Systems and methods are disclosed herein for avoiding playback of an advertisement by selectively switching between media streams. To this end, a media guidance application receives a plurality of media streams from different sources, switches to a first media stream and plays back a first media asset of the first media stream, and determines that an end to playback of the first media asset is imminent. The media guidance application then determines whether a second media stream of the plurality of media streams is within a threshold amount of time of playing back a beginning of a second media asset, and if the second media stream is within the threshold amount of time of playing back the beginning of the second media asset, the media guidance application switches from the first media stream to the second media stream and plays back the second media asset.

The present disclosure provides a system and method for recommending dynamic, adaptive and non-sequentially assembled videos. The method includes reception of a set of preference data and a set of user authentication data. The method includes development of an interest profile of the user. The method includes fetching of the one or more tagged videos. The method includes fragmentation of each tagged video into the one or more tagged fragments and segregation of one or more mapped fragments into one or more logical sets of mapped fragments. The method includes mining of semantic context information from each mapped fragment and each logical set of mapped fragments. The method includes clustering of the one or more logical sets of mapped fragments and assembling of the one or more logical clusters of mapped fragments to obtain a set of assembled videos. The method includes recommendation of the set of assembled videos.

The present disclosure provides a method and system for real time, dynamic, adaptive and non-sequential assembling of one or more mapped fragments of one or more tagged videos. The method includes a step of receiving a set of preference data from pre-defined selection criteria and set of user authentication data. The method includes another step of fetching the one or more tagged videos from the digitally processed repository of videos. The method includes yet another step of fragmenting each tagged video of the one or more tagged videos into the one or more tagged fragments and clustering one or more logical sets of mapped fragments into one or more logical clusters of mapped fragments. The method includes yet another step of assembling at least one of the one or more logical clusters of mapped fragments in a pre-defined order of preference to obtain an assembled video.

Systems and methods for identifying, assembling, and transmitting content are described in the illustrative context of electronic program guides and program channels. A first system causes an interactive interstitial to be presented on a remote first device of a user in conjunction with a scheduled program. The first system determines if a second device of the user is available to receive an interstitial interaction request. At least partly in response to determining that the second device is available to receive an interstitial interaction request, the interstitial interaction request is presented via a client hosted on the second device. At least partly in response to determining that the user has provided an interaction via the second device, the interaction is stored in memory. Optionally, an interstitial is composed based at least in part on the user interaction. The composed interstitial is optionally displayed via the first device of the user in conjunction with a scheduled program.

In some embodiments, a method comprises receiving a first signal indicative of a current emotional state of a user, receiving a second signal corresponding to a desired emotional state of the user, and based on the first and second signals, generating a playlist of media content including a first item and an nth item. The first signal can be received from a wearable sensor. Generating the playlist can comprise selecting items of media content, and arranging the media content in a sequential order such that the playlist transitions from the first item toward the nth item. The method can further comprise playing back, via a playback device, at least the first item of the media content, and while playing back the first item, receiving a third signal indicative of an updated emotional state of the user.

Portion- or tile-based video streaming concepts are described.

There is included a method and apparatus comprising computer code configured to cause a processor or processors to perform publishing media presentation description data comprising main live program data, and signaling a client device about ad data and in-manifest data where the ad data instructs the client device of an initial end time at which to end a display of an ad by switching a display at the client device from the ad to the main live program data and where the in-manifest data instructs the client device to determine, during a streaming of the ad to the client device, an updated end time, prior to the end time, at which to end the streaming of the ad by switching the streaming at the client device from the ad to the main live program data.

Methods, systems, and computer programs for generating a playlist of media content items for a group of users. Media content items listened to by the selected users are compared to an average user taste profile to select media content items for playback to the group of users.

An information processing apparatus includes circuitry configured to receive a manifest file for a content stream, the manifest file including a manifest file update mechanism indicating one or more ways of receiving an update to the received manifest file. The circuitry is also configured to receive a manifest file update through the manifest file update mechanism indicated by the received manifest file. The manifest file update indicates that early termination of content during a period in the content stream is possible. The circuitry is also configured to send a request for the content associated with the period to a server based on the manifest file update, and receive the content from the server. The circuitry is also configured to output the content for display during the period and terminate the content early based on the manifest file update.

A method for providing a personalized media stream includes receiving a signal from a user to launch a personalized media stream, determining a current time, identifying a first time slot of a schedule into which the current time falls, identifying a first channel that is associated with the first time slot, wherein viewing history for the user indicates that the user has viewed the first channel during the first time slot in the past, automatically tuning the display device to the first channel in response to the signal, receiving, subsequent to the automatically tuning, a command from the user to pause a program playing on the first channel, identifying a second channel associated with a second time slot, wherein the second time slot occurs later in time that the first time slot, and buffering a portion of a program being shown on the second channel during the second time slot.