Media Tag Synchronization via Hash Sequences

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Users face inconvenience in precisely fast-forwarding through commercial breaks in media content streams, as existing technologies lack efficient methods for accurately navigating and synchronizing tagged segments across media devices.

Innovation Solution

The development of tag data creation and synchronization techniques that enable media devices to accurately jump to specific segments within media content items by using hash value sequence data and timed metadata, even when dealing with transcoded content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If users manually fast forward through commercial breaks, then they can skip advertisement content, but the navigation precision is limited and the operation becomes inconvenient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation precisionVSAvoidoperation convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically detecting commercial break segments and pre-calculating skip points before user interaction. Tag data is created in advance that identifies exact transition points between program content and commercials, allowing the device to jump precisely to the next program segment without requiring manual fast-forwarding operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces tag data as an intermediary element that mediates between the user's desire to skip commercials and the media player's ability to navigate content. These tags serve as markers that enable precise jumping to specific segments, acting as a bridge that transforms imprecise manual fast-forwarding into accurate automated navigation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If tag data is created for one version of media content, then navigation accuracy is improved, but synchronization becomes difficult when dealing with different versions or transcoded content

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetag data accuracyVSAvoidversion compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system adapts tag data by changing temporal parameters to match different versions of media content. When content is transcoded or re-encoded, the system detects timing shifts and adjusts the tag data accordingly, modifying the timecodes and segment boundaries to maintain accuracy across different encodings and versions of the same content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic tag data that can adapt and transform based on the media content version being played. Rather than using static timestamps, the system creates flexible tag structures that can be recalibrated when content properties change, allowing the same tag data to remain accurate across multiple transcoding operations and device platforms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12316902B2Synchronizing media content tag data

Publication Date: 2025.05.27 ADEIA MEDIA SOLUTIONS INC

AI summary

Tag data is created from in-band data in a media content item by a remote location while the media content item is being broadcasted by a content provider and received by the remote location. The tag data identifies locations in the media content item which enables media devices to accurately jump to particular locations in the media content item based on the tag data.