A video distribution method and apparatus and an electronic device, where the video distribution method includes: obtaining a popularity of each video program, wherein the popularity is a preference degree of a user group for a video program within a statistic time period; and determining, according the popularity of each video program, to distribute a video content of the video program through repeating broadcasting channels or by means of broadcasting on demand.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for delivering video and audio to one or more user devices. A method includes obtaining a video signal and an audio signal that are synchronized in time. The method includes applying a first time delay, greater than a predetermined maximum amount of time delay, to the video signal and outputting the delayed video signal to a display device. The method includes generating a plurality of copies of the audio signal and applying a plurality of time delays to the copies of the audio signal. A different time delay is applied to each of the plurality of copies of the audio signal and each of the plurality of time delays is smaller than the first time delay. The method includes outputting the plurality of delayed copies of the audio signal for broadcast to one or more user devices over a wireless network.

In one embodiment, a system for modifying a video stream includes a video player receiving a video stream encoded as a series of non-predictive video frames and predictive video frames. The video player decodes the frames and is repositioned at a playback time from a current time to a different time in the video stream. In one embodiment, the video player uses a time reference table to identify a position in a variant of the video stream corresponding to the different time that is encoded as a non-predictive video frame. The video player receives the variant of the video stream in response to identifying the position. In another embodiment, a system for modifying a video stream includes a video player receiving a video stream encoded as a series of non-predictive video frames and predictive video frames. The video player decodes the frame of the video stream and provides the decoded video stream to a display. The video player repositions a playback time from a current time to a different time in the video stream. The different time is provided to a video encoder of the video stream which encodes the video stream based upon the different time, where a frame corresponding to the different time is encoded as a non-predictive video frame.

The following describes techniques to maintain continuity of a live media stream. A media stream includes a first distribution layer with a first set of key frames and a set of delta frames succeeding key frames in the first set of key frames. The media stream also includes a second distribution layer including a second set of key frames, where the second set of key frames contains fewer key frames than the first set of key frames. Using the first and second distribution layers, a client device may subscribe to the media stream with a minimized start-up time and optimized quality of experience among varying complexity of the media content and dynamic network conditions.

Media-presentation-conscious scheduling protocols are disclosed that may associate a geographical location containing a thing with an identifier of the thing and allow later-found media works that pertain to the identifier to be presented at a mobile device before the device reaches a waypoint of the location. Alternatively or additionally, such protocols may respond to a predicted connectivity impairment of a traveling device by obtaining supplemental content to mitigate a predicted capacity shortage. Alternatively or additionally, such protocols may interrupt live stream content, insert on-demand content, and later return to live stream presentation automatically.

A media information processing method includes obtaining media description information, where the media description information includes description information of at least two bitstreams corresponding to a first picture area, any one of the at least two bitstreams has an access point different in time from an access point of another bitstream in the at least two bitstreams, the at least two bitstreams are bitstreams obtained by separately encoding picture content of the first picture subarea, and time periods corresponding to the picture content separately encoded by the at least two bitstreams overlap, and determining, based on the media description information, a to-be-played first target bitstream, where the first target bitstream is one of the at least two bitstreams.

At least one content item may be received. At least one portion of the at least one content item during which the amount of motion associated with the at least one portion satisfies a threshold may be determined based on an amount of motion associated with the at least one content item. The at least one portion of the at least one content item in which a playback device can modify a rate of playback of the at least one content item may be indicated.

A method and system for harvesting ads or other modifiable-content segments for use to facilitate dynamic ad replacement or other dynamic content modification. An example method includes (i) determining, based on data carried in-band with a media stream being distributed, a time position of an ad in the media stream, (ii) using the determined time position of the ad in the media stream as a basis to select, from reference fingerprints representing the media stream, a set of the reference fingerprints that represent the ad in the media stream, and (iii) populating the selected set of reference fingerprints into an ad-inventory database as a set of fingerprints representing the ad, to facilitate later detecting presence of another instance of the same ad in the media stream or in another media stream and, based on the later detecting, dynamically replacing the detected other instance of the ad.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method comprising determining whether a skippable advertisement is being streamed preceding a requested video; responsive to determining that the skippable advertisement is being streamed, initiating a skippable advertisement procedure, wherein the skippable advertisement procedure comprises streaming a first portion of the skippable advertisement without imposing constraints and streaming a second portion of the skippable advertisement imposing constraints; responsive to receiving a request to skip the skippable advertisement, ceasing the streaming the second portion of the skippable advertisement and initiating streaming of the requested video without imposing constraints. Other embodiments are disclosed.

In one embodiment, a system for modifying a video stream includes a video player receiving a video stream encoded as a series of non-predictive video frames and predictive video frames. The video player decodes the frames and is repositioned at a playback time from a current time to a different time in the video stream. In one embodiment, the video player uses a time reference table to identify a position in a variant of the video stream corresponding to the different time that is encoded as a non-predictive video frame. The video player receives the variant of the video stream in response to identifying the position. In another embodiment, a system for modifying a video stream includes a video player receiving a video stream encoded as a series of non-predictive video frames and predictive video frames. The video player decodes the frame of the video stream and provides the decoded video stream to a display. The video player repositions a playback time from a current time to a different time in the video stream. The different time is provided to a video encoder of the video stream which encodes the video stream based upon the different time, where a frame corresponding to the different time is encoded as a non-predictive video frame.