A media device and methods that identify playback states reachable from a current content playback state and identify a reachable state that is likely to occur, are disclosed. A memory associated with the media device may receive frames that enable a smooth transition between the playback state and the reachable state. The media device may receive frames that correspond to points in the content that are separated by an amount of time that is proportional to the playback rate of the likely state. The frames may be frames corresponding to an image that may be played back at the playback rate of the likely state.

A media-content augmentation system includes a processing system that receives input data in the form of temporally-varying events data. The processing system resolves the input into one or more categorized contextual themes, correlates the themes with metadata associated with at least one reference media file, and then splices or fades together selected parts of the media file, thus generating as an output, a media product in which transitions between its contextual themes are aligned with selected temporal events in the input data. The temporarily-varying events take the form of a beginning and an end in the case of a sustained feature, or a specific point in time for a hit point. A method aligns sections in digital media files with temporally-varying events data to compose a media product. The system augments a sensory experience of a user by dynamically changing and then playing selected media files within the context of the categorized themes input to the processing system.

A method for providing content includes determining a viewing direction of a user viewing a content item comprising a plurality of video streams, selecting two or more video streams of the content item based on the viewing direction of the user and directional data associated with the plurality of video streams, decoding the two or more video streams to form two or more decoded video streams, stitching the two or more decoded video streams to form a combined image, and causing the combined image to be displayed to the user. Systems perform similar steps and non-transitory computer readable storage mediums each store one or more computer programs.

A method of mapping a virtual environment comprises obtaining a first sequence of video images output by a videogame title; obtaining a corresponding sequence of in-game virtual camera positions at which the video images were created; obtaining a corresponding sequence of depth buffer values for a depth buffer used by the videogame whilst creating the video images; and for each of a plurality of video images and corresponding depth buffer values of the obtained sequences, obtain mapping points corresponding to a sampling distribution of points over the area of a respective video image and their associated depth values; wherein respective mapping points are obtained by projecting co-ordinated derived from the sample points from the video image and associated depth values back into a 3D game world co-ordinate system of the videogame title; thereby obtaining a point cloud dataset of mapping points corresponding to the first sequence of video images.

A shooting control method includes displaying, by a terminal, a first screen that is not a video recording viewfinder screen, receiving, by the terminal, a first operation of a user on the first screen, displaying, in response to the first operation, a second screen, starting, in response to the first operation, to record a first video, and buffering, in response to the first operation, the first video, when the terminal detects a second operation, in response to the detected second operation, stopping, by the terminal, a video recording, and displaying, in response to the detected second operation, a third screen prompting the user to determine whether to save the first video, and saving or deleting the first video according to a selection operation of the user on the third screen.

A media device and methods that identify playback states reachable from a current content playback state and identify a reachable state that is likely to occur, are disclosed. A memory associated with the media device may receive frames that enable a smooth transition between the playback state and the reachable state. The media device may receive frames that correspond to points in the content that are separated by an amount of time that is proportional to the playback rate of the likely state. The frames may be frames corresponding to an image that may be played back at the playback rate of the likely state.

A media device and methods that identify playback states reachable from a current content playback state and identify a reachable state that is likely to occur, are disclosed. A memory associated with the media device may receive frames that enable a smooth transition between the playback state and the reachable state. The media device may receive frames that correspond to points in the content that are separated by an amount of time that is proportional to the playback rate of the likely state. The frames may be frames corresponding to an image that may be played back at the playback rate of the likely state.

A device is disclosed. The device includes a plurality of ports to receive a plurality of audio streams, an audio content control unit configured to modify playback length of an audio content of at least one of the plurality of audio streams according to an input time interval, an audio decoder and a memory buffer coupled to the audio decoder and the audio content control unit. The memory buffer is used by the audio content control unit to buffer at least one of the plurality of audio streams.

A method of detecting significant footage for recording from a videogame includes obtaining position information for a target object within a virtual environment of the videogame, obtaining depth buffer information for a current position of a virtual camera used to generate a current image of the virtual environment for display by the videogame, calculating a first distance along a line between the current position of the virtual camera and the obtained position of the target object, detecting whether a depth buffer value along the line corresponds to at least a threshold distance from the virtual camera, the threshold distance being based upon the calculated first distance, and if so, associating the current image with an indicator that the image is significant for the purposes of recording footage from the videogame.

A methodology that enables, for example, tape drive operation at lower SNR and/or reduced rewrite area uses a first threshold T and a second threshold r for a rewrite condition. Codeword interleaves (CWIs) in a data set are written onto a plurality of simultaneously-written parallel tracks of a magnetic recording medium, read back and error correction decoded. A determination is made as to whether at least one of the C1 or C1 codewords in each decoded CWI contains more byte errors than the second threshold r of the rewrite condition. A number of CWIs in a rewrite buffer are according to the following criteria: b.sub.i=b.sub.iT when b.sub.i is greater than the first threshold T, and b.sub.i=0 when b.sub.i is less than or equal to the first threshold T.