Commercial Rating Metadata Embedding for Selective Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current media systems fail to effectively block inappropriate or undesired commercials during the display of media content, particularly for children, as they do not apply TV Parental Guidelines to commercials, leading to exposure to violent or controversial previews and advertisements.
Innovation Solution
Embedding metadata with ratings or content flags into media guidance application data for commercials, allowing user equipment devices to analyze and block commercials based on parental control settings, using techniques such as closed captioning, audio recognition, and image analysis to determine compliance with set restrictions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If TV Parental Guidelines are applied to commercials, then children are protected from inappropriate content, but device complexity increases due to metadata embedding and analysis requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary classification and rating of commercials before they are displayed to viewers. Metadata containing rating information is embedded into the commercial data in advance, allowing the set-top box to make blocking decisions without real-time analysis complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A metadata layer acts as an intermediary between the commercial content and the parental control system. The metadata contains pre-analyzed rating information that simplifies the decision-making process, avoiding the need for complex real-time content analysis.
2Ease of operation
If commercials are blocked based on rating comparisons, then selective blocking is achieved, but loss of information occurs when blocked commercials cannot be replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates substitute commercials that replicate the functional role of blocked commercials. These replacement commercials are selected from an available pool and inserted to maintain the commercial break structure, ensuring viewers don't notice the substitution.
Solution Approach 2:
When a commercial is blocked, the system discards the inappropriate content but recovers the commercial slot by inserting a suitable replacement. This maintains the overall program structure and timing while eliminating harmful content.
3Reliability
If parental controls are pre-configured for all programs, then blocking effectiveness is improved, but ease of operation decreases due to setup complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal parental control mechanism that applies to all programs and commercials regardless of specific content. A single set of parental control settings automatically governs all commercial blocking decisions across different programs, eliminating the need for program-specific configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The set-top box automatically performs commercial rating comparisons and blocking decisions based on pre-configured parental controls. The system serves itself by making autonomous blocking decisions without requiring user intervention for each commercial, simplifying operation while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for blocking inappropriate or undesired media content. Commercials are reviewed and assigned ratings or other attributes. Metadata including one or more flags identifying a commercial's rating or other attribute is embedded or inserted into media guidance application data for the commercial or for the media content during which the commercial is to be displayed. The media guidance application data is then sent to a viewer's equipment. The equipment receives the media guidance application data, parses the data for the metadata, and then determines if the commercial can be displayed based on parental control restrictions set by a user.