The present teaching relates to estimating one or more parameters on a system including a plurality of nodes. In one example, the system comprises: one or more learner nodes, each of which is configured for generating information related to a group of words for estimating the one or more parameters associated with a machine learning model; and a plurality of server nodes, each of which is configured for obtaining a plurality of sub-vectors each of which is a portion of a vector that represents a word in the group of words, updating the sub-vectors based at least partially on the information to generate a plurality of updated sub-vectors, and estimating at least one of the one or more parameters associated with the machine learning model based on the plurality of updated sub-vectors.

Techniques for online information search and retrieval for a query including a digital audio waveform. In an aspect, an audio waveform is received and digitized by at least one of a plurality of audio input devices. The digitized audio waveforms are transmitted to a central processing unit, which formulates and submits a query to an online engine. The formulated query may include the at least one digital audio waveform. The online engine retrieves one or more online results relevant to the formulated query. The online results may include one or more relevant visual results, and/or one or more relevant audio results. The retrieved results are served in real-time back to a user, via a device having audio output capability, and/or a device having visual data output capability.

Recorded broadcast programs, including advertisements, are selected for playback responsive to user input. The user input may include pressing a button multiple times to cause recorded programs to be scanned through for a particular preset channel from newest recorded to oldest recorded. Pressing another button multiple times causes the recorded programs to be scanned through for the particular present channel from oldest recorded to newest recorded. Each time at least a portion of a recorded program is played back, the amount of time of the playback is kept track of. An advertisement credit is awarded for playback of the recorded program based on the amount of time of playback of the recorded program.

In one embodiment, an apparatus comprising a first audio looping device is provided. The first audio looping device is electrically coupled to a computing device. The first audio looping device is programmed to receive a first audio signal from a musical instrument and to store the first audio signal. The first audio looping device is further programmed to playback the stored first audio signal as a first audio loop a number of times and to transmit the first audio loop to a second audio looping device via the first computing device. The first audio looping device is further programmed to receive a second audio loop from the second audio looping device via the computing device.

Aspects of a method and system for content selection, delivery and payment may comprise a management entity that coordinates operation of one or more endpoint devices. The one or more endpoint devices may be operable to select one or more parameters associated with a particular content type from the management entity. The particular content type may specify a type of media content that is handled by the one or more endpoint devices. The one or more endpoint devices may be operable to receive configuration information from the management entity based on the selected one or more parameters associated with the particular content type. The one or more endpoint devices may be configured utilizing the received configuration information. The one or more endpoint devices may be operable to pay for the received configuration information.

A computer-implemented method includes: detecting whether a user is watching media content; after detecting that the user is watching media, presenting on a user device a first affordance providing a first user-selectable election to receive information on entities relevant to the media content; in response to user selection of the election: sampling at the user device program information from the media content including one or more of audio signals and subtitles, and sending the program information to a server, which identifies the media content and generates one or more second user-selectable user elections for the identified media content and sends to the user device one or more second affordances providing the second user-selectable elections; displaying the second affordances on the user device; and in response to user selection of one of the second affordances, displaying on the user device information on a respective entity relevant to the media content.

An voice command processing method provides a unified voice control interface to access and control Internet of things (IoT) devices and configure value of attributes of graphical user interface (GUI) elements, attributes of applications, and attributes of the IoT devices. As a voice command comprises an expression of a percentage or a fraction of a baseline value of an attribute, or an exact value of the attribute of an IoT device, the unified voice control interface sets the attribute of the IoT device in response to the percentage, the fraction, or the exact value in the voice command.

A device of updating a media file for an increased resolution includes an I/O interface, a processor, and a storage device. The I/O interfaces acquires a first media file having first data samples and a second media file having second data samples. Each first data sample is sampled from an analog media signal and encoded with P bits and each second data sample is sampled from the analog media signal and encoded with Q bits, wherein “P” and “Q” are integers, and a resolution in bits of Q is greater than a resolution in bits of. The processor divides each second data sample by a corresponding one of the first data samples to calculate third data samples. The storage device stores the calculated third data samples as a third media file.

Organizing and publishing content in a content management system wherein content, including text, images and video, is received and segmented into content atoms. One or more tags are associated with the content atoms to allow device specific presentation of the content atoms.

The invention relates generally to a wireless microphone system and methods. The system may include a receiver unit connected to one or more transmitter units. The system may be configured to monitor the link between the corresponding units and mark audio in response to a broken connection. Each transmitter unit of the system may include a switching arrangement configured to record uncompressed audio or compressed audio and, according to a processing path selected, transmit the same audio to the receiver unit. The transmission of audio may be accomplished via a dipole antenna positioned at a height from a circuit board. Advantageously, the system is configured to record and transmit audio with a low rate of dropout error.