Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer-readable storage-medium embodiments for implementing passive data collection from third-party channel applications. An embodiment includes running a channel application of a first layer of an operating system, and receiving an application programming interface (API) call, from the channel application, for a module of a second layer of the operating system. The module may be a non-video playback module that includes graphic rendering logic, for example. Some embodiments may further include intercepting metadata sent to the module, determining identifying information of a content instance based on the intercepted metadata, and storing the determined identifying information of the content instance.

A system and method for updating a settop box (STB) architecture that can be used to immediately update a device without requiring the device to be reset/restarted. The device may be any type of device that simultaneously supports multiple applications. The architecture may be used to update one of the applications with new functionality in a seamless manner that allows the applications including the one application to continue to operate without interruption.

A system and method for updating a settop box (STB) architecture that can be used to immediately update a device without requiring the device to be reset/restarted. The device may be any type of device that simultaneously supports multiple applications. The architecture may be used to update one of the applications with new functionality in a seamless manner that allows the applications including the one application to continue to operate without interruption.

A playback device including a processor that executes program instructions such that the playback device is configured to receive first audio data representing audio content, generate and output second audio data based on the first audio data, and at least in part while generating and outputting the second audio data, generate and output a control signal associated with the second audio data to vary a supply voltage for an audio amplifier. The playback device also includes a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) that varies the supply voltage for the audio amplifier based on the control signal. The playback device also includes an amplifier circuitry comprising the audio amplifier powered by the supply voltage from the SMPS. The amplifier circuitry is configured to receive the second audio data and generate an analog audio signal to drive a speaker based on the second audio data.

A community-based recommendation engine is provided. In one example embodiment, a system to provide community-based recommendation engine comprises a recommendation detector and a decision module. The recommendation detector is configured to receive, at a viewer's system, a recommendation for a content item from a contact of a viewer. The decision module may be configured to determine an action to be performed at the viewer's system, based on the recommendation and on one or more rules, accept the recommendation as an instruction to perform the action, and initiate the action at the viewer's system.

The disclosure relates to a method for monitoring usage of at least one application executed within an operating system of an electronic device. The method includes at least one iteration of, while a processing condition is not satisfied, determining a video event associated with a current application and storing the video event in a data structure, delivering a set of video events. The method further includes, once the processing condition is satisfied, determining a past time slot, calling an usage statistics API provided on the operating system, delivering a set of application events representative of whether an application has been put in system foreground or system background, retrieving application events that have occurred during the past time slot, retrieving video events that have occurred during the past time slot, and chronologically ordering the retrieved application and video events, delivering a consolidated set of ordered events.

A display device according to an embodiment of the present invention can comprise: a display unit; an external device interface unit for exchanging information with a set-top box; and a control unit which receives set-top box information from the set-top box by means of the external device interface unit, determines whether or not a high definition multimedia interface-consumer electronics control (HDMI-CEC) function is turned on on the basis of the received set-top box information, and automatically turns on an HDMI-CEC function of the display device if the HDMI-CEC function is turned on.

A display apparatus includes presence detection circuitry for detecting an individual in proximity to the display apparatus; a display for displaying video content and a user interface; a processor in communication with the user input circuitry, the display, and the search history database; and non-transitory computer readable media in communication with the processor that stores instruction code. The instruction code is executed by the processor and causes the processor to: a) determine, from the presence detection circuitry, a user in proximity of the display apparatus; b) determine one or more program types associated with the user; c) determine available programs that match the predicted one or more programs; and d) update the user interface to depict a listing of one or more of the available programs that match the predicted one or more programs.

Methods and systems for saving resources when outputting a media asset such as a video are provided. The media asset is split into a first portion with a first importance and a second portion with the second importance. The first portion is displayed with a first set of output parameters (e.g., resolution, bit rate, frame rate, display size) and the second portion is displayed with a second set of output parameters that correspond to a lower quality than the first set of output parameters (e.g., a lower resolution, a lower bit rate, a lower frame rate, a lower display size).

Various arrangements for integrating over-the-air (OTA) television programming with streaming media are presented. An OTA integration module may request, from an OTA tuner, a stream of an OTA television channel, wherein the OTA television channel is broadcast over a geographic region on the VHF band or UHF band. The OTA integration module may receive, from the OTA tuner, the stream of the OTA television channel. The OTA integration module may provide, to a media presentation application, the stream of the OTA television channel. The media presentation application executed by the streaming media player device may output the steam of the OTA television channel for presentation.