Philo, Inc.

Seth Madison

Benjamin Avery Chambers

Benjamin Paul Clemens

Ginger Wong

Thane Frivold

Satheesh Velmurugan

Aleksey Pesterev

David Michael Thompson

Techniques are described for synchronizing internet ('over the top') video streams for simultaneous playback. In particular, techniques are described to improve the performance and accuracy of stream synchronization among participant media player applications playing a same video content item, for example, as part of a “watch party.” The techniques can be further augmented to allow interaction between the users watching the presentation, e.g., by sending messages to other users or by annotating the video presentation with comments, and can be further used to enable “cross device control,” a feature that enables multiple users, or a single user with multiple devices, to control a shared video playback session on another device. For example, two users watching a streaming video on a set-top box connected to a TV in their living room could each use an app on their respective smart phones to pause/play/seek the playback session, providing a more collaborative experience.

Synchronizing internet (over the top) video streams for simultaneous feedback

A client electronic device to provide custom functionality for video content playback. The client electronic device includes one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, causes the client electronic device to receive a streaming manifest file and a first auxiliary manifest file, where the streaming manifest file includes references to video segments of a video content, where the first auxiliary manifest file includes timed metadata associated with the video content, where the streaming manifest file and the first auxiliary manifest file refer to a same timeline, provide the streaming manifest file to a core playback module to play the video content according to the streaming manifest file, and provide custom functionality using the timed metadata included in the first auxiliary manifest file that replaces or augments functionality provided by the core playback module.

Auxiliary manifest file to provide timed metadata

Techniques are described for synchronizing internet ('over the top') video streams for simultaneous playback. In particular, techniques are described to improve the performance and accuracy of stream synchronization among participant media player applications playing a same video content item, for example, as part of a 'watch party.' The techniques can be further augmented to allow interaction between the users watching the presentation, e.g., by sending messages to other users or by annotating the video presentation with comments, and can be further used to enable &#x201c;cross device control,&#x201d; a feature that enables multiple users, or a single user with multiple devices, to control a shared video playback session on another device. For example, two users watching a streaming video on a set-top box connected to a TV in their living room could each use an app on their respective smart phones to pause/play/seek the playback session, providing a more collaborative experience.

Synchronizing internet ('over the top') video streams for simultaneous feedback

A method by a media delivery system. The method includes generating a streaming manifest file and an auxiliary manifest file, where the streaming manifest file includes references to video segments of a video content, where the auxiliary manifest file includes timed metadata associated with the video content, and where the streaming manifest file and the auxiliary manifest file refer to a same timeline. The method further includes making the streaming manifest file and the auxiliary manifest file accessible to a client device.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Seth Madison