Patent Publication Number: US-11665389-B2

Title: Systems and methods for highlighting content within media assets

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure is directed to highlighting objects with a primary content that are likely to be of interest to a user viewing the primary content. More specifically, techniques are disclosed for modifying display of segments of a primary content to highlight objects within the primary content to indicate availability of supplemental content (e.g., advertising content, purchasing information, etc.) related to the highlighted object. 
     SUMMARY 
     Businesses often advertise goods and services to consumers using advertisements presented to consumers via scheduled advertisement-breaks while consumers are watching media assets such as a movie or a serialized program. In-video stream advertising such as the presentation of short video advertisements before displaying the primary content (e.g., a movie), during, and after the end of the primary content have been used by many streaming platforms. However, such advertisements may not be of interest to the consumers and therefore lessen their effectiveness. In one approach, modern media distribution systems often present personalized advertisement content identified based on a profile of the consumers (e.g., based on age, geographic location, etc.) viewing these advertisements to in order to engage the consumers and increase the effectiveness of the advertising content. However, consumers viewing media assets such as a movie or a serialized program often use scheduled advertisement-breaks as opportunity to step away from the programming (e.g., to get snacks or to run other errands). Therefore, advertisement content which may be of interest to the consumers go unwatched, therefore reducing their effectiveness. Additionally, there may be products featured within the primary program being watched by the consumers that they may be interested in. For example, a character wearing a particular article of clothing (e.g., a jacket or a pair of shoes) or driving a vehicle may pique the interest of the consumers. However, the consumers have to manually search for advertisement content that match the products featured within the primary program, which wastes time, computing resources, and bandwidth due to a lack of available information available for the primary programs. For example, requests for needless advertising content as the consumers are searching for other products unnecessarily consume limited available bandwidth. 
     To overcome these problems, systems and methods are provided herein for highlighting objects with a primary content that are likely to be of interest to a user viewing the primary content. More particularly, when the system receives a segment of primary content to be displayed on a user equipment device for consumption, the system analyzes the received segment to identify an object within the received segment. For example, the system may employ an object recognition algorithm to identify one or more objects (e.g., an article of clothing, etc.) present within the received segment. The system then checks a database storing supplemental content (e.g., advertising content) to determine whether supplemental content associated with the identified object is available. When supplemental content associated with the identified object is available within the database, the system modifies the display of the received segment of the primary content to highlight the identified object. In some aspects, the system may add a highlight in an overlay around a border of the identified object. In another aspect, the identified object can be highlighted by visually distinguishing the identified object from other objects within the received segment (e.g., by adding an icon adjacent to the identified object, by providing a shaded overlay over the identified object, etc.). Finally, the system displays the segment of the primary content with the highlighted object on the user equipment device for consumption. Accordingly, methods and systems disclosed herein allow businesses to present supplemental content (e.g., advertising content) to users while they are engaged with the primary content. Moreover, users viewing the primary content can easily view supplemental content associated with objects within the segment of the primary content that the users may be interested in. 
     In some aspects, the system can identify a plurality of objects within the received segment of the primary content. In such an aspect, highlighting every identified object within the received segment of the primary content would overwhelm the user viewing the primary content and distract from enjoying the primary content. Accordingly, the system may prioritize one or two of the identified objects to be highlighted based on user preferences. For example, the system may retrieve a web browsing history associated with the user consuming the primary content to identify products that the user may wish to purchase. Upon determining a match between an identified object from the received segment of the primary content and a product identified from the retrieved web browsing history associated with the user, the system prioritizes the matching identified object. The system then modifies the received segment of the primary content to highlight the highest priority objects and displays the modified segment on the user equipment device. 
     In some embodiments, modifying the received segment of the primary content includes providing a user selectable link. For example, the user can use an input device such as a remote-control device to select a highlighted object within the displayed segment of the primary content. In another embodiment, the user can provide a voice command using, for example, a microphone, to select a highlighted object within the displayed segment of the primary content. The system, in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlight objects within the displayed segment of the primary content (for instance, by receiving data indicative of a selection of the user selectable link), displays the supplemental content associated with the identified object selected by the user. 
     In some embodiments, the system, in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlight objects within the displayed segment of the primary content, prevents an audio component associated with the primary content from being output. For example, the system may mute the audio of the primary content while simultaneously displaying the supplemental content along with closed-captioning data associated with the primary content. This ensures that the user can view the supplemental content including the audio component of the supplemental content while simultaneously following the primary content. In another embodiment, the supplemental content is displayed during a segment of the primary content where there is no dialogue between characters. For example, the system may delay the presentation of supplemental content until a segment of the primary content that does not include an audio component is displayed. This allows the user to engage with the supplemental content without missing the primary content. 
     In some aspects, the supplemental content is displayed on the user equipment device simultaneously with the primary content. For example, the primary content is displayed on a primary window of the user equipment device with the supplemental content being displayed on a secondary window as an overlay over the primary window. In another such aspect, the playback of the primary content is paused while the supplemental content is displayed on the primary window. 
     In an embodiments, the system, in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlighted objects within the displayed segment of the primary content, displays a user selectable option for interacting with the supplemental content. In one aspect, the user selectable option is an option to interrupt playback of the primary content to display the supplemental content. For instance, playback of the primary content is paused while the supplemental content is displayed on the primary window of the user equipment device. In another aspect, the user selectable option is an option to simultaneously display the primary content and the supplemental content, wherein the supplemental content is displayed in a picture-in-picture mode. In still another aspect, the user selectable option is an option to display the supplemental content for display on a second user equipment device. For example, the system may transmit the supplemental content to a mobile device of the user so that the user can view the supplemental content without interrupting the playback of the primary content. 
     In another aspect, the user selectable option in an option to view a purchase offer related to the identified object. For example, the system may present a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to direct the user to a web resource where the user can purchase the identified object. In another embodiment, the system can display product reviews of the highlighted object selected by the user. In an embodiment, the system displays one or more of the user selectable options to be displayed on the user equipment device in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlighted objects within the displayed segment of the primary content. 
