AI Ad-Break Prediction Using Black Frames and Audio Continuity

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge of identifying content-aware ad-breaks in diverse visual media content libraries is costly and time-consuming due to the manual process, which is impractical with the increasing volume of content production, necessitating an AI-based solution for automating this process.

Innovation Solution

An AI-based system utilizing machine learning models to predict ad-breaks in visual media content, including ad-slugged and seamless content, by analyzing video and audio frames for black and silent frames, and detecting narrative transitions, with optional human feedback for improvement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual evaluation by human editors is used to identify ad-breaks, then ad-break placement accuracy is improved, but processing time and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvead-break placement accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual human editor evaluation with an automated machine learning system that analyzes video and audio features. The ML model processes content objectively without human intervention, substituting the manual mechanical process with an automated computational system that maintains accuracy while dramatically reducing processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables content to evaluate itself for suitable ad-break points through automated analysis of its own video and audio features. The ML model processes the content's intrinsic characteristics (black frames, silent frames, narrative transitions) to identify optimal ad-break locations without requiring external human evaluation, making the process self-service and highly scalable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If manual evaluation by human editors is used to identify ad-breaks, then ad-break placement accuracy is improved, but production cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvead-break placement accuracyVSAvoidproduction cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the expensive mechanical system of human editor labor with an automated machine learning system. This substitution eliminates the need to pay human editors for manual evaluation, significantly reducing production costs while maintaining ad-break placement accuracy through objective algorithmic analysis of content features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The content evaluation process becomes self-service, where the ML model automatically analyzes video and audio features to identify ad-break points without requiring human labor. This eliminates the cost of human editorial services while maintaining high accuracy through automated processing of content characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If automated methods are used to identify ad-breaks, then processing speed is improved, but ad-break placement accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidad-break placement accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements an automated machine learning system that processes content at high speed while maintaining accuracy. The ML model analyzes video frames for black frames, audio for silent frames, and detects narrative transitions automatically, achieving both fast processing and accurate ad-break identification without requiring manual human evaluation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameters of analysis by examining multiple content features simultaneously (video black frames, audio silent frames, narrative transitions) rather than relying on a single parameter. This multi-parameter approach enables the automated system to achieve high accuracy comparable to human editors while maintaining fast processing speed through efficient algorithmic evaluation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Measurement precision

If human editors manually evaluate each content title, then content awareness of ad-breaks is improved, but scalability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent awareness accuracyVSAvoidscalability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual human editor evaluation with an automated ML system that can process unlimited content at high speed. The system analyzes video and audio features to identify content-aware ad-breaks automatically, enabling scalability to handle large content libraries without the bottleneck of human editorial capacity while maintaining accurate content awareness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

Each content title is evaluated autonomously by the ML model without requiring human editor involvement. The system processes content independently, analyzing its own video and audio characteristics to identify suitable ad-break points, enabling unlimited parallel processing and scaling to large content libraries without additional human resources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12587693B2Artificially intelligent ad-break prediction
Publication Date: 2026.03.24 DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC
  • US12587693B2 patent drawing
  • US12587693B2 patent drawing
  • US12587693B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A system includes a hardware processor and a memory storing software code. The software code is executed to receive media content including a video and an audio component, recognize the media content as ad-slugged or seamless content, and detect black video frames of the media content. For ad-slugged content, the software code further detects silent video frames, and identifies, using the black video frames and the silent video frames, candidate ad-insertion point(s) and a probability score associated with each, to provide ad-break prediction(s). For seamless content, the software code performs evaluations of blackness transitions between sequential video frames, and one or more evaluations of audio continuity across respective one or more sequences of the black video frames, and identifies, using the black video frames and the evaluations, candidate ad-insertion point(s) and a probability score associated with each to provide ad-break prediction(s). The ad-break prediction(s) are further provided as system outputs.