Abstract: A stream receiver device that receives information indicative of streams to be played from remote devices. The stream receiver has a network connection, receiving information indicative of streams to be played from remote devices, e.g., stream senders. A processor in the stream receiver operates to receive the information and operates to play a stream based on the information. The stream receiver has an access list, which can be a white list or a black list. The stream is played when allowed by the white list or not-blocked by the black list. The lists can also include times during which the entries are active, and file types to be allowed or blocked.

Abstract: A system which synchronizes audio and video, that uses a sensor sensing the display of video and audio from an external device. The sensor creates timestamps for each of the video and audio, and then calculates a difference between those timestamps. The differences sent to the external device which then compensates for the difference.

Abstract: An infra-red assembly for a television, that has a plurality of layers operating for creating an image from pixels formed of illuminated color filters. The plurality of layers including a backlight, a polarization layer adjacent the backlight, a TFT layer over the polarization layer, an LCD layer overlying the TFT layer, and a color filter layer overlying the LCD layer. Wherein at least one of the layers includes an opening, and another of said layers includes an infrared filter that passes infrared and blocks light that is not infra red, and where another of said layers underlying said infrared layer includes an infrared receiver that receives the infrared through said opening and said infrared filter, and where said opening and said filter and said receiver are located in registration with one another, such that infrared passes through the opening and passes through the filter and passes to the receiver.

Abstract: A real-time content identification and tracking system enabling monitoring of television programming consumption specific to an individual television or other viewing device. Metrics collected may include data regarding viewing of specific broadcast media, commercial messages, interactive on-screen information or other programming, as well as locally cached, time-shifted programming. Information about media consumption by such specific television sets or other viewing means may be returned to a commercial client of the system through a trusted third-party intermediary service and, in certain embodiments, encoded tokens may be used to manage the display of certain events as well as to enable robust auditing of each involved party's contractual performance.

Abstract: A device such as a television automatically determines, on initial power up, its geographical location. If the television is determined to be residing in a retail store location it will automatically default to retail mode where picture and audio quality will be set to pre-specified settings conducive to a retail environment where the ambient light and sound levels are not what would typically be found in a residential environment. The invention consists of a software module and a database resident in the television that can determine, from interrogating either a GPS chip set, or obtaining identifying data from an attached wired or wireless network and matching the data to identifying data for retail store locations to determine if the television is located in a retail store. If the location of the television is determined to be in a retail store the television will initialize the video and audio quality for a retail store environment.

Abstract: A system includes a television that has access to one or more services hosted on provider servers through a network. The television has software that displays both program information and services information in an electronic program guide. Upon selecting of a program information entry in the electronic program guide, the software changes the current channel of the television to the channel associated with the program entry information. Upon selecting of one of the services entries in the electronic program guide, the software presents a browsing menu to the viewer, the browsing menu presenting pages from the provider servers and accepting inputs from the viewer.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program utilize a distance associative hashing algorithmic means to provide a highly efficient means to rapidly address a large database. The indexing means can be readily subdivided into a plurality of independently-addressable segments where each such segment can address a portion of related data of the database where the subdivided indexes of said portions reside entirely in the main memory of each of a multiplicity of server means. The resulting cluster of server means, each hosting an addressable sector of a larger database of searchable audio or video information, provides a significant improvement in the latency and scalability of an Automatic Content Recognition system, among other uses.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program utilize a distance associative hashing algorithmic means to provide a highly efficient means to rapidly address a large database. The indexing means can be readily subdivided into a plurality of independently-addressable segments where each such segment can address a portion of related data of the database where the subdivided indexes of said portions reside entirely in the main memory of each of a multiplicity of server means. The resulting cluster of server means, each hosting an addressable sector of a larger database of searchable audio or video information, provides a significant improvement in the latency and scalability of an Automatic Content Recognition system, among other uses.

Abstract: A real-time content identification and tracking system enabling monitoring of television programming consumption specific to an individual television or other viewing device. Metrics collected may include data regarding viewing of specific broadcast media, commercial messages, interactive on-screen information or other programming, as well as locally cached, time-shifted programming. Information about media consumption by such specific television sets or other viewing means may be returned to a commercial client of the system through a trusted third-party intermediary service and, in certain embodiments, encoded tokens may be used to manage the display of certain events as well as to enable robust auditing of each involved party's contractual performance.

Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying a media segment of audio or video content are disclosed. The video segment is identified by deriving data from media content and comparing said data to a reference database in order to identify said video segment. Embodiments of the invention improve the speed and accuracy of the media identification process by advantageously partitioning the indexes in subdivisions where high value reference information is separated from the bulk information, for example.

Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing resource utilization of an automated content recognition (ACR) system by delaying the identification of certain large quantities of media cue data are disclosed. The delayed identification of the media may be for the purpose of, for example, generating usage statistics or other non-time critical work flow, among other non-real-time uses. In addition, real-time identification of a certain subset of media cue data is performed for the purposes of video program substitution, interactive television opportunities or other time-specific events.

Abstract: Provided are devices, computer-program products, and methods for removing redundant data associated with frames. For example, a method can include receiving an initial frame, determining initial cue data for the initial frame, and sending the initial cue data to a server. The method can further include receiving a new frame and determining new cue data for the new frame. The method can further include identifying a pixel value range. The method can further include determining a pixel value difference between an initial pixel data sample and a new pixel data sample. The method can further include determining the pixel value difference is within the pixel value range and updating the new cue data by removing the new pixel data sample from the new cue data when the pixel value difference is within the pixel value range. The method can further include sending the updated new cue data to the server.

Abstract: Provided are systems, methods, and computer-program products for identifying a media content stream when the media content stream is playing an unscheduled media segment. A computing device may receive a plurality of media content streams, where at least two of the plurality of media content streams concurrently includes a same unscheduled media segment. The computing device may determine that the media display device is playing the unscheduled media segment by examining the media content available at the current time in each of the plurality of media content streams. The computing device may determine identification information from the media content included in the media content stream. The computing device may determine contextually-related content, which may be disabled while the unscheduled media segment is being played by the media display device. The computing device may display the media content stream and the contextually-related content after the unscheduled media segment has been played.

Abstract: Provided are devices, computer-program products, and methods for improved management of system resources in a matching system. For example, examples can increase the efficiency of system resource utilization by managing the duration that data related to video segments are retained based on data that takes into account an identified popularity of a video segment. The identified popularity can be determined by algorithms that take into account numbers of viewers who watched the video segment, ratings of the video segment, metrics derived from remote sources, or any other factor that can indicate likelihood that the video segment will be viewed.

Abstract: A lighting device formed of a FIPEL panel driven by electrical connection. For example, a frequency generator can create a frequency that creates a light output having any frequency in the spectrum. The light emitting panel can be flexible, and can be coded along a curved surface, such as the inner surface of a light bulb.