Abstract: A system and method that provide reduced latency in a video signal processing system. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise receiving a current request from a user for first video information. Such a request may, for example, be received with a user interface module. A first video stream and a second video stream may be received simultaneously, where the first video stream comprises the first video information currently requested by the user, and the second video stream comprises second video information not currently requested by the user. A video receiver module may, for example, perform such receiving. The first video stream may be processed to present the first video information to the user at the current time. Further, the second video stream may be pre-processed in preparation for being presented to the user in the future. A video processing module may, for example, perform such video stream processing.

Abstract: A wireless mobile communication (WMC) device may discover available networks, and available local and/or remote resources. The WMC device may configure routes utilizing one or more of discovered resources and one or more available networks. The routes may be utilized to performed operations requested via the WMC device. A standardized language and/or protocol may be utilized in discovering and/or communicating with available resources and/or networks. The standardized language and/or protocol may enable commonality among the discovered networks and/or resources, and encryption of data communicated through the established routes. The standardized language and/or protocol may be updated and/or modified to incorporate new resources either by direct interactions between the new resources and the WMC device, or via existing available resources and/or networks. The discovery of resources and/or establishment of routes may be user-triggered, or it may be based on user preference information.

Abstract: A system and method that provide reduced latency in a video signal processing system. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise receiving a current request from a user for first video information. Such a request may, for example, be received with a user interface module. A first video stream and a second video stream may be received simultaneously, where the first video stream comprises the first video information currently requested by the user, and the second video stream comprises second video information not currently requested by the user. A video receiver module may, for example, perform such receiving. The first video stream may be processed to present the first video information to the user at the current time. Further, the second video stream may be pre-processed in preparation for being presented to the user in the future. A video processing module may, for example, perform such video stream processing.

Abstract: A graphics display system integrated circuit is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics display system processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The system incorporates a unified memory architecture that is shared by the graphics system, a CPU, and other peripherals. The unified memory architecture uses real time scheduling to service tasks. Critical instant analysis is used to find a schedule for memory usage that does not affect memory requirements of real time tasks while at the same time servicing non-real-time tasks as needed.

Abstract: A wireless mobile communication (WMC) device may be utilized to generate and/or maintain multimedia data files. Context data tags may be created to tag the generated multimedia data files, enabling identification of multimedia data files without directly accessing the contents of the multimedia data files. Context data tags may comprise such attributes as time/date stamps, location, subject, environment, scheduling, and/or biometric information. The WMC device may maintain user preference information, which is unique to the WMC device capabilities and/or to a specific device user. The user preference information may be utilized to specify attributes that may be utilized in creating context data tags for multimedia data files. The user preference information may be maintained in the WMC device and/or externally. Tagging operation may be performed dynamically, and a remote device may be utilized to perform tagging operations and/or to maintain the user preference information.

Abstract: Systems and methods that use differential values to represent decoding and presentation times of pictures are provided. Optionally, some of the systems or the methods may use an entropy coding method such as, for example, the Universal Variable Length Code (UVLC) for the differential time stamps.

Abstract: A system and method that provide reduced latency in a video signal processing system. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise receiving a current request from a user for first video information. Such a request may, for example, be received with a user interface module. A first video stream and a second video stream may be received simultaneously, where the first video stream comprises the first video information currently requested by the user, and the second video stream comprises second video information not currently requested by the user. A video receiver module may, for example, perform such receiving. The first video stream may be processed to present the first video information to the user at the current time. Further, the second video stream may be pre-processed in preparation for being presented to the user in the future. A video processing module may, for example, perform such video stream processing.

Abstract: System and method for decoding digital video data. The decoding system employs hardware accelerators that assist a core processor in performing selected decoding tasks. The hardware accelerators are configurable to support a plurality of existing and future encoding/decoding formats. The accelerators are configurable to support substantially any existing or future encoding/decoding formats that fall into the general class of DCT-based, entropy decoded, block-motion-compensated compression algorithms. The hardware accelerators illustratively comprise a programmable entropy decoder, an inverse quantization module, a inverse discrete cosine transform module, a pixel filter, a motion compensation module and a de-blocking filter. The hardware accelerators function in a decoding pipeline wherein at any given stage in the pipeline, while a given function is being performed on a given macroblock, the next macroblock in the data stream is being worked on by the previous function in the pipeline.

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments for streaming content over a network. First content segments are generated such that the time durations of at least a subset of the first content segments progressively increase with respect to time. Second content segments are generated that are configured to be played subsequent to the first content segments. The second content segments have time durations that are substantially the same with respect to each other. The first content segments and the second content segments are transmitted to a client device.

Abstract: Transcoding multiple media elements for independent wireless delivery. Respective media or multimedia elements are selectively and respectively encoded and/or transcoded. Such respective and selective processing of different media elements provides for their unbundled and independent communication to one or more other devices. In one instance, different respective overlays of a display (e.g., a computer, TV, PDA display, etc.) are respectively and selectively transcoded and/or encoded to generate different respective streams that may each be handled differently as a function of any number of parameters (e.g., media element type, content, communication channel characteristic, source proximity, priority, etc.). Different types of media elements include photo/image, video, graphics, text, audio, picture-in-picture, two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D), and/or other types of media elements as may be included within a given configuration of a display.

