Embodiments are related to faster provisioning of targeted advertisements at a set-top box (STB) via an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between the STB and a remote server. The disclosed IP-based advertisement distribution system enables targeted advertisements to be pulled from the remote server efficiently, causing the advertisements to be made available within a short time frame (e.g., less than one day from the time when the advertisements are available). The disclosed methods enables a STB to determine whether to retain existing targeted advertisements, discard them, or provision newly-available advertisements. The targeted advertisements can depend on various factors such as demographic information of an owner of the STB, lifestyle information of the owner of the STB, etc.

The disclosure generally relates to a method for accessing media content, said method being used in a receiver (10). The method comprises a preparation phase and a use phase. The preparation phase comprises the steps of obtaining, by said receiver (10), a catalog of media content items, each media content item corresponding to a media content and comprising at least an item description and an item identification data and storing said catalog of media content items in a local database in a memory (13) of the receiver (10). The use phase comprises the steps of accessing, by a mobile display device (11), said catalog of media content items through a local communication channel (16); displaying at least a part of the catalog of media content items on the mobile display device (11); selecting, by said mobile display device (11), at least one media content item displayed on the mobile display device; transmitting, by said mobile display device (11), a request to a content provider (12), the request comprising the item identification data corresponding to said selected media content item and additional data allowing for the receiver (10) to be identified, said transmission using a first remote communication channel (17) distinct from said local communication channel (16); and obtaining by the receiver (10), the media content corresponding to the media content item identified by the identification data contained in said request. The disclosure further relates to a receiver (10) and a mobile display device (11) for implementing the above described method and a system comprising at least said receiver and said mobile display device.

An architecture to assemble and manage usage information and populate one or more panels in an intelligent TV. The architecture includes a usage statistics provider module adapted to assemble one or more of usage information and installation information and query the one or more of usage information and installation information to populate one or more of icons and information in a view or panel on the intelligent TV. The architecture further includes a panel manager adapted to assemble the one or more of icons and information into a requested view. A display controller displays the view on a display of the intelligent TV. A silo manager sorts information in at least one panel subcategory based at least on the one or more of usage information and installation information, where the at least one subpanel panel includes a plurality of icons each representing an app or content.

A content distribution network includes a first server in communication with an anycast server that provides content via a unicast signal, and with a multicast server that provides the content via a multicast signal. The first server is configured to receive a list of source addresses associated with the content, and to provide a metadata file including an anycast Internet protocol address of the anycast server from the list of source addresses as an Internet protocol address of the content in response to a first request for the content. When the number of client devices requesting the content exceeds a first threshold, the first server receives an updated list of sources including a multicast Internet protocol address of a multicast server, and provides the multicast Internet protocol address of the multicast server as the Internet protocol address of the content in the metadata file.

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.

Video content is uploaded via the Internet to a video-on-demand (VOD) server identified by a title and a hierarchical address of categories and subcategories for categorizing the title. The VOD server converts and stores the video content at a storage address in a video content database linked to the title. The title is listed in a location of an electronic program guide (EPG) using the same categories and subcategories as in its hierarchical address. Any TV subscriber can access the EPG and navigate through its categories and subcategories to find a title for viewing on the TV. This can enable many new blogging or podcasting-like programs by popular “Hosts” to be self-published on the Internet and readily navigated for display on TV. The EPG can also store TV program addresses as bookmarks and allow them to be shared with other subscribers or with friends and contacts online by sending to their email addresses.

A system and method arranged to predict a match state event by a machine learning platform. The system and method including monitoring, by the machine learning platform, multimedia content on a live data feed, receiving, by the machine learning platform, current match state data corresponding to the multimedia content, and predicting, by the machine learning platform, an anomaly in the multimedia content based on an analysis of received multimedia content and current match state data. The system and method can include generating, by the machine learning platform, a confidence score regarding a likelihood of the anomaly in the multimedia content, and resolving, by the machine learning platform, the anomaly based on the confidence score. Resolving the anomaly includes extracting a portion of the multimedia content containing the anomaly, ignoring the anomaly, or correcting the anomaly.

A method and system is provided for displaying and updating electronic information on a display device. In an exemplary aspect, the method includes storing first and second digital information relating to first and second products, respectively, and transmitting this information to a display device to be displayed thereon by user interface pages navigable by a user. Moreover, the method includes determining a current page that is being displayed on the display device and determining whether either the first digital information or the second digital information product is being displayed on the current page. When the current page is displaying the first digital information, the method transmits unscheduled updates of the first digital information, such that the current page dynamically displays updated first digital information. Alternatively, when the current page is not displaying the second digital information, the method transmits scheduled updates of the second digital information.

A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances, via an interactive instruction set and associated programming. The programming is accessible by a STB or other controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions and prompts to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for configuration of another controllable device (e.g., DVD, VCR, DVR, etc) available to the user.

Systems and methods for updating advertisements embedded in a media asset scheduled for download at a future time. The media guidance application may receive a request from a user to download a media asset at a future time, where the media asset includes a plurality of embedded advertisements. The media guidance application may determine whether to update an embedded advertisement in the plurality of embedded advertisements. After determining to update the embedded advertisement, the media guidance application may replace the embedded advertisement with an updated advertisement in the media asset.