An ad in a movie can be a static ad having a position in the movie that cannot be moved, or a dynamic ad having a position in the movie that can be changed. When a viewer wishes to skip a portion of the movie containing the ad, the playback system determines whether the ad is static or dynamic. If the ad is static, only the portion of the movie preceding the static ad can be skipped; the ad is unskippable. This technique is referred to as bounceback since the end of the skip bounces back to the start of the static ad. If the ad is dynamic, it is moved to after the end of the skip. This technique is referred to as slip-ad since the ad slips to later in the movie. When a movie has multiple ads, some can be static and some can be dynamic.

Multiple scheduling producers such as content management systems, advertisement systems, and emergency broadcast systems can independently send scheduling events to scheduling consumers such as streaming servers, guide generators, and playlogs. The scheduling consumers maintain state machines with persistent storage to process scheduling events from scheduling producers and output media channel playlists, channel guides, and/or content. Scheduling producers can contribute independently to define a channel playout while information at scheduling consumers remains synchronized.

A quota management system for Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) in which the storage space available on connected storage devices is shared between multiple content providers or multiple software programs.

In a substitutional media system, one of a set of media items is selected at a programme receiver for output within a predefined programming slot, based on profile data available at the receiver. Sets of the media items are scheduled to slots according to one or more constraints pertaining to that slot and/or to media items scheduled to other slots. The receiver may select a media item for output in a slot by resolving constraints with media items scheduled to other slots, or selected for output in other slots.

A top-level service executes a procedure call to at least one dependent service to determine an entitlement result for a user device making a request of the top-level service. A processing device generates an entitlement token comprising the entitlement result, encrypts the entitlement token and sends the entitlement token to the user device. The user device can return the entitlement token when making additional requests of the top-level service to prevent the top-level service from having to make additional procedure calls to the at least one dependent service.

In one embodiment, a method of displaying content portal advertisements and programming advertisements in a video delivery network environment is disclosed. The method includes providing a content portal to a plurality of viewers, the content portal for use by a viewer in navigating video programming. A content portal advertisement queue and a programming advertisement queue are received. Each programming advertisement is linked with one content portal advertisement of the content portal advertisement queue. A programming advertisement is displayed and, when the content portal is invoked immediately subsequent or concurrent to the displaying, the content portal advertisement is displayed. The content portal advertisement queue is reordered by placing the displayed content portal advertisement at the bottom of the content portal advertisement queue.

A method and apparatus for brokering the enablement of the communication of encrypted media programs from a plurality of independent broadcasters to a plurality of receivers is disclosed. The system makes use of a pairing key for each provided service, which is differently encrypted by a pairing server and by the broadcaster providing the service. The encrypted versions of the pairing key are decrypted in a first receiver module using information known to the pairing service but not the broadcaster and in a second receiver module using information known to the broadcaster. The pairing key is used to cryptographically bind the first and second receiver modules.

A method and apparatus for brokering the enablement of the communication of encrypted media programs from a plurality of independent broadcasters to a plurality of receivers is disclosed. The system makes use of a pairing key for each provided service, which is differently encrypted by a pairing server and by the broadcaster providing the service. The encrypted versions of the pairing key are decrypted in a first receiver module using information known to the pairing service but not the broadcaster and in a second receiver module using information known to the broadcaster. The pairing key is used to cryptographically bind the first and second receiver modules.

Mechanisms are provided for replacing default advertisement streams in a media stream with replacement advertisement streams. User profile information is obtained for a particular user and/or device. A default advertisement stream is identified and replaced with advertisement streams selected using the user profile information. Timestamp information and sequence number information is maintained to allow uninterrupted delivery of the modified media stream while customizing media streams for particular users.

An ad is placed in a movie, by analyzing inherent characteristics of the movie, analyzing viewed characteristics of the movie, analyzing viewer characteristics of a viewer of the movie, obtaining advertiser preferences for placement of the ad in the movie, determining costs of placing the ad in the movie based on the inherent characteristics of the movie, the viewed characteristics of the movie, the viewer characteristics and the advertiser preferences, and placing the ad in the movie in accordance with the inherent characteristics of the movie, the viewed characteristics of the movie, the viewer characteristics, the advertiser preferences and the determined costs.