Abstract: System and method for decoding digital video data. The decoding system employs hardware accelerators that assist a core processor in performing selected decoding tasks. The hardware accelerators are configurable to support a plurality of existing and future encoding/decoding formats. The accelerators are configurable to support substantially any existing or future encoding/decoding formats that fall into the general class of DCT-based, entropy decoded, block-motion-compensated compression algorithms. The hardware accelerators illustratively comprise a programmable entropy decoder, an inverse quantization module, a inverse discrete cosine transform module, a pixel filter, a motion compensation module and a de-blocking filter. The hardware accelerators function in a decoding pipeline wherein at any given stage in the pipeline, while a given function is being performed on a given macroblock, the next macroblock in the data stream is being worked on by the previous function in the pipeline.

Abstract: Selective intra and/or inter-prediction video encoding. Based upon anticipation of a future communication channel rate (e.g., actual physical layer channel rate) or video data rate of a communication channel, a given prediction mode for video encoding may be adaptively selected. Prediction of a future or expected value corresponding to at least one parameter associated with the communication channel (e.g., channel rate, video data rate, etc.) can drive operational mode selection/adaptation in accordance with video coding. Alternatively, one or more actual measured values corresponding to at least one parameter can drive operational mode selection/adaptation in accordance with video coding. In some instances, neither intra-prediction nor inter-prediction is performed in accordance with a non-feedback operational mode, and an input video signal undergoes compression (e.g., without intra-prediction and/or inter-prediction).

Abstract: A first personal electronic (PE) device may enable generation, updating, and/or storage of user configuration information. The user configuration information may comprise information pertaining to device configuration and/or operational preferences specific to the device user and/or various use settings, connectivity, and/or use of available resources. The generation, updating, and/or storage of the user configuration information may be performed manually and/or automatically, and may be performed directly within the first PE device and/or via networked devices, which may communicatively coupled to the first PE device. A second PE device may be enabled to be communicatively coupled to the first PE device and/or the networked devices. The second PE device may then be enabled to download existing user configuration information from the first PE device and/or the networked device, and the downloaded user configuration may be utilized to configure the second PE device.

Abstract: Wireless mobile communication (WMC) devices located in near proximity of each other may be enabled to form a mesh (ad hoc wireless) network. WMC devices may form and/or tear down intra-mesh connection with other WMC devices in the same mesh network. WMC devices may utilize information related to other WMC devices in the mesh network in determining formation and tearing down of intra-mesh connections. This information may comprise relative speeds, locations, and directions of movement of the WMC devices forming/tearing intra-mesh connections. Other information including data bandwidth and/or power consumption may be utilized in such determination. This information may also comprise available services advertised by WMC devices in the mesh network.

Abstract: Dynamically splitting a job in wireless system between a processor other remote devices may involve evaluating a job that a wireless mobile communication (WMC) device may be requested to perform. The job may be made of one or more tasks. The WMC device may evaluate by determining the availability of at least one local hardware resource of the wireless mobile communication device in processing the requested job. The WMC device may apportion one or more tasks making up the requested job between the wireless mobile communication device and a remote device. The apportioning may be based on the availability of the at least one local hardware resource.

Abstract: Wireless mobile communication (WMC) devices located in near proximity of each other may be enabled to form a mesh (ad hoc wireless) network. WMC devices may form and/or tear down intra-mesh connection with other WMC devices in the same mesh network. WMC devices may utilize information related to other WMC devices in the mesh network in determining formation and tearing down of intra-mesh connections. This information may comprise relative speeds, locations, and directions of movement of the WMC devices forming/tearing intra-mesh connections. Other information including data bandwidth and/or power consumption may be utilized in such determination. This information may also comprise available services advertised by WMC devices in the mesh network.

Abstract: A system and method for allocating and/or utilizing spare computing system (e.g., personal computing system) resources. Various aspects of the present invention may, for example and without limitation, provide a system and/or method that communicates incentive information with computing systems, and/or representatives thereof, regarding the allocation of computing resources for utilization by other computing systems and/or incentives that may be associated with such utilization. Various aspects of the present invention may, for example, allocate one or more resources of a computing system for utilization by another computing system based, at least in part, on such communicated incentive information.

Abstract: A Wireless mobile communication (WMC) device may be utilized to generate and/or maintain multimedia data files. Context data tags may be utilized to tag the generated multimedia data files to enable convenient identification of multimedia data files. Context data tags may comprise time/date stamps, subject, and/or location attribute. User preference information that is unique to the WMC device and/or a specific device user may be utilized to create context data tags for multimedia data files. The user preference information may be modified and/or updated. Modifications and/or updates of user preference information may be based on post-processing operations, biometric information, and/or self-learning techniques that may comprise operations performed on the multimedia data files. Post-processing operations may be performed on multimedia data files in the WMC device and/or a remote device.

Abstract: A first personal electronic (PE) device may enable generation, updating, and/or storage of user configuration information. The user configuration information may comprise information pertaining to device configuration and/or operational preferences specific to the device user and/or various use settings, connectivity, and/or use of available resources. The generation, updating, and/or storage of the user configuration information may be performed manually and/or automatically, and may be performed directly within the first PE device and/or via networked devices, which may communicatively coupled to the first PE device. A second PE device may be enabled to be communicatively coupled to the first PE device and/or the networked devices. The second PE device may then be enabled to download existing user configuration information from the first PE device and/or the networked device, and the downloaded user configuration may be utilized to configure the second PE device.

Abstract: A graphics display system integrated circuit is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics display system processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The system incorporates a unified memory architecture that is shared by the graphics system, a CPU, and other peripherals. The unified memory architecture uses real time scheduling to service tasks. Critical instant analysis is used to find a schedule for memory usage that does not affect memory requirements of real time tasks while at the same time servicing non-real-time tasks as needed.