Abstract: Audio distortion compensation methods to improve accuracy and efficiency of audio content identification are described. The method is also applicable to speech recognition. Methods to detect the interference from speakers and sources, and distortion to audio from environment and devices are discussed. Additional methods to detect distortion to the content after performing search and correlation are illustrated. The causes of actual distortion at each client are measured and registered and learnt to generate rules for determining likely distortion and interference sources. The learnt rules are applied at the client, and likely distortions that are detected are compensated or heavily distorted sections are ignored at audio level or signature and feature level based on compute resources available. Further methods to subtract the likely distortions in the query at both audio level and after processing at signature and feature level are described.

Abstract: A multi-dimensional database and indexes and operations on the multi-dimensional database are described which include video search applications or other similar sequence or structure searches. Traversal indexes utilize highly discriminative information about images and video sequences or about object shapes. Global and local signatures around keypoints are used for compact and robust retrieval and discriminative information content of images or video sequences of interest. For other objects or structures relevant signature of pattern or structure are used for traversal indexes. Traversal indexes are stored in leaf nodes along with distance measures and occurrence of similar images in the database. During a sequence query, correlation scores are calculated for single frame, for frame sequence, and video clips, or for other objects or structures.

Abstract: The overall architecture and details of a scalable video fingerprinting and identification system that is robust with respect to many classes of video distortions is described. In this system, a fingerprint for a piece of multimedia content is composed of a number of compact signatures, along with traversal hash signatures and associated metadata. Numerical descriptors are generated for features found in a multimedia clip, signatures are generated from these descriptors, and a reference signature database is constructed from these signatures. Query signatures are also generated for a query multimedia clip. These query signatures are searched against the reference database using a fast similarity search procedure, to produce a candidate list of matching signatures. This candidate list is further analyzed to find the most likely reference matches. Signature correlation is performed between the likely reference matches and the query clip to improve detection accuracy.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) determining, by a playback device, a first loudness level of a first portion of first media content from a first source while the playback device presents the first media content, with the first portion having a first length; (ii) switching, by the playback device, from presenting the first media content from the first source to presenting second media content from a second source; (iii) based on the switching, determining, by the playback device, second loudness levels of second portions of the first media content while the playback device presents the second media content, with the second portions having a second length that is shorter than the first length; and (iv) while the playback device presents the second media content, adjusting, by the playback device, a volume of the playback device based on one or more of the second loudness levels.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes (i) accessing, by a computing system, broadcast-schedule data associated with a channel; (ii) using, by the computing system, the accessed broadcast-schedule data to identify an upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel; (iii) determining, by the computing system, that a content-presentation device is receiving content on the channel; (iv) determining, by the computing system, a content-transmission delay associated with the content-presentation device and the channel; and (v) causing, by the computing system, the content-presentation device to perform an action to facilitate the content-presentation device performing, during a time-period that accounts for the determined content-transmission delay, a content-modification operation related to the identified upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) determining, by a playback device, a loudness level of first media content that the playback device is receiving from a first source; (ii) comparing, by the playback device, the determined loudness level of the first media content with a reference loudness level indicated by a loudness level profile for the first media content; (iii) determining, by the playback device, a target volume level for the playback device based on a difference between the determined loudness level of the first media content and the reference loudness level; and (iv) while the playback device presents second media content from a second source in place of the first media content, adjusting, by the playback device, a volume of the playback device toward the target volume level.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) determining, by a playback device, a first loudness level of a first portion of first media content from a first source while the playback device presents the first media content, with the first portion having a first length; (ii) switching, by the playback device, from presenting the first media content from the first source to presenting second media content from a second source; (iii) based on the switching, determining, by the playback device, second loudness levels of second portions of the first media content while the playback device presents the second media content, with the second portions having a second length that is shorter than the first length; and (iv) while the playback device presents the second media content, adjusting, by the playback device, a volume of the playback device based on one or more of the second loudness levels.

Abstract: The overall architecture and details of a scalable video fingerprinting and identification system that is robust with respect to many classes of video distortions is described. In this system, a fingerprint for a piece of multimedia content is composed of a number of compact signatures, along with traversal hash signatures and associated metadata. Numerical descriptors are generated for features found in a multimedia clip, signatures are generated from these descriptors, and a reference signature database is constructed from these signatures. Query signatures are also generated for a query multimedia clip. These query signatures are searched against the reference database using a fast similarity search procedure, to produce a candidate list of matching signatures. This candidate list is further analyzed to find the most likely reference matches. Signature correlation is performed between the likely reference matches and the query clip to improve detection accuracy.

Abstract: The overall architecture and details of a scalable video fingerprinting and identification system that is robust with respect to many classes of video distortions is described. In this system, a fingerprint for a piece of multimedia content is composed of a number of compact signatures, along with traversal hash signatures and associated metadata. Numerical descriptors are generated for features found in a multimedia clip, signatures are generated from these descriptors, and a reference signature database is constructed from these signatures. Query signatures are also generated for a query multimedia clip. These query signatures are searched against the reference database using a fast similarity search procedure, to produce a candidate list of matching signatures. This candidate list is further analyzed to find the most likely reference matches. Signature correlation is performed between the likely reference matches and the query clip to improve detection accuracy.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to improve media identification. An example apparatus includes a hash handler to generate a first set of reference matches by performing hash functions on a subset of media data associated with media to generate hashed media data based on a first bucket size, a candidate determiner to identify a second set of reference matches that include ones of the first set, the second set including ones having first quantities of hits that did not satisfy a threshold, determine second quantities of hits for ones of the second set by matching ones to the hash tables based on a second bucket size, and identify one or more candidate matches based on at least one of (1) ones of the first set or (2) ones of the second set, and a report generator to generate a report including a media identification.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes an input buffer receiving content; accessing the content from the input buffer and extracting from the accessed content, in-band message data that indicates a start time associated with a content-modification opportunity for a content-presentation device; the input buffer transmitting the content to a delay buffer; the delay buffer receiving the content from the input buffer and, after a delay time-period, transmitting the content to an output buffer; the output buffer receiving the content from the delay buffer and outputting for presentation a portion of the content; and after outputting for presentation the portion of the content and proximate a time-point associated with the indicated start-time, starting to perform a content-modification operation in connection with the content-modification opportunity.

