The disclosed computer-implemented method may include receiving original media content, transcoding the original media content into a plurality of encoded media files, determining an adaptive bit rate for providing a one of the plurality of encoded media files to a computing device, delivering the encoded media file to the computing device at the adaptive bit rate for viewing on a display device of the computing device, and measuring a quality of the displayed encoded media file based on an overall mean opinion score associated with the delivered encoded media file. The overall mean opinion score may be based on a measured playback quality associated with the encoded media file and a measured upload quality associated with the original media content. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A method of reproducing audio content between a main terminal including a first speaker and a plurality of subsidiary terminals including a second speaker. Device specific identification (ID) information of the subsidiary terminals and association information for transmitting one of the audio data of the audio content to one of the subsidiary terminals are stored. The association information defines that one of the audio data of the audio content is associated with one of the device specific ID information. The subsidiary terminals transmit/receive with the main terminal and the device specific ID information is transmitted from the subsidiary terminals to the main terminal when connecting to the main terminal. The encoded audio data of the audio content is transmitted to the subsidiary terminals based on the association information, then is decoded and the subsidiary terminals output the audio data to the second speaker.

Methods and apparatus for efficiently directing communications are disclosed. On example entails receiving, from a mobile terminal, a communication directed to a cellular communication network, the communication being received in an alternative channel that differs from a channel of the cellular communication network. The communication is then converted for a relayed communication to the cellular communication network on behalf of the mobile terminal, the relayed communication being made through the cellular communication network.

An image capturing apparatus comprises an interface configured to connect to an external apparatus, a transmitting unit configured to transmit image data to an external apparatus connected by the interface, a processing unit configured to encode the image data with a predetermined format, a determination unit configured to determine whether or not image data to be encoded by the processing unit includes decoding information for decoding the image data, and a control unit configured to switch, based on the determination result, between processing for transmitting image data encoded by the processing unit and the decoding information to the external apparatus and processing for transmitting an image file in which image data including the decoding information is encoded to the external apparatus.

A system for transcoding a media stream includes at least one network interface; at least one memory; and at least one processor each coupled to one or more of the at least one network interface and one or more of the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to publish, via a messaging bus, a segment transcode request in a segment transcode request queue, retrieve the segment transcode request by a transcode worker thread, wherein the first transcode worker thread monitors the segment transcode request queue, transcode by a second transcode worker thread a segment referenced by the segment transcode request, determine by the manifest processor whether the second transcode worker thread has completed transcoding the segment and is still operating, and, if not, transcode the segment by a third transcode worker thread, and store the transcoded segment.

A mobile device includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor such that the processor is programmed to identify, based on user data a reference time. The processor is further programmed to send, via a human-machine interface included in the mobile device, a message to a user to input a user request to download a media content item prior to the reference time. The processor is further programmed to receive the user request to download the media content item and download the media content item from a media device.

A place shifting device and a method for operating the same are provided. The place shifting device, for example, may include, but is not limited to, a communication system configured to receive a plurality of sources of media, a multiplexed channel transcoder configured to multiplex video from at least two of the plurality of sources of media into a single channel, and a processor communicatively coupled to the communication system and the multiplexed channel transcoder, the processor configured to determine the at least two of the plurality of sources of media, transcode, via the multiplexed channel transcoder, the determined video from the at least two of the plurality of sources of media into the signal channel, and transmit, via the communication system, the single channel to a remote electronic device.

A wireless peripheral mode is provided by a host system that communicates to a WiFi infrastructure and, utilizing the same WiFi RF subsystem, also communicates to peripherals. The host system may employ additional RF channels for communicating with high bandwidth peripherals, such as display devices, where high levels of QoS may be managed locally. The host system may be a conventional desktop computer system, a notebook computer system, a multi-media access point, a cell phone, a game machine, a portable game machine, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a smart phone or any other type of device that benefits from accessing both a WiFi infrastructure and local peripherals.

A wireless peripheral mode is provided by a host system that communicates to a WiFi infrastructure and, utilizing the same WiFi RF subsystem, also communicates to peripherals. The host system may employ additional RF channels for communicating with high bandwidth peripherals, such as display devices, where high levels of QoS may be managed locally. The host system may be a conventional desktop computer system, a notebook computer system, a multi-media access point, a cell phone, a game machine, a portable game machine, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a smart phone or any other type of device that benefits from accessing both a WiFi infrastructure and local peripherals.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media may be operable to facilitate the dynamic selection of a storage device for storing media. When a recording request is received, storage information associated with resources of one or more networks and one or more storage devices may be retrieved, and a network may be selected for recording and storing the requested media based upon an algorithm that considers the retrieved information. One or more specific storage devices located on the selected network may be selected for recording and storing the requested media. The selection of the one or more specific storage devices may be made based upon an algorithm that considers the available resources and capabilities of available storage devices.