Device, system, and method for scheduled avail tone validation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924214-B2
Application number	US-201514862657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 23, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

An avail comparator and method validates scheduled avail tones. The method includes receiving an automation playlist indicating at least one scheduled avail tone configured to be included in a broadcast. The method includes receiving a feed corresponding to the broadcast. The method includes receiving a signaling for each of the at least one scheduled avail tone based upon the automation playlist. The method includes determining whether the at least one scheduled avail tone was triggered in the broadcast based upon the corresponding signaling.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
at an avail comparator:
receiving an automation playlist indicating at least one scheduled avail tone configured to be included in a broadcast;
receiving a feed corresponding to the broadcast;
receiving a signaling for each of the at least one scheduled avail tone based upon the automation playlist; and
determining whether the at least one scheduled avail tone was triggered in the broadcast based upon the corresponding signaling.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a notification in the feed indicative of the at least one scheduled avail tone having triggered.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed from receiving the signaling;
determining a presence of the notification when the notification is received within the predetermined time; and
determining an absence of the notification when the predetermined time has elapsed.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
generating an alert indicating the absence.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signaling is generated based upon one of a signal playout on an on-air channel, scraping the automation playlist for signal playout by an external system, scraping the automation playlist for signal playout by the avail comparator, and a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feed includes a plurality of feeds that are aggregated.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
generating a log including events corresponding to the presence of the notification and the absence of the notification corresponding to each of the at least one avail tones.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the log is for a configurable amount of time, the log being searchable by filtering for a date range, a channel, and an avail tone status within the configurable amount of time.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the avail tone is one of a cue tone, a Society of Cable Television Engineers (SCTE) 104 generated event, an application for a general purpose interface (GPI) signaling, an application for an AC3 encoder, an application for active format description (AFD) signaling, and an application for a V-Chip signaling.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the broadcast is a television broadcast and the feed is a return feed.

11. An avail comparator, comprising:
a transceiver configured to establish a connection to a broadcast system; and
a processor configured to receive an automation playlist indicating at least one scheduled avail tone configured to be included in a broadcast, the processor configured to receive a feed corresponding to the broadcast, the processor configured to receive a signaling for each of the at least one scheduled avail tone based upon the automation playlist, the processor configured to determine whether the at least one scheduled avail tone was triggered in the broadcast based upon the corresponding signaling.

12. The avail comparator of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a notification in the feed indicative of the at least one scheduled avail tone having triggered.

13. The avail comparator of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether a predetermined time has elapsed from receiving the signaling, determine a presence of the notification when the notification is received within the predetermined time, and determine an absence of the notification when the predetermined time has elapsed.

14. The avail comparator of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate an alert indicating the absence.

15. The avail comparator of claim 11 , wherein the signaling is generated based upon one of a signal playout on an on-air channel, scraping the automation playlist for signal playout by an external system, scraping the automation playlist for signal playout by the avail comparator, and a combination thereof.

16. The avail comparator of claim 11 , wherein the feed includes a plurality of feeds that are aggregated.

17. The avail comparator of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate a log including events corresponding to the presence of the notification and the absence of the notification corresponding to each of the at least one avail tones.

18. The avail comparator of claim 17 , wherein the log is for a configurable amount of time, the log being searchable by filtering for a date range, a channel, and an avail tone status within the configurable amount of time.

19. The avail comparator of claim 11 , wherein the avail tone is one of a cue tone, a Society of Cable Television Engineers (SCTE) 104 generated event, an application for a general purpose interface (GPI) signaling, an application for an AC3 encoder, an application for active format description (AFD) signaling, and an application for a V-Chip signaling.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a microprocessor to perform operations comprising:
receiving an automation playlist indicating at least one scheduled avail tone configured to be included in a broadcast;
receiving a feed corresponding to the broadcast;
receiving a signaling for each of the at least one scheduled avail tone based upon the automation playlist; and
determining whether the at least one scheduled avail tone was triggered in the broadcast based upon the corresponding signaling.

Assignees

• Viacom Int Inc

Inventors

• Riedel Gregg William
• Hundersmarck Christopher Fulton
• Findling Scott Charles
• Mcmackin Michael J

Classifications

• H04H20/14

  for monitoring programmes · CPC title

• H04N21/26258 Primary

  for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list (retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40) · CPC title

• H04N21/23424

  involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement · CPC title

• H04N21/2407

  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 title

• H04N21/222

  Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end {(provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} · CPC title