Abstract: An audio services agent manager (ASAM) of a control device can provide an improved user experience by iterating through a list of audio services agents so as to verify that a requested audio service is provided. The ASAM can receive an audio input from an audio input device and direct the audio input as an audio command to an audio services agent based on an audio service rule. The ASAM can verify processing of the audio command by the audio service agent based on a response received by the ASAM from the audio service agent. If the response indicates success, then the audio service requested by the audio command is provided, otherwise, the ASAM can select another audio services agent based on the audio service rule and proceed to direct the audio command to the newly selected audio services agent so as to provide the requested audio service.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for a detector device for use with a first video conference device, a second video conference device, and WAN. The video conference devices are configured to: establish a video conference over a secure communication channel over the WAN; to encode user video/audio data; to encrypt the encoded data; to provide the encrypted data to the other video conference device; to receive encrypted data; to decrypt the encrypted data; decode the encoded data; instruct the display to display video data based on the decoded video data; and instruct the speaker to play audio data based on the decoded audio data. The first video conference device is additionally configured to: receive detector data from the detector device; to encode detector data; to encrypt the encoded data; and to provide the encrypted data to the other video conference device.

Abstract: A streaming media server is provided that receives a request over a network from a customer premises gateway to receive a streaming media content item that is to be presented on two or more client devices in a synchronized manner. Responsive to the request, the streaming media server sends a manifest associated with the requested streaming media content item to the customer premises gateway only when it has been incrementally updated to remove an oldest media segment URL from the manifest and add a most recent media segment URL to the manifest.

Abstract: A streaming media server is provided that receives a request over a network from a customer premises gateway to receive a streaming media content item that is to be presented on two or more client devices in a synchronized manner. Responsive to the request, the streaming media server sends a manifest associated with the requested streaming media content item to the customer premises gateway only when it has been incrementally updated to remove an oldest media segment URL from the manifest and add a most recent media segment URL to the manifest.