645results about "Broadcast observation/testing/troubleshooting" patented technology

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for editing the content of a broadcast programming signal to provide a proprietary program signal that has been tailored to the preferences of an individual monitoring the broadcast programming signal. Accordingly, the systems and methods of the invention offer computer-integrated television monitoring.

In a broadband communications system, e.g., a cable system, programming content can be readily reserved and accessed for viewing using an interactive program guide, a network home graphic user interface (GUI), Quick View Guide, etc., in accordance with the invention. Such programming content may include in-progress programs, future programs and previously broadcast programs which are recorded at a headend in the cable system, and which may or may not have overlapping broadcast times. In addition, the user may reserve programs at a set-top terminal, and may also do so remotely from the terminal through a communications network such as, the Internet, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a wireless telephone network, etc.

Apparatus and methods for including a code having at least one code frequency component in an audio signal are provided. The abilities of various frequency components in the audio signal to mask the code frequency component to human hearing are evaluated and based on these evaluations an amplitude is assigned to the code frequency component. Methods and apparatus for detecting a code in an encoded audio signal are also provided. A code frequency component in the encoded audio signal is detected based on an expected code amplitude or on a noise amplitude within a range of audio frequencies including the frequency of the code component.

Systems and methods are provided for gathering audience measurement data relating to receipt of and/or exposure to audio data by an audience member. Audio data is monitored to detect a monitoring code. Based on detection of the monitoring code, a signature characterizing the audio data is extracted.

The method and apparatus operates in a television receiver to identify unwanted broadcast segments, such as commercial advertisements, of a television signal in real-time for the purpose of selectively altering the television display during each unwanted segment. A signature pattern associated with each segment of the television signal is detected and compared to stored signature patterns representative of selected segments such as commercial advertisement segments. If the signature pattern matches one of the stored signature patterns, the segment is thereby immediately identified as being one of the selected segments and is processed in real-time to mute or otherwise alter the television signal during the segment. If the signature pattern of the segment does not match any of the stored signature patterns, the segment is analyzed to determine whether the segment is nevertheless a selected segment and, if so, its signature pattern is stored along with the stored signature patterns.

An acoustic channel is used for fault diagnosis, repair, and upgrades. Remote diagnosis uses self-test data encoded into sound waves. Repair data and upgrades are also encoded and transmitted as sound waves.

A television signal substitution system that replaces standard video segments with selected replacement portions. Video segments such as advertisements are detected using techniques such as fingerprinting or manual detection. The detected video segment is replaced with a selected replacement portion and output to an output device.

Delivery of content such as advertisements to audience members. Profile data is collected regarding audience members to whom advertisements may be delivered, such that a given audience member has an established profile data. Upon receiving a request to serve an advertisement to an audience member, a recognition that the target of the request is the given audience member is made. Then it is determined that a particular advertisement should be served to the given audience member. The determination includes recognition of the given audience member and corresponding selection advertisements optimized for the recognized audience member. A configurable delivery decision making mode allows pre-optimized as well as delivery time factoring for determining advertisements. Performance criteria and revenue allocation based upon data provider participation are also provided.

Systems and methods are provided for gathering audience measurement data relating to receipt of and/or exposure to audio data by an audience member. A signature characterizing the audio data and additional data are obtained, and the audio data is identified based on both.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for monitoring usage of a channel, including monitoring upstream information, and determining usage of the channel in response to the monitoring is disclosed. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a service module for monitoring usage of a channel includes a data input operative to monitor upstream information, and a processor that determines usage of the channel in response to the data input is disclosed. In accordance with another aspect of present invention, the method and module also include monitoring video delivery path performance and detecting potential denial-of-service (DoS) attacks to video servers is disclosed.

A new media identification system is disclosed. In one aspect, a system may comprise at least one analysis module for receiving and analyzing an received work and generating a corresponding representation thereof; at least one identification (ID) server for receiving the representation from the at least one analysis module and generating a list of unidentifiable received works. A method for identifying new media is also disclosed. In one aspect, a method may comprise receiving an unidentified segment; determining whether the unidentified segment is similar to previously received unidentified segments; and sequentially arranging similar unidentified segments in a single super segment.

A viewer of an interactive video casting system can be presented with promotions having purchase offers or offers of credits toward future purchases. These promotions can be provided by correlating a program being viewed with user profile information and product information. If presented with the promotion while viewing a program, the viewer can buy products/services offered in the promotion, or defer the promotion for future viewing or as a credit. Credits toward a future purchase can be maintained in a storage area for the user and applied to a later purchase. Promotions can also be correlated to other interactive video casting tools or interfaces, such as the user's calendar, so that promotions relevant to calendar entries can be presented to the user.

Advertising is marked with a code in a way which makes it difficult to fool the system. The advertising is marked with a code at the time the advertising is produced. Then, when the advertising is broadcast, the code on the advertising is analyzed. Different security measures can be used, including producing the code in the closed captioning so that many different people can see the code, or comparing codes in one part of the signal with a code in another part of the signal. Measures are taken to prevent the code from being used to detect commercials. According to another part of this system, a paradigm for a clearinghouse is disclosed in which the user signs up with the clearinghouse, obtains a line of credit, and the advertiser, the agency, and the ad producer also subscribe to the service. When the ad is actually aired, the payment can be automatically transferred.

