Systems and methods for identifying audio content using an interactive media guidance application

• US 8,677,400 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: LaJoie, Dan, Carlberg, Marvin, Nishimura, Akitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, CAI Y
• Application Number:
  US12/570,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/36
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying audio using a media guidance application where a video program that includes one or more audio assets is received by user equipment. The user initiates a request to identify an audio asset playing within the video program and the audio asset is identified by processing data associated with the audio asset and data within a database of audio asset information associated with a plurality of known audio assets. The audio asset information associated with the identified audio asset is then provided to a user interface for display.

Claims

1. A media guidance system comprising:

a data store including audio asset information associated with a plurality of known audio assets,

user equipment configured to i) receive a video program including one or more audio assets, ii) display the video program, iii) display a user interface, and iv) receive a user input using the user interface,

a processor configured to i) receive the user input including a request to identify an audio asset playing within the video program, ii) identify the audio asset by processing data associated with the audio asset and data within the data store, iii) provide audio asset information associated with the identified audio asset to the user interface for display, iv) receive a plurality of requests to identify the audio asset, v) store an indication of each request, vi) determine that a threshold number of requests has been received, vii) identify a second user viewing the video program who has not requested to identify the audio asset, and viii) automatically provide the audio asset information to the second user when the audio asset is playing.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data store includes a plurality of known audio signatures, each known audio signature being associated with a known audio asset.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing includes generating an audio asset signature.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein identifying the audio asset includes comparing the generated audio asset signature with the plurality of known audio signatures in the data store.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein identifying the audio asset includes identifying a match between the generated audio asset signature and one of the plurality of known audio signatures.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor generates metadata including at least a portion of the audio asset information associated with the identified audio asset.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the audio asset information includes at least one of audio title, artist, album, album art, genre, type, audio asset location in video program, play time of audio asset in video program, start time of audio asset, end time of audio asset, and audio quality.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein generating the audio asset signature includes processing a sample of the audio asset to calculate one or more of average zero crossing rate, estimated tempo, average frequency spectrum, spectral flatness, prominent tones, and bandwidth.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein generating the audio asset signature includes determining an optimal segment of the audio asset to sample.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the optimal segment includes determining where interference from audio data not related to the audio asset is minimized.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining when interference is minimized includes analyzing the audio asset for audio or acoustic features indicative of audio data not related to the audio asset.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein determining when interference is minimized includes analyzing metadata included with the video program to determine when audio data not related to the audio asset is present.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the audio asset includes processing metadata associated with the audio asset to extract audio asset information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the metadata includes at least one of song lyrics, closed captioning data, and text associated with the audio asset.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor compares metadata associated with the audio asset and the audio asset information associated with the plurality of known audio assets to identify the audio asset.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the user equipment includes the processor.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the data store is located at a media source.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the media source includes the processor.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the request to identify an audio asset is a first request, the processor further configured to:

i) store the audio asset information associated with the identified audio asset, ii) receive a second request to identify the audio asset, iii) compare the first and second requests to determine that the first and second requests refer to the same audio asset, and iv) provide the stored audio asset information in response to the second request.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio asset information is overlaid on top of the video program.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio asset information is selectable, and wherein the user may be presented with an option to purchase the identified audio asset in response to the selection.

22. The system of claim 1, the processor further configured to:

i) select an advertisement based at least in part on the audio asset information, and ii) display the advertisement to the user.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio asset is a song, dialogue, narration, sound effect, or background music.

24. The system of claim 1, the processor further configured to perform at least one of:

i) detecting the start time and end time of the audio asset within the video program, and ii) adding metadata to the video program including the start time and the end time.

25. The system of claim 24, the processor further configured to perform at least one of:

i) receiving a second user request to play all audio assets in the video program, and ii) playing the audio assets based on the start time and end time metadata.

26. A method for identifying audio using a media guidance application, the method comprising:

receiving a video program that includes one or more audio assets,

receiving user input including a request to identify an audio asset playing within the video program,

identifying the audio asset by processing data associated with the audio asset and data within a data store, wherein the data store includes audio asset information associated with a plurality of known audio assets,

providing audio asset information associated with the identified audio asset to a user interface for display,

receiving a plurality of requests to identify the audio asset,

storing an indication of each request,

determining that a threshold number of requests has been received,

identifying a second user viewing the video program who has not requested to identify the audio asset, and

automatically providing the audio asset information to the second user when the audio asset is playing.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the data store includes a plurality of known audio signatures, each known audio signature being associated with a known audio asset.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising generating an audio asset signature.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein identifying the audio asset includes comparing the generated audio asset signature with the plurality of known audio signatures in the data store.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein identifying the audio asset includes identifying a match between the generated audio asset signature and one of the plurality of known audio signatures.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising generating metadata including at least a portion of the audio asset information associated with the identified audio asset.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the audio asset information includes at least one of audio title, artist, album, album art, genre, type, audio asset location in video program, play time of audio asset in video program, start time of audio asset, end time of audio asset, and audio quality.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein generating the audio asset signature includes processing a sample of the audio asset to calculate one or more of average zero crossing rate, estimated tempo, average frequency spectrum, spectral flatness, prominent tones, and bandwidth.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein generating the audio asset signature includes determining an optimal segment of the audio asset to sample.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein determining the optimal segment includes determining where interference from audio data not related to the audio asset is minimized.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein determining when interference is minimized includes analyzing the audio asset for audio or acoustic features indicative of audio data not related to the audio asset.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein determining when interference is minimized includes analyzing metadata included with the video program to determine when audio data not related to the audio asset is present.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the audio asset includes processing metadata associated with the audio asset to extract audio asset information.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the metadata includes at least one of song lyrics, closed captioning data, and text associated with the audio asset.

40. The method of claim 38 further comprising comparing the metadata associated with the audio asset and the audio asset information associated with the plurality of known audio assets to identify the audio asset.

41. The method of claim 26, wherein the audio asset is identified using a processor at user equipment.

42. The method of claim 26, wherein the data store is located at a media source.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the audio asset is identified using a processor at the media source.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the request to identify an audio asset is a first request, the method further comprising:

i) storing the audio asset information associated with the identified audio asset, ii) receiving a second request to identify the audio asset, iii) comparing the first and second requests to determine that the requests refer to the same audio asset, and iv) providing the stored audio asset information in response to the second request.

45. The method of claim 26, wherein the audio asset information is overlaid on top of the video program.

46. The method of claim 26, wherein the audio asset information is selectable, and wherein the user may be presented with an option to purchase the identified audio asset in response to the selection.

47. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

i) selecting an advertisement based at least in part on the audio asset information, and ii) displaying the advertisement to the user.

48. The method of claim 26, wherein the audio asset is a song, dialogue, narration, sound effect, or background music.

49. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

i) detecting the start time and end time of the audio asset within the video program, and ii) adding metadata to the video program including the start time and the end time.

50. The method of claim 49 further comprising:

i) receiving a second user request to play all audio assets in the video program, and ii) playing the audio assets based on the start time and end time metadata.