Abstract: A system for identifying motion video content, with a registered fingerprint database in advance for video contents of broadcasting video signals, wherein said system at least comprises a frame buffer into which a consecutive of video frame images of a motion video content to be identified are stored; a frame sampler by which sample values on the video frame images are obtained; a fingerprint store in which the sample values are held as a fingerprint A for search in the fingerprint database; and a matcher which performs a fingerprint pattern matching algorithm between the fingerprint A for search in the fingerprint database and fingerprints B contained in the fingerprint database so as to determine whether the motion video content has ever been broadcasted before. The system according to the present invention can effectively organize, archive, and search video content; lower the cost of digital storage devices; and identify video content efficiently and with minimal or no human interactions.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for blocking specific television commercials from the viewer's television based upon the characteristics of the television commercial. In the method, characteristics from a first signal containing a television commercial received at a television are determined. The characteristics may include video and/or audio characteristics, and the characteristics may define a signature. Characteristics from a second signal, also containing the television commercial, are also received and are compared to the first signature. Upon recognizing the second signal, the television commercial is blocked.

Abstract: Systems, methods, devices, and computer program products provide social and interactive applications for mass media based on real time ambient-audio and/or video identification. In some implementations, a method includes: receiving descriptors identifying ambient audio associated with a media broadcast; comparing the descriptors to one or more reference descriptors; and determining a rating for the media broadcast based at least in part on the results of the comparison.

Abstract: Reporting data related to content processing devices, e.g., television devices, are processed to identify channel tunes and corresponding tune times of the content processing devices. Automatically generated channel tunes based on the corresponding tune times are identified. Content items that are aired during a time period defined by the corresponding tune times can be adjusted.

Abstract: A method for identifying motion video content, forming a registered fingerprint database in advance for video contents of broadcasting video signals, wherein said method at least comprises the steps of storing a consecutive of video frame images of a motion video content to be identified into a frame buffer; obtaining sample values on the video frame images by a frame sampler; holding the sample values in a fingerprint store as a fingerprint A for search in the fingerprint database; and performing a fingerprint pattern matching algorithm between the fingerprint A for search in the fingerprint database and fingerprints B contained in the fingerprint database so as to determine whether the motion video content has ever been broadcasted before. The method according to the present invention can effectively organize, archive, and search video content; lower the cost of digital storage devices; and identify video content efficiently and with minimal or no human interactions.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture for determining an operating mode of a recording/playing device are disclosed. An example apparatus includes an extractor to extract signatures associated with a first signal associated with a tuner that is to tune to a program signal, a second signal associated with a recording/playing device that is to at least one of record and play a program, and a third signal associated with a receiver coupled to the recording/playing device. The example apparatus also includes a recording detector to detect a recording signal generated by the recording/playing device during recording of the program to form a recorded program. Also included is a correlator to correlate the first, second, and third signals and a processor to identify the operating mode of the recording/playing device based on detection of the recording signal and correlation of two or more of the first, second, and third signals.

Abstract: A broadcast system, method and apparatus providing content on demand. Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses for rating content to be broadcast or to be broadcast potentially from a server. Additional aspects of particular embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatuses for automatically managing storage resources of client systems. For one embodiment of the present invention, a user consumes a number of data files each having an associated temporal metadata table (TMDT). Each TMDT contains a plurality of time-indexed entries, each entry containing metadata describing a segment of the corresponding data file. The TMDT and user interaction during consumption of a one or more data files are used to create a preference profile table (PPT) for the user. The PPT is stored at the client system and is used to evaluate subsequent content. Such evaluation is used to determine broadcast schedules or automatically manage storage resources.

