Hulu, LLC

North China Electric Power University

Hua Zheng

Richard W Tom

Eric I Feng

Jean-Paul Colaco

Xin Jin

Jason A Kilar

Wing Chit Mak

Brian Soebekti

Peter E Sargent

Hang Li

Eugene Chuan-Huai Wei

Zhibing Wang

Ting-Hao Yang

Chaitanya Laxminarayan

Jessica Page Ivy

Robert Masao Wong

Thomas C Tate

Xuan Wei

Bryon Edward Schafer

Adam W Miller

Qi Zhang

Yupeng Liao

Joyce Zhang

Noelle Huynh

Li Xie

Yifei Sun

Pei Peng

Shiming Wang

Nathan A Hinish

Liang Xiang

Jason Kilar

Bryon Schafer

A method and a system for dispatching an independent energy storage power station is provided. The method includes: determining the current typical secondary frequency regulation scenario according to the predicted AGC frequency regulation instruction for the next stage; dispatching, for the continuous upward adjustment response scenario, the independent energy storage power station to participate in the upward adjustment response according to the data required for the continuous upward adjustment; dispatching, for the continuous downward adjustment response scenario, the independent energy storage power station to participate in the downward adjustment response according to the data required for the continuous downward adjustment; and preferably, for the upward and downward adjustment fluctuation response scenario, dispatching the independent energy storage power station to participate in the upward and downward adjustment fluctuation response according to the data required for the upward and downward adjustment.

Method and system for dispatching independent energy storage power station in typical secondary frequency regulation scenario

A method transmits configuration information including a set of events that define when a media program player should send information regarding playback of an advertisement during an advertisement break in a media program. Also, the method transmits, to the user device, advertising control options configured to be output on the user device. A user selection for a control option in the advertising control options is received from the user device, wherein the control option controls sending of an advertisement to the user device during the advertisement break. The method then receives advertisement viewing data describing a viewing of the advertisement on the user device, wherein sending of the advertisement viewing data by the media program player is triggered based on an event in the set of events occurring at the media program player.

Media player configuration to provide viewing data feedback

A method and apparatus for sharing viewing information is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving an designation of a second user from the first user; and transmitting the first user viewing information to the designated second user. The shared viewing information may comprise the identity of a currently viewed media program, a list of scheduled media program viewings, or the media program itself.

Method and apparatus for sharing viewing information

A method determines user preference information for a user for a number of advertisements in a set of advertising blocks and a temporal distribution of the advertising blocks. When each advertising block in the set of advertising blocks occurs according to the temporal distribution during sending of a video program, the method determines a number of advertisements in the advertising block based on the user preference information, determines advertisements for the advertising block equal to the number of advertisements, and sends the determined advertisements during the advertising block.

Providing directed advertising based on user preferences

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to control the presentation of advertisements. In one embodiment, the method receives an identification of the media program to be sent to the user device, transmits metadata defining an advertising break having at least one advertisement opportunity within the media program, at the advertisement opportunity, transmits advertising control options, receives a user selection for the advertising control options, sends the advertisement to the user device according to the user selection for the advertising control options, receives advertising viewing data describing the streaming of the advertisement to the user device, and stores the advertisement viewing data.

Method and apparatus for providing directed advertising based on user preferences

Effectiveness of video content is predicted using an automated or semi-automated analysis process operating on a computer. Video content is analyzed using image and audio data processing to assign a collection of attributes to a video ad. The collection of attributes is correlated to a historical effectiveness (e.g., click-thru rate) of past video ads in the same or similar attribute space to obtain predicted ad effectiveness. Differences between the collection of attributes and historical attribute spaces of greater effectiveness may also be determined and reported in the form of suggestions for improving the effectiveness of the ad.

Predictive video advertising effectiveness analysis

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to manage the provision of user information such as surveys and advertisement feedback to the media program provider to improve the advertising experience.

Providing a survey during an advertisement opportunity to improve advertising experience

A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for providing advertisements into a streamed media program is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of transmitting a webpage to a user computer, wherein the webpage includes instructions comprising instructions for embedding a media program player in the webpage, wherein the embedded media program player comprises an embedded search utility for accepting a textual user query, receiving a search query from the user computer in a media server, the search query entered into the embedded search utility, generating search results responsive to the user search query, transmitting the search results to the media program player embedded in the webpage, rendering the search results using the media program player; and displaying the rendered search results to the user.

Method and apparatus for presenting a search utility in an embedded video

In a streaming video system, a method determining a sequence of video programs playing on an interactive player device may include streaming a first video program including an ad break from a computer server to an interactive player device during a first streaming session. The method may further include automatically selecting a video advertisement or next program from a set of prospective video advertisements for play during the ad break or available programs, based at least in part on the first video program exclusive of any parameter based on user identity. The method may include providing the video advertisement to the interactive player device in the first streaming session at the ad break. Bases for selecting the next ad or program may include program popularity, rate of change in popularity, or other parameter. The method may be embodied in a computing apparatus or system.

Ad selection and next video recommendation in a video streaming system exclusive of user identity-based parameter

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to interrupt the playback of the advertisement and continue with the playback of the media program with no further advertisements, or to interrupt the playback of the advertisement to substitute a different version of the advertisement.

Method and apparatus for permitting user interruption of an advertisement and the substitution of alternate advertisement version

A processing workflow method, system, and computer program product provide the ability; to recommend alternative programming during playback of a source media program. A media program player plays the source media program to a first viewer and provides information regarding the first viewer to a recommendation engine. The recommendation engine calculates and sends the media player a list of recommended media program candidates (including identifications of the candidates) based on the information. Prior to reaching an advertising break in the source media program, the media player transmits a request (including the identifications) for an advertisement to an advertising server and in response, receives an advertisement that is played to the first viewer during the advertising break.

Processing workflow for recommending media programs

A method, system, and computer program product provide the ability to recommend, to a first viewer, alternative programming during playback of a first media program. The first media program is played. A second media program of potential interest to the user is identified. During an advertising break, an interface is presented to the user that identifies the second media program. An indication of interest in the second media program is received from the user. If the indication indicates that the user is interested in the second media program, a reference to the second media program is saved as a viewer recommendation for later playback. If not interested, additional input may be received from the user indicating why the user is not interested.

Method and apparatus for recommending media programs

A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to predict and utilize a user's attributes. A sample user behavior and a sample user attribute are collected. A model is trained based on the sample user behavior and sample user attribute. Using the model, a probability of a predicted user attribute based on the sample user behavior is predicted. Using the model and the probability, the predicted user attribute is fuzzily determined based on a real user behavior. The predicted user attribute is used to improve a user's experience.

Predicting users' attributes based on users' behaviors

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to control the presentation of advertisements to select prefacing advertisements in lieu of more time consuming or more numerous intervening advertisements presented during the media program.

Method and apparatus for user selection of advertising combinations

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product provide the ability to bookmark a media program for subsequent viewing. A first interface is displayed and identifies a first media program. Via the first interface, a user requests that the first media program be recorded as a bookmark in a list of maintained bookmarks. The list of bookmarks is displayed. A user selects one of the bookmarks from the list and in response, the first media program is displayed to the first viewer.

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Beijing, China

Hua Zheng