Abstract: Measuring and tracking user interaction with a television receiver, such as a set top box or cable box. The television receiver may create and display a matrix code that includes temporal information, user identification information, geographic information, and/or a user selection. The matrix code may be captured by a matrix reading device and transmitted to a monitoring entity. Optionally, the matrix reading device may decode the matrix code and transmit associated data to the monitoring entity. The monitoring entity may use the code or data to track and distinguish between user interactions at different points in time.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for allowing a user with a Smartphone to pair the Smartphone with another Bluetooth device to receive audio that is played to the user over headphones or through speakers on the Smartphone. Further, an audio processing module is used to modify the audio presented to the user, extract closed captioning text to be displayed to the user, find information relevant to the audio to be displayed to the user, and pause audio content sent to the Smartphone when phone calls or other Smartphone interruptions occur.

Abstract: Measuring and tracking user interaction with a television receiver, such as a set top box or cable box. The television receiver may create and display a matrix code that includes temporal information, user identification information, geographic information, and/or a user selection. The matrix code may be captured by a matrix reading device and transmitted to a monitoring entity. Optionally, the matrix reading device may decode the matrix code and transmit associated data to the monitoring entity. The monitoring entity may use the code or data to track and distinguish between user interactions at different points in time.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling each wideband tuner of a television converter device such as a set-top box to receive transponders from any satellite location and provide a unique feed per television converter device (e.g., per set-top box) input, giving each television converter device tuner its own set of six, eight or more transponders. The capacity of transponder stacking in the digital domain is extended to a system and method to make use of wideband tuner/demodulators. Each television converter device has a single wideband tuner/demodulator for six, eight or more transponders with each transponder being from any of all possible satellite locations. Bandwidth to each television converter device is thereby usefully increased.

Abstract: Various arrangements for monitoring and utilizing solar conjunction events are presented. An occurrence of a solar conjunction event caused by the sun being substantially aligned with the satellite antenna through which a television receiver receives signals from one or more satellites may be monitored. A prediction of a future solar conjunction event based on the monitored occurrence of the solar conjunction event may then be calculated. A second occurrence of the solar conjunction event may be monitored. It may be determined that the second occurrence of the solar conjunction event does not match the calculated prediction of the future solar conjunction event within a threshold range. One or more features of the television receiver may be disabled in response to determining that the second occurrence of the solar conjunction event does not match the calculated prediction of the future solar conjunction event within the threshold range.

Abstract: Various arrangements are provided for using an unmanned aerial vehicle with a home automation system. The home automation host system may determine that a home automation event has occurred. The system may determine to perform unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance of the home in response to the home automation event. Deployment of a UAV may be triggered in response to determining to perform the UAV surveillance of the home. Video may then captured by the UAV of a portion of the home, possibly corresponding to the location of the home automation event. The video captured by the UAV of the portion of the home in association with an indication of the home automation event that triggered deployment of the UAV may be recorded.

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems, apparatus, and methods are described for modifying over-the-air (OTA) channels for coaxial distribution. In one example, a method includes capturing at least one set of over the air (OTA) channels, each OTA channel being associated with a broadcast frequency within an OTA frequency spectrum; selecting a subset of OTA channels from the at least one set of OTA channels; translating the selected subset of OTA channels to a set of secondary frequencies within a secondary frequency spectrum; combining the translated subset of OTA channels and one or more satellite transponder signals into a coaxial feed; and transmitting the coaxial feed to a receiving device.

Abstract: Various arrangements for controlling presentation of the video mosaic are presented. A television receiver may store a front-end switching condition and a back-end switching condition. The front-end switching condition may define criteria occurring within a piece of content that triggers when focus is to switch from the piece of content to another piece of content. The back-end switching condition may define when focus is to switch to a higher-ranked piece of content. The television receiver may output to a presentation device, the video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented within a plurality of tiles. The television receiver may control focus among the plurality of tiles within the video mosaic based on the front-end switching condition and the back-end switching condition, wherein one tile from the plurality of tiles receives focus at a given time.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for allowing a user with a Smartphone to pair the Smartphone with another Bluetooth device to receive audio that is played to the user over headphones or through speakers on the Smartphone. Further, an audio processing module is used to modify the audio presented to the user, extract closed captioning text to be displayed to the user, find information relevant to the audio to be displayed to the user, and pause audio content sent to the Smartphone when phone calls or other Smartphone interruptions occur.

Abstract: Various arrangements for monitoring and utilizing solar conjunction events are presented. An occurrence of a solar conjunction event caused by the sun being substantially aligned with the satellite antenna through which a television receiver receives signals from one or more satellites may be monitored. A prediction of a future solar conjunction event based on the monitored occurrence of the solar conjunction event may then be calculated. A second occurrence of the solar conjunction event may be monitored. It may be determined that the second occurrence of the solar conjunction event does not match the calculated prediction of the future solar conjunction event within a threshold range. One or more features of the television receiver may be disabled in response to determining that the second occurrence of the solar conjunction event does not match the calculated prediction of the future solar conjunction event within the threshold range.

