Methods and apparatus for monitoring the insertion of local media content into a program stream

1. A method for identifying locally inserted media, the method comprising:

monitoring a primary media signal at a consumer location, the primary media signal carrying at least one of audio or video;

after local media has been spliced into the primary media signal, by a first device at the consumer location to generate a modified media signal, analyzing the modified media signal at a second device at the consumer location to detect insertion of the local media into the modified media signal, the local media carrying at least audio or video to be presented by a media presentation device at the consumer location, wherein the first device is separate from the second device; and

responsive to detecting that the local media has been spliced into the primary media signal, transforming the modified media signal into a tagged signal by inserting identification data, identifying the local media, into the modified media signal after the local media has been inserted into the primary media signal, the identification data indicating that the local media was spliced into the primary media signal after the primary media signal was received at the consumer location.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the identification data comprises a source identifier that is received from a source identifier module.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identification data comprises at least one of a time stamp, a date, an International Standard Audiovisual Number, a Versioned International Standard Audiovisual Number, a Movie Picture Experts Group Packet Identifier, an Industry Standard Coding Identification, an Advertising Digital Identification, a house number, or an industry identifier.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the identification data comprises a serial number.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the identification data is encrypted before insertion in the modified media signal.

6. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein inserting the identification data is performed at at least one of an entry to the consumer location, an entry to a set-top box associated with the consumer location, an output of a decoder in the set-top box, an output of the set-top box, an entry to a storage unit in the set-top box, or an output of a storage unit in the set-top box.

7. A method as defined in claim 6 , wherein inserting the identification data is performed at an output of a conditional access unit in the set-top box.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the identification data is inserted in a frequency range shared with a frequency range of the modified media signal.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein inserting the identification is performed by an insertion circuit.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the insertion circuit comprises a processor executing instructions that cause the processor to insert the identification data.

11. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the local media is stored at the consumer location prior to the primary media signal being received at the consumer location from a media provider.

12. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the local media spliced into the primary media is selected from a plurality of available local media based on at least one of demographics of an audience at the consumer location, interests of the audience at the consumer location, or media previously presented at the consumer location.

13. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the identification data inserted into the modified media signal identifies the local media.

14. A method of identifying locally inserted media, comprising:

after a portion of locally inserted media has been spliced into a primary media signal by a first device at a consumer location to generate a modified media signal, analyzing the modified media signal at a second device at the consumer location to determine that a portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media, the locally inserted media comprising at least one of audio or video to be presented by a media presentation device at the consumer location, wherein the first device is separate from the second device; and

based on the determination that the locally inserted media was spliced into the primary media signal, inserting a tag in the modified media signal indicating that the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media that was spliced into the primary media signal after the primary media signal was broadcast.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 , further comprising storing an indication that the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media in an audience measurement record.

16. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media comprises detecting a format change associated with the modified media signal.

17. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media comprises:

detecting a first attribute associated with the modified media signal at a first time;

detecting a second attribute associated with the modified media signal at a second time after the first time;

detecting the first attribute associated with the modified media signal at a third time after the second time;

determining a transition time associated with the length of time between the first time and the third time; and

comparing the transition time to a threshold value to determine whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media.

18. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media comprises identifying a change in at least one of a program map or a program association table.

19. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media is performed at at least one of an entry to the consumer location, an output of an end user distribution network, or an output of a decoder of a consumer receiving device.

20. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media is performed at an output of a conditional access unit of a consumer receiving device.

21. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media comprises identifying a transition present in the modified media signal.

22. A method as defined in claim 21 , wherein identifying the transition present in the modified media signal comprises identifying a difference between a frequency of errors associated with the portion of the modified media signal and a frequency of errors associated with a different portion of the media signal.

23. A method as defined in claim 21 , wherein identifying transitions present in the modified media signal comprises at least one of identifying a change in identification data inserted in the modified media signal, identifying a presence or absence of a media packet identifier in the modified media signal, identifying a change in the repetition rate of the media packet identifier in the modified media signal, identifying a change in a mapping of components in the modified media signal, identifying a change in metadata associated with the modified media signal, identifying a presence or absence of errors associated with the modified media signal, or identifying a change in a state of a set-top box.

24. A method as defined in claim 23 , wherein the identification data inserted into the modified media signal is at least one of a tag inserted to meter media or identification data inserted to facilitate distribution of the locally inserted media to a consumer location.

25. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media comprises extracting identification data inserted into the modified media signal and recognizing a transition between at least two segments of the modified media signal.

26. A method as defined in claim 14 , further comprising receiving the modified media signal at at least one of a set top box, a satellite receiver, a cable converter box, a cable decoder box, a subscription television receiver, a terrestrial receiver, a personal video recorder, an internet protocol television receiver, or a video cassette recorder/player.

27. A method as defined in claim 14 , further comprising:

receiving metadata associated with the portion of the modified media signal;

extracting a signature from the portion of the modified media signal;

transmitting the extracted signature and the received metadata to a remote location; and

storing the signature and the received metadata at the remote location.

28. A method as defined in claim 14 , wherein determining whether or not the portion of the modified media signal is locally inserted media comprises at least one of extracting identification data inserted into the modified media signal, or extracting a signature of the portion of the modified media signal.

29. An apparatus for identifying locally inserted media, the apparatus comprising:

a tag detector to monitor a modified media signal at a consumer location, the modified media signal generated at a first device and, comprising local media spliced into a primary media signal, the modified media signal carrying at least one of audio or video, the tag detector to detect an identification tag associated with the modified media signal;

at least one of an inherent data detector to detect inherent data associated with the modified media signal or a transition detector to detect a transition between at least two segments of the modified media signal; and

an analyzer to indicate that a segment of the modified media signal is local media when at least one of the tag detector, the inherent data detector, or the transition detector indicates that the segment is local media that has been spliced into the primary media signal, the local media carrying at least audio or video to be presented by a media presentation device at the consumer location, the at least one of the tag detector, the inherent data detector, or the transition detector to operate on the modified media signal after the local media has been spliced into the primary media signal at the consumer location, wherein the apparatus is separate from the first device.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 , wherein the inherent data detector is to extract inherent data associated with the modified media signal.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 30 , further comprising an inherent data database to store inherent data extracted by the inherent data detector.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 , wherein the tag detector is to extract an identification tag associated with the modified media signal.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 30 , further comprising a tag database to store identification tags extracted by the tag detector.

34. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 , further comprising a signature module to extract a signature from the modified media signal.

35. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 , wherein the apparatus comprises both the inherent data detector and the transition detector.