Playback and distribution systems and methods for multimedia files are provided. The multimedia files are encoded with flags associated with the content data of the multimedia files. Through the use of the flags, playback of the content is enhanced without significantly increasing the file size of the multimedia file.

A method for making a playlist available to the public, in which the playlist comprises user-defined descriptor information. The user-defined descriptor information is entered as free form text or prose.

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to entertainment systems that interact with users to provide access to media appropriate to and/or customized for a particular user using the entertainment system, the location at which the entertainment system is being accessed, and/or a predefined event. For example, in certain exemplary embodiments, an entertainment system in a location is configured to provide jukebox-related and entertainment system mediated services that are accessible from within and from the outside of the location, and provide (1) attract or flight media operations, (2) browsing services, and/or (3) search screens appropriate to and/or customized for a particular user using the entertainment system, the location at which the entertainment system is being accessed, and/or a predefined event. Such screens may be provided with a three-dimensional look-and-feel in certain exemplary embodiments.

A magnetic disk device includes a plurality of magnetic heads, a storage unit that stores a table storing, for each of the magnetic heads, a track skew value obtained by adding a head shared value and a head unique value, and a control unit that reads out the track skew value corresponding to one of the magnetic heads to be operated from the table and performs seek control.

A method, apparatus, computer program product and computer accessible code configured to link or otherwise associate content filters with a multimedia presentation, e.g., a movie. The content filter data includes an identifier value with an aspect ratio identifier or as a function of an aspect ratio for a particular multimedia presentation associated with the filter information. In one implementation, association between a filter set and a multimedia presentation involves a filtering application that searches a particular multimedia presentation to locate aspect ratio information and further searches filter information for a matching aspect ratio identifier.

A transcript of a conference (e.g., a video conference, an audio conference, or a telephone call with two or more participants) is processed to extract a conference summary. Scores are determined for strings of the transcript that are used to select strings for inclusion in the conference summary. Determining the scores includes determining respective sentence vectors for strings. A sentence vector has elements corresponding to words in the transcript that are proportional to occurrences of the word in the string and inversely proportional to occurrences of the word in the transcript. A short video conference summary or a short audio conference summary is then generated using timestamps from the transcript associated with strings (e.g., sentences) that have been selected for inclusion in the conference summary. The short video or audio summary may be presented to users to enable efficient storage and transmission of conference information within a unified communications system.

Disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for distributed control of media-playback components of a webcast. In an example, a webcast presenter's device can include a webcast compositing engine for creating a webcast from a variety of data sources, a media-playback engine for playing media content items, and a message processing engine for processing messages sent from audience members to the presenter. The message processing engine can obtain the messages and parse the messages for tokens indicative of a requested media content item. The message processing engine, having identified the requested media content item, can then cause the media-playback engine to play the requested content or add it to a queue.

Disclosed are Multipurpose Media Players that enable users to create transcriptions, closed captions, and/or logs of digitized recordings, that enable the presentation of transcripts, closed captions, logs, and digitized recordings in a correlated manner to users, that enable users to compose one or more scenes of a production, and that enable users to compose storyboards for a production. The multipurpose media players can be embodied within Internet browser environments; thereby providing high availability of the multipurpose players across software platforms, networks, and physical locations.

The present invention relates to a method for processing and playing audio data comprising the steps of receiving mixed input data and playing recombined output data. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device 10 for processing and playing audio data, preferably DJ equipment, comprising an audio input unit for receiving a mixed input signal, a recombination unit 32 and a playing unit 34 for playing recombined output data. In addition, the present invention relates to a method and a device for representing audio data, i.e. on a display.

Systems and methods are presented to facilitate caching of programming from broadcast and/or content streaming services to a user device for local playback. In addition, metadata can be provided to guide the user in selecting, caching, or playing the cachable content. In some exemplary embodiments, a receiver or other user device can automatically select the programming to be cached based on a user's historical topic interest and listening history. In some exemplary embodiments, the metadata can also include DRM information that can limit the ability of a user to playback the content, so as to comply, if necessary, with operative legal requirements related to usage of the content.