DUAL CHANNEL ENCODING AND DETECTION

• US 20090141793A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advocado, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Koplar Interactive Systems International, LLC
• Inventors: Koplar, Edward J., Gramelspacher, Michael S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/06 Systems for the simultaneous transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by more than one carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems for dual channel encoding and detection are described. In one embodiment, Auxiliary data may be encoded in an audio portion of one or more frames of a content signal based on an audio encoding technique. The auxiliary data may be encoded in a video portion of the one or more frames based on a video encoding technique. The encoding of the auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion may produce a modulated content signal. The modulated content signal may include one or more dual encoded frames. The dual encoded frames may include the auxiliary data encoded within the audio portion and the video portion of the one or more frames. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

encoding auxiliary data in an audio portion of one or more frames of a content signal based on an audio encoding technique; and

encoding the auxiliary data in a video portion of the one or more frames based on a video encoding technique;

wherein the encoding of the auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion produce a modulated content signal, the modulated content signal including one or more dual encoded frames, the dual encoded frames including the auxiliary data encoded within the audio portion and the video portion of the one or more frames.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting the modulated content signal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing a plurality of frames of the content signal based on a selection criterion to identify the one or more frames; and

wherein the encoding of the auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion is based on the analyzing of the plurality of frames.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio encoding technique includes at least one of dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) modulation, frequency shift key (FSK) modulation, echo encoding modulation, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video encoding technique includes at least one of chrominance modulation, luminance modulation, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary data encoded in the video portion of the one or more frames is substantially invisible.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content signal includes a video signal.

8. A method comprising:

analyzing a plurality of frames of a content signal based on a selection criterion to identify an audio frame selection and a video frame selection;

encoding a portion of auxiliary data in an audio portion of the audio frame selection of the content signal; and

encoding another portion of the auxiliary data in a video portion of the video frame selection of the content signal;

wherein the encoding of the audio frame selection and the video frame selection produces a modulated video signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more frames of the content signal selected by the audio frame selection are the one or more frames of the content signal selected by the video frame selection.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary data encoded in the video portion of the one or more frames is substantially invisible.

11. A method comprising:

encoding an audio portion and a video portion of a plurality of available frames of a content signal with test data to produce a test content signal, the audio portion encoded based on an audio encoding technique, the video portion encoded based on a video encoding technique;

identifying one or more audio enabled frames and one or more video enabled frames among the plurality of available frames, the one or more audio enabled frames and the one or more video enabled frames capable of being successfully decoded; and

encoding auxiliary data in the content signal based on the identifying of the one or more audio enabled frames and one or more video enabled frames.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the encoding of the auxiliary data in the content signal comprises:

encoding auxiliary data in a particular audio enabled frame of the one or more audio enabled frames, a particular video enabled frame of the one or more video enabled frames, or combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the encoding of the auxiliary data in the content signal comprises:

encoding auxiliary data in the one or more audio enabled frames and the one or more video enabled frames.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifying comprises:

decoding the test data from the test content signal to identify the one or more audio enabled frames and the one or more video enabled frames among the plurality of available frames.

15. A method comprising:

accessing a modulated content signal, the modulated content signal including a plurality of dual encoded frames, the plurality of dual encoded frames including the auxiliary data encoded within an audio portion and a video portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames; and

decoding the plurality of dual encoded frames to reproduce the auxiliary data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the decoding comprises:

analyzing the plurality of dual encoded frames to identify an audio frame selection and a video frame selection based on a selection criterion;

decoding the video portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames associated with the video frame selection; and

decoding the audio portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames associated with the audio frame selection,

wherein the decoding of the audio portion and the video portion reproduces the auxiliary data.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the decoding comprises:

accessing an encoding identification of an audio frame selection and a video frame selection among the plurality of dual encoded frames;

decoding the video portion of the plurality of dual frames associated with the video frame selection; and

decoding the audio portion of the plurality of dual frames associated with the audio frame selection,

wherein the decoding of the audio portion and the video portion reproduces the auxiliary data

