Abstract: Affinity scores are computed for a plurality of user accounts, each affinity score quantifies an affinity of a user account to a content creator of one or more digital objects hosted in a content hosting platform. Each affinity score is computed by collecting interaction data for the user account corresponding to the content creator, normalizing the collected interaction data using a total activity data of the user account on the content hosting platform and attribute data associated with the content creator, and generating the affinity score using the normalized interaction data.

Abstract: An electronic device stores a shared playback queue for the shared playback session, the shared playback queue comprising one or more media content items, including a first media content item associated with a first user and a second media content item associated with a second user of the plurality of users. The device receives a request to adjust the shared playback queue. The device determines an order for the adjusted shared playback queue based at least in part on media preferences indicated in a profile of a third user of the plurality of users participating in the shared playback session, wherein the third user is distinct from the first user and the second user. The device provides the first media content item and the second media content item based on the order of the shared playback queue.

Abstract: Systems, devices, apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for saving media content to a context for later playback are provided. An example media-playback device for identifying and playing media content for a user traveling in a vehicle includes a context detecting device, a context-driven playback engine, and a media playback engine. Contexts are established by parameters that can be detected by a media-playback device. Contexts are situations that are defined by one or more locations, times, events, activities, people, and devices. Media content is saved to the contexts for later playback. The contexts are detected by the context detecting device, the associated media content is identified by the context-driven playback engine, and the media content is automatically played through the media playback engine, without additional input required by the user.

Abstract: An electronic device displays a first icon comprising a shape. While displaying the first icon, the device receives a voice command corresponding to a request for media content from the application. In response to, and while receiving, the voice command, the device dynamically animates the first icon, including distorting a radius of a portion of the shape in accordance with a direction of the voice command. The dynamic animation indicates that the electronic device is in a first state. After the voice command is completed, the device displays an indication that the device is in a second state that is distinct from the first state.

Abstract: A method of processing playback content control commands generated at a client device and communicated by a backend server to the client device and a controlled device to control media content playback at the controlled device is provided. The method includes the following steps: sending, by the client device, a playback content control command to the backend server, wherein the backend server is configured to communicated the playback content control command to the client device and to the controlled device; initiating a buffer time period; and refraining from processing, at the client device, one or more subsequent playback content control commands from the backend server during the buffer time period.

Abstract: An adaptive multi-model item selection method, comprising: receiving, from one of a plurality of client devices, a request including a client-side feature vector representing a state of the client device; determining, by an advocate model, a probability distribution of a plurality of specialist cluster models from the client-side feature vector; choosing, by a use case selector, a cluster corresponding to a use case from the probability distribution; and obtaining, by the use case selector based on the cluster (i.e., the cluster that was sampled by the user case selector), a specialist cluster model from the plurality of specialist cluster models.

Abstract: A system, method and computer product for training a neural network system. The method comprises applying an audio signal to the neural network system, the audio signal including a vocal component and a non-vocal component. The method also comprises comparing an output of the neural network system to a target signal, and adjusting at least one parameter of the neural network system to reduce a result of the comparing, for training the neural network system to estimate one of the vocal component and the non-vocal component. In one example embodiment, the system comprises a U-Net architecture. After training, the system can estimate vocal or instrumental components of an audio signal, depending on which type of component the system is trained to estimate.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs for generating a playlist of media content items for a group of users. Media content items listened to by the selected users are compared to an average user taste profile to select media content items for playback to the group of users.

Abstract: Systems, devices, apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for generating and playing a selectable content depth media program are provided. Media content items are edited to produce selectable depth media segments which are assembled into selectable depth media programs. A media-playback device is configured to navigate and play the selectable depth media program through interaction by a listening user. The user selects the desired content depth for each media segment.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing format agnostic media playback may include a media delivery system that can determine media content responses for media playback devices to use to determine how to operate when playing media content. To initiate the format agnostic media playback, a request for media content may be received from a media playback device. In response to the request a media content format of the media content may be determined, and a media content response may be determined based on the media content format. The media content response may be sent to the media playback device for the media playback device to playback media content and/or to determine media content descriptions, player features, user interface formats, actions, and/or a timeline of media content items to play.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided personalizing recommendations of items with associated explanations. The example embodiments described herein use contextual bandits to personalize explainable recommendations (“recsplanations”) as treatments (“Bart”). Bart learns and predicts satisfaction (e.g., click-through rate, consumption probability) for any combination of item, explanation, and context and, through logging and contextual bandit retraining, can learn from its mistakes in an online setting.

