(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/0157697 A1
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Jun. 18, 2009
`CONWAY et al.
`
`US 20090157697Al
`
`(54) SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CREATING
`VARIABLE LENGTH CLIPS FROMA MEDIA
`STREAM
`
`(75) Inventors:
`
`Frank CONWAY, Little Falls, NJ
`(US); Sean CURTIS, Rockville
`Centre, NY (US); Brian J.
`GRIFFIN, Brooklyn, NY (US);
`Jason HIRSCHHORN, NeW York,
`NY (US); Brian LUCAS, San
`Francisco, CA (US); Padmanabha
`R. RAO, Palo Alto, CA (US)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`INGRASSIA FISHER & LORENZ, P.C. (ES)
`7010 E. COCHISE ROAD
`SCOTTSDALE,AZ 85253 (US)
`(73) Assignee:
`SLING MEDIA INC., Foster City,
`CA (US)
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`12/347,465
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Dec. 31, 2008
`
`Related US. Application Data
`
`(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 11/620,711,
`?led on Jan. 7, 2007, Which is a continuation-in-part of
`application No. 11/147,664, ?led on Jun. 7, 2005.
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 61/019,232, ?led on Jan.
`4, 2008, provisional application No. 60/823,066, ?led
`on Aug. 21, 2006, provisional application No. 60/577,
`833, ?led on Jun. 7, 2004.
`
`Publication Classi?cation
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`G06F 17/30
`G06F 15/16
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`(52) US. Cl. .. 707/10; 707/104.1; 709/219; 707/E17.044
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Systems and methods are described for providing variable
`length media clips based upon a received media stream. An
`exemplary system for providing media clips to users includes
`a database comprising a list of rules associated With a plural
`ity of programs, as Well as a ?rst server and a second server.
`The ?rst server receives information about a particular pro
`gram being vieWed by a media player and obtains rules from
`the database for the identi?ed program that are transmitted to
`the media player. The second server receives a media clip of
`the particular program being vieWed from the media player,
`Wherein the media clip is created at the media player in
`accordance With the rules corresponding to the program, and
`subsequently makes the media clip available to the users.
`
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`Page 1 of 15
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`

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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 18, 2009 Sheet 1 of 6
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 18, 2009 Sheet 3 0f 6
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`Page 4 of 15
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 18, 2009 Sheet 6 0f 6
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`US 2009/0157697 A1
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`Page 7 of 15
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`

`

`US 2009/0157697 A1
`
`Jun. 18, 2009
`
`SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CREATING
`VARIABLE LENGTH CLIPS FROMA MEDIA
`STREAM
`
`PRIORITY CLAIM
`
`[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of US.
`patent application Ser. No. 11/620,711, Which Was ?led on
`Jan. 7, 2007. That application claims the bene?t of US.
`Provisional Application No. 60/823,066, ?led on Aug. 21,
`2006 and is also a continuation-in-part of US. application
`Ser. No. 11/147,664, ?led on Jun. 7, 2005, Which claims the
`bene?t of US. Provisional Application No. 60/577,833, ?led
`Jun. 7, 2004. All of these applications are incorporated herein
`by reference in their entirety.
`[0002] This Application also claims the bene?t of US.
`Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/019,232, ?led on Jan. 4,
`2008, Which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`[0003] The following discussion generally relates to creat
`ing media clips from a received media stream.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`[0004] Consumers are continually demanding increased
`?exibility in vieWing television and other forms of media.
`Whereas television vieWing traditionally involved Watching
`imagery received on a broadcast signal on a conventional
`television set, modern media experiences alloW media con
`tent to be provided via broadcast, cable, satellite, portable
`media (e. g., DVD) and other sources. Further, the Internet and
`other relatively high-bandWidth netWorks noW alloW media
`content to be delivered to any number of devices (e. g., Wire
`less phones, computers and the like) that previously Were not
`typically used for vieWing media content. Such netWorks
`have also alloWed vieWers to “place shift” their media expe
`rience from their home television or the like to a remotely
`located television, computer, Wireless telephone or other
`device. Consumers are therefore able to vieW television and
`other media content on a Wide variety of devices and in a Wide
`variety of locations.
