Abstract: Mechanisms provide content consumers with the ability to select types of advertising. Advertising types may include commercials for a particular brand or company, product placement type advertising, commercials interspersed between clips of content, advertising having a particular rating, or no advertising in exchange for payment of a fee or completion of a questionnaire. The advertisement type selections may also apply to different devices the user accesses to consume content, whether content is a movie played using a set top box, a banner advertisement shown alongside an article, or a product placed in a video game. The selections may be applied to a variety of devices associated with a user in a uniform or varying manner.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing a substantially seamless hand over of a user receiving a data stream when the user moves from a first location served by a first server to a second location served by a second server. The data stream is provided at both the first and the second servers, and the data streams at the first and second servers are synchronized so that when the user moves from the first location to the second location, the user will start receiving the data stream at the second location at substantially a same point in the data stream at which the user stops receiving the data stream at the first location.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for broadcasting streaming video. A method for broadcasting streaming video according to the present invention has the steps of receiving a plurality of video input streams, each of the plurality of video input streams being transmitted via an IP-based network, selecting one of the plurality of video input streams for broadcast as a video output stream, and broadcasting the video output stream. The invention provides a technique by which any of a plurality of video input streams transmitted via the Internet or other IP-based network can be selectively broadcast in real time, and in which switching among the plurality of video input streams can be conducted in real time. The video output stream can also be broadcast over the Internet or other IP-based network such that a viewer can receive the various broadcasts on a PC or other device without re-connecting for each broadcast.