1684results about "Plural information simultaneous broadcast" patented technology

A watermark system includes an embedder, detector, and reader. The watermark embedder encodes a watermark signal in a host signal to create a combined signal. The detector looks for the watermark signal in a potentially corrupted version of the combined signal, and computes its orientation. Finally, a reader extracts a message in the watermark signal from the combined signal using the orientation to approximate the original state of the combined signal. While adapted for images, video and audio, the watermark system applies to other electronic and physical media. For example, it can be applied to mark graphical models, blank paper, film and other substrates, texturing objects for ID purposes, etc.

The present invention is directed to a method and system for disaggregating and connecting A / V components, and communicating A / V content stream information. An A / V stream from a source device is packaged for transmission over an IP network to one or more output devices. A brick device enables the integration of legacy A / V systems into the network supported A / V system. The brick device operates to provide analog signal and IP protocol conversion, along with the synchronization of received A / V stream data packets. The rendering and play of the A / V stream content on multiple output devices is synchronized to overcome distortions and other network idiosyncrasy and to facilitate a pleasant user experience.

A color mapping process enhances a watermark by computing a change in colors that is less visible for a given watermark strength. The mapping process provides smooth transitions from one color region to another, and may be implemented efficiently with a 3D look up table. A user interface scheme enables the user to control encoding of the watermark in desired color regions.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for editing the content of a broadcast programming signal to provide a proprietary program signal that has been tailored to the preferences of an individual monitoring the broadcast programming signal. Accordingly, the systems and methods of the invention offer computer-integrated television monitoring.

The disclosure describes systems for creating and authenticating printed objects using authentication information. Techniques for incorporating authentication information into digital representations of objects and using the authentication information to authenticate the objects are also provided.

Apparatus for recording and collecting the installed location of cable modems in a cable data network comprises a network manager for maintaining and collecting cable modem location information. Components of the network manager maintains a software agent that manages a database of modem installation and status information. Responsive to a manager request, the component software agent provides the installation and status information to the network manager. The information is displayed as a map which can show the topology of the cable modem's location in the network with respect to other modems and other components of the network.

A device, network and method wherein a standard wireless modem is coupled to wiring for carrying a wireless baseband signal that may be OFDM based, and may be directly generated by the wireless IF modem, or extracted from the modem RF signal. The wiring may be a building utility wiring, such as telephone, AC power or CATV wiring. The baseband signal is carried simultaneously with the utility service signal over the utility wiring using Frequency Division Multiplexing. The device may be enclosed with a data unit, a standalone dedicated enclosure, within an outlet or as a plug-in outlet adapter. Data units may couple the device by a wiring port such as standard data connector, or via wireless connection. The device may be locally powered or via a power signal carried over the wiring. This abstract is not intended to limit or construe the scope of the claims.

A multi-channel encoder / decoder scheme additionally preferably generates a waveform-type residual signal. This residual signal is transmitted together with one or more multi-channel parameters to a decoder. In contrast to a purely parametric multi-channel decoder, the enhanced decoder generates a multi-channel output signal having an improved output quality because of the additional residual signal.

Systems and methods are provided for decoding a message symbol in an audio signal. This message symbol is represented by first and second code symbols displaced in time. Values representing the code signals are accumulated and the accumulated values are examined to detect the message symbol.

An apparatus is provided for high frequency multiplexed electrical line communication for cable TV, telephone, internet, security and other control applications over the mid and low voltage power lines and directly through the transformers. The apparatus includes a transmitter, a receiver, a modem, a multiplexer and multiple couplers at each of two or more locations along an electrical line. The couplers have capacitive circuits serially connected with an air-core or dielectric-core transformer. The capacitive circuits resonate with the transformer at a preselected frequency. The coupler eliminates noise and is matched to the characteristic impedance of the line at the preselected frequency, which linearizes communication on the line and allows high speed data and voice communication over long distances. Multiple modulators and demodulators are used to produce multiple modulated carrier frequencies.

Disclosed is a system that permits a variable number of disparate streams of data to be packaged together as content into a single distinct program referred to as an omnimedia package. A framework definition may be specified and created for the omnimedia package to allow a client set top box to decode the information and provide access to streams comprising video, audio and metadata information. The framework definition may be employed by a broadcast system to create a broadcast stream. A mechanism is described that permits a content provider to define a framework for delivering a package of related content. The framework definition encapsulates information necessary to build, format, transmit and display the disparate content streams. Data may be downloaded to a receiver prior to the broadcast of an associated program. The present invention may be implemented on terrestrial, cable, satellite, VDSL and other transport systems, including those that support upstream communication.

