Abstract: When a media client is receiving a media stream, the media client determines an upcoming time point at which the media client is to perform a content revision involving insertion (e.g., substitution or overlaying) of new content. The media client further determines an advanced time point when the media client should initiate a process of acquiring the new content, setting the advanced time point sufficiently in advance of the upcoming content-revision time point to enable the media client to obtain at least enough of the new content to be able to start the content revision on time. In an example implementation, the media client could determine the advanced time point by predicting how long the content-acquisition process will take, based on consideration of past instances of content acquisition, possibly correlated with operational factors such as content source, processor load, memory load, network speed, and time of day.

Abstract: Example systems and methods represent audio using a sequence of two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transforms (2DFTs), and such a sequence may be used by a specially configured machine to perform audio identification, such as for automated cover song identification. Such systems and methods are robust to timbral changes, time skews, and pitch skews that occur in cover songs found in content repositories. The systems and methods allow copyright holders to search the content repositories for unlicensed cover song.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) providing, by a playback device, replacement media content for display; (ii) determining, by the playback device, that a remote control transmitted to the playback device an instruction configured to cause a modification to operation of the playback device while the playback device displays the replacement media content; (iii) determining, by the playback device based on the instruction, an overlay that the playback device is configured to provide for display in conjunction with the modification; (iv) determining, by the playback device, a region within a display of the playback device corresponding to the overlay; and (v) modifying, by the playback device, a transparency of the region such that the overlay is visible through the replacement media content when the playback device provides the overlay for display.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for a broadcast profiling system. An example method includes comparing a preference included in a user profile with a portion of a content station profile to determine whether the preference satisfies a threshold difference from the portion of the content station profile, the content station profile including (1) a first characteristic of first broadcast data associated with a first time context and a first count associated with first identifying information and (2) a second characteristic of second broadcast data associated with a second time context and a second count associated with second identifying information; in response to the threshold difference being satisfied, generating a station recommendation for a user associated with the user profile; and transmitting an instruction associated with the user, the instruction including the station recommendation, the instruction configured to cause a radio pre-set to be adjusted.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and systems that operate to provide interactive streaming content identification and processing are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a classifier to determine an audio characteristic value representative of an characteristic; a transition detector to detect a transition between a music category and a talk category by comparing the audio characteristic value to a threshold value among a set of threshold values, the set of threshold values corresponding to the music category and the talk category; and a context manager to control a device to initiate extraction of fingerprints, responsive to the detected transition between the music category and the talk category.

Abstract: A client device accesses a video input stream from an intermediate device for display. The client device analyzes the video input stream to determine that the video input stream matches a template corresponding to a screen portion. Based on the video input stream matching the template, a video output stream is generated and caused to be presented on a display. In some example embodiments, the analysis is performed while the client device is replacing video content received from a content source via the intermediate device. For example, commercials transmitted from a national content provider to a smart TV via a set-top box may be replaced with targeted commercials. During the replacement, menus generated by the set-top box may be detected and the replacement video altered by the smart TV to include the menus.

Abstract: A media client ascertains a plurality of matching points between (i) query fingerprints representing a media stream being received by the client and (ii) reference fingerprints, each identified matching point defining a respective match between a query fingerprint that is timestamped with client time defined according to a clock of the client and a reference fingerprint that is timestamped with true time defined according to a timeline within a known media stream. Further, the client performs linear regression based on the timestamps of the ascertained plurality of matching points, to establish a mapping between true time and client time. The client then uses the established mapping as a basis to determine a client-time point at which the client should perform an action with respect to media stream being received by the client. And the client performs the action at the determined client-time point.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, articles of manufacture, and methods for volume adjustment are disclosed herein. An example method includes identifying media represented in an audio signal, accessing metadata associated with the media in response to identify the media in the audio signal, determining, based on the metadata, an average volume for the media, and adjusting an output volume of the audio signal based on an average gain value, the average gain value determined based on the average volume for the media.

Abstract: Example methods and systems for inserting information into playing content are described. In some example embodiments, the methods and systems may identify a break in content playing via a playback device, select an information segment representative of information received by the playback device to present during the identified break, and insert the information segment into the content playing via the playback device upon an occurrence of the identified break.

Abstract: In an example implementation, a method is described. The implementation accesses a plurality of media clips including a first video clip and a second video clip, matches a first fingerprint of the first video clip with a second fingerprint of the second video clip. The implementation also matches a first event location of the first video clip with a second event location of the second video clip, determines an overlap of the first video clip with the second video clip based at least in part on the match of the first fingerprint with the second fingerprint and the match of the first event location with the second event location, merges the first and second video clips into a group of overlapping video clips based on the overlap, and generates a presentation that includes the group formed by merging the first and second video clips based on the overlap.

Abstract: Example methods and systems for modifying the playback of content using pre-processed profile information are described. In some example embodiments, the methods and systems may access a stream of content to be delivered to a playback device, identify a piece of content within the stream of content to be delivered to the playback device, determine a profile for the identified piece of content, and deliver the determined profile to the playback device. In some example embodiments, the methods and systems may receive a stream of content at a playback device, access profile information associated with the stream of content, and modify playback of the stream of content based on the accessed profile information.

