METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR METERING MEDIA FEEDS IN A MARKET

• US 20150040175A1
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 9,324,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/116
• 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;

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 first channel associated with the second breakout code.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising instructing a second media receiver to tune to 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. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first channel and the second channel are distributed in a same market.

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

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising instructing a second media receiver to tune to 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. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising metering media presentation at the media presentation location without calculating an ambiguity error correction.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein encoding the second audio stream with the second breakout code comprises 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. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein encoding the second audio stream with the second breakout code comprises:

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.

22. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to meter media presentation at the media presentation location without calculating an ambiguity error correction.

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;

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;

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.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising 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. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the controller is further to instruct a second media receiver to tune to 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. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the first channel and the second channel are distributed in a same market.

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

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the controller is further to instruct a second media receiver to tune to 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.

15. An 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 breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

16. An 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 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;

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, 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 first channel associated with the second breakout code.

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

21. A 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 tune to 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.

23. A 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 breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

24. A 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 breakout code associated with a network for distribution of the media.

25-48. -48. (canceled)