METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PRESENT VISUAL INTERFACES

1 . A system comprising:

programmable circuitry;

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed or instantiated by the programmable circuitry, facilitate performance of operations including:

playing a first media stream in full screen;

determining a user has selected a visual interface;

after the user has selected the visual interface, presenting, in a first region of the visual interface, a group of tabs relevant to the user and a selection of a first tab within the group;

after the user has selected the visual interface, playing, in a second region of the visual interface, the first media stream;

determining the user has selected a second tab within the group;

after the user has selected the second tab, playing, in the second region of the visual interface, a second media stream corresponding to the second tab;

after the user has selected the second tab, determining the user has exited the visual interface without performing an additional selection; and

after the user has exited the visual interface, playing the second media stream in full screen.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:

requesting, in response to the user selecting the visual interface, data to populate the visual interface; and

receiving, in response to the request, a manifest file describing a set of media streams that correspond to the group of tabs.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein:

the user is authorized to view each media stream in the set; and

the authorization of the set of media streams occurs independently of which tab is selected within the first region of the visual interface.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein to play the second media stream, the operations further include:

identifying, using the manifest file and in response to the user selecting a second tab within the group, a content provider that corresponds to the second media stream; and

receiving a threshold amount of second media stream data from the content provider.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:

identifying the user has selected a third tab in the group; and

requesting, in response to the user having selected the third tab, a threshold amount of third media stream data, the third media stream data corresponding to the third tab.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the operations further include:

receiving the threshold amount of third media stream data; and

playing, in the second region of the visual interface, the third media stream.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the operations further include:

receiving an initial amount of third media stream data, the initial amount less than the threshold amount;

determining, before receiving additional third media stream data, that the user has selected a fourth tab within the group; and

storing the initial amount of third media stream data in a cache for the third tab within the memory.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further include requesting, in response to a determination the user has reselected the third tab within the group, an amount of third media stream data, the requested amount to exclude the initial amount of third media stream data stored in the cache.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory includes:

a first cache for data used to present the first media stream; and

a second cache for data used to present the second media stream.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include presenting, after the user has selected the visual interface and in a third region of the visual interface, a set of auxiliary media corresponding to the first media stream.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the second tab corresponds to a content provider of the second media stream; and

the operations further include displaying a visual icon indicative of the content provider on the second tab.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the first media stream is a first linear broadcast; and

the second media stream is a second linear broadcast.

13 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed or instantiated by programmable circuitry, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

playing a first media stream in full screen;

determining a user has selected a visual interface;

after the user has selected the visual interface, presenting, in a first region of the visual interface, a group of tabs relevant to the user and a selection of a first tab within the group;

after the user has selected the visual interface, playing, in a second region of the visual interface, the first media stream;

determining the user has selected a second tab within the group;

after the user has selected the second tab, playing, in the second region of the visual interface, a second media stream corresponding to the second tab;

after the user has selected the second tab, determining the user has exited the visual interface without performing an additional selection; and

after user has exited the visual interface, playing the second media stream in full screen.

14 . (canceled)

15 . (canceled)

16 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein to play the second media stream, the operations further include:

identifying, using a manifest file and in response to the user selecting a second tab within the group, a content provider that corresponds to the second media stream; and

receiving a threshold amount of second media stream data from the content provider.

17 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 ,

wherein the operations further include:

identifying the user has selected a third tab in the group; and

requesting, in response to the user having selected the third tab, a threshold amount of third media stream data, the third media stream corresponding to the third tab.

18 . (canceled)

19 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further include:

receiving an initial amount of third media stream data, the initial amount less than the threshold amount;

determining, before receiving additional third media stream data, that the user has selected a fourth tab within the group; and

storing the initial amount of third media stream data in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium.

20 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the operations further include requesting, in response to a determination the user has reselected the third tab within the group, an amount of third media stream data, the requested amount to exclude the initial amount of third media stream data stored in the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium.

21 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , further including:

a first cache for data used to present the first media stream; and

a second cache for data used to present the second media stream.

22 . (canceled)

23 . (canceled)

24 . A method comprising:

playing a first media stream in full screen;

determining a user has selected a visual interface;

after the selection of the visual interface, presenting, in a first region of the visual interface, a group of tabs relevant to the user and a selection of a first tab within the group;

after the selection of the visual interface, playing, in a second region of the visual interface, the first media stream;

determining the user has selected a second tab within the group;

after the selection of the second tab, playing, in the second region of the visual interface, a second media stream corresponding to the second tab;

after the selection of the second tab, determining the user has exited the visual interface without performing an additional selection; and

after exiting the visual interface, playing the second media stream in full screen.

25 .- 27 . (canceled)

28 . The method of claim 24 , further including:

identifying the user has selected a third tab in the group;

requesting, in response to the selection, a threshold amount of third media stream data, the third media stream corresponding to the third tab;

receiving an initial amount of third media stream data, the initial amount less than the threshold amount;

determining, before receiving additional third media stream data, that the user has selected a fourth tab within the group; and

storing the initial amount of third media stream data in memory.

29 - 33 . (canceled)