     In accordance with some aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein, the primary content may have scheduled interruptions where advertising content is conventionally displayed. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the system determines which of the presented user selectable options was selected by the user. The system then adjusts a frequency of the scheduled interruptions based on the determined selection of the presented user selectable options. For example, when the user selects the option to pause the primary content and view the supplemental content on the primary window of the user equipment device, the system removes one or more of the scheduled interruptions. 
     In another aspect of the disclosure herein, the frequency of the scheduled interruptions is adjusted based on a duration of the user interaction with the displayed supplemental content. For example, when the user merely interacts with the supplemental content for a minimal period of time (e.g., less than 5-10 seconds), the system may decide not to adjust the frequency of the scheduled interruption. In another embodiment, when the user interacts with the supplemental content for a threshold period of time (e.g., more than 30 seconds), the system may remove one or more of the scheduled interruptions. In another embodiment, the system may reduce the amount of time scheduled for the interruption to the primary content. Accordingly, the user is incentivized to interact with the supplemental content. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, the supplemental content displayed on the user equipment device is personalized based on the user viewing the supplemental content. For instance, the system can retrieve a purchase history of the user to identify specific patterns favored by the user (e.g., specific colors for articles of clothing preferred by the user). The system then displays supplemental content such as an advertisement which features the product in the specific color preferred by the user. In another embodiment, the system displays supplemental content which feature the identified object (e.g., a specific pair of shoes worn by a character in the primary content). In this way, businesses are more likely to engage the consumers and increase effectiveness of their advertisements. Moreover, the users are more likely to identify products they are interested in and easily view supplemental content related to those products. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG.  1    shows an illustrative system for modifying display of segments of a primary content to highlight identified objects of interest, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    shows an illustrative user interface showing user selectable options for interacting with supplemental content associated with a selected highlighted object, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    shows a block diagram of an illustrative user equipment device used to begin a live media stream, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    shows a block diagram of an illustrative media system, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process for modifying display of segments of a primary content to highlight identified objects of interest, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    shows a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process for providing user selectable options for interacting with supplemental content, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG.  7    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process  800  for adjusting a frequency of scheduled interruptions in the playback of the primary content based on a type of interaction with the supplemental content, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG.  8    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process  800  for adjusting a frequency of scheduled interruptions in the playback of the primary content based on a duration of interaction with the supplemental content, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure; and 
         FIG.  9    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process for generating personalized supplemental content, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG.  1    shows an exemplary system  100  for modifying display of segments of a primary content to highlight identified objects that are likely to be of interest to a user viewing the primary content. As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , control circuitry  102  receives segment  104  of primary content to be displayed on user equipment device  108  for consumption. For example, control circuitry  102  receives a segment of the show “Billions”. In an embodiment, control circuitry  102 , in response to receiving a selection of a primary content (e.g., the show “Billions”), displays a user interface including a selectable option for providing interactive supplemental content during playback of the selected primary content. For example, the user is offered a first option to request highlighted objects of interest during playback of the primary content and a second option to consume the primary content without highlighting objects of interest. In an embodiment, control circuitry  102  performs the following processes in response to the user selecting the first option to request highlighting of objects of interest during playback of the primary content. 
     In an embodiment, control circuitry  102  analyzes the received segment to identify an object within the received segment. For example, control circuitry  102  employs an object recognition algorithm (e.g., a known object recognition algorithm such as Microsoft Azure Computer Vision) to identify one or more objects  112  present within the received segment. In an embodiment, a voice recognition interface (such as the one described below in connection with  FIG.  3   ) can monitor utterances of the user during playback of the primary content to identify objects that are of interest to the user. For example, the voice recognition interface can determine that the user uttered the phrase, “that car looks nice!”. In response, control circuitry  102  can use the object recognition algorithm discussed above to determine the presence of a vehicle within the received segment of the primary content. In the example illustrated in  FIG.  1   , control circuitry  102  analyzes the received segment of the show “Billions” in the manner discussed above to identify objects such as a vehicle  112 -A (e.g., Mercedes sedan), a pair of shoes  112 -B (e.g., Nike Ebernon) worn by a character, and a tire  112 -C of a second vehicle (e.g., Bridgestone). 
     Control circuitry  102  then checks database  106  storing supplemental content related to a plurality of objects to determine whether supplemental content associated with the identified object is available. For example, control circuitry  102  checks database  106  to determine whether supplemental content related to the identified vehicle, tires, or pair of shoes are available. When supplemental content associated with the identified object is available within database  106 , control circuitry  102  modifies the received segment  104  of the primary content. Specifically, content circuitry  102  modifies the received segment  104  of the primary content to highlight the identified objects  112 . As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , in one example, control circuitry  102  adds a highlight around a border of the identified objects  112  in the modified segment  110 . In various other embodiments, control circuitry  102  can highlight identified objects  112  by adding an icon next to the identified objects within the modified segment of the primary content. In still other embodiments, control circuitry  102  can highlight identified objects  112  in any suitable manner by visually distinguishing the identified objects  112  from other objects within the received segment (e.g., by shading an area of a frame where the identified objects  112  are located). 
     Control circuitry  102  then displays the modified segment  110  of the primary content on user equipment device  108  for consumption. As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , modified segment  114  displayed on user television equipment  108  includes highlighted objects  112 -A (a vehicle),  112 -B (a pair of shoes), and  112 -C (tires of a vehicle). 
     Control circuitry  102  can identify a plurality of objects within received segment  104  of the primary content. In such an aspect, highlighting every identified object within received segment  104  of the primary content would overwhelm the user viewing the primary content and distract from enjoying the primary content. Accordingly, control circuitry  102  prioritizes one or two of the identified objects to be highlighted based on user preferences. Specifically, control circuitry  102  retrieves a web browsing history associated with the user consuming the primary content to identify products that the user may wish to purchase. For example, control circuitry  102  can determine that the user has recently searched extensively for new shoes and tires to purchase. In one embodiment, control circuitry  102  can retrieve social media activity of the user viewing the primary content to identify other interests of the user. For example, control circuitry  102  may determine, based on the retrieved social media activity, that the user has recently liked pictures and advertisements related to Mercedes sedans. 
