Abstract: A method of and apparatus for maintaining the privacy of a subject of a recording are disclosed. The location of at least one subject is determined. The location of the subject is stored in a database. The location of a recording device when a recording is made is determined. The location of the recording device is provided to the database.

Abstract: In a reservation network designed to carry bursty traffic an improved dynamic bandwidth allocation method accounts for reservation latency. In one advantageous embodiment wherein the system is memoryless, a user will request its queue size divided by the reservation latency in the system. Alternatively, a small memory based system can achieve further efficiencies by making available to a user a frame length amount of memory. The user can then request the greater as between its queue size divided by the reservation latency and the number of current arrivals at the user.

Abstract: A system for broadcasting television programs over the Internet. A content provider, such as a broadcaster of a sports event, packages a television program into digital packets, and transmits the packets over the Internet to subscribers, from a first location. The content provider periodically pauses in transmitting the packets, to allow advertisers to transmit advertising messages during the pauses, from a second location. Arrangements are provided to synchornize the content provider and the advertisers.

Abstract: Program insertion in real time IP multicast enables the seamless insertion of a secondary program within an IP multicast session of a primary program. A primary content provider transmits its multimedia stream to a first proxy that transmits the data to a destination multicast session. A secondary content provider interested in inserting a program into that destination multicast session sends a request through a second proxy to the first proxy requesting a time slot to insert secondary program. The request includes the duration of the secondary program. The first proxy responds with a time slot or a denial of the request depending if a time slot is available. Assuming an available time slot, at the appropriate time the first proxy transfers control of the destination multicast session to the second proxy which transmits the secondary program. Upon completion of the secondary program the second proxy returns control of the session to the first proxy.