Methods and apparatus for metering media feeds in a market

• US 9,324,089 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Arun, Turnbow, Douglas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schnurr, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOGG, CYNTHIA M
• Application Number:
  US14/448,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20150040175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for metering media feeds in a market are disclosed. An example method includes duplicating a first audio stream in a media feed to generate a second audio stream, encoding the first audio stream with a first breakout code, encoding the second audio stream with a second breakout code different from the first breakout code, combining the first audio stream, the second audio stream, and a video stream of the media to generate an encoded transport stream, and instructing, via a processor, a media receiver to tune to the transport stream and select the second audio stream for distribution to a media presentation location on a channel associated with the second breakout code.

Claims

1. A method to distribute media, the method comprising:

duplicating a first audio stream in a media feed to generate a second audio stream, the second audio stream is substantially a one-to-one replication of the first audio stream;

encoding, with a first encoder, the first audio stream with a first breakout code;

encoding, with the first encoder or a second encoder, the second audio stream with a second breakout code different from the first breakout code;

combining the first audio stream, the second audio stream, and a video stream of the media to generate an encoded transport stream; and

instructing, via a processor, a media receiver to access the transport stream and select the second audio stream for distribution to a media presentation location on a first channel associated with the second breakout code.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further including instructing a second media receiver to access the transport stream and select the first audio stream for distribution to a second media presentation location different from the first media presentation location on a second channel associated with the first breakout code.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first channel and the second channel are distributed in a same market.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the transport stream is a first transport stream, and wherein the first channel is associated with a local region of a network.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, further including instructing a second media receiver to access a second transport stream for distribution to a second media presentation location on a second channel in a second local region of the network, wherein the channel and the second channel are associated with a same network.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further including metering media presentation at the media presentation location without calculating an ambiguity error correction.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the encoding of the second audio stream with the second breakout code includes inserting a watermark identifying a) a source identifier for the media and b) the breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the encoding of the second audio stream with the second breakout code includes:

inserting a first watermark identifying a source identifier for the media; and

inserting a second watermark identifying the breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

9. An apparatus to encode media, the apparatus comprising:

an audio splitter to duplicate a first audio stream in a media feed to generate a second audio stream, the second audio stream being substantially a one-to-one replication of the first audio stream;

an encoder to encode the first audio stream with a first breakout code and to encode the second audio stream with a second breakout code; and

a combiner to combine the first audio stream, the second audio stream, and a video stream of the media to generate an encoded transport stream;

at least one of the audio splitter, the encoder and the combiner including hardware.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, further including a controller to instruct a media receiver to tune to the transport stream and select the second audio stream for distribution to a media presentation location on a first channel associated with the second breakout code.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the controller is further to instruct a second media receiver to access the transport stream and select the first audio stream for distribution to a second media presentation location on a second channel associated with the first breakout code, the second channel being different from the first channel.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the first channel and the second channel are distributed in a same market.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first channel is associated with a local region of a network.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the controller is further to instruct a second media receiver to access a second transport stream for distribution to a second media presentation location on a second channel in a second local region of the network, the first channel and the second channel are associated with a same network.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the encoder is to encode the second audio stream with the second breakout code by inserting a watermark identifying a) a source identifier for the media and b) the second breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the encoder is to encode the second audio stream with the second breakout code by:

inserting a first watermark identifying a source identifier for the media; and

inserting a second watermark identifying the second breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

17. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

duplicate a first audio stream in a media feed to generate a second audio stream, the second audio stream being substantially a one-to-one replication of the first audio stream;

encode the first audio stream with a first breakout code;

encode the second audio stream with a second breakout code different from the first breakout code;

combine the first audio stream, the second audio stream, and a video stream of the media to generate an encoded transport stream; and

instruct a media receiver to access the transport stream and select the second audio stream for distribution to a media presentation location on a first channel associated with the second breakout code.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to instruct a second media receiver to access the transport stream and select the first audio stream for distribution to a second media presentation location different from the first media presentation location on a second channel associated with the first breakout code.

19. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the first channel and the second channel are distributed in a same market.

20. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the first channel is associated with a local region of a network.

21. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to instruct a second media receiver to access a second transport stream for distribution to a second media presentation location on a second channel in a second local region of the network, wherein the channel and the second channel are associated with a same network.

22. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to meter media presentation at the media presentation location without calculating an ambiguity error correction.

23. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to encode the second audio stream with the second breakout code by inserting a watermark identifying a) a source identifier for the media and b) the second breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

24. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to encode the second audio stream with the second breakout code by:

inserting a first watermark identifying a source identifier for the media; and

inserting a second watermark identifying the second breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.