Abstract: Network services encode multimedia content, such as video, into multiple adaptive bitrate streams of encoded video and a separate trick play stream of encoded video to support trick play features. The trick play stream is encoded at a lower encoding bitrate and frame rate than each of the adaptive bitrate streams. The adaptive bitrate streams and the trick play stream are stored in the network services. During normal content streaming and playback, a client device downloads a selected one of the adaptive bitrate streams from network serviced for playback at the client device. To implement a trick play feature, the client device downloads the trick play stream from the network services for trick play playback.

Abstract: A system for detecting how many users are watching a given media device, including audio/visual output means such as a television or computer monitor, a monitoring device such as a television or computer monitor, a video capturing device, server means, and a programmable database that registers the users watching a given media content during a predetermined time in a given space. Monitoring means continuously scans the given space for new, unregistered users to charge them for viewing the media content. Once users have registered and paid for the media content, the content is released from the system's servers or a third party's servers and displayed on the audio/visual output means.

Abstract: A method for watching high-definition cable TV programs includes: a blue-tooth learning remote controller learning remote-controller controlling instructions of a high-definition cable TV set top box, and uploading the learned instructions to a smart terminal such that the smart terminal controls the high-definition cable TV set top box; the smart terminal controlling the high-definition cable TV set top box to choose high-definition cable TV programs; the high-definition cable TV set top box outputting a HDMI signal; the smart TV dongle receiving the HDMI signal, and outputting the HDMI signal to a high-definition TV; the smart TV dongle performing an encoding and a packing on the HDMI signal and then transmitting the packed signal to the smart terminal by using a wireless manner; and the smart terminal performing a de-packing and a decoding on the received signal and then playing the decoded signal on the smart terminal.

Abstract: An electronic system includes: a communication unit configured to provide a transport stream; a storage unit, coupled to the communication unit, configured to provide a stream from the transport stream; and a control unit, coupled to the storage unit, configured to restore details to the stream by a compression adaptive module for a high resolution output.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for automatically capturing event occurrence data associated with a broadcast channel. A baseline schedule for the broadcast channel is imported that includes an identification of events scheduled to appear on the broadcast channel and scheduled times for those events. A prompt is provided via a graphical user interface for a user to enter a time of actual occurrence of event appearances on the broadcast channel. Indications of times of an appearance and that events did not air on the broadcast channel are received via the prompt. The indications are stored in a computer-readable medium, and a report is provided that identifies events that did appear on the broadcast channel and their time of appearance and events that did not appear on the broadcast channel.

Abstract: Techniques are described for providing rendition manifests for the playback of video content or other types of content on a user device. The response to a request for content may serially include data objects for one or more rendition manifests as Data Uniform Resource Indicators (URIs) or in another data format. By incorporating the data of the rendition manifest(s) in the response, implementations may forego a network request to retrieve the rendition manifest(s) and thus reduce the latency for presenting content. In some cases, the incorporated rendition manifest(s) may list locations for a subset of chunks of a content file, and the content may be marked as live content, to reduce the size of the response and further reduce latency. In some cases, locations for chunks from multiple content files may be included in a same set of one or more rendition manifests in the response.

Abstract: A system for managing a data stream that is transmitted to an environment is provided. The system includes a receiver that receives the data stream. The data stream includes a first program, with the first program configured to be displayed in the environment. An input receives information of an individual in the environment. A processor analyzes the information, determines a demographic descriptor of the individual based on the information, and correlates the demographic descriptor of the individual with a content of the first program to determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied. The processor further determines a second program based on the demographic descriptor of the individual and modifies the first program based on the second program when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

Abstract: Techniques and systems for operating a video ad exchange includes controlling an ad server to receive ad requests from viewer devices, provide ad responses to viewer devices, generate an ad delivery data file that includes information about delivery of ads to the viewer devices, and transfer the ad delivery data file to a distributed computing cloud. The technique further includes controlling an ad data infrastructure mechanism to download the cloud-based ad delivery data file into a local memory, and process the copied ad delivery data file to generate billing data. An ad data infrastructure mechanism receives a configuration file from the ad server, verifies that all items in the configuration file from the ad server were used in the generation of the first billing data, and removes non-verifiable items from the first billing data to generate a final billing data.

Abstract: A method of identifying a representative image of a video stream is provided. Similarity between video frames of a primary video stream relative to video frames of a different secondary video stream having similar content is evaluated and a video frame from the primary video stream having a greatest extent of similarity relative to a video frame of the secondary video stream is identified. The identified video frame is selected as an image representative of the primary video stream and may be used as an informative thumbnail image for the primary video stream. A video processing electronic device and at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon for performing the method are also provided.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus relating to determining and using a normalized in progress program indicator that can be used for resuming content playback are described. In some embodiments the normalized in progress program indicator, also referred to as a normalized in progress program time, indicates a portion, e.g., fraction, of a program which has been viewed. The normalized in progress time is generated by determining an in progress program point after excluding the time of advertisements that may have been included in a content stream with the program. A user may begin watching a program on one device and resume playback of a different version of the same program on another playback device with the normalization process allowing for the playback starting point to be easily determined whether the same or a different version, with a different duration, of the program is played back.

Abstract: A method for content rendering in a clustered display network. The method includes assigning a role to each of multiple client display devices by a distributing display device. A rendering responsibility for each of the client display devices is assigned by the distributing display device. Received content is fed, by the distributing display device, to one or more display groups each including at least a portion of the client display devices.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for processing messages intended to allow the access to conditional access content and to a security module arranged for implementing this method. The method comprises the steps of receiving by a security module comprising at least one decryption module, a plurality of messages, these messages belonging to at least two different categories; assigning a different priority level to messages from each different category, one of said priority level being defined as high and another priority level, lower that the high priority level, being defined as the standard priority level; associating a value to the messages to which the standard priority level has been assigned; assigning at least one threshold value for the value associated with messages having a standard priority level; and comparing between the threshold value for a determined message and the value associated with said message.

Abstract: A system and method for integrating media productions imported from a plurality of content provider systems are described. The system and method may communicate with a plurality of content provider systems to import a set of media productions from each content provider system and may normalize each media production into a normalized media document format. The media productions may be matched to each other based on the normalized media documents. The system and method may also create and store a plurality of canonical objects based on the matches determined for the media productions. For example, if a given media production matches one or more other media productions then all of the matching media productions may be linked together by a canonical object, e.g., so that the canonical object functions as an abstract representation of all of the matching media productions.

Abstract: An approach for providing personalized experiences to users of broadcast content streaming. Supplemental content identifications are obtained for individual sets of supplemental content associated with one or more selectable events. The one or more sets of supplemental content selected based on characteristics of an event selected by the user and on one or more user characteristics. The supplemental content being presented to the user using client computing platforms along with sets of streaming broadcast content associated with one or more events selected by the user to create personalized experiences.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for real time appending at least one electronic message in at least one video stream. The system includes a channel identification module, a signal processing module, a decision module and a message appending module. The channel identification module is configured to identify at least one channel broadcasting the at least one video stream comprising at least one video frame. The signal processing module is configured to perform signal processing analysis on the at least one video frame to detect a plurality of objects associated with at least one content. The decision module is configured to validate the presence of the at least one content by contextually correlating at least one object with at least one other object from the plurality of objects. The message appending module is then configured to append the at least one electronic message in the at least one video stream.