`[0005] In addition to the increased availability and ?exibil
`ity in vieWing media content, consumers have recently
`expressed signi?cant interest in creating “clips” of media
`content that can be shared With others. Such clips may include
`relatively short excerpts of vieWed media content in a digital
`or other format that may be distributed via the Internet or
`another channel; a number of Internet services for uploading
`and sharing media clips have become very popular in recent
`years. A challenge continues, hoWever, in alloWing users to
`create clips of popular media content While protecting the
`content oWner’s rights in the media.
`[0006] As a result, it is desirable to create systems, methods
`and/ or devices that are able to alloW consumers to create clips
`of received media content and to share these clips in a manner
`that respects the rights of the content oWner. These and other
`desirable features and characteristics Will become apparent
`from the subsequent detailed description and the appended
`claims, taken in conjunction With the accompanying draW
`ings and this background section.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION
`
`[0007] According to various exemplary embodiments, sys
`tems and methods are described for providing variable-length
`
`media clips based upon a received media stream. An exem
`plary system for providing media clips to users includes a
`database comprising a list of rules associated With a plurality
`of programs, as Well as a ?rst server and a second server. The
`?rst server receives information about a particular program
`being vieWed by a media player and obtains rules from the
`database for the identi?ed program that are transmitted to the
`media player. The second server receives a media clip of the
`particular program being vieWed from the media player,
`Wherein the media clip is created at the media player in
`accordance With the rules corresponding to the particular
`program, and subsequently makes the media clip available to
`the users.
`[0008] In other embodiments, a method for processing a
`media clip suitably comprises receiving information about a
`particular program being vieWed by a remotely-located
`media player, obtaining at least one rule corresponding to the
`particular program, Wherein the at least one rule regulates
`clipping of the particular program, and providing the at least
`one rule corresponding to the identi?ed particular program to
`the remotely-located media player to thereby alloW the
`remotely-located media player to create a clip of the particu
`lar program in accordance With the at least one clipping rule.
`[0009] In still other embodiments, a method of creating a
`variable length media clip from a media stream suitably com
`prises receiving a media stream at a media player device,
`obtaining a maximum clip length associated With the pro
`gram, receiving a start point and an end point of the variable
`length media clip While maintaining the length of the variable
`length media clip to be less than the maximum clip length,
`and providing the created clip to a remote server.
`[0010] Various other embodiments, aspects and other fea
`tures are described in more detail beloW.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`FIGURES
`
`[0011] Exemplary embodiments Will hereinafter be
`described in conjunction With the folloWing draWing ?gures,
`Wherein like numerals denote like elements, and
`[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary media clipping
`system;
`[0013] FIG. 2 is a data How diagram of an exemplary media
`clipping process and system;
`[0014] FIG. 3 is a ?owchart of an exemplary technique for
`identifying rules associated With a particular program or net
`Work; and
`[0015] FIGS. 4-6 are exemplary interfaces for an exem
`plary media player application that is capable of creating
`variable-length media clips.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`[0016] The folloWing detailed description is merely exem
`plary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the
`application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no
`intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preced
`ing background or the folloWing detailed description.
`[0017] According to various exemplary embodiments, sys
`tems and techniques are provided for creating variable-length
`media clips from a media stream that is received at a media
`player. The player is able to provide information about the
`received media stream or a program that is currently being
`vieWed to a remotely-located server to obtain one or more
`rules relating to the creation of media clips. The rules may
`
`Page 8 of 15
`
`

`

`US 2009/0157697 A1
`
`Jun. 18, 2009
`
`include, for example, a maximum allowable clip length, as
`well as any limitations on displaying or distributing the clip,
`that are determined based upon the program name, network or
`other particular information that is the source of the clip.
`Other rules could restrict clip quality or other parameters,
`and/ or may restrict other actions such as whether clip may be
`recorded or not, or the like. Any number of different rules
`could be formulated and applied as desired. The media player
`creates the clip in accordance with the received rules, and
`provides the clip to a distribution server for distribution or
`sharing with other users. In various embodiments, any limi
`tations on display or distribution of the clip may be contained
`within metadata associated with the clip itself to thereby
`allow the distribution server to implement the rules for the
`particular clip.
