Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc.

Ryan Stoner

Charles W K Gritton

Frank A Hunleth

Daniel S Simpkins

Stephen Scheirey

Yizhong Wang

Bruce N Israel

Kevin Michael Conroy

Bruce Israel

Kevin M Conroy

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for supplying rich multimedia metadata usable to generate, e.g., sophisticated entertainment user interfaces in the home. These methods and systems can be implemented as a server-based software application that feeds multiple, diverse clients. The server functionality could be distributed, even co-located physically with one or more clients, or centralized. The server aggregates, filters, validates, augments and links metadata from disparate sources. The server transforms the metadata into a more manageable and extensible internal format. The server communicates with client devices using a schema-independent protocol, providing metadata in the appropriate format that suites the clients needs.

Metadata brokering server and methods

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for communicating and processing data in communication networks, e.g., cable networks and/or interactive television networks. Selective use of different data streams and encoding techniques enable sophisticated user interfaces to be generated on client devices having varying processing capabilities. MPEG encoding techniques have reduced complexity to enable better response time to user requests. Specialized user interface features, such as hoverzooming, are enabled.

Client-server architectures and methods for zoomable user interfaces

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Chicago, IL, United States of America

Ryan Stoner