Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for presenting an advertisement for playback in conjunction with a streamed media program are described. The method permits the user to control advertising breaks and in particular, the timing of advertising breaks associated with the media program.

Abstract: The present invention is an integrated cable modem tuner. In one embodiment, the upstream path and the downstream path are integrated on a common semiconductor substrate. The down-stream path can include a TV tuner and digital receiver portion that is integrated on a common semiconductor substrate with the power amplifier of the upstream path. In another embodiment, the TV tuner is implemented on a first semiconductor substrate and the digital receiver portion and the power amplifier are configured on a second semiconductor substrate. However, the two substrates are mounted on a common carrier so that the cable modem appears to be a single chip configuration to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for displaying an electronic program guide (“EPG”), the EPG allowing for the controlling of recording functionality of an appliance and/or playing of media. The displayable EPG includes a listing of playable media from which the user may select a program of interest for recording or playing. The EPG may also include a display of prior recorded media for playing. Options may be presented to allow for a selection of a rendering device on which selected media is to be played.

Abstract: A method of processing a digital service signal and an apparatus thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes executing a primary application for the digital service signal, wherein the primary application is a triggered application or a non-triggered application, transmitting messages of interactive services for a secondary application associated with the primary application, wherein the interactive services includes a first mode related to the triggered application or a second mode related to the non-triggered application, receiving a request for descriptions identifying the interactive services, transmitting the descriptions having service id information identifying each of the interactive services and service type information indicating a type of the each of the interactive services, and providing the interactive services by transmitting information for the interactive services.

Abstract: To provide audience measurement services without requiring broadcasters to install additional watermarking equipment, a small video capture device may receive a video signal viewed by an audience member, the signal including embedded closed captioning data, and may decode and transmit the closed captioning data to an audience measurement server. The measurement server may receive the data and compare the received data to a database of closed captioning text to identify matches. The database may be populated via one or more additional capture devices receiving local or national broadcast signals, or with data separately provided by broadcasters. When a match is found, the measurement server may determine that the audience member is watching a program having the corresponding closed captioning. Dynamically generated confidence scores may allow for reliable identification of audience members of content, even with very short closed captioning data lengths.

Abstract: A system and method for presenting progressively downloaded media programs is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, obtaining an estimated length of a media program where the estimated length is based on a plurality of different reported lengths of the media program in reported media program information, presenting at a display device a portion of the media program while it is being delivered by a media delivery system via a progressive download, and enabling bookmark and chaptering functions for the media program based on the estimated length of the media program until a true time index is generated using an index file at an end of the progressive download of the media program. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: An electronic program guide (EPG) may include entries that enable access to one or more images. In some implementations, when an image-related entry is selected by a user, a device presents the one or more images that are associated with the selected entry. In some implementations, portions of the EPG are presented as links. Selection of a link effectuates a search and may be followed by the visual presentation of one or more images resulting from the search. Additionally, in some implementations, an image can be communicated with an electronic communication. In response to the electronic communication, an image entry may be added to the channel lineup of the EPG. Selection of the image entry in the EPG may cause the device to visually present the image.

Abstract: The present invention related to the domain of audio/video content distribution, where a catalog of available content is made available to end users. An aim of the invention is to ensure that the catalog has a high quality in that a search within the catalog will have a high probability of yielding a result. The invention provides a method and a system for creating useful links between elements in the catalog whenever it is deemed that such links be useful. The links between the elements are created either by adding new content to the catalog or new metadata which can be associated with the new content and existing content in the catalog.

Abstract: A display apparatus and a method of controlling a display apparatus are disclosed. The display apparatus includes: a display configured to display an image based on a video signal; a sound output section configured to output a first sound based on a sound signal; a first sound receiver configured to receive a first mixed sound including the first sound and a second sound of a user; a second sound receiver which is spaced apart at a distance from the first sound receiver and is configured to receive a second mixed sound comprising the first sound and the second sound; and a controller configured to perform control in accordance with the second sound of the user, the second sound being acquired based on the first mixed sound and the second mixed sound.

Abstract: The present invention provides a logically organized electronic program guide separated into categories. Each category has a theme. Inside each theme-based category there is a listing of television programming. In this way, the subscriber can locate a desired theme and then determine a desired program from the list in the category.

Abstract: A system and method for incorporating one or more additional video objects into input video data to produce output video data. A method includes retrieving the input video data, analyzing the input video data to identify one or more desired visual attributes for the one or more additional video objects to possess when incorporated into the input video data, creating instructions for generating additional video data comprising the one or more additional video objects having the one or more desired visual attributes and transmitting at least the instructions to a first remote system that has already received at least part of the input video data, the instructions being useable by the remote system to generate the additional video data for incorporation into the input video data.

Abstract: Power management methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for audience measurement meters are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include obtaining presentation device state data representing an activation state of a media presentation device that is to present received media and is monitored by an audience measurement meter, the presentation device state data including time information. Such disclosed example methods also include determining whether to fault audience measurement data reported by the audience measurement meter based on the presentation device state data and power outage information determined from the audience measurement data.

Abstract: A television broadcast receiving device includes a program selecting unit that accepts the selection of one of programs in a program list; an extracting unit that extracts a keyword related to the accepted program from the program information; a site information obtaining unit that obtains names and address information of web sites and a rule for generating acquisition objective information for obtaining information of a webpage related to a keyword extracted from one of one or plural web sites; a site name display controller that displays the obtained names of one or plural web sites on a display device; a site name selecting unit that accepts the selection of a name of one web site among the displayed names of the one or plural web sites; and a generating unit that generates acquisition objective information in accordance with the rule.

Abstract: Displaying art work or thumbnail images representative of movies, television (TV) programs/episodes and other media content is an appealing and often intuitive way of displaying available media content in a media content browser. However, computer displayable cover art is not necessarily available for all titles. For example, an older movie may not have computer displayable cover art because at the time the movie title was made available it was not anticipated that the movie title might be selectable through a media browser. After considering this description one will understand how the features of various implementations are configured to enable various systems, methods and devices to create computer displayable cover art or thumbnail images for media titles to be displayed by a media browser.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for certifying a playback device are provided. In some embodiments, methods for certifying a playback device are provided, the methods comprising: identifying a plurality of playback capabilities associated with the playback device; identifying at least one certification test based on the plurality of playback capabilities; receiving a plurality of media streams corresponding to the certification test from a server; causing a first media stream to be presented by the playback device; changing a streaming condition experienced by the playback device; causing a second media stream to be presented by the playback device based on the streaming condition; capturing, using a camera, a video signal representing video content presented by the playback device; and determining, using a hardware processor, whether the playback device has passed the certification test based at least in part on the video signal.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for extending high definition multimedia signals from a source to a display over long distances (e.g., up to 300 feet) using a single cable medium having a plurality of twisted pair conductors contained therein. The extender transparently supports HDMI and/or DVI signaling, which allows encrypted video content to be displayed at the remote display (or other sink device). Display data channel control (DDC) information is sampled and transferred in packet from the local unit to a remote unit to comply with high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP).

Abstract: A digital service signal apparatus is disclosed. The digital service signal apparatus includes a receiving module receiving signaling information having channel information for an application from the digital service signal, a generating module generating a request using the channel information, a sending module sending the generated request, a downloading module downloading the application, an executing module configured to execute the API related to the application and a registering module configured to register the specific key set according to the mode number.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a system and method for validating adcopy instructions. A user selection of an advertising client may be received. One or more advertising orders associated with the advertising client are identified in an order management system. A selection of an advertising order is received from the user. A set of adcopy instructions to be associated with the selected advertising contract is received from the user. The set of adcopy instructions are validated based on one or more rules associated with each of the order management system and a traffic and billing system. When the adcopy instructions are validated, the adcopy instructions are stored in a database associated with the traffic and billing system.

Abstract: A terminal for decoding and presenting encoded realtime and non-realtime interactive program guide (IPG) content including a realtime video portion and a non-realtime guide graphics portion. The terminal includes a demodulator operative to receive and demodulate a modulated signal to provide a transport stream, and a transport demultiplexer coupled to the demodulator and operative to receive and process the transport stream to provide a sequence of transport packets re-timestamped to synchronize encoded realtime content and encoded non-realtime content included therein. At least one video decoder is coupled to the transport demultiplexer and operative to receive and decode the encoded realtime and non-realtime contents to recover the realtime and non-realtime contents for the user interface.

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for collecting user response information corresponding to a request transmitted as a part of unidirectional media broadcast. Mobile devices used to display media broadcast containing the request, such a survey, are also configured to send information using other communication networks, such as cellular networks. Mobile devices collect users' responses to the request and send information corresponding to these responses to a response processing server. The response processing server in turn processes the information, generate a report, and transmit this report to the broadcasting service. These reports may be used for a variety of purposes. In one example, reports are used to update broadcasted content such that mobile device user can view results of their responses as a part of the updated broadcast.