Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

Charter Communications Operating, LLC

Time Warner Cable Inc.

Time Warner Interactive Video Group, Inc.

Vipul B Patel

Kenneth Gould

David W Chen

Jian Yu

Chris Cholas

John Anthony Chen

Tom Gonder

John Callahan

Mehul Shah

Scott Miller

Jeffrey Paul Markley

Srilal M Weerasinghe

Howard Pfeffer

Charles A Hasek

John B Carlucci

Louis Dew Williamson

Glen Hardin

Michael L LaJoie

Christopher Marsh

David E Agranoff

Jason Gaedtke

Sachin Reddy Kota

Vedavati Hegde

William Lynn Helms

Niem Dang

Jay Thomas

Craig Mahonchak

Basil Badawiyeh

Marc Lawrence-Apfelbaum

Moin Pansare

Jeffery P Markley

Robbie N Mills, Iii

Michael Terada

William Eric Kreth

Wilfrid Aissi

Steven Ernest Riedl

Thomas L Gonder

Gabe Zimbelman

John A Stebbins

Jon C Honhart

Wilfird Aissi

Will Kreth

Wilfrid Alssi

Kyle D Carnes

Rosaiah Jujjuru

Duncan Gold

Justin O Tidwell

John Chen

Gary Schanman

David Chen

Erdogan Simsek

Manuel Martinez

Timothy Whitton

Kei Foo

Obtain, at a first network location, a first file specifying a first plurality of file segments, having a first plurality of original file segment names, to be obtained from a second network location. At the first network location, map each of the first plurality of original file segment names to a first plurality of modified file segment names. Send, from the first network location to the second network location, requests for each of the first plurality of modified file segment names. Obtain, at the first network location from the second network location, the first plurality of file segments, corresponding to the first plurality of original file segment names, based on the requests for each of the first plurality of modified file segment names and the mapping.

Enhanced content protection for media segments

Systems and methods for detecting and/or mitigating video artifacts in a video. A processor in a computing device may be configured to receive the video from a video source (e.g., codec or from any other video source compressed or uncompressed) subtract pixel intensities from two consecutive frames in the video to generate a residual, analyze the residual to detect small rectangular shapes, and identifying a video artifact in the video based on a result of the analysis.

Avatar based mitigation of sporadic pixelation in digital video

Systems, methods, and devices for supporting advertisement (ad) insertion into a media stream. The device receives notification of an upcoming ad break within the media stream, determines whether the upcoming ad break contains only pre-scheduled spots, and if the upcoming ad break does not contain only pre-scheduled spots, determines whether the upcoming ad break includes any addressable spot based on a broadcasting schedule stored on the device. Otherwise, the device sends a request with information about the at least one addressable spot and the upcoming ad break to an ADS proxy hosted by a client ad server unit within the content delivery network, receives a response message from the ADS proxy identifying a default asset for each addressable spot, retrieves the at least one default asset from a content distribution network, and sends the at least one default asset to a splicer for insertion within the media stream.

System and methods for providing a converged advertisement insertion architecture in a content delivery network

Methods and apparatus for secondary content management, including preventing viewing fraud, are disclosed. In one embodiment, apparatus of the present disclosure includes an Advertisement Decisioning Service (ADS) and Manifest Manipulator (MM) configured cooperate to receive client requests for secondary content, select one or more secondary content elements (e.g., advertisements), and generate and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the client's request for a session. The selected advertisements in one implementation include embedded beacons or tags used to ensure accurate accounting with regards to the amount or quality of consumption of the advertisement by a user.

Methods and apparatus for secondary content management and fraud prevention

In one aspect, an exemplary method for dynamic advertising insertion includes obtaining a video program comprising a sequence of segments; extracting metadata describing at least a specific one of the segments of the video program; based at least in part on the extracted metadata describing the specific segment, selecting advertising content corresponding to the specific segment; and generating an output video stream comprising the sequence of segments, wherein the selected advertising content is displayed in connection with the specific segment.

Optimized ad placement based on automated video analysis and deep metadata extraction

Methods and apparatus related to characterization of digital content, such as in a content delivery and/or service provider network. In one embodiment, a method is provided for identifying characteristics of digital content by a first-pass analysis of the content data, and subsequent adjustment of results of the first-pass data analysis based on a heuristic analysis. In one variant, the first-pass analysis is based on an extant (COTS) or off-the-shelf analytics framework which generates a result; artificial intelligence and/or machine learning techniques are utilized for analyzing the result based on a multi-source or multivariate analytical framework to enable convergence of a final result having suitable level of accuracy, yet with optimized temporal and processing overhead characteristics. In one implementation, the methods and apparatus are adapted for use in a content distribution network advertisement ingestion processing system.

