System and method for verifying presentation of an advertisement inserted in a video stream

• US 10,681,401 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Todd W., Fritz, Darik, Paterson, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Riaz, Sahar Aqil
• Application Number:
  US16/120,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20200077129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 725 22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64723 Monitoring of network processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of network load traffic related reporting in data switching networks H04L43/062
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method comprising receiving a data stream comprising media content that includes program content and advertising content, and monitoring for presence of markers in the data stream at test points on a data path from a receiving device to a server distributing the data stream over a network. Data collected at the test points is correlated to determine whether the advertising content was presented. If the advertising content was not presented, an alarm message is generated; and a location is determined, based on the result of the correlating, of a fault on the data path causing the advertising content to not be presented. The test data are collected from the test points simultaneously with propagation of the data stream along the data path. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processing system including a processor, a data stream comprising media content that includes program content and advertising content;

monitoring, by the processing system, for presence of a first marker in the data stream at a first test point at an output of a receiving device for the data stream, thereby generating first test data;

performing, by the processing system, a first encoding of the data stream using a first encoding device;

monitoring, by the processing system, for presence of a second marker in the data stream at a second test point at an output of the first encoding device, thereby generating second test data;

performing, by the processing system, a second encoding of the data stream using a second encoding device, the second encoding comprising data compression;

monitoring, by the processing system, for presence of a third marker in the data stream at a third test point at an output of the second encoding device, thereby generating third test data;

delivering, by the processing system, the data stream to a server for distribution over a network, thereby enabling presentation of the media content, wherein the data stream propagates from the receiving device toward the server along a data path;

collecting, by the processing system, the first test data, the second test data, and the third test data;

correlating, by the processing system, the first test data, the second test data, and the third test data;

determining, by the processing system in accordance with a result of the correlating, whether the advertising content was presented; and

responsive to determining that the advertising content was not presented;

generating, by the processing system, an alarm message; and

determining, by the processing system based on the result of the correlating, a location on the data path of a fault causing the advertising content to not be presented,

wherein the first test data, the second test data, and the third test data are collected simultaneously with propagation of the data stream along the data path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first marker comprises metadata for the advertising content, the metadata including timing data and priority data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first marker and the second marker conform to first and second messaging standards respectively, and wherein the monitoring for the presence of the second marker comprises validating a translation of the first marker from the first messaging standard to the second messaging standard.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first encoding device translates the first marker from the first messaging standard to the second messaging standard, thereby generating the second marker.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second encoding device translates the second marker from the second messaging standard to the first messaging standard while performing the data compression, thereby generating the third marker.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second messaging standards are SCTE-35 and SCTE-104 respectively.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm message comprises the location on the data path of the fault.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting, by the processing system, a local advertisement into the data stream.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising retrieving, by the processing system, the local advertisement from an advertisement file.

10. A device, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a data stream comprising media content that includes program content and advertising content;

monitoring for presence of a first marker in the data stream at a first test point at an output of a receiving device for the data stream, thereby generating first test data;

performing a first encoding of the data stream using a first encoding device;

monitoring for presence of a second marker in the data stream at a second test point at an output of the first encoding device, thereby generating second test data;

performing a second encoding of the data stream using a second encoding device, the second encoding comprising data compression;

monitoring for presence of a third marker in the data stream at a third test point at an output of the second encoding device, thereby generating third test data;

delivering the data stream to a server for distribution over a network, thereby enabling presentation of the media content, wherein the data stream propagates from the receiving device toward the server along a data path;

collecting the first test data, the second test data, and the third test data;

correlating the first test data, the second test data, and the third test data;

determining, in accordance with a result of the correlating, whether the advertising content was presented; and

responsive to determining that the advertising content was not presented;

determining, based on the result of the correlating, a location on the data path of a fault causing the advertising content to not be presented; and

generating an alarm message including the location on the data path of the fault,

wherein the first test data, the second test data, and the third test data are collected simultaneously with propagation of the data stream along the data path.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first marker and the second marker conform to first and second messaging standards respectively.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the monitoring for the presence of the second marker comprises validating a translation of the first marker from the first messaging standard to the second messaging standard.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the first encoding device translates the first marker from the first messaging standard to the second messaging standard, thereby generating the second marker.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the second encoding device translates the second marker from the second messaging standard to the first messaging standard while performing the data compression, thereby generating the third marker.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the first and second messaging standards are SCTE-35 and SCTE-104 respectively.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a data stream comprising media content that includes program content and advertising content;

monitoring for presence of a first marker in the data stream at a first test point at an output of a receiving device for the data stream, thereby generating first test data;

performing a first encoding of the data stream using a first encoding device;

monitoring for presence of a second marker in the data stream at a second test point at an output of the first encoding device, thereby generating second test data;

performing a second encoding of the data stream using a second encoding device, the second encoding comprising data compression;

delivering the data stream to a server for distribution over a network, thereby enabling presentation of the media content, wherein the data stream propagates from the receiving device toward the server along a data path;

correlating the first test data and the second test data;

determining, in accordance with a result of the correlating, whether the advertising content was presented; and

responsive to determining that the advertising content was not presented;

determining, based on the result of the correlating, a location on the data path of a fault causing the advertising content to not be presented; and

generating an alarm message including the location on the data path of the fault,

wherein the first test data and the second test data are collected simultaneously with propagation of the data stream along the data path.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first marker and the second marker conform to first and second messaging standards respectively.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first encoding device translates the first marker from the first messaging standard to the second messaging standard, thereby generating the second marker.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second encoding device translates the second marker from the second messaging standard to the first messaging standard while performing the data compression.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first and second messaging standards are SCTE-35 and SCTE-104 respectively.