Methods and apparatus for providing personalized media in video

• US 8,464,288 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Pradeep, Anantha, Knight, Robert T., Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US12/357,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100186031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34, 725/32
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/378 Visual stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system provides personalized media in video for presentation using a video decoder in a device such as a video recorder, hardware or software player, computer system, or television. The personalized media may be embedded or hidden in a video stream or provided separately. A video decoder determines profile and preference information associated with a viewer, group, or demographic and personalizes commercial content using the profile and preference information. The system includes personalized media by introducing, embedding, overlaying, etc., media on video during commercial breaks. Personalized media may be provided during normal viewing or may be provided when a skip forward or fast forward request is received. The system may also evaluate personalization mechanisms using neuro-response measurements.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

selecting media comprising a plurality of pixels;

dividing the pixels into a plurality of portions, each of the portions having a subset of the pixels, a first of the portions having a different set of the pixels than a second of the portions;

blending the first portion with a first frame of a video; and

blending the second portion with a second frame of the video such that the media is discernible when the video is played at a fast forward rate faster than a normal playback rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate is four times the normal rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the media into a plurality of media portions comprises dividing the media into a number of media portions based on an average fast forward rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media comprises a name of the viewer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the blending the first media portion comprises adjusting at least one of a hue, a saturation or a value of the first media portion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewer of the video is asked to indicate if the media is discernible.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing survey data to determine whether the media is discernible.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media portion blended with the first frame and the second media portion blended with the second frame collectively form an advertisement that is only viewable during a fast forward or a rewind.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising personalizing the media based on automatically compiled viewing characteristics.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a location placement of the media in the video based on viewer preference data, the selecting of the media being based on the viewer preference data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the pixels into the plurality of portions comprises randomly selecting the subsets of pixels.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the pixels into the plurality of portions comprises intelligently selecting the subsets of pixels.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsets collectively include substantially all of the pixels of the media.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of subsets equals an expected accelerated fast forward rate.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the fast forward rate is x and each subset includes 1/x the total number of pixels in the media.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the fast forward rate is x frames per second and a number of the subsets is x.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of subsets is eight and each subset includes approximately one-sixth the total number of pixels in the media.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the pixels of the subsets are adjusted for at least one of hue, saturation or value to blend the at least some of the pixels in the video.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing neuro-response data collected from the viewer while exposed to the video with the media playing at one or more of the fast forward rate or the normal playback rate to determine if the media is discernible.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the neuro-response data is collected using electroencephalography and electrooculography.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising determining a presentation characteristic of the media based on the neuro-response data.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the presentation characteristic comprises at least one of a clarity, an opacity or a contrast of the media relative to the video.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the blending of the second media portion comprises adjusting at least one of a hue, a saturation or a value of the second media portion.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the fast forward rate is an average fast forwarding rate, a multiple of the average fast forward rate, or a factor of the average fast forward rate.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the media is not discernible when the video is played at the normal playback rate.

35. The system of claim 7 further comprising a data analyzer to analyze neuro-response data collected from a viewer while exposed to the video with the media playing at one or more of the rate or the normal playback rate to determine if the media is discernible.

26. A system, comprising:

a selector to select media having a plurality of pixels; and

an encoder to;

divide the pixels into a plurality of portions, each of the portions including a subset of the pixels, a first of the portions having a different set of the pixels than a second of the portions, blend the first portion with a first frame of a video, and

blend the second portion with a second frame of the video such that the media is discernible when the video is played at a rate different than a normal playback rate.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the rate is faster than the normal playback rate.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the rate is at least one of a fast forward rate or a rewind rate.

29. The system of claim 26, further comprising a data analyzer to determine whether the media is discernible when the video is played at the normal rate.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the encoder is to divide the media into the plurality of media portions based on the rate.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the encoder is to adjust at least one of a hue, a saturation or a value of the plurality of portions.

32. The system of claim 26 further comprising a data analyzer to analyze survey data to determine whether the media is discernible.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the media is personalized based on automatically compiled viewing characteristics.

34. The system of claim 26, wherein viewer preference data is used to select the media and to select a placement location of the media in the video.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein the media is not discernible when the video is played at the normal playback rate.

37. A tangible machine readable storage device or storage disc comprising machine readable instructions which, when read, cause a machine to at least:

divide media comprising a plurality of pixels into a plurality of portions, each of the portions including less than all of the pixels, a first of the portions having a different set of the pixels than a second of the portions;

blend the first portion with a first frame of a video; and

blend the second portion with a second frame of the video such that the media is discernible when the video is played at a fast forward rate faster than a normal playback rate but is not discernible when the video is played at the normal playback rate.

38. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the fast forward rate is approximately four times the normal rate.

39. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the instructions cause the machine to divide the media into a number of portions based on the fast forward rate.

40. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the media comprises a name of the viewer.

41. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the instructions cause the machine to adjust at least one of a hue, a saturation or a value of the plurality of portions.

42. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the instructions cause the machine to personalize the media based on automatically compiled viewing characteristics.

43. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the instructions cause the machine to both select the media and a placement location of the media in the video based on viewer preference data.

44. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the instructions cause the machine to analyze neuro-response data collected from a viewer while exposed to the video with the media playing at one or more of the fast forward rate or the normal playback rate to determine if the media is discernible.

45. The storage device or storage disc of claim 37, wherein the media is not discernible when the video is played at the normal playback rate.

46. A method, comprising:

dividing an image having a plurality of pixels into a plurality of portions, each of the portions comprising a subset of pixels, each subset being fewer than all the pixels in the plurality, a first of the portions having a different set of the pixels than a second of the portions;

blending the first portion with a first frame of a video; and

blending the second portion with a second frame of the video such that the image is discernible when the video is played at a rate different than a normal playback rate.