Music Choice

Harmonic, Inc.

Jeremy Cole Rosenberg

Ronald M Yurman

Stuart H Farber

Robert M Steinberg

Daniel L McGonigal

David J Del Beccaro

Donna M O'Neill

Christina B Tancredi

John J Feras, Jr

Kelley L Giannetti

Robert A Ellis

Siamak Behta

Michael W Patrick

Amir Leventer

Nitsan S Elfassy

David J Delbeccaro

Justin B Prager

Noam Koren

Marcelo C San Martin

Eric Le Bars

Christophe Berthelot

Arnaud Mahe

Neven Haltmayer

David Henry

John Feras

Timothy John Michael Warren

Moore Macauley

Richard T Bergan, Jr

Gilles Devictor

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Transport Stream tunnels are employed on Ethernet links between the core routing engine (CRE) and the one or more core servers (CSs).

Virtual converged cable access platform

Providing digital video having customized graphics whose appearance and operation are specified by a graphics template expressed using one or more web-based protocols. One or more software modules, executing on a media server, identify, for a particular digital video, a markup language document which describes or identifies a customized appearance of one or more graphics to be incorporated into a presentation of particular digital video and shown to an identified audience. The markup language document may be an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document or a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document. The media server streams the particular digital video having the one or more graphics to a member of the identified audience in accordance with the markup language document. An HTML rendering engine, executing on the media server, may pass through one or more audio streams to be incorporated into an output stream without re-encoding the one or more audio streams.

Using web-based protocols to assist graphic presentations when providing digital video

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). Each physical or virtual compute server (CS) connects to the core routing engine (CRE) with a Link Aggregation Group (LAG) of two or more Ethernet links.

Virtual converged cable access platform (CCAP)

Dynamically allocating virtual or physical CPU cycles for use in processing a video stream. Video complexity information for two or more digital video streams actively being processed by one or more video encoders is determined at periodic intervals. Video complexity information describes the complexity of digital video carried by the digital video streams across a bounded number of consecutive digital frames which includes digital frames not yet processed by the one or more video encoders. A determination is made as to whether a number of CPU cycles allocated for processing a particular digital video stream should be adjusted based on the determined video complexity information. The number of CPU cycles allocated for processing the particular digital video stream may be dynamically adjusted by changing an amount of CPU cycles allocated to a virtual machine in which the stream is processed or by processing the stream in a different virtual machine.

Dynamic allocation of virtual and/or physical resources vis-a-vis virtual machines in video stream processing

Creating a customized channel of content. A cloud infrastructure receives digital content, such as television show, advertisement, and the like, transmitted over an Internet Protocol (IP) network from a local broadcaster or channel owner. A plurality of formatted versions of the digital content is stored in a content repository in the cloud infrastructure. Each of the plurality of formatted versions differs from the others based on one or more of: an encoded bit rate, resolution, and frame rate; each of the plurality of formatted versions are aligned at a same fragment boundary. A manifest manipulator, deployed in the cloud infrastructure, creates the customized channel by selecting a particular sequence of fragments stored in the content repository and transmitting the particular sequence of fragments on the customized channel. The customized channel may be transmitted via a plurality of different propagation mediums.

Cloud infrastructure supporting deliverance of customized tv channels by video services

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). A combination of the core routing engine (CRE) and the one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) emulate a single Layer 3 CMTS having a single point of management.

Approaches for dynamically allocating CPU cycles for use in processing a video stream. Video complexity information for two or more digital video streams actively being processed by one or more video encoders is determined at periodic intervals. Video complexity information describes the complexity of digital video carried by the digital video streams across a bounded number of consecutive digital frames which includes digital frames not yet processed by the one or more video encoders. A determination is made as to whether a number of CPU cycles allocated for processing a particular digital video stream should be adjusted based on the determined video complexity information. The number of CPU cycles allocated for processing the particular digital video stream may be dynamically adjusted by changing an amount of CPU cycles allocated to a virtual machine in which the stream is processed or by processing the stream in a different virtual machine.

Dynamic allocation of CPU cycles vis-a-vis virtual machines in video stream processing

Approaches for encoding/transcoding of digital video based on subjective video quality preferences or display device characteristics or capabilities. A set of esthetic digital video preferences are received from a user via a user interface. The user may be associated with a supplier or provider of digital video or may be a viewer of the digital video. A video quality profile that describes the set of esthetic digital video preferences or the characteristics or capabilities of a display device is created and stored. Upon determining that a video quality profile is associated with a compressed digital video bit stream, a final rate of compression for the compressed digital video bit stream is determined using one or more video quality profiles. In this way, a user's subjective video quality preferences or the characteristics or capabilities of a display device can be considered in encoding/transcoding digital video.

Encoding/transcoding based on subjective video quality preferences

Approaches for transcoding on-the-fly (TOTF). A digital video is encoded to produce a set of encoding decisions. A video quality profile is created that describes the set of encoding decisions. Upon determining that the video quality profile is associated with a compressed digital video bit stream, a final rate of compression is determined, frame by frame, for the compressed digital video bit stream using the video quality profile. The final rate of compression may be determined either internal or external to an encoder/transcoder. The video quality profile may be created by reviewing a plurality of encoding decisions to determine which encoding decisions merit inclusion based on a variety of criteria.

Transcoding on-the-fly (TOTF)

A method for enabling a user to easily select and consume on-demand content is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method is performed by a communication device and includes the following steps: (1) receiving meta-data received by a set-top-box from a head-end system; (2) in response to receiving the meta-data, obtaining information associated with the received meta-data; (3) displaying one or more on-demand options in response to obtaining the information associated with the meta-data; (4) receiving user input indicating a user of the communication device has selected one of the displayed on-demand options; and (5) in response to receiving the user input, causing the set-top-box to (i) tune to an on-demand channel or (ii) display an on-demand menu.

Automatic on-demand navigation based on meta-data broadcast with media content

The present invention provides systems and methods for, in some cases, supplementing a broadcast media service with an on-demand service.

Systems and methods for providing an on-demand entertainment service

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more core servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). The core routing engine may comprise one or more core routing engine members. The core routing engine (CRE) and the one or more core servers (CS) are each implemented entirely on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

Virtual converged cable access platform (CCAP) core

The present application describes systems and methods for creating customized media channels. A method of the invention according to some embodiments includes: (a) transmitting to a user device information comprising a list of music genres; receiving from the user device a message indicating that a user selected one of the listed genres and including an identifier identifying the selected genre; selecting one or more media content items in response to receiving the message, wherein the selection is based, at least in part, on (i) the genre selected by the user and (ii) profile information associated with a user identifier input by the user and/or a device identifier associated with the device; and transmitting the selected media content items to the device.

Systems and methods for providing customized media channels

A system and method for providing an interactive, visual complement to one or more audio programs. In one aspect, the system comprises an audio subsystem for generating an audio signal corresponding to a sound recording. The system also comprises a video subsystem for generating a video image specification based, at least in part, on the sound recording. In one aspect, the audio signal and video image specification are transmitted to an audio/video signal transmission system. The transmission system receives the video image specification and generates a video signal that conforms to the video image specification. The video signal and the audio signal are transmitted to at least one consumer receiver. In this way, the system provides a visual complement to an audio program.

Growing community of inventors

Havre de Grace, MD, United States of America

Jeremy Cole Rosenberg