Playback devices may receive video content and an age of a playlist associated with the video content. A playback device may use the age of the playlist to schedule output of video fragments of the video content. The playback device may adjust the output of the video content until an actual output time of a video fragment is substantially the same as the scheduled output time for the video fragment.

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to entertainment systems that interact with users so as to provide for social networking and/or other services. An entertainment system is configured to provide jukebox-related and entertainment system mediated services that are accessible from within and from the outside of the location, coordinating social networking services among and between patrons within and outside of the location and also providing for advertisement opportunities. An entertainment system within a location may serve as and/or be connected to a jukebox. The entertainment system within the location may be connected to one or more client devices, one or more displays, one or more bar-top or hand-held gaming devices, etc., in certain exemplary embodiments. Jukebox-related and entertainment system mediated services may provide mechanisms for enhancing patrons' experiences, creating a sense of ownership and/or belongingness to a connected community of entertainment system users.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a content fling system and method. The content fling system may support a plurality of users flinging content or media at various times including simultaneously to the same output device. The content fling system may further support users flinging from various locations. The content fling system can also support a single content item being played back on a plurality of output devices.

Content distribution systems, methods and user interfaces are described wherein a modulator dynamically duplicates output of multiple channels, a plurality of receivers are individually tuned to one of the multiple channels, wherein a single transport stream can be sent on the multiple channels to each of the desired receivers and wherein the distribution can occur in multiple modes, and user interfaces which allow a manager of the content distribution system to dynamically change the channels on each receiver so that each of the receivers can be tuned to one of the multiple channels through the user interface.

Methods and apparatus to provide content on demand in content broadcast systems are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a first portion of a program via broadcast signal and receiving a second portion of the program via an Internet protocol (IP) based signal. The example method may further comprise combining the first and the second portions and at least one of store the combined first and second portions in a file or playback the combined first and second portions.

Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating uninterrupted playback of video streams using lower quality cached files. A video file corresponding to an entirety of a video content feature encoded at a first quality is obtained. A video stream corresponding to the video content feature encoded at a second quality higher than the first quality is then obtained. The video stream is rendered for playback on a display. In response to detecting an unavailability of the video stream at a particular time in the video content feature, the video file is rendered for playback on the display in place of the video stream and commences at the particular time in the video content feature.

A content popularity determination system and method operative with interconnected set-top boxes (STBs) configured to facilitate media streaming in a network environment. In one embodiment, download patterns may be monitored relative to accessing a particular content via one or more STBs (STBs) associated with a subscriber. Also monitored is if the same particular content is shared by other STBs for downloading to other subscribers. Popularity-related metrics with respect to the particular content may be determined based on accessing of the particular content by the subscriber and sharing of the particular content by other STBs for downloading to the other subscribers.

An interconnected architecture for set-top boxes (STBs) configured to facilitate media streaming in a network environment. In one embodiment, a data center associated with the network environment includes a control plane manager operative to receive and process media requests from a plurality of subscriber devices, each subscriber device comprising at least a media renderer and a user interface operative with a virtual STB hosted at the data center. One or more vSTBs associated with a plurality of subscribers may be hosted at the data center, which may be logically organized into a number of mesh architectures. The control plane manager is further operative to determine if a request from a subscriber device for a particular content is for content that already exists at one or more vSTBs hosted in the data center, and if so, select an optimal vSTB that already supports a stream of the requested particular content for effectuating a media session with the subscriber device.

A system and method are provided of minimizing network bandwidth used from an external network by client peers in a local network. The method can include the operation of organizing a plurality of clients each having media streamlets and a client parent in a structure within the local network. Mapping information propagates through the structure. The mapping information represents local streamlet locations as stored by the plurality of clients. Another operation is retrieving a local streamlet from a client identified in the mapping information as having the local streamlet for the requesting client.

A wireless computer that pairs with a remote audio-video presentation device, such as a television. As a result of the pairing, a communication channel is established for the computer to transmit audio-video content for presentation through that device. Additionally, as part of the pairing, the computer and remote device select a side channel for communication of user commands. The wireless computer may display a user interface through which a user may input commands that control the manner in which the remote audio-video device presents the content. As a result, a user may use the wireless computer as a remote control for the audio-video device, controlling both the content presented and the manner in which it is presented. The side channel may use different frequencies than the channel used to communicate audio-video content, and may use very low power at frequencies in the digital TV spectrum.