Methods and systems are described for a media guidance application that limits the incentive for authorized users to share content with unauthorized users, while still allowing users to access content virtually anywhere. Specifically, the media guidance application allows an authorized user to receive only a portion of a media asset that he or she is authorized to access on a different device, after a designated time period, and/or when the remaining portion of the media asset is inaccessible.

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 system and a method render internet multimedia content in a network using an application to render the internet multimedia content and/or locally stored multimedia content on one or more rendering devices in the network. The application may provide web browser functions, such as, for example, receiving, processing, decoding and/or rendering the internet multimedia content. The application may have an enhanced user interface which may enable a user to select the internet multimedia content and a rendering device in the network, send the internet multimedia content to the rendering device and/or control rendering of the internet multimedia content on the rendering device.

An apparatus, e.g. a wireless media access point, includes a transceiver, a non-transitory storage medium, and a processor operably coupled to the transceiver and the storage medium. The processor is configured by instructions stored on the storage medium to transmit a first multicast channel associated with a first group temporal key (GTK), and to simultaneously transmit a second multicast channel associated with a second GTK.

A media playback system is configured to automatically establish a connection, via a wireless network, to an internet-based media platform, delivering copyright-protected media assets and establishing access to some or all of those assets. No prior user configuration, set-up, sign-up or other user identification for that media delivery platform is needed because the system automatically and uniquely identifying itself to the media delivery platform to enable that platform, or an access control component associated with the platform, to determine if the system is licensed to receive streaming media, irrespective of the user of the system. The system can include a portable remote control device that enables a user to select copyright-protected media, such as streaming media, from the media delivery platform. The remote control is used to control a user interface displayed on a TV that has been re-purposed to serve as the streaming media output.

A multimedia content management system includes a mobile computing device and a backend server. The mobile computing device includes a memory programmed with a mobile application, a processor module, a wireless communication module configured to communicate over a wireless communication link, and a first multimedia device configured to capture a first video and a second video. The mobile application is configured to transmit the first video and the second video over the wireless communication link via the wireless communication module. The backend server is communicably coupled to the mobile computing device via the wireless communications link and configured to execute a persistent internet accessible request protocol for receiving, updating, and storing transmitted videos. The multimedia content management system is useful for hosting and remotely managing multimedia content.

An interactive video distribution system and video player are described. A client server arrangement may be used for providing a video player and video content to a client device. The video player may display navigation images enabling navigation to specific portions of the video content by activating a corresponding navigation image. The video player may also enable the sharing of a segment of the video with other video players, enabling the video players to play the streamed segment of the video without having to play the entire video, thereby reducing network bandwidth usage. The video player may be embeddable. The server may associate searchable tags with respective video segments.

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments disclosed herein may provide a protocol and architecture for decentralization of content delivery. Various embodiments may provide a client based method for content delivery from content delivery networks (CDNs) via tiered caches of content hosted by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In various embodiments, content delivery protocol (CDP) messages may enable clients to discover local cache network topologies and request content from a CDN based on a discovered local cache network topology. In various embodiments, security may be provided for the content delivery by the use of key encryption and/or file hashing.

A method and device for transmitting or receiving a broadcast signal are discussed. The method for transmitting the broadcast signal can include processing one or more Internet Protocol (IP) packets into link layer packets, processing the link layer packets to output the broadcast signal, and transmitting the broadcast signal. The one or more IP packets can carry components of a service and service signaling information for signaling the components of the service. The broadcast signal can further include a service list table. The service list table can include one or more of service identification information for identifying the service, capabilities information related to the service, channel number information of the service, category information for indicating a type of the service, protocol information for representing a type of a protocol used to deliver the service signaling information.

Systems and methods for managing the storage of content are described. A video stream may include a content identifier and content information relating to a boundary that may be used to facilitate recording of at least a portion of the video stream.