Synchronizing broadcast timeline metadata

• US 9,832,538 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2014
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bertrand, Laurent, Maheve, Sanjeev, Wachtfogel, Reuven
• Primary Examiner(s): Saeed, Usmaan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinrich, Brian E.
• Application Number:
  US14/445,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20150365710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 707638, 707706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

There are instances of a content item having synchronization information, one being an instance of a reference content item, another being a candidate content item. A synchronizing processor determines a synchronization point between the reference content item and the candidate content item, on the basis of matching the synchronization information of the reference content item and the candidate content item. A timeline metadata transmitter transmits stored timeline metadata to a device on which the reference content item is playing, the transmission of the stored timeline metadata beginning from the synchronization point. The stored timeline metadata includes timeline metadata that has been previously aggregated from earlier broadcasts of instances of the reference content item. Related systems, apparatus, and methods are also described.

Claims

1. A system for synchronizing timeline metadata associated with different instances of a content item, the system comprising:

a first content item having timeline metadata, the first content item being a first instance of a reference content item;

a candidate content item, which is a second instance of the reference content item, having timeline metadata;

a synchronizing processor coupled to a memory, the synchronizing processor continually comparing the timeline metadata of the first content item and the timeline metadata of the candidate content item, the synchronizing processor comprising;

a first sub-system which analyzes the first content item and the candidate content item for generating primary metadata;

a second sub-system which extracts secondary metadata from the first content item and the candidate content item;

a third sub-system which aggregates and archives in the memory the generated primary metadata and the extracted secondary metadata into timeline metadata; and

a lock-on mechanism which determines a confidence measure that a lock has been acquired between the first content item and the candidate content item; and

a timeline metadata transmitter, which transmits archived timeline metadata to a device on which the first content item is playing, the transmission of the archived timeline metadata beginning from a synchronization point, the synchronization point being the point in the first content item and the candidate content item at which the lock-on mechanism acquires the lock, the lock remaining until a value of the confidence measure falls beneath a threshold,

wherein the archived timeline metadata further comprises timeline metadata that has been previously aggregated from earlier broadcasts of instances of the reference content item.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the primary metadata comprises a subset of the timeline metadata.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the primary metadata comprises subtitles.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the timeline metadata comprises a video fingerprint.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the timeline metadata comprises metadata aggregated from social networks.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the timeline metadata comprises secondary metadata.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the timeline metadata comprises subtitles.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the timeline metadata transmitter further comprises a metadata aggregator.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the metadata aggregator aggregates metadata available on the Internet.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein the metadata aggregator aggregates metadata from a plurality of instances of the reference content item.

11. A method for synchronizing timeline metadata associated with different instances of a content item, the method comprising:

providing a first content item, the first content item having timeline metadata, the first content item being a first instance of a reference content item;

providing a candidate content item, which is a second instance of the reference content item, the candidate content item having timeline metadata;

continually comparing, at a synchronizing processor coupled to a memory, the timeline metadata of the first content item and the timeline metadata of the candidate content item, the comparing at the synchronizing processor comprising;

analyzing the first content item and the candidate content item at a first sub-system for generating primary metadata;

extracting secondary metadata from the first content item and the candidate content item at a second sub-system;

aggregating and archiving in the memory the generated primary metadata and the extracted secondary metadata into timeline metadata at a third sub-system; and

determining a confidence measure that a lock has been acquired between the first content item and the candidate content item;

at a lock-on mechanism; and

transmitting timeline metadata by a timeline metadata transmitter, which transmits archived timeline metadata to a device on which the first content item is playing, the transmission of the archived timeline metadata beginning from a synchronization point, the synchronization point being the point in the first content item and the candidate content item at which the lock-on mechanism acquires the lock, the lock remaining until a value of the confidence measure falls beneath a threshold,

wherein the archived timeline metadata further comprises timeline metadata that has been previously aggregated from earlier broadcasts of instances of the reference content item.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the primary metadata comprises a subset of the timeline metadata.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein the primary metadata comprises subtitles.

14. The method according to claim 11 wherein the timeline metadata comprises a video fingerprint.

15. The method according to claim 11 wherein the timeline metadata comprises metadata aggregated from social networks.

16. The method according to claim 11 wherein the timeline metadata comprises secondary metadata.

17. The method according to claim 11 wherein the timeline metadata comprises subtitles.

18. The method according to claim 11 wherein the timeline metadata transmitter further comprises a metadata aggregator.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the metadata aggregator aggregates metadata available on the Internet.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the metadata aggregator aggregates metadata from a plurality of instances of the reference content item.