Digital video signature apparatus and methods for use with video program identification systems

• US 9,015,742 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Deng, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US14/141,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 725/19, 725/20, 725/33
• US Class Current: 725/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7847 using low-level visual features of the video content
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/40 in video content extracting overlay text G06V20/62; video retrieval G06F16/70; processing of video elementary streams in video servers H04N21/234; processing of video elementary streams in video clients H04N21/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/14 for monitoring programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/59 of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Digital video signature apparatus and methods for use with video program identification systems are disclosed. The example apparatus and methods generate a signature associated with a video program. An example system includes a frame scanner to scan video frames associated with the video program. The frame scanner is to select a video frame based on a number of intra-coded macro blocks within the video frame. The example system also includes an intra-coded macro block extractor to extract intra-coded macro blocks from the video frame and a scaled image extractor to extract a scaled image from the intra-coded macro blocks. A signature generator is also included in the example system to calculate a plurality of centroids associated with video frame based on the scaled image and to form the signature based on the plurality of centroids.

Claims

1. A system to generate a signature associated with a video program, the system comprising:

an intra-coded block extractor to extract intra-coded macro blocks from a video frame associated with the video program;

a scaled image extractor to extract a scaled image from the intra-coded macro blocks; and

a signature generator to form a signature for the scaled image based on a first centroid associated with a first image component of the scaled image and a second centroid associated with a second image component of the scaled image, the first centroid defined by first coordinates within the scaled image and the second centroid defined by second coordinates relative to the first centroid coordinates.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a frame scanner to:

scan a plurality of video frames associated with the video program;

determine a number of intra-coded macro blocks in the video frames of the plurality of video frames; and

select a video frame from the plurality of video frames based on the number of intra-coded macro blocks in the selected video frame, and

the intra-coded block extractor to extract the intra-coded macro blocks from the selected video frame.

3. A system as defined in claim 2, wherein the plurality of video frames are compressed using a video compression standard.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the intra-coded extractor is to extract only intra-coded macro blocks from the video frame.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the image component corresponds with an image color component.

6. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the image component corresponds with a brightness component.

7. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first centroid is associated with an image color and the first coordinates correspond with a first position within a first sub-image of the scaled image, and the second centroid is associated with the image color and the second coordinates correspond with a second position within a second sub-image of the scaled image.

8. A method of generating a signature associated with a video program, comprising:

extracting intra-coded macro blocks from a video frame associated with the video program;

extracting a scaled image from the intra-coded macro blocks;

defining a first centroid corresponding with a first image component of the scaled image by first coordinates within the scaled image;

defining a second centroid corresponding with a second image component of the scaled image by second coordinates relative to the first centroid coordinates; and

forming a signature for the scaled image based on the first centroid and the second centroid.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

scanning a plurality of video frames associated with the video program;

determining a number of intra-coded macro blocks in the video frames of the plurality of video frames; and

selecting a video frame from the plurality of video frames based on the number of intra-coded macro blocks in the selected video frame,

wherein extracting the scaled image from the intra-coded macro blocks further comprises extracting the intra-coded macro blocks from the selected video frame.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the plurality of video frames are compressed using a video compression standard.

11. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising extracting only intra-coded macro blocks from the video frame.

12. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the image component corresponds with an image color component.

13. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the image component corresponds with a brightness component.

14. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the first centroid is associated with an image color and the first coordinates correspond with a first position within a first sub-image of the scaled image, and the second centroid is associated with the image color and the second coordinates correspond with a second position within a second sub-image of the scaled image.

15. A computer readable storage device or storage disc comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

extract intra-coded macro blocks from a video frame associated with a video program;

extract a scaled image from the intra-coded macro blocks;

define a first centroid that corresponds with a first image component of the scaled image by first coordinates within the scaled image;

define a second centroid that corresponds with a second image component of the scaled image by second coordinates relative to the first centroid coordinates; and

form a signature for the scaled image based on the first centroid and the second centroid, the signature associated with the video program.

16. A computer readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

scan a plurality of video frames associated with the video program;

determine a number of intra-coded macro blocks in the video frames of the plurality of video frames; and

select a video frame from the plurality of video frames based on the number of intra-coded macro blocks in the selected video frame.

17. A computer readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 16, wherein the plurality of video frames are compressed using a video compression standard.

18. A computer readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to extract only intra-coded macro blocks from the video frame.

19. A computer readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the image component corresponds with at least one of an image color component or a brightness component.

20. A computer readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the first centroid is associated with an image color and the first coordinates correspond with a first position within a first sub-image of the scaled image, and the second centroid is associated with the image color and the second coordinates correspond with a second position within a second sub-image of the scaled image.