In a method for selecting of a prerecorded media file for superimposing into a video, a video of a scene is displayed on a display device of a mobile electronic device. A location of the scene is determined. A prerecorded video file is selected based at least in part on the location. The prerecorded video file is superimposed over the video, such that the video is partially obscured by the prerecorded video file. The prerecorded video file is played while displaying the video, such that the prerecorded video file and a non-obscured portion of the video are rendered simultaneously.

Various embodiments are described herein for systems and methods that can be used to operate a media transmission network. In at least one embodiment, the media transmission network comprises a plurality of media processing devices configured to receive and process media streams based on control data. The media transmission network also comprises a controller coupled to the plurality of media processing devices and configured to generate a control signal for some or all of the media processing devices in the network. The controller is configured to determine the timing at which to transmit the control signal to a respective media processing device in order for the instructions in the control signal to be executed at the same time as the media data is received. The controller determines the transmission timing of each control signal by determining the latencies and delays of the network and the devices, such as, for example, network latency, processing delay, and/or control delay.

Example systems, apparatus, and methods receive audio information including a plurality of frames from a source device, wherein each frame of the plurality of frames includes one or more audio samples and a time stamp indicating when to play the one or more audio samples of the respective frame. In an example, the time stamp is updated for each of the plurality of frames using a time differential value determined between clock information received from the source device and clock information associated with the device. The updated time stamp is stored for each of the plurality of frames, and the audio information is output based on the plurality of frames and associated updated time stamps. A number of samples per frame to be output is adjusted based on a comparison between the updated time stamp for the frame and a predicted time value for play back of the frame.

Systems and methods are described to enhance interactive engagement during simultaneous delivery of serial or digital content (e.g., audio, video) to a plurality of users. A machine-based awareness of the context of the content and/or one or more user reactions to the presentation of the content may be used as a basis to interrupt content delivery in order to intersperse a snippet that includes a virtual agent with an awareness of the context(s) of the content and/or the one or more user reactions. This “contextual virtual agent” (CVA) enacts actions and/or dialog based on the one or more machine-classified contexts coupled with identified interests and/or aspirations of individuals within the group of users. The CVA may also base its activities on a machine-based awareness of “future” content that has not yet been delivered to the group, but classified by natural language and/or computer vision processing. Interrupting the delivery of content substantially simultaneously to a group of users and initiating dialog regarding content by a CVA enhances opportunities for users to engage with each other about their shared interactive experience.

Techniques are described for providing alternative media content to a client device along with primary media content.

A messaging channel is embedded directly into a media stream. Messages delivered via the embedded messaging channel are extracted at a client media player. According to a variant embodiment, and in lieu of embedding all of the message data in the media stream, only a coordination index is injected, and the message data is sent separately and merged into the media stream downstream (at the client media player) based on the coordination index. In one example embodiment, multiple data streams (each potentially with different content intended for a particular “type” or class of user) are transmitted alongside the video stream in which the coordination index (e.g., a sequence number) has been injected into a video frame. Based on a user's service level, a particular one of the multiple data streams is released when the sequence number appears in the video frame, and the data in that stream is associated with the media.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method that involves keeping state of a video workout program may include communicatively coupling a server in a cloud network to an exercise machine through a first network connection, communicatively coupling the server to a network device through a second network connection, the server providing a video workout program to the exercise machine for execution at the exercise machine to enable a user to perform at least a portion of a workout of the video workout program on the exercise machine, the server keeping state of the video workout program during execution of the video workout program based on inputs from the exercise machine and the network device, and taking an action based on the state. The action may include synchronizing multiple displays, adaptively scaling the video workout program, and/or generating and providing an exercise machine control command to the exercise machine.

A computer system including a server having a processor and a memory, the memory having a video database and a music database, the video database storing at least one video file having a plurality of video file markers, and the music database storing at least one music file having a plurality of music file markers, wherein the server receives and decodes encoded data from computer readable code, identifies and retrieves from the music database a music file based on the decoded data, synchronizes the retrieved music file with one of the video files by aligning the video file markers of the video file with the music file markers for the retrieved music file to produce a synchronized video-music file, and transmits the synchronized video-music file to a display, wherein the video file markers are generated for each video file and the music file markers are generated for each music file.

A portable device controlling playback of video data on a first device external to the portable device and including a browser module operative to present a display of a plurality of images, each image corresponding to a section of the video data, and to highlight an image corresponding to the section of the video data currently played back by the first device, a communication module coupled to the browser module and operative, in response to a selection of an image among the plurality of images by a user, to transmit a first command to the first device to play back the video data corresponding to the image selected by the user, wherein the browser module is further operative to adapt highlighting of the plurality of images in response to a second command received from said first device upon a change of the section of video data currently played back on the first device.

The present invention provides a method of transmitting broadcast signals. The method includes, formatting input streams into Data Pipe (DP) data, Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) encoding the DP data according to a code rate, bit interleaving the LDPC encoded DP data, mapping the hit interleaved DP data onto constellations, building at least one signal frame including the mapped DP data, and modulating data in the built signal frame by an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) method and transmitting the broadcast signals having the modulated data, wherein the input streams include Audio/Video (A/V) data and service guide data, and wherein the Audio/Video (A/V) data and service guide data are included in first ISO base media file format (ISOBMFF) files.