Abstract: An ambient, beautiful, entertaining visual experience that can be displayed on a TV requiring little or no user interaction beyond initiation. Multiple image layers that may be still or moving video, photos, etc, or a combination thereof can be overlaid on each other.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for the display of an animated mosaic theme utilizing user images or video. In one embodiment, the method may include electing a mosaic template that includes a plurality of tile regions. The method may also include loading a source image from a memory. Furthermore, the method may include displaying a plurality of regions of the source image that correspond to the plurality of tile regions of the selected mosaic template to display a source image mosaic.

Abstract: An ambient, beautiful, entertaining visual experience that can be displayed on a TV requiring little or no user interaction beyond initiation. One theme is a mosaic of panes of; e.g., video from the last-watched channel, with the mosaic covering the screen. Another theme is a clock image with a single moving, fade-in fade-out pane that does not cover the entire screen.

Abstract: An ambient, beautiful, entertaining visual experience that can be displayed on a TV requiring little or no user interaction beyond initiation. Multiple image layers that may be still or moving video, photos, etc, or a combination thereof can be overlaid on each other.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for using a non-active (background) state of a display-enabled device to animate images and video elements within a themed storyboard from selected sources. States described in the method include: tuning to select viewable content, population of the storyboard matrix, animation of storyboard elements using animation effects, such as lens flare and live video texturing, and evaporation of the elements. By way of example, the storyboard is populated with freeze frames of video content, one or a portion of which are then played to animate that element. The storyboard preferably cycles with additional content as the prior content evaporates, until the background mode is terminated. The method is particularly well-suited for use in television sets, although it can be integrated into any display-enable apparatus having a computer and access to content sources that can be used for storyboard elements.