Modified playlists

• US 8,260,193 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clear Channel Management Services LP (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Littlejohn, Jeffrey Lee, Jellison, David C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US13/358,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 222 Days
• Field of Search: 455/45, 455/186.1, 455/3.06, 455/161.2, 455/3.02, 455/3.05, 455/184.1, 455/185.1, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/90.3, 379/101.01, 379/90.01, 379/102.01, 379/102.02, 709/228, 709/202, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 709/231, 709/232, 709/223
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching

Abstract

A modified playlist can be generated by identifying gaps in a playlist, and modifying other content in the playlist to fill the gap. The gap can represent previously unfilled time, or time created by removing part or all of an item already in the playlist. One or more items of content in the playlist can be modified by lengthening or shortening one of the content items in various ways, including changing a rate of playback of some or all of the items of content in the playlist. In some instances the gap can be filled or partially filled by inserting content from another server at the time of broadcast.

Claims

1. A system for broadcasting media events, the system including at least one server, the server comprising:

memory; and

a processor operably associated with the memory and configured to;

store at least a portion of a playlist comprising a sequence of media events;

identify a gap in the playlist; and

generate a modified playlist by delaying or advancing the playback of at least one of the media events in the playlist to fill the gap in the playlist.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sequence of media events is lengthened as long as needed to re-fill a buffer.

3. The system in claim 1, wherein more than one of the sequence of media events are lengthened to fill the gap in the playlist.

4. The system in claim 3, wherein:

at least two of the more than one media events are lengthened by a similar percentage.

5. The system in claim 3, wherein:

at least two of the more than one media events are lengthened by a different percentage.

6. The system in claim 1, wherein at least one media event is lengthened and at least one media event is shortened to fill the gap in the playlist.

7. The system in claim 1, the server further comprising:

an interface configured to transmit the modified playlist to one or more users.

8. A system for broadcasting media events, the system including at least one server, the server comprising:

a memory configured to store at least a portion of a playlist comprising a sequence of media events;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to;

insert a media event into the playlist to generate a modified playlist; and

in response to inserting a media event into the playlist, change a rate of playback of at least one of the media events included in the modified playlist.

9. The system in claim 8, wherein at least one of the sequence of media events is shortened in response to inserting a media event into the playlist.

10. The system in claim 8, wherein more than one of the sequence of media events are shortened in response to inserting a media event into the playlist.

11. The system in claim 10, wherein amounts by which the more than one media events are shortened are similar to one another.

12. The system in claim 10, wherein an amount by which at least one of the more than one media events is shortened is different from an amount by which at least another of the more than one media events is shortened.

13. The system in claim 8, wherein at least one media event is lengthened and at least one other media event is shortened in response to inserting a media event into the playlist.

14. The system in claim 8, the server further comprising:

an interface configured to transmit the modified playlist to one or more users.

15. A method comprising:

storing at least a portion of a playlist comprising a sequence of media events on a content distribution (CDN) server;

editing a first media event; and

in response to editing the first media event, changing a length of another one or more media events in the playlist to generate a modified playlist.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein editing the first media event comprises:

removing at least a portion of content from the first media event; and

lengthening the first media event to extend a playback length of the first media event.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

editing the first media event includes removing at least a portion of content from the first media event; and

changing the length of the another one or more media events in the playlist includes lengthening at least a second media event to extend a playback length of the at least a second media event to compensate for removing the at least a portion of content from the first media event.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein editing the first media event includes inserting additional content into the first media event to generate a modified first media event.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

editing the first media event includes inserting additional content into the first media event; and

wherein

changing the length of another one or more media events in the playlist includes shortening at least a second media event.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the modified playlist to one or more users.

21. A system for broadcasting media events, the system comprising:

at least one processor configured to implement a first server, the first server configured to;

store a first playlist including a first media item and a second media item, wherein the first media item and the second media item are to be broadcast in sequence;

remove at least a first portion of the first media item;

replace the first portion of the first media item with the second media item, thereby creating a first modified playlist;

broadcast the first modified playlist; and

the at least one processor configured to implement a second server, the second server configured to;

broadcast the first playlist concurrently with the first server broadcasting the first modified playlist.

22. The system in claim 21, wherein the first portion of t le first media item includes the entire first media item.

23. The system in claim 21, wherein at least a portion of a first processor of the at least one processor forms at least a portion of a second processor of the at least one processor.

24. A system for broadcasting media events, the system including at least one server, the server comprising:

a first memory; and

a first processor operably associated with the first memory and configured to;

identify a gap in the playlist, wherein the gap is defined by a lack of content;

store a first media content in the first memory, the playback time of the first media content is substantially similar to the gap in the playlist; and

broadcast the first media content during the gap in the playlist;

a second memory;

a second processor operably associated with the second memory and configured to;

store a second media content in the second memory, the playback time of the second media content is substantially similar to the gap in the playlist; and

broadcast the second media content during the gap in the playlist concurrently as the first processor broadcasts the first media content during the gap in the playlist.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein at least the first or second media content is an advertisement.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein at least the first or second media content is a predetermined portion of the playlist.