A two-way cable network offering high-speed broadband communications delivered via virtual private networks over a multi-channel shared media system. Bi-directional transmission of packet to ATM cell based communications is established between a head end communication controller and a number of subscriber terminal units, whereby individual cells are prioritized and routed according to a virtual connection. Virtual connections are organized to support multiple virtual private networks in a shared media CATV system. The virtual private network to which a particular STU belongs is user selectable and has the flexibility of handling multi up / downstream channels with different MAC domains. The present invention can also handle non-ATM MAC domains via the same common ATM switch. To overcome the limited number of addresses inherent to common ATM switches, a mapping / remapping function is implemented in the port cards. Furthermore, downstream as well as upstream traffic are filtered at each STU. In one embodiment, information pertaining to downstream traffic is used to implement predictive scheduling in order to improve the timing associated with the request / grant cycle. In another embodiment, a user has the ability to select a quality of service that best suits the needs of the current application. In a further embodiment, the scheduling function is associated with each of the receivers in order to provide improved scalability.

A method and system of performing IP multicast includes a client at one of many downstream networks that sends a request signal to an upstream network via a return channel (e.g., the Internet), and the upstream network sends the request to a media server. The media server, and for live data, a media encoder, processes a media stream to generate a real-time IP multicast communication that is output to a unidirectional satellite that transmits the IP multicast communication to the client without delay via the downstream network, and can convert the IP multicast to unicast. The bidirectional return channel allows the source to calculate billing information based on client usage statistics, and transmits confirmation acknowledgement based on a confirmation request from the upstream network. Because the routing configuration is transparent to the rest of the network, the invention applies to multi-hop networks on both sides of the satellite link.

Apparatus and methods for including a code having at least one code frequency component in an audio signal are provided. The abilities of various frequency components in the audio signal to mask the code frequency component to human hearing are evaluated and based on these evaluations an amplitude is assigned to the code frequency component. Methods and apparatus for detecting a code in an encoded audio signal are also provided. A code frequency component in the encoded audio signal is detected based on an expected code amplitude or on a noise amplitude within a range of audio frequencies including the frequency of the code component.

Disclosed are systems and methods for creating and distributing programming content carried by a digital streaming media to be a plurality of remote nodes located over a large geographic area to create customized broadcast quality programming at the remote nodes. At the remote nodes, a multi-window screen display simultaneously shows different programming including national programming and local programming content. The remote nodes utilize a remote channel origination device to assemble the customized programming at the remote location that can be controlled from a central location. An encapsulated IP and IP encryption system is used to transport the digital streaming media to the appropriate remote nodes. Also disclosed is a graphical user interface (“GUI”) providing a software control interface for creating and editing shows or programs that can be aired or played on a remote display device having a multi-window display. The intuitive GUI Software provides the user the ability to easily manage and assemble a series of images, animations and transitions as a single broadcast quality program to be displayed on a remote display device. Another application software system is capable of automating the production of audio narration reports. The disclosed audio concatenation engine automates the creation of audio narration using prerecorded audio segments to minimize the requirement for live, on-air personnel to record audio narration segments.

The present invention relates to methods and an arrangement for receiving, storing, and originating multimedia messages. An incoming message is transmitted to an in / out interface via a transport network. The message is stored in a message store, translated in a translation unit into a format adapted to the presentation capabilities of receiver's current terminal and delivered to the receiver over a user access interface and an access network with guidance from a location database. Earlier received messages, which are kept in the message store, can be accessed and edited via any standardized access network using media translation in the translation unit. A multimedia message is originated by a user in the system via any access network and the user access interface. The message is then stored in the message store, translated in the translation unit, and delivered to the destination through the in / out interface and an appropriate transport network.

A system for reducing the cost of network managment by using a proxy agent and subchannel communications so fewer SNMP licenses and fewer protocol stacks are needed. Subchannel communication is achieved in a plurality of different embodiments. Embodiments having single subchannel transceivers, multiple transceivers, single multiplexer and multiple multiplexers are disclosed. An NMS process using routing table CRC to automatically detect when the NMS topology information is incorrect and automated topology discovery is disclosed. A process for automated discovery of redundant cables during automated topology discovery is disclosed.

