Mechanisms provide intermediate key frame animation during a media seek. A streaming server receives a seek request from a client device while the streaming server provides the client device with a media stream. The seek request is made when the media stream is playing at an initial location and the seek request includes a request to play the media stream from a seek location. In some embodiments, intermediate key frames before the seek location are identified. In other instances, intermediate key frames between the initial location and the seek location are identified. These intermediate key frames are provided to the client device for display before the media stream begins playing at the seek location.

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.

Techniques where a computing device such as a smart phone can be leveraged to facilitate ratings data capture through a set top box (“STB”) associated with a content subscription service such as satellite television are described. In an exemplary embodiment, STB channel data can be communicated to the computing device via a personal area network (“PAN”) connection such as Bluetooth. The computing device in turn can forward the STB channel data to a remote server over a wide area network (“WAN”).

Methods and apparatuses are provided, which may be implemented to combine and distribute user enhanced video and/or audio content.

A video playback method is provided, including: displaying a video playback interface, and playing a current video on the video playback interface; and in accordance with a determination that the current video is a video clip corresponding to a portion of a the target video and a video playback switching condition is satisfied: playing the target video on the video playback interface starting from a playback start time of the target video.

An electronic device and a control method therefor are provided. The electronic device includes controller, multimedia playing apparatus and input apparatus both connected to the controller, the controller includes processor and memory, wherein program instructions stored in the memory are executed by the processor to perform operations including: in response to target operation of user, obtaining input information of user; determining session information on session in which user participates according to the input information, the session information including at least target content in which user participates; determining target playing progress and target playing speed factor for the target content; controlling the multimedia playing apparatus to play the target content according to the target playing progress and the target playing speed factor, the target playing speed factor being greater than 1.

Methods and apparatus to detect commercial advertisements associated with media presentations are disclosed. An example method involves receiving a video frame and detecting a change in box-formatting between the video frame and a subsequent video frame. A transition between the video frame and the subsequent video frame is indicated as a commercial advertisement transition based on the detected change in box-formatting.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving, from a streaming application, a listing of media content items provided by the streaming application to a first device of a first user, determining a priority set of the media content items of the listing of media content items according to relative demand profiles of a plurality of media content items, for each priority media content item of the priority set of the media content items, providing the priority media content item to an edge server of a set of edge servers accessible to the first device, updating edge server location information associated with the priority media content item, and providing the edge server location information to the streaming application. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Techniques are described for providing alternative media content to a client device along with primary media content.

The exemplary embodiments relate to implementing a mechanism that is configured to select and insert a video advertisement into a video stream that is to be provided to a user device by a streaming service. This may include receiving a request for a video stream from a user device. In response to the request, transmitting a first portion of the video stream to the user device and determining that second a portion of the video stream is to include multiple video advertisements. One or more video advertisements may be selected from a database that includes a set of video advertisements that were previously removed from a further video stream. The one or more video advertisements may then be inserted into the video stream. The second portion of the video stream is then transmitted to the user device.