METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING ADDITIONAL CONTENT AT A MEDIA SYSTEM
A media system, receives a received sequence of media content, for presentation at the media system and generates a comparison fingerprint of the received sequence of media content. The comparison fingerprint is for comparison with a plurality of reference fingerprints so as to identify the received sequence of media content. The media system sends a request for identification of additional content to a server system. The request is based at least in part on the comparison fingerprint. The media system receives a response to the request, including information enabling additional content to be selected for display at the media system based at least in part on the identification of the received sequence of media content, and presents a displayed sequence of media content that includes at least a portion of the received sequence of media content and at least a portion of the additional content.
1 . A method for use in connection with a client device that receives an identified first sequence of media content and an unidentified second sequence of media content, the method comprising:
operating, by a computing system, in a tracking mode, wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system (i) sends, to the client device, reference fingerprint data corresponding to the identified first sequence of media content for comparison with comparison fingerprint data generated by the client device, the comparison fingerprint data representing the unidentified second sequence of media content being received and presented by the client device and (ii) determines, based on an indication received from the client device, that the comparison fingerprint data does not match the reference fingerprint data; and
responsive to determining that the comparison fingerprint data does not match the reference fingerprint data, transitioning, by the computing system, from operating in the tracking mode to operating in a discovery mode, wherein, while operating in the discovery mode, the computing system (i) obtains the comparison fingerprint data, (ii) compares the comparison fingerprint data with a plurality of sets of reference fingerprint data, a particular one of the sets of reference fingerprint data corresponding to the second sequence of media content, and (iii) identifies the second sequence of media content based on determining that the comparison fingerprint data matches the particular set of reference fingerprint data.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system refrains from comparing any comparison fingerprint data obtained from the client device with the plurality of sets of reference fingerprint data.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to the computing system identifying the second sequence of media content while operating in the discovery mode, the computing system reentering the tracking mode.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
after reentering the tracking mode, the computing system sending, to the client device, reference fingerprint data corresponding to the identified second sequence of media content for comparison with second comparison fingerprint data generated by the client device, the second comparison fingerprint data representing a third sequence of media content received and presented by the client device, so as to identify whether the third sequence of media content is a continuation of the second sequence of media content.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system sending the reference fingerprint data comprises the computing system sending a stream of reference fingerprint data sent sequentially in an order determined in accordance with a progression of the first sequence of media content to which the reference fingerprint data corresponds.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication received from the client device comprises the comparison fingerprint data.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the computing system obtaining the comparison fingerprint data comprises the computing system obtaining the comparison fingerprint data from the indication received from the client device.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sequence of media content corresponds to a first channel, and wherein the second sequence of media content corresponds to a second channel that is different from the first channel.
9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations in connection with a client device that receives an identified first sequence of media content and an unidentified second sequence of media content, the operations comprising:
operating in a tracking mode, wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system (i) sends, to the client device, reference fingerprint data corresponding to the identified first sequence of media content for comparison with comparison fingerprint data generated by the client device, the comparison fingerprint data representing the unidentified second sequence of media content being received and presented by the client device and (ii) determines, based on an indication received from the client device, that the comparison fingerprint data does not match the reference fingerprint data; and
responsive to determining that the comparison fingerprint data does not match the reference fingerprint data, transitioning from operating in the tracking mode to operating in a discovery mode, wherein, while operating in the discovery mode, the computing system (i) obtains the comparison fingerprint data, (ii) compares the comparison fingerprint data with a plurality of sets of reference fingerprint data, a particular one of the sets of reference fingerprint data corresponding to the second sequence of media content, and (iii) identifies the second sequence of media content based on determining that the comparison fingerprint data matches the particular set of reference fingerprint data.
10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system refrains from comparing any comparison fingerprint data obtained from the client device with the plurality of sets of reference fingerprint data.
11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:
responsive to identifying the second sequence of media content while operating in the discovery mode, reentering the tracking mode.
12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the operations further comprising:
after reentering the tracking mode, sending, to the client device, reference fingerprint data corresponding to the identified second sequence of media content for comparison with second comparison fingerprint data generated by the client device, the second comparison fingerprint data representing a third sequence of media content received and presented by the client device, so as to identify whether the third sequence of media content is a continuation of the second sequence of media content.
13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system sending the reference fingerprint data comprises the computing system sending a stream of reference fingerprint data sent sequentially in an order determined in accordance with a progression of the first sequence of media content to which the reference fingerprint data corresponds.
14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the indication received from the client device comprises the comparison fingerprint data, and wherein the computing system obtaining the comparison fingerprint data comprises the computing system obtaining the comparison fingerprint data from the indication received from the client device.
15 . A computing system comprising one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations in connection with a client device that receives an identified first sequence of media content and an unidentified second sequence of media content, the operations comprising:
operating in a tracking mode, wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system (i) sends, to the client device, reference fingerprint data corresponding to the identified first sequence of media content for comparison with comparison fingerprint data generated by the client device, the comparison fingerprint data representing the unidentified second sequence of media content being received and presented by the client device and (ii) determines, based on an indication received from the client device, that the comparison fingerprint data does not match the reference fingerprint data; and
responsive to determining that the comparison fingerprint data does not match the reference fingerprint data, transitioning from operating in the tracking mode to operating in a discovery mode, wherein, while operating in the discovery mode, the computing system (i) obtains the comparison fingerprint data, (ii) compares the comparison fingerprint data with a plurality of sets of reference fingerprint data, a particular one of the sets of reference fingerprint data corresponding to the second sequence of media content, and (iii) identifies the second sequence of media content based on determining that the comparison fingerprint data matches the particular set of reference fingerprint data.
16 . The computing system of claim 15 , wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system refrains from comparing any comparison fingerprint data obtained from the client device with the plurality of sets of reference fingerprint data.
17 . The computing system of claim 15 , the operations further comprising:
responsive to identifying the second sequence of media content while operating in the discovery mode, reentering the tracking mode.
18 . The computing system of claim 17 , the operations further comprising:
after reentering the tracking mode, sending, to the client device, reference fingerprint data corresponding to the identified second sequence of media content for comparison with second comparison fingerprint data generated by the client device, the second comparison fingerprint data representing a third sequence of media content received and presented by the client device, so as to identify whether the third sequence of media content is a continuation of the second sequence of media content.
19 . The computing system of claim 15 , wherein, while operating in the tracking mode, the computing system sending the reference fingerprint data comprises the computing system sending a stream of reference fingerprint data sent sequentially in an order determined in accordance with a progression of the first sequence of media content to which the reference fingerprint data corresponds.
20 . The computing system of claim 15 , wherein the indication received from the client device comprises the comparison fingerprint data, and wherein the computing system obtaining the comparison fingerprint data comprises the computing system obtaining the comparison fingerprint data from the indication received from the client device.