An audio beacon system, apparatus and method for collecting information on a panelist's exposure to media. An audio beacon is configured as on-device encoding technology that is operative in a panelist's processing device (e.g., cell phone, PDA, PC) to enable the device to encode an acoustic tone and transmit it for a predetermined period of time. The acoustically transmitted data is received and processed by a portable audience measurement device, such as Arbitron's Personal People Meter™ (“PPM”), or other specially equipped portable device to enable audience measurement systems to achieve higher levels of detail on panel member activity and greater association of measurement devices to their respective panelists.

A computer implemented method and system simultaneously distributes content data streams (CDSs) of multiple content formats, for example, live cable television content, gaming content, social media content, user generated content, etc., to one or more computing devices. An interactive content distribution platform (ICDP) receives user selections of the CDSs and the content formats via a graphical user interface (GUI) and receives one or more CDSs in one or more content formats from multiple content sources based on the user selections. The ICDP synchronizes the CDSs by encoding the CDSs into a common data format and adjusting a transmission rate of the CDSs. The ICDP simultaneously transmits and displays the synchronized CDSs in one or more configurable windows on a display screen of each computing device at configurable time instances via the GUI. The ICDP facilitates interactions and initiates transactions between computing devices during the simultaneous display of the synchronized CDSs.

The present invention sets forth computer-readable non-transitory medium having computer-executable instructions for providing network-centric service distribution method that integrates a wireless access system / service with conventional telecommunications services in the residence, SOHO, business or public environment through the use of a local broadband network, such as a Residential-Business Broadband Network (RBN). The RBN communicates with the service provider's broadband transport network and broadband packet network to facilitate end-to-end packet telecommunication services. Signals from a plurality of wireless devices are accepted and forwarded to an IEEE 802.11b interface for a wireless modem and / or to an Ethernet interface for a Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) / Ethernet Processor, where the forwarded signals comprise intranet telephony and data.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a network of peer-to-peer communication devices controlled by a central controller. Using respective peer-to-peer communication devices, users can submit customized program schedules to the central controller, for media broadcasts that the users wish to record and view at a later time. The central controller maintains a global schedule of individual user-entered program schedules, and directs the peer-to-peer communication devices to record and re-play the content as requested in the schedules. The requested content may be recorded locally by any peer-to-peer communication device and transmitted upon request to a different peer-to-peer communication device of the network.

An Automatic Purchase System (APS) provides a radio broadcast listener with the ability to conveniently purchase media content such as music or speech while listening to the radio. The user can respond to items in the radio broadcast such as advertisements, fund raising drives such as those conducted by public radio, or interactive listener polls during the broadcast. Data such as song title and artist, author or publisher and the IP address for the location where the digital version of the content is stored, can be transmitted using the RBDS / RDS data stream. A reference number representing song title and artist, author or publisher and the IP address for the location where the digital version of the content is stored can also be employed for ease of implementation. This reference number can reside in a lookup table to be accessed by the APS server software on a Data Server located at the broadcast site, a remote site or both for purposes of redundancy. Transmission of purchase requests from a Technology Enabled Radio (TER) is provided via wireless transmission, or by accessing the Internet using a personal computer or through a cellular or wireless phone.

A method and apparatus for improving the reception of digitally modulated signals. A main signal and a supplemental signal are provided in the transmitter. The signals may be substantially identical except that the supplemental signal is advanced in time with respect to the main signal. The main and supplemental signals are sent from the transmitter to the receiver modulated on a signal. At the receiver, the supplemental signal is stored in a buffer. If the main signal is undesirably changed during transmission, corresponding portions of the supplement signal are substituted for the undesired portions of the main signal.

An encoder includes a sampler that samples an audio signal and that generates from the samples a plurality of short blocks of sampled audio. Each of the short blocks has a duration less than a minimum audibly perceivable signal delay. A processor combines the plurality of short blocks into a long block. The long block is transformed into a frequency domain signal having a plurality of independently modulatable frequency indices. The frequency difference between adjacent indices is determined by the minimum duration and the sampling rate of the sampler. A neighborhood of frequency indices is selected so that the frequency difference between a lowest index and a highest index within the neighborhood is less than a predetermined value. Two or more of the indices are modulated in the neighborhood so as to make a selected one of the indices an extremum while keeping the total energy of the neighborhood constant. A plurality of frequency bands are so coded. A decoder decides that a bit or bits have been received if, in a majority of the frequency bands, the decoder detects a modulated index.

To enhance decoding of signals suspected of containing a watermark, a suspect signal is screened to compute detection values evincing presence and strength of a watermark. Screening strategies control detector actions, such as rejecting un-marked signals and improving synchronization of watermarks in suspect signals.