Items of video content offered for viewing on a video-on-demand (VOD) platform of a digital TV service provider are each assigned a respective title and hierarchical address corresponding to hierarchically-arranged categories and subcategories within which the title for the video content is to be categorized. The title is listed in a location of an electronic program guide (EPG) using the same categories and subcategories as its hierarchical address. Any TV subscriber can access the EPG and navigate through its categories and subcategories to find a title for viewing on the TV. The EPG dynamically adjust its display listings of each level of categories, subcategories, and titles in order to minimize the number of remote control keypresses needed for a viewer to navigate to a title of interest. In one basic form, the EPG display is reordered by listing more frequently visited categories or subcategories first, and other less frequently visited categories or subcategories lower on the listing or out-of-sight on another page of the display.

A video-based competition platform supports video-based competitions between possibly geographically distributed competitors. The video-based competition platform enables users of electronic communication devices to create, compete, view, and vote in video-based competitions. In at least some embodiments, a video-based competition is presented to a user with two or more video clips played in conjunction. The video clips may be synchronized to a time base and/or common audio clip.

An operating device according to the present invention includes a posture setter that sets a posture of the operating device with respect to a user to a first posture, a display processor that causes a predetermined object to be displayed toward a first direction in the display area of the operating device set to the first posture, a posture detector that detects a posture change of the operating device when the user changes the posture of the operating device, and a display changer that causes at least a part of object information included in the object to be displayed toward the first direction in the display area when the operating device changes the posture from the first posture to a second posture.

An interactive television program guide system is provided in which a viewer may direct a television to simultaneously display a selected television program and a program guide display. A viewer may use the program guide display to browse available video-on-demand (VOD) while continuing to view a previously selected program in the background. The viewer may browse through video-on-demand programs on the program guide display using a variety of keys on a remote control unit. The viewer may direct the program guide to order a given video-on-demand program/and set a desired broadcast time for that program.

The playback of video content upon a display is enhanced through the unobtrusive presentation of extrinsic data upon the same display. A video content feature is rendered on a display. A quantity of extrinsic data relevant to a current time in the video content feature is determined based at least in part on viewing history of a user. A graphical element presenting at least a portion of the extrinsic data is rendered on the display while the video content feature is also being rendered on the display.

Videos are to be displayed in parallel, without missing information or a decrease in efficiency in the usable display region.

The aspect ratio of the large screen of an information processing apparatus 100 is 16:9, which is compatible with a Hi-Vision video. In a case where the large screen is used in a portrait layout, if the large screen is divided into three small screens in the vertical direction, the aspect ratio of the small screens after the dividing is 9:16/3=16:9.48. With respect to the original video content at 16:9, the ratio in inches is 9/16=56.25% (the area ratio is (9/16).sup.2=31.64%). Accordingly, the usable display region can be efficiently used.

An interactive user interface (AW) of an interactive application is provided simultaneously with a programme display (P) within a display area of a television receiver, wherein a proportion of the display area occupied by the interactive user interface (AW) increases in response to user interaction with the interactive user interface (AW).

The various implementations described herein include methods, devices, and systems for detecting motion and persons. In one aspect, a method is performed at a smart home system that includes a video camera, a server system, and a client device. The video camera captures video and audio, and wirelessly communicates, via the server system, the captured data to the client device. The server system: (1) receives and stores the captured data from the video camera; (2) determines whether an event has occurred, including detected motion; (3) in accordance with a determination that the event has occurred, identifies video and audio corresponding to the event; and (4) classifies the event. The client device receives information indicative of the identified events, displays a user interface for reviewing the video and audio stored by the remote server system, and displays the at least one classification for the event.

In various embodiments, an optimization engine regenerates items included in an interactive page while the user is interacting with the interactive page. In operation, an optimization engine displays a portion of the interactive page during a viewing session. Subsequently, the optimization engine computes a probability distribution for the viewing session over a set of interests based on model parameters and operations performed by the user during the viewing session. The optimization engine then regenerates items that are included in a second portion of the interactive page based on the probability distribution for the viewing session. The optimization engine displays a least a part of the resulting regenerated interactive page. Advantageously, by regenerating items included in the interactive page based on operations performed by the user during the viewing session, the optimization engine reduces the time required for the user to view an item that piques an interest.

A user interface for a television display includes a remote control with a touch pad. The remote control communicates wirelessly with a receiver. Periodic samples of touch positions are time stamped only when they are received at the receiver, and the time stamps are quantized to the interval of the periodic samples. The response of the user interface to gestures may be determined by a set of cascaded style sheets. Directional gestures may be used to skip forward or backward by a relative time during playback. During EPG scrolling, a position indicator may remain fixed in a horizontal direction until a time boundary of the EPG is reached, at which point the position indicator may move to the end of the time boundary. When scrolling programme items, an item may remain highlighted until it scrolls off the display, at which point the highlighting disappears until scrolling is complete. During scrolling, multiple directional gestures may be used to increase speed of scrolling. A swipe and hold gesture may be used to control the speed of scrolling, which is dependent on the length of time of the hold.