Methods and apparatus to monitor audio/visual content from various sources

• US 9,301,007 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US14/686,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20150222951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 725 15- 19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/59 of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• 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 21/44008 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to monitor audio/visual content from various sources are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to monitor a media presentation include generating a plurality of interpixel differences associated with a plurality of video samples of a video signal corresponding to a video frame of the media presentation. Such example methods also include processing the plurality of interpixel differences to determine whether the video frame exhibits macroblocking. Such example methods further include eliminating a first source from a plurality of possible sources of the media presentation when the video frame exhibits macroblocking.

Claims

1. A method to monitor a media presentation, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of interpixel differences associated with a plurality of video samples of a video signal corresponding to a video frame of the media presentation;

processing the plurality of interpixel differences to determine whether the video frame exhibits macroblocking; and

eliminating a first source from a plurality of possible sources of the media presentation when the video frame exhibits macroblocking.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein processing the plurality of interpixel differences includes:

determining a first power spectral density associated with the plurality of interpixel differences;

filtering the first power spectral density to determine a second power spectral density; and

determining a value based on a difference between the first power spectral density and the second power spectral density.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, further including comparing the value to a threshold to determine whether the video frame exhibits macroblocking.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, further including determining that the media presentation corresponds to compressed video when the difference is greater than a threshold.

5. A method as defined in claim 2, further including determining that the media presentation corresponds to a video game when the value is substantially equal to zero.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further including determining whether an audio signal corresponding to the media presentation is muted.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein determining whether the audio signal is muted includes:

counting zero crossings associated with a plurality of audio samples of the audio signal; and

determining whether the audio signal is muted when a number of zero crossings satisfies a first threshold.

8. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk including computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

generate a plurality of interpixel differences associated with a plurality of video samples of a video signal corresponding to a video frame of a media presentation;

process the plurality of interpixel differences to determine whether the video frame exhibits macroblocking; and

eliminate a first source from a plurality of possible sources of the media presentation when the video frame exhibits macroblocking.

9. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 8, wherein to process the plurality of interpixel differences, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

determine a first power spectral density associated with the plurality of interpixel differences;

filter the first power spectral density to determine a second power spectral density; and

determine a value based on a difference between the first power spectral density and the second power spectral density.

10. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to compare the value to a threshold to determine whether the video frame exhibits macroblocking.

11. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to determine that the media presentation corresponds to compressed video when the value is greater than a threshold.

12. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to determine that the media presentation corresponds to a video game when the value is substantially equal to zero.

13. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to determine whether an audio signal corresponding to the media presentation is muted.

14. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 13, wherein to determine whether the audio signal is muted, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

count zero crossings associated with a plurality of audio samples of the audio signal; and

determine whether the audio signal is muted when a number of zero crossings satisfies a first threshold.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a macroblock detector to;

generate a plurality of interpixel differences associated with a plurality of video samples of a video signal corresponding to a video frame of a media presentation; and

process the plurality of interpixel differences to determine whether the video frame exhibits macroblocking; and

a decision processor to eliminate a first source from a plurality of possible sources of the media presentation when the video frame exhibits macroblocking.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the macroblock detector is further to:

determine a first power spectral density associated with the plurality of interpixel differences;

determine a second power spectral density by filtering the first power spectral density; and

determine a value based on a difference between the first power spectral density and the second power spectral density.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the macroblock detector is further to compare the value to a threshold to determine whether the video frame exhibits macroblocking.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the decision processor is further to determine that the media presentation corresponds to compressed video when the value is greater than a threshold.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the decision processor is further to determine that the media presentation corresponds to a video game when the value is equal to zero.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further including a mute detector to determine whether an audio signal corresponding to the media presentation is muted.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein the mute detector is further to:

count zero crossings associated with a plurality of audio samples of the audio signal; and

determine whether the audio signal is muted when a number of zero crossings satisfies a first threshold.