     Upon determining a match between an identified object from the received segment of the primary content and the product identified from the retrieved user preferences, control circuitry  102  prioritizes the matching identified object. For example, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the Mercedes sedan  112 -A, the pair of Nike Ebernon  112 -B, and the Bridgestone tires  112 -C are prioritized. Similarly, objects within the received segment  104  that do not match the retrieved user preferences are deprioritized. For example, objects such as a yacht shown in the background of the received segment  104  are deprioritized. Control circuitry  102  then modifies the received segment  104  of the primary content to highlight the highest priority objects ( 112 -A,  112 -B, and  112 -C) and displays modified segment  110  on user equipment device  108 . 
     In some embodiments, modifying the received segment of the primary content includes providing a user selectable link. For example, the user can use an input device such as a remote-control device to select a highlighted object within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content. In another embodiment, the user can provide a voice command using, for example, a microphone, to select a highlighted object within the displayed segment of the primary content. In an embodiment, a voice recognition interface (such as the one described below in connection with  FIG.  3   ) can automatically monitor voice interactions of the user during playback of the primary content to detect an utterance corresponding to an object. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the user selects the identified pair of shoes  112 -B from the displayed modified segment  110 . 
     Control circuitry  102 , in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlight objects  112  within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content (for instance, by receiving data indicative of a selection of the user selectable link), displays supplemental content  116  associated with the identified object  112  selected by the user. As shown in  FIG.  1   , control circuitry  102 , in response to the user selecting the pair of shoes  112 -B, displays an advertisement (i.e., supplemental content  116 ) on user equipment device  108 . 
     In some embodiments, control circuitry  102 , in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlight objects  112  within the displayed segment  110  of the primary content, prevents an audio component associated with the primary content from being output. For example, the system may mute the audio of the primary content while simultaneously displaying the supplemental content along with closed-captioning data associated with the primary content. As shown in  FIG.  1   , closed-captioning data  118  associated with the show “Billion” is displayed while simultaneously displaying the advertisement (i.e., supplemental content  116 ) associated with the selected pair of shoes  112 -B. This ensures that the user can view the supplemental content including the audio component of the supplemental content while simultaneously following the primary content. In another embodiment, the supplemental content is displayed during a segment of the primary content where there is no dialogue between characters. For example, the system may delay the presentation of supplemental content until a segment of the primary content that does not include an audio component is displayed. This allows the user to engage with the supplemental content without missing the primary content. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , supplemental content  116  is displayed on user equipment device  108  simultaneously with the primary content. In the example illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the primary content is displayed on primary window  120  of user equipment device  108  with supplemental content  116  being displayed on secondary window  122  as an overlay over primary window  120 . In another such aspect, the playback of the primary content is paused while supplemental content  116  is displayed on primary window  120 . 
     In an embodiment, control circuitry  102 , in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlighted objects within the displayed segment of the primary content, displays a user selectable option for interacting with the supplemental content.  FIG.  2    depicts an illustrative user interface  200  showing user selectable options  220  for interacting with supplemental content associated with a selected highlighted object, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. 
     In one aspect shown in  FIG.  2   , user selectable option  220  is an option to interrupt playback of the primary content to display the supplemental content. For instance, playback of the show “Billions” (i.e., primary content) is paused while the advertisement (i.e., supplemental content) for the pair of shoes  112 -B is displayed on primary window  120  of user equipment device  108 . In an embodiment where segments of the primary content are being received from a broadcast source, control circuitry  102  buffers the primary content while displaying the supplemental content. 
     In another aspect, user selectable option  220  is an option to simultaneously display the primary content and the supplemental content, where the supplemental content is displayed in a picture-in-picture mode on a secondary window overlaid over a primary window. For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the show “Billions” (i.e., primary content) is displayed on primary window  120  while the advertisement (i.e., supplemental content) for the pair of shoes  112 -B is displayed on secondary window  122  of user equipment device  108 . Although not illustrated in  FIG.  2   , in an embodiment, control circuitry  102  may generate a zoomed-in image of the identified object in the secondary window. In still another embodiment, the secondary window displays textual description associated with the identified object instead of or in addition to the zoomed-in image of the identified object. 
     In still another aspect, user selectable option  220  is an option to display the supplemental content for display on a second user equipment device. For example, control circuitry  102  displays an advertisement (i.e., the supplemental content) for the pair of shoes  112 -B to a mobile device of the user so that the user can view the advertisement without interrupting the playback of the show “Billions” (i.e., the primary content). In another aspect, user selectable option  220  is an option to view a purchase offer related to the identified object. As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , control circuitry  102  presents a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to direct the user to a web resource where the user can purchase the identified pair of shoes  112 -B. In another embodiment, control circuitry  102  can display product reviews of the highlighted object selected by the user. As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , control circuitry  102  displays one or more of user selectable options  220  to be displayed on user equipment device  108  in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlighted objects  112  within the displayed segment  114  of the primary content. As further illustrated in  FIG.  2   , control circuitry  102  allows a user to scroll through user selectable options  220  and select option  222  to purchase the pair of shoes  112 -B. 
     In accordance with some aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein, the primary content may have scheduled interruptions during which advertising content is conventionally displayed. In one aspect of the present disclosure, control circuitry  102  determines which of the presented user selectable options  220  was selected by the user. Control circuitry  102  then adjusts a frequency of the scheduled interruptions based on the determined selection  222  of the presented user selectable options  220 . For example, when the user selects the option to pause the primary content and view the supplemental content on the primary window of the user equipment device, control circuitry  102  removes one or more of the scheduled interruptions. 