`[0018] With initial reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary sys
`tem 100 for creating and distributing a media clip 107A-C
`suitably includes a media player device 102 that receives a
`media stream 125 from any source and creates clips 107A-C
`in accordance with rules stored in a database 105. Media
`player 102 suitably obtains the rules associated with the par
`ticular program or network being “clipped” from a clipping
`rights server (CRS) 104 that is remotely-located across a
`network 110. Clips 107A-C created in accordance with the
`received rules can be distributed (also in accordance with the
`rules associated with the particular program) via media dis
`tribution server 106. By identifying the particular program or
`network from the source media stream 125 prior to clip cre
`ation and then applying clip creation and distribution rules
`that are unique to the program and/or network, the rights of
`the media content owner can be preserved while still provid
`ing great ?exibility to viewers in creating clips of viewed
`content.
`[0019] Media player 102 is any device, system or module
`capable creating a media clip 107A-C from a received media
`stream 125. In various embodiments, media player 102 is
`implemented with any sort of conventional computer system
`or similar workstation, such as any sort of desktop, laptop or
`other personal computer or general-purpose computing sys
`tem. In other embodiments, media player 102 is a set-top box
`(STB) or other receiver device capable of receiving television
`or other media signals via any sort of broadcast, cable, satel
`lite or other medium. In still other embodiments, media
`player 102 may be a portable self-contained computing
`device such as any sort of wireless phone, personal digital
`assistant (PDA), network client and/ or the like. Alternatively,
`media player 102 is a logical application or other module
`implemented in software or ?rmware that can be executed on
`any sort of processing hardware, including any sort of web or
`other network server. Media player 102 therefore includes
`any sort of hardware, software, ?rmware and/ or other
`resources that allow for creation of clips 107A-C from a
`received media stream 125.
`[0020] Media stream 125 is received from any source, and
`in any format. In embodiments wherein media player 102 is a
`television receiver such as a STB, for example, media stream
`125 may be received directly from a satellite, cable, broadcast
`or other source. In such embodiments, media stream 125 may
`be a received television signal or the like that is received and
`processed locally on media player device 102. Media stream
`125 may also represent a stream obtained from a DVD or
`other portable medium, and/or a media ?le stored at media
`player 102 in any format.
`
`[0021] Other embodiments of media player 102 may also
`support streaming media placeshifting over a digital network
`110. In various embodiments, consumers may wish to place
`shift content within a home, of?ce or other structure, for
`example, such as from a placeshifting device 112 to a media
`player 102 located in another room, or to a remotely located
`media player 102 located in a second home, o?ice, hotel or
`other remote location. Although placeshifting may traverse
`any local, wide area, telephone and/or other networks 110 to
`provide media stream 125 from any placeshifting source 112
`to any destination media player 102, as described more fully
`below, media stream 125 may be obtained from any local or
`remote source available to media player 102. Similarly, media
`player 102 may itself provide placeshifting functionality; that
`is, some embodiments of media player 102 may additionally
`incorporate the features of placeshifting device 112 into a
`common system. A set-top box or other television receiver
`that provides placeshifting features, for example, could
`receive media stream 125 from any local or remote source.
`This media stream 125 may be clipped or otherwise pro
`cessed locally at the receiver, and/ or may be placeshifted for
`viewing at any remote location. Again, placeshifting is not
`required in all embodiments.
`[0022] Media player 102 as described herein therefore
`equivalently represents any device, logic or other system
`capable of receiving a media stream 125 from any local or
`remote source and of creating a media clip from the received
`content. In embodiments wherein media player 102 is a con
`ventional STB or similar receiver, media stream 125 may be
`a satellite, cable or broadcast stream that is presented on a
`television or other local display 132, and that is clipped or
`otherwise processed in response to inputs provided by a user
`via a remote control or other input device as appropriate.
`While other embodiments may provide clipping in the con
`text of a media stream that is place shifted across network
`110, placeshifting is not required in all embodiments. Media
`player 102, then, may equivalently represent a conventional
`STB or other television receiver, as well as any sort of media
`player application or device capable of receiving placeshifted
`media streams from any source.
`[0023] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1,
`media player 102 includes a processor 122, memory 124 and
`input/output features 126 commonly associated with any con
`ventional computing platform. Processor 122, for example,
`may be any sort of microprocessor, microcontroller, digital
`signal processor, programmable array or other logic capable
`of executing instructions and processing data to implement
`the various features of the media player device. Memory 124
`includes any sort of RAM, ROM, ?ash and/or other memory
`capable of storing instructions and data that can be processed
`by processor 122 or other processing logic as appropriate.
