HOME BOX OFFICE, INC.

A technology that streams graphical components and rendering instructions to a client device, for the client device to perform the final rendering and overlaying of that content onto the client's video stream based on the client's most recent tracking of the device's position and orientation. A client device sends a request for augmented reality drawing data to a network device. In response, the network device generates augmented reality drawing data, which can be augmented reality change data based on the augmented reality information and previous client render state information, and sends the augmented reality drawing data to the client device. The client device receives the augmented reality drawing data and renders a visible representation of an augmented reality scene comprising overlaying augmented reality graphics over a current video scene obtained from a camera of the client device.

The described technology is generally directed towards maintaining content selection graphs in an in-memory content selection graph data store in association with respective start times that indicates when the respective graphs become active. When a request to return content selection data is received, an active graph that corresponds to the request and the current time is accessed to obtain the requested content selection data. The response data can be prebuilt, e.g., in a set of active graphs for different client types, so that the response can be returned generally as is from the active graph in the set for that particular client type. A Redis cache can be used to maintain the various graph sets, including the active graph sets and graph sets that will become active at a future time.

The described technology is generally directed towards a surf mode of operation for streaming content such as video content, in which different content is arranged as different channels though which a user can surf by changing the streaming channels. The starting times of the different content can be staggered. Aspects comprise streaming first content corresponding to a first interactively selectable streaming channel to an output device, receiving a change request to change to a second interactively selectable streaming channel, and in response to the receiving the change request, streaming second content corresponding to the second interactively selectable streaming channel to the output device.

The described technology is directed towards obtaining and returning time offset data instead of current data in response to a data request. The time offset data may be limited to privileged clients only, and only provided thereto when desired, using a time offset value set by the client, for example. For example, a privileged user may request time offset data corresponding to a future time so as to preview how the data may be presented at a future time. Time offset data may be used by a system entity to fill a cache, e.g., as secondary cached data that may be used once primary cached data expires.

The described technology is generally directed towards comparing two images for content differences, such as images based on the frames of a show and a derivative version of that show. Frame pairs such as from an original show and its derivative version are processed into image pairs, which can include decoding, scaling, luminance extraction and/or filtering. An edge pixel image is obtained via edge detection for each image. Edge pixels in one image are compared against a counterpart edge pixel (and possibly neighboring pixels) in the other image to determine matches (matching edge pixels) and mismatches. An image with too many errors based on the mismatches is deemed as a candidate for further review. A difference image can be generated to assist a reviewer in detecting where the mismatches were detected. By repeating for the various frames, a show can be automatically compared against its derivative for content differences.

A technology that streams graphical components and rendering instructions to a client device, for the client device to perform the final rendering and overlaying of that content onto the client's video stream based on the client's most recent tracking of the device's position and orientation. A client device sends a request for augmented reality drawing data to a network device. In response, the network device generates augmented reality drawing data, which can be augmented reality change data based on the augmented reality information and previous client render state information, and sends the augmented reality drawing data to the client device. The client device receives the augmented reality drawing data and renders a visible representation of an augmented reality scene comprising overlaying augmented reality graphics over a current video scene obtained from a camera of the client device.

The described technology is directed towards returning expanded data, beyond the data that was specifically requested, to a client, in order to reduce or eliminate likely subsequent requests for more data. Client requests for data items are processed by expansion rule logic to find an expansion rule set (e.g., file) corresponding to the identified data item. The rule set is used to expand requests for certain data items into expanded requests that return more data items than those requested. Client devices receive, cache and (often) use the cached expanded data items, which thereby reduces the overall number of requests to the data service. Expansion rules may be based upon observations (e.g., machine learned and/or manual) of request patterns, so as to reasonably predict which data item or items clients will likely next need, and return those as expanded data items in anticipation of their need.

The described technology is directed towards sending metadata related to a video to a client device, such as events that describe a portion of that video, such as in a hidden stream. In one or more implementations, the enhanced metadata comprises nodes used to build part of a relationship graph. This allows interested clients to switch between the feature playback and interacting with the metadata. Further, searches through the enhanced metadata may be performed to find matching video portions, and summaries or highlights of one or more videos may be assembled by accessing information in the enhanced metadata.

The technology described herein is generally directed towards relating inconsistent identifiers of the same entertainment data entity (such as a movie) to one another. A global identification service, given an entertainment data entity identifier, returns identifier information and related data according to other naming conventions. Canonicalization rules and standards provide a consistent identifier for variously named/identified entertainment entities. A canonicalized identifier (or another identifier) may be part of a URN-based naming convention that identifies the entertainment data entity, as well as the organization that owns the entity and an authority within the organization that is responsible for that entertainment data entity.

The described technology is generally directed towards coordinating the generation, validation and enabling of content selection graphs in an in-memory content selection graph data store. When a set of content selection graphs is requested, a coordinator starts the generation of the relevant graphs. Upon successful generation, the coordinator starts a validation of the generated graphs against rules for the nodes/response data in the graphs. If the generated graphs pass validation, the coordinator enables the graph set for use in an in-memory cache, whereby when a request to return content selection data is received, an active graph that corresponds to the request and the current time is accessed to obtain and return the response data as the requested content selection data.