     In another aspect of the disclosure herein, the frequency of the scheduled interruptions is adjusted based on a duration of the user interaction with the displayed supplemental content. For example, when the user merely interacts with the supplemental content for a minimal period of time (e.g., less than 5-10 seconds), control circuitry  102  determines not to adjust the frequency of the scheduled interruption. In another embodiment, when the user interacts with the supplemental content for a threshold period of time (e.g., more than 30 seconds), control circuitry  102  removes one or more of the scheduled interruptions. In another embodiment, control circuitry  102  reduces the amount of time scheduled for the interruption to the primary content. Accordingly, the user is incentivized to interact with the supplemental content. 
     In one embodiment, the supplemental content displayed on user equipment device  108  is personalized based on the user viewing the supplemental content. For instance, control circuitry  102  retrieves a purchase history of the user to identify specific patterns favored by the user (e.g., specific colors for articles of clothing preferred by the user). Control circuitry  102  then displays supplemental content such as an advertisement which features the product in the specific color preferred by the user. In another embodiment, control circuitry  102  displays supplemental content which feature the identified object (e.g., a specific pair of shoes worn by a character in the primary content). In this way, businesses are more likely to engage the consumers and increase effectiveness of their advertisements. Moreover, the users are more likely to identify products they are interested in and easily view supplemental content related to those products. 
     In accordance with an embodiment, control circuitry  102  may be part of user television equipment  108 . In such an embodiment, a processor (control circuitry  102 ) at the user television equipment  108  receives segments of the primary content from a server along with a manifest file associated with the primary content. The control circuitry  102  at the user television equipment  108  parses the manifest file to determine scheduled advertisement breaks. Moreover, control circuitry  102  at the user television equipment  108  also retrieves supplemental content (e.g., supplemental content  116  discussed above) from a remote database (e.g., database  106  discussed above) and stitches together the primary content along with the supplemental content. Control circuitry  102  at the user television equipment then modifies the display based on user selection of one or more of the highlighted objects and/or user-selectable options. Although the above embodiment described control circuitry  102  stitching together the primary content along with the supplemental content, it is not necessary to do so. In an embodiment, the supplemental content is displayed as an overlay over the primary content. Moreover, as described below, the manifest file received at user television equipment  108  may, in one embodiment, not include the supplemental content (e.g., advertising content). Instead, a plurality of URLs are received from an advertising server corresponding to the identified objects separate from the manifest file as discussed below. 
     In another embodiment, control circuitry  102  may be part of a media content server remote from user television equipment  108 . In such an embodiment, the media content server receives segments of the primary content from a media content owner server (e.g., Showtime server providing segments of the program “Billions”). The media content server also receives advertising content from an advertisement server to be displayed during the display of the primary content. The media content server then stitches together the advertising content with the primary content and generates a manifest file for the combined content. The combined content along with the manifest file is then transmitted to, for instance, the user television equipment  108 . Additional detail about the structure and operation of control circuitry  102  will be described in greater detail below in connection with the discussion of  FIGS.  3  and  4   . 
     In another embodiment, media content server does not stitch together the advertising content with the primary content. Instead, media content server generates an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file or a file that stores simple data structures and objects in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format. More particularly, media content server generates an XML file or JSON file which includes URLs corresponding to the supplemental content (e.g., advertising content) corresponding to various objects within the received segment of the primary content. In addition, media content server can include, within the XML file or JSON file, information indicative of location of an object of interest within each frame of the segment of the primary content (e.g., pixel location information where the identified object is to be displayed). Moreover, media content server can further include, within the XML file or JSON file, information indicative of location where and how the highlight is to be generated for display. For example, media content server can provide information instructing user television equipment  108  to generate for display a yellow colored rectangular box at a location corresponding to an object of interest within the segment of the primary content. In such an embodiment, user television equipment  108 , in response to receiving the manifest file and the XML or JSON file, can merely generate for display the primary content and the highlighting based on display signals received from the media content server. In response to receiving a user selection of a highlighted object, user television equipment can retrieve supplemental content using URL information stored in the received XML or JSON file. In another embodiment, in response to receiving a user selection of a highlighted object, user television equipment can transmit a request to the media content server for supplemental content. In such an embodiment, media content server can provide the supplemental content to user television equipment  108  along with information indicating where and how the supplemental content is to be displayed in an XML or JSON file accompanying the supplemental content data. 
       FIG.  3    depicts a generalized embodiment of an illustrative device (e.g., user equipment device  204  or user equipment device  220 ) that is used to modify the received segments of the primary content. User equipment device  300  may be any of a plurality of user devices such as a smartphone, a tablet, personal computer, etc. (discussed further below with respect to  FIG.  4   ). User equipment device  300  may transmit or receive the live media stream data via input/output (hereinafter “I/O”) path  302 . I/O path  302  may provide the live media stream data (e.g., content item available over LAN or WAN, and the like) and data to control circuitry  304 , which includes processing circuitry  306  and storage  308 . Control circuitry  304  may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using I/O path  302 . I/O path  302  may connect control circuitry  304  (and specifically processing circuitry  306 ) to one or more communications paths (described below in relation to  FIG.  4   ). I/O functions may be provided by one or more of these communications paths but are shown as a single path in  FIG.  3    to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. 
     Control circuitry  304  may be based on any suitable processing circuitry such as processing circuitry  306 . Processing circuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g., quad-core). In some embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processor or processing units, for example, multiple of the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., Ryzen processor with integrated CPU and GPU processing cores) or may include a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments, control circuitry  304  executes instructions for an application stored in memory (e.g., memory  308 ). Specifically, control circuitry  304  may be instructed by a media application to perform the functions discussed above and below. For example, the media application may provide instructions to control circuitry  304  to modify segments of the primary content to highlight certain objects. Moreover, the media application may also collect user preference information and select suitable supplemental content. In some implementations, any action performed by control circuitry  304  may be based on instructions received from the media application. 
