Recommending media items based on take rate signals
Granted: September 3, 2019
Patent Number:
10405016
In an approach, a method comprises using a server computer in a media content delivery system that is configured to selectively deliver a particular media title from among a library of titles, for a source title, generating title data that specifies an order of a plurality of titles that are related to the source title based on a plurality of stored probability values; wherein each probability value in the plurality of probability values represents, for each particular title of the…
Techniques for optimizing bitrates and resolutions during encoding
Granted: September 3, 2019
Patent Number:
10404986
In one embodiment of the present invention, an encoding bitrate ladder selector tailors bitrate ladders to the complexity of source data. Upon receiving source data, a complexity analyzer configures an encoder to repeatedly encode the source data-setting a constant quantization parameter to a different value for each encode. The complexity analyzer processes the encoding results to determine an equation that relates a visual quality metric to an encoding bitrate. The bucketing unit…
Techniques for efficiently accessing values spanning slabs of memory
Granted: August 20, 2019
Patent Number:
10387077
In various embodiments, a memory pool application implements composite arrays via a memory pool that includes a first slab and a second slab. First, the memory pool application assigns the first slab and the second slab to a composite array. The memory pool application then modifies a final data word included in the first slab to store a first portion of a specified value and a leading data word included in the second slab to store a second portion of the specified value. The memory pool…
Securing user-accessed applications in a distributed computing environment
Granted: August 6, 2019
Patent Number:
10375054
Provided herein are systems and methods of controlling access to a web-based application. Such a system may include an access determination server, an authorization control system, and a first web-based application accessible over a network to a first user device of a first user. The processing device of the access determination server receives application request information from the authorization control system, the application request information including an identifier of the first…
Perspective correction for curved display screens
Granted: July 30, 2019
Patent Number:
10366476
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for performing perspective correction on one or more test images. The technique includes analyzing a first test image to detect a set of outer points and calculating a geometric plane equation based on the set of outer points. The technique further includes projecting a first set of points associated with a first curved screen model based on the geometric plane equation to generate a second set of points. The technique…
Personalized Markov chains
Granted: July 23, 2019
Patent Number:
10360508
A data processing method comprises receiving title interaction data, wherein the title interaction data specifies, an order in which users interacted with a plurality of titles; generating a plurality of statistical models, each statistical model of the plurality of statistical models specifying a plurality of probabilities, wherein the plurality of probabilities represent, for each first title of the plurality of titles and each second title of the plurality of titles, a likelihood that…
Progressive deployment and termination of canary instances for software analysis
Granted: July 16, 2019
Patent Number:
10355950
A data processing method, comprising: using computing apparatus, causing instantiating a plurality of baseline application instances that are running a first version of software, and one or more canary application instances that are running a second version of the software; using computing apparatus including a load balancer, causing selectively routing a first proportion of incoming requests to the baseline instances, and routing a second proportion of the incoming requests to the…
Managing networks and machines that deliver digital content
Granted: July 9, 2019
Patent Number:
10348589
In one embodiment of the present invention, a content delivery network (CDN) monitoring system manages a CDN. The CDN monitoring system includes finite state machines (FSMs), and the current states of the FSMs reflect characteristics and/or behaviors associated with the CDN. In operation, the CDN monitoring system computes actions based on current states and/or metrics associated with the CDN. The actions may cause one or more of the FSMs execute state transitions. As part of a state…
Systems and methods for fraudulent account detection and management
Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number:
10332116
Provided herein are systems and methods of monitoring account activity in a streaming media environment. An exemplary system includes a monitoring system, an account creation and management system, and an account payment system. The monitoring system is coupled to the account creation and management system and the account payment system via a network. The processing device of the monitoring system retrieves account information for a first user account. Account information includes user…
Parallel streaming
Granted: June 18, 2019
Patent Number:
10326810
Embodiments of the present invention set forth techniques for a content player to stream a media file using multiple network connections. To stream the media file, the content player downloads metadata associated with a requested media file, establishes a network connection with multiple content servers (or multiple network connections with a single content server or both) and begins requesting portions of the media file. In response, the requested portions are transmitted to the content…
