A moderator client device may add program information for multi-media content using interactive elements. The moderator client device may associate an interactive component with the multi-media content using the interactive elements on a moderator interface. An interactive program may be generated from the multi-media content, tags and time-codes, and the interactive component. A response to the interactive program may be received from a viewer client device based on an interaction of the user of the viewer client device with the interactive component. The response received from the viewer client device may be displayed simultaneously with the updated interactive program on the display of each of a plurality of viewer client devices.

A resource management system may use information regarding the bandwidth status of a downstream communication path to determine what portion of queued content should be sent in the current available bandwidth timeslot. In some embodiments, multiple versions of the same requested content may be available, and the system may select a lower-quality version to send if needed to meet a time deadline included in the original content request.

Methods and systems for image alteration. A video signal having multiple images is accessed, and images are altered to blur the video signal based on a subscriber alteration request. The alteration request is selectable among a partial blur, a full blur, and a restore image. The request includes instructions to selectably blur a partial portion of an image by stretching a first portion, without stretching a second portion. The alteration includes accessing an alternation setting selected from a cycle of alteration settings, a group of preprogrammed alteration settings and combinations thereof. The blurred video signal is provide for presentation by subscriber equipment. The video signal is restored in response to a restorative event detected within the blurred video signal. The detecting of the restorative event includes determining a location of a scene change in the blurred video signal.

An apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving information related to multimedia data in a hybrid network and a structure thereof are provided. The transmission method includes generating transmission characteristic information about the media data, and transmitting the transmission characteristic information. The transmission characteristic information includes valid range information about the transmission characteristic information.

A system and method are provided for content-based non-linear control of video data playback. A multimedia database having multimedia data including multimedia content data is searched based on a user query to determine a first set of multimedia data. The multimedia data includes indexes to and condensed representations of corresponding video data stored in a video database. A portion of the first set of multimedia data is displayed at a control device in response to the user query. A user of the control device selects an element of the first set of multimedia data for video playback and video data corresponding to the element delivered to a video device for playback. A user of the control device selects an element of the first set of multimedia data for additional information and a second set of multimedia data corresponding to the element delivered to the control device.

A coax server acts as a proxy between a coax transmission infrastructure and an Internet Protocol (IP) transmission infrastructure. An incoming request is received from a particular one of a plurality of coax client devices on the coax infrastructure. A request for specific media content is transmitted to a media-on-demand server in response to receiving the incoming request. A media stream is received over the IP infrastructure from the media-on-demand server, the media stream corresponding to the specific media content, and the coax server allocates a coax channel of sufficient bandwidth on the coax infrastructure and transmits the media stream on the coax channel utilizing the RF modulation scheme. A pointer indicating the coax channel on which the media stream is being transmitted is sent to the particular coax client device. The coax channel is unknown to other of the coax client devices besides the particular coax client device.

The Shared Internet Storage Resource provides Internet-based file storage, retrieval, access, control, and manipulation for a user. Additionally, an easy-to-use user interface is provided both for a browser or stand-alone application. The entire method provides means by which users can establish, use, and maintain files on the Internet in a manner remote from their local computers yet in a manner that is similar to the file manipulation used on their local computers. A high capacity or other storage system is attached to the Internet via an optional internal network that also serves to generate and direct metadata regarding the stored files. A web server using a CGI, Java-based, or other interface transmits and retrieves TCP/IP packets or other Internet information through a load balancer/firewall by using XML to wrap the data packets. File instructions may be transmitted over the Internet to the Shared Resource System. The user's account may be password protected so that only the user may access his or her files. On the user's side, a stand-alone client application or JavaScript object interpreted through a browser provide two means by which the XML or other markup language data stream may be received and put to use by the user. Internet-to-Internet file transfers may be effected by directly downloading to the user's account space.

A video segment can be shared over a computer network by first receiving the video segment at a receiving computer on the network. The receiving computer assures that the video segment is in a streaming video format, and creates at least one identification tag for the video segment. The receiving computer also stores the video segment, and communicates the identification tag to another computer on the network. Upon subsequent receipt of that identification tag, the receiving computer streams the video segment to a destination computer on the network.

Method for retrieving online content in an interactive environment. The method is executable by a computing device. The method comprises obtaining a plurality of descriptive information elements; parsing at least some of the descriptive information elements into one or more subsets of information elements associated with respective information categories; retrieving online content for each of the one or more subsets of information elements; and causing the retrieved online content to be presented to a user.

An apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving information related to multimedia data in a hybrid network and a structure thereof are provided. The transmission method includes generating transmission characteristic information about the media data, and transmitting the transmission characteristic information. The transmission characteristic information includes valid range information about the transmission characteristic information.