3716results about "Carrier indexing/addressing/timing/synchronising" patented technology

A method of generating an object oriented interactive multimedia file, including encoding data comprising at least one of video, text, audio, music and/or graphics elements as a video packet stream, text packet stream, audio packet stream, music packet stream and/or graphics packet stream respectively, combining the packet streams into a single self-contained object, said object containing its own control information, placing a plurality of the objects in a data stream, and grouping one or more of the data streams in a single contiguous self-contained scene, the scene including format definition as the initial packet in a sequence of packets. An encoder for executing the method is provided together with a player or decoder for parsing and decoding the file, which can be wirelessly streamed to a portable computer device, such as a mobile phone or a PDA. The object controls provide rendering and interactive controls for objects allowing users to control dynamic media composition, such as dictating the shape and content of interleaved video objects, and control the objects received.

Streaming compressed digital hypervideo received upon a digital communications network is decoded (decompressed) and played in a client-computer-based "video on web VCR" software system. Scene changes, if not previously marked upstream, are automatically detected, and typically twenty-one past scenes are displayed as thumbnail images. Hyperlinks within the main video scene, and/or any thumbnail image, show as hotspots, with text annotations typically appearing upon a cursor "mouse over". All hyperlinks-as are provided and inserted by, inter alia, the upstream network service provider (the "ISP")-may be, and preferably are, full-custom dynamically-resolved to each subscriber/user/viewer ("SUV") upon volitional "click throughs" by the SUV, including retrospectively on past hypervideo scenes as appear within the thumbnail images. Hyperlinking permits (i) retrieving information and commercials, including streaming video/hypervideo, from any of local storage, a network (or Internet) service provider ("ISP"), a network content provider, and/or an advertiser network site, (ii) entering a contest of skill or a lottery of chance, (iii) gambling, (iv) buying (and less often, selling), (v) responding to a survey, and expressing an opinion, and/or (vi) sounding an alert.

A video data recordable having integrated channel guides allowing a user to control recording and storage of television signals into personal channels for later playback and viewing. In the described embodiment, the user may specify criteria for recording of shows from an input source such as a broadcast signal and shows are then selected based on the user specified criteria and recorded for later playback. Storage of the shows may be organized into personal channels in order to facilitate later playback, e.g., the user may specify a channel of action movies, a channel of nature programming, a channel for sports, etc. The shows to be recorded may also have a predefined format which may be used to ease playback of recorded programming by allowing the user to easily locate and playback sections of programming of interest.

A method and apparatus for synchronizing streaming media with multiple output devices. One or more media servers serve media streams to one or more output devices (i.e., players). For playback synchronization, one output device is the “master”, whereas the remaining output devices are “slaves”. More data is requested from the media server by the “master” device to maintain a nominal buffer fill level over time. The “slave” devices receive streamed data from the media server at the rate determined by the master device's data requests, and the average rate of data flow over the streaming network is thus controlled by the frequency of the single “master” device's crystal. “Slave” devices make playback rate corrections to maintain respective buffer fill levels within upper and lower threshold levels. For slow networks, each media data packet timestamp is calculated from the time the master's buffer reaches nominal level.

An audio encoder applies an adaptive block-encoding process to segments of audio information to generate frames of encoded information that are aligned with a reference signal conveying the alignment of a sequence of video information frames. The audio information is analyzed to determine various characteristics of the audio signal such as the occurrence and location of a transient, and a control signal is generated that causes the adaptive block-encoding process to encode segments of varying length. A complementary decoder applies an adaptive block-decoding process to recover the segments of audio information from the frames of encoded information. In embodiments that apply time-domain aliasing cancellation (TDAC) transforms, window functions and transforms are applied according to one of a plurality of segment patterns that define window functions and transform parameters for each segment in a sequence of segments. The segments in each frame of a sequence of overlapping frames may be recovered without aliasing artifacts independently from the recovery of segments in other frames. Window functions are adapted to provide preferred frequency-domain responses and time-domain gain profiles.

A method, system, and user interface for creating a personalized and customizable playlist. In one embodiment, the method and system for generating a playlist includes the user selecting and/or entering media file identifiers associated with media files and then initiating automatic playlist generation.

A computer program embodied in a computer readable medium in a mobile station MS includes instructions to display a first identifier, such as a song title, associated with a first media (music or video) file and a second identifier identified with a second media file. The first identifier indicates that the first media file is stored in the MS and the second identifier indicates that the file is not stored within the MS. Five such identifiers are disclosed, with functionality to up/download the media files one or more at a time from a PC or a networked server. Playlists and albums may be similarly indicated in their identifiers. The user is enabled to create and edit playlists on the MS without regard to what media files are stored on the MS. The MS may store file identifiers for the database maintained on the PC, a large-scale database maintained at a media service server, or a portion thereof. A mobile station is also described.

An apparatus, system and method for synchronizing the playback of data transmitted over an asynchronous network. An initialization module may initialize at least two receivers to receive playback data from a transmission module. The transmission module may then transmit to the receivers the playback data, and, in some embodiments, synchronization data. Synchronization data may include a playback indicator by which the receivers may determine an appropriate playback data consumption rate. A buffer module may buffer a predetermined amount of playback data which may be played in response to a start signal individually addressed to the receivers.

