Video stream measurement method and system

• US 8,566,856 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2009
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Amsterdam, Jeffrey David, Hammer, Stephen Carl, Holladay, Christopher Eythan, O'Connell, Brian Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US12/628,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 725/10, 725/13, 725/14, 725/16, 725/18, 725/109, 725/110, 725/114, 725/118, 725/131, 725/139, 725/151, 725/32, 725/135, 725/136
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A video stream measurement method and system. The method includes receiving by a computing system, a video stream comprising plurality of timestamps located at specified intervals of the video stream. The computing system broadcasts the video stream for a user and decodes a first time stamp broadcasted during a first time period. The computing system monitors a user interaction function performed by the user and associated with the video stream. The computing system generates and transmits a report comprising a description associated with the user interaction function. The computing system receives an analysis associated with the report.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer processor of a computing system, a video stream comprising plurality of timestamps located at specified intervals of said video stream;

broadcasting, by said computer processor for a user, said video stream;

during said broadcasting, first decoding by said computer processor, a first time stamp of said plurality of time stamps, said first time stamp broadcasted during a first time period;

during said first decoding, monitoring by said computer processor, a first user interaction function associated with said video stream, said first user interaction function performed by said user during a broadcast of a first portion of said video stream, said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream occurring at said first time stamp;

first determining, by said computer processor, based on said first user interaction function, that said user is currently viewing said video stream;

second determining, by said computer processor, based on said first user interaction function and additional previous user interaction functions, various portions of said video stream that have been actively viewed by said user;

third determining, by said computer processor, based on results of said first determining and said second determining, video portions of additional video for adding to said video stream;

generating, by said computing system, a report, said report comprising a first description comprising analysis associated with said first user interaction function, said additional previous user interaction functions, and said first time period associated with said first time stamp, wherein said first description comprises first measurements associated with said first user interaction function, wherein said first measurements are configured to be compiled into usage statistics and viewing patterns associated with said video stream, and wherein said first measurements comprise;

measuring a window focus percentage, through method calls to an operating system, occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream;

measuring a mouse movement occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream, wherein said mouse movement occurs within and external to a video window broadcasting said first portion of said video stream; and

measuring an average volume level for an audio stream associated with said video stream occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream;

transmitting, by said computer processor to an analysis computing system, said report; and

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system, an analysis associated with said report.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system, instructions associated with said analysis and said video stream; and

presenting, by said computer processor to said user, said instructions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system, instructions associated with said analysis and said video stream; and

automatically enabling, by said computer processor in response to said instructions, specified functions associated with said broadcasting said video stream.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by said computer processor, said first time period to a reference time period to determine a difference between said first time period and said reference time period, wherein said report comprises said difference.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during said broadcasting and after said first decoding, second decoding by said computer processor, a second time stamp of said plurality of time stamps, said first time stamp broadcasted during a first time period;

during said second decoding, monitoring by said computer processor, a second user interaction function associated with said video stream, said second user interaction function performed by said user during a broadcast of a second portion of said video stream, said broadcast of said second portion of said video stream occurring at said second stamp, said broadcast of said second portion of said video stream occurring after said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream; and

comparing, by said computer processor, said first time period to said second time period to determine a difference between said first time period and said second time period, wherein said report comprises said difference.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

comparing, by said computer processor, said difference to a reference time period to determine an additional difference between said first time period and said reference time period, wherein said report comprises said additional difference;

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system in response to said report, an indication that said broadcasting said video stream comprises a specified lag time;

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system, instructions associated with said analysis and said indication; and

presenting, by said computer processor to said user, said instructions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said instructions are received via metadata inserted with said video stream.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said instructions comprise information requesting said user disable said broadcasting said video stream and switch to broadcasting a replacement video stream.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

comparing, by said computer processor, said difference to a reference time period to determine an additional difference between said first time period and said reference time period, wherein said report comprises said additional difference;

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system in response to said report, an indication that said broadcasting said video stream comprises a specified lag time;