Abstract: A computational recommendation engine is described. In embodiment(s), identifiers of ranked programs can be distributed to television client devices, and then a viewing vector from each of the television client devices can be received where the viewing vectors indicate which of the ranked programs have been displayed for viewing at different ones of the television client devices. A client devices group can be created that includes a subset of the television client devices based on the viewing vectors that are received from respective ones of the television client devices. A ranked program can be determined that has not been displayed for viewing by some of the television client devices in the client devices group, and a recommendation of the ranked program can be communicated to the television client devices in the client devices group that have not had the ranked program displayed for viewing.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for security screening image analysis simplification through object pattern identification. Popular consumer electronics and other items are scanned in a control system, which creates an electronic signature for each known object. The system may reduce the signature to a hash value and place each signature for each known object in a “known good” storage set. For example, popular mobile phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, and the like may be scanned for the known good signature database. At the time of scan, such as at an airport, objects in a bag may be rotated to a common axis alignment and transformed to the same signature or hash value to match against the known good signature database. If an item matches, the scanning system marks it as a known safe object.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a method for identifying individuals in a multimedia stream originating from a video conferencing terminal or a Multipoint Control Unit, including executing a face detection process on the multimedia stream; defining subsets including facial images of one or more individuals, where the subsets are ranked according to a probability that their respective one or more individuals will appear in a video stream; comparing a detected face to the subsets in consecutive order starting with a most probable subset, until a match is found; and storing an identity of the detected face as searchable metadata in a content database in response to the detected face matching a facial image in one of the subsets.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting unauthorized use of a user equipment device are provided. An instruction is transmitted, using communications circuitry of a handheld device, to the user equipment device directing the user equipment device to display a unique identifier associated with the user equipment simultaneously with media content. An image of the media content and unique identifier simultaneously displayed on a display screen coupled to the user equipment device is captured using camera equipment of the handheld device. The image is automatically processed with the handheld device to extract the unique identifier from the image. The extracted unique identifier is cross-referenced, using the handheld device, with user account information associated with the user equipment device to determine whether use of the user equipment device is unauthorized.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to maintain audience privacy while determining viewing of video-on-demand (VOD) programs are disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to enforce a power off state of an audience measurement device during shipping of the device are disclosed herein. An example portable audience measurement device includes a housing, a media detector in the housing to collect media exposure data and a packaging sensor to detect a stimulus generated within the package. A packaging detector compares the detected stimulus to a criterion to determine whether the device is located within the package.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses detect an active device configured to utilize content; identify the content and a current location of the content; detect an idle device configured to selectively deliver the content; detect a transition parameter for determining a transition to the idle device; and transition the content from the active device to the idle device wherein the idle device is capable of utilizing the content based on the transition parameter.

Abstract: Systems and methods for describing video content establish video description records which include an object set (24), an object hierarchy (26) and entity relation graphs (28). Video objects can include global objects, segment objects and local objects. The video objects are further defined by a number of features organized in classes, which in turn are further defined by a number of feature descriptors (36, 38, and 40). The relationships (44) between and among the objects in the object set (24) are defined by the object hierarchy (26) and entity relation graphs (28). The video description records provide a standard vehicle for describing the content and context of video information for subsequent access and processing by computer applications such as search engines, filters and archive systems.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for characterizing media are described. An example apparatus includes a transformer to convert at least a portion of a block of audio into a frequency domain representation including a plurality of frequency components; a decision metric processor to: define a band of frequency components having real and imaginary spectral components, define a plurality of frequency bins within the band, determine respective difference functions for each of the frequency bins using a product of the real and imaginary spectral components of a corresponding group of the frequency bins, the corresponding group for a first one of the frequency bins including at least the first one of the frequency bins and a second one of the frequency bins selected based on the first frequency bin, and determine a decision metric by summing the difference functions; and a signature determiner to determine a signature based on the decision metric.