A method, system, and apparatus for combating ingress influences on network communications. The method, system, and apparatus may be suitable for use in any number of network environments and for identifying, minimizing, or otherwise ameliorating the influence of ingress on network communications.

Advertisers want to deliver their message in a relatively short period of time. This leads to the product name, company name and other identifying features being repeated frequently during a commercial broadcast. Transcript information can be used to detect commercials by detecting frequently occurring words in the commercials. This can also be used to identify an individual commercial from other commercials. Once the individual commercials have been identified, the transcript information corresponding to each commercial can be stored in a database to identify the commercial in subsequent broadcasts, or to provide a search mechanism for searching a particular commercial in the database.

A method and system for extracting segments from a broadcast television signal uses a mean display attribute value of pixels of each successive frame of a video component of the signal to identify segment transitions. Elapsed times between the identified segment transitions are compared with expected durations of segments, in order to detect intervals that are likely to constitute segments. Groups of the detected intervals are subjected to tests to see if they are temporally arranged in an expected distribution typical of segments in broadcast signals. The mean display attribute values concurrent with each detected segment are then used to form a statistical profile for the segment. These statistical profiles may be used to identify re-broadcast segments. Further a stream of mean audio amplitudes is preferably used to supply further segment transitions, to improve segment detection, and to provide more statistical values.

An apparatus for testing a video stream received at a subscriber site includes a coupling for receiving broadband RF signals communicated over a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network, a signal level measurement circuit operably coupled to the coupling, the signal level measurement operable to generate signal level measurements regarding a first set of the broadband RF signals received through the coupling, a communication circuit operable to obtain a stream of video data packets from a second set of broadband RF signals received through the coupling, a processing circuit operably connected to the communication circuit, the processing circuit operable to receive signal level measurements from the signal level measurement circuit and to generate diagnostic data corresponding to the second set of broadband RF signals, the processing circuit further operable to communicate information representative of the signal level measurements and the diagnostic data in human-perceptible form. The apparatus may be housed within a portable unit for transportation to subscriber sites throughout an HFC network.

The invention records real-time radio and television listener data utilizing automated, interactive questions and radio and television broadcast audio segments recorded by telephone, including wireless cell phones. Telephone users are asked to hold their phone in the direction of any broadcast audio they are hearing or listening to. Streaming program audio directly from radio and television broadcasts is matched to the program audio recorded from telephone users using computer audio matching technology. When an audio match is made, recorded data will automatically populate an alpha/numeric database creating a record including fields for identifying the radio or TV station, time of recording, the phone user's 10 digit telephone number and demographic information on the listener. Demographics may be obtained prior to the call or by automated interactive questioning, during a call, with the phone user responding to questions verbally or by pushing appropriate keys on the telephone keypad.

The various embodiments disclosed herein provide methods, systems, and devices for capturing broadcast streams, analyzing the broadcast streams to obtain information about the media content transmitted in the broadcast streams, obtaining additional information about the media content if available, and assigning a unique event identifier specific to the instance of broadcast of the broadcast stream and/or media segment transmitted in the broadcast stream. In other embodiments, the unique event identifier is broadcasted to broadcast receiving devices. With the unique event identifier, broadcast receiving devices can access the obtained information associated with the media content.

A system for automatically tuning a primary broadcast receiver using a secondary broadcast receiver to receive a first broadcast signal corresponding to a source of an origin program, one or more program transition detectors to monitor first broadcast signal tuned by the secondary broadcast receiver to determine and signal a transition from a non-original program content to origin program content while a user views or hears alternate programming from a primary broadcast receiver, and automatically tuning of the primary broadcast receiver to the first broadcast signal upon detection by the program transition detector that one or more of user-specific tune conditions have been met.

Idle Video-On-Demand (VOD) channel capacity is used to deliver promotional content to selected set-top boxes (STBs) in a cable television network. Commercial segment cues are used to instruct a set-top box to switch away from a broadcast program to the VOD channel during a commercial segment, and then switch back again to the original broadcast program at the end of the segment.

More particularly, a promotion server determines an asset to be distributed such as a targeted promotion item (e.g., a commercial), and a list of STBs that are to receive it. The promotion server causes the video promotion content to be stored in VOD servers located at the head ends. A scheduler process then delivers schedule messages to head end message servers which identify each promotion asset, and an STB which is to receive it. The head end message server notifies its associated VOD server which then cues the asset by loading the asset, starting the asset, but pausing it. Prior to the occurrence of a commercial slot in a broadcast program, an asset trigger is inserted into the broadcast stream at the head end. This asset trigger contains general information concerning the asset to be sent, and an idle VOD channel number. The STB receives the asset trigger and readies itself to tune to the VOD channel when cued for at the beginning of a commercial segment, but does not yet tune to the VOD channel. Upon detection of a commercial cue tone in the broadcast channel, the head end message server sends a tune away trigger to the STB, and also instructs the VOD server to start playing the cued promotion. When the STB receives a tune away trigger, it switches from the broadcast channel being played to the selected idle VOD channel, and the promotion is viewed.