Example systems, apparatus, and methods receive audio information including a plurality of frames from a source device, wherein each frame of the plurality of frames includes one or more audio samples and a time stamp indicating when to play the one or more audio samples of the respective frame. In an example, the time stamp is updated for each of the plurality of frames using a time differential value determined between clock information received from the source device and clock information associated with the device. The updated time stamp is stored for each of the plurality of frames, and the audio information is output based on the plurality of frames and associated updated time stamps. A number of samples per frame to be output is adjusted based on a comparison between the updated time stamp for the frame and a predicted time value for play back of the frame.

A method and system for planning and running video-on-demand (VOD) advertising includes a planner for planning advertising campaigns and an ad selector for running selected advertisements from selected ones of the campaigns. The campaigns are associated with household demographic classifications, video content category categories, household geographic locations, and/or video viewing times. In response to a viewer requesting a video, the selector selects the campaigns corresponding to the demographic classification associated with the viewer, the content category of the requested video, the geographic location associated with the viewer, and/or the viewing time at which the requested video is viewed. The demographic classification is determined by using an identifier of the viewer's set-top-box. The selector may select the campaigns corresponding to the content categories of the requested video. The content categories are determined by using an identifier associated with the requested video.

A hardware media items scheduling and packaging system, which schedules and distributes channels to be viewed on a plurality of consumer devices, extracts contextual data from program-specific information associated with programming media content of a channel received from a distribution source device. A plurality of potential non-programming media items is determined for a plurality of users based on a match between a sentiment type of each of a plurality of non-programming media items and the extracted contextual data. Based on at least the extracted contextual data and the sentiment type of each of the plurality of potential non-programming media items, a plurality of candidate spots in the programming media content is determined. Based on at least a set of constraints and user estimation data associated with the plurality of users, a schedule of non-programming media item(s) is dynamically generated for at least one candidate spot in the programming media content.

Apparatuses and methods can be related power down workload estimations using artificial neural networks. Workload estimation can include predicting a duration of a subsequent power down event of the memory device. A quantity of maintenance operations to be performed on the memory device, may be predicted based on the predicted duration of the subsequent power down event, when the memory device is powered on after the subsequent power down event using an artificial neural network. The quantity of maintenance operations may be performed on the memory device prior to the subsequent power down event of the memory device.

There is provided a method for searching a plurality of information sources using a multimedia element, the method may include receiving at least one multimedia element; generating, by a signature generator, for the at least one multimedia element at least one signature that is unidirectional, and yields compression; generating at least one textual search query using the at least one signature; wherein the generating of the textual search query comprises: (a) searching for at least one matching stored signature that matches one or more of the at least one signature; and (b) using a mapping between stored signatures and textual search queries, selecting at least one textual search query mapped to at least one matching stored signature; searching the plurality of information sources using the at least one textual search query; and causing a display of search results retrieved from the plurality of information sources.

A replacement engine, which includes a processor and associated memory, receives replacement event information from a downstream playout system. The replacement event information includes a request to select a new media item to replace another media item. In response to receiving the replacement event information from the downstream playout system, the replacement engine initiates a search for the another media item in a media schedule. In response to a result of the search indicating that the another media item is not included in the media schedule, the replacement engine transmits, to the downstream playout system, a media item selection result indicating that no replacement media item has been selected.

Certain exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and/or methods for distributing advertisements from a central advertisement network to one or more peripheral devices at a location via a local advertisement server. In certain exemplary embodiments, the local advertisement server within a location receives advertisements from the central advertisement network and rebroadcasts them to peripheral devices within that location. Advertising information may be tracked and reported, e.g., for accounting, revenue-sharing, and/or other purposes in certain exemplary embodiments. Thus, in certain exemplary embodiments, the distribution of advertisements is provided to peripherals via a non-web- and non-PC-dependent network. Moreover, in certain exemplary embodiments, reporting and advertising related communications are substantially bi-directional regardless of device type. Certain exemplary embodiments provide revenue sharing among some or all of the central advertising network provider, the proprietors of locations, operators tasked with maintaining the local ad server and/or the peripheral devices, etc.

Methods and apparatus for monitoring locally inserted media are disclosed. A disclosed apparatus includes instructions to detect, at a media device at an end user location, a frequency of a watermark that was spliced into a primary media stream received at the media device after the primary media stream was received at the end user location, associate identifying tags with segments of the primary media stream that were spliced, in response to the detection of the watermark, determine an advertisement associated with the segments of the primary media based on the identifying tags, present the primary media at a first time and the advertisement at second times, record a log including first identifying information including an identity of the content of the primary media and second identifying information including a change in the frequency of the watermark corresponding to the advertisement; and transmit the log to a data collection facility.

Audio splicing is rendered more effective by the use of one or more truncation unit packets inserted into the audio data stream so as to indicate to an audio decoder, for a predetermined access unit, an end portion of an audio frame with which the predetermined access unit is associated, as to be discarded in playout.

A method includes beginning to broadcast primary media content at a primary media server. Concurrently with beginning to broadcast the primary media content, beginning to stream the primary media content into a primary media queue at a secondary media server. At the secondary media server, broadcasting secondary media content from a secondary media queue until the primary media queue includes sufficient content to satisfy a fill threshold. In response to determining that the fill threshold has been satisfied, switching from broadcasting the secondary media content from the secondary media queue to broadcasting the primary media content from the primary media queue.