     Control circuitry  304  may include tuning circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MP3 decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, or any other suitable tuning or audio circuits or combinations of such circuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting analog or digital signals to signals for storage in memory  308 ) may also be provided. Control circuitry  304  may also include scaler circuitry for upconverting and down converting content item into the preferred output format of user equipment device  300 , and converter circuitry for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encoding circuitry may be used by user equipment device  300  to receive, play, and buffer content item. The circuitry described herein, including for example, the tuning, audio generating, encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and analog/digital circuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or more general purpose or specialized processors. If storage  308  is provided as a separate device from user equipment device  300 , the tuning and encoding circuitry may be associated with storage  308 . 
     Storage  308  may be any device for storing electronic data, such as random-access memory, solid state devices, quantum storage devices, hard disk drives, non-volatile memory or any other suitable fixed or removable storage devices, and/or any combination of the same. Control circuitry  304  may allocate portions of storage  308  for various purposes such as caching application instructions, recording media assets, storing portions of a media asset, buffering segments of media, etc. As described herein, storage  308  may be used to store one or more LUTs storing a number of MAC addresses associated with a plurality of user equipment devices and their corresponding profile information. 
     A user may send instructions to control circuitry  304  using user input interface  310 . User input interface  310  may be any suitable user input interface, such as a touchscreen as shown in  FIG.  1   , mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognition interface, or other user input interfaces. Instructions to control circuitry  304  may be transmitted through I/O path  302 , that could consist of a video tracking and detection mechanism, Internet of Things (IoT) and home automation triggers, emergency alert systems, and software or hardware communication pipelines and/or notification centers. 
     Display  312  may be provided as a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of each one of user equipment device  300 . For example, display  312  may be a touchscreen or touch-sensitive display, a projector, or a casting device. In such circumstances, user input interface  310  may be integrated with or combined with display  312 . Display  312  may be one or more of a monitor, a television, a liquid-crystal display (LCD) for a mobile device, silicon display, e-ink display, light-emitting diode (LED) display, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visual images. Graphics processing circuitry may generate the output to the display  312 . In some embodiments, the graphics processing circuitry may be external to processing circuitry  306  (e.g., as a graphics processing card that communicates with processing circuitry  306  via I/O path  302 ) or may be internal to processing circuitry  306  or control circuitry  304  (e.g., on a same silicone die as control circuitry  304  or processing circuitry  306 ). In some embodiments, the graphics processing circuitry may be used to receive, display, and play the media asset. 
     Speakers  314  may be provided as integrated with other elements of user equipment device  300  or may be stand-alone units. The audio component of videos and other media asset displayed on display  312  may be played through speakers  314 . In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to a receiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers  314 . The speakers  314  may be part of, but not limited to, a home automation system. In some embodiments, speakers  314  may also include a microphone to receive audio input from the first user starting the live media stream. 
     The media application may be implemented using any suitable architecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone application wholly implemented on user equipment device  300 . The user interface application and/or any instructions for performing any of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on computer-readable media. Computer-readable media includes any media capable of storing data. 
       FIG.  4    depicts an exemplary media system in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure in which user equipment device  108  and user equipment device  300  can be implemented in system  400  of  FIG.  4    as user television equipment  402 , user computer equipment  404 , wireless user communications device  406 , or any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing media. For simplicity, these devices may be referred to herein collectively as user equipment. User equipment, on which the media application is implemented, may function as a stand-alone device or may be part of a network of devices. Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and are discussed in more detail below. 
     User television equipment  402  may include circuitry for receiving content over the Internet, a television set, a digital storage device, or other user television equipment. One or more of these devices may be integrated to be a single device, if desired. User computer equipment  404  may include a PC, a laptop, a streaming content item aggregator, a PC media center, or other user computer equipment. It may include devices like digital assistance, smart speakers, and/or home automation. Wireless user communications device  406  may include a smartphone, a portable video player, a portable music player, a portable gaming machine, a tablet, a wireless streaming device or other wireless device. It should be noted that the lines are blurred when trying to classify a device as one of the above devices and one device may be categorized into one or more of the categories listed above. 
     In system  400 , there is typically more than one of each type of user equipment but only one of each is shown in  FIG.  4    to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user may utilize more than one type of user equipment (e.g., a user may have a computer and a tablet) and also more than one of each type of user equipment device (e.g., a user may have multiple television sets). 
     The user equipment may be coupled to communications network  414 . Namely, user television equipment  402 , user computer equipment  404 , and wireless user communications device  406  are coupled to communications network  414  via communications paths  408 ,  410 , and  412 , respectively. Communications network  414  is used by the user equipment to transmit or receive the live media stream. Communications network  414  may be one or more networks including the Internet, a mobile phone network, ad-hoc network, a Local Area network (LAN), or other types of communications network or combination of communications networks. Paths  408 ,  410 , and  412  may separately or together include one or more communications paths, including any suitable wireless communications path. Paths  408  and  410  are drawn as solid lines to indicate they are wireless paths and path  412  is drawn as dotted line to indicate it is a wired path. Communications with the user equipment may be provided by one or more of these communications paths but are shown as a single path in  FIG.  4    to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. The user equipment devices may communicate with each other directly through an indirect path via communications network  414 . 
     System  400  includes content item source  416  coupled to communications network  414  via communications path  420 . Path  420  may include any of the communications paths described above in connection with paths  408 ,  410 , and  412 . Communications with the content item source  416  may be exchanged over one or more communications paths but are shown as a single path in  FIG.  4    to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, there may be more than one of content item source  416 , but only one is shown in  FIG.  4    to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. Although communications between source  416  with user equipment  402 ,  404 , and  406  are shown as through communications network  414 , in some embodiments, source  416  may communicate directly with user equipment devices  402 ,  404 , and  406  via communications paths (not shown) such as those described above in connection with paths  408 ,  410 , and  412 . 
