Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that relate to providing interactive television by synchronizing content to live and/or recorded television shows. Content is synchronized without the use of in-band triggers. A broadcast stream is received, and search/action pairs are received from a transmission path, such as from the Internet or user. When the search criteria are found in the broadcast stream, the associated action is performed and the content is synchronized with the show. An application programming interface is used to facilitate synchronization, and includes a set search method, a search function template method, and a clear search method. The set search method initiates searching of the broadcast stream and registers one or more callback methods for performing the associated action when the match is found. The search function template serves as the template for registering the callback methods. The clear search method clears the system resources from the search.

Abstract: Content ratings and recommendations is described. In an embodiment, a ratings service compiles ratings of programs for a rating system that is associated with a group of viewers, where a viewer of the group establishes the rating system, and where at least some of the viewers of the group rate the programs for the group of viewers. A recommendation service then provides program recommendations to the viewers of the group based on the rating system.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for arbitrarily indexing multimedia content. In accordance with example embodiments, a multimedia content stream that comprises one or more samples is received. At least one of the samples is passed to one or more multimedia filters for analysis based on criteria that define an index type for the multimedia filter. Once it is determined that the sample meets the criteria for an arbitrary filter and index type, an index entry that identifies both the sample and the index type of the arbitrary filter is created. The index entry is adapted in accordance with a common, extensible indexing scheme to coexist with other index entries of other or the same index type for the sample. The created index entry is stored for subsequent access.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: A method, system and/or computer program product for managing the use of media content ratings information by a media content receiver, including communicating media content for presentation by a media content receiver; communicating media content ratings information for the media content, the media content ratings information being communicated discretely from the media content. The communicating operations include one or both of transmitting and receiving the content and/or ratings information.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: A computing system such as a Programmable Video Recorder (PVR) receives broadcast data and enhanced file-state data from a data source. The broadcast data may include multimedia data. The enhanced file-state data may include web-based data such as ATVEF data. The PVR buffers the broadcast data and the enhanced file-state data in a backing store that is associated with the PVR. The PVR also creates an index for indexing the enhanced file-state data so that, when the broadcast data is rendered, the correct file-state data can be located and rendered at the appropriate time with the broadcast data. The index may classify the enhanced file-state data by GUID, sequence number, and valid start and end times associated with corresponding broadcast data. The index may also include pointers for locating the enhanced file-state data from the buffer of the PVR.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: A method, system and/or computer program product for managing the use of media content ratings information by a media content receiver, including communicating media content for presentation by a media content receiver; communicating media content ratings information for the media content, the media content ratings information being communicated discretely from the media content. The communicating operations include one or both of transmitting and receiving the content and/or ratings information.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The inventive architecture can allow third parties to write components and for the components to be securely and flexibly incorporated into a processing chain. The components can be verified by one or more authenticators that are created and then used to walk the chain of components to verify that the components are trusted.

Abstract: Content ratings and recommendations is described. In an embodiment, a ratings service compiles ratings of programs for a rating system that is associated with a group of viewers, where a viewer of the group establishes the rating system, and where at least some of the viewers of the group rate the programs for the group of viewers. A recommendation service then provides program recommendations to the viewers of the group based on the rating system.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that relate to providing interactive television by synchronizing content to live and/or recorded television shows. Content is synchronized without the use of in-band triggers. A broadcast stream is received, and search/action pairs are received from a transmission path, such as from the Internet or user. When the search criteria are found in the broadcast stream, the associated action is performed and the content is synchronized with the show. An application programming interface is used to facilitate synchronization, and includes a set search method, a search function template method, and a clear search method. The set search method initiates searching of the broadcast stream and registers one or more callback methods for performing the associated action when the match is found. The search function template serves as the template for registering the callback methods. The clear search method clears the system resources from the search.

Abstract: An image processing application employs the concept of integral pre-multiplied alpha channel, and combines the techniques of multi-resolution representation, graph-structured representation, and automatic and intelligent data type conversion in order to permit a computer user to mix and manipulate both raster and vector based images in a single user interface while remaining unaware of the different data types underlying the images.

Abstract: Innovative techniques for identifying and distinguishing content, such as commercials, can be used with means for marking key frames within the commercials to facilitate replacement of commercials and other programming segments in such a way as to provide improved focus and relevance for targeted advertising based on known and/or dynamic conditions. The identification of commercial features can also be used to provide improved trick play functionality while the commercial or other programming is rendered.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for arbitrarily indexing multimedia content. In accordance with example embodiments, a multimedia content stream that comprises one or more samples is received. At least one of the samples is passed to one or more multimedia filters for analysis based on criteria that define an index type for the multimedia filter. Once it is determined that the sample meets the criteria for an arbitrary filter and index type, an index entry that identifies both the sample and the index type of the arbitrary filter is created. The index entry is adapted in accordance with a common, extensible indexing scheme to coexist with other index entries of other or the same index type for the sample. The created index entry is stored for subsequent access.