Abstract: Techniques described herein are directed toward creating one or more “dynamic profiles” for media (video) streaming in which an encoding bit rate (and optionally other profile settings) is optimized for particular content. More specifically, techniques involve performing one or more “probe” encodings of the particular content to determine an encoding bit rate (and optionally other profile settings) that results in an encoding having a quality value sufficiently near (within a threshold) a target quality value.

Abstract: Devices, systems, method, and program products are provided, which support temporally-seamless change functionalities during multichannel streaming sessions established between a streaming media server and a client media receiver. In embodiments, the method includes outputting, to a display device, a first streaming channel contained in a streaming channel bundle and assigned a high priority level. When receiving a channel change request to view a second streaming channel, the client media receiver monitors for additional channel change requests over a predetermined wait period. If an additional channel change request is received within the wait period, the client media receiver repeats the step of monitoring.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to determine whether audience measurement meters are co-located. An example apparatus is to, based on a difference between a first sampling time of a first entry of a first log and a second sampling time of a corresponding entry of a second log satisfying a first threshold, determine at least one matching instance of at least one first device identifier of the first entry and at least one second device identifier of the corresponding entry. Additionally, the example apparatus is to populate a variable with the at least one matching instance. The example apparatus is also to, based on a metric satisfying a second threshold, cause transmission of an alert indicating that a first meter and a second meter were co-located during generation of the first log and the second log, the metric based on the at least one matching instance.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example system includes a first distributor server to cause transmission of first media associated with first data representing a first state of the first media scheduled to end at a scheduled end-time. The example system includes a receiver to obtain second data representing a second state of a past event corresponding to a subject of the first media, determine a predicted end-time of the first media based on a comparison of the first and second states, and after a determination that the predicted end-time is after at least one of the scheduled end-time of the first media or a scheduled start-time of second media, generate an electronic program guide (EPG) based on the predicted end-time. The example system also includes a second distributor server to cause transmission of a portion of second media to the receiver, the second distributor server different from the first distributor server.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and system of selectively deploying an application for facilitating quality-of-experience (QoE) in terms of streaming multimedia content in a networking environment comprising a user-equipment (UE) and a networking node provided with a predictive analysis module. The method comprises: capturing parameters pertaining to UE from at least one of a version of the predictive analysis module with respect to the UE, a current processor occupancy within the UE, a power-level within the UE, network conditions pertaining to the access network etc. One or more of the captured parameters and the observed network conditions is analyzed. Based on analysis, inference is drawn for selecting between the predictive analysis model of the UE and of the networking node for thereby enabling a customized streaming of multimedia content at the UE.

Abstract: Content is organized for brands by selecting a plurality of brand templates. After each selection, a set of properties is generated by applying a portion of settings of the respective brand template, with the remaining settings being overridden with settings for a channel communicating one of a plurality of presentations to a node of a network involved in the communication. The plurality of presentations may include different renditions of the same content. The properties may include sections configured for different focus areas and/or types of content associated with at tags to enable brand-level-targeting. Filters may be identified in the properties. Based on each of the identifications, a property from among the generated sets of properties may be selected based on comparisons with the associated tags.

Abstract: Delay in output of a requested content asset by a user device may be reduced by sending a portion of the content asset to the user device in a particular type of format, such as an unsecured format. The unsecured portion of the content asset may be sent to the user device while a license for the content asset is being processed. The size of the unsecured portion of the content asset may be determined based on a time for the user device to receive the license. The time for the user device to receive the license may be determined based on a time to process the license. After sending the license to the user device, another portion of the content asset may be sent to the user device in a secured format. The user device may use the license to access the secured portion of the content asset.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of generating at least one highlight video from an input video, comprising, using at least one processor for: identifying a plurality of significant frames of the input video, computing video-level features of the input video, selecting a plurality of subsets of the plurality of significant frames, for each subset, computing a similarity score indicating similarity between visual features of the subset and video-level features of the input video, clustering the input video into a plurality of clusters of sequential frames according to sequential positions within the video based on the similarity scores correlated with the plurality of significant frames, and creating at least one highlight video by selecting a cluster of sequential frames of the input video.

Abstract: Television tuner emulation techniques are described. In an implementation, a television tuner is emulated through execution of software on a processing system by a computing device, the emulated television tuner includes functionality to obtain television content over an Internet Protocol (IP) based network. The functionality of the emulated television tuner is exposed to one or more applications that are executed by the computing device such that the application is not aware that the television tuner is emulated through execution of the software.

Abstract: A system control apparatus for acquiring a prototype manifest file that is a basis of a manifest file to be transmitted to a viewing client in a system for delivering video data over a network, includes: an estimation unit configured to analyze content of a prototype manifest file acquired from an origin server, to determine a next acquisition timing of the prototype manifest file; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire the prototype manifest file from the origin server, based on the next acquisition timing determined by the estimation unit.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems related to automated production of multimedia contents are described. In one example aspect, an automated production system includes a directing server configured to store production-stage information in a machine-readable script and manage production of a multimedia content according to the script. The system also includes a device management server configured to coordinate one or more shooting locations for the production of the multimedia content. The device management server is configured to receive a portion of the production-stage information extracted from the script based on its location. The system further includes end devices connected to the device management server. The device management server is configured to track activities of the end devices and to provide status of the end devices at a production time to the directing server to enable the directing server to dynamically update the script for subsequent shooting activities at the production time.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for training a machine learning model using teacher annealing.

