Locality-based video playback to enable locally relevant product placement advertising
View Patent ↗A system and method are disclosed for providing a digital medium, such as a Digital Video Disc (DVD), enabling playback of different versions of a media presentation depending on the locality of the viewer, where each version includes embedded advertisements for a corresponding locality. In one embodiment, a DVD stores a media presentation such as, for example, a movie, an episode of a television program, or the like. Depending on the location of the viewer, the DVD provides a version of the media presentation having embedded advertisements relevant to the locality of the viewer.
1. A non-transitory digital medium storing original video segments forming at least a portion of an original version of a media presentation, first modified video segments corresponding to video segments of the original version of the media presentation and having embedded advertisements for a first locality, and a first set of identifiers defining a first version of the media presentation for the first locality formed by the first modified video segments and at least certain ones of the original video segments, the digital medium comprising instructions for instructing a media playback device to:
determine a locality of a viewer associated with the media playback device desiring to view the media presentation; and
select the first set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is the first locality such that the first version of the media presentation including the first modified video segments having embedded advertisements for the first locality in place of corresponding original video segments is presented to the viewer.
2. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 wherein the digital medium further stores second modified video segments corresponding to video segments of the original version of the media presentation and having embedded advertisements for a second locality, and a second set of identifiers defining a second version of the media presentation for the second locality formed by the second modified video segments and at least certain ones of the original video segments, and further comprises instructions for instructing the media playback device to select the second set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is the second locality such that the second version of the media presentation including the second modified video segments having embedded advertisements for the second locality is presented to the viewer.
3. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 2 wherein the original video segments are segments of the original version of the media presentation not replaced in both the first and second versions of the media presentation.
4. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 2 wherein the digital medium is a Digital Video Disc (DVD) and the first and second sets of identifiers are arrays of pointers.
5. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 2 wherein the original video segments comprise all video segments of the original version of the media presentation, the first set of identifiers defines the first version of the media presentation such that the first modified video segments replace corresponding ones of the original video segments, and the second set of identifiers defines the second version of the media presentation such that the second modified video segments replace corresponding ones of the original video segments.
6. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 5 wherein the original video segments of the original version of the media presentation do not include embedded advertisements.
7. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 5 wherein at least one of the original video segments of the original version of the media presentation comprises a default embedded advertisement.
8. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 wherein the digital medium further stores default modified video segments corresponding to video segments of the original version of the media presentation and having default embedded advertisements that are generally applicable to any locality, and a default set of identifiers defining a default version of the media presentation formed by the default modified video segments and at least certain ones of the original video segments, and further comprises instructions for instructing the media playback device to select the default set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is unknown such that the default version of the media presentation is presented to the viewer.
9. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 wherein in order to determine the locality of the viewer, the digital medium is further adapted to instruct the media playback device to:
present a menu to the viewer enabling the viewer to identify the locality of the viewer; and
receive input from the viewer identifying the locality of the viewer via the menu.
10. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 wherein in order to determine the locality of the viewer, the digital medium is further adapted to instruct the media playback device to obtain the locality of the viewer from a remote source.
11. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 wherein the at least certain ones of the original segments are ones of the original video segments that when combined with the first modified video segments form a complete version of the media presentation that includes the embedded advertisements for the first locality embedded therein.
12. A method for presenting a version of a media presentation to a viewer having locality relevant advertisements embedded therein from a digital medium storing original video segments forming at least a portion of an original version of the media presentation, first modified video segments corresponding to video segments of the original version of the media presentation and having embedded advertisements for a first locality, and a first set of identifiers defining a first version of the media presentation for the first locality formed by the first modified video segments and at least certain ones of the original video segments, the method comprising:
determining a locality of the viewer desiring to view the media presentation from the digital medium via a media playback device; and
selecting the first set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is the first locality such that the first version of the media presentation including the first modified video segments having embedded advertisements for the first locality in place of corresponding original video segments is presented to the viewer.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the digital medium further stores second modified video segments corresponding to video segments of original version of the media presentation and having embedded advertisements for a second locality, and a second set of identifiers defining a second version of the media presentation for the second locality formed by the second modified video segments and at least certain ones of the original video segments, the method further comprising selecting the second set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is the second locality such that the second version of the media presentation including the second modified video segments having embedded advertisements for the second locality is presented to the viewer.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the original video segments are segments of the original version of the media presentation not replaced in both the first and second versions of the media presentation.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the digital medium is a Digital Video Disc (DVD) and the first and second sets of identifiers are arrays of pointers.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the original video segments comprise all video segments of the original version of the media presentation, the first set of identifiers defines the first version of the media presentation such that the first modified video segments replace corresponding ones of the original video segments, and the second set of identifiers defines the second version of the media presentation such that the second modified video segments replace corresponding ones of the original video segments.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the original video segments of the original version of the media presentation do not include embedded advertisements.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of the original video segments of the original version of the media presentation comprises a default embedded advertisement.
19. The method of claim 12 wherein the digital medium further stores default modified video segments corresponding to video segments of the original version of the media presentation and having default embedded advertisements that are generally applicable to any locality, and a default set of identifiers defining a default version of the media presentation formed by the default modified video segments and at least ones of the original video segments, and the method further comprises selecting the default set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is unknown such that the default version of the media presentation is presented to the viewer.
20. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the locality of the viewer comprises effecting presentation of a menu to the viewer enabling the viewer to identify the locality of the viewer.
21. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the locality of the viewer comprises instructing the media playback device to obtain the locality of the viewer from a remote source.
22. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least certain ones of the original segments are ones of the original video segments that when combined with the first modified video segments form a complete version of the media presentation that includes the embedded advertisements for the first locality embedded therein.
23. A non-transitory digital medium storing original video segments forming at least a portion of an original version of a media presentation, first modified video segments corresponding to video segments of the original version of the media presentation and having embedded advertisements for a first locality, and a first set of identifiers defining a first version of the media presentation for the first locality formed by the first modified video segments and at least certain ones of the original video segments, the digital medium comprising instructions for instructing a media playback device to:
determine a locality of a viewer associated with the media playback device desiring to view the media presentation; and
select the first set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is the first locality such that the first version of the media presentation comprises the first modified video segments having embedded advertisements for the first locality in place of corresponding original video segments.