Abstract: User exposure to media items is detected and measured. A mobile client device carried by a user digitally samples the audio environment of the user on a regular basis. These samples are transformed into a stream of data signatures and compared with reference media items to detect user exposure to the reference items. Purchase behavior following exposure to selected media content items can be detected and tracked as well, so as to gauge effectiveness of media items such as advertisements.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for detecting distribution of multimedia content. The volume level of data traffic is monitored for a plurality of users to select any users with high-bandwidth usage. The time of day and the day of the week may be considered when determining whether a user is a high-bandwidth user. Upon selecting a user as one with high-bandwidth usage, such user may be subject to packet inspections of data traffic streams. In some embodiments, content identification parameters or watermarks are added to one or more packets in a data traffic stream carrying multimedia content.

Abstract: The AUDIENCE ATMOSPHERICS MONITORING PLATFORM APPARATUSES AND SYSTEMS (“ATMOS”) transforms TV program schedule listing information and user channel selection via ATMOS components, into TV audience viewing data and ad effects data. A system is disclosed, comprising: a memory; a processor disposed in communication with said memory, and configured to issue a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions for: receiving, from the user mobile device, an atmospherics data package indicating user instant activity status; obtaining an atmospherics data artifact from the atmospherics data package; extracting user instant activities information based on analysis of the atmospherics data artifact; generating a user viewing status indication based on the user instant activities information; and incorporating the user viewing status indication into viewer measurement data of the user selected channel.

Abstract: The characteristic playback domain of an AV stream is to be reproduced simply and reliably without complicating the management. As marks representing characteristic points of an AV stream, a mark of the type indicating a point and a mark of the type indicating a section (duration) are provided. The mark of the type indicating a point designates a point with a time stamp corresponding to a preset playback timing of the AV stream. The mark of the type indicating a section specifies the domain based on the time stamp of the playback start point of the preset playback domain of the AV stream and on the duration as from the playback start point until the playback end point.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs for measuring performance of remote video delivery are presented. The method embeds at a server computer a marker in selected frames of a video stream. The marker includes a preconfigured sequence of pixels and is followed by a frame number encoded in the pixel data. The method then finds a first marker at a client computer to determine the location of the markers in a display. Once the location of the markers is determined, markers in following frames are detected with their corresponding frame numbers. The method stores the arrival times and frame numbers for each detected marker. The stored arrival times and frame numbers can be used for statistical performance analysis of remote video delivery.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an apparatus having a processor adapted to receive a message from a portable communication device communicatively coupled to a set-top box presenting a media program and to retrieve from the message a media descriptor associated with the media program. The processor is further adapted to identify according to the media descriptor one or more images of one or more performers commonly presented in the media program, to monitor one or more frames of a live media feed including the media program, and compare the one or more human figures to the one or more images of performers. The processor can also be adapted to recognize a performer from the comparison, to retrieve information associated with the performer, and to transmit the information to the portable communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for multi-purpose metering are disclosed. An example method includes acquiring a rate of data transfer to/from the monitored location and comparing the acquired rate of data transfer to a threshold. The example method also includes setting at least one media monitoring device in a first bandwidth mode when the acquired rate of data transfer exceeds the threshold, and setting the at least one media monitoring device in a second bandwidth mode when the acquired rate of data transfer is below the threshold.

Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments included systems and methods which allow two persons in different locations to enjoy a synchronized and shared viewing experience of original content that has been edited differently for broadcast in each location. Closed captioning text data to identify synchronization points in the broadcasts and used to provide synchronization services between the two broadcasts.

Abstract: Example methods disclosed herein to identify media sources comprise obtaining monitored signatures generated from monitored media, comparing the monitored signatures with reference signatures generated from reference media provided by a plurality of reference sources, determining tracking segments associated with respective ones of the reference sources, each tracking segment representing sequences of matches between the monitored signatures and respective reference signatures for a respective one of the reference sources, and evaluating time lengths of the tracking segments to identify which reference source in the plurality of reference sources provided the monitored media.

Abstract: Signature-based program identification apparatus and methods for use with digital audio and/or video systems are disclosed. The disclosed systems and methods develop signatures of digital audio and/or video content from a digital data stream at two or more sites and compare the signatures to one another to identify the content.

Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods are provided for analyzing session data generated by a website in response to a visitor requesting data from the website. A system and method can be configured for receiving the session data and analyzing the session data to determine a plurality of website interaction behavioral metrics of the session data. The website interaction behavioral metrics of the session data are compared to detection settings. A determination is made as to whether the visitor to the website was human or non-human based upon the comparing step.

Abstract: A method of managing protected video content is presented that includes inspecting a packet stream received from a subscriber broadband interface, where the packet stream includes video content. The method also includes generating a signature based on the video content and comparing the generated signature with a stored signature corresponding to protected video content. In a particular embodiment, the method can include storing data indicating that the protected video content has been re-distributed from the subscriber broadband interface when the generated signature matches the stored signature.

Abstract: A method of surveying watching image content, and a broadcast receiving apparatus and server employing the same are provided. The method includes displaying image contents on a screen; capturing and storing signature images of the image contents; and in response to receipt of a query, comprising a target image of image contents to be surveyed, from an external server, determining whether one of the stored signature images is identical to the target image, and transmitting a result of the determining to the external server.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for monitoring audio-video (AV) streams transported over a network. The system may include an AV probe deployed between an AV tuner and AV destination customer premise equipment. The AV probe may receive an incoming AV stream. The AV probe may generate a thumbnail stream by capturing thumbnails of the incoming AV stream. The AV probe may transmit, substantially in real-time, the thumbnail stream to a monitoring engine and the incoming AV stream to the AV destination customer premise equipment.

Abstract: A computing system is programmed to detect if program content is presented on a channel. A program signature is determined based on set-top box tune data from set-top boxes in a market in which it is known the program content was presented. The program signature can be compared to program signatures from other local markets or from the same market to determine if the same program content was presented. In some embodiments, the program signature represents the number of set-top boxes simultaneously tuned to the channel on which the program content is presented.

Abstract: Media monitoring and measurement systems and methods are disclosed. Some embodiments of the present invention provide a media measurement system and method that utilizes audience data to enhance content identifications. Some embodiments analyze media player log data to enhance content identification. Other embodiments of the present invention analyze sample sequence data to enhance content identifications. Other embodiments analyze sequence data to enhance content identification and/or to establish channel identification. Yet other embodiments provide a system and method in which sample construction and selection parameters are adjusted based upon identification results. Yet other embodiments provide a method in which play-altering activity of an audience member is deduced from content offset values of identifications corresponding to captured samples.

Abstract: Disclosed example methods to determine a time offset between a first media content signature comprising a first sequence of first data pairs and a second media content signature comprising a second sequence of second data pairs include determining a histogram comprising a plurality of bins representative of a plurality of determined time differences. The plurality of determined time differences include each respective time difference determined between each first data pair and second data pair combination. Each respective bin of the histogram represents a respective window of time differences and has a respective value representative of a number of the plurality of determined time differences lying within the respective window of time differences represented by the respective bin. Such disclosed example methods also include selecting at least one bin of the histogram to correspond to the time offset between the first signature and the second signature.

Abstract: A method of detecting periodic activity patterns associated with the viewing of audio video content is described. The method includes: recording activity data in an activity log; suppressing the activity log one or more times to suppress non-relevant activity data thereby producing one or more sets of suppressed activity data; passing the one or more sets of suppressed activity data through a signal processing function to convert the one or more sets of suppressed activity data to one or more frequency responses; and analysing the one or more frequency responses to detect the periodic activity patterns. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing television advertisements while a viewing device is tuning to a channel. In one aspect, a viewing device, in response to receiving a signal to tune to a channel, selects advertisement data for an advertisement from a data storage device storing advertisement data for one or more advertisements, and generates a video signal when tuning to the channel, the video signal generated only for the duration that the viewing device is tuning to the channel and for displaying on the television device, and the video signal causing the advertisement to be displayed on the television device.

