Using single-channel/multi-channel transitions to output an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9942679-B2
Application number	US-201615349911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2016
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

In one aspect, an example method for outputting an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system involves: a computing device receiving a first audio-stream that represents first audio-content; the computing device generating a first signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of single-channel/multi-channel transitions included within the first audio-content; the computing device receiving a second audio-stream that represents second audio-content; the computing device generating a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of single-channel/multi-channel transitions included within the second audio-content; the computing device making a determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity; and responsive to the determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack the threshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputting an alert.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computing device configured for performing a set of acts for outputting an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system, the set of acts comprising:
receiving, by the computing device, a first audio-stream that represents first audio-content;
generating, by the computing device, a first signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of single-channel/multi-channel transitions included within the first audio-content;
receiving, by the computing device, a second audio-stream that represents second audio-content;
generating, by the computing device, a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of single-channel/multi-channel transitions included within the second audio-content;
making, by the computing device, a determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity; and
responsive to the determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack the threshold extent of similarity, outputting, by the computing device, an alert.

2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the first audio-stream was generated by a primary audio-broadcast system, and wherein the second audio-stream was generated by the back-up audio-broadcast system.

3. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein generating the first signature comprises identifying a single-channel/multi-channel transition within the first audio-content.

4. The computing device of claim 3 , wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a type of the identified single-channel/multi-channel transition.

5. The computing device of claim 3 , wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a playout time of the identified single-channel/multi-channel transition.

6. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the generated first-signature represents a first transition that has a first type and that is associated with a first time, wherein making the determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity comprises determining that the generated second-signature does not represent a second transition that has the first type and that is associated with a time that is within a tolerance period of the first time.

7. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein outputting an alert comprises displaying a message.

8. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein outputting an alert comprises transmitting an instruction.

9. A computing device configured for performing a set of acts for outputting an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system, the set of acts comprising:
receiving a first audio-stream that represents first audio-content;
generating a first signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of single-channel/multi-channel transitions included within the first audio-content;
receiving a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of audio transitions included within second audio-content represented by a second audio-stream;
making a determination that the generated first-signature and the received second signature lack a threshold extent of similarity; and
responsive to the determination that the generated first-signature and the received second signature lack the threshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputting an alert.

10. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein the first video-stream was generated by one of a primary video-broadcast system and the back-up video-broadcast system, and wherein the second video-stream was generated by another one of the primary video-broadcast system and the back-up video-broadcast system.

11. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein generating the first signature comprises identifying a single-channel/multi-channel transition within the first audio-content.

12. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a type of the identified single-channel/multi-channel transition.

13. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a time associated with the identified single-channel/multi-channel transition.

14. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the generated first-signature represents a first transition that has a first type and that is associated with a first time, wherein making the determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity comprises determining that the generated second-signature does not represent a second transition that has the first type and that is associated with a time that is within a tolerance period of the first time.

15. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein outputting an alert comprises displaying a message.

16. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein outputting an alert comprises transmitting an instruction.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed cause a computing device to perform a set of acts for outputting an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system, the set of acts comprising:
receiving a first audio-stream that represents first audio-content;
generating a first signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of single-channel/multi-channel transitions included within the first audio-content;
receiving a second audio-stream that represents second audio-content;
generating a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of single-channel/multi-channel transitions included within the second audio-content;
making a determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity; and
responsive to the determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack the threshold extent of similarity, outputting an alert.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the first audio-stream was generated by a primary audio-broadcast system, and wherein the second audio-stream was generated by the back-up audio-broadcast system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein generating the first signature comprises identifying a single-channel/multi-channel transition within the first audio-content.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a type of the identified single-channel/multi-channel transition.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a playout time of the identified single-channel/multi-channel transition.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the generated first-signature represents a first transition that has a first type and that is associated with a first time, wherein making the determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity comprises determining that the generated second-signature does not represent a second transition that has the first type and that is associated with a time that is within a tolerance period of the first time.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein outputting an alert comprises displaying a mess

Assignees

• Tribune Broadcasting Co Llc

Inventors

• Hundemer Hank J

Classifications

• H04H60/29

  Arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services · CPC title

• H04R29/007 Primary

  for public address systems (public address systems per se H04R27/00) · CPC title

• H04N21/233

  Processing of audio elementary streams {(monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4394

  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 title

• H04H60/11

  Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable · CPC title