Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a client device is protected against the execution of unauthorized software. The client includes a code authentication process that verifies the integrity of executable code, by generating and comparing a first hash value of the executable code with a known hash value of the original code. Furthermore, during boot-up, the client initializes a CPU exception vector table with one or more vector table entries. One or more, or all, of the vector table entries direct the CPU to execute the code authentication process prior to executing an event handler when an exception event occurs. Consequently, the code authentication process is virtually guaranteed to execute, thereby protecting against the execution of unauthorized code.

Abstract: A system, machine-readable medium and method for processing video comprising a video segmentor configured to receive a source video and to split the source video into segments; a bit rate allocator configured to receive the segments and generate target bit rates corresponding to the segments; a first encoder coupled to receive the plurality of segments and the target bit rates and configured to encode each of the segments using one of the target bit rates to generate encoded segments; and an output generator configured to receive the encoded segments and generate an encoded video.

Abstract: Techniques for distributing restricted media to consumers are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, personalized settings (e.g., parameters or table) are managed in a primary client device associated with a user. A copy of the personalized settings is maintained in a server. When the primary box is replaced, a copy of the personalized settings is uploaded to a different client device that is configured to respond to the personalized settings. Data pertaining to titles in a personal vault is preloaded. When there is an order for a release that is restricted for distribution over an open network, data pertaining to such a release is also loaded. As a result, the subscriber sees the familiar settings on the different client device and would not miss any release while the primary box is being replaced or repaired.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for presenting a video over a network using erasure codes is described. According to one system and method, the network has nodes, portions of a video being encoded as encoded portions each having sections, the sections for each encoded portion being distributed among segments, the segments being distributed among the nodes; an apparatus including a network interface coupled to the network; a control system coupled to the network interface and configured to initiate a video request and communicate with a subset of the nodes to receive a subset of the segments; and a decoder coupled to the network interface and configured to decode a subset of the sections for each of the encoded portions to generate the portions of the video; and a presentation device coupled to the apparatus, the presentation device presenting the portions of the video.

Abstract: Techniques for fragmenting a file or a collection of media data are disclosed. According one aspect of the techniques, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and several tails or segments. The header is a continuous portion of the file while the segments are respective parts of the remaining portion of the file. The header is seeded substantially in all boxes, and none, one or more of the segments are distributed in each of the boxes in service. When a title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are continuously fetched respectively from other boxes that have the segments.

Abstract: Techniques for distributing restricted media to consumers are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, personalized settings (e.g., parameters or table) are managed in a primary client device associated with a user. A copy of the personalized settings is maintained in a server. When the primary box is replaced, a copy of the personalized settings is uploaded to a different client device that is configured to respond to the personalized settings. Data pertaining to titles in a personal vault is preloaded. When there is an order for a release that is restricted for distribution over an open network, data pertaining to such a release is also loaded. As a result, the subscriber sees the familiar settings on the different client device and would not miss any release while the primary box is being replaced or repaired.

Abstract: Techniques for fragmenting a file or a collection of media data are disclosed. According one aspect of the techniques, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and several tails or segments. The header is a continuous portion of the file while the segments are respective parts of the remaining portion of the file. The header is seeded substantially in all boxes, and none, one or more of the segments are distributed in each of the boxes in service. When a title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are continuously fetched respectively from other boxes that have the segments.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a client device is protected against the execution of unauthorized software. The client includes a code authentication process that verifies the integrity of executable code, by generating and comparing a first hash value of the executable code with a known hash value of the original code. Furthermore, during boot-up, the client initializes a CPU exception vector table with one or more vector table entries. One or more, or all, of the vector table entries direct the CPU to execute the code authentication process prior to executing an event handler when an exception event occurs. Consequently, the code authentication process is virtually guaranteed to execute, thereby protecting against the execution of unauthorized code.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for presenting a movie on demand over a network is described. According to one system and method, the network has one or more nodes, portions of a video being encoded as encoded portions each having sections, the sections for each encoded portion being distributed among segments, the segments being distributed among the one or more nodes; an apparatus including a network interface is coupled to the network; a control system is coupled to the network interface and configured to initiate a movie request and to communicate with a subset of the one or more nodes to receive a subset of the segments; and a decoder coupled to the network interface and configured to decode a subset of the sections so that less than all of the sections are used to play back the movie; and a presentation device coupled to the apparatus, the presentation device presenting the portions of the video. Each portion of the movie is played back, in its entirety, without using all of the sections of that portion.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a client device is protected against the execution of unauthorized software. The client includes a code authentication process that verifies the integrity of executable code, by generating and comparing a first hash value of the executable code with a known hash value of the original code. Furthermore, during boot-up, the client initializes a CPU exception vector table with one or more vector table entries. One or more, or all, of the vector table entries direct the CPU to execute the code authentication process prior to executing an event handler when an exception event occurs. Consequently, the code authentication process is virtually guaranteed to execute, thereby protecting against the execution of unauthorized code.