Abstract: A cooperative electronic media measurement system is disclosed that measures the electronic media usage of one or more individuals by a media research entity. The media research entity defines at least one specialized task useful to the media research entity. The at least one specialized task is performed by a media handler provided by another entity and concerns a handling of electronic media by the media handler. The individual is tracked with at least one software agent of the media research entity. At least one software agent obtains a product of the specialized task performed by the media handler via at least one defined interface that provides interoperability between the media handler and the at least one software agent. Cooperative media handlers automatically obtain information from, or otherwise obtain information about, presented media objects including identification tags, if present, and other information, for collection by the research data collection agents.

Abstract: Signature-based program identification apparatus and methods for use with digital audio and/or video systems are disclosed. The disclosed systems and methods develop signatures of digital audio and/or video content from a digital data stream at two or more sites and compare the signatures to one another to identify the content.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to adjust signature matching results for audience measurement are disclosed. An example method to adjust a signature matching result associated with monitoring a media content presentation disclosed herein comprises obtaining a monitored signature representative of the monitored media content presentation from a monitoring device, obtaining an environmental characteristic associated with the monitored signature from the monitoring device, and adjusting the signature matching result using an adjustment value when the monitored signature is determined to match a reference signature representative of reference media content, the adjustment value selected from a plurality of adjustment values based on the matched reference signature and the environmental characteristic.

Abstract: A computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a computer configure blackout event data indicating at least one event criterion data for selecting client devices subject to the blackout event for restricted content data; configure client devices into a client device group subject to the blackout event in accordance with the event criterion data; configure at least one substitution event data table for the client device group; and send restricted content and the substitution event data table embedded in the restricted content data to each client device in the client device group.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for monitoring audio-video (AV) streams transported over a network. The system may include at least one AV probe configured for installation at a network node. The at least one AV probe may be configured to receive an incoming AV stream at a native frame rate and to capture at least one thumbnail of the incoming AV stream at a sampling rate which is less than the native frame rate to form a thumbnail stream. The at least one AV probe may be further configured to timestamp and transmit the thumbnail stream, and to forward the incoming AV stream substantially in real-time. The system may further include at least one monitoring engine operatively connected with the at least one AV probe, the at least one monitoring engine configured to receive the thumbnail stream, capture AV data from the thumbnail stream, and transform the AV data into a visual representation of AV stream quality of experience (QoE).

Abstract: A system is disclosed for verifying an occurrence of a blackout event in a data distribution system, the system including but not limited to a processor in data communication with a computer readable medium; and computer program comprising instructions to receive restricted content data at the data distribution system; instructions to receive at the data distribution system, blackout event data indicating at least one criterion for selecting client devices subject to a blackout event for the restricted content data; instructions to place at the data distribution system, client devices into a client device group subject to the blackout event in accordance with the event data criterion; and instructions to correlate at the data distribution system, the blackout event data with the retune activity data to verify the occurrence of the blackout event in the client devices.

Abstract: There is provided a method for use by a content processing device for facilitating the analysis of audience ratings data for content. In one embodiment, content is received from a source. Then, the content is encoded into a target format to enable insertion of a first number of markers in the content, each of the first number of markers indexing a time period of the content. Thereafter, a content records database that includes the audience ratings data corresponding to the content are accessed. The audience ratings data are then associated with the first number of markers. The audience ratings data are displayed during playback of the content.

Abstract: For object recognition based on nearest neighbor search of local descriptors such as SIFT, it is important to keep the nearest neighbor search efficient to deal with a huge number of descriptors. The present invention provides methods of efficient recognition. In one embodiment, the method is based on the observation that the level of accuracy of nearest neighbor search for correct recognition depends on images to be recognized. The method is characterized by the mechanism that multiple recognizers with approximate nearest neighbor search are cascaded in the order of the level of approximation so as to improve the efficiency by adaptively controlling the level to be applied depending on images. In another embodiment the method is characterized by excluding local descriptors with low discriminability when a plenty of local descriptors are present in the vicinity and a plenty of distance calculation are required.