Abstract: Various arrangements are present for targeting content in a television distribution system. A multiregional television channel may be transmitted to television receivers. A plurality of regional television channels may also be transmitted. Each regional television channel of the plurality of regional television channels may be broadcast to geographically smaller regions than the multiregional television channel. Content among the regional television channels may vary. Data may be transmitted to the television receivers that causes the television receivers to output for presentation as a single television channel: content from the multiregional television channel and content from a regional television channel corresponding to the television receiver's location.

Abstract: A television receiver may be configured to receive, from a user of the television receiver, a set of viewing rules that define a focus preference of the user. The television receiver may output, to a presentation device, a video mosaic comprising a plurality of pieces of content presented as a plurality of tiles. Each piece of content may be linked with a corresponding audio stream from a plurality of audio streams. The television receiver may select a piece of content for focus from the plurality of pieces of content based on the set of viewing rules defined by the user. The television receiver may output only an audio stream linked with the piece of content being focused on from among the plurality of audio streams.

Abstract: Various arrangements that permit temporary subscription porting are presented. A temporary subscription port request may be submitted by a subscriber. The temporary subscription port request may include an identifier of a visitor television receiver and authentication information for the subscriber. In response to the temporary subscription port request, a first command to a home television receiver may be transmitted that disables viewing a first set of television channels linked with the subscriber's subscription account. In response to the temporary subscription port request, a second command to the visitor television receiver may be transmitted that enables viewing the first set of television channels linked with the subscriber's subscription account.

Abstract: A system for accessing content corresponding to a matrix barcode, such as a video and/or audio content. The system may include a mobile computing device in communication with a content receiver. The mobile computing device may be configured to capture the matrix barcode, for example, via using an optical component and/or barcode scanner to record and/or scan the matrix barcode. The mobile computing device may also include a network interface component configured to transmit the matrix barcode to the content receiver. The content receiver may then receive the matrix barcode from the mobile computing device. The content receiver may include a processor to determine and/or access the content corresponding to the matrix barcode. The content receiver may then transmit the content to a display device.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for allowing a user with a Smartphone to pair the Smartphone with another Bluetooth device to receive audio that is played to the user over headphones or through speakers on the Smartphone. Further, an audio processing module is used to modify the audio presented to the user, extract closed captioning text to be displayed to the user, find information relevant to the audio to be displayed to the user, and pause audio content sent to the Smartphone when phone calls or other Smartphone interruptions occur.

Abstract: Various arrangements for monitoring and utilizing solar conjunction events are presented. An occurrence of a solar conjunction event caused by the sun being substantially aligned with the satellite antenna through which a television receiver receives signals from one or more satellites may be monitored. A prediction of a future solar conjunction event based on the monitored occurrence of the solar conjunction event may then be calculated. A second occurrence of the solar conjunction event may be monitored. It may be determined that the second occurrence of the solar conjunction event does not match the calculated prediction of the future solar conjunction event within a threshold range. One or more features of the television receiver may be disabled in response to determining that the second occurrence of the solar conjunction event does not match the calculated prediction of the future solar conjunction event within the threshold range.

Abstract: Various arrangements are described for skipping portions of content, such as commercials, from a broadcast television program. The programming content is presented at a reduced presentation rate with the broadcast content being buffered as received. The reduced presentation rate may be less than a broadcast rate at which the content was originally intended to be output for presentation. One or more undesired portions of content may be skipped due to the reduced presentation rate. Commercials may be tagged by a television service provider.

Abstract: Various arrangements that permit temporary subscription porting are presented. A temporary subscription port request may be submitted by a subscriber. The temporary subscription port request may include an identifier of a visitor television receiver and authentication information for the subscriber. In response to the temporary subscription port request, a first command to a home television receiver may be transmitted that disables viewing a first set of television channels linked with the subscriber's subscription account. In response to the temporary subscription port request, a second command to the visitor television receiver may be transmitted that enables viewing the first set of television channels linked with the subscriber's subscription account.

Abstract: Various arrangements for monitoring the signal strength of a programming stream are presented. A tuner in a receiver may be allocated to monitor disruptions and changes to the signal strength of programming streams. Based on the characteristics of the signal strength and changes to additional data such as weather information, a cause of the disruption may be determined. The cause of the disruption may be communicated to a user. Characteristics of the disruption may be unique or localized to specific geographic locations. Based at least in part on the geographic location of a receiver characteristics of disruptions may be used to identify television receivers associated with account packing.

Abstract: A provider transmits instructions to a receiver to record multiple instances of content. The instances of content are included in the same frequency band of a broadcast signal transmitted via a first communication link and encoded utilizing a common encryption. The provider determines to supplement and transmits an instruction to record a supplemental instance of content from a second content provider via a second communication link. The receiver receives the instructions and accordingly receives, decodes, and stores the multiple instances of content and the supplemental content. A recorder in communication with the receiver determines whether a content selection is a member of a content group. The group determination is based on a tag of the content selection. If the content selection is a member of the content group, the recorder presents to a display device the content selection and at least one other member of the content group.