Arris Enterprises LLC

Google Inc.

General Instrument Corporation

Arris Technology, Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Motorola Mobility LLC

Google Technology Holdings LLC

Thomas L Du Breuil

Paul Moroney

Geetha Mangalore

Glen Peter Goffin, Ii

Barry P Falvo

Ambikacharan P Makam

Nicol C So

Rama Raju Kaldindi

Ajay K Luthra

Sean Thomas McCarthy

Mark Steven Schmidt

Wendell Sun

Praveen N Moorthy

Gary Hughes

Haifeng Xu

Jay W Strater

David M Bjordammen

Mark R Magee

Gerald R Johnson

Robert S Heiman

David C Goodwin

Christopher S Del Sordo

William J Storti

Michael Robert Kahn

Paul Douglas Baker

Dinkar N Bhat

Mark E Gregotski

Allen Lee

Peter A Kindinger

Anthony M Radice

Fabrice M Quinard

Mark A Kolber

Vincent J Izzo

Nuk Howard

Sean T Mccarthy

A method is provided that broadcasts channels to set top boxes (STB), processes them, and makes them available in ABR streaming format to clients in a home network. The method includes the steps of: transmitting a plurality of streams for each channel broadcast, wherein each stream is at a different bitrate and is segmentable into chunks; receiving the plurality of streams for one or more channels at the STB; and storing a plurality of segmentable chunk durations for each of the plurality of streams for each channel received. In some embodiments, HLS is packaged as MPEG transport without a manifest file, and a set top box (STB) caches HLS chunks for at least the consumer's most viewed channels, reducing acquisition time of those HLS streams. The STB reconstitutes the HLS playlist and chunks for delivery throughout the home.

Broadcast delivered HLS system

Advertisement preparation methods and systems are shown and disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes reviewing metadata of an advertisement. The metadata includes duration information for the advertisement, and determining actual duration of the advertisement. The method additionally includes determining whether the duration information matches the actual duration of the advertisement, and editing the advertisement when the duration information does not match the actual duration such that the actual duration of the edited advertisement matches the duration information.

Advertisement preparation systems

A method for modifying a video stream for display includes receiving a request to display a video stream in a display mode that facilitates viewing by visually impaired viewers. An unmodified region of interest (ROI) is identified in a current video frame of the video stream. A location of the unmodified ROI is tracked in each of the subsequent video frames. The unmodified ROI is magnified by a prescribed amount in at least some of the video frames in which the unmodified ROI is being tracked to produce a magnified ROI. For each of the video frames in which the unmodified ROI is being tracked and magnified, the magnified ROI is combined with at least a portion of the video frame in which the ROI is located to thereby produce a modified video stream.

Magnification enhancement of video for visually impaired viewers

Methods and systems to manage narrowcast bandwidth are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a channel tune request from a set top box associated with a service group, and determining whether current total bandwidth use by the service group is at or above a first predetermined threshold. The method additionally includes multicasting a high bitrate version of a requested channel to the set top boxes of the service group when the current total bandwidth use by the service group is below the first predetermined threshold. The requested channel corresponds to the received channel tune request. The method further includes multicasting a low bitrate version of the requested channel to the set top boxes of the service group when the current total bandwidth use by the service group is at or above the first predetermined threshold.

Active video bandwidth management using SDV control

A method is provided for presenting a program having a selected program rating when a user request is received through a client device to present a program at a selected program rating level. A version of the program is selected from among a plurality of different versions which corresponds to the selected program rating level. The selected version of the program is caused to be presented on a display device associated with the client device.

Multiple parental rating content and method of presentation

A system for delivering content is provided that uses switched digital video (SDV), adaptive bit rate (ABR) streaming techniques and an ABR to Legacy Transport Stream (ALTS) converter for converting the ABR streams to a QAM-based transport stream, all under control of the SDV session manager. In operation, the SDV system can be used to select an ABR profile for a service that is destined for a QAM set top terminal based on the currently available bandwidth. Moreover, the ABR profile may be changed upward (i.e., a profile requiring a greater bandwidth) or downward (i.e., a profile requiring less bandwidth) on a dynamic basis as the number of requested services changes.

Elastic switched digital video (SDV) traffic control with adaptive bit rate streaming

In embodiments of broadcast content to HTTP client conversion, a client converter receives video content as an input of broadcast content data streams from a content distribution system. The client converter can join a content data stream of the broadcast input, and convert the content data stream to unicast HTTP data, such as video content segments that are buffered for communication to a client device or to a media player of a client device. An HTTP server of the client converter can then communicate the unicast HTTP data to the client device or to the media player for playback of the video content.

Broadcast content to HTTP client conversion

There is a performing of digital rights management (DRM), operable in an offline mode with respect to a communications network. The performing includes identifying a stored rights object associated with a stored asset. The stored rights object includes reporting duration information associated with the stored asset. The performing also includes determining, utilizing a processor, whether a transmission of an early status message is a successful communication based on an early status message determination. If a failure in communicating the early status message is determined, utilizing the stored asset. The performing may also include transmitting an early status message and/or later status message after identifying the stored rights object. There is also a performing of digital rights management (DRM) associated with a DRM system and operable in an offline mode with respect to a communications network. There are also client devices, communicating systems, computer readable mediums and protocols.

Digital rights management with irregular network access

A method and apparatus for an adaptive bit rate system. The method may include streaming media content at a server, determining a discontinuity in the streaming media content based on boundaries corresponding to changes in the streaming media content, and dividing the streaming media content into a plurality of variable duration segments, wherein a duration of one of the plurality of variable duration segments is to be adjusted based on the determined discontinuity to cause the one of the plurality of variable duration segments to end at the determined discontinuity in the streaming media content. The method may further include transmitting the plurality of variable duration segments of the streaming media content from the server.

Method and apparatus related to variable duration media segments

A method of processing a video transport stream includes receiving a video transport stream and identifying at least one portion of the video transport stream that is not to undergo modification when processed by a rate shaping device. An indicator is inserted into the video transport stream. The indicator is used to signal the statistical multiplexer that the at least one portion of the video transport stream is not to be modified when the video transport stream is processed by the rate shaping device.

Generation and detection of private metadata in an encoded video transport stream

A method includes: storing, via a network storage device, information related to the playback history of a content playing device; receiving, via a network digital video recorder scheduler, a request to record requested content; receiving, via a network digital video recorder, the requested content in a first format and the requested content in a second format; and storing, via the network digital video recorder, only one of the requested content in the first format or the requested content in a second format based on the information related to the playback history.

System and method for optimizing storage and transcoding costs in network DVR

A method and apparatus for an adaptive bit rate system () that includes a media segmenter (). The media segmenter divides a streaming media content into a plurality of variable duration segments wherein a first of the plurality of variable duration segments has a duration different from a second of the plurality of variable duration segments so that one of the plurality of variable duration segments ends at a determined discontinuity in the streaming media content. The system also can include an encoder () for encoding the variable duration segments of the streaming media content. In addition, the system includes an adaptive bit rate server () for storing and transmitting the variable duration segments of the streaming media content.

Growing community of inventors

Ivyland, PA, United States of America

Thomas L Du Breuil