The Directv Group, Inc.

Vladislav Kolegayev

Eugene Suharev

Raynold M Kahn

Robert G Arsenault

Hanno Basse

Romulo Cruz Pontual

James A Michener

Vlad Zarney

Hans M Hagberg

John D Choi

Gregory Vagnati

Arpi Mardirossian

John M Han

Becky P Chen

Yuriy Kuchynskyy

A method, system, computer program product, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to prevent bypass of advertisement viewing. A media content user interface component (that controls playback of the media content and an advertisement in a media player) is activated. The component includes a circular progress bar and a progress marker that coincides with the circular progress bar. As the media content is playing, the progress marker moves around the circular progress bar reflecting a progress of the playing. At a defined point in the media content, an advertisement is played. User input advances the progress marker along the circular progress bar to fast forward the media content. Upon an attempt to advance the progress marker a defined threshold distance beyond the advertisement, the progress marker is snapped back to the advertisement thereby preventing bypass of viewing the advertisement.

Advertisement viewing bypass prevention user interface component

A content distribution system generates first metadata for an audio stream, generates second metadata indicative of audio content to be included in the audio stream within a predetermined period in the future relative to present time, generates an output stream including the audio stream, the first metadata, and the second metadata, and broadcasts the output stream to user devices. A user device receives the output stream, determines the audio content to be included within the predetermined period in the future based on the second metadata, determines when target pieces of audio content are scheduled to be included in the output stream during the predetermined period in the future, tunes to the output stream when the target pieces of audio are included in the output stream, and stores the target pieces of audio in memory of the user device.

Audio scheduling and recording systems and methods

A system includes a voice converter converting a first voice command into a first electrical command and a command library having library contents. A language responsiveness module (LRM) stores the first electrical command in a temporary set when a first control command cannot be determined from the library contents. A voice prompt module receives a second voice command when the first control command cannot be determined from the library contents. The voice converter converts a second voice command into a second electrical command corresponding to the second voice command. The LRM compares the second electrical command to the command library. The LRM determines a second control command corresponding to the second electrical command in response to comparing the second voice command to the command library and stores the first voice command in the command library after determining the control command corresponding to the second voice command.

Method and system for improving responsiveness of a voice recognition system

A system and method for sharing playlists within a network includes a first storage device having a first playlist comprising first playlist data corresponding to stored content and a second storage device having a second playlist comprising second playlist data corresponding to stored content. The system also includes an aggregation server in communication with the first storage device and the second storage device that receives the first playlist and the second playlist. The aggregation server aggregates the first playlist data and the second playlist data to form an aggregated playlist having aggregated playlist data and forms an index list corresponding to the aggregated playlist. A first aggregation client is in communication with the aggregation server and receives the index list from the aggregation server.

Method and system for sharing playlists for content stored within a network

Content delivery systems and methods to operate the same are disclosed. A disclosed example content delivery system comprises: a receiver station; a content server to transfer a file to a receiver via a point-to-point communication signal; and a transmission source that includes a computer readable medium to store the file containing pre-packetized content data and a controller to send the file containing the pre-packetized content data to a broadcast transmitter and to the content server.

Content delivery systems and methods to operate the same

An emulator tool and method of operating the same includes a client engine for generating server command signals for emulating a server device and a server engine for generating client command signals for emulating a client device. The emulator also includes a command engine for validating a server device or client device based on a response signal and a server command signal or the client command signal. A display associated with the emulator tool is in communication with the server engine and the client engine for displaying a graphical user interface comprising a validation indicator.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Vladislav Kolegayev