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the decoding comprises:

selecting the video portion of a frame grouping of the plurality of dual encoded frames;

determining that the video portion of one or more remaining dual encoded frames of the plurality of dual encoded frames cannot be decoded to reproduce the auxiliary data; and

decoding the audio portion of the one or more remaining dual encoded frames, the decoding of the audio portion to reproduce the auxiliary data.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the decoding comprises:

selecting the audio portion of a frame grouping of the plurality of dual encoded frames;

determining that the audio portion of one or more remaining dual encoded frames of the plurality of dual encoded frames cannot be decoded; and

decoding the video portion of one or more remaining dual encoded frames, the decoding of the video portion being used to reproduce the auxiliary data.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the decoding comprises:

decoding the video portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames based on a video decoding technique to reproduce video encoded data;

decoding the audio portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames based on an audio decoding technique to reproduce audio encoded data;

comparing the video encoded data to the audio encoded data; and

reproducing the auxiliary data based on the comparing, the auxiliary data being at least one of video encoded data, audio encoded data, or combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the audio decoding technique includes at least one of dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) decoding, frequency shift key (FSK) decoding, echo encoding decoding, radio broadcast data service (RBDS) decoding, or combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the video decoding technique includes at least one of chrominance decoding, luminance decoding, or combinations thereof.

23. A method comprising:

accessing a modulated content signal, the modulated content signal including a plurality of encoded frames, the plurality of encoded frames including the auxiliary data encoded within an audio portion of one or more audio encoded frames and the auxiliary data encoded within a video portion of one or more video encoded frames; and

decoding at least one of the video portion, the audio portion or combinations thereof of the plurality of encoded frames to reproduce the auxiliary data.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the decoding comprises:

accessing an encoding identification of an audio frame selection and a video frame selection among the plurality of encoded frames;

decoding the video portion of the plurality of encoded frames associated with the video frame selection; and

decoding the audio portion of the plurality of encoded frames associated with the audio frame selection;

wherein the decoding of the audio portion and the video portion reproduces the auxiliary data

25. A method comprising:

accessing a modulated content signal;

decoding an analysis frame portion of one or more analysis encoded frames of the modulated content signal to reproduce a message; and

decoding a message frame portion of one or more additional frames of the modulated content signal based on the message.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the decoding of the message comprises:

decoding the message frame portion of the one or more additional frames of the modulated content signal based on the message to reproduce auxiliary data encoded within the modulated content signal.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the analysis frame portion is a video portion and the message frame portion is an audio portion.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the analysis frame portion is an audio portion and the message frame portion is a video portion.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the message includes verification data, content feature data, content aspect data, frame selection, pixel area, hiding technique, or combinations thereof.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the message includes a rights assertion mark, the rights assertion mark to indicate rights associated with the content signal.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the decoding of the audio portion comprises:

triggering a video decoder based on reproduction of the message; and

wherein the decoding of the message frame portion of the one or more additional frames of the modulated content signal is based on the triggering of the video decoder.

32. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the following operations:

encode auxiliary data in an audio portion of one or more frames of a content signal based on an audio encoding technique;

encode the auxiliary data in a video portion of the one or more frames based on a video encoding technique; and

wherein encoding the auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion produce a modulated content signal, the modulated content signal including one or more dual encoded frames, the dual encoded frames including the auxiliary data encoded within the audio portion and the video portion of the one or more frames.

33. A system comprising:

a signal access module to access a modulated content signal, the modulated content signal including a plurality of dual encoded frames, the plurality of dual encoded frames including the auxiliary data encoded within an audio portion and a video portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames;

a video decoder module to decode the video portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames accessed by the signal access module to reproduce the auxiliary data; and

an audio decoder module to decode the audio portion of the plurality of dual encoded frames accessed by the signal access module to reproduce the auxiliary data.