Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing delivery of content to client devices of a network via both multicast and unicast mechanisms. In one embodiment, a system for use in a managed content delivery network is described to bridge multicast to unicast, so that the total network bandwidth consumption is significantly lower than a corresponding unicast-only delivery solution, yet which still provides improved quality of service and user viewing experience as compared to a multicast-only delivery solution. In addition, various exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are readily adapted for real-time multicast to unicast streaming of audio and data to, among other things, minimize network bandwidth usage, while maintaining the guaranteed delivery of unicast streams with little or no modification to the existing client device logic.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for secondary content management, including preventing viewing fraud, are disclosed. In one embodiment, apparatus of the present disclosure includes an Advertisement Decisioning Service (ADS) and Manifest Manipulator (MM) configured cooperate to receive client requests for secondary content, select one or more secondary content elements (e.g., advertisements), and generate and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the client's request for a session. The selected advertisements in one implementation include embedded beacons or tags used to ensure accurate accounting with regards to the amount or quality of consumption of the advertisement by a user.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for secondary content management, including preventing viewing fraud, are disclosed. In one embodiment, apparatus of the present disclosure includes an Advertisement Decisioning Service (ADS) and Manifest Manipulator (MM) configured cooperate to receive client requests for secondary content, select one or more secondary content elements (e.g., advertisements), and generate and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the client's request for a session. The selected advertisements in one implementation include embedded beacons or tags used to ensure accurate accounting with regards to the amount or quality of consumption of the advertisement by a user.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices are provided for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network. A network server may receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server, relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network, receive an operating mode notification identifying a user behavior from the receiver device, and ceasing the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device based on the user behavior. The network server may also alter the audio-video stream based on the received operating mode notification and send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for delivery of packetized content (e.g., video, audio, data, etc.) over a content delivery network. In one embodiment, the content is packetized using an Internet Protocol (IP), and delivered by a service provider over both managed and unmanaged networks to subscribers of the provider, so as to provide delivery at any time, at any location, and via any designated user device. The delivered content may originate from the service provider, third-party content sources (e.g., networks or studios), the subscriber(s) themselves, or other sources including the Internet. Use of a common control and service functions within the network afford the ability to integrate or blend services together, thereby affording the service provider and subscriber new service and economic opportunities. Content delivery sessions may also be migrated from one device to another. A network-based user interface infrastructure, and gateway-based client-side architecture, are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices are provided for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network. A network server may receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server, relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network, receive an operating mode notification identifying a user behavior from the receiver device, and ceasing the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device based on the user behavior. The network server may also alter the audio-video stream based on the received operating mode notification and send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices are provided for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network. A network server may receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server, relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network, receive an operating mode notification identifying a user behavior from the receiver device, and ceasing the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device based on the user behavior. The network server may also alter the audio-video stream based on the received operating mode notification and send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing control over targeted secondary content based on a zone associated with a user. In one exemplary embodiment, a user request for primary content from a non-legacy device results in the delivery of the same secondary content which would have been provided had the request been generated at a legacy device (so-called “zone preservation”). To accomplish this, the devices are associated with a user's zone at a zone preservation server in communication with the server providing content to the devices. The zone preservation server associates each user with an advertisement zone identifier, and utilizes the identifier to direct the delivery of primary and secondary content. In another embodiment, a prescribed rule set for one or more zones is employed, such as where certain types of advertisements or secondary content are inserted given a particular device or user context.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for secondary content management, including preventing viewing fraud, are disclosed. In one embodiment, apparatus of the present disclosure includes an Advertisement Decisioning Service (ADS) and Manifest Manipulator (MM) configured cooperate to receive client requests for secondary content, select one or more secondary content elements (e.g., advertisements), and generate and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the client's request for a session. The selected advertisements in one implementation include embedded beacons or tags used to ensure accurate accounting with regards to the amount or quality of consumption of the advertisement by a user.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing delivery of content to client devices of a network via both multicast and unicast mechanisms. In one embodiment, a system for use in a managed content delivery network is described to bridge multicast to unicast, so that the total network bandwidth consumption is significantly lower than a corresponding unicast-only delivery solution, yet which still provides improved quality of service and user viewing experience as compared to a multicast-only delivery solution. In addition, various exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are readily adapted for real-time multicast to unicast streaming of audio and data to, among other things, minimize network bandwidth usage, while maintaining the guaranteed delivery of unicast streams with little or no modification to the existing client device logic.