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 method of controlling delivery of video programs from video distribution equipment to video receiver devices includes receiving messages at the video distribution equipment from a mobile terminal operated by a user. The messages contain user defined identifiers that are associated with equipment identifiers of different ones of the video receiver devices. The user defined identifiers are stored associated with the equipment identifiers in a subscriber account. Delivery of video programs from the video distribution equipment to the video receiver devices is controlled in response to commands received from the mobile terminal which request delivery of identified video programs to identified ones of the user defined identifiers. Related video distribution equipment and mobile terminals are disclosed.

Methods and devices are provided for live broadcasting in a live broadcasting field. The method includes: displaying a first button corresponding to public live broadcasting; obtaining a public account associated with a log-in account logging in to the live broadcasting application, when a trigger operation on the first button is detected; sending a live video streaming to respective audience sides corresponding to the public account.

Systems and methods according to the present invention provide sign on systems for devices, e.g., televisions, which balance ease of use with security and access control that is amenable to, e.g., household usage.

In one embodiment, a method of generating an electronic program guide for a user of an entertainment system is disclosed. The method includes retrieving, by a user computer in communication with the entertainment system, preference criteria corresponding to one or more user preferences describing payment requirements. The user computer receives a plurality of content listings, each content listing comprising a content title, an indication of a content source, and a payment requirement, and a search query including a content title. The user computer also identifies a subset of the plurality of content listings based on content title and the search query, and ranks each content listing in the subset based on a comparison of the preference criteria and the payment requirement of each content listing in the subset. A content entry in the electronic program guide is created comprising each content listing in the subset in ranked order.

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.

An information processing method, device, and storage medium are provided. The method includes: a screen-transmission sending end, in response to a first operation acting on characters, displaying the characters in an input box in response to a first operation acting on the characters; determining a target screen-transmission code according to input characters; displaying the target screen-transmission code in the input box; parsing the target screen-transmission code and obtaining an IP address of a screen-transmission receiving end; establishing a connection with the screen-transmission receiving end according to the IP address; sending the target screen-transmission code to the screen-transmission receiving end to obtain a check result of the target screen-transmission code; and if the check result is that a check is passed, sending screen transmission data to the screen-transmission receiving end.

A method and system for controlling viewing of multimedia content includes collecting viewing control profiles and associated viewing control passwords via an Internet-protocol television portal, a web portal, and a mobile portal. The viewing control profile may be usable to restrict access to certain multimedia programs. The viewing control may be applied using a unified storefront application, providing access to multimedia content via the Internet-protocol television portal, the web portal, and the mobile portal, to offer and provide controlled access to the multimedia assets.

Systems and methods for virtual interactions are described. One or more users can view or listen to media, react to the media and share such media experience virtually with others. The media experience can take place synchronously, asynchronously or both.

A method of identifying media content presented on a display device includes determining a selected input source providing a video signal to the display device, and then selecting a first set of content identification rules when it is determined that the selected input source is a first input source, and selecting a second set of content identification rules when it is determined that the selected input source is a second input source. The method further comprises applying the selected first set or second set of content identification rules to the video signal in order to generate content identification data for the media content presented on the display device. Application of the content identification rules includes waiting for a trigger event and applying an algorithm to one or more frames of the video signal following the trigger event.