Techniques for delivering targeted content to a client device (e.g., a set-top-box (STB)) with a tuner, one or more controllers, and a non-transitory memory are described. In accordance with various embodiments, the client device obtains streaming media content in a stream and detects a plurality of transport packets under a packet identifier (PID) in the stream, where the plurality of transport packets is associated with a targeted content delivery service. The client device further identifies metadata corresponding to targeted content of the targeted content delivery service in the plurality transport packets under the PID. The client device then selects a list of targeted content identifiers for the client device based on the metadata and a profile of the client device and downloads the targeted content according to the list of targeted content identifiers.

Intelligently downloading content to user devices is described herein. According to an embodiment, a user request for content is received. In response to the request, a low quality version of the content is downloaded and played to the user. Then, a higher quality version of the content is downloaded (this may occur during or after the download or playback of the low quality version of the content). Playback of the low quality version is discontinued. Then, playback of the higher quality version begins at the point where playback of the low quality version was discontinued. In some embodiments, the low quality version and the higher quality version of the requested content (among all the versions of the requested content) are identified via crowdsourcing.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving, for a selected channel, a first video; processing the first video for rendering on a display being viewed by a user; selecting from among a plurality of channels a subset of channels for which to pre-fetch data, the selecting being according to predictions that each channel of the subset of channels is more likely to be requested by the user than each channel of the plurality of channels that is not part of the subset; prioritizing the subset of channels such that a first channel of the subset of channels has a priority over a second channel of the subset of channels, the first channel being given the priority based upon a prediction that the first channel is more likely to be requested by the user than the second channel; pre-fetching, for the first channel, first data of a first type and second data of a second type; and pre-fetching, for the second channel, third data of the first type without pre-fetching any data of the second type. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A digital broadcast receiving device includes a multi-channel tuning device, a first de-multiplexing device, a second de-multiplexing device. The multi-channel tuning device includes a plurality of locking devices, wherein the locking devices are arranged to lock a broadcast signal at a plurality of frequency points, and respectively output a plurality of data streams that correspond to the frequency points. The first de-multiplexing device includes a plurality of first de-multiplexing units, wherein the first de-multiplexing units are respectively associated with one of the locking devices and arranged to respectively buffer data units in the data streams that correspond to specific types. The second de-multiplexing device is coupled to the first de-multiplexing device and includes a plurality of second de-multiplexing units, wherein the second de-multiplexing units are arranged to respectively buffer data units that are buffered by the first de-multiplexing units and correspond to specific channels.

The invention relates to a method for streaming and reproducing applications (apps) via a particular telecommunications system. The invention also relates to a telecommunications network. The invention further relates to the use of a telecommunications network of this type for streaming and reproducing applications (apps) via a particular telecommunications system. The invention furthermore relates to an application which makes it possible to configure the download, installation and updating of data on a terminal such that the whole application is fully executable on the terminal while downloading, installing and updating takes place on the terminal.

A system and method providing a video content acquisition system adapted to determine content acquisition delays as a function of the source of the content. In particular, the system and method minimize delays experienced by users requesting video content via a client device. This is accomplished by tailoring the acquisition delay time associated with a particular request for content based upon the source of the signal from which the requested content is to be obtained (broadcast, satellite, cable, internet, etc.), as well as the type of signal requested and/or rate at which the source signal provides content (symbols/sec, bits/second, etc.). This minimizes the amount of time a user may mistakenly perceive a client device to be unresponsive or incapable of providing the requested video content.

Disclosed is systems and methods for controlling a video display of a computing device during malfunction. The systems and methods can include receiving a first video stream and determining that the first video stream includes an error message for display on the video display. Once an error message is detected, a second video stream can be transmitted to the video display. The second video stream can include an alternate message for display on the video display.

A method for managing zapping from a first digital content to a second digital content is disclosed. The first and second digital contents are obtained by HTTP adaptive streaming by a multimedia stream reader terminal and are each associated with a description file comprising a list of time segments of the content, each time segment being associated with multiple encoding rates of the content. The zapping management method involves: receiving a request to zap from the first digital content to the second digital content; obtaining the description file of the second digital content; selecting a rate for encoding a first time segment of the second digital content to be downloaded, on the basis of a resource constraint obtained by the multimedia stream reader terminal and on the basis of a target zapping time; and downloading the first time segment of the second digital content at the selected rate.

Media content presentation systems and methods are operable to present media content received by a media device, wherein the media device comprises a plurality of tuner systems. An exemplary embodiment tunes the plurality of tuners to receive different broadcasting media content streams each comprising a streaming media content event; communicates the streaming media content events from the receiving tuner to a corresponding tuner buffer of the tuner system; and stores a portion of the streaming media content events into the corresponding tuner buffers. When a user selection is received for presentation of one of the streaming media content events, the selected one of the streaming media content events are presented to a user of the media device.

A system and method is provided for performing lossless switching in a redundant multicast network. An exemplary method includes receiving a primary media stream and a redundant media stream over different forwarding network paths by network ports of a receiver communicatively coupled to an A/V device. Furthermore, the receiver outputs media data of the media streams to the A/V device to be presented thereon. In response to a control signal to switch the receiver to a new primary media stream, the method disconnected either the primary ort the redundant media streams from the respective network port of the receiver receiving that stream. Furthermore, the method includes controlling the disconnected network port to receive the new primary media stream and then outputting media data of the new primary media stream to the A/V device to be presented thereon.