     Content item source  416  may include one or more types of media distribution equipment such as a media server, cable system headend, satellite distribution facility, intermediate distribution facilities and/or servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers, and other media providers. Content item source  416  may be the originator of media content item or may not be the originator of media content item. Content item source  416  may also include a remote media server used to store different types of media content item (including live media stream data (e.g., a plurality of frames) uploaded by a user), in a location remote from any of the user equipment. 
     System  400  is intended to illustrate a number of approaches, or network configurations, by which user equipment devices and sources of media content item and guidance data may communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing media and data related to the media. The configuration of the devices and paths in system  400  may change without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
       FIG.  5    depicts a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process  500  for modifying display of segments of a primary content to highlight identified objects of interest. In various embodiments, the individual steps of process  500  may be implemented by one or more components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   . Although the present disclosure may describe certain steps of process  500  (and of other processes described herein) as being implemented by certain components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   , this is for purposes of illustration only, and it should be understood that other components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4    may implement those steps instead. For example, the steps of process  500  may be executed at control circuitry  102  of  FIG.  1   . 
     At  502 , control circuitry  102  receives a segment of primary content (e.g., segment  104 ) to be displayed on a user equipment device (e.g., television  108 ) for consumption. For example, control circuitry  102  receives a segment of the show “Billions”. At  504 , control circuitry  102  analyzes the received segment to identify an object within the received segment. In one embodiment, control circuitry  102  employs an object recognition algorithm to identify one or more objects  112  present within the received segment  104 . In the example illustrated in  FIG.  1   , control circuitry  102  analyzes the received segment of the show “Billions” to identify objects such as a vehicle  112 -A (e.g., Mercedes sedan), a pair of shoes  112 -B (e.g., Nike Ebernon) worn by a character, and a tire  112 -C of a second vehicle (e.g., Bridgestone). In additional embodiments, control circuitry  102  can analyze, for example, a color gradient of each frame of the received segment  104  to identify regions of the frame with richer detail in order to identify objects present within the received segment  104 . 
     At  506 , control circuitry  102  then checks a database (e.g., database  106 ) storing supplemental content related to a plurality of objects to determine whether supplemental content associated with the identified object is available. For example, control circuitry  102  checks database  106  to determine whether supplemental content related to the identified vehicle, tires, or pair of shoes are available. When supplemental content associated with the identified object is available within database  106  (YES at  506 ), process  500  proceeds to  510  where control circuitry  102  modifies the received segment  104  of the primary content. Specifically, content circuitry  102  modifies the received segment  104  of the primary content to highlight the identified objects  112 . As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , in one example, control circuitry  102  adds a highlight around a border of the identified objects  112  in the modified segment  110 . In various other embodiments, control circuitry  102  can highlight identified objects  112  by adding an icon next to the identified objects within the modified segment of the primary content. 
     At  512 , control circuitry  102  then displays the modified segment  110  of the primary content on user equipment device (e.g., television  108 ) for consumption. As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , modified segment  114  displayed on the user equipment device (e.g., television  108 ) includes highlighted objects  112 -A (a vehicle),  112 -B (a pair of shoes), and  112 -C (tires of a vehicle). 
     If, on the other hand, control circuitry  102  determines that supplemental content associated with the identified object is not available (NO at  506 ), process  500  proceeds to  508  where control circuitry  102  displays the received segment of the primary content without any modification. In an embodiment, control circuitry  102 , in response to determining that supplemental content associated with the identified object is not available (NO at  506 ), nevertheless modifies the received segment to highlight the identified object. In such an embodiment, upon detecting that the user has selected a highlighted object (described in greater detail below in connection with the discussion of  FIG.  6   ) that does not have corresponding supplemental content available, generates a search string which includes the identified object and displays the search results for the generated search string on the user equipment device. In an embodiment, the search results can be displayed on a second user equipment device (e.g., a mobile phone) so as to avoid interrupting playback of the primary content. 
       FIG.  6    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process  600  for presenting supplemental content to the user, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. In various embodiments, the individual steps of process  600  may be implemented by one or more components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   . Although the present disclosure may describe certain steps of process  600  (and of other processes described herein) as being implemented by certain components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   , this is for purposes of illustration only, and it should be understood that other components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4    may implement those steps instead. For example, the steps of process  600  may be executed at control circuitry  102  of  FIG.  1   . 
     At  602 , control circuitry  102  displays the modified segment of the primary content which includes highlighted objects, where the highlighted objects each include a user selectable link. For example, the user can use an input device such as a remote-control device to select a highlighted object within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content. In another embodiment, the user can provide a voice command using, for example, a microphone, to select a highlighted object within the displayed segment of the primary content. 
     At  604 , control circuitry  102  determines whether the user has selected one of the highlighted objects. For example, as discussed above, the user can use a remote-control device or a voice recognition interface to select one of the highlighted objects. If control circuitry  102  determines that the user has not selected one of the highlighted objects included in the modified segment (NO at  604 ), process  600  proceeds to  606  where the control circuitry  102  begins analyzing a next segment of the primary content. 
     On the other hand, process  600 , in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlight objects  112  within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content (for instance, by receiving data indicative of a selection of the user selectable link) (YES at  604 ), process  600  proceeds to  608  where control circuitry  102  determines which of the highlighted objects selected by the user. For example, control circuitry  102  receives data indicating which of the highlighted objects was selected by the user from the voice recognition interface. At  610 , control circuitry  102  displays a plurality of user selectable options for consuming supplemental content associated with the selected object. As discussed above in connection with  FIG.  2   , the plurality of user selectable options can include (i) a first user selectable option to interrupt playback of the primary content to display the supplemental content; (ii) a second user selectable to simultaneously display the primary content and the supplemental content (e.g., the supplemental content is displayed in a picture-in-picture mode or an overlay mode); (iii) a third user selectable option to display the supplemental content for display on a second user equipment device; or (iv) a fourth user selectable option to view a purchase offer related to the selected object. Based on a user selection at  610  from one of the displayed user selectable options, process  600  proceeds to one of  612 ,  614 ,  616 , or  618  corresponding to the first, second, third, or fourth user selectable option, respectively. In an embodiment, the user can select more than one option for consuming the supplemental content. For example, the user can select the options to view the supplemental content in an overlay mode on television  108 , while simultaneously receiving a link to purchase the selected object on a second user equipment device. 
