An information processing apparatus that can communicate with plural content viewing apparatuses includes a group registering unit that registers users of the content viewing apparatuses in groups, a sharing-level setting unit that sets sharing level information representing an information sharing level among users belonging to an identical group, a viewing-information receiving unit that receives viewing information of the users, a user-viewing-content managing unit that manages a user viewing content database, a discriminating unit that discriminates, when a viewing information request of another user is received, the other users belonging to a group identical with a group to which the user of the content viewing apparatus at the request source belongs, an information extracting unit that extracts viewing information of the discriminated other users from the user viewing content database, and a viewing-information transmitting unit that transmits the viewing information to the content viewing apparatus at the request source.

A method includes storing multicast transmission data at a peer-to-peer server. The multicast transmission data indicates multicast groups to which network elements are joined. The method includes receiving, at the peer-to-peer server from a first network element, a request related to a previously sent data packet of media content. The method includes determining, at the peer-to-peer server, whether a second network element can be identified, where the second network element was joined to a multicast group associated with the media content when the previously sent data packet was sent. The method also includes, in response to identifying the second network element, sending information identifying the second network element from the peer-to-peer server to the first network element.

A method includes storing multicast transmission data at a peer-to-peer server. The multicast transmission data indicates multicast groups to which network elements are joined. The method includes receiving, at the peer-to-peer server from a first network element, a request related to a previously sent data packet of media content. The method includes determining, at the peer-to-peer server, whether a second network element can be identified, where the second network element was joined to a multicast group associated with the media content when the previously sent data packet was sent. The method also includes, in response to identifying the second network element, sending information identifying the second network element from the peer-to-peer server to the first network element.

Embodiments of this disclosure provide a method relating to video playing in mobile phone. The method includes: while displaying a first video in a first user interface of a first application, detecting an event for displaying a second user interface of a second application; if the second application has a higher display priority than the first application and playback of the first video is in active progress, replacing display of the first user interface of the first application with display of the second user interface of the second application on the display; generating a hover box to overlay a portion of the second user interface of the second application on the display; and continuing the playback of the first video in the hover box overlaid on the portion of the second user interface of the second application such that both the first application and the second application are performed simultaneously.

A user is enabled to interact with a virtual world environment using an instant messenger application by enabling a user to enter the virtual world environment using the instant messenger application that includes an instant messaging (IM) user interface, generating and managing an avatar to represent the user in the virtual world environment, monitoring a sub-portion of the virtual world environment corresponding to a current location of the user in the virtual world environment, determining descriptions of activities taking place in the sub-portion of the virtual world environment based on the monitoring, and providing the user with the determined descriptions of activities taking place in the sub-portion of the virtual world environment via the IM user interface.

A method for identifying popular segments of a network video comprising: receiving video player operation information for a plurality of video players operated by users accessing the network video; evaluating a popularity measure for one or more segments of the network-video using the received operation information so as to identify popular segments of the network video.

A method for identifying popular segments of a network video comprising: receiving video player operation information for a plurality of video players operated by users accessing the network video; evaluating a popularity measure for one or more segments of the network-video using the received operation information so as to identify popular segments of the network video.

A system and method for remotely transcoding content includes a cloud location storing content corresponding to content titles, generating a playlist corresponding to content titles subscribed to by a user of a user device stored therein, and communicating the playlist to the user device. A user device is in communication with the cloud location through a network. The user device generates a selection signal for selecting a first content title from the playlist to form a selection. The user device negotiates optimal settings by intercommunicating between the user device and the cloud location in response to forming the selection. The user device communicates the selection to the cloud location. The cloud location has a transcoder device transcoding content corresponding to the selection to form transcoded content in response to the optimal settings. The cloud location communicates the transcoded content to the user device.

A user equipment, media control unit, media resource function, or another device or function capable of receiving, manipulating, and transmitting data may be configured to: receive an omnidirectional video; determine a viewport of a user equipment; determining a delivery mode; determine a region of the omnidirectional video based, at least partially, on the determined viewport and the determined delivery mode; encode the determined region; packetizing the encoded region; and transmit the packetized region to the user equipment based, at least partially, on the determined delivery mode.

An audio content playback method for a portable terminal. The audio content playback method includes checking a channel that is supportable by audio content that is currently engaged in group's simultaneous playback, in group's simultaneous playback of the audio content. The method includes allocating a channel to each of devices included in a group based on position information of each device included in the group or based on an input state in a user interface environment that is preset for channel allocation for each device included in the group, and transmitting the allocated channel information to each device included in the group to allow the device to select its allocated channel and play the audio content.