Systems and methods for providing playback features to a device are disclosed. A manifest may be generated, which may comprise data associated with a content asset. A state file may be generated, which may comprise data associated with the manifest. Using one or more of the manifest and the state file, a device may modify segments of the content asset or may playback segments of the content asset.

A system for content advisory ratings information.

In accordance with an embodiment, described herein is a system and method for use of cyclic play queues in a media content environment. A cyclic list data structure that can be initially populated with a list of media content items to be played at a media device, exposes a cyclic list of sequences of media content items, and supports operations to modify portions of the cyclic list to provide a cyclic play queue of media content items. When changes are made to an underlying play queue or context, the system performs a three-way merge of sequences of media content items within the cyclic list, to provide a modified play queue, for example with the left sequence being an updated playlist, and the right sequence being a patch window that reflects a user's changes to the play queue.

According to one implementation, a media content annotation system includes a computing platform having a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code. The hardware processor executes the software code to receive a first version of media content and a second version of the media content altered with respect to the first version, and to map each of multiple segments of the first version of the media content to a corresponding one segment of the second version of the media content. The software code further aligns each of the segments of the first version of the media content with its corresponding one segment of the second version of the media content, and utilizes metadata associated with each of at least some of the segments of the first version of the media content to annotate its corresponding one segment of the second version of the media content.

A method and apparatus for presenting timed media represented by data in a markup language (e.g., HTML) including examining a tag or metadata which is capable of specifying more than one form or representation of timed media, such as different versions of a video encoded according to different video codec standards.

In one form the invention provides a method of modifying a data file for transmission over a data network. The method comprises the steps of receiving the original data file and creating a header file, the header file including the length in bytes of the original data file. At least one repetition byte sequence is identified within the original data file, the repetition byte sequence comprising a byte value that is repeated consecutively within the repetition byte sequence. A modified data file is created by replacing the repetition byte sequence with a repetition marker, the repeated byte value, and a repeat frequency value representing the number of times the repeated byte value occurs within the repetition byte sequence. The repetition marker is added to the header file. The invention further provides a method of transmitting a data file to a remote device over a data network.

A method and system of ID based content delivery where the selection and transmission of content is facilitated with use of version IDs associated with each available version of each particular piece of content. A relationship may be generated between the available versions in the version IDs to facilitate determining the version ID associated with a version desired for rendering at a particular type of terminal.

Methods and systems for customizing a video content item according to personal preferences of at least first and second users, while keeping a common storyline for all customizations of the video content item. Each of the first and second users is associated with a terminal. For each of the first and second users, multi-purpose preferences of the user are obtained, and subsequently a version of the video content item is automatically selected from multiple versions of the video content item. The automatic selection for each user is based on the multi-purpose preferences of that user. Following the automatic selection, the version of the video content item selected for each user is displayed to that user on the associated terminal.

A method and system of ID based content delivery where the selection and transmission of content is facilitated with use of version IDs associated with each available version of each particular piece of content. A relationship may be generated between the available versions in the version IDs to facilitate determining the version ID associated with a version desired for rendering at a particular type of terminal.

A method and apparatus for presenting timed media represented by data in a markup language (e.g., HTML) including examining a tag or metadata which is capable of specifying more than one form or representation of timed media, such as different versions of a video encoded according to different video codec standards.