Abstract: A system and method for allowing a first party with Caller ID Block to selective pass its Caller ID data to desired known second parties without undue burden is disclosed. The present invention provides for a “white list”, where the “white list” includes a list of known second parties, e.g., friends and family, such that if a second party's telephone number is on the white list, the first party's Caller ID data will pass to the known second party. The white list many reside within a telecommunications switch of a telecommunications carrier or within a local digital telephony device of the first party.

Abstract: A method of playing media files is provided. A plurality of media files is stored. A commonality input that indicates a criterion for commonality is received. Further, a quantitative input is received. The quantitative input indicates a threshold number of the plurality of media files associated with the criterion for commonality. The quantitative input is a number of two or more. The common media files are randomly selected from the plurality of media files according to the commonality input and the quantitative input. The media files are played consecutively within the context of an overall randomized playback context.

Abstract: A computational device (10, 100) automatically selects metadata and presents it to a user for approval. The computational device (10, 100) compares information included in an image file with information included in a metadata database and automatically selects metadata and presents it to a user based on the comparison. If the user approves the presented metadata, the computational device (10, 100) causes the approved metadata and associated image file to be stored in a storage component.

Abstract: Video programming is selected for recording on a digital video recorder (DVR) using an electronic program guide data interface for obtaining a list of video programs available to the DVR for recording. A preference engine filters entries from the list of video programs using a user recording history to thereby generate a filtered list of video programs. A DVR programming generator is utilized to generate programming for the DVR responsively to the filtered list of video programs.

Abstract: A technique is described that allows a viewer to eliminate a fixed information band portion of a television image (e.g., a scrolling news “crawl” or fixed advertising band) from a television display by “stretching” the main program portion to fill the screen, effectively pushing the undesired crawl or advertising band off of the display. This eliminates a feature of many television broadcasts that many viewers find distracting and/or annoying, and helps to prevent phosphor burn on phosphor-based display screens.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying programming that is estimated to meet a preference of a user is provided. An implicitly correlated list is generated using a correlation engine by estimating similarity of user recording logs corresponding to a plurality of users where each user recording log comprises implicit data associated with programming recorded by respective users in the plurality. In a preference engine, an identification of a program is taken from the implicitly-correlated list and matched against content to be broadcast in the future to create a matching list. DVR programming parameters are stored in a memory using the matching list.

Abstract: A method for enabling at least one of a plurality of user devices to provide a service flow is described. In one example, a code is transmitted to a home identification device (HID) to be combined with an HID identification number. The combined response, which is comprised of the code and the HID identification number, is then transmitted from the HID and received by the user device(s). If the combined response is equivalent to at least one predetermined match key, which is stored in the user device(s), that user device(s) provides the service flow to a respective television(s).

Abstract: All upstream messages that are desired to be sent from one of a plurality of settop terminals sharing a common upstream channel are segmented into data packets through an adaptation layer before sending into the upstream channel by a settop terminal, using the present invention using a hybrid of contention and reservation methodologies. If the upstream message is lengthy, a user settop terminal can request and gain exclusive control over the upstream channel and transmit the message using a reservation and self-acknowledging mechanism. In accordance with the present invention, a combination reservation mechanism and calculation method to optimize random backoff time for upstream transmission is added to conventional contention based Media Access Control methods and this embodiment to substantially enhance performance.

Abstract: All upstream messages that are desired to be sent from one of a plurality of settop terminals sharing a common upstream channel are segmented into data packets through an adaptation layer before sending into the upstream channel by a settop terminal, using the present invention using a hybrid of contention and reservation methodologies. If the upstream message is lengthy, a user settop terminal can request and gain exclusive control over the upstream channel and transmit the message using a reservation and self-acknowledging mechanism. In accordance with the present invention, a combination reservation mechanism and calculation method to optimize random backoff time for upstream transmission is added to conventional contention based Media Access Control methods and this embodiment to substantially enhance performance.

Abstract: A method (500) for providing access to data at a consumer location (23). The consumer location (23) has a central consumer device (202) operable to access a data recording medium (402), a QAM interface (422) arranged for communication with a first remote consumer device (214), and a packet data interface (424) arranged for communication with a second remote consumer device (220). The method includes: arranging (502) for the central consumer device to receive the data from a broadband communication system; arranging (504) for storage of the received data on the data recording medium; arranging (506) for processing of a request in behalf of the first remote consumer device or the second remote consumer device, for access to the stored data; and arranging (508/510) for transmission of the stored data from the data recording medium to the requesting device via either the QAM interface or the packet data interface, as appropriate.

Abstract: A personal versatile recorder can be connected to, or integrated in, a cable television set-top terminal. The personal versatile recorder includes a central processing unit and a hard drive for mass data storage. Preferably, the personal versatile recorder has a tuner or tuners for receiving one or more transport streams from the cable system as well as analog or digital audiovisual programming. The data transport stream may encompass internet multimedia web content and associated applications to he utilized by the personal versatile recorder, Under instructions of the viewer or the agent application the central processing unit controls and facilitates various functions such as encoding, transcoding, decoding, caching, storing, playback and retrieval of any type of data or data file on the hard drive including compressed audiovisual programming content, streamed multimedia cached content, picture files, video files, audio files, HTML files, etc. for a variety of applications as described.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for providing scheduled live off disk recording for DVR devices. Characteristics describing selected content scheduled to be broadcast on a first channel is programmed into the DVR device 204 for recording onto the temporary buffer 208. Once the selected content is received from a communications network 202, the DVR device 204 navigates to the scheduled LOD channel planning to receive the selected content. Once tuned to the scheduled LOD channel, the DVR device 204 stores the selected content in a temporary buffer 208. In the event the temporary buffer 208 becomes full, the DVR device 204 receives a full indication, and begins to overwrite the content of the temporary buffer 208 starting from the beginning, such that there is always a full buffer of data. In the event of a channel change, the temporary buffer is purged.

Abstract: In order to transition to digital television services, existing analog televisions require additional equipment that can decode received digital data streams. Devices of this sort are readily available, however they can become expensive as the feature list expands. The present invention provides a low-cost digital television settop or the like, with built-in digital decoding and analog signal pass-through capabilities. The tuner within an analog television receives (i) passed through analog television channels and (ii) digital channels that have been converted to analog signals and placed on a predetermined analog television channel.

Abstract: A technique is described that allows a viewer to eliminate a fixed information band portion of a television image (e.g., a scrolling news “crawl or fixed advertising band) from a television display by “stretching” the main program portion to fill the screen, effectively pushing the undesired crawl or advertising band off of the display. This eliminates a feature of many television broadcasts that many viewers find distracting and/or annoying, and helps to prevent phosphor burn on phosphor-based display screens.

Abstract: A method for determining a power status includes detecting a current associated with a power source of a display device and determining the power status of the display device in accordance with the current.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for automatically detecting the current speaker configuration of a home theater system. An audio/video receiver of a home theater system automatically detects which sound channels have speakers attached so that audio output may be provided according to the current speaker configuration.

Abstract: In order to transition to digital television services, existing analog televisions require additional equipment that can decode received digital data streams. Devices of this sort are readily available, however they can become expensive as the feature list expands. The present invention provides a low-cost digital television settop or the like, with built-in digital decoding and analog signal pass-through capabilities. The tuner within an analog television receives (i) passed through analog television channels and (ii) digital channels that have been converted to analog signals and placed on a predetermined analog television channel.