Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

Ethan Wolf

Craig Vanderborgh

Matthew Zelesko

Ranga Muvavarirwa

Peter Stern

Justin Tidwell

Wilfred Jaime Miles

James S Manchester

Chris Roosenraad

Craig Engel

Jason Gaedtke

Noah Paci

John H Ipson, Iv

Phoenix Kwan

A data analyzer engine can be configured to receive feedback indicating different content currently consumed by subscribers in a cable network environment. The data analyzer engine analyzes the feedback to identify most popular consumed content amongst the different content and produces a content guide to include multiple selectable channels from which content is available for retrieval over a shared communication link in the cable network environment. The content guide can include one or more selectable viewing options to view a rendition of content being identified as more or most popular. Each of one or more playback devices or other suitable resources retrieves and initiates display of the content guide on a display screen. Accordingly, a subscriber can view different available content options as well as an identification of content that is currently the most popular consumed content amongst viewers.

Content consumption and notification in a network

Methods and apparatus for detecting and correlating content consumption, e.g., viewing of programs and/or accessing websites, across platforms of different types are described. Content consumption, e.g., requests and/or streaming is monitored and recorded on a per subscriber basis for a wide variety of platforms, e.g., set boxes, IP content playback devices such as cell phones or pad devices with IP streaming support, and/or other devices. Web site access and corresponding content consumption is determined based on DNS requests thereby avoiding the need for monitoring at web site servers and allowing centralized monitoring of web site access operations in the form of DNS requests to be detected by a Web service provider who, at least in some embodiments, is also a content provider.

Methods and apparatus for cross platform monitoring and customer targeting

An encoder resource receives segments of content on one or more data feeds. The encoder resource receives and/or produces encoder control information specifying multiple different bit rate data streams on which to encode the segments of content. As specified by the encoder control information, in accordance with encoding rules, the encoder resource adaptively encodes the segments of content into a varying number of different bit rate data streams. Clients in a network environment initiate retrieval of the varying number of different bit rate data streams to playback content.

Situation-dependent dynamic bit rate encoding and distribution of content

Apparatus and methods for providing reduced channel switching delays in a content distribution network. In one embodiment, switching delays are reduced by caching background content at reduced quality and/or resolution. A manager entity is provided which manages which, and how many, background channels are cached. Additionally, the manager entity may classify each device in the network according a status thereof. When a particular device is in one status or mode, background content is cached; however, when the device is in another status or mode, it will no longer require background content caching. The provision of background content and the determination of a status may be based on for example the user or device behavior and patterns, user preferences or favorites, bandwidth availability, time of day, subscription level, type of program, recentness of channel change requests on the device (or associated devices), etc.

Apparatus and methods for reduced switching delays in a content distribution network

A data analyzer engine receives feedback associated with delivery of content (such as streaming content) to multiple subscriber domains in a cable network environment. The data analyzer engine analyzes the feedback to identify attributes of current content consumption by playback devices operated in the subscriber domains. Based on the analyzed feedback, the data analyzer engine produces control information specifying data flow control rates in which the playback devices are assigned to retrieve content over a shared communication link in the cable network environment. Accordingly, data flow rates in a network environment (such as a subscriber domain) can be controlled to promote fairness and optimal use of available bandwidth amongst multiple playback devices sharing a respective communication link.

Network management, monitoring, and flow control

In furtherance of providing uninterrupted network service, a data analyzer engine in a network environment aggregates real-time feedback from multiple resources that collectively provide delivery of content to multiple subscribers in a network environment. According to one arrangement, the multiple resources are disposed along a network communication path between a content delivery source and the subscriber. Based on analyzing the aggregated real-time feedback from the multiple resources disposed along the network communication path, assume that the data analyzer engine detects occurrence of multiple anomaly conditions at a location in the network communication path. Each of the anomaly condition may or may not be representative of an actual network resource failure. In response to detecting first occurrence of the anomaly conditions, the data analyzer engine initiates generation of a notification to appropriate network management personnel indicating the occurrence of the detected anomaly condition. The network management personnel determine a root cause of the first occurrence of the detected anomaly conditions and provide feedback indicating the root cause and how to correct it. Subsequent to learning and recording a pattern of first detected anomaly conditions and the corresponding root cause, a data analyzer engine compares the learned pattern to future received real-time feedback. Upon detecting a match of the learned pattern to a future occurrence of a same set of anomaly conditions, the analyzer engine provides notification to network management personnel to address the network failure. The notification can include information indicating the likely root cause of the newly detected anomaly condition (which matches a pattern of the originally detected anomaly) as well as how to fix it.

Anomaly detection, alerting, and failure correction in a network

A redirection device for remote streaming media reroutes media content sent to the receiving device, typically located in the home of the subscriber, to the subscriber's mobile device such as a laptop or smartphone. Remote media streaming provides media recipients with capabilities for out-of-home (OOH) viewing for remotely rendering media content from a subscriber based receiving device to a personal electronic device. The remote streaming redirects media that has already been received by the subscription based receiving device, such that the redirection device forwards a rendering signal including the requested content to the rendering device based on the reported location. The redirected media stream therefore emanates from the redirection device as an independent transmission of content already received by the receiving device, and not as a separate transmission of media content from the content provider.

Remote media streaming

A data analyzer engine receives content consumption feedback associated with multiple subscribers in a cable network environment. In accordance with one embodiment, the data analyzer engine provides notification of popularly consumed content. In accordance with another embodiment, the data analyzer engine generates control information to control content consumption by one or more devices in the cable network environment.

Trending analysis, notification, and control in a network

Methods and apparatus for collecting program viewership information are described. A viewership monitoring module is provided access to decrypted program content allowing program information to be recovered without having to capture output program content using a microphone or camera. The monitoring module is loaded onto a secure device, e.g., a home network device, such as a router used to deliver content to a secure playback device. Alternatively the secure device which performs the monitoring maybe the secure playback device. Since a user of the secure device or a company implementing the viewership monitoring process loads the monitoring module onto the secure device, the network used to deliver the secure content need not be informed of which network customers are contributing to the viewership information which is being collected.

Growing community of inventors

Aurora, CO, United States of America

Ethan Wolf