distribution scheme when the additional content is identified, distributes the additional content over the local network according the predictive distribution scheme when a predictive distribution scheme applies to the additional content, determines whether a new predictive distribution scheme can be defined when a predictive distribution scheme does not apply to the additional content, and saving the new predictive distribution scheme when a new predictive scheme can be defined.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for use in playing back content. Some embodiments provide a method for use in content playback by accessing an embedded object embedded within object oriented programming stored on a portable storage media where the embedded object controls playback of content, communicating a navigation command from the embedded object within the object oriented programming to the content, altering a register in response to the navigation command communicated, and controlling the playback of the content in response to the altering of the register.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods for writing content to a media that comprise retrieving a first portion of a key structure from the media or a remote server, generating or receiving a second portion of the key structure based on the first portion of the key structure, encrypting content based at least on the second portion of the key structure, producing encrypted content, and writing the encrypted content onto the media. The present embodiments further provide recording media that include a digitally writable surface that is optically readable, a control area optionally comprising a pre-recorded set of keys defining a first portion of a key structure, and a data portion that records non-pre-recorded content protected according to a second portion of the key structure generated according to at least a portion of the first portion of the key structure.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods, systems and apparatuses for use in managing content on at least a local network. Some embodiments provide a method for use in distributing content that receives a request to deliver premium content over a distributed network; identifies a location relative to where the request is made; determines whether there is a first additional content associated with the location; adds the first additional content to the requested premium content when there is the first additional content associated with the location; and distributes the requested premium content and the first additional content according to the request.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for use in maintaining data quality upon conversion to a different data format. Some embodiments provide methods that receive media data in a first format, initiate a first conversion of the media data at the first format to a second converted format, identify parameters dictating the conversion to the second converted format, record the parameters, and distribute the recorded parameters to remote systems such that the parameters at least in part control the remote systems during a conversion of the media data to the second converted format.

Abstract: The present embodiments perform active volume restores on actively running initial operating systems in an active partition. The methods identify available memory within a partition, duplicate at least a portion of an initial operating system image into the identified available memory providing a duplicate operating system, remap access from an initial operating system to the at least the duplicate operating system image, store a temporary operating system on to the partition, reboot into the temporary operating system, operate through the temporary operating system and store a restore operating system into the partition; and reboot into the restore operating system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improvements in the generation of an authoring file, readable by an authoring program of a DVD-Video or other interaction video media, that defines the playback structure of the content residing in a given disc's “authored content zone” and also defines the location of the assets that make up the disc's “presentation data.” The improvements allow generation of an authoring file that references assets that are within the authored content zone of the medium. This allows the authoring “project” from which the final DVD-Video disc image was created to be reopened in a compatible authoring program—and to be modified by such a program—without reference to any of the original source materials.

