Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

Facebook, Inc.

Aol Inc.

Eric Manchester

Glen Hardin

Scott K Brown

Kevin Eugene Mason

Bradley Paul Gorman

Brooke Lamont Patterson

Mark Lionel Filteau

Matthew Cashner

Benjamin Lukehart

Apparatus and methods for thumbnail generation. In one embodiment, a thumbnail stream is generated where one or more bits are assigned to key frames and minimizes the number of bits assigned to delta frames. Each key frame may be used to extract a still image for use in thumbnails during trick mode operation (e.g., fast forward, rewind, pause, or random seek operation). When the encoded video file is given to a Just in Time Packager (JITP), the JITP extracts the image files (via the key frames). Information regarding how to reference these files is stored in generated manifest file and may be reformatted by the JITP to fit the needs of the current product. In a variant, the JITP reformats the image files extracted from the encoded video for operation on a number of devices.

Apparatus and methods for thumbnail generation

At least a first goal is assigned to a media asset including content and metadata. For at least two of a plurality of processes of a workflow engine relevant to said at least first goal, said media asset is simultaneously polled from time-to-time to determine whether prerequisites of said at least two of said plurality of processes have been met. For at least one of said plurality of processes of said workflow engine for which said prerequisites have been met, said media asset is acted on to achieve at least a portion of said at least first goal.

Asynchronous workflows

Content may be inserted at a duplicating device by inserting advertising content into a duplicated feed, and transmitting the duplicated feed to the terminal. The transmission of the duplicated feed is performed in response to a state of the terminal.

Adding advertising content to media content

Inserting advertising content

Growing community of inventors

Rockville, MD, United States of America

Eric Manchester