`Input/output 126 typically includes any conventional inter
`faces to input devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, touchpad, wire
`less or other remote control, or other input devices as appro
`priate), as well as any conventional interfaces to output
`devices such as a display 132 or the like. Input/output 126
`typically also includes interfaces to any sort of mass storage
`(e.g., a magnetic or optical disk) and/or to a communications
`network 110. Network interfaces used in various embodi
`ments might include any sort of wired (e. g., ETHERNET) or
`wireless (e.g., IEEE 802.11 “Wi-?”) interfaces, including any
`sort of interfaces to telephone networks.
`[0024] Any of the various features of media player 102 may
`be implemented with any sort of general or special purpose
`
`Page 9 of 15
`
`

`

`US 2009/0157697 A1
`
`Jun. 18, 2009
`
`hardware, software and/ or ?rmware, as appropriate. In some
`embodiments (e. g., embodiments Wherein media player 102
`is implemented as a STB or other media receiver), processor
`122, memory 124 and/or input/output 126 may be imple
`mented as a “system on a chip” (SoC) using any suitable
`processing circuitry under control of any appropriate control
`logic. In various embodiments, such control logic may
`execute Within an integrated SoC or other processor to imple
`ment a media receiver, decoder, display processor and/or any
`other features as appropriate. The Broadcom Corporation of
`Irvine, Calif., for example, produces several models of pro
`cessors (e.g., the model BCM 7400 family of processors) that
`are capable of supporting SoC implementations of satellite
`and/or cable receiver systems, although products from any
`number of other suppliers could be equivalently used. In still
`other embodiments, various distinct chips, circuits or com
`ponents may be inter-connected and inter-relate With each
`other to implement the various functions and features
`described herein.
`[0025] To that end, operations of device 102 may be con
`trolled by any sort of general purpose or other operating
`system 128. Operating system 128 typically implements user
`interface features and also alloWs programs (e.g., media
`player application 130) to use the various hardWare and other
`resources of device 102. Examples of operating systems that
`could be used in various embodiments include any of the
`Well-knoWn operating systems conventionally used in per
`sonal computing (e.g., any version of WINDOWS, MacOS/
`OSX, LINUX OS, etc.) or mobile computing (e.g., Black
`berry OS, ANDROID OS, WINDOWS MOBILE,
`SYMBIAN OS, iPHONE OS, etc.). The particular examples
`of operating systems are not intended to be limiting; indeed,
`other embodiments could be based upon other operating sys
`tems, including any sort of proprietary operating system, and
`equivalent embodiments could be based upon any sort of
`programming or other abstraction environment (e.g., JAVA,
`.NET, and/ or the like) in place of or in addition to a conven
`tional operating system 128.
`[0026] Media player application 130 is any program, appli
`cation, applet, broWser plugin, softWare module and/ or other
`logic capable of processing the received media stream 125 to
`create one or more media clips 107A-C. In various embodi
`ments, media player application 130 also contains decoder
`functionality for decoding the received stream 125 for play
`back on display 132 or the like. Media player application 130
`may be implemented in any programming language, and may
`be stored in source or object code format in any storage
`medium, including memory 124 and/or any sort of disk or
`other mass storage available to media player 102. In an exem
`plary implementation, media player application 130 is a soft
`Ware program that is stored in object code form on a disk or
`similar medium until being activated by the user. The pro
`gram 130 is then partially or Wholly duplicated into memory
`124 to facilitate execution of the object code instructions by
`processor 122. Examples of various interfaces that might be
`provided by one implementation of media player application
`130 are described beloW With reference to FIGS. 4-7,
`although any other interfaces could be used in alternate
`embodiments.
`[0027] Display 132 is any sort of television, monitor or
`other display capable of presenting imagery to the vieWer. In
`various embodiments, display 132 is a conventional televi
`sion or computer monitor associated With media player 102,
`including any sort of integrated or external display 132 that
`
`might be associated With a computer, Wireless phone, PDA or
`the like. In other embodiments, display 132 is a conventional
`analog or digital television that may be coupled to a STB or
`other receiver 102, as described above. Display 132 need not
`be physically present at the same location as media player 102
`in all embodiments; to the contrary, content may be provided
`from media player 102 to display 132 via any sort of cabling,
`netWork (e.g., netWork 110) or the like.
