Methods and apparatus for monitoring the insertion of local media content into a program stream
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus for monitoring locally inserted media content are disclosed. A disclosed method includes obtaining identification data and inserting the identification data in the media content after the media content has been received at a media consumption location. Another disclosed method includes receiving media content before the media content is output by a consumer receiving device and monitoring the received media content. Monitoring the received media content may include extracting signatures from the received media content and transmitting the extracted signatures to another location.
1. A method of detecting locally inserted media, the method comprising:
detecting, by executing an instruction via a processor, for a media signal received at a media presentation location, at least one of:
(a) a change in an absence or presence of a packet identifier in the received media signal,
(b) a change in a rate of the presence of a packet identifier in the received media signal,
(c) a change in a program mapping structure associated with the received media signal,
(d) a change in an absence or presence of errors in the received media signal,
(e) a change in metadata associated with the received media signal, or
(f) a change in a consumer media device associated with the received media signal; and
inserting, by executing an instruction via the processor, a label into the media signal when any of (a) to (f) indicate that locally inserted media has been spliced into the media signal, the label to identify the spliced locally inserted media as locally inserted media, the locally inserted media having been spliced into source media to generate the received media signal after receipt of the source media at the media presentation location.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the consumer media device is a set top box.
3. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the consumer media device is a local media insertion module.
4. The method as defined in claim 1 , further including, in response to a change in the metadata, storing an old value of the metadata and storing a new value of the metadata.
5. The method as defined in claim 4 , further including storing a duration between a first time when the old value of the metadata was received and a second time when the new value of the metadata was received.
6. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:
detect, for a media signal received at a media presentation location, at least one of:
(a) a change in an absence or presence of a packet identifier in the received media signal,
(b) a change in a rate of the presence of a packet identifier in the received media signal,
(c) a change in a program mapping structure associated with the received media signal,
(d) a change in an absence or presence of errors in the received media signal,
(e) a change in metadata associated with the received media signal, or
(f) a change in a consumer media device associated with the received media signal; and
insert a label into the media signal when any of (a) to (f) indicate that locally inserted media has been spliced into the media signal, the label to identify the spliced locally inserted media as locally inserted media, the locally inserted media having been spliced into source media to generate the received media signal after receipt of the source media at the media presentation location.
7. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 6 , wherein the consumer media device is a set top box.
8. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 6 , wherein the consumer media device is a local media insertion module.
9. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to, in response to a change in the metadata, store an old value of the metadata and storing a new value of the metadata.
10. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to store a duration between a first time when the old value of the metadata was received and a second time when the new value of the metadata was received.
11. An apparatus comprising:
a tag detector to detect, for a media signal received at a media presentation location, at least one of:
(a) a change in an absence or presence of a packet identifier in the received media signal,
(b) a change in a rate of the presence of a packet identifier in the received media signal,
(c) a change in a program mapping structure associated with the received media signal,
(d) a change in an absence or presence of errors in the received media signal,
(e) a change in metadata associated with the received media signal, or
(f) a change in a consumer media device associated with the received media signal; and
an analyzer to insert a label into the media signal when any of (a) to (f) indicate that locally inserted media has been spliced into the media signal, the label to identify the spliced locally inserted media as locally inserted media, the locally inserted media having been spliced into source media to generate the received media signal after receipt of the source media at the media presentation location.
12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11 , wherein the consumer media device is a set top box.
13. The apparatus as defined in claim 11 , wherein the consumer media device is a local media insertion module.
14. The apparatus as defined in claim 11 , wherein the analyzer is to, in response to a change in the metadata, store an old value of the metadata and storing a new value of the metadata.
15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14 , wherein the analyzer is to store a duration between a first time when the old value of the metadata was received and a second time when the new value of the metadata was received.