Abstract: A mobile device responds in real time to media content presented on a media device, such as a television. The mobile device captures temporal fragments of audio-video content on its microphone, camera, or both and generates corresponding audio-video query fingerprints. The query fingerprints are transmitted to a search server located remotely or used with a search function on the mobile device for content search and identification. Audio features are extracted and audio signal global onset detection is used for input audio frame alignment. Additional audio feature signatures are generated from local audio frame onsets, audio frame frequency domain entropy, and maximum change in the spectral coefficients. Video frames are analyzed to find a television screen in the frames, and a detected active television quadrilateral is used to generate video fingerprints to be combined with audio fingerprints for more reliable content identification.

Abstract: A multi-dimensional database and indexes and operations on the multi-dimensional database are described which include video search applications or other similar sequence or structure searches. Traversal indexes utilize highly discriminative information about images and video sequences or about object shapes. Global and local signatures around keypoints are used for compact and robust retrieval and discriminative information content of images or video sequences of interest. For other objects or structures relevant signature of pattern or structure are used for traversal indexes. Traversal indexes are stored in leaf nodes along with distance measures and occurrence of similar images in the database. During a sequence query, correlation scores are calculated for single frame, for frame sequence, and video clips, or for other objects or structures.

Abstract: Techniques are described that exclude use of “stop-fingerprints” from media database formation and search query to an automatic content recognition (ACR) systems based on media content fingerprints updated by stop-fingerprint analysis. A classification process is presented which takes in fingerprints from reference media files as an input and produces a modified set of fingerprints as an output by applying a novel stop-fingerprint classification algorithm. Architecture for the distributed stop-fingerprint generation is presented. Various cases, as stop-fingerprints generation for the entire reference database, stop-fingerprints generation for the individual reference fingerprint files, and temporal fingerprint classification obtained through intermediate steps of the temporal fingerprint classification algorithm are presented. A hash-based signature classification algorithm is also described.

Abstract: Techniques are described that exclude use of “stop-fingerprints” from media database formation and search query to an automatic content recognition (ACR) systems based on media content fingerprints updated by stop-fingerprint analysis. A classification process is presented which takes in fingerprints from reference media files as an input and produces a modified set of fingerprints as an output by applying a novel stop-fingerprint classification algorithm. Architecture for the distributed stop-fingerprint generation is presented. Various cases, as stop-fingerprints generation for the entire reference database, stop-fingerprints generation for the individual reference fingerprint files, and temporal fingerprint classification obtained through intermediate steps of the temporal fingerprint classification algorithm are presented. A hash-based signature classification algorithm is also described.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes (i) accessing, by a computing system, broadcast-schedule data associated with a channel; (ii) using, by the computing system, the accessed broadcast-schedule data to identify an upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel; (iii) determining, by the computing system, that a content-presentation device is receiving content on the channel; (iv) determining, by the computing system, a content-transmission delay associated with the content-presentation device and the channel; and (v) causing, by the computing system, the content-presentation device to perform an action to facilitate the content-presentation device performing, during a time-period that accounts for the determined content-transmission delay, a content-modification operation related to the identified upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel.

Abstract: The disclosure provides for use of steganographically-encoded data as a basis to control content modification. A server could determine through a fingerprint comparison that a portion of media content on a channel being rendered by a content presentation device matches at least one modifiable-content segment, such as at least one replaceable ad. The server could then use watermark data encoded in the media content of the channel as a basis to determine an actual identity of a modifiable-content segment present on the channel, so as to then control content modification.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method for use in connection with a content-presentation device including a first input buffer, a second input buffer, and an output buffer, wherein the content-presentation device is configured such that content from either the first input buffer or the second input buffer can be communicated to the output buffer, includes: (i) receiving, from the content-presentation device, an identifier associated with the content-presentation device; (ii) using mapping data to map the received identifier to a baseline input-to-output delay, which represents a time-period between when content is input into the first input buffer and output by the output buffer; and (iii) transmitting, to the content-presentation device, the mapped baseline input-to-output delay to the content-presentation device to facilitate the content-presentation device (a) determining an input-buffer switching delay, and (b) using the determined input-buffer switching delay to facilitate performing a content-modification operation.

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 while the playback device is displaying the replacement media content a remote control transmitted an instruction to a media device that provides media content to the playback device; (iii) determining, by the playback device, a playback-modification action corresponding to the instruction and the media device; and (iv) modifying, by the playback device, playback of the replacement media content in accordance with the playback-modification action.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes identifying an upcoming content-modification opportunity on a channel, where the upcoming content-modification opportunity relates to a modifiable content-segment transmitted by a content-distribution system on the channel, and where the modifiable content-segment includes an overlay content portion and a non-overlay content portion. The method also includes responsive to identifying the upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel, identifying a content-presentation device tuned to the channel. The method also includes determining location data associated with the overlay content portion.