Abstract: A personal recorder/playback system (10) includes a recording agent (32) configured to transparently receive multiple audio/visual streams from analog and/or digital sources. The streams are temporarily stored in queues (52,54) for subsequent analysis. The streams, after analysis, are either discarded, stored permanently in an audio/visual collection (48,50), or used to improve the quality of previously stored streams in the collection. The recording agent (32) provides features such as virtual channels (42) and a “top-ten” list (38) of most popular stored audio/visual streams.

Abstract: Videos are received and indexed based on fingerprints generated for the videos, using lookup keys which correspond to sub portions of the reference fingerprints. Specifically, a set of lookup keys is selected such that the number of reference fingerprints such that the clumping associated with the associated each of the lookup keys is minimized. Clumping occurs when a number of reference identifiers associated with a lookup key exceeds a maximum value.

Abstract: An audience measurement system generates signatures of unknown pieces of content viewed by panel members, and generates reference signatures of known pieces of content. The signatures of the unknown pieces of content are stored and transmitted to a central processing site, where they are compared with the reference signatures for their identification. A scanning engine finds matches between the signatures of the unknown and the known contents, and stores matches so as to build “tracking segments”, i.e., strings of matches that indicate a coincidence between the unknown content and one or more known pieces of content for a certain period of time, and associates the unknown content to the known piece of content with the longest tracking segment.

Abstract: A media system, receives a received sequence of media content, for presentation at the media system and generates a comparison fingerprint of the received sequence of media content. The comparison fingerprint is for comparison with a plurality of reference fingerprints so as to identify the received sequence of media content. The media system sends a request for identification of additional content to a server system. The request is based at least in part on the comparison fingerprint. The media system receives a response to the request, including information enabling additional content to be selected for display at the media system based at least in part on the identification of the received sequence of media content, and presents a displayed sequence of media content that includes at least a portion of the received sequence of media content and at least a portion of the additional content.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for automatically analyzing multimedia data are disclosed. Embodiments receive multimedia data, detect portions having specified features, and output a corresponding subset of the multimedia data. Content features from downloaded or streaming movies or video clips are identified as a human probably would do, but in essentially real time. Embodiments then generate an index or menu based on individual consumer preferences. Consumers can peruse the index, or produce customized trailers, or edit and tag content with metadata as desired. The tool can categorize and cluster content by feature, to assemble a library of scenes or scene clusters according to user-selected criteria. The results may be sent to visual search engines so that further related content may be identified for use as a customized trailer, replacement content for advertisements, or as material to be shared with others.

Abstract: An advertisement-section detecting apparatus includes: a captioned-section acquisition unit (12) configured to acquire a captioned section including a caption generated by caption data, on the basis of a temporal position of the caption data; a non-captioned-section acquisition unit (13) configured to acquire a pattern of a non-captioned section that do not include the caption, on the basis of the captioned section; a memory (14) configured to store a broadcasting-program template which is a template corresponding to a broadcasting-program format including a main-section format and a peripheral-section format, and which is used for identifying a pattern of a non-captioned section format including the peripheral-section format; an identifying unit (15) configured to compare the pattern of the non-captioned section and the pattern of the non-captioned section format, and thus to identify the non-captioned section corresponding to the non-captioned section format; and a detector (16) configured to detect a secti

Abstract: Systems and methods for using tokens to link the television and the Internet platforms. The tokens are tightly encoded into the content and a registry controls the linking of the television content to specific Internet-based content. The registry also polices the validity of the tokens and optionally provides the token owner with continued control over the Internet content associated with that token. When the two platforms are linked successfully, the consumer receives quality content, while being protected from unwanted Internet content.