`[0028] NetWork 110 is any digital or other communications
`netWork capable of transmitting messages betWeen senders
`and receivers. In various embodiments, netWork 110 may
`encompass one or more Wide area netWorks, local area net
`Works, and/or any combination of Wide and local area net
`Works, including any sort of Wireless or other telephone net
`Works. NetWork 110 can include any number of public or
`private data connections, links or netWorks supporting any
`number of communications protocols. NetWork 110 may
`include the Internet, for example, or any other netWork based
`upon TCP/IP or other conventional protocols. In many
`embodiments, netWork 110 may also include one or more
`conventional local area netWork, such as one or more IEEE
`802.3 and/or IEEE 802.11 netWorks. NetWork 110 as shoWn
`in FIG. 1, then, is intended to broadly encompass any digital
`communications netWork(s), systems or architectures for
`transmitting data betWeen the various components of system
`100.
`[0029] As noted above, in some embodiments media player
`102 receives media stream 125 over netWork 110 from one or
`more placeshifting devices 112. In such embodiments, place
`shifting device 112 packetiZes media content received from a
`media source 115 for transmission over communications net
`Work 110. The media source 115 may include any source of
`media content, including any sort of digital or analog record
`ing device (e.g., a digital video recorder); any broadcast,
`cable or satellite television programming source; any “video
`on-demand” or similar source; a player for any sort of digital
`video disk (DVD) or other removable media; a security or
`other video camera; and/or the like. When present, then,
`placeshifting device 112 is any component, hardWare, soft
`Ware logic and/or the like capable of transmitting a packetiZed
`stream of media content over netWork 110. Although FIG. 1
`shoWs only a single placeshifting device 112, in practice
`system 100 may include any number of placeshifting devices
`112 and/or media sources 115, each of Which may be able to
`stream media content to media player 102. Again, placeshift
`ing is not necessary in all embodiments.
`[0030] In embodiments that do provide placeshifting,
`media data may be received from the controlled source 115 in
`any format. Each placeshifting device 112 therefore incorpo
`rates suitable transcoder logic to convert audio/video or other
`media data into a packetiZed format (e.g., MPEG, Quick
`Time, WindoWs Media and/ or the like) that can be transmitted
`over netWork 110 as stream 125. Placeshifting device 112
`may also provide control instructions to one or more media
`sources 115 using any sort of infrared, radio frequency, or
`other signals. Such signals may be provided, for example,
`from an “IR Blaster” or similar feature that emulates infrared
`or other RF instructions provided from a remote control asso
`ciated With the media source 115. Control signals and
`response could be equivalently transferred over a home net
`Work or other data connection, or alternatively via USB and/
`or any other sort of hardWired cable connection. US. Patent
`Publication No. 2006/0095471 describes one example of a
`placeshifting encoder, although the concepts described herein
`
`Page 10 of 15
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`

`

`US 2009/0157697 A1
`
`Jun. 18, 2009
`
`could be used in conjunction With products and services avail
`able from any source, including those available from Sling
`Media of Foster City, Calif. and others.
`[0031] As noted above, it is generally desirable to alloW
`vieWers to create clips from media stream 125 that can be
`shared With other vieWers, provided that the rights of the
`content oWner can be protected. In various embodiments,
`media player 102 communicates With a data center system
`103 that provides clipping rules associated With the particular
`program or netWork contained Within media stream 125 to
`alloW such clipping to occur. Data center system 103 as
`shoWn in FIG. 1 includes a database 105, a clip rules server
`(“CRS”) 104, and a media distribution server 106 as appro
`priate. Servers 104 and 106 may implemented using any sort
`of conventional netWork server hardWare. Various embodi
`ments of system 103 may also include redundant servers for
`CRS server 104 and/or media distribution server 106, as Well
`as appropriate backup, load balancing, security and other
`features conventionally found in a typical Web service sys
`tem.
