Methods and systems for reducing spillover by measuring a crest factor

• US 9,021,516 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Christen V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Monshi, Samira
• Application Number:
  US13/782,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20140250448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/00 Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
• 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: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• 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 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• 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 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for reducing spillover in a media monitoring system are disclosed. An example method includes identifying media associated with media monitoring data. The media monitoring data is received from a first meter associated with a first media presentation device. The example method includes identifying an expected crest factor associated with the media. The example method includes comparing the expected crest factor to a received crest factor to determine if spillover occurred. The received crest factor is received from the first meter. The example method includes crediting the media as a media exposure if spillover did not occur.

Claims

1. A method to detect spillover in a media measuring system, comprising:

identifying media associated with media monitoring data, the media monitoring data being received from a meter associated with a first media presentation device;

identifying an expected crest factor associated with the media;

comparing the expected crest factor to a received crest factor to determine if spillover occurred, the received crest factor being received from the meter, the received crest factor being based on dividing a peak amplitude of an audio signal associated with the media by a root mean square value of the audio signal; and

crediting the media as a media exposure if spillover did not occur.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the expected crest factor to the received crest factor comprises comparing a difference between the expected crest factor and the received crest factor to a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein crediting the media as media exposure includes marking the media monitoring data as credited.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting the marked media monitoring data to a central facility.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising not crediting the media as a media exposure if spillover did occur.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if spillover did occur, discarding the media monitoring data associated with the spillover.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if spillover did occur, marking the media monitoring data associated with the spillover as not credited.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected crest factor is retrieved from a reference database when the media is identified.

8. A spillover manager to detect spillover in a media measuring system, comprising:

a crest factor comparator to;

identify media associated with media monitoring data, the media monitoring data being received from a meter associated with a media presentation device;

identify an expected crest factor associated with the media; and

determine if spillover occurred by comparing the expected crest factor to a received crest factor, the received crest factor being received from the meter, the received crest factor being based on dividing a peak amplitude of an audio signal associated with the media by a root mean square value of the audio signal; and

a media creditor to;

credit the media with an exposure if spillover did not occur; and

not credit the media with an exposure if spillover did occur.

9. The spillover manager of claim 8, wherein the crest factor comparator is to compare the expected crest factor to the received crest factor by comparing a difference between the expected crest factor and the received crest factor to a threshold.

10. The spillover manager of claim 8, wherein to credit the media with the exposure, the media creditor is to mark the media monitoring data as credited.

11. The spillover manager of claim 10, further comprising a transmitter to transmit the marked media monitoring data to a central facility.

12. The spillover manager of claim 8, wherein the media creditor is to discard the media monitoring data if spillover did occur.

13. The spillover manager of claim 8, wherein the media creditor is to mark the media monitoring data as not credited if spillover did occur.

14. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device to at least:

identify media associated with media monitoring data, the media monitoring data being received from a meter associated with a media presentation device;

identify an expected crest factor associated with the media;

compare the expected crest factor to a received crest factor to determine if spillover occurred, the received crest factor being received from the meter, the received crest factor being based on dividing a peak amplitude of an audio signal associated with the media by a root mean square value of the audio signal; and

credit the media as a media exposure if spillover did not occur.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein comparing the expected crest factor to the received crest factor comprises comparing a difference between the expected crest factor and the received crest factor to a threshold.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein crediting the media as media exposure includes marking the media monitoring data as credited.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that cause the computing device to transmit the marked media monitoring data to a central facility.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising not crediting the media as a media exposure if spillover did occur.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions that cause the computing device to discard the media monitoring data if spillover did occur.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions that cause the computing device to mark the media monitoring data as not credited if spillover did occur.