Methods and apparatus for characterization of digital content

Methods and systems for using packager systems for streaming. The packager system including packagers configured to process packets, each packager having a packet listener, a sequence list generator, and a segment generator; and at least one cluster controller including a manifest generator. The at least one cluster controller configured to configure a packager from the packagers as an active packager by enabling a packet listener, a sequence list generator, and a segment generator, configure a remaining packager from the packagers as a backup packager by disabling a segment generator, receive segments, sequence list, and metadata based on processed packets from the active packager, generate, via the manifest generator, a manifest based on the segments, the sequence list, and the metadata, and send the segments and the manifest to a streaming system component.

Methods and systems for packagers used in media streaming

Disclosed herein are embodiments providing coordinated privacy for targeted communications and reporting. In particular, the embodiments provide a source user querying an information system to generally identify target users for a communication campaign. A privacy controller alters a first dataset of a query response by a first alteration quantity for transmission to the source user. The source user then generally identifies target users within the first dataset for development of a communication campaign of targeted communications directed to the target users. Subsequently, a reporting system generates a report with a second dataset detailing viewership by target users. The privacy controller alters a second dataset of a report by a second alteration quantity for transmission to the source user. The second alteration quantity is based on the first alteration quantity. Accordingly, for targeted communication campaigns, the privacy controller maintains individual privacy while also providing accurate reporting.

Coordinated privacy for targeted communications and reporting

Methods and apparatus for providing delivery of content to client devices of a network via both multicast and unicast mechanisms. In one embodiment, a system for use in a managed content delivery network is described to bridge multicast to unicast, so that the total network bandwidth consumption is significantly lower than a corresponding unicast-only delivery solution, yet which still provides improved quality of service and user viewing experience as compared to a multicast-only delivery solution. In addition, various exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are readily adapted for real-time multicast to unicast streaming of audio and data to, among other things, minimize network bandwidth usage, while maintaining the guaranteed delivery of unicast streams with little or no modification to the existing client device logic.

Apparatus and methods for delivery of multicast and unicast content in a content delivery network

A streaming service updates a manifest to include a location of an encoded version of a program that is available for streaming and a restriction marker indicating that the program is restricted. A request for the manifest is received from a client device. Subsequent to providing the manifest to the client device, a request for authorization to stream the program is received from the client device, the request for authorization including client device metadata. Based on the client device metadata and blackout metadata associated with the program, it is determined that the client device is not authorized to stream the program. The streaming service sends, to the client device, slate information that identifies a slate image to be presented by the client device in lieu of the program.

Client-side blackout using manifest markers

Disclosed herein are embodiments providing query validation with automated query modification. In particular, the embodiments provide a computing system that receives a query and determines the query is sensitive. The computing system iteratively modifies the query until the query is not sensitive by modifying the query to increase a scope of the query, updating estimated query results based on the query as modified, and determining whether the query as modified is sensitive based on the estimated query results as updated. Upon determining that the query as modified is not sensitive, the computing system proceeds with the query as modified. Accordingly, the computing system improves query efficiency by automatically modifying a sensitive query.

Query validation with automated query modification

Apparatus and methods for recording a media stream for use by a rendering device. In one embodiment, a client device records live, unbound streaming media content from a Content Delivery Network (CDN) in 'chunks' according to a data structure such as a manifest file. The live media content stream chunks are compressed and stored for later playback. The client device uses information regarding the chunks to generate a local manifest file, which it then uses to reconstruct the media stream. A video client may also dynamically insert and account for updated secondary content (such as advertisements) during each playback instance, thus enabling the service provider to realize commercial opportunities which were previously not possible. Various operational/business rules are also disclosed for e.g., enabling and disabling functions with respect to playback of the content.

Apparatus and methods for recording a media stream

Methods and apparatus for providing access to content across a plurality of devices and environments. In one embodiment, a downloadable rights profile is utilized in order for a user device to determine whether to provide content to a subscriber. The user device is first registered to content delivery the network; the device then requests a rights profile indicating the rights of the subscriber associated with the device to access content. The rights profile is transmitted to the device. The rights profile may be configured to be valid only for a pre-determined time, thus enabling a subscriber's rights to be updated (including revoked). Security mechanisms may also be utilized to ensure access to content is limited only to authorized subscribers. In another embodiment, a user-based authentication procedure is utilized, thereby making the rights determination and content provision process completely agnostic to the underlying hardware.

Apparatus and methods for rights-managed data delivery

Growing community of inventors

Upper Holland, PA, United States of America

Vipul B Patel