Abstract: Techniques for seeding data among client machines, also referred to as boxes herein, are disclosed. To prevent the data distributed among the boxes from being illegitimately accessed or possessed, according to one aspect of the present invention, each box is configured to perform what is referred to herein as a transcription process. In other words, when encrypted data is received, the data is decrypted and then re-encrypted with a key agreeable with a next box configured to receive the data.

Abstract: A graphic user interface is provided to facilitate a playback of a movie from any desired point. The graphic user interface includes a track bar to reflect how much time data pertaining to the movie title is available for playback. After it is determined that a current data point is being dragged along the track bar, a time corresponding to the current data point is tracked as such a subsequent playback of the movie starts right from the current data point. In one embodiment, dragging the current data point along the track bar is achieved by a scroll wheel.

Abstract: Techniques for transporting data in a distributed environment are described. In a media system in which boxes are configured to supply each other needed data, stabilities of data transportation among the boxes are important. According to one aspect of the techniques, when one or more supplying boxes are identified to supply respective data portions to an ordering box, each communication session between the ordering box and one of the supplying boxes is constantly monitored. If the data is not transported correctly, a backup session by a backup box is activated to replace the session in which the data is not transported correctly. Without affecting the number of available boxes that may be designated to supply data to other ordering boxes, in one embodiment, one box is used to backup multiple boxes.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide a method and system for creating and displaying a media presentation. Data is received corresponding to a video program from a content delivery network. The video program is displayed on a display device. A plurality of display features are generated and displayed on the display device concurrently with the video program. The display features are selectable, and in response to a user selecting a display feature, content from a specific site associated with the selected display feature is retrieved. The retrieved content is concurrently displayed with the video program.

Abstract: A graphic user interface is provided to facilitate a playback of a movie from any desired point. The graphic user interface includes a track bar to reflect how much time data pertaining to the movie title is available for playback. After it is determined that a current data point is being dragged along the track bar, a time corresponding to the current data point is tracked as such a subsequent playback of the movie starts right from the current data point. In one embodiment, dragging the current data point along the track bar is achieved by a scroll wheel.

Abstract: Various techniques for providing instantaneous media services are disclosed. Some of the techniques provide an instantaneous media-on-demand system, process and method for the same. Such a system offers a dynamic library with a significant number of titles from which a user may select and offers play back a desired title fairly instantly. To facilitate instant playback, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and segments. The header is seeded in all boxes in service and none, one or more segments are distributed to the network of boxes. When the title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are streamed in respectively from the boxes having the segments to enable continuous playback of the ordered title.

Abstract: Techniques for minimizing blocking artifacts in video images or frames are disclosed. In general, these blocking artifacts are the result of block-based compression standards, such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.261, H.263, and H.264. According to one aspect of the present invention, a blurring process is configured to replace pixels on the blocking boundaries with randomly selected pixels within respective regions, each of the regions is predefined with respect to a pixel being replaced. In a certain perspective, a blocking boundary is diffused without introducing blurring to other than the blocking artifacts. According to another aspect to the present invention, pixels in an image or frame are sequentially processed by a moving average process that is configured to smooth only those pixels that may cause subjective perception of the blocking artifacts.

Abstract: Techniques for fragmenting a file or a collection of media data are disclosed. According one aspect of the techniques, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and several tails or segments. The header is a continuous portion of the file while the segments are respective parts of the remaining portion of the file. The header is seeded substantially in all boxes, and none, one or more of the segments are distributed in each of the boxes in service. When a title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are continuously fetched respectively from other boxes that have the segments.

Abstract: A method performed by one or more processors for segmenting and encoding media content over a network. The media content is first partitioned into an ordered sequence of media segments. Each of the media segments is then encoded (i) at a first bit rate to generate a respective one of a first set of data segments, and (ii) at a second bit rate to generate a respective one of a second set of data segments, wherein data segments of the first set may be used interchangeably with data segments of the second set to facilitate continuous playback of the media content. A request for the media content is then received from another device in the network. In response, a respective one of the first set of data segments or the second set of data segments is selectively transmitted, for each of the media segments, based at least in part on a network bandwidth of the first device.

Abstract: Techniques for fragmenting a file or a collection of media data are disclosed. According one aspect of the techniques, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and several tails or segments. The header is a continuous portion of the file while the segments are respective parts of the remaining portion of the file. The header is seeded substantially in all boxes, and none, one or more of the segments are distributed in each of the boxes in service. When a title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are continuously fetched respectively from other boxes that have the segments.