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 system is described that permits identified musical phrases or themes to be synchronized and linked into changing real-world events. The achieved synchronization includes a seamless musical transitionachieved using a timing offset, such as relative advancement of an significant musical onset, that is inserted to align with a pre-existing but identified music signature, beat or timebasebetween potentially disparate pre-identified musical phrases having different emotive themes defined by their respective time signatures, intensities, keys, musical rhythms and/or musical phrasing. The system operates to augment an overall sensory experience of a user in the real world by dynamically changing, re-ordering or repeating and then playing audio themes within the context of what is occurring in the surrounding physical environment, e.g. during different phases of a cardio workout in a step class the music rate and intensity increase during sprint periods and decrease during recovery periods.

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.

Methods and apparatus provide for: recording a first sequence of video images output by a videogame, recording a sequence of depth buffer values for a depth buffer used by the videogame, recording a sequence of in-game virtual camera positions used to generate the video images, recording one or more in-game events and their respective in-game positions, generating a second sequence of video images encoding the depth buffer value sequence, and associating the in-game virtual camera position sequence, with at least one of the first and second sequence of video images. Methods and apparatus also provide for: obtaining a first video recording of a videogame playing session comprising a sequence of video images, obtaining a second video recording generated by encoding a depth buffer value sequence, obtaining data indicative of an in-game virtual camera position sequence that is associated with at least one of the obtained video recordings, obtaining data indicative of a statistically significant in-game event and an in-game event position, calculating a position within a current video image of the first video recording corresponding to the in-game event position, in dependence upon the associated in-game virtual camera position and decoded depth buffer values, and augmenting the current video image with a graphical representation of the statistically significant in-game event, responsive to the calculated position.

A method of mapping a virtual environment includes: 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 selected predetermined set of depth values corresponding to a predetermined set of positions within a respective video image; where for each pair of depth values and video image positions, a mapping point has a distance from the virtual camera position based upon the depth value, and a position based upon the relative positions of the virtual camera and the respective video image position, thereby obtaining a map dataset of mapping points corresponding to the first sequence of video images.

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 video recording method includes recording a sequence of video images output by a videogame, recording a sequence of depth buffer values for a depth buffer used by the videogame, recording a sequence of in-game virtual camera positions used to generate the video images, recording one or more in-game events and their respective in-game positions, associating the depth buffer value sequence, the in-game virtual camera position sequence, and an identifier for the videogame, with the video image sequence, and associating the one or more in-game events and their respective in-game positions with the identifier for the videogame. A video playback method includes obtaining a video recording of a videogame playing session, comprising a sequence of video images, obtaining a depth buffer value sequence, an in-game virtual camera position sequence, and an identifier for the videogame that are associated with the video recording, obtaining data indicative of a statistically significant in-game event and an in-game event position, calculating a position within the current video image corresponding to the in-game event position, in dependence upon the associated in-game virtual camera position and depth buffer values, and augmenting the current video image with a graphical representation of the statistically significant in-game event, responsive to the calculated position.

A computer-implemented method, a computer program product, and a computer system for reordering a sequence of files based on compression rates in data transfer. A host determines predicted compression rates of first files that are to be saved onto a first tape, based on a relationship between compression rates and file attributes of second files that have been saved on a second tape. The host reorders a sequence of the first files stored in host cache storage and generates a new sequence of transferring the first files from the host cache storage to the tape drive hosting the first tape, based on the predicted compression rates of the first files. The host transfers the first files to the tape drive hosting the first tape and writes the first files to the first tape, according to the new sequence.

Due to discrepancies in musical timing signatures, the invention assesses whether a recorded displacement, expressed in terms of beats and fractions, between exit and entry points for a potential musical splice or cut, corresponds to permit a seamless music splicing of different musical sections. Assessment is achieved by establishing a third time base of pulses having a length dependent upon a lowest common multiple of fractions within respective bars for different sections, with the bars of the respective sections then partitioned into an equal number of fixed length pulses. A coefficient aligns different time signatures; it is a ratio between pulses within the different sections. The coefficient identifies corresponding locations of a cut point, related to a suitable anacrusis, in terms of respectively an aligned bar, beat, quaver and fraction in differing time signatures. The coefficient ensures that the time anacrusis in one time signature is interchangeable with others.

A method for gaze tracking is provided. One embodiment of the method for gaze tracking, comprising: presenting a content to a viewer via a playback device, tracking a gaze path of the viewer with a gaze tracker coupled to the playback device, selecting a viewer profile from a plurality of viewer profiles stored in a viewer profile database based on the gaze path of the viewer, and predicting a future gaze location of the viewer based on the viewer profile. Systems perform similar steps and non-transitory computer readable storage mediums each store one or more computer programs are also provided.