System and method for managing playback of streaming digital content
Granted: June 18, 2019
Patent Number:
10326662
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for managing playback of digital content on two or more different playback devices. A playback device designated as a controller is associated with a playback device designated as a playback target. Association is implemented via a local network discovery protocol. The controller issues commands to the target, which then streams digital content directly from a content server. The controller is able to separately stream…
Automatic detection of preferences for subtitles and dubbing
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10321174
In an approach, a server computer receives a request from a client computer specifying particular content for a particular user, wherein the particular content is associated with an original audio language. In response to receiving the request, the server computer selects a preferred audio language and a preferred subtitle language for the particular content based on a particular record of a preference database. The server computer returns asset identifying data that the client computer…
Site-based server selection
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10320874
In an embodiment, a method comprises receiving a first data streamed from a first server computer at a first site; collecting a first throughput data for the first site based, at least in part, on a first throughput of the first data streamed from the first server computer; receiving a second data streamed from a second server computer at a second site; collecting a second throughput data for the second site based, at least in part, on a second throughput of the second data streamed from…
Using canary instances for software analysis
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10318399
Techniques for evaluating a second version of software. Embodiments selectively route incoming requests to software instances within a plurality of baseline instances and a plurality of canary instances, where the baseline instances run a first software version and the canary instances run the second software version. The software instances are monitored to collect performance data for a plurality of performance metrics. Embodiments calculate aggregate baseline performance metrics, where…
Identifying similar items based on interaction history
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10311386
One embodiment of the invention sets forth a mechanism for identifying similar items within a plurality of items available to a group of users. The mechanism includes identifying a first count that indicates a number of times any user has interacted with a first item included in the plurality of items and subsequently with any other item, identifying a second count that indicates a number of times any user within the has interacted with a second item included in the plurality of items…
Techniques for detecting media playback errors
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10306270
An endpoint device outputs frames of test media during a testing procedure. Each frame of test media includes a test pattern. A test module coupled to the endpoint device samples the test pattern and transmits sample data to a media test engine. The media test engine decodes a binary number from the test pattern and then converts the binary number to an integer value that is associated with the corresponding frame. The media test engine then analyzes sequences of these integer values to…
Pre-buffering audio streams
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10305947
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for identifying and pre-buffering audio/video stream pairs. The method includes the steps of predictively identifying for pre-buffering at least one audio/video stream pair that may be selected for playback by a user subsequent to a currently playing audio/video stream pair, computing a first rate for pre-buffering an audio portion of the at least one audio/video stream pair and a second rate for pre-buffering a video portion…
Localization platform that leverages previously translated content
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10303777
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for translating textual content. The technique includes receiving a request to translate an element of source text from an origin language to a target language and searching a database for an element of matching text in the origin language that at least partially matches the element of source text. The technique further includes, if an element of matching text is found in the database, then reading from the database an…
Packet loss tolerant transmission control protocol congestion control
Granted: May 7, 2019
Patent Number:
10284480
During a Transmission Control Protocol (“TCP”) session, a sending endpoint computer monitors amounts of data sent and patterns of data loss as data is sent to a receiving endpoint computer. The sending endpoint computer periodically determines whether data is being sent below, at or above path capacity, based on the monitored amounts of data sent and patterns of data loss observed. The sending endpoint computer periodically dynamically adjusts the rate at which data is sent to the…
Efficient computer-implemented techniques for managing graphics memory
Granted: April 23, 2019
Patent Number:
10268590
In an embodiment, a data processing method provides an improvement in efficient use of computer memory and comprises using a computer, creating in computer memory a glyph memory area that is configured to store a plurality of cached glyphs; using the computer, receiving a request from an application to use a particular glyph; in response to the request, determining whether the particular glyph is in the glyph memory area; in response to determining that the particular glyph is not in the…
