Abstract: An approach for providing a user with resumption data before pausing or terminating a partially-processed job that is processing in a distributed system. Certain applications, when paused, are not able to resume processing data at precisely the point where it was paused. As a result, users surrender some, or all, of the processed portion of the data when processing is paused. In one embodiment of the invention, a user is provided with resumption data before the user confirms a request to pause the processing. Resumption data from each of the service nodes that is processing a segment of source data are collected and aggregated. Resumption data reflects a measure of processed data that would require re-processing if the processing were paused and resumed. Alternatively, resumption data includes a duration of spent processing time that would be lost if the processing were paused and resumed.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for distributing an operation for processing by a set of background services. The method automatically determines a number of background services for performing an operation. The method partitions the operation into several sub-operations. The method distributes the several sub-operations across the determined number of background services.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a virtual staging area for presenting media content. The virtual staging area of some embodiments is formed by staging areas of multiple different devices in which a same set of content can be viewed. To provide a common viewing experience, the staging areas are presented in a similar manner across different types of user devices. Each staging area may be presented as a virtual movie theatre that has movie posters that advertise user content. A sharing service operates on each of the different devices to facilitate the virtual staging area. The sharing service of some embodiments allows a person to choose a piece of content stored on a device. The sharing service then publishes the content to the device's staging area. From there, the content is then distributed across to the person's other devices.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for automatically identifying settings of a media file. The method initially receives the identification of a piece of media content. Media content includes sound and image data that can be stored as a media file. It then performs an automated process for discovering the media settings of the media file. Examples of settings that are automatically identified in some embodiments include video codec type, audio codec type, frame height and frame width, video bit rate, video frame rate, audio channels, etc. The method then stores the media settings that are discovered from the media file. The stored media settings are used subsequently in some embodiments to generate a media file.

Abstract: Upon enabling an automatic cropping feature, a computer-implemented method for cropping a plurality of images retrieves a number of images to process among the plurality of images, and selects an image from the plurality of images to determine a set of crop values for the image until the set of crop values for each image have been determined. Determining a set of crop values for an image includes scanning the image from a first side to an opposing side to determine for each scan line of the image an amount representing a degree of color variation among the pixels for that scan line. The amount determined for each scan line is then compared to a threshold value until a crop value for a first area of the image can be determined.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a computing job in a distributed processing system. A control process sends a message to an instance of an application instructing the application instance to divide the job into assignments for processing by various application instances. The application instance divides the job in a way that is suitable for the particular application and sends, to the control process, assignment information that describes how the job is to be divided. The control process stores the assignment information and assigns each of the application instances a portion of the computing job based on the assignment information. After, the application instances have completed the assignments, the control process instructs one of the application instances to perform post-processing on the assignment results, based on the assignment information.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for distributing an operation for processing by a set of background services. The method automatically determines a number of background services for performing an operation. The method partitions the operation into several sub-operations. The method distributes the several sub-operations across the determined number of background services.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for automatically identifying settings of a media file. The method initially receives the identification of a piece of media content. Media content includes sound and image data that can be stored as a media file. It then performs an automated process for discovering the media settings of the media file. Examples of settings that are automatically identified in some embodiments include video codec type, audio codec type, frame height and frame width, video bit rate, video frame rate, audio channels, etc. The method then stores the media settings that are discovered from the media file. The stored media settings are used subsequently in some embodiments to generate a media file.

Abstract: Upon enabling an automatic cropping feature, a computer-implemented method for cropping a plurality of images retrieves a number of images to process among the plurality of images, and selects an image from the plurality of images to determine a set of crop values for the image until the set of crop values for each image have been determined. Determining a set of crop values for an image includes scanning the image from a first side to an opposing side to determine for each scan line of the image an amount representing a degree of color variation among the pixels for that scan line. The amount determined for each scan line is then compared to a threshold value until a crop value for a first area of the image can be determined.

Abstract: An approach for providing a user with resumption data before pausing or terminating a partially-processed job that is processing in a distributed system. Certain applications, when paused, are not able to resume processing data at precisely the point where it was paused. As a result, users surrender some, or all, of the processed portion of the data when processing is paused. In one embodiment of the invention, a user is provided with resumption data before the user confirms a request to pause the processing. Resumption data from each of the service nodes that is processing a segment of source data are collected and aggregated. Resumption data reflects a measure of processed data that would require re-processing if the processing were paused and resumed. Alternatively, resumption data includes a duration of spent processing time that would be lost if the processing were paused and resumed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a computing job in a distributed processing system. A control process sends a message to an instance of an application instructing the application instance to divide the job into assignments for processing by various application instances. The application instance divides the job in a way that is suitable for the particular application and sends, to the control process, assignment information that describes how the job is to be divided. The control process stores the assignment information and assigns each of the application instances a portion of the computing job based on the assignment information. After, the application instances have completed the assignments, the control process instructs one of the application instances to perform post-processing on the assignment results, based on the assignment information.