Method and apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal

Abstract

Method and apparatus for identifying broadcast digital audio signals include structure and / or function whereby the digital audio signal is provided to processing structure which is configured to (i) identify a program-identifying code in the received digital audio signal, (ii) identify a program-identifying code in a decompressed received digital audio signal, (iii) identify a feature signature in the received digital audio signal, and (iv) identify a feature signature in the decompressed received digital audio signal. Preferably, such processing structure is disposed in a dwelling or a monitoring site in an audience measurement system, such as the Nielsen TV ratings system.

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] The present invention relates to method and apparatus for identifying a program signal that is broadcast to members of an audience. More particularly, the present invention relates to method and apparatus for identifying a program signal having a digital audio component. Preferably, such method and apparatus will find use in audience measurement and / or broadcast monitoring services.[0003] 2. Related Art[0004] Third party measurements are typically used in the broadcasting industry to verify that program elements (e.g., commercials) are disseminated in accordance with contractual arrangements, and to estimate the size and composition of the audience. One measurement technique involves reading an ancillary encoded identification label or signal that is transmitted with the program. Another measurement technique involves extracting characteristic features (commonly called "signatures") from the program, and then comparing the extracted features wi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] According to a first aspect of the present invention, digital audio signal recognition apparatus includes an input connector for direct connection to a standard SP / DIF output connector on consumer digital television receiving equipment. The apparatus includes structure for processing the input digital audio signal to obtain one or more of: (i) an identifying label encoded in a portion of a digital audio frame; (ii) an identifying label code embedded in a decompressed audio signal; (iii) a copy of a selected portion of a frame (e.g., a checksum portion); and (iv) a copy of a selected portion of the decompressed digital audio signal. Preferably, the apparatus also has an SP / DIF output connector and provides a repeated copy of the input digital audio signal at that output, so that the user can use the audio and video equipment without interference by the signal recognition process.

[0019] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of collecting tuning data includes the steps of obtaining an input digital audio signal at an SP / DIF connection, and processing the input signal in four parallel paths to obtain up to four identification data. The identification data may comprise (i) any program-identifying label that is present in the compressed audio signals, (ii) any program-identifying label that is present in the decompressed audio signals, (iii) a first candidate signature from the input signal (if it is in a compressed audio format), and (iv) a second candidate signature from the decompressed audio. All of the four possible identification data that are collected at each measurement time are assembled to form a time-stamped record that may be communicated to a store-and-forward apparatus. The store-and-forward apparatus stores in a memory at least some of the time-stamped records sent to it, and subsequently forwards the stored records to a central data collection facility. It will be clear to those skilled in the audience-measurement arts that not all of the collected data (e.g., data collected during a time when the television is turned off, or data that supports a temporal resolution finer that what is called for in the measurement) is of value, and that the triage operation performed by the store-and-forward apparatus, or by some other portion of the measurement system installed a user dwelling, reduces the cost of storing and communicating data.

Problems solved by technology

For example, some video encoding arrangements that work well with analog video signals are incompatible with digital transmission because such codes, if present on an original analog signal, do not survive the data compression that is part of the process of converting the analog video signal to a digital one.

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