An application is provided to a portable computing device to control access to social media. A user can play back recorded content that friends have commented on previously on social media. The user accesses the social media through the application, which limits presentation of comments to those made up to the current place in the content being played back but not after. This avoids spoiling the experience by avoiding the presentation of comments pertaining to parts of the content that have not yet been played back.

Techniques for facilitating recording of media content events by media devices on remote storage devices are described. Some embodiments provide a remote storage manager as part of a media device, such as a set-top box. In one embodiment, the remote storage manager causes a media content event to be recorded on a remote persistent storage device by receiving the media content event from a program distributor, and then transmitting the media content event to the remote persistent storage device. In another embodiment, the remote storage manager instructs the remote persistent storage device to obtain the media content event from the program distributor, so that the remote persistent storage device can record the media content event without the media content event first being received by the remote storage manager.

Systems and methods for tagging media content may include detecting a distraction event during presentation of a media content via a display device, creating a digital bookmark for the media content, whereby the digital bookmark corresponds to the detected distraction event, and outputting a user interface for presenting the digital bookmark through the display device.

A display control unit of an illustrative embodiment simultaneously displays a plurality of cut-out images cut out from respective ranges of a wide-angle moving image.

In general, the subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in describes methods, systems, and other mechanisms for previewing a video in response to computing device interaction. The method includes presenting, on a display of a computing device, a graphical indication of a video; identifying, by the computing device, that first user input interacted with the computing device; presenting, by the computing device, an animation of a preview of the video in response to the computing device having identified that the first user input interacted with the computing device; identifying, by the computing device, that the first user input stopped interacting with the computing device; stopping, by the computing device, the animation of the preview of the video in response to the computing device having identified that the first user input stopped interacting with the computing device.

An imaging device includes an imaging unit that captures light which is formed into an image through an optical system capable of housing a lens with operating force by a user; an operating unit operated by the user; a display unit that displays an image; and a controller that is capable of setting a playback mode which is an operating mode to display on the display unit an image represented by image data stored in a storage medium, and an operating mode other than the playback mode, and that sets the playback mode when the lens is housed, regardless of whether or not operation to set the playback mode has been accepted through the operating unit.

A gateway for location at a user premises is provided. Bother users and user devices are registered with the gateway which is provided by a service provider. Users access services, such as video streaming, on their user devices via the gateway. The gateway allows users to share content. The gateway collects information about the user's patterns of behaviour for the system provider, and can be used to directly obtain feedback from the users.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content.

Methods of operating a communications system comprise, in one example, inserting advertising in a program stream by a receiving device based, at least in part, on an encrypted segmentation message embedded in the program steam. The at least one segmentation message defines an expanse of the program stream to receive the advertising. At least one embedded decoy message is included in the program stream, as well. In one example the receiving device, which may be a set-top terminal, for example, is coupled to a display device, such as a television, at a user location. A method of operating a receiving device coupled to a display device at a user location is also disclosed, comprising programming the receiving device to record a program and recording the program based, at least in part, on at least one segmentation message in a program stream. Systems are disclosed, as well.

A system for providing video playback comprises a processor configured to synchronize clocks on the plurality of devices to a standard time, provide target video playback positions to the plurality of devices, wherein target video playback positions are based at least in part on the timing information, provide one or more locators for video streams to the plurality of devices, monitor playback status for each of the plurality of devices, and for a device, determine whether the playback status for the device indicates that a selected bitrate is too low or too high or that the playback is fast or slow; in response to determining the selected bitrate is too low, indicate to select a higher bitrate for a device; and in response to determining the selected bitrate is too high, indicate to select a lower bitrate for the device.