A system for facilitating a virtual screening is disclosed. The system identifies a user for participating in a virtual screening of media content. The system generates a unique link for the user to facilitate access to the media content. When the user interacts with the link, the system prompts the user to authenticate with the system and determines whether the authentication was successful. If authentication is successful, the link is associated with an identifier of the user and/or a user device. A request for a key for decrypting the media content and a request for a digitally signed file accessing the media content pursuant to parameters are made. If the digitally signed file is valid, the system applies a watermark to the media content to track the use of the media content and streams the media content to the user. Feedback on the media content is obtained from the user.

A display apparatus transmits a picture acquisition request for getting picture information to an external image apparatus connected through a predetermined interface to the display apparatus from the external image apparatus at predetermined intervals and gets a plurality of pieces of picture information from the external image apparatus to be displayed. The plurality of pictures may be switched at predetermined intervals, for example, to be displayed, so that the plurality of pictures may be displayed in a so-called slide show manner. A plurality of pictures for thumbnail may be produced from the plurality of pieces of picture information and be arranged together to be displayed in one picture screen of a display device.

A content viewing method uses a viewing system including a content distribution server distributing contents, a mobile information terminal, and a viewing device reproducing a content. The mobile information terminal transmits user identification information and a user password to the content distribution server. The content distribution server authenticates the mobile information terminal based on the user identification information and the user password. The mobile information terminal transmits an account issue request requesting an account for reproducing a desired content to the content distribution server. The content distribution server issues the account based on the account issue request and transmits the account to the mobile information terminal. The mobile information terminal stores the account. The mobile information terminal transmits the account by short-range wireless communication. The viewing device stores the account received by short-range wireless communication. The viewing device reproduces the desired content using the stored account.

A display apparatus transmits a picture acquisition request for getting picture information to an external image apparatus connected through a predetermined interface to the display apparatus from the external image apparatus at predetermined intervals and gets a plurality of pieces of picture information from the external image apparatus to be displayed. The plurality of pictures may be switched at predetermined intervals, for example, to be displayed, so that the plurality of pictures may be displayed in a so-called slide show manner. A plurality of pictures for thumbnail may be produced from the plurality of pieces of picture information and be arranged together to be displayed in one picture screen of a display device.

Methods and systems are provided for encoding audio data from an audio file, wherein the audio data comprises audio samples. Audio data is segmented from the audio file in order to obtain at least one segment. Each segment comprises a time interval of the audio data, and each segment also comprises a plurality of audio samples grouped in frames. A segment index and a description stream containing the segment index is then generated. The segment index comprises the position of the segments within the audio file. A segment stream containing the audio data of one particular segment is then generated. At least part of the audio data is encrypted during the generation of the segment stream with an encryption key.

A content viewing method uses a viewing system including a content distribution server distributing contents, a mobile information terminal, and a viewing device reproducing a content. The mobile information terminal transmits user identification information and a user password to the content distribution server. The content distribution server authenticates the mobile information terminal based on the user identification information and the user password. The mobile information terminal transmits an account issue request requesting an account for reproducing a desired content to the content distribution server. The content distribution server issues the account based on the account issue request and transmits the account to the mobile information terminal. The mobile information terminal stores the account. The mobile information terminal transmits the account by short-range wireless communication. The viewing device stores the account received by short-range wireless communication. The viewing device reproduces the desired content using the stored account.

A method and a device for processing a multimedia file are provided. In some embodiments, for a multimedia file to be processed, payload data in the multimedia file is acquired, and the payload data includes multi-frame data forming the multimedia file. Some pieces of frame data are selected from the payload data as frame data to be encrypted, and the frame data to be encrypted is encrypted. New payload data is formed by the encrypted frame data and unencrypted frame data, and the new payload data is encoded to obtain an encoded multimedia file. Therefore, the protection of the copyrights of the multimedia file is achieved.

A display apparatus transmits a picture acquisition request for getting picture information to an external image apparatus connected through a predetermined interface to the display apparatus from the external image apparatus at predetermined intervals and gets a plurality of pieces of picture information from the external image apparatus to be displayed. The plurality of pictures may be switched at predetermined intervals, for example, to be displayed, so that the plurality of pictures may be displayed in a so-called slide show manner. A plurality of pictures for thumbnail may be produced from the plurality of pieces of picture information and be arranged together to be displayed in one picture screen of a display device.

One or more computing devices may be configured to identify information corresponding to a program change request associated with a multi-program data transmission. The information may comprise at least a link to a desired program within the multi-program data transmission. The one or more computing devices may communicate the link to the desired program to a client device over a specified time period. After the time period, the one or more computing devices may communicate the desired program to the client device using a single program data transmission. The single program data transmission may be derived from the multi-program data transmission.

A method and computer readable medium for encoding data onto a channel broadcasting a program are disclosed. For example, the method selects a channel that is being used to broadcast a program, generates data having characteristics in accordance with an error burst signature and transmits the data on the channel that is being used to broadcast the program.