Abstract: Methods and systems to insert advertisements and/or other supplemental or replacement content into a stream of video content are described. In some example embodiments, the methods and systems receive a request to replace a portion of video content currently playing at a client device with supplemental video content, such as an advertisement. In response to the request, the methods and systems determine one or more fingerprints of the video content plating at the client device, identify one or more frames of the video content at which to insert the supplemental video content based on the one or more fingerprints, and insert the supplemental video content at the identified one or more frames of the video content.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) presenting, by a playback device, first media content from a first source; (ii) encountering, by the playback device, a trigger to switch from presenting the first media content from the first source to presenting second media content from a second source; (iii) determining, by the playback device, that the playback device is presenting the first media content from the first source in a muted state; and (iv) responsive to encountering the trigger, and based on the determining that the playback device is presenting the first media content from the first source in a muted state, presenting, by the playback device, the second media content from the second source in the muted state.

Abstract: A machine is configured to identify a media file that, when played to a user, is likely to modify an emotional or physical state of the user to or towards a target emotional or physical state. The machine accesses play counts that quantify playbacks of media files for the user. The playbacks may be locally performed or detected by the machine from ambient sound. The machine accesses arousal scores of the media files and determines a distribution of the play counts over the arousal scores. The machine uses one or more relative maxima in the distribution in selecting a target arousal score for the user based on contextual data that describes an activity of the user. The machine selects one or more media files based on the target arousal score. The machine may then cause the selected media file to be played to the user.

Abstract: A media client ascertains a plurality of matching points between (i) query fingerprints representing a media stream being received by the client and (ii) reference fingerprints, each identified matching point defining a respective match between a query fingerprint that is timestamped with client time defined according to a clock of the client and a reference fingerprint that is timestamped with true time defined according to a timeline within a known media stream. Further, the client performs linear regression based on the timestamps of the ascertained plurality of matching points, to establish a mapping between true time and client time. The client then uses the established mapping as a basis to determine a client-time point at which the client should perform an action with respect to media stream being received by the client. And the client performs the action at the determined client-time point.

Abstract: In an example implementation, a method is described. The implementation accesses a plurality of media clips and metadata for the plurality of media clips. The implementation also uses the metadata for the plurality of media clips to select, from the plurality of media clips, a subset of media clips including a first media clip and a second media clip. The implementation also matches a first fingerprint of at least a part of the first media clip with a second fingerprint of at least a part of the second media clip. The implementation also determines a temporal overlap of the first media clip with the second media clip based at least in part on the match. The implementation also, based on the temporal overlap, merges the first media clip and the second media clip into a group of overlapping media clips, and generates a presentation that includes the group.

Abstract: In an example implementation, a method is described. The implementation accesses a plurality of media clips including a first video clip and a second video clip. The implementation also matches a first fingerprint of at least a part of the first video clip with a second fingerprint of at least a part of the second video clip. The implementation also determines a temporal overlap of the first video clip with the second video clip based at least in part on the match. The implementation also, based on the temporal overlap of the first video clip with the second video clip, merges the first video clip and the second video clip into a group of overlapping video clips, and transmits, to a client computing device, data identifying the group of overlapping video clips and specifying a synchronization of the first video clip with the second video clip.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for receiving, by a server computer, broadcast data for a content station, determining that the broadcast data comprises a change in content for the content station, determining identifying information associated with the broadcast data, analyzing the identifying information associated with the broadcast data to determine characteristics of the broadcast data, storing the identifying information and the characteristics of the broadcast data, incrementing persona characteristics in a datastore for the content station with the characteristics of the broadcast data, and generating a profile of the content station based on the persona characteristics in the datastore of the content station.

Abstract: A computing system identifies a media stream being received by a client, based on fingerprint matching conducted with query fingerprints generated by the client at a frame rate. The computing system then causes the client to increase the frame rate, in order to facilitate establishment by the computing system of synchronous lock between true time within the media stream and client time according to a clock of the client. The computing system then uses the established synchronous lock as a basis to map a true-time point at which a content revision should be performed in the media stream to a client-time point at which the client should perform the content revision. And the computing system causes the client to perform the content revision at the determined client-time point.

Abstract: A neural network-based classifier system can receive a query including a media signal and, in response, provide an indication that the query corresponds to a specified media type or media class. The neural network-based classifier system can select and apply various models to facilitate media classification. In an example embodiment, a query can be analyzed for various characteristics, such as a noise profile, before it is input to the network-based classifier. If the query has greater than a specified threshold noise characteristic, then a successful classification can be unlikely and a classification process based on the query can be terminated before computational resources are expended. Query signals that meet or exceed a threshold condition can be provided to the network-based classifier for media classification. In an example embodiment, a remote device or a central media classifier circuit can determine a noise profile for a query.