Cisco Technology, Inc.

Nds Corporation

David John White

Ian Bastable

Martin Gold

Kevin A Murray

Ezra Darshan

Reuven Wachtfogel

James Geoffrey Walker

Zeev Geyzel

Moshe Shlissel

Colin John Davies

Simon John Parnall

David William Fink

Stuart P Ashby

David Whittaker

Anthony Platt

Martin Orchid House Gold

A method of controlling revelation of one or more metadata items is disclosed. Each of the one or more metadata items is associated with one or more parts of an audio-visual data stream (). The method comprises: for a given one or more parts () of the audio-visual data stream (), revealing one or more metadata items () associated with the given one or more parts () of the audio-visual data stream () only after the given one or more parts () of the audio-visual data stream () have been accessed.

Controlled metadata revelation

A data modeling method for modeling data for an electronic program guide (EPG) at a broadcast headend is described. The method includes grouping receiver types according to a first set of characteristics associated with a receiver type, thereby producing a plurality of groups of receivers, assigning a bit-number to each group of receivers, providing EPG data, the EPG data including data for display at an EPG, the EPG data being included in a data fragment, evaluating the data fragment and the EPG data included therein according to at least one characteristic from a second set of characteristics, thereby producing a result, adding metadata to the data fragment, the metadata including a bit field including the assigned bit number, the bit number being determined in accordance with the result, the metadata being indicative of at least one characteristic from the first set of characteristics with which a data container and EPG data included therein are associated, and broadcasting the data fragment in the data container. Related methods and apparatus are also described.

Headend modeling of data

A data modeling method for modeling data for an electronic program guide (EPG) at a broadcast headend is described. The method includes grouping receiver types according to a first set of characteristics associated with a receiver type, thereby producing a plurality of groups of receivers, assigning a bit number to each group of receivers, providing EPG data, the EPG data including data for display at an EPG, the EPG data being included in a data fragment, evaluating the data fragment and the EPG data included therein according to at least one characteristic from a second set of characteristics, thereby producing a result, adding metadata to the data fragment, the metadata including a bit field including the assigned bit number, the bit number being determined in accordance with the result, the metadata being indicative of at least one characteristic from the first set of characteristics with which a data container and EPG data included therein are associated, and broadcasting the data fragment in the data container. Related methods and apparatus are also described.

A method for switching from playing a first compressed data segment to playing a second compressed recorded data segment, the method including playing an uncompressed copy of a start of the second compressed recorded data segment upon switching from playing the first compressed data segment, decoding the second compressed recorded data segment from a preceding random access point, the preceding random access point preceding, in the second compressed recorded data segment, a point at which playing is to be switched to the second compressed recorded data segment, stopping the decoding of the second compressed recorded data segment when reaching a point beyond a point currently being played in the uncompressed copy, and switching to playing the second compressed recorded data segment when playing the uncompressed copy of a start of the second compressed recorded data segment reaches the point at which the decoding of the second compressed recorded data segment was stopped. Related apparatus and methods are also provided.

Splicing system

A method and system for timecode generation including: receiving an encryption key and an implemented encryption method, for each one of a plurality of frames, receiving a timecode and an associated presentation time stamp (PTS) associated with the one frame, for each one of the plurality of frames, encrypting the timecode associated with the one frame using the encryption key and the implemented encryption method, thereby producing a plurality of encrypted timecodes, and at a time associated with the associated PTS associated with the one frame, outputting a packetized elementary stream (PES) including the plurality of encrypted timecodes. Related systems and methods are also described.

Timeline protection

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Weymouth, United Kingdom

David John White