Method and apparatus for content replacement in live production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10200749-B2
Application number	US-73619709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2009
Priority date	Apr 10, 2008
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

The insertion of an advertisement or other new content into a time slot between content segments advantageously occurs by selecting the new segment to fill its associated slot as closely as possible. Play out of a successive content segment occurs for distribution over at least one of a first set of channels and at least one second channel until the occurrence of the time slot whereupon the new content segment undergoes play out for distribution over the at least one second channel. If the new content segment has a duration longer than the time slot, the length of at least one content segment gets reduced to provide substantially seamless play out.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for seamlessly distributing content within live production, the system comprising:
a broadcast production system that assembles a script for automated rundown to distribute a live program, the script including a plurality of content segments comprising audio and video content for the live program that is received from a news room computer system (NRCS);
a database storing a plurality of alternative content segments each having a unique identifier and a respective duration time; and
a plurality of encoders including:
a first encoder that encodes the plurality of content segments into a first coding format for linear transmission over of a first set of channels including at least one of a terrestrial television broadcast channel, a cable channel and a satellite channel,
a second encoder that encodes the plurality of content segments into a second coding format for non-linear transmission over an internet channel that includes a client-server network of webpages, and
a transcoder that encodes the plurality of alternative content segments as uncompressed data for transmission over the internet channel,

wherein the broadcast production system includes:
a workflow manger that executes the script and transmits the plurality of content segments encoded in the first coding format as a first data stream as over-the-air content over at least one of the first set of channels and transmits the plurality of content segments encoded in the second coding format as a second data stream as the over-the-air content over the internet channel,
a time slot identifier that receives, from the NRCS, at least one time slot within the plurality of content segments, wherein the at least one time slot includes an occurrence time and a duration time associated with the plurality of content segments,
an alternative content segment selector that selects, from the database, at least one of the alternative content segments, such that the duration of the selected at least one alternative content segment is within the duration time of the at least one time slot, and
an alternative content distributor that seamlessly stitches the uncompressed data of the selected at least one alternative content segment in the second data stream at the occurrence time of the at least one time slot as over-the-internet content over the internet channel, such that the stitched and uncompressed data does not replace any of the plurality of content segments transmitted in the second data stream.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the alternative content distributor reduces a length of the selected at least one alternative content segment when the selected at least one alternative content segment has a duration time longer than the duration time of the at least one time slot.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the alternative content distributor pads a length of the selected at least one alternative content segment when the selected at least one alternative content segment has a duration time shorter than the duration time of the at least one time slot.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first coding format is one of a MPEG2, a H.264, and an Apple® Quick Time format, and wherein the second coding format is a Windows® Media Video format.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of alternative content segments comprise internet advertisements.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the alternative content distributor seamlessly switches the uncompressed data of the selected at least one alternative content segment in the second data stream, such that the selected at least one alternative content segment is consumed by a receiving device during the identified time slot with no perceivable space between the alternative content segment and the plurality of content segments associated with the identified time slot.

7. A system for distributing content within a live program, the system comprising:
a broadcast production system that assembles a script for automated rundown to distribute a live program, the script including a plurality of content segments comprising audio and video content received from a news room computer system (NRCS);
a database that stores a plurality of alternative content segments each having a respective duration time;
at least one encoder that encodes the plurality of content segments and the plurality of alternative content segments into a first coding format for transmission over an internet channel;
a workflow manager that transmits, when executing the script to distribute the live program, the plurality of content segments encoded in the first coding format as a first data stream as over-the-air content over the internet channel;
a time slot identifier that receives, from the NRCS, at least one time slot associated with the plurality of content segments, wherein the at least one time slot includes an occurrence time and a duration time;
an alternative content selector that selects, from the database, at least one of the alternative content segments based on the duration of the selected at least one alternative content segment and the duration time of the at least one time slot within the plurality of content segments; and
an alternative content distributor that seamlessly switches from transmitting the over-the-air content in the first data stream to transmitting the selected at least one alternative content segment as over-the-internet content in the first data stream at the occurrence time of the at least one time slot over the internet channel, such that the transmitted at least one alternative content segment does not replace any of the plurality of content segments transmitted in the first data stream.

8. The system of claim 7 ,
wherein the at least one encoder encodes the plurality of content segments into a second coding format for transmission over of a set of channels including at least one of a terrestrial television broadcast channel, a cable channel and a satellite channel, and
wherein the workflow manager transmits, when executing the script to distribute the live program, the plurality of content segments encoded in the second coding format as over-the-air content over at least one of the set of channels.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the alternative content distributor reduces a length of the selected at least one alternative content segment when the selected at least one alternative content segment has a duration time longer than the duration time of the at least one time slot.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the alternative content distributor pads a length of the selected at least one alternative content segment when the selected at least one alternative content segment has a duration time shorter than the duration time of the at least one time slot.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of alternative content segments comprise internet advertisements.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the alternative content distributor seamlessly switches from transmitting the over-the-air content in the first data stream to transmitting the selected at least one alternative content segment as over-the-internet content in the first data stream, such that the selected at least one alternative content segment is consumed by a receiving device during the identified time slot with no perceivable space between the alternative content segment and the plurality of content segments associated with the identified time slot.

13. A system for seamless content distribution, the system comprising:
a database for storing a plurality of alternative content segments each having a respective duration time;
a content segment e

Assignees

• Mccallister Benjamin
• Holtz Alex
• Gvbb Holdings Sarl

Inventors

• Mccallister Benjamin
• Holtz Alex

Classifications

• H04N21/234309

  by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo (conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01) · CPC title

• H04N21/812

  involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02) · CPC title

• H04N21/44016 Primary

  involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip · CPC title

• H04N21/242

  Synchronisation processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Programme Clock References] {(arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18)} · CPC title

• H04N21/234363

  by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution · CPC title