Device for monitoring multiple broadcast signals
View Patent ↗A media content monitoring system uses a rack adapted to receive multiple carrier boards to improve the system's ability to be configured to specific applications. Each carrier board contains tuner modules for receiving AM/FM broadcasts, satellite radio broadcasts, TV audio broadcasts, HD, IBOC, DAB and DRM digital radio broadcasts, etc. The tuner modules produce a USB output that is combined by a USB hub on the carrier boards into a single USB output. The carrier board outputs are in turn combined by a rack based USB hub into single USB output that is provided to a host computer. The host computer includes content identification software that automatically identifies selected media content received by the tuner modules and stores the selected content in a database. The host computer can send control codes to the tuner modules to alter their reception parameters.
1. A broadcast monitoring system for monitoring at least two broadcast signals, the monitoring system comprising:
at least two tuner modules wherein each tuner module is adapted to receive a broadcast signal and produce an output corresponding to the broadcast signal;
a hub for receiving the outputs and aggregating and interfacing the outputs to a processing device, wherein the processing device is adapted to transfer control codes to the at least two tuner modules for altering an operating parameter thereof, and wherein each of the at least two tuner modules is detachable from the hub so that each of the at least two tuner modules can be replaced with a different tuner module adapted to receive a different broadcast in order to reconfigure the broadcast monitoring system.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the output of each tuner module is a USB output and the hub is a USB hub.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the hub is removably mounted on the broadcast monitoring system so that the hub can be removed and replaced with another hub by a user.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing device further comprises content identification software for deriving characteristics of broadcasts received by the tuners.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the modular tuners are each chosen from a group of modular tuners comprising over-the-air (OTA) radio tuners, OTA television tuners, cable radio tuners, cable television tuners, satellite radio tuners, satellite television turners, or network interface cards for connecting to the Internet and receiving streaming audio or video.
6. A media monitoring system comprising:
at least two turner modules for receiving broadcast signals and producing an output based upon the broadcast signals;
at least one carrier board adapted to removably couple to the at least tuner modules and produce a combined output based upon outputs of the at least two tuner modules; and
a rack adapted to removably couple to the at least two carrier boards and combine output from the at least two carrier boards into a single output and provide the single output to a host computer, wherein the host computer is configured to identify and store selected broadcasts received from the tuner modules.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein one of the at least two turner modules is adapted to receive an AM/FM broadcast signal.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein one of the at least two tuner modules is adapted to receive a satellite radio broadcast signal.
9. The system of claim 6 wherein one of the at least two tuner modules is adapted to receive a digital radio broadcast signal.
10. The system of 6 wherein the host computer can transfer control codes that alter an operating parameter of the tuner modules through the rack and the carrier boards to the tuner modules.
11. The system of claim 6 further comprising a removable hub for combining the outputs of the carrier boards.
12. A method for monitoring multiple broadcast signals comprising:
sending configuration information to a processing device attached to a plurality of modular tuners;
configuring one of more of the plurality of modular tuners, the configuration including setting the tuner to receive a specified broadcasts;
receiving multiple broadcasts with the plurality of modular tuners; and
sending the broadcast signals to the processing device, the processing device being operable to derive characteristics from the broadcast signals that are useful in identifying content of a portion of the broadcast signals, and the processing device being operable to compare the characteristics against an index of known content to determine the content of the portion of the broadcast signal.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the processing device is further operable to send the characteristics to a central core for identification.
14. The system of claim 12 wherein the processing device is further operable to send information concerning the identified content and the characteristics of any unidentified content to a central core.
15. The system of claim 12 wherein the tuners are connected to the processing system over a USB bus and using USB hubs, the USB hubs aggregating the broadcast signals form a cluster of modular tuners from the plurality of modular tuners wherein the USB hubs are removably in sockets.