Abstract: An encoding engine encodes a video sequence to provide optimal quality for a given bitrate. The encoding engine cuts the video sequence into a collection of shot sequences. Each shot sequence includes video frames captured from a particular capture point. The encoding engine resamples each shot sequence across a range of different resolutions, encodes each resampled sequence with a range of quality parameters, and then upsamples each encoded sequence to the original resolution of the video sequence. For each upsampled sequence, the encoding engine computes a quality metric and generates a data point that includes the quality metric and the resample resolution. The encoding engine collects all such data points and then computes the convex hull of the resultant data set. Based on all convex hulls across all shot sequences, the encoding engine determines an optimal collection of shot sequences for a range of bitrates.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a first sequence of inputs for processing via a sub-model of a plurality of sub-model. The plurality of sub-models are part of a main model. An input in the sequence of inputs is masked with a masked value to generate a second sequence of inputs. The method processes the second sequence of inputs using the sub-model to generate a sequence of features that correspond to the second sequence of inputs and processes the sequence of features to generate a first output. The first output is processed to generate a second output of the main model. The sub-model is trained based on a feature in the sequence of features that corresponds to the masked input and the second output.

Abstract: A method includes a deployment computer receiving a client request message comprising a plurality of established parameters and established values for the established parameters, and inquiry parameters and inquiry values for the inquiry parameters from a client computer. For each model of a plurality of models stored in a database, the deployment computer can determine if a model in the plurality of models is a suitable model based on a likelihood value. The deployment computer can then generate one or more client response messages comprising one or more assets created by one or more suitable models. The deployment computer can then transmit the one or more client response messages comprising the one or more assets to the client computer.

Abstract: Various embodiments are described herein for systems and methods that can be used to operate a media transmission network. In at least one embodiment, the media transmission network comprises a plurality of media processing devices configured to receive and process media streams based on control data. The media transmission network also comprises a controller coupled to the plurality of media processing devices and configured to generate a control signal for some or all of the media processing devices in the network. The controller is configured to determine the timing at which to transmit the control signal to a respective media processing device in order for the instructions in the control signal to be executed at the same time as the media data is received. The controller determines the transmission timing of each control signal by determining the latencies and delays of the network and the devices, such as, for example, network latency, processing delay, and/or control delay.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are provided for dynamic and context-based presentation of content using streaming media applications. A method may include receiving, by a first device, a user request to search for media titles based on user context data received by a first streaming media application; identifying, from a catalog of media titles and streaming media applications, the media titles based on the user context data; identifying an advertisement campaign associated with a second streaming media application; selecting, based on the advertisement campaign and the user context data, a first media title; selecting, based on the user context data, a second media title; generating first user interface data indicative of the first media title and second user interface data indicative of the second media title; and causing presentation of the first user interface data and the second user interface data using a user interface of the first streaming media application.

Abstract: A video generating device obtains Laplace pyramid levels of 360° video frames; upscales each of the obtained Laplace pyramid levels so as to recover a set of corresponding Gaussian pyramid levels for each 360° video frame; determines a recovered Gaussian pyramid level among the set of recovered Gaussian pyramid levels for each pixel in each 360° video frame based on a bitrate budget for live streaming and a viewport region by performing a pyramid level assignment procedure; composes a 360° video with heterogeneous spatial quality based on summing up the determined recovered Gaussian pyramid levels for each pixel in each 360° video frame. Thereby, reduction of bitrate while providing a high video quality to the user when watching 360° videos is possible. Furthermore, the disclosure also relates to a download proxy comprising such a video generating device, corresponding methods, and a computer program.

Abstract: A queue or media queue of music is generated by multiple listeners for playing by one or more devices. Listeners may select music using user interfaces rendered by their respective devices, and rank or vote to determine an order in which the music is played in accordance with the queue or media queue. Where a song or another media entity is accessible at a premium or only with a subscription, and one of the multiple listeners is not authorized to access the song, an unauthorized listener may be invited to purchase a subscription, or a substitute song may be selected for the unauthorized listener. Once a queue or media queue has been generated, music may be played in accordance with the queue or media queue by a single device in the presence of the multiple listeners, or by multiple devices each having any number of listeners within a vicinity.

Abstract: An advertisement display method of displaying an advertisement transmitted from a server in a terminal of a user including receiving, from the server, first video data being a part of video data of the advertisement, controlling to activate the application in response to selection of the application by the user, displaying a first display based on the first video data in a display region of the terminal while the application is active, receiving, from the server, second video data being different from the first video data included in the video data of the advertisement, based on reception of the first video data, and displaying a second display based on the second video data in the display region, in association with the first display in the display region may be provided.