Abstract: A software driven method for appending data to a rewritable optical disc is provided. The method includes detecting a rewritable optical disc, and the rewritable optical disc contains a first written session with a file system and an associated volume descriptor. The method then detects a request to write a new session to the rewritable optical disc. Now, it is determined that the new session is to be written past a boundary limit, e.g., such as an OS boundary. A new file system for the new session is then generated, where the new file system having an updated volume descriptor. Data for the new session is written and the volume descriptor of the first written session is replaced with the updated volume descriptor.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to improvements in systems used in the development of interactive visual media. More particularly, the invention relates in some embodiments to (a) the automatic or semi-automatic generation of a set of files representing “zoomed-in” sections of a master high-resolution image file, and (b) the automatic or semi-automatic generation of the logical data required to allow navigation of the generated files by an end-user of an interactive visual medium, including but not limited to such optical disc formats as DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Video CD, and Super Video CD, as well as media hosted by a server and delivered over a network.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for authoring a multimedia compact disc is provided. The method includes obtaining multimedia content from at least one source and enabling manipulation of the obtained multimedia content. The method further includes arranging the obtained multimedia content in a graphical hierarchical tree structure. The arranging of the multimedia content graphically defines the hierarchical arrangement relative to other multimedia content to be recorded to the multimedia compact disc.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and apparatuses for use in searching and/or retrieving video data. Some embodiments provide method for use in searching video data, that extract a spatiotemporal representation of at least a portion of a query sequence of video data, produce a query slice image from the spatiotemporal representation of the at least the portion of the query sequence, extract a spatiotemporal representation of at least a portion of candidate video data, produce a candidate slice image from the spatiotemporal representation of the at least the portion of the candidate video data, and determine when the query slice image matches at least a portion of the candidate slice image. In some embodiments, an apparatus is provided for use with video data. The apparatus comprises a memory storing candidate video data and a query sequence, a slice generator and a two-dimensional image generator.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods, systems and mediums for use in protecting content. Some embodiments provide methods for use in protecting content that access media content with sectors reserved for error data, search for and identify a reserved sector, access error data, replace at least a portion of the reserved sector in the media content with the error data, and record the media content and the error data onto a medium.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to improvements in systems used in the development (“authoring”) of interactive visual media. More particularly, the invention relates to (a) the automatic or semi-automatic generation of a set of files representing “zoomed-in” sections of a master high-resolution image file, and (b) the automatic or semi-automatic generation of the logical data required to allow navigation of the generated files by an end-user of an interactive visual medium, including but not limited to such optical disc formats as DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Video CD, and Super Video CD, as well as media hosted by a server and delivered over a network.

Abstract: An authoring file, readable by DVD-Video authoring program, defines the playback structure of the DVD-Video material residing in a given disc's “DVD-Video zone” (VIDEO_TS directory) and also defines the location of the assets that make up the disc—s DVD-Video “presentation data.” The efficiency with which a DVD-Video title stored on a rewritable disc (e.g. DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, or CD-RW) that has been revised in a compatible software applicaiton may be written back to that same disc is optimized. The minimum amount of file rewriting required to effect the desired revisions to the project, in particular avoiding the rewriting of large VOB files, is determined.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for remotely controlling content stored on a local computer connected to a network system such as the Internet. The invention allows content such as DVD Video content to be locked so that play can only be accomplished through verification of user identity and also allows augmentation and supplementation of the content provided by the video from a remote server. In addition, upon verification of user client credentials, the present invention allows the locally stored content to be supplemented with additional content delivered over the network system. Furthermore, the present invention allows content stored locally on a client device to be remotely controlled to play synchronously on a plurality of client devices.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and apparatuses for use in navigating through content. Some embodiments provide methods for use in navigating through content that receive an initial first directional control command, activate a seek mode upon receipt of the initial first directional control command comprising advancing over a first amount of content in a first direction from a first point in the content to a second point in the content, receive an initial second directional control command following the receipt of the initial first directional command, and activate a search mode upon receipt of the initial second directional control command, comprising advancing back over a second amount of the first amount of the content where the second amount is less than the first amount of the content.

Abstract: A given software process is composed on one or more threads of execution. Each thread possesses its own stack, a region of memory set aside by the operating system for that thread to store data. Popular programming languages rely heavily on stack-based data (frequently referred to as “local” or “automatic” data). It is a characteristic of deterministic machines like computers that, given the same problem to process with the same data, the same results, both intermediate and final, will result. This even extends to the sequence the software running on the computer will take to process the problem or data. This in turn means that for each thread making up the program, the data layout in the thread's stack will be relatively consistent each time the program gets to a similar point in the processing of the problem and/or data. This represents a potential “point of repeatability” that a hacker can take advantage of.

Abstract: An invention is disclosed for automatically preparing removable media for content, such as by automatically formatting media such as CDs and DVDs. A drive type is determined for a drive present on a computer system. The drive type defines characteristics of the drive. In addition, a media type is detected for removable media, such as a compact disc or floppy disk, present in the drive. Similar to the drive type, the media type defines characteristics of the removable media. Based on the drive type and media type, the removable media is automatically prepared for content in response to receiving a request to write to the removable media.