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system, instructions associated with said analysis and said indication; and

automatically enabling, by said computer processor in response to said instructions, specified functions associated with said broadcasting said video stream.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said automatically enabling said specified functions comprises:

automatically disabling, by said computer processor, said broadcasting said video stream; and

automatically enabling, by said computer processor, broadcasting a replacement video stream.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

comparing, by said computer processor, said difference to a reference time period to determine an additional difference between said first time period and said reference time period, wherein said report comprises said additional difference; and

transmitting, by said computer processor to said analysis computing system, load data indicating a current load and capacity associated with said computing system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by said computer processor based on said load data, an additional plurality of timestamps located at additional specified intervals of said video stream.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by said computer processor based on said load data, said video stream comprising removed time stamps from plurality of timestamps.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of timestamps are comprised by metadata.

15. A process for supporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code by said computer processor, wherein the code in combination with said computing system is capable of performing the method of claim 1.

16. A computer program product, comprising a computer hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code configured to perform a method upon being executed by a processor of computing system, said method comprising:

receiving, by said computer processor, a video stream comprising plurality of timestamps located at specified intervals of said video stream;

broadcasting, by said computer processor for a user, said video stream;

during said broadcasting, first decoding by said computer processor, a first time stamp of said plurality of time stamps, said first time stamp broadcasted during a first time period;

during said first decoding, monitoring by said computer processor, a first user interaction function associated with said video stream, said first user interaction function performed by said user during a broadcast of a first portion of said video stream, said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream occurring at said first time stamp;

first determining, by said computer processor, based on said first user interaction function, that said user is currently viewing said video stream;

second determining, by said computer processor, based on said first user interaction function and additional previous user interaction functions, various portions of said video stream that have been actively viewed by said user;

third determining, by said computer processor, based on results of said first determining and said second determining, video portions of additional video for adding to said video stream;

generating, by said computing system, a report, said report comprising a first description comprising analysis associated with said first user interaction function, said additional previous user interaction functions, and said first time period associated with said first time stamp, wherein said first description comprises first measurements associated with said first user interaction function, wherein said first measurements are configured to be compiled into usage statistics and viewing patterns associated with said video stream, and wherein said first measurements comprise;

measuring a window focus percentage, through method calls to an operating system, occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream;

measuring a mouse movement occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream, wherein said mouse movement occurs within and external to a video window broadcasting said first portion of said video stream;

measuring an average volume level for an audio stream associated with said video stream occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream;

transmitting, by said computer processor to an analysis computing system, said report; and

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system, an analysis associated with said report.

17. A computing system comprising a computer processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising a computer readable code configured to be executed by the computer processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by said computer processor, a video stream comprising plurality of timestamps located at specified intervals of said video stream;

broadcasting, by said computer processor for a user, said video stream;

during said broadcasting, first decoding by said computer processor, a first time stamp of said plurality of time stamps, said first time stamp broadcasted during a first time period;

during said first decoding, monitoring by said computer processor, a first user interaction function associated with said video stream, said first user interaction function performed by said user during a broadcast of a first portion of said video stream, said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream occurring at said first time stamp;

first determining, by said computer processor, based on said first user interaction function, that said user is currently viewing said video stream;

second determining, by said computer processor, based on said first user interaction function and additional previous user interaction functions, various portions of said video stream that have been actively viewed by said user;

third determining, by said computer processor, based on results of said first determining and said second determining, video portions of additional video for adding to said video stream;

generating, by said computing system, a report, said report comprising a first description comprising analysis associated with said first user interaction function, said additional previous user interaction functions, and said first time period associated with said first time stamp, wherein said first description comprises first measurements associated with said first user interaction function, wherein said first measurements are configured to be compiled into usage statistics and viewing patterns associated with said video stream, and wherein said first measurements comprise;

measuring a window focus percentage, through method calls to an operating system, occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream;

measuring a mouse movement occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream, wherein said mouse movement occurs within and external to a video window broadcasting said first portion of said video stream;

measuring an average volume level for an audio stream associated with said video stream occurring during said broadcast of said first portion of said video stream;

transmitting, by said computer processor to an analysis computing system, said report; and

receiving, by said computer processor from said analysis computing system, an analysis associated with said report.