The present disclosure is directed toward systems and methods for providing a live poll with a video presentation. In particular, the systems and methods described herein provide a video stream received from a broadcaster client device to one or more viewer client devices. Additionally, the systems and methods described herein provide a live poll to the one or more viewer client devices together with the video stream. The systems and methods receive poll responses from the one or more viewer client devices, compile poll results based on the received responses, and provide the poll responses to the broadcaster client device and the one or more viewer client devices.

This video distribution server which receives moving images from an originating terminal and distributes these moving images to a viewer terminal implements a questionnaire within the broadcast on the basis of commands from the originating terminal and provides the same questionnaire to a Web server.

An access node limits access of a user to a medium such as an Internet resource of a television program. The access node comprises upstream and downstream interfaces, a memory and a processor. The upstream interface is connectable to an Internet service provider. The downstream interface is connectable to a client device. The memory stores a user account for a user of the client device. The processor detects, via the downstream interface, an access from the user of the client device, in response to detecting the access, causes the client device to display a challenge, receives, via the downstream interface, a challenge response from the client device, and if the challenge response is a correct response, adds to the user account, a credit for connection of the client device to the medium. The access node may be part of a system including a server.

Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for providing recommendations based on non-streaming content on a media device. In a non-limiting embodiment, an apparatus, such as a media device, may provide recommendations of related streaming content based on non-streaming content retrieved from non-streaming sources and retrieving the streaming content from distributed streaming sources. The media device may monitor a transmission and display of non-streaming content and create a fingerprint of the non-streaming content based on the monitoring. And based on the fingerprint, the media device may generate recommendations of related or similar streaming content that can be retrieved and displayed by the media device.

There is provided a system and method for the synchronizing on-air commercial programming with interactive applications, providing interactive content synchronized with on-air television programming. There is provided a system comprising a client device with a display device and an input device and running a synchronization application. The client device receives digital data transmitted from a server, and transmits user feedback information generated from user interactions with the digital data back to the server. The digital data are interactive advertisements, such as online social games, that increase users' awareness of the advertised products or messages. The digital data are delivered to the user's client device in synchronization with the broadcasting of on-air television commercials.

The present disclosure relates to a method, device and storage medium for controlling live broadcast, wherein the method for controlling live broadcast is applied to a server, and comprises: determining a pulley with open control authority, wherein the pulley is arranged on a track, a camera is installed on the pulley, and the camera moves along with the pulley moving on the track; determining a target audience end with the control authority of the pulley; receiving a control instruction sent by the target audience end for controlling the movement of the pulley and forwarding the control instruction to the pulley; and receiving a live broadcast picture shot by the camera and forwarding the live broadcast picture to the target audience end.

A video-based competition platform supports video-based competitions between possibly geographically distributed competitors. The video-based competition platform enables users of electronic communication devices to create, compete, view, and vote in video-based competitions. In at least some embodiments, a video-based competition is presented to a user with two or more video clips played in conjunction. The video clips may be synchronized to a time base and/or common audio clip.

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.

In accordance with some embodiments, a method for generating sentimental information associated with media content is provided, the method comprising: receiving user input data corresponding to a user; identifying a portion of the media content item based on the user input data; determining a sentiment based on the user input data, wherein the sentiment is one of a positive sentiment which indicates that the media content item was liked by the user or a negative sentiment which indicates that the media content item was disliked by the user; determining an amount of the sentiment based on the user input data; associating the amount of the sentiment with the portion of the media content item; and generating, for the media content item, sentimental information that indicates the amount of the sentiment associated with at least one portion of the media content item.

To provide for seamless audio, video, and contextual transitions in interactive media presentations, endpoints within the presentation are defined. The endpoints are disposed at different times within the presentation and form respective links between points in segments in the presentation. While the presentation is being played, a user interaction is received and an appropriate endpoint is selected based on the interaction. When the selected endpoint is reached, the presentation is seamlessly transitioned to the point in the segment linked to by the endpoint.