Dynamic watermarking of media based on transport-stream metadata, to facilitate action by downstream entity
A method and system for dynamically watermarking media content based on transport-stream metadata, to facilitate action by a downstream entity. An intermediary in a media-distribution path could receive a transport stream carrying media content and carrying metadata that is not watermarked in the media content. The intermediary could then obtain from the transport stream the metadata that is not watermarked in the media content and could modify the media content at least by encoding into the media content a watermark that represents the obtained metadata. And the intermediary could then output at least the modified media content for transmission to a downstream entity. The downstream entity could thus obtain from the watermark in the media content the metadata and could use the metadata to facilitate carrying out one or more useful actions.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, into a computing system, a packet-based transport stream carrying a media stream that defines media content and carrying metadata that is not watermarked in the media stream, wherein the transport stream includes a splice-information packet that carries the metadata, and wherein the metadata specifies a splice time point in the media stream as a time-offset value measured from a time of the splice-information packet;
obtaining, by the computing system, from the transport stream, the metadata that is not watermarked in the media stream, wherein obtaining the metadata from the transport stream comprises detecting the splice-information packet and reading the metadata, including the specified splice time point, from the detected splice-information packet;
computing, by the computing system, an absolute time point in the media stream, based on the splice time point that the computing system read from the detected splice-information packet;
modifying, by the computing system, the media stream by at least encoding into the media stream a watermark representing the computed absolute time point; and
outputting from the computing system, for transmission to a downstream entity, at least the modified media stream,
wherein the absolute time point defines an absolute time value according to a clock of the computing system, and wherein modifying the media stream additionally includes encoding by the computing system into the media stream, at a specific time point in the media stream, a timestamp of the specific time point also according to the clock of the computing system, to enable the downstream entity to (i) establish a time mapping between time according to a clock of the downstream entity and time according to the clock of the computing system and (ii) apply the established time mapping to translate the absolute time value to a time value according to the clock of the downstream entity.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the splice-information packet is based on header information indicating that the splice-information packet is the splice-information packet.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the splice time point and absolute time point define when in the media stream a dynamic content revision should be performed.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the dynamic content revision comprises dynamic ad insertion.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the media stream defines a sequence of frames, and wherein the absolute time point is a timestamp of one of the frames.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata further indicates a duration of a dynamic content revision that should be performed as to the media stream, and wherein the watermark represents the indicated duration.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata further indicates of a type of content revision to apply with respect to the media stream, and wherein the watermark represents the indicated type of content revision.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the type of content revision is selected from the group consisting of a splice-in and a splice-out.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata further comprises information for obtaining replacement content to replace a portion of the media stream, and wherein the watermark represents the information.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata further comprises media-content identification information to facilitate media-consumption reporting, and wherein the watermark represents the media-content identification information.
11. The method of claim 1 , where the watermark defines a trigger for the downstream entity to engage in revision of the media stream.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein encoding the timestamp of the specific point is in the same watermark that represents the computed absolute time point.
13. A computing system comprising:
one or more communication interfaces through which to receive a packet-based transport stream carrying a media stream and through which to output along a media-distribution path at least a modified version of the media stream for transmission to a downstream entity;
a processing unit;
non-transitory data storage; and
program instructions stored in the non-transitory data storage and executable by the processing unit to carry out operations including:
reading from the transport stream, metadata that is carried by the transport stream and that is not watermarked in the media stream, wherein the transport stream includes a splice-information packet that carries the metadata, wherein the metadata specifies a splice time point in the media stream as a time-offset value measured from a time of the splice-information packet, and wherein reading the metadata from the transport stream comprises detecting the splice-information packet and reading the metadata, including specified splice time point, from the detected splice-information packet,
computing an absolute time point in the media stream based on the splice time point read from the detected splice-information packet,
modifying the media stream by at least encoding into the media stream a watermark representing the computed absolute time point, thereby generating the modified version of the media stream, and
outputting for transmission along the media-distribution path to the downstream entity the modified version of the media stream,
wherein the absolute time point defines an absolute time value according to a clock of the computing system, and wherein modifying the media stream additionally includes encoding into the media stream, at a specific time point in the media stream, a timestamp of the specific time point also according to the clock of the computing system, to enable the downstream entity to (i) establish a time mapping between time according to a clock of the downstream entity and time according to the clock of the computing system and (ii) apply the established time mapping to translate the absolute time value to a time value according to the clock of the downstream entity.
14. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the media-distribution path extends at least from a content source to the downstream entity, and wherein the computing system is an intermediary in the media-distribution path.
15. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the splice time point and absolute time point define when in the media stream a dynamic content revision should be performed.
16. The computing system of claim 15 , wherein the dynamic content revision comprises dynamic ad insertion.
17. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the metadata further indicates a duration of a dynamic content revision that should be performed as to the media stream, and wherein the watermark represents the indicated duration.
18. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the metadata further indicates of a type of content revision to apply with respect to the media stream, and wherein the watermark represents the indicated type of content revision.
19. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein the type of content revision is selected from the group consisting of a splice-in and a splice-out.
20. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the metadata further comprises information for obtaining replacement content to replace a portion of the media stream, and wherein the watermark represents the information.
21. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein encoding the timestamp of the specific point is in the same watermark that represents the computed absolute time point.
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying instructions executable by a computing system to carry out operations including:
receiving a packet-based transport stream carrying a media stream that defines media content and carrying metadata that is not watermarked in the media stream, wherein the transport stream includes a splice-information packet that carries the metadata, and wherein the metadata specifies a splice time point in the media stream as a time-offset value measured from a time of the splice-information packet;
obtaining, from the transport stream, the metadata that is not watermarked in the media stream, wherein obtaining the metadata from the transport stream comprises detecting the splice-information packet and reading the metadata, including the specified splice time point, from the detected splice-information packet;
computing an absolute time point in the media stream, based on the splice time point read from the detected splice-information packet;
modifying the media stream by at least encoding into the media stream a watermark representing the computed absolute time point; and
outputting, for transmission to a downstream entity, at least the modified media stream,
wherein the absolute time point defines an absolute time value according to a clock of the computing system, and wherein modifying the media stream additionally includes encoding into the media stream, at a specific time point in the media stream, a timestamp of the specific time point also according to the clock of the computing system, to enable the downstream entity to (i) establish a time mapping between time according to a clock of the downstream entity and time according to the clock of the computing system and (ii) apply the established time mapping to translate the absolute time value to a time value according to the clock of the downstream entity.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein encoding the timestamp of the specific point is in the same watermark that represents the computed absolute time point.