`[0032] Database 105 includes any sort of data collection or
`repository that associates clipping rules With particular pro
`grams, channels and/ or netWorks, as Well as any sort of data
`base engine or the like that alloWs access to the data. In
`various embodiments, database 105 is implemented With any
`sort of conventional relational, hierarchical, object-oriented
`or other database structure that may be organiZed in any
`manner. Database 105 typically includes any number of
`entries corresponding to particular programs and/or netWorks
`as appropriate. Rules associated With any particular program
`or netWorks may include rules related to clip sharing, clip
`distribution, clip display, and/or the like. Clip sharing rules
`may include, for example, rules setting forth Whether clipping
`is alloWed or not alloWed, a maximum clip length, a portion of
`a program Wherein clipping is blocked, and/ or other rules as
`desired. Clip distribution rules may include limits on Whether
`the clip may be shared or not, as Well as any limits on the
`parties that may receive the clip (e.g., everyone, registered
`members, friends of the clip maker, etc.). Clip display rules
`may include temporal or other restrictions on the availability
`of the clip (e.g., blocking clips for a particular program until
`a certain time). Such features may be bene?cial, for example,
`in preventing clips of a program initially broadcast in a more
`easterly time Zone (e.g., EST) from being vieWed until the
`same program has been broadcast in a more Westerly time
`Zone (e.g., PST or Hawaii-Aleutian Time). Time limits could
`also be imposed to prevent clipping from an original broad
`cast, but to alloW clipping from DVR recordings or the like
`after an appropriate period of time has elapsed after the origi
`nal broadcast. Other rules may restrict the number of users
`Who have access to a particular clip, the quality of clips that
`can be created (e. g., any limits on resolution, bit or frame rate,
`or any other parameter), limits on further copying, displaying,
`editing or the like, and/or any other limitations as desired.
`Rules may be formulated With regard to any aspect of clip
`creation, display, processing, distribution and/or the like.
`[0033] As noted above, rules may be associated With par
`ticular programs, netWorks, channels and/or other features as
`desired. In various embodiments, rules canbe associated With
`particular programs to alloW clipping according to certain
`constraints for the particular program. Clipping may be
`blocked entirely for some programs, for example, While clip
`ping may be alloWed, or alloWed With constraints, for others.
`Clipping rules may also be described for entire channels or
`netWorks, if desired. In such embodiments, a set of clipping
`constraints can be de?ned for all of the programs appearing
`on that channel or netWork. Further, rules may be de?ned that
`
`incorporate both program name and a channel or netWork, if
`desired. Such rules may alloW block clipping of neW episodes
`of a program, for example, While alloWing clipping of older
`episodes that may be running in syndication on another chan
`nel or netWork. Rules may be created to facilitate any sort of
`licensing or other business arrangement With the content
`oWner in any convenient manner.
`[0034] CRS server 104 is any system, component or logic
`capable of receiving queries from one or more media players
`102 and of returning one or more rules from database 105 in
`response. In various embodiments, CRS server 104 receives
`information about the media stream 125 currently being
`received by a particular media player 102 and obtains the
`particular rules from database 105 that are associated With the
`particular program or netWork. These rules can then be pro
`vided back to media player 102 to alloW or disalloW clipping
`according to the de?ned rules for that particular program,
`netWork and/or channel.
`[0035] Media distribution server 106 is any system, com
`ponent or logic capable of receiving media clips 107A-C from
`one or more media players 102 and of providing access to the
`various clips for other users of system 100. In various
`embodiments, media distribution service is implemented
`using conventional netWork server hardWare (including any
`desired redundancy, load balancing, backup and the like) for
`providing access to ?les via netWork 110. Media distribution
`server 106 is further con?gured, hoWever, to implement vari
`ous rules regarding the distribution and/or display of particu
`lar clips. These rules may be received directly from database
`105 in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the par
`ticular rules implemented by the media distribution server
`106 are received as metadata contained Within the clips
`107A-C themselves.
`[0036] Distribution and display of media clips 107A-C may
`take place in any manner. Clips 107A-C may be provided in a
`streaming format, for example, or may be provided in a ?le
`based format that Would alloW users to doWnload and save
`local copies of the clip 107A-C. In various embodiments, the
`type of doWnloading or presentation may be restricted or
`otherWise determined using rules obtained from server 105.
`[0037] Clips 107A-C uploaded to server 106 may be
`accessed in any manner. In various embod