       FIG.  7    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process  700  for adjusting a frequency of scheduled interruptions in the playback of the primary content, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. In various embodiments, the individual steps of process  700  may be implemented by one or more components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   . Although the present disclosure may describe certain steps of process  700  (and of other processes described herein) as being implemented by certain components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   , this is for purposes of illustration only, and it should be understood that other components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4    may implement those steps instead. For example, the steps of process  700  may be executed at control circuitry  102  of  FIG.  1   . 
     At  702 , control circuitry  102  receives a selection of a primary content for display. For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  1   , a user selects the program “Billions” to view using the television equipment  108 . At  704 , control circuitry  102  determines whether there are pre-scheduled advertisement breaks included in the display of the primary content. For example, information about scheduled in-video stream advertising such as the presentation of short video advertisements during display of the primary content (e.g., the program “Billions”) can be retrieved from a manifest file (e.g., a M3U8 Audio playlist file) for the primary content. If, at  704 , control circuitry  102  determines that there are no scheduled advertisement breaks within the primary content (NO at  704 ), process  700  proceeds to  706 . At  706 , control circuitry  102  modifies a segment of the primary content to highlight an identified object, as discussed above in greater detail. At  708 , control circuitry  102  displays the modified segment of the primary content on the user equipment device. 
     On the other hand, when control circuitry  102  determines that there are pre-scheduled advertisement breaks included in the display of the primary content (YES at  704 ), process  700  proceeds to  710  where control circuitry  102  modifies a segment of the primary content to highlight an identified object, as discussed above in greater detail. At  712 , control circuitry  102  displays the modified segment of the primary content on the user equipment device. At  714 , control circuitry  102  identifies which highlighted object has been selected by the user. For example, control circuitry  102  receives data indicating which of the highlighted objects was selected by the user from the voice recognition interface. 
     At  716 , control circuitry  102  displays a plurality of user selectable options for consuming supplemental content associated with the selected object. As discussed above in connection with  FIG.  2   , the plurality of user selectable options can include (i) a first user selectable option to interrupt playback of the primary content to display the supplemental content; (ii) a second user selectable to simultaneously display the primary content and the supplemental content (e.g., the supplemental content is displayed in a picture-in-picture mode or an overlay mode); (iii) a third user selectable option to display the supplemental content for display on a second user equipment device; or (iv) a fourth user selectable option to view a purchase offer related to the selected object. 
     At  718 , control circuitry  102  determines whether the user selected the first user selectable option to interrupt playback of the primary content to display the supplemental content (i.e., the first user selectable option). If, at  718 , control circuitry  102  determines that the user selected the first user selectable option to interrupt playback of the primary content to display the supplemental content (YES at  718 ), process  700  proceeds to  720  where control circuitry  102  removes at least one of the scheduled advertisement breaks from the primary content. For example, control circuitry  102  modifies the manifest file for the primary content to remove an advertisement break. If, on the other hand, control circuitry  102  determines that the user has not selected the first user selectable option to interrupt playback of the primary content to display the supplemental content (NO at  718 ), process  700  proceeds to  722  where control circuitry  102  maintains the schedule of advertisement breaks within the primary content. 
     In other embodiments, the scheduled advertisement breaks may be modified in a plurality of ways. For example, often there are multiple advertisements scheduled to be displayed during a scheduled advertisement break. In such an instance, based on the selection of the user selectable option, control circuitry modifies the number of advertisements displayed during an advertisement breaks while still maintaining the schedule of advertisement breaks. In an embodiment, the duration of each of the advertisement break is modified based on the user selection of one or more of the user selectable options for interacting with the supplemental content. 
       FIG.  8    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process  800  for adjusting a frequency of scheduled interruptions in the playback of the primary content, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. In various embodiments, the individual steps of process  800  may be implemented by one or more components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   . Although the present disclosure may describe certain steps of process  800  (and of other processes described herein) as being implemented by certain components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   , this is for purposes of illustration only, and it should be understood that other components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4    may implement those steps instead. For example, the steps of process  800  may be executed at control circuitry  102  of  FIG.  1   . 
     At  802 , control circuitry  102  displays the modified segment of the primary content which includes highlighted objects, where the highlighted objects each include a user selectable link. For example, the user can use an input device such as a remote-control device to select a highlighted object within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content. In another embodiment, the user can provide a voice command using, for example, a microphone, to select a highlighted object within the displayed segment of the primary content. 
     At  804 , control circuitry  102  determines whether the user has selected one of the highlighted objects. For example, as discussed above, the user can use a remote-control device or a voice recognition interface to select one of the highlighted objects. If control circuitry  102  determines that the user has not selected one of the highlighted objects included in the modified segment (NO at  804 ), process  800  proceeds to  806  where the control circuitry  102  begins analyzing a next segment of the primary content. 
     On the other hand, process  800 , in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlighted objects  112  within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content (for instance, by receiving data indicative of a selection of the user selectable link) (YES at  804 ), process  800  proceeds to  808 . At  808 , control circuitry  102  calculates a duration of the interaction with the supplemental content associated with the selected highlighted object. For example, control circuitry  102  determines whether the user viewed an entire advertisement for the selected highlighted object or merely skipped the advertisement after viewing the first few seconds of the advertisement. 
     At  810 , control circuitry  102  determines whether the duration of interaction was greater than a threshold period of time. In an embodiment, the threshold period of time may be, for example, 30 seconds. If, at  810 , control circuitry  102  determines that the user interacted with the supplemental content for a duration greater than the threshold period of time (YES at  810 ), process  800  proceeds to  814  where control circuitry  102  removes at least one of the scheduled advertisement breaks from the primary content. For example, control circuitry  102  modifies the manifest file for the primary content to remove an advertisement break. If, on the other hand, control circuitry  102  determines that the user has not interacted with the supplemental content for a duration less than or equal to the threshold period of time (NO at  810 ), process  800  proceeds to  812  where control circuitry  102  maintains the schedule of advertisement breaks within the primary content. 