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices are provided for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network. A network server may receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server, relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network, receive an operating mode notification identifying a user behavior from the receiver device, and ceasing the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device based on the user behavior. The network server may also alter the audio-video stream based on the received operating mode notification and send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for secondary content management, including preventing viewing fraud, are disclosed. In one embodiment, apparatus of the present disclosure includes an Advertisement Decisioning Service (ADS) and Manifest Manipulator (MM) configured cooperate to receive client requests for secondary content, select one or more secondary content elements (e.g., advertisements), and generate and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the client's request for a session. The selected advertisements in one implementation include embedded beacons or tags used to ensure accurate accounting with regards to the amount or quality of consumption of the advertisement by a user.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing delivery of content to client devices of a network via both multicast and unicast mechanisms. In one embodiment, a system for use in a managed content delivery network is described to bridge multicast to unicast, so that the total network bandwidth consumption is significantly lower than a corresponding unicast-only delivery solution, yet which still provides improved quality of service and user viewing experience as compared to a multicast-only delivery solution. In addition, various exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are readily adapted for real-time multicast to unicast streaming of audio and data to, among other things, minimize network bandwidth usage, while maintaining the guaranteed delivery of unicast streams with little or no modification to the existing client device logic.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices are provided for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network. A network server may receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server, relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network, receive an operating mode notification identifying a user behavior from the receiver device, and ceasing the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device based on the user behavior. The network server may also alter the audio-video stream based on the received operating mode notification and send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for providing emergency alert system (EAS) data to subscribers of a content-based network for multiple locations including via mobile devices. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a server performing real-time receipt and encapsulation of the EAS data, transport of the EAS data to client devices over an IP or other packet-switched network, and use of applications running on the client devices to decode and display the EAS data. In one variant, a centralized EAS (CEAS) entity is used to aggregate and distribute EAS messages to video registration servers (VRS), which use stored client device data and user preferences to map delivery of relevant EAMs over the IP network. In another variant, instant messaging (IM) infrastructure is used to deliver and display at least portion of the EAS data via a separate transport process.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for delivery of packetized content (e.g., video, audio, data, etc.) over a content delivery network. In one embodiment, the content is packetized using an Internet Protocol (IP), and delivered by a service provider over both managed and unmanaged networks to subscribers of the provider, so as to provide delivery at any time, at any location, and via any designated user device. The delivered content may originate from the service provider, third-party content sources (e.g., networks or studios), the subscriber(s) themselves, or other sources including the Internet. Use of a common control and service functions within the network afford the ability to integrate or blend services together, thereby affording the service provider and subscriber new service and economic opportunities. Content delivery sessions may also be migrated from one device to another. A network-based user interface infrastructure, and gateway-based client-side architecture, are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating content using remnant capacity includes an intermediate device having a content storage, a user device in communication with the intermediate device and a communication system provider communicating content to the intermediate device. The intermediate device stores the content the content storage. The user device requests content from the content storage. The intermediate device communicates content from the content storage to the user device in real time in response to requesting.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for synchronizing devices corresponding to a customer are described. A plurality of devices are associated with a customer record. The customer indicates which one or ones of the devices are to be synchronized from a content playback perspective. Content delivery delays based on a time stamp included in content sent to the devices to be synchronized is determined by the devices and reported to a control device. Transmission of on-demand content is adjusted on a per device basis, e.g., delayed or advanced, to achieve synchronized delivery. For content transmitted according to a schedule, a delay may be communicated to the playback device and the device delays output of received content to synchronize output with other devices. Customer premise records include a list of devices to be synchronized along with transmission and/or output timing adjustment information on a per device basis.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems of parallel encoding and publishing media content in a plurality of encoded formats. One exemplary embodiment includes the steps of receiving at least a first portion of a first content stream; communicating the first portion of the stream to a plurality of encoders including a first through Nth encoder, operating said first through Nth encoders in parallel to perform different encoding operations in real time to generate first through Nth encoded versions of said first portion of content; monitoring the encoding status of each of the first through Nth encoders; determining when at least the first through Nth encoders are done processing the first portion of the stream, and publishing, in response to determining that the first through Nth encoders are done processing the first portion of the stream, at the same time, the successfully encoded versions of the first portion of the stream.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for delivery of packetized content (e.g., video, audio, data, etc.) over a content delivery network. In one embodiment, the content is packetized using an Internet Protocol (IP), and delivered by a service provider over both managed and unmanaged networks to subscribers of the provider, so as to provide delivery at any time, at any location, and via any designated user device. The delivered content may originate from the service provider, third-party content sources (e.g., networks or studios), the subscriber(s) themselves, or other sources including the Internet. Use of a common control and service functions within the network afford the ability to integrate or blend services together, thereby affording the service provider and subscriber new service and economic opportunities. Content delivery sessions may also be migrated from one device to another. A network-based user interface infrastructure, and gateway-based client-side architecture, are also disclosed.