Abstract: A call to action processor receives an entity datapoint containing data related to an entity, a campaign objective datapoint containing data associated with a campaign objective, at least one definite script element based on the campaign objective, and entity metadata containing data associated with the entity. The call to action further performs generating at least one variable script element based on the entity metadata, presenting to a device the at least one definite script element the at least one variable script element.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for performing personalization. A segments reader receives a request for episode metadata corresponding to an episode. A determination is made whether the episode metadata should be personalized to an account associated with the request. In turn, personalized-episode metadata associated with the account and the request is retrieved and the personalized-episode metadata is provided to a client device associated with the request.

Abstract: Simulator augmented content selection is provided by initializing a content selection object according to session initialization parameter values associated with a simulated media content playback session. The content selection object corresponds to a candidate content selection machine learning model trained to predict selectable content media items for at least one simulated user. A simulated session including a sequence of predicted simulated user next actions and one or more predicted sets of selectable content items are generated by applying a simulated user model to content items identified by the initialized content selection object, where the simulated user model is trained to predict a next action of the simulated user in response to a simulated playback input received from the simulated user and each set of the selectable content items are correlated to each next action in the sequence of predicted simulated user next actions.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising message from a user interface (UI) device. The method includes, responsive to a receipt of the BLE advertising message from the UI device: waking up an application module of the first wireless device and authorizing the UI device to remotely control media presentation as presented by the application module. The method includes determining a first determination of whether the first wireless device is paired or is in a current cabled connection with an electronic device that is distinct from the UI device; and in accordance with the first determination being a determination that the first wireless device is not paired with the electronic device and is not in a current cabled connection with the electronic device, automatically terminating the authorization of the UI device to remotely control media presentation as presented by the application module.

Abstract: Contrastive learning is used to learn an alternative embedding. A subtree replacement strategy generates structurally similar pairs of samples from an input space for use in contrastive learning. The resulting embedding captures more of the structural proximity relationships of the input space and improves Bayesian optimization performance when applied to tasks such as fitting and optimization.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to an enhanced audio file generator. One aspect is a method of enhancing input speech in an input audio file, the method comprising receiving the input audio file representing the input speech, wherein the input audio file is recorded at an audio recording device, and generating an enhanced audio file by applying an audio transformation model to the input audio file, wherein applying the audio transformation model to generate the enhanced audio file comprises extracting parameters defining audio features from the input audio file, the parameters including a noise parameter defining noise in the input audio file and one or more other preset parameters respectively defining other audio features, synthesizing clean speech based on the extracted parameters including the noise parameter, wherein synthesizing the clean speech comprises transforming the noise parameter to defined value(s); and generating the enhanced audio file with the synthesized clean speech.

Abstract: A target device is associated with a source device. A system includes a target device that enters an association mode, obtains an identification code, and broadcasts the identification code. A source device receives the broadcast, obtains authorization to associate with the target device, and provides a message to an association server. The association server receives the message and associates the target device and the source device in response thereto.

Abstract: A system and method for voice control of a media playback device is disclosed. The method includes receiving an instruction of a voice command, converting the voice command to text, transmitting the text command to the playback device, and having the playback device execute the command. An instruction may include a command to play a set of audio tracks, and the media playback device plays the set of audio tracks upon receiving the instruction.

Abstract: A system and method for voice control of a media playback device is disclosed. The method includes receiving an instruction of a voice command, converting the voice command to text, transmitting the text command to the playback device, and having the playback device execute the command. An instruction may include a command to play a set of audio tracks, and the media playback device plays the set of audio tracks upon receiving the instruction.