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.

Systems and methods for reducing interference between content play and video recording among multiple devices located proximate to each other. Microphones of devices recording video are muted, or content play is interrupted, according to the actions of a majority of nearby devices. For example, if most devices are recording video, content play may be interrupted to prevent the video from unintentionally recording unwanted sounds from play of the content. Conversely, if most devices are not recording video, only those devices which are may have their microphones muted. Actions to reduce interference may be taken according to the current behavior of a majority of proximate devices.

A content playback information estimation apparatus, for estimating a state on playback of content, that is provided between a distribution server and a terminal in a system in which the distribution server distributes the content to the terminal via a network and the terminal plays the content, the content playback information estimation apparatus including: a unit configured to obtain packet data distributed from the distribution server to the terminal and to store the packet data in a storage unit; a unit configured to estimate a data amount in a buffer of the terminal based on obtained packet data; and a unit configured to estimate a state on playback at each time of the content in the terminal by comparing the estimated data amount with a predetermined threshold.

A system and method for providing companion content on a device that downloads content associated with a media presentation playing on a media player and displays the downloaded content at times synchronized to time-offsets (from the start of the program) of the presentation by signals from the media player.

One variation of a method for serving interactive advertisement content includes, at a visual element rendered within a window of a computing device: loading an interactive advertisement, including a digital advertisement and a mask overlaid the digital advertisement, into the visual element, the mask including a base layer and an aperture defining a second opacity less than a first opacity of the base layer; in response to a scroll event that moves the visual element a first position within the window, rendering the interactive advertisement within the visual element; and, in response to a scroll event that moves the visual element to a second position within the window, transforming the mask according to a sequence of transformations at a rate proportional to a scroll rate of the scroll event, the sequence of transformations corresponding to a sequence of vertical positions of the visual element within the window.

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a video processing method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium. According to the present disclosure, by playing a video, in the case where the video is played to a preset progress, suspending playing the video, and displaying interactive operation guidance information, under the guidance of the interactive operation guidance information, a user watching the video possibly will perform an interactive operation corresponding to the interactive operation guidance information. If the interactive operation of the user is detected within a preset time, a pop-up window is displayed which can comprise a target object. A target page which comprises relevant information of the target object can be displayed according to an operation of the user on the pop-up window.

A method of an electronic device for controlling sharing of video and an electronic device adapted to the method are provided. The electronic device includes a display, a communication circuit, a control circuit, and a memory electrically connected to the control circuit, where the memory stores instructions enabling the control circuit to control the communication circuit to transmit a first video to an external device connected to the electronic device, when a video sharing function is executed, display an icon on the display, when transmitting the first video, and control the communication circuit to pause the transmission of the first video and to transmit a second video to the external device, in response to a first input applied to the icon.

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box (STB) comprising a controller to analyze scheduled media content with limited temporal accessibility provided by a content provider, select a portion of the media content based on the analysis of the media content and a recipient media device to receive the portion of the media content, transmit the portion of the media content to a DVR to store the portion of the media content, and transmit a metadata pointer associated with the portion of the media content to a server. A request to accept the portion of the media content is received by the recipient media device via the server, and the portion of the media content is retrieved from the DVR by the server based on the metadata pointer when the recipient media device accepts the request. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Methods, systems, and products insert markers into recorded media modules. A pair of reference points is received that marks a position and another position in a recorded media module. A copy of the recorded media module is retrieved from memory. Portions of the copy of the recorded media module occurring before the position, and occurring after the another position, are discarded. The copy of the recorded media module occurring between the position and the another position is then presented to a user.

Various embodiments are directed to one or more transcoder devices in communication with an input device such as a remote control device and multiple destination devices in which the transcoder device(s) facilitate communication between the remote control and the various destination devices in the vicinity. The transcoder device(s) can also provide the user with an environmental awareness of conditions and events surrounding the user. Other embodiments are described and claimed.