Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120278496 | Startup Bitrate In Adaptive Bitrate Streaming - Streaming media at an adaptive bitrate streaming media player. Tracking a bitrate history of the player. Determining a startup bitrate from the bitrate history. Streaming at the determined bitrate. Tracking a bitrate history of the player can include storing tracked bitrates in a cookie accessible by the player; and determining a startup bitrate can include determining a startup bitrate from the cookie. Determining a startup bitrate can include determining an average tracked bitrate over the last N tracked bitrates. The average tracked bitrate can be weighted toward more recent tracked bitrates. Determining a startup bitrate can include determining a maximum startup bitrate. The bitrate history can include the maximum bitrate of the player over the last X sessions; and the maximum startup bitrate can be the lowest maximum bitrate over the last X sessions. The maximum startup bitrate can be the mode among maximum bitrates over the last X sessions. | 11-01-2012 |
20120278497 | Reduced Video Player Start-Up Latency In HTTP Live Streaming And Similar Protocols - Technology for processing an ordered sequence of frames of a media program intended for play in an HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) player. Processing a first ordered subset of frames of the sequence. Processing a second ordered subset of frames of the sequence separate from the first subset. The second subset following on the first forms a third ordered subset of frames of the media program. Processing the second subset includes creating a manifest file of the subset. The playing time of processed frames of the first subset is at least equal to the processing time of the second subset. Processing the first subset can include creating a manifest file of the subset. The media program can include ads (at least a pre-roll ad) and content. The first ordered subset can be the pre-roll ad. The second ordered subset can be the content and remaining ads (e.g., mid-roll and post roll). | 11-01-2012 |
20130219178 | Media Player Security for Full Length Episodes - A streaming video player and authentication server work in conjunction to provide secure streaming media. Player authentication is used to ensure that only users using an authorized media player authorized users can access and stream the media content. An encryption process protects unauthorized users from playing media streams that are intercepted between the content server and an authorized user. Additionally, timed tokens are used to ensure that a user authorized to access a stream during a specified time period cannot access the same stream at a later time when the user is no longer authorized. | 08-22-2013 |
20140156363 | MODIFYING FUNCTIONALITY AND ADVERTISEMENT CONTENT ON MEDIA PLAYERS - Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for modifying media player functionality and controlling advertisements included with media content played on media players. Chromeless media players may be created by content providers but modified by third party clients that wish to adapt the players to their purposes. These chromeless players may have defined modified functionality, such as removing the ability to fast forward, rewind, and skip chapters, according to a given circumstance. In an embodiment, the third party client may also define in a profile the specific advertisement sets to include with media content played on its chromeless player. In other embodiments, other types of additional media may be defined by the third party client. A proxy server, or intermediary server, detects these factors prior to retrieving media content. The proxy server then determines, based on established rules and profiles, what content or functions the media player has access to and communicates compliant media content to the media player. An administrator can create, modify, or remove these rules and profiles through a portal or other interface with the proxy server. | 06-05-2014 |
20140195358 | Managing Media Playback - Technology for managing playback of streaming media and ads associated therewith, is disclosed. Receiving a list indicating the location of ad pods in the stream and, optionally, indicating a list update time. Receiving instruction to play the stream forward from a seek point. Determining unplayed stream ads associated with locations from the list between the start and the seek point. Playing at least one determined ad. Optionally, playing at least one determined ad only upon determining that the list update time is greater than or equal to the seek point, otherwise, denying the seek point. Optionally after playing at least one determined ad, playing the stream from the seek point after playing the at least one determined ads. The list can be a list of cue points. Playing at least one determined ad can include playing the ad pod at the start of the stream section containing the seek point. | 07-10-2014 |
20160055527 | EXTENDING AUDIENCE REACH IN MESSAGING CAMPAIGNS USING PROBABILISTIC ID LINKING - A server receives incoming data records comprising an ID value and respective user attributes corresponding to a user activity that originates at a user device. Characteristics of the activity and/or characteristics of the user device are considered in order to assign a probabilistic confidence value, which is in turn used to generate links from an incoming data record to other previously-received data records, and in so doing, generates a probabilistic link between one set of user attributes from the incoming data record and another set of user attributes from previously-received data records. A messaging campaign specification that describes target user attributes is used to identify a matching set of target audience member records. The determination of a match or not is based on the probabilistic confidence value and a threshold can be varied to extend audience reach. The identified set of target audience member records are transmitted over a network. | 02-25-2016 |
20160055542 | EXTENDING AUDIENCE REACH IN MESSAGING CAMPAIGNS USING SUPER PROFILES - A server receives incoming data records comprising an ID value and respective user attributes corresponding to a user activity that originates at a user device. Characteristics of the activity and/or characteristics of the user device are considered in order to assign a probabilistic confidence value, which is in turn used to generate links from an incoming data record to other previously-received data records, and in so doing, generates a probabilistic link between one set of user attributes from the incoming data record and another set of user attributes from previously-received data records. A messaging campaign specification that describes target user attributes is used to identify a matching set of target audience member records. The determination of a match or not is based on the probabilistic confidence value and a threshold can be varied to extend audience reach. The identified set of target audience member records are transmitted over a network. | 02-25-2016 |
20160125471 | REAL-TIME CROSS-DEVICE USER CATEGORY SYNCHRONIZATION IN AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN - The present disclosure provides systems, methods, and computer program products for real-time cross-device user category synchronization. Embodiments commence upon allocating or identifying user data records comprising two user profiles. The user profiles are populated with information by receiving electronic communications over a network, where the information comprises user category information and device attributes found in data records that originate from user devices. Steps are taken to associate a first device data record with a second device data record, wherein the association is based at least in part on a match between selected attributes among the user devices. User category information within the user profiles are synchronized to form updated user profiles. Some embodiments further execute steps for forming a cross-device map that identifies an association between an updated first user profile and a second user profile. | 05-05-2016 |