Method and system for region-based monitoring of video assets

• US 8,656,439 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pham, Hung John
• Primary Examiner(s): Chung, Jason J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US13/898,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• Field of Search: 725/107, 725/119, 348/180, 348/192, 382/236
• US Class Current: 725/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring video assets provided by a multimedia content distribution network (MCDN) includes an expert test monitoring platform (ETMP) configured to emulate MCDN client systems at a facility of an MCDN service provider. The ETMP may be used to test monitor MCDN performance by acquiring a baseband video signal and performing a test operation including at least one check point condition. The check point condition may be associated with a masked region of the video signal and may also involve a test of an audio channel. A plurality of test operations and/or check point conditions may be defined and executed on the baseband video signal, while the results of the test operation may be logged.

Claims

1. A test method, comprising:

requesting, from a test monitor controller, access to a multimedia handling device as an active unit under test;

controlling power supplied to the active unit under test by sending a first network command to a network-based power controller;

selecting a video signal including a plurality of video elements, each of the plurality of video elements associated with a corresponding region of a video frame, by sending a second network command to generate a remote control signal instructing the active unit under test to output a multimedia content channel;

configuring a video matrix switch to route the video signal from the active unit under test;

accessing a first image mask defining a first video frame region;

performing a masked video check point for a first video element of the plurality of video elements, wherein the masked video check point compares the first video frame region of a first frame to the first video frame region of a second frame; and

based on a result of the masked video check point;

executing a first script in response to the masked video check point passing; and

executing a second script in response to the masked video check point failing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the masked video check point includes:

determining that the first video element is intended as a static image responsive to identifying the first video element as being static; and

determining that the first video element is intended as a dynamic image responsive to identifying the first video element as being dynamic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video element comprises a main video element and wherein the first image mask comprises a main video mask indicative of a region of the video frame associated with a location of the main video element.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the main video element includes a main video component and a main audio component and wherein performing the masked video check point includes verifying that the main audio component is dynamic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video element comprises a static title bar element and wherein the first image mask comprises a title bar mask indicative of a region of the video frame associated with a location of the title bar.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of video elements includes a plurality of dynamic picture-in-picture elements.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

accessing a plurality of picture-in-picture image masks defining regions corresponding to each of the plurality of picture-in-picture elements; and

performing masked video check points for each of the picture-in-picture elements to verify each of the picture-in-picture elements as being dynamic.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a rate at which frame images are generated from the video signal.

9. A test executor system, comprising:

a processor;

computer readable storage, accessible to the processor, including processor executable program instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

requesting, from a test monitor controller, access to a multimedia handling device as an active unit under test;

controlling power supplied to the active unit under test by sending a first network command to a network-based power controller;

selecting a video signal including a plurality of video elements, each of the plurality of video elements associated with a corresponding region of a video frame, by sending a second network command to generate a remote control signal instructing the active unit under test to output a multimedia content channel;

configuring a video matrix switch to route the video signal from the active unit under test;

accessing a first image mask defining a first video frame region;

performing a masked video check point for a first video element of the plurality of video elements, wherein the masked video check point compares the first video frame region of a first frame to the first video frame region of a second frame; and

based on a result of the masked video check point;

executing a first script in response to the masked video check point passing; and

executing a second script in response to the masked video check point failing.

10. The test executor system of claim 9, wherein performing the masked video check point includes:

determining that the first video element is intended as a static image responsive to identifying the first video element as being static; and

determining that the first video element is intended as a dynamic image responsive to identifying the first video element as being dynamic.

11. The test executor system of claim 9, wherein:

the first video element comprises a main video element;

the first image mask comprises a main video mask indicative of a region of the video frame associated with a location of the main video element;

the main video element includes a main video component and a main audio component; and

performing the masked video check point includes verifying that the main audio component is dynamic.

12. The test executor system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of video elements includes a plurality of dynamic picture-in-picture elements.

13. The test executor system of claim 12, wherein the operations include:

accessing a plurality of picture-in-picture image masks defining regions corresponding to each of the plurality of picture-in-picture elements; and

performing masked video check points for each of the picture-in-picture elements to verify each of the picture-in-picture elements as being dynamic.

14. A computer readable memory device including stored, processor executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

requesting, from a test monitor controller, access to a multimedia handling device as an active unit under test;

controlling power supplied to the active unit under test by sending a first network command to a network-based power controller;

selecting a video signal including a plurality of video elements, each of the plurality of video elements associated with a corresponding region of a video frame;

configuring a video matrix switch to route the video signal from the active unit under test;

accessing a first image mask defining a first video frame region;

performing a masked video check point for a first video element of the plurality of video elements, wherein the masked video check point compares the first video frame region of a first frame to the first video frame region of a second frame; and

based on a result of the masked video check point;

executing a first script in response to the masked video check point passing; and

executing a second script in response to the masked video check point failing.

15. The computer readable memory device of claim 14, wherein performing the masked video check point includes:

determining that the first video element is intended as a static image responsive to identifying the first video element as being static; and

determining that the first video element is intended as a dynamic image responsive to identifying the first video element as being dynamic.

16. The computer readable memory device of claim 14, wherein:

the first video element comprises a main video element;

the first image mask comprises a main video mask indicative of a region of the video frame associated with a location of the main video element;

the main video element includes a main video component and a main audio component; and

performing the masked video check point includes verifying that the main audio component is dynamic.

17. The computer readable memory device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of video elements includes a plurality of dynamic picture-in-picture elements.

18. The computer readable medium memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations include:

accessing a plurality of picture-in-picture image masks defining regions corresponding to each of the plurality of picture-in-picture elements; and

performing masked video check points for each of the picture-in-picture elements to verify each of the picture-in-picture elements as being dynamic.

19. The computer readable memory device of claim 14, wherein the operations include:

selecting a rate at which frame images are generated from the video signal.

20. The computer readable memory device of claim 14, wherein selecting the video signal includes:

sending a second network command to generate a remote control signal instructing the active unit under test to output a multimedia content channel.