Certain embodiments provide a set top box, comprising: a processing entity configured to obtain data for a channel stacking switch, to obtain a security data element and to formulate a message for the channel stacking switch by combining the security data element with the data; a communications interface configured to send the message to channel stacking switch. Other embodiments provide a channel stacking switch, comprising: a communication interface configured to receive a message from a set top box; a processing entity configured to determine whether or not the message is legitimate and to take an action that depends on whether or not the message is legitimate. Still further embodiments provide a satellite signal receiving system comprising a channel stacking switch and at least one set top box in secure communication with the channel stacking switch.

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top-box (STB) having a controller to join a multicast group having an associated multicast address, wherein the multicast address is associated with a first content type of a plurality of content types, access encoded content associated with the first content type from the multicast address, wherein the encoded content is transmitted by at least one source associated with the multicast group to the multicast address, decode the accessed encoded content, and display the decoded content on a channel mapped to the multicast address. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A method and an apparatus can include a system processor control and a system controller. The system controller can retrieve data from at least one database, the data including information associated with at least one of subscribers, multimedia content, and customer premises equipment. The system processor can formulate an input dataset from the retrieved data, perform nonlinear manifold clustering on the input dataset to formulate clusters, and determine a recommendation of multimedia content, the recommendation of multimedia content being based on a metric distance between a subscriber and a multimedia content. The system controller can transmit, to a customer premises equipment of the subscriber, the recommendation of multimedia content.

In embodiments, apparatuses, methods and storage media are described that are associated with configuration of content subscription packages. In various embodiments, a subscription package management/selection entity (“SPM”) may provide a facility for configuring and/or managing one or more content subscription packages. The SPM may be configured to facilitate generation of subscription packages using one or more tiers. The SPM may be configured to communicate with a content consumption device to provide subscription package information for consumption by a content consumer. The SPM may also be configured to facilitate a consumer in selecting and/or purchasing one or more content subscription packages. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Systems and methods are presented herein that facilitate temporally synchronizing, in real time, a separately sourced high quality audio segment of a live event with a video segment that is generated by a recording device associated with a member of the audience. An A-V Synchronization Application may synchronize a video segment of a live event that is generated from a personal electronic device of an audience member with a high quality audio segment that is separately sourced and generated by professional sound recording equipment at the live event. The result of the temporal synchronization is a high fidelity digital audio visual recording of the live event. In various, the audience member may stream, in real-time, the high fidelity digital audio visual recording to an additional electronic device at a different geo-location. In some examples, narrative audio segments may be also included as part of the high fidelity digital audio visual recording.

A system and method for searching and/or subscribing to media programs and notifying the user before a recommended program starts in response to a user's request for recommendation. A server receives a user request for a media program event recommendation from a client device. The user request comprises user media program recommendation setting. The server generates a search query in accordance with the user request. The server runs the search query against one or more databases to generate a recommendation containing one or more media program events. At least one of the databases consists of scheduled media program events. The server sends automatically, without user interaction, to one or more user-designated calendar programs, a calendar event corresponding to a recommended media program event. The calendar event includes a respective date, time and duration.

Methods and apparatus to provide content on demand in content broadcast systems are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a first portion of a program via broadcast signal and receiving a second portion of the program via an Internet protocol (IP) based signal. The example method may further comprise combining the first and the second portions and at least one of store the combined first and second portions in a file or playback the combined first and second portions.

Implementations of the system and method use an existing management server infrastructure to deliver video-on-demand or streaming content, including real-time live streaming. Existing client content playback devices, such as IPTVs, may be employed to stream content items, obtain advertisements, track user's viewing behaviors, and the like. By reusing existing client devices, there is no need for additional hardware purchases on the user side. By reusing existing management server infrastructures, capital expenses are also reduced. In such a system, a user can watch both video-on-demand and streaming audiovisual content.

A system and method for providing load balanced secure media content and data delivery (10) in a distributed computing environment is disclosed. Media content is segmented and encrypted into a set of individual encrypted segments on a centralized control center (15). Each individual encrypted segment has the same fixed size. The complete set of individual encrypted segments is staged to a plurality of intermediate control nodes (17, 19). Individual encrypted segments are mirrored from the staged complete set to a plurality of intermediate servers (21a-b, 23a-b). Requests are received from clients (11) for the media content at the centralized control center. Each individual encrypted segment in the set is received from one of an intermediate control node and an intermediate server optimally sited from the requesting client. The individual encrypted segments are reassembled into the media content for media playback.

An indication from a user is detected by a first content viewing device to transfer an advertisement delivered to the first content viewing device as part of streamed audio and video (A/V) content to an alternative content viewing device. A determination is made, based upon user-specific advertising configuration information, as to whether the user is authorized to perform advertisement deferral during the streamed A/V content. The advertisement is configured as an incentivized deferred advertisement to be viewed by the user at a later time using the alternative content viewing device in response to determining that the user is authorized to perform advertisement deferral during the streamed A/V content. The configured incentivized deferred advertisement is transferred to the alternative content viewing device.