     In other embodiments, the threshold period of time can be dynamically set based on the selection of one of the plurality of user selectable options presented to the user (as discussed above in connection with  FIG.  2   ). For example, the frequency of the scheduled advertisement breaks is adjusted based on a duration of the user interaction with the displayed supplemental content as well as the type of user interaction with the displayed supplemental content. For example, when the user merely interacts with the supplemental content for a minimal period of time (e.g., less than 30 seconds) when the supplemental content is an advertisement, control circuitry  102  determines not to adjust the frequency of the scheduled interruption. In another embodiment, when the user merely interacts with the supplemental content for a minimal period of time (e.g., less than 30 seconds) but the supplemental content is a link to purchase the identified object and the user completes the purchase, control circuitry  102  removes one or more of the scheduled interruptions. 
       FIG.  9    is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process  900  for generating personalized supplemental content, in accordance with some embodiments of this disclosure. In various embodiments, the individual steps of process  900  may be implemented by one or more components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   . Although the present disclosure may describe certain steps of process  900  (and of other processes described herein) as being implemented by certain components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4   , this is for purposes of illustration only, and it should be understood that other components of the devices and systems of  FIGS.  1 - 4    may implement those steps instead. For example, the steps of process  900  may be executed at control circuitry  102  of  FIG.  1   . 
     At  902 , control circuitry  102  displays the modified segment of the primary content which includes highlighted objects, where the highlighted objects each include a user selectable link. For example, the user can use an input device such as a remote-control device to select a highlighted object within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content. In another embodiment, the user can provide a voice command using, for example, a microphone, to select a highlighted object within the displayed segment of the primary content. 
     At  904 , control circuitry  102  determines whether the user has selected one of the highlighted objects. For example, as discussed above, the user can use a remote-control device or a voice recognition interface to select one of the highlighted objects. If control circuitry  102  determines that the user has not selected one of the highlighted objects included in the modified segment (NO at  904 ), process  900  proceeds to  906  where the control circuitry  102  begins analyzing a next segment of the primary content. 
     On the other hand, process  900 , in response to detecting that the user has selected one of the highlighted objects  112  within the displayed modified segment  110  of the primary content (for instance, by receiving data indicative of a selection of the user selectable link) (YES at  904 ), process  900  proceeds to  908 . At  908 , control circuitry  102  retrieves a web browsing history associated with the user consuming the primary content to identify products that the user may wish to purchase. In addition, at  908 , control circuitry  102  can retrieve social media activity of the user viewing the primary content to identify other interests of the user. At  910 , control circuitry  102  determines content preferences for the user based on the retrieved web browser activity and the social media activity associated with the user. For example, control circuitry  102  can determine that the user has recently searched extensively for new shoes and tires to purchase. Moreover, control circuitry  102  can determine, based on the retrieved social media activity, that the user has recently liked pictures and advertisements related to Mercedes sedans. 
     At  912 , control circuitry  102  modifies the available supplemental content retrieved from database  106  based on the determined content preferences. For example, control circuitry  102 , based on prior shoe purchases of the user, can infer that the user prefers sneakers in the color blue. Accordingly, at  912 , control circuitry  102  modifies the supplemental content (e.g., an advertisement for the selected pair of shoes) to include sneakers in the color blue in order to match the user&#39;s preferences. In another example, where the supplemental content is an advertisement for tires, control circuitry  102  can modify the supplemental content to feature the tires on a vehicle owned by the user in order to engage the user and increase the effectiveness of the advertisement. In another embodiment, control circuitry  102  modifies the supplemental content based on a geographic location of the user. 
     In an embodiment, control circuitry  102  can automatically add the selected highlighted object to a shopping wish list associated with the user. In another embodiment, control circuitry  102  provides the user an option to “like” or “dislike” one or more of the highlighted objects. Control circuitry  102 , maintains a preference indication associated with a highlighted object (e.g., selection of a “like” or “dislike” option) in order to inform future analysis of received segments of the primary content being consumed by the user. For example, when a user “dislikes” an automobile, control circuitry  102  deprioritizes highlighting of automobiles in additional segments of the primary content. 
     In some instances, users may be interested in viewing scheduled advertising content but nevertheless miss it because they are unaware of the specific advertisements scheduled to be displayed during an upcoming advertisement break. Accordingly, in some embodiments, control circuitry  102  highlights objects corresponding to an upcoming scheduled advertisement in order to allow the user to view the desired advertisement before the scheduled advertisement break. In some embodiments, control circuitry  102  modifies the segment of the primary content to highlight objects corresponding to an upcoming scheduled advertisement in order to inform the user of the upcoming scheduled advertisement without providing the option to view the advertisement immediately. For example, in an embodiment where the primary content is being received from a broadcast source, control circuitry  102  may determine to display the desired advertisement during the scheduled advertising break instead of buffering the broadcast content while displaying the desired advertisement immediately. In still another embodiment, highlighted objects having supplemental content available for immediate viewing may be visually distinguished from objects highlighted to indicate an upcoming advertisement scheduled to be displayed during the next advertising break. 
     The processes described above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the steps of the processes discussed herein may be related causally (i.e., in response), omitted, modified, combined, and/or rearranged, and any additional steps may be performed without departing from the scope of the invention. More generally, the above disclosure is meant to be exemplary and not limiting. Only the claims that follow are meant to set bounds as to what the present invention includes. Furthermore, it should be noted that the features and limitations described in any one embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment herein, and flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment in a suitable manner, done in different orders, or done in parallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed in real time. It should also be noted that the systems and/or methods described above may be applied to, or used in accordance with, other systems and/or methods.