Use of steganographically-encoded time information as basis to control implementation of dynamic content modification
A method and system for controlling implementation of dynamic content modification. The disclosure provides for using at least one steganographically-encoded timestamp in a media stream transmitted to a media client as a basis to determine a transmission delay for media-stream transmission to the media client, and for providing the determined transmission delay as a basis to facilitate control over whether to have the media client implement dynamic content modification. In addition, the disclosure provides for receiving respectively from each of various media clients a report indicating transmission delay determined for the media client based on such steganographically-encoded timestamp data, and using the transmission delays for the media clients to establish a dynamic-content-modification footprint that could be used to control whether, where, and to what extent dynamic content modification will be applied.
1. Non-transitory data storage storing program instructions executable by one or more processors to carry out operations comprising:
using at least one steganographically-encoded timestamp in a media stream transmitted to a media client as a basis to determine a transmission delay for media-stream transmission to the media client, and
providing the determined transmission delay as a basis to facilitate control over whether to have the media client implement dynamic content modification.
2. The non-transitory data storage of claim 1 , wherein the media stream is transmitted to the media client from a content distribution system, and wherein using the at least one steganographically-encoded timestamp in the media stream transmitted to the media client as a basis to determine the transmission delay for media-stream transmission to the media client comprises:
using the at least one steganographically-encoded timestamp in the media stream transmitted to the media client as a basis to determine the transmission delay for media-stream transmission from the content distribution system to the media client.
3. The non-transitory data storage of claim 2 , wherein the at least one steganographically-encoded timestamp indicates a reference time at the content distribution system, and wherein using the at least one steganographically-encoded timestamp in the media stream transmitted to the media client as a basis to determine the transmission delay for media-stream transmission from the content distribution system to the media client comprises:
decoding the steganographically-encoded timestamp from the media stream to determine the reference time;
determining a current time at the media client; and
comparing the determined current time with the determined reference time to determine the transmission delay.
4. The non-transitory data storage of claim 1 , wherein the steganographically-encoded timestamp comprises a watermark.
5. The non-transitory data storage of claim 4 , wherein the media stream represents audio, and wherein watermark is an audio watermark.
6. The non-transitory data storage of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic content modification comprises dynamic ad insertion.
7. The non-transitory data storage of claim 1 , wherein the media client comprises a content presentation device.
8. Non-transitory data storage storing program instructions executable by one or more processors to carry out operations comprising:
receiving a report indicating a determined transmission delay for media-stream transmission to a media client, wherein transmission delay is determined based at least on timestamp data steganographically-encoded in a media stream transmitted to the media client, and
using the determined transmission delay as a basis to control whether to have the media client implement dynamic content modification.
9. The non-transitory data storage of claim 8 , wherein using the determined transmission delay as a basis to control whether to have the media client implement dynamic content modification comprises using the determined transmission delay as a basis to control whether a server engages in processing for directing the media client to implement dynamic content modification.
10. The non-transitory data storage of claim 9 , wherein the processing comprises at least one step selected from the group consisting of:
working to identify a channel being rendered by the media client,
working to detect on the channel a presence of a content-modification opportunity, and
directing the media client to carry out dynamic content modification with respect to the content-modification opportunity.
11. The non-transitory data storage of claim 8 , wherein the dynamic content modification comprises dynamic ad insertion.
12. The non-transitory data storage of claim 8 , wherein the media stream is transmitted to the media client from a content distribution system, and wherein the transmission delay is transmission delay from the content distribution system to the media client.
13. Non-transitory data storage storing program instructions executable by one or more processors to carry out operations comprising:
respectively for each of a plurality of media clients, receiving from the media client a report indicating determined transmission delay for media-stream transmission to the media client, wherein transmission delay is determined based at least on timestamp data steganographically-encoded in a media stream transmitted to the media client; and
using the transmission delays for the plurality of media clients to establish a dynamic-content-modification footprint, wherein the dynamic-content-modification footprint indicates which media clients are candidates for implementing dynamic content modification, based on the determined transmission delays respectively for the media clients.
14. The non-transitory data storage of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of media clients includes a first media client and a second media client, and wherein using the transmission delays for the plurality of media clients to establish a dynamic-content-modification footprint comprises:
determining that the first media client is a candidate for implementing dynamic content modification, based on the determined transmission delay for media-stream transmission to the first media client; and
determining that the second media client is not a candidate for implementing dynamic content modification, based on the determined transmission delay for media-stream transmission to the second media client.
15. The non-transitory data storage of claim 13 , wherein the operations further include:
using the established dynamic-content-modification footprint as a basis to control which media clients to have implement dynamic content modification.
16. The non-transitory data storage of claim 15 , wherein using the established dynamic-content-modification footprint as a basis to control which media clients to have implement dynamic content modification comprises:
identifying based on the established dynamic-content-modification footprint which media clients are candidates for implementing dynamic content modification; and
based on the identifying, engaging in processing for each identified media client to direct the media client to implement dynamic content modification.
17. The non-transitory data storage of claim 16 , wherein the processing comprises at least one step selected from the group consisting of:
working to identify a channel being rendered by the media client,
working to detect on the channel a presence of a content-modification opportunity, and
directing the media client to carry out dynamic content modification with respect to the content-modification opportunity.
18. The non-transitory data storage of claim 16 , wherein using the established dynamic-content-modification footprint as a basis to control which media clients to have implement dynamic content modification further comprises:
based on one or more media clients not being identified as each being a candidate for implementing dynamic content modification, avoiding engaging in processing to direct each of the one or more media clients to implement dynamic content modification.
19. The non-transitory data storage of claim 18 , wherein the processing comprises at least one step selected from the group consisting of:
working to identify a channel being rendered by the media client,
working to detect on the channel a presence of a content-modification opportunity, and
directing the media client to carry out dynamic content modification with respect to the content-modification opportunity.
20. The non-transitory data storage of claim 13 , wherein the dynamic content modification comprises dynamic ad insertion.