Automated playlist chaser
First Claim
1. A method for automatically creating a new playlist, comprising:
- receiving a reference playlist defining a plurality of attributes for each of one or more program segments, the attributes comprising an on-air time, a start-of message, and a duration for each program segment;
comparing at least one on-air time in the reference playlist to a specified reference time;
identifying, based on the comparison, at least one program segment in the reference playlist that is active at the specified reference time;
adjusting, based on the at least one identified active program segment, the on-air time, the start-of message, and the duration attributes for one or more program segments in the reference playlist to create the new playlist; and
executing the new playlist on a second subsystem that provides failure protection for a first subsystem.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated playlist chaser (APC) improves the recovery time and robustness of playlists to component failures and/or human errors in a content sourcing and editing environment. Following detection and correction of an error in a content sourcing subsystem controlled by a playlist, the APC retrieves a last known good playlist from a playlist archive and automatically builds a new playlist for resynchronization of the subsystem. Building the new playlist involves iteratively solving for the first new program segment entry in the new playlist and the new “on-air time,” “start-of message,” and “duration” attributes for the entry as a function of a reference time (e.g., the present time of day), the original on-air time for the entry, the subsystem recovery time, the APC processing time, and the queuing delay of the audio-video source for the program segment.
14 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for automatically creating a new playlist, comprising:
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receiving a reference playlist defining a plurality of attributes for each of one or more program segments, the attributes comprising an on-air time, a start-of message, and a duration for each program segment; comparing at least one on-air time in the reference playlist to a specified reference time; identifying, based on the comparison, at least one program segment in the reference playlist that is active at the specified reference time; adjusting, based on the at least one identified active program segment, the on-air time, the start-of message, and the duration attributes for one or more program segments in the reference playlist to create the new playlist; and executing the new playlist on a second subsystem that provides failure protection for a first subsystem. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An automated playlist chaser adapted to:
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receive a reference playlist defining a plurality of attributes for each of one or more program segments, the attributes comprising an on-air time, a start-of message, and a duration for each program segment; compare at least one on-air time in the reference playlist to a specified reference time; identify, based on the comparison, at least one program segment in the reference playlist that is active at the specified reference time; adjust, based on the at least one identified active program segment, the on-air time, the start-of message, and the duration attributes for one or more program segments in the reference playlist to create a new playlist; and execute the new playlist on a second subsystem that provides failure protection for a first subsystem. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A content sourcing facility comprising:
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at least first and second content sourcing subsystems, each adapted to generate a subsystem stream of content; and an automated playlist chaser adapted to; receive a reference playlist defining a plurality of attributes for each of one or more program segments, the attributes comprising an on-air time, a start-of message, and a duration for each program segment; compare at least one on-air time in the reference playlist to a specified reference time; identify, based on the comparison, at least one program segment in the reference playlist that is active at the specified reference time; adjust, based on the at least one identified active program segment, the on-air time, the start-of message, and the duration attributes for one or more program segments in the reference playlist to create a new playlist, wherein at least one of the content sourcing subsystems, which provides failure protection for at least one other content sourcing subsystem, generates its subsystem stream of content based on the new playlist. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A server comprising at least one processing unit adapted to execute:
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operating software for managing communication and file operations; and at least a portion of an automated playlist chaser application, wherein the automated playlist chaser application is adapted to; receive a reference playlist defining a plurality of attributes for each of one or more program segments, the attributes comprising an on-air time, a start-of message, and a duration for each program segment; compare at least one on-air time in the reference playlist to a specified reference time; identify, based on the comparison, at least one program segment in the reference playlist that is active at the specified reference time; adjust, based on the at least one identified active program segment, the on-air time, the start-of message, and the duration attributes for one or more program segments in the reference playlist to create a new playlist; and execute the new playlist on a second subsystem that provides failure protection for a first subsystem.
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28. A method for automatically creating a new playlist, comprising:
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(a) receiving a reference playlist defining a plurality of attributes for each of one or more program segments, the attributes comprising an on-air time, a start-of message, and a duration for each program segment; (b) comparing at least one on-air time in the reference playlist to a specified reference time; (c) identifying, based on the comparison, at least one program segment in the reference playlist that is active at the specified reference time; (d) adjusting, based on the at least one identified active program segment, at least one of the on-air time, the start-of message, and the duration attributes for one or more program segments in the reference playlist to create the new playlist, wherein; (i) the reference playlist corresponds to a playlist currently being executed by a first subsystem that sources a first on-air feed that is intended for viewing in at least a first time zone; and (ii) the specified reference time is based on the current time of day in a second time zone that is different than the first time zone; (e) executing the reference playlist on a second subsystem that sources an intermediate feed that is substantially synchronous with the first on-air feed that is sourced by the first subsystem; and (f) delaying the intermediate feed using a delay unit to produce a second on-air feed that is intended for viewing in at least the second time zone, such that the difference between the start of a given program segment in the first on-air feed and the start of the given program segment in the second on-air feed is equal to the time of day difference between the first and second time zones, wherein, upon detecting a failure in the delay unit; (i) the delay unit is bypassed such that the intermediate feed becomes the second on-air feed; and (ii) the new playlist is loaded into and executed by the second subsystem.
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29. A computer-implemented method for automatically creating a new playlist, comprising:
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(a) receiving a reference playlist defining a plurality of attributes for each of one or more program segments, the attributes comprising an on-air time, a start-of message, and a duration for each program segment; (b) comparing at least one on-air time in the reference playlist to a specified reference time; (c) identifying, based on the comparison, at least one program segment in the reference playlist that is active at the specified reference time; (d) adjusting, based on the at least one identified active program segment, at least one of the on-air time, the start-of message, and the duration attributes for one or more program segments in the reference playlist to create the new playlist; (e) initializing a first variable based on the reference time plus a processing time; (f) initializing a second variable to the value of the first variable; (g) determining a current program segment from the reference playlist by comparing the value of the second variable with timeslots for program segments in the reference playlist; (h) determining, by the computer, media type and corresponding queuing delay for the source of the current program segment; (i) updating the value of the second variable to be equal to the value of first variable plus the queuing delay, and (j) checking to see if the updated value of the second variable is within the timeslot for the current program segment, and, if it is not, repeating steps (g)-(i) until the updated value of the second variable is within the timeslot for the current program segment. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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Specification