Abstract: Methods and system for providing content are disclosed. One method can comprise receiving a request for data at a first time, wherein the data comprises a first time duration, determining a buffer size based upon the first time duration, and determining a playback window based upon the determined buffer size and the first time. The method can also comprise synchronizing presentation of content on a plurality of devices.

Abstract: One or more computing devices may be configured to identify information corresponding to a program change request associated with a multi-program data transmission. The information may comprise at least a link to a desired program within the multi-program data transmission. The one or more computing devices may communicate the link to the desired program to a client device over a specified time period. After the time period, the one or more computing devices may communicate the desired program to the client device using a single program data transmission. The single program data transmission may be derived from the multi-program data transmission.

Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms described herein facilitate the storage of digital media recordings. According to various embodiments, a system is provided comprising a processor, a storage device, Random Access Memory (RAM), an archive writer, and a recording writer. The archive writer is configured to retrieve a plurality of small multimedia segments (SMSs) in RAM and write the plurality of SMSs into an archive container file in RAM. The single archive container file may correspond to a singular multimedia file when complete. New SMSs retrieved from RAM are appended into the archive container file if the new SMSs also correspond to the singular multimedia file. The recording writer is configured to flush the archive container file to be stored as a digital media recording on the storage device once enough SMSs have been appended by the archive writer to the archive container file to complete the singular multimedia file.

Abstract: Access devices may receive signals over a network and calculate a frequency spectrum of the received signals. An analyzer system may collect the frequency spectrum data from multiple access devices, and based on the collected data, detect, identify, and locate sources of anomalies in a communication network.

Abstract: A media device and methods that identify playback states reachable from a current content playback state and identify a reachable state that is likely to occur, are disclosed. A memory associated with the media device may receive frames that enable a smooth transition between the playback state and the reachable state. The media device may receive frames that correspond to points in the content that are separated by an amount of time that is proportional to the playback rate of the likely state. The frames may be frames corresponding to an image that may be played back at the playback rate of the likely state.

Abstract: Methods, systems, computer readable media, and apparatuses for providing enhanced content are presented. Data including a first program, a first caption stream associated with the first program, and a second caption stream associated with the first program may be received. The second caption stream may be extracted from the data, and a second program may be encoded with the second caption stream. The first program may be transmitted with the first caption stream including first captions and may include first content configured to be played back at a first speed. In response to receiving an instruction to change play back speed, the second program may be transmitted with the second caption stream. The second program may include the first content configured to be played back at a second speed different from the first speed, and the second caption stream may include second captions different from the first captions.

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for presenting a media location browsing interface to facilitate a media search and/or seek. A client device receives a media stream from a streaming server. This client device provides a media location browsing interface after receiving the media stream. This media location browsing interface includes a plurality of key frames representing locations along the media stream that are selectable at the client device. A seek request to play the media stream from a seek location corresponding to one of the plurality of key frames is captured. The client device begins playback of the media stream at the seek location.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques and mechanisms for providing a lean private copy of media content. According to various embodiments, a private copy of a media content item may be made specific to a user account. For example, to use a private copy of a media content item to present that media content item, a client machine may need to first perform operations such as account authentication, content licensing, and device-based DRM. The private copy of the media content item may be significantly deduplicated such that the actual size on disk of the private copy is small relative to the size of the uncompressed media content item. The private copy of the media content item may include reference information which maps the user account associated with the copy to data files associated with the recording.

Abstract: The media stream delivery system encodes and fragments media streams into numerous media stream fragments maintained on fragment servers. Devices obtain fragments to reconstruct media streams including live real-time media streams for playback on the devices. A device may perform caching of media stream fragments so that particular fragments need not be accessed again from a fragment server. A fragment server or even a content provider can analyze and monitor characteristics of media streams, viewing behavior, content popularity, etc., to identify fragments for caching at the playback devices. Caching indicators along with time period indicators may be included in the media stream fragments.

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for character-based and image-based media content search and discovery. Character images or entity images are mapped to corresponding media content. Selection of an image or a portion of an image may trigger or search for corresponding media content or begin playback of relevant media content. Character images or entity images need not correspond to a primary program character or object but may correspond to minor characters or tangential entities depicted periodically on particular programs.

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided to allow efficient delivery of content through a content delivery network (CDN) without taxing an origin server while maintaining fine grained location based access control. Requests to a CDN are augmented with quantized and non-quantized versions of location information. A CDN can use quantized location information in a URI to identify and return content if content corresponding to the URI is available in cache. If the content is not available in cache, the CDN can contact an origin server to obtain a result for the request using non-quantized location information. The origin server examines the non-quantized location information to determine whether to respond to the client request with content. The origin server examines the area corresponding to the quantized location information to determine whether the content should be cached at the CDN.

Abstract: A system and method for presenting video asset information to a viewer to assist the view in selecting a video asset for viewing. The video assets can be available from a plurality of different video asset sources, such as VOD (video on demand), PVR (personal video recorders) and broadcast (including over the air, cable, and satellite). Images from the video assets are displayed in a uniform manner, along with information about the video assets. The information includes data in a metadata category. The view can select one of the video assets for viewing, but also can navigate using metadata categories such as genre, actors, director etc. This allows a much easier and natural navigating and selection process for viewers.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and software are disclosed for sending only a first video component (e.g., data comprising one of a left or right component) of content to a plurality of client devices. Further aspects provide for sending, responsive to a request from one of the plurality of client devices, both the first video component and a second video component (e.g., data comprising both of the left and right components) to one or more of the plurality of client devices.

Abstract: Speech recognition may be improved by generating and using a topic specific language model. A topic specific language model may be created by performing an initial pass on an audio signal using a generic or basis language model. A speech recognition device may then determine topics relating to the audio signal based on the words identified in the initial pass and retrieve a corpus of text relating to those topics. Using the retrieved corpus of text, the speech recognition device may create a topic specific language model. In one example, the speech recognition device may adapt or otherwise modify the generic language model based on the retrieved corpus of text.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for relevance-based media content discovery. Relevance scores for segments of a media asset are calculated based on a time amount that at least one viewer has viewed the segments of the media asset. Segments are then chosen for display based on the relevance score. Users may select segments based on representative images of the segments.

Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing application, service, and/or content access control. Based at least in part on a consumer's choice of applications, services, content, and/or content providers—particular in exchange for a subsidy on content and/or network access fees provided to the consumer by chosen content providers—, a computing system may determine whether access to applications, services, and/or content not associated with the chosen content providers (“other content”) should be allowed or restricted. If restricted, the computing system might utilize various network access techniques and/or technologies to block the consumer's access to the other content, to allow access to the other content on a charge per access basis, or to allow access to the other content at reduced network access speeds. In some embodiments, an access provider (e.g., an Internet service provider, etc.) might perform both determination and implementation of content access and restriction.

Abstract: Media content may be recommended based on feedback weightings. Input data describing the presentation of a media content items in association with content management accounts may be represented as data points. Each data point may identify feedback data for a media content item previously recommended for presentation in association with a content management account. The feedback data may identify a viewer reaction to the recommended media content item. A weighting factor based on the feedback data for the media content item presented in association with the content management account may be applied to produce a recommendation.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, systems and methods that allow a television broadcast facility or a headend to insert in-band messages, where the inserted message allow receivers to switch to, insert, or otherwise show addressable advertisements to its viewers.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, systems and methods that allow a television broadcast facility or a headend to insert in-band messages, where the inserted message allow receivers to switch to, insert, or otherwise show addressable advertisements to its viewers.

Abstract: Provided are methods and systems for variable speed playback. In one aspect the disclosure provides for receiving content having a first playback speed, determining a second playback speed for at least a portion of the content based on a playback factor, associating the second playback speed with the portion of the content, and providing at least the portion of the content at the second playback speed to a display device.