A video image information playback method and a video image information playback device with which user convenience can be obtained at the start of resume playback. The video image information playback method is a method of playback of a recording medium on which virtual-machine-based content has been recorded. During normal playback of the virtual-machine-based content, a program running on a virtual machine and a decryption program that decrypts encrypted virtual-machine-based content perform decryption processing for the virtual-machine-based content while exchanging data. After suspension of playback of the virtual-machine-based content, at the start of resume playback, which is executed following an instruction to resume playback, a proxy program is launched in place of the program that runs on the virtual machine. The proxy program and the decryption program perform playback of the video image of the virtual-machine-based content while exchanging data.

A system, method, and article of manufacture is provided for updating content stored on a portable storage medium. Upon input of a portable storage medium into a machine by a user, the content stored on the portable storage medium is read. After reading the content of the portable storage medium, a separate storage medium is accessed and content is received therefrom. The content from the separate storage medium is an update of the content of the portable storage medium. This content of the separate storage medium is then displayed.

Methods and apparatus for navigating video content. Digital markers may be placed at desired locations within recorded or cached video content. In one embodiment, these markers (or bookmarks) may be used to instantly jump to a particular scene or location within a video presentation. Such markers may be manually or automatically placed during live caching of video content or playback of previously recorded content. In another embodiment, selectable thumbnailed images that are representative of the video content at previously bookmarked locations may be presented to a user. Such selectable thumbnailed images may be integrated with a DVR status bar and, when selected, may be used to begin viewing stored video content from the bookmark corresponding to which ever thumbnail is chosen.

Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user.

A multimedia server system includes a disk array subsystem including a plurality of multimedia files, e.g., movies, a media file system manager for managing the storage of the plurality of multimedia files within the disk array subsystem, and a playlist which includes a list of titles of specific multimedia files to be played at designated times. The multimedia server system advantageously includes synchronization parameters associated with each of titles specified by the playlist. The synchronization parameters are programmed to specify the manner in which particular files should be truncated in order to compensate for admission delays. An admission delay synchronization unit receives the synchronization parameters and truncates the multimedia files as specified by the synchronization parameters. In one implementation, a first synchronization parameter is used to specify that the current file should be truncated at the time for the play of the next file. A second synchronization parameter specifies that up to a given amount of time should be sacrificed at the beginning of the next file to account for the admission delay of the current file. In this manner, the beginning of the next file is truncated. Still a third synchronization parameter is provided to specify an amount of time up to which the current file will be truncated at it's end to account for it's admission delay. As a result, the truncated file can be played in a shorter amount of time than the scheduled duration, and the "excess time" created is available to absorb any admission delay.

Automatic rules-based synchronization of digital files on a source device and a target device coupled to it. A source computer executes a synchronization engine for managing transfer of files from a source database to a target device coupled to the computer as a function of a defined storage capacity of the device. The synchronization engine is configured to receive user-defined rules for selecting which of the files are to be transferred to the device and assigning priorities to the files. The synchronization engine builds a designated list of the files to be transferred according to the priorities defined by the rules.

A technique for setting parameters of an audio system initially monitors audio related operator usage patterns. The technique then controls an audio source of the audio system based upon the operator usage patterns.

A system and method for selecting media. In one embodiment, the media is selected based on a desired relationship measure, a user input, relationship data, and the identity of a media file. In another embodiment, the present method and system is implemented onto portable devices, car audio systems, consumer electronics devices, cellular phones or software programs running on personal computers and any other device capable of reproducing media files.

Improved techniques for interaction between a host computer (e.g., personal computer) and a media player are disclosed. According to one embodiment, interaction between a host device (e.g., host computer) and a media player can be performed over a wireless channel. The interaction over the wireless channel can be used to automatically synchronize media contents stored on the media player with media contents stored on the host device. According to another embodiment, interaction between a host device and a media player, such as automatic synchronization of media contents stored on a media player with media contents stored on a host device, can be restricted. In still another embodiment, synchronization can be automatically performed when the media player is placed in a docking station that supports wireless communications.

Systems and methods for writing a sequence of data to a disk drive using sorted data zones are provided. In one embodiment, a multi-head disk drive comprises a plurality of disk surfaces, wherein each disk surface comprises a plurality of data zones, each data zone having a data transfer rate different from the other zones of the respective disk surface. The multi-head disk drive also comprises a head assembly comprising a plurality of heads, wherein each head is configured to write data to a respective one of the disk surfaces, and a controller configured to operate the plurality of heads to sequentially write a sequence of data blocks to the plurality of disk surfaces in accordance with a list of head-zone combinations ordered from highest data rate to lowest data rate, each head-zone combination corresponding to one of the heads and a data zone of the respective disk surface.

A method and a system for enabling delivery of at least part of a digital rights management (DRM) protected segmented content item to a content processing device is described wherein segmented content item is associated with a manifest file, comprising at least a first segment identifier associated with a first segment being encrypted on the basis a first key; and, a second segment identifier associated with a different, second, segment being encrypted on the basis of a second key; said manifest file further comprising key information for enabling decryption of at least one of said first and second encrypted segments. Said method may comprise: a secure module, preferably a DRM module, in said content processing device requesting a DRM server access to at least part of said segmented content item; and, providing said secure module access to at least part of said key information, if said content access request is granted by said DRM server.