Apparatus and method for providing a surveillance system

• US 9,357,177 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• 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: Beattie, James Gordon, Griesmer, Stephen J., Mallya, Arvind Ramdas
• Primary Examiner(s): Atala, Jamie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mung, On S
• Application Number:
  US12/625,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,380 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/180, 725/37, 725/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media processor having a controller to receive media content from a content provider operating in an interactive television (iTV) network, wherein the media content is associated with a plurality of channels, wherein the media content comprises audio and video content, change each channel of the plurality of channels based on a time interval provided by a monitoring system, analyze audio content of the media content for each channel for detecting an undesired condition associated with the video content, wherein the audio content is encoded by an iTV audio encoder, and transmit the media content to the monitoring system if the undesired condition is detected, the media content being transmitted for analysis by the monitoring system and for creation of a trouble ticket if a qualitative threshold for the media content is determined to not be satisfied.

Claims

1. A media processor, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving media content from a content provider operating in an interactive television network, wherein the media content is associated with a plurality of channels, wherein the media content comprises audio and video content;

receiving from a monitoring system an instruction, in accordance with an automated monitoring procedure, to change each channel of the plurality of channels based on a time interval, wherein the time interval is a predetermined time interval, the monitoring system accordingly monitoring each channel of the plurality of channels;

analyzing audio content of the media content for each channel in a first analysis to detect an undesired audio content quality condition, wherein the audio content is encoded by an audio encoder, wherein the analyzing comprises speech recognition by a speech recognition engine, and wherein the undesired audio content quality condition comprises a loss of synchronization of the speech recognition engine;

transmitting to the monitoring system a detection signal regarding detection of an undesired video content quality condition based on the analyzing of the audio content, the undesired video content quality condition occurring concurrently with the undesired audio content quality condition,

transmitting the media content to the monitoring system for a second analysis, in accordance with the detection signal,

wherein the monitoring system creates a trouble ticket if a qualitative threshold for the media content is determined to not be satisfied, wherein the trouble ticket signifies that the media content does not satisfy the qualitative threshold, wherein responsive to the trouble ticket substitute media content or replacement media content is provided, and

wherein the monitoring system, responsive to determining that the qualitative threshold is satisfied, transmits a notice to the media processor indicating that the media content does satisfy the qualitative threshold and accordingly the first analysis and the second analysis are inconsistent, thereby indicating that a possible malfunction of the media processor has occurred; and

generating an alarm if the synchronization of the speech recognition engine is determined to be lost intermittently or for an extended period of time.

2. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the interactive television network comprises interactive cable television or interactive satellite television.

3. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the media processor comprises a set-top-box, a mobile device, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computing device, or a digital video recorder.

4. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining an undesired condition associated with text, still image, or the audio content of the media content based on analyzing the audio content.

5. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the trouble ticket is transmitted to a processor for altering the media content to satisfy the qualitative threshold, thereby generating the substitute media content.

6. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the qualitative threshold is based on an absence of a signal associated with the media content or a number of lost packets associated with the media content.

7. The media processor of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring the media content by level checking across a spectrum, a phase, and a harmonic distribution.

8. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a system, an instruction signal to a media processor to change each channel of a plurality of channels at a time interval in accordance with an automated monitoring procedure, wherein the time interval is a random time interval, and wherein the media processor operates in an interactive television network;

analyzing, by the system, audio content included in media content for each channel of the plurality of channels in a first analysis to detect an undesired audio content quality condition, wherein the analyzing comprises speech recognition by a speech recognition engine, and wherein the undesired audio content quality condition comprises a loss of synchronization of the speech recognition engine;

receiving, by the system, the media content from the media processor via a backhaul circuit if an undesired video content quality condition associated with video content included in the media content is detected, wherein the undesired video content quality condition is detected by the analyzing of the audio content to detect the undesired video content quality condition occurring concurrently;

analyzing, by the system, the media content in a second analysis to determine if a qualitative threshold for the media content is satisfied; and

generating, by the system, a trouble ticket if the qualitative threshold for the media content is determined to not be satisfied, wherein the trouble ticket signifies that the media content does not satisfy the qualitative threshold, wherein responsive to the trouble ticket substitute media content or replacement media content is provided;

generating, by the system, a notice to the media processor if the qualitative threshold for the media content is determined to be satisfied, wherein the notice indicates that the media content does satisfy the qualitative threshold and accordingly the first analysis and the second analysis are inconsistent, thereby indicating that a possible malfunction of the media processor has occurred; and

generating, by the system, an alarm signal if the synchronization of the speech recognition engine is determined to be lost intermittently or for an extended period of time.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising analyzing, by the system, the backhaul circuit by utilizing a reference channel.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising transmitting, by the system, the trouble ticket to a processor for generating and transmitting to the media processor the substitute media content, wherein the substitute media content satisfies the qualitative threshold.

11. The method of claim 8, comprising updating, by the system, the trouble ticket if the undesired condition is not detected or the qualitative threshold is satisfied.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising determining, by the system, undesired conditions associated with a physical or a logical topology associated with the media content.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the qualitative threshold is based on an absence of a signal associated with the media content or a number of lost packets associated with the media content.

14. The method of claim 8, comprising generating, by the system, the alarm signal if the qualitative threshold is not satisfied.

20. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the trouble ticket to a technician for review.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving media content from a media content source, wherein the media content is associated with a plurality of channels;

receiving an instruction signal from a monitoring system to change each channel of the plurality of channels in accordance with an automated monitoring procedure and based on a time interval, wherein the time interval includes a predetermined time interval, the monitoring system accordingly monitoring each channel of the plurality of channels;

changing each channel of the plurality of channels based on the time interval;

analyzing audio content of the media content for each channel in a first analysis to detect an undesired audio content quality condition, wherein the analyzing comprises speech recognition by a speech recognition engine, and wherein the undesired audio content quality condition comprises a loss of synchronization of the speech recognition engine;

detecting an undesired video content quality condition based on the analyzing of the audio content, the undesired video content quality condition occurring concurrently with the undesired audio content quality condition,

transmitting the media content to the monitoring system responsive to detection of the undesired condition, the media content being transmitted to the monitoring system for determining in a second analysis if a qualitative threshold for the media content is satisfied;

generating a trouble ticket if the qualitative threshold for the media content is determined to not be satisfied, wherein the trouble ticket signifies that the media content does not satisfy the qualitative threshold, wherein responsive to the trouble ticket substitute media content or replacement media content is provided;

generating a notice if the qualitative threshold for the media content is determined to be satisfied, wherein the notice indicates that the media content does satisfy the qualitative threshold and accordingly the first analysis and the second analysis are inconsistent, thereby indicating that a possible malfunction of the processor has occurred; and

generating an alarm if the synchronization of the speech recognition engine is determined to be lost intermittently or for an extended period of time.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise feeding the audio content into an audio encoder for encoding after detecting the undesired condition, wherein the audio content that is encoded is decoded by the monitoring system.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining an undesired condition of still image or text content of the media content based on the analyzing of the audio content.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the substitute media content if the qualitative threshold is not satisfied.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining undesired conditions associated with a physical or a logical topology associated with the media content.