At&t Intellectual Property I, LP

Hisense USA Corporation

Hisense International Co., Ltd.

Hisense Electric Co., Ltd.

Ke Yu

William A Brown

Michael Branam

E-Lee Chang

Madhur Khandelwal

Ashwini Sule

Troy C Meuninck

Tim Weaver

Nicholas Hill

Timothy H Weaver

Oleg Kashapov

Scott R Morris

Xiuyuan Shang

Ledley (Buddy) Yaussy

Methods, systems, and computer program products that automatically categorize and/or assign ratings to content (video and audio content) uploaded by individuals who want to broadcast the content to others via a communications network, such as an IPTV network, are provided. When an individual uploads content to a network, a network service automatically extracts an audio stream from the uploaded content. Words in the extracted audio stream are identified. For each identified word, a preexisting library of selected words is queried to determine if a match exists between words in the library and words in the extracted audio stream. The selected words in the library are associated with a particular content category or content rating. If a match exists between an identified word and a word in the library, the uploaded content is assigned a content category and/or rating associated with the matched word.

Methods, systems, and computer program products for categorizing/rating content uploaded to a network for broadcasting

Devices and methods for obtaining media stream with adaptive resolutions. The device includes a receiver in communication with a processor, and a transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive a plurality of media signals. The processor is programmed to communicate with a terminal device in the home network, obtain a corresponding display resolution of the terminal device, and select a media signal according to the corresponding display resolution of the terminal device and a video resolution of the media signal. The transmitter is configured to transmit media stream corresponding to the selected media signal to the terminal device.

Devices and methods for transmitting adaptively adjusted documents

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a controller configured to obtain information associated with media content, to generate a first group of tones representative of the information associated with the media content, and to generate a media stream comprising the media content and the first group of tones; and a communication interface configured to transmit the media stream to a media device whereby the media device presents the media content and a sequence of tones, where the sequence of tones is generated based at least in part on the first group of tones, where the first group of tones comprises high frequency tones and low frequency tones, and where one of the high and low frequency tones represents a binary one and the other of the high and low frequency tones represents a binary zero. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Method and apparatus for audio communication of information

A method and device for encoding a captured screenshot and controlling program switching on an electronic device based on the captured screenshot. The method includes the electronic device performing: capturing from a display a screenshot of a playing program or display content with a stored image data frame; encoding the image data frame of the screenshot, afterwards storing the encoded image data frame of the screenshot; retrieving program information data of the screenshot from a program database; embedding retrieved program information data of the captured screenshot into the encoded image data frame to form an embedded encoded image file. The embedded encoded image file enables the first electronic device or a second electronic device to directly switching to start playing the program or displaying the content on the electronic device according to the captured screenshot.

Method and device for encoding a captured screenshot and controlling program content switching based on the captured screenshot

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a digital video recording (DVR) system having a controller to record video content supplied by an interactive television (iTV) communication system as directed by a plurality of users of the iTV communication system, receive from a communication device of one of the plurality of users a request for a portion of the recorded video content, identify a need to transcode the requested portion of the recorded video content according to one or more operating characteristics of the communication device, transcode the requested portion of the recorded video content to conform with the one or more operating characteristics of the communication device, and transmit to the communication device the transcoded video content. The DVR system can be located outside of the premises of each of the plurality of users. Other embodiments are disclosed.

System and method for recording and distributing media content

Devices and methods for obtaining media stream with adaptive resolutions

Targeted content is delivered to and received by at least one user device based on user information stored locally at the user device. Program content and targeted content are received. The targeted content received is associated with user information stored locally on the user device, while the program content is broadcast to multiple users. A determination by a scanning process is made at what position or at what time in the program content to include the targeted content. The program content and the targeted content are rendered, with the targeted content included at the determined position or time in the program content, for presentation to the user.

Methods, computer program products, and apparatus for receiving targeted content based on locally stored user data

Methods, systems, and computer program proucts for categorizing/rating content uploaded to a network for broadcasting

A network-based technique for providing digital media podcasts is provided. The technique includes receiving a request to render a podcast on a communications device authenticated on an IPTV network, retrieving the podcast from the IPTV network, and providing the podcast to the communications device.

Systems, methods, and computer products for providing podcasts via IPTV

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to maintain a delivery session with a set top box for streaming of media content thereto where the media content is multiple content from a plurality of media sources, maintain retrieval sessions for each of the plurality of media sources where the controller switches between the retrieval sessions to obtain the media content while maintaining the delivery session, and temporarily store the media content in a buffer for the streaming to the set top box using the delivery session. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Apparatus and method for managing media distribution

Targeted content associated with user information stored in a database within a network in communication with a user device is received along with program content. A determination by a scanning process is made at what position or at what time in the program content to include the targeted content. The program content and the targeted content are rendered, with the targeted content included at the determined position or time in the program content, for presentation to at least one user. This rendering may occur within a network or within a user device.

Methods, computer program products, and apparatus for providing targeted content based on user data

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products for providing interactive services used with a time sensitive interactive application are provided. A request is received for interactive services that corresponds to a program. A program identification (ID) for the program is determined. An interactive application that corresponds to the program is determined based on the program ID, where the interactive application has a corresponding interactive application ID. The interactive application ID that corresponds to the interactive application for the program is provided.

Growing community of inventors

Alpharetta, GA, United States of America

Ke Yu