Dynamic Ad Selection in Offline Playback Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for recording and playback of live broadcasts, such as DVRs, often include irrelevant or outdated advertisements due to time-sensitive content, location-specific ads, or low relevance, which are not updated during playback.
Innovation Solution
A playback device stores candidate advertisements and applies rules based on playback time, user profile, and location to select and update relevant ads dynamically during playback, ensuring freshness and relevance without network connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If advertisements are fetched from external devices at the time of playback, then the ads can be updated to be more relevant, but the playback device requires network connectivity which may not be available
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by fetching and storing candidate advertisements before playback occurs. The playback device maintains a local cache of candidate ads that were retrieved in advance, allowing ad selection during playback without requiring network connectivity at the time of playback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the ad selection and playback rules within the playback device itself. Instead of relying on external devices for ad selection during playback, the rules are embedded in the playback device, enabling it to autonomously select from stored candidate advertisements without network access.
2Ease of operation
If candidate adverts are stored in the playback device, then ads can be selected without network connectivity, but the device must manage storage and update mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The playback device performs self-service by autonomously selecting advertisements from stored candidates using embedded rules. The device independently evaluates candidate ads against stored criteria and makes selection decisions without external intervention or network connectivity, simplifying operation while managing complexity internally.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces dynamics by allowing the set of candidate advertisements to be updated and modified over time. The playback device can receive updated candidate ads and replace old candidates, enabling the system to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining offline capability through local storage management.
3Adaptability or versatility
If ads are selected based on playback time rules, then relevance is improved, but the system requires complex rule application logic
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary action by pre-defining and storing playback rules that specify how advertisements should be selected based on timing criteria. These rules are prepared in advance and stored within the playback device, enabling automatic time-based ad selection during playback without requiring complex real-time decision logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes parameter changes by using playback time as a dynamic parameter to trigger different advertisement selections. The stored rules evaluate temporal parameters (such as whether playback is occurring live or on-demand, and current time relative to program content) to automatically select appropriate advertisements, simplifying the logic through parameter-based decision making.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of playing media content including an advertising period at a playback device. The method includes: storing the media content in the playback device for playback to a user of the playback device; storing an indication of the playback time of the advertising period relative to the playback time of the media content; storing a plurality of candidate adverts for playing in the adverting period of the media content; playing the stored media content to the user; identifying, on playing of the stored media content, a point in time corresponding to the playback time of the advertising period; applying, responsive thereto, playback rules to determine an advert to be played from the